What if I Don’t Read Newspapers for UPSC?

Do you remember your parents compelling you to develop a habit of reading a newspaper? The sole purpose of reading a newspaper is that it keeps you well informed and makes it easy to master the current affairs related questions in the UPSC exam.

Importance of Newspaper for UPSC

Newspapers are an utmost important source of learning current affairs and various other national and international topics. UPSC exam demands in-depth knowledge of socio-economic issues, current affairs, and the latest government policies.

Is it Important to Read the Whole Newspaper?

Aspirants often have a misconception that to ace the current affairs in the paper, one needs to go through the entire newspaper, which is somewhat daunting, as it can take up a lot of time for students.

How much time in the day is enough to read a newspaper for a UPSC aspirant?

An aspirant requires not more than 1-2 hours a day to read a newspaper. Developing a habit of reading it daily would help you to save quite a lot of time. Jot down the important events and issues, and this ensures that a candidate can also make time for other topics.

Some Key Points on Reading Newspaper for IAS Exam Preparation

Emphasize on Issues Rather Than on News

Avoid news from the politics, entertainment, and sports section; it’s just a waste of time.
Avoid making notes in the very first reading, you are likely to find more essential points while reading further.
Focus on why and how than on what and why of every news. This is a master strategy of reading a paper.

Read-Only the Exam Relevant Topics

The topics like polity, economy, national and international laws should be the highest priority.
Read the editorials and articles related as per exam point of view.

Don’t Read a Lot of Newspapers, Keep it Simple

Reading five newspapers is pointless. Invest your time in a newspaper that provides a crisp and relevant overview of the important news.
The recommended newspapers are The Hindu, The Indian Express. These newspapers provide authentic and relevant news analysed by experts.

Also Read : Why UPSC is not Asking Current Affairs that Much

Current Affairs; the Vastest Topic to Prepare

Current affairs are the most baffling and time-consuming topic in the preparation of the UPSC exam. Exam demands in-depth knowledge of current affairs. Most people find a newspaper as the best study material to learn current affairs, but for some people, newspapers are annoying and time-consuming.

What if I don’t read newspaper for UPSC? This question emerges in the minds of some people, who find newspapers tiresome. The answer to this question is yes, let us find how.

How to Prepare for Current Affairs Without the Newspaper?

The people who find newspapers time-consuming are mostly the working-professional who cannot manage time to read the newspaper or someone who has never developed a habit of reading a newspaper. As newspapers are a primary source of news, it’s not nearly the only source to keep yourself well-informed.

Some Alternatives to the Newspapers

Online availability of material related to Current Affairs: The Internet has numerous websites that gather relevant information pertaining to current affairs from various sources. Students can go through these websites to get a gist of essential news from the exam point of view.
Yojana Magazine: This magazine is a highly rated and recommended magazine by IAS toppers and aspirants. This magazine contains relevant and authentic information since the government of India itself publishes it. It is one of the essential reads for a UPSC aspirant.
TV news and debates: Television news is also a great source of information, however TV news is not the best alternative as it may sometimes showcase irrelevant news and topics but going through it once in a while is mandatory. It even improves your speaking skills which are essential as per the interview part of the paper.

What is the Purpose of Reading a Newspaper for a UPSC Aspirant?

Newspapers are a chief source of current affairs; however, there are many other sources that have emerged as less time consuming and more effective than newspapers.

The sole purpose of reading a newspaper for the IAS exam is to master the current affairs in the paper, if this purpose is fulfilled by reading alternative sources then reading a newspaper is not the most important thing to do. It depends on the candidate as to which source to refer for current affairs.

Conclusion

It is believed that around 60-70 percent of the questions posed in the UPSC exam are somewhat related to current affairs. The questions asked in the paper can be direct or even indirectly related to the topic. Nowadays, there are many sources available that can assist the candidates.

The source of information doesn’t matter; what matters is the thirst for knowledge. An aspirant should keep a bird’s eye view on every available source of information for current affairs or any other topic while preparing for the UPSC exam and chart a strategy accordingly. Keep reading our blogs for more UPSC specific content.