In competitive examinations such as APSC, UPSC, SSC and other state level exams, current affairs carry significant weightage. Being aware of current happenings helps to enhance one’s knowledge as well as greatly boosts one’s chances of succeeding in the examination. This article will help you in chalking out a practical approach on how to manage current affairs for the competitive examinations.

Top Current Affairs Strategy to Stay Updated

1. Recognize Why Current Affairs Are Worth Remembering for Examinations

Current affairs include subjects such as national and international events, existing government policies, economic changes, advances in science and technology, sports and associated awards, etc. Most of the competitive tests have a separate Current Affairs section in which candidates are assessed on the events occurring in a span of six to twelve months. These questions test how aware, analytically equipped and present relevant current events practiced to subjects such as polity, economy and environment are incorporated in a candidate.

2. Sources of Current Affairs Information

In order to take proper steps in current affairs, it is important to start with the selection of appropriate sources. Following are some of those which can be trusted:

• Newspapers: Reputed newspapers such as The Hindu, Indian Express, and Assam Tribune cover national and international events, editorials, and opinions in depth and provide good coverage.
• Magazines: magazines such as Pratiyogita Darpan and Yojana give a lot of articles on current affairs topics which are a necessity for examinations, in a monthly basis.
• Official Websites: PIB (Press Information Bureau), Ministry of External Affairs, etc. are useful websites to help keep up with released government information and policies.
• Apps and Websites: Inshorts, GKToday, VisionQ (specific to news in Assam), etc. are some good apps that provide the summary of the daily news in a very short form.

3. Formulate a regime for Current Affairs on a day-to-day basis

Practicing on a regular Basis helps. Otherwise, pick a time within the day, about 45 minutes to one hour, to engage in current affairs. This nurtures the habit of not lagging behind. This is what a breakdown could look like:

• First 15 Minutes: Fast read of the national as well as regional news.
• Next 15 Minutes: Look at the editorials and opinion pieces.
• Last 15 Minutes: Read about the relevant articles concerning the issues of the exams with an emphasis on the topics such as government issues, ecosystem issues and, economy issues. 

If possible during the weekends also make additional time for weekly reconsolidation for better retention of information.

4. Equip Yourself with Notebooks to Improve Memory

Taking notes is very important in remembering facts and particular details. Digitized applications such as Evernote, OneNote or Google Docs helps in classifying and saving notes properly. Important aspects to note when taking notes are:

• Write the headline in bullet form.
• Look for keywords and phrases rather than complete thoughts.
• Group the notes in terms of polity, economy, international relations, science and technology for easy revision later.

Continuous and regular updating of one’s notes with extra relevant information, say weekly or bi-weekly ensures that important aspects are committed to memory, and facilitates learning.

5. Keep an Eye on the Monthly and Weekly Magazine Review

Monthly and weekly magazines offer news in a complete form covering the news articles or online reports which have been missed. They also include essay questions based on the current issues making them suitable for the revision of the students preparing for examinations. You should follow these steps:

• Read the monthly magazine in topic wise division giving importance to the last major news.
• For weekly magazines, use them as a tool for cross checking the details and for filling up the gaps in your notes.
• Read magazines more of ‘exams oriented’ such as Kurukshetra and Manorama Yearbook which periodically present the gist of the current affairs.

6. Make Use of E-resources and Sample Assessments

There are several online platforms and applications that provide daily quizzes and that can help you test your awareness of the current events. Websites such as VisionQ or Testbook or Gradeup provide interactive quizzes and practice questions along with summaries of each topic in order to enhance your preparation.

Here’s a quick strategy:

• Take a current affairs based quiz every day, which should contain around 15-20 questions.
• Try to use women mock tests on all other days except for the examination day so as to evaluate your retention of information regarding current affairs.
• Answer the questions and evaluate why that answer needs improvement, and refine the notes.

7. Thanks to Retention Effects, Revision Should Be Done from Time To Time

Though news cycles are short and time is of the essence, regular revision even the not-so-important will help in long-term retention. Every week, spare a couple of hours to go through the current affairs section and all other notes in the subject. Here’s a useful revision plan:

• Everyday Revision: A quick glance at notes for the last 48 hours – but not more than that
• Every Seventh Day Revision: Reading followed by writing for all the notes of the week and filling them with more information
• Monthly Revision: Re- read all the notes written in a month but this time placing emphasis on the events only and putting them in perspective with other issues.

Regular testing and revision assists in better recall and retention of material which is very important in order to answer the high weightage question in the examinations.

8. Make The Most Of YouTube’s News Channels And Educational Videos On Latest Events

Educational news channels on youtube provide informative news summaries and discussions on current events for all visual and auditory learners. Here are few popular ones of them:

• StudyIQ, Unacademy, and VisionQ for Assam-based updates more or less.
• Topic-specific news channels such as Rau’s IAS or BYJU’s IAS provide current affairs updates on daily, weekly and monthly basis.
• These resources help in understanding intricate details or for catching up with issues which are rather fast-paced.

9. Correlate Current Events with the Mainstream Subjects

Associating the current situation with major subjects such as polity, economy, or ecology facilitates effective knowledge assimilation. For instance:

• Associate government policies with the study of polity or social justice.
• Include updates on international relations to geography and economics.
• In issues concerning the environment, ecological and biodiversity issues.

This integrated way of looking at the topics makes your preparation better and enhances the chances of remembering the relevant facts in the examination.

Sample Current Affairs Strategy for APSC Preparation

Time Slot	Activity
Morning (20 mins)	Skim national and state news in-depth
Lunch Break (15 mins)	Read editorials or analysis articles
Evening (30 mins)	Take notes on selected key topics
Weekend	Attempt weekly quiz, update notes

This sample routine allows flexibility, ensuring consistent coverage of current affairs without interfering too much with other subjects.

Conclusion

It is very important to stay updated with current events for any competitive examinations and especially for APSC, UPSC, and SSC, where the current affairs section is of great importance. By following a fixed timetable, selecting appropriate materials and employing efficient methods such as notebook and mock examinations, you can achieve thorough preparation. VisionQ provides coaching assistance, relevant current news content, and other exam related information that can help you enhance your preparedness for exams in Assam.