Daily Current Affairs for UPSC

UPSC and current affairs are complementary to each other. We cannot emphasise this enough. How? Let us talk about the stats. Per the recent trends, the current affairs section carries a significant weightage that one can’t ignore. It is this section that can make you win this battle with a significant edge. This can be called a secret sauce for the UPSC Preparation.

Let us tell you more about it.

Current Affairs: A Score-Rich Formula

Current affairs are the recent updates in and around our surroundings. These are differentiated into many sub-themes. It must be noted here that the UPSC has some of its favourite themes on current affairs from which it gives questions every time. So, one has to be consistent with current affairs. 

How many months of current affairs are required?

This is the most common question around current affairs. Toppers suggest that it is important to cover at least two years of current affairs. Suppose, you are planning to appear in 2023 then you must go through the current affairs of 2022 and 2023. But it nowhere means that one starts mugging up the facts. Coverage of current affairs for UPSC doesn’t involve mugging up as you will never get any direct questions from any concept directly. It is the linkage that you build from the current affairs that are required. Hence, it is required to decode your daily current affairs and align them in a way that UPSC asks the questions.

How to utilise current affairs?

A strategy to complete the current affairs is important. So one must understand the importance of the right strategy. We at GS Score understand the demand for the UPSC Prelims Question paper and are here to help you. The GS Score current Affairs series are designed keeping in mind the changing pattern of the exam. The news is uploaded subject wise making it easier for the students to navigate.

To cover current affairs efficiently, you must follow these steps:

1. Content Procurement: You will find hundreds of publications and a plethora of resources available online or in bookshops. Many aspirants buy multiple current affairs materials out of confusion and hope that it will fetch them more marks. And in no time, their rooms are cluttered with resources like Yojana, Kurukshetra, PIB report xerox, EPW, Down To Earth, etc. 

Topper’s recommendation: Research for a day, and pick one resource that is good in quality. Stick with it and Resist yourself to buy more. You will be fine!

2.  Do not obsess over current affairs: Another common mistake is completely neglecting or obsessing over the importance. Some bury themselves under the newspaper for the whole day and lose track of time. This way they completely miss out on the other subjects. 

Topper’s recommendation:  Don’t invest your whole day into current affairs. If you can cover the daily newspaper in an hour, it is good. If you feel you have a time constraint, you can go for monthly current affairs compilations and monthly CA MCQs.

3. Focus on the broad issue and its connection with the syllabus: Students obsess over the news and make newspaper notes. And at the time of the revision, it seems an impossible task to cover them all along with other subjects.

Topper’s recommendation: News talks about a particular incident but our emphasis must be on the ideas. For example:

If there is news about the Centre cutting windfall tax on crude oil and diesel exports. Only cramming the headline and the cut per cent is not enough. One must focus on the broader issue: Why Cut on the Tax? What sectors to focus on? You must research and understand the larger issue. Have a multidimensional impact study.

4. Have a Structured Approach to Current Affairs: It is not wise to just cram the news article or the whole magazine as it is. Identify the key areas.

Topper’s recommendation: Always approach the news to judge its relevance on the following structure.

1. Cause: What made it news? 

2. Background: Note down the facts that you know won’t change soon. For example, you don’t need to note down an index that is published every month. You must remember the latest stats that are published a few days before the exam. This will help you present an updated stat in mains and in prelims you can mark the correct code.

3. Government’s Response: What is the government’s take on that news

4. Calculate the pros and Cons; or the Challenges and the Positive effects

5. The way forward: Think about or note down the way forward if given in the newspaper/magazine column. 

5. Follow The Mantra: Read, Revise and Repeat: Aspirants are often spotted worrying about memory retention. To Err is Human but UPSC requires Perfection. So what is the solution to this?

Topper’s recommendation: Multiple revisions and Practise Mock Tests. This is the only way you can retain what you have studied. Note your mistakes and revise. Then, again give the mocks. This will ensure a good performance in the prelims exam.

To help you accomplish your aim, we have compiled everything on a single platform which will save the hustle of doing it all yourself.