Current affairs play a major role in the preparation of the UPPSC Exam. UPPSC stands for Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. The UPPSC exam recruits candidates for Group A and Group B services of the UP state government.
The exam requires awareness of current happenings both nationally and internationally. There is no fixed weightage given to the current affairs in the UPPSC exam. However, it is obvious that the weightage given to it is important if a candidate is preparing seriously to clear the exam. One can safely assume that all the questions asked are, one way or the other, linked to Current Affairs.
Being efficiently updated on Current Affairs will get you multiple steps closer to your vision of clearing the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission exam. Hence, through this article, we will guide you on how to proceed with mastering Current Affairs for the upcoming UPPSC examination.
Tips to Master Current Affairs for Upcoming UPPSC Examination
- Reading Newspapers – There are plenty of newspapers in the market. Reading a standard National newspaper is the first step. It is important to read the right newspapers. Stick to 1 newspaper because your preparation will be more focused and it will help you in saving your most precious time. Newspapers like The Hindu or the Indian Express provide excellent analysis in its editorials concerning every topic and follow important developments in India and abroad. Many successful candidates preferred to read these newspapers.
- Do not focus on learning, but analyze – Most of the candidates just give importance to memorizing the current affairs. It is important for candidates to understand that the UPPSC exam does not check the memorizing skills in current affairs but how well a candidate is able to absorb the details, go beyond the information and look behind the screens. It is more interested in checking a candidate’s ability to answer questions on why, what, when, and how for a particular topic.
- Make a habit of making Notes – never forget to make notes of the important developments and on the analysis of the topics you have studied. Note making is also an art. Write down only important pointers that can help recall the whole context and do not keep adding each and everything you read. It is wise to create separate sections of notebook that are earmarked for different aspects like one portion of notebook dedicated for economy, the other for polity, and then the other for environment and ecology, and so on. Notes will really help your preparation at the advanced stages while the exams are approaching very close.
- Link the topics you study – This is extremely important while preparing the current affairs for any competitive exam. While reading the topics you should develop the ability to link a topic that are common to two subjects. A candidate should be able to connect various dots. This can be done only if the candidate has a great deal of curiosity.
- Follow Magazines – Reading the newspaper alone is not sufficient for UPPSC Current Affairs preparation. One should make a selected reading of magazines to have an informed understanding of the issues that holds relevance with the syllabus of the UPPSC examination. Once again don’t overburden yourself with too many magazines. Stick to a few magazines that have a proven track record of providing right information with an excellent analysis. Some useful books or magazines which candidates can refer for current affairs are India Year Book, Manorama Yearbook, Economic Survey, Yojana Magazine (concentrates on Socio-Economic Issues), Mathrubhumi Yearbook, Kurukshetra Magazine (published by the Government), Economic & Political Weekly, Pratiyogita Darpan and Science Reporter published by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
- Refer Previous Year Question Papers – It is imperative for candidates preparing for the UPPSC exam to understand and analyze question papers for past years. The analysis of past years’ question papers helps to know the trend, whether the weightage for current affairs questions is increasing every year. Hence, It is advised to candidates while preparing for the current affairs section to keep the previous year question papers along with them and understand what type of questions has been asked as it will give an idea to candidates on how to prepare for current affairs.
- Be Wise and Revise – It is important that candidates consistently keep revising the topics from the notes that they have made while studying. This is a crucial component to help you in retaining vast amounts of information that is necessary to be absorbed for the examination. Revision will help them to connect different topics as they keep gathering more and more relevant information and knowledge.
At the very least, it can be safely assumed that Current Affairs dominates all other areas of the UPPSC syllabus. Inculcate the points mentioned above while starting with the current affairs preparation and get an upper hand in this area.
