How do I prepare for general knowledge and current affairs for the IAS exam (UPSC)?

The Civil Services Exam, more commonly called the IAS exam, is designed as a combination of Subject Knowledge, as well as Current Affairs. To be successful in this exam, you have to ensure that the two, i.e., Subject Knowledge and Current Affairs are put forth in such a way that it fulfills the need of the answer. Typically, the Subject Knowledge areas are called “static areas”, as they can be learned from reference textbooks. Current affairs are generally considered the recent events that have happened in the last 2-3 years that are important for the UPSC IAS exam. I will explain how both of these have to be studied in the following points.

How to prepare for General Knowledge

1. Follow standard textbooks such as the NCERTs to acquire a solid understanding of the subject. Make sure that you are grasping and revising the topics that you have read, instead of rote learning.
2. Allot time for each of the subjects in a manner that you do not leave out any important subjects.
3. Test your knowledge by taking mock tests and accessing previous years’ questions. This would improve your understanding of the exam, as well as expose the areas where you have to focus on.

How to prepare for Current Affairs

1. Current Affairs, as the name suggests, is drawn from recent events and you can access it from major newspapers, preferable The Hindu. You are required to obtain information related to the IAS exam from the newspaper and refrain from reading any unwanted news. Kindly go through the syllabus and Previous Years’ Papers for a better understanding of the topics that are asked in the exam and accordingly look for related topics in the newspapers. Click here to understand how and what to read in the Hindu newspaper.
2. Compliment your reading with other sources like All India Radio, RajyaSabha TV, The PIB, The Indian Express, etc. to supplement your knowledge.
3. If you need a one-stop solution for current affairs, you may go through a good current affairs compilation, like Officers’ Pulse, where all the major sources are compiled in such a way that your prelims and mains related information is segregated and presented accordingly. Click here to watch the video of our student Sivanandham(AIR-87),  who used ONLY Officers’ Pulse to achieve this feat in his very first attempt.

For both General Studies and Current Affairs, one has to study according to the syllabus along with a meticulous study plan. If you feel that you need guidance in your civil services preparation, you may join our online/offline classes for the best IAS coaching experience. Our classes are planned in such a way that the syllabus is completed and tests are regularly conducted to ensure the best experience. As the only UPSC coaching academy started by a group of like-minded former Civil Servants, our pedagogy is designed and delivered by experts who have not only cleared all stages of the UPSC examination and have gone on to serve this nation with great distinction. Our coaching method has produced many civil servants and if you wish to see the video of two such aspirants who got IAS and IPS in their very first attempt, then click here. I wish you the best in your preparation and I look forward to seeing the future civil servants.

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