How to Prepare for Current Affairs in UPSC Exam 2025

In the last few months, I’ve spoken to dozens of UPSC aspirants—students from Kolkata attending Educrat IAS, some prepping solo from their hometowns in Hooghly and Bardhaman, and a few working professionals trying to juggle jobs and prep. And if there’s one question that keeps popping up in all those conversations, it’s this: 👉 “How do I actually prepare current affairs the right way for UPSC?”

The confusion is understandable. You’re told to read the newspaper, then someone tells you to skip it and just read compilations. A senior recommends making handwritten notes, another topper says they never wrote a single line. So I thought — instead of repeating theories, let me just write down how I prepared for current affairs when I was a serious aspirant. What worked. What didn’t. What I’d change if I were to start again in 2025. This blog isn’t the “perfect strategy.” It’s just one that helped me stay sane, stay consistent, and eventually score well in GS Mains and confidently face the Interview.

Principle 1: Don’t Try to Read Everything

When I started preparing, I thought the more material I consumed, the better my answers would be. So I hoarded magazines — Chronicle, Pratiyogita Darpan, Yojana, EPW — and filled my Evernote with 100s of articles from PIB, AIR, and PRS. But here’s the truth: more material doesn’t mean more marks. In fact, it just meant more stress and less retention. So eventually, I cut down. Reluctantly at first. But it helped immensely.

Here’s what I stuck to:

• One newspaper: The Hindu (Print or E-paper — doesn’t matter)
• One daily CA summary: Pick one — ForumIAS, Vision IAS, or IAS Baba
• One monthly magazine: Vision or Insights (just one)
• Optional extras (2–3/week): RSTV’s Big Picture, AIR Spotlight, and PRS India

That’s it. And it’s more than enough — if you’re consistent.

“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” — Herbert Simon

Principle 2: Time Matters More Than You Think

Another trap I fell into was spending 3+ hours a day reading newspapers. The editorials were great — sure. But by the time I was done, I barely had energy to study anything else. The ideal time, I realized, is under 90 minutes a day for current affairs.

My routine looked like this:

• Newspaper – 30–45 mins (no note-making, just understanding)
• Daily CA PDF – 30 mins (highlighted in Evernote or Notion)
• Weekend Review – Sunday evenings for revising that week’s highlights
• Monthly Magazine – Skimmed at end of month, marked essay/ethics points

This gave me room to study static subjects without letting current affairs consume the day.

Before you spend 3 hours reading the paper, ask: “What did I actually retain from yesterday’s news?”

Principle 3: Learn to See “Issues”, Not Just Headlines

This mindset shift changed everything for me. Earlier, I treated current affairs as a list of facts. “RBI cuts repo rate — okay, noted.” But in Mains, they weren’t asking for news. They were testing my grasp on issues. Let me give you an example: 📰 News: India hosts G20 Summit 🧠 Issue: What does hosting the G20 mean for India’s global image? How does it reflect our multilateral diplomacy? What economic or strategic takeaways emerge? Or another one: 📰 News: A cyclone hits coastal Bengal 🧠 Issue: Is India disaster-ready? What’s the NDMA’s role? How do we build resilient urban planning in climate-prone cities like Kolkata? That’s the shift you need to make: From “What happened?” to “What does it mean?”

I followed a 5-point filter for any major news:

1. Why is it in news?
2. Background knowledge / facts / data
3. What has been done (or not done)?
4. Challenges vs Prospects
5. Way Forward / Suggestions

It’s a good habit to build — especially when you start writing answers.

Principle 4: Go Digital with Notes (Save Time, Stay Organized)

For current affairs, handwritten notes were never my thing. I tried. But flipping through registers to find a point on WTO or urban flooding felt like hunting for a needle in a haystack. So I switched to Evernote, and it changed the game.

• I clipped articles using Evernote Web Clipper
• Tagged them by GS paper or issue: GS2_Governance, GS3_Economy, etc.
• Highlighted the key 2–3 points per topic

When it was time to revise before Prelims or Mains, it took me hours — not weeks. 📌 You can also try Notion if you prefer a more visual, modular format. The point is: Don’t waste time reinventing the wheel. Use tech to your advantage.

Principle 5: Revise Often. Apply What You Read.

Reading current affairs isn’t enough. You have to recall and use them. The best retention happens when you connect static concepts with dynamic events. For example: When you finish studying Parliament in Polity, revise recent debates like Women’s Reservation Bill, or issues around the Anti-Defection Law. Or when you’re revising Economy, go back to budget highlights, inflation trends, or RBI monetary policy news. Also, I made it a point to apply 1–2 current examples in every test I wrote.

You don’t need to quote dates or reports every time. Even one crisp sentence referencing a current issue can elevate your answer.

You Won’t Remember Everything — That’s Okay.

Even after reading, revising, and writing — you’ll forget things. And that’s fine. UPSC isn’t about perfection. It’s about making sense of chaos and expressing yourself clearly, in limited time. So pick your sources. Build your habit. Show up every day. And trust that it’ll come together.

Need Help With Current Affairs Prep in Kolkata?

At Educrat IAS, we help students not just study current affairs — but think about them. Our curated compilations, weekly quizzes, and writing practice modules are built to make your prep smarter, not heavier. 📲 Call us at +91 91473 88921 or visit https://educratias.com/ to know more.

FAQs

Q. Can I skip newspaper and only read monthly compilations? Technically, yes. But you’ll miss nuance, essay-worthy examples, and vocabulary gains. Don’t skip it — just don’t overdo it. Q. Should I make notes from the newspaper? Only if you can do it quickly. Otherwise, highlight PDFs or use Evernote/Notion. Q. How do I decide if a topic is important? Check if it links to a GS syllabus topic. If it’s recurring across newspapers, it probably matters. Q. How to revise current affairs effectively? Create weekly and monthly review slots. And apply them in mocks/tests to reinforce recall.

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