How to Prepare Current Affairs to Clear UPSC Cutoff in the First Attempt

UPSC Civil Services Exam, being India’s oldest and toughest exam is a hard nut to crack. Although it sounds difficult, still it is not impossible at all. All that is required is patience, perseverance, dedication, and hard work. To strategize the preparations for UPSC, it is important to know about the exam pattern. Current affairs are the most important portion of the exam and create a major difference in the UPSC Cutoff. The expected cutoff for the exam ranges from 85-95 marks. The UPSC-CSE Exam 2021 cut-off for the general category was 87.54. The UPSC-CSE Exam cutoff depends on various factors like the difficulty of the paper and the number of vacancies. The UPSC-CSE 2022 cutoff will soon be updated on the official website-upsc.gov.in. There is no set or fixed pattern for the civil services exams, but as seen in the past papers as a trend, it is clear that about 30-40% of UPSC exams are current affairs. The current affairs portion in the IAS or any other civil exam makes it more skeptical to the aspirants. The reason is, that this part is quite dynamic in nature and always has some novelty.
For having a strong grip over current affairs, it is a must activity for the aspirants to shake hands with the newspapers, government magazines, and government websites like PIB, PRS, etc. Another important point arises that there are both English Medium and Hindi Medium aspirants sitting for the exam. So here we provide you with the sources from which you can access the best and most authentic current affairs for the Exam.
Best Sources for Current Affairs in Hindi for UPSC Exams Preparation
The UPSC Exam is more of smart work along with hard work. The aspirants have to keep a lot of things in mind for the preparations for the civil services exam like proper time management, having ample resources for studying, and gathering the correct study material. Between all these, there are some aspirants who choose to write or opt for the exam in Hindi mode or writing and for such aspirants, the availability of reliable Current Affairs in Hindi is slightly difficult. But not to worry as here we’re going to provide you with some of the best sources of Hindi current affairs.
Newspapers
Newspapers are an important source of current affairs for the UPSC exams. The aspirants should make a good choice of newspaper that is unbiased and provides fair updates. Also, it should cover international news widely too. In English, the best newspapers are The Hindu and The Indian Express, and in Hindi, the best newspaper that covers a wide variety of news are Dainik Bhaskar, Navbharat Times, Jansatta(from the Indian Express group), and Dainik Jagaran.
Government Channels
The syllabus of the UPSC exam can be covered by various modes, but the government channels are one of the most authentic and reliable resources. They give the exact news, without any biases and alterations. The information gathered from the government channels is firsthand and raw. The best government channels to watch for current affairs are- Lok Sabha TV, Rajya Sabha TV, Doordarshan, and Real TV. Along with the books for preparation for the exams, these channels will also help you to sail through them.
Government Magazines
Magazines are added material for the preparations of civil services exams. There are several magazines, released by the government, that provide the aspirants with the best and most authentic facts and current affairs. The most widely followed government magazines are- Down to Earth, India Year Book, Yojana, Kurukshetra, and Pratiyogita Darpan.
Government Websites
The newspapers and the channels, though cliched for the best information, the candidates should also keep in touch with the government websites. The written content is said to be the most reliable form of information. For that, the government-associated websites could be the best ones. The significance of current affairs is perceptible from the increasing frequency of the number of questions appearing in the exams every year. Therefore, to prepare the current affairs from the government websites, you can refer to the websites of- PTI, PRS, NCERT, PIB, NIOS, etc. You can also visit BYJUS exam prep website to get all the UPSC preparation material required to score weel in this exam.