Current Affairs Sources and strategy

Current affairs

My Sources

a. Newspaper - Indian Express (primary newspaper), The Hindu (Only the following pages - Editorial, Opinion, Science, FAQ on Sunday)

b. Vajiram quick revision booklet + selected coverage of PT 365

c. Mains 365

d. Issue based news analysis articles on internet - eg UCC issue can be prepared by top 4-5 searches on internet after prompt 'UCC UPSC', cover dimensions like what is it?, constitution/law/policy on it, advantages/need, concerns, global eg, way forward…..

e. Reverse learning from prelims tests - esp. helpful for S&T, IR, Env

f. Times of India (only for Interview)

g. PIB daily news articles (only for Interview to not miss any GoI related development)

My observation

a. Initially you may find preparing current issues a daunting task since many things need to be covered. You will feel the urge to expand your sources, watch countless daily news analysis videos, research for hours on topics you like and so on.

b. It becomes CRITICAL to realise that current affairs prep solely will not help you clear this exam.

c. Static portions (esp. in Polity, economy, History and Geog) are the game changer for Prelims - if you get these questions incorrect, you will unfortunately not be able to clear the cut-off.

d. For Mains papers too, current affairs are reflected in your answers as an example, a recent case or an introductory news info. It is the static part majorly which forms the body.

e. I do not mean that current prep should be compromised in preparing static portions, because prelims now gives us 3-4 statements in mix mode, some static and some current. 'Only one, only two…' type of options further push us to have a comprehensive understanding of any topic.

f. Similarly for mains, if you do not add current developments, quality of your answers drop significantly compared to your peers.

g. I simply want to emphasis that you must TRUST YOUR SOURCES. Do not read multiple newspapers, magazines or coaching materials. Instead revise limited current sources multiple times.

h. You cannot over-prepare some topics by compromising others.

i. Regarding newspaper, some may advice against reading it daily since not all news are covered. But I personally feel that newspaper gave me not just news but also improved my vocabulary, comprehension and writing skills in the long run.

Some tips

a. Keep reading newspapers, after 3-4 months you will start to recognise relevant news items and will be able to tell which part of syllabus does this news address.

b. Since current affairs magazines are bulky, try to bookmark and highlight them in subject-wise manner for faster revision in last few weeks before Prelims.

c. Current prep for prelims and mains is not mutually exclusive. Say you prepare UCC topic thoroughly based on dimensions mentioned earlier, now if you want to revise this topic specifically for prelims, you will just revise Article 44, categorisation of DPSPs, Global examples, any SC judgements etc. and not the entire pros-cons-way forward type analysis.

d. Current affairs ought to be prepared in a systematic way. You cannot have a random collection of facts at one place because even after multiple revisions, you will not be able to recall them.

e. Whenever I read a new development, I tried to add them to my mains notes directly based on relevance to the syllabus. But if I felt that something is completely random and has negligible value in Ans writing, I wrote that news in separate Prelims specific notes (which I am sharing subject wise alongside my mains notes).