Current Affairs have emerged as a prominent segment of the civil service examination. Its significance can be counted from the number of questions asked in prelim and mains examinations. UPSC aspirants updated on current affairs fetch better marks in IAS examination. The UPSC has its distinct way of framing questions by mixing conceptual questions with current affairs inputs in them. Therefore, students need to pay a lot of attention not only to the subject material but also to the current affairs.
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Weight age of Current Affairs in UPSC Examination
Current affairs form an important part of the UPSC civil service examination and students need to keep themselves updated with the changing trend of questions being asked. The gravity of current affairs varies with each year as it is considered to be an unpredictable section in terms of the number of questions being asked. UPSC does not ask factual questions like the names and years and focuses on the analytical part.
The pattern and standard of current affair questions asked in UPSC are different from other examinations. Focus on the questions pertaining to subjects like environment, everyday science, historical art & culture, economy, polity and geography. In 2015 prelims paper, current affairs questions covered a major part of the paper either directly or indirectly. In UPSC mains paper, approximately 70% of the general studies questions were in the context of current affairs and events related to national and international news. Therefore, UPSC aspirants cannot ignore the section of current affairs as a separate section of preparation.
Important Sections for Preparation
The questions asked in this domain are diversified and one cannot predict the type of question asked. However, you can ponder on certain areas to enhance your preparation of IAS exam:
Science & Tech: The questions will focus on the science and technology developments in agriculture, space technology, computer technology, inventions & discoveries etc. More focus needs to be given to science & technology happenings in India.
Indian Polity& Governance: For an aspirant, it is important to analyze the positive and negative aspects of every issue and get a balanced viewpoint after reading through articles on newspaper. Questions cover the Government policies and its consequences on the general public. Apart from this, students should also cover the news pertaining to any regulatory and constitutional authority.
International Affairs: Questions both in the Prelim or Mains exam do not focus on the history of relations between countries. Newspaper coverage of the latest developments in International events is a must for the exam.
Social Issues: Questions from Indian society like women problems, poverty concerns, population and censor data issue and various schemes launched. Other aspects that need to be covered are globalization and its aftermaths, regional and communal issues.
Current Affair Notes
While attempting essay type questions, current affair knowledge reflects your awareness and makes your answer more influential. The important thing is to understand the basic of every topic and further update with related current affairs. The aspirants must make notes for current affairs for an easy revision during the examination. This also helps the aspirants include the current affair data in their answers. Jotting down the major points also improves writing practice. However, these notes need to be updated with time. These notes make an essential part of IAS prelims test series and IAS mains test series. Try to cover topics like population, resources and industries, women concerns, Indian economy, infrastructure, budget, science & technology, agriculture, health, security, disaster management, international news, ethics, globalization etc. You can quote these current affairs as examples to upgrade your answer quality, making it unique and different from others.
How to Make Notes from Newspapers?
Newspapers are the best source for current affairs and keep you updated with the latest happenings across the world. Newspapers include information from various sections. Firstly, divide the sections based on topics such as polity, science & tech, economy, history and geography. Editorial sections let you analyze the viewpoints and analysis done by experts. Ignore irrelevant and controversial incidents or insignificant entertainment news. Focus more on bigger issues of national importance. It is essential to be regular and stay updated with the latest news cropping up to qualify with flying colors.