How to Prepare Current Affairs for APPSC

Importance of Current Affairs

Current Affairs are just like the plinth of most of the competitive exams. APPSC exam pattern also has a clearly high inclination towards current affairs both in the prelims and in the mains exam. A strategized analysis of the previous year question papers of APPSC show that a significant number of questions are based on the current affairs i.e. important regional, national and international events.

The NORTHEAST PSC team, an APPSC coaching centre in Naharlagun, through this article solely aims to help the seekers plan a clear strategy to deal with the current affairs for APPSC. The section of current affairs is the foundation stone of almost all the competitive exams, so it is very important to stay updated in the affairs going around the world. Our faculties have identified a short and crisp way to approach the preparation of current affairs.

Step 1 – Read News

How to Read the News?

• The NorthEast PSC team, has always encouraged its students to read immensely Current Affairs for APPSC exam. The team emphasizes on the skill of reading so much so that it believes “read read read and greed to read”. The seeker should adapt a nature of greediness towards reading the news to cover Current Affairs for APPSC Exams. Aspirant should read news regularly and choose the current affairs material for APPSC wisely. 

From where to Read the News?

• News Apps / News Papers – it is advised to the students to gather information from different news apps and newspapers on a daily basis. At-least 50-60 minutes should only be devoted for reading material and carving out information that is relevant and could be stored in the form of short notes.   

Recommended: The Hindu, The Indian Express, Press Information Bureau, NorthEast PSC current monthly magazine. 

• Monthly Magazines – Different news agencies and trusted websites like NorthEast PSC National Current Affairs (one provided for your reference) provide compiled monthly current affairs about national and international events. NorthEast PSC further helps its students by providing them with monthly current affairs concerning all seven sisters and other north east areas systematically on NorthEast PSC Monthly Current Affair Magazine for APPSC  which will include  Arunachal Pradesh current affairs, Assam current affairs, Sikkim current affairs, Tripura current affairs, Nagaland current affairs, Meghalaya current affairs, Mizoram current affairs and Manipur current affairs. 

Step 2 – Make Notes of Current Affairs for APPSC

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit” – Aristotle. 

• The team at NORTHEAST PSC, an online and offline APPSC coaching centre in Naharlagun and Itanagar, firmly believes consistency to be the second key to success after hard-work.  Maintenance of the pile of current events demand a high rate of consistency. 
• It is advised to the students to consistently, on a daily basis maintain a copy of notes consistently either online by using apps like Evernote, OneNote etc. or maintaining a physical copy. While framing notes the students must remember that – 
• The notes should be crisp, clear, to the point and systematically arranged as per the time line or chain of events.  
• The notes should highlight key-points so that even a glance at them would remind of the event in discussion. 
• The usage of web charts, flow-diagrams etc. will shorter the task of writing and could make the notes even more up to the mark. 
• It is always advised to the students while preparing notes to use the simplest language and avoid any over explanation of the topic. 
• It is recommended to use Acronyms, mnemonics and abbreviations while making notes so that the task of retaining also becomes easy. 

Step 3 – DAILY Revisions

After the first two steps that were the reading, the maintenance and continuous upgradation of the notes, the third step is utterly important and should be practiced with utmost consistency and care.

• The students are advised to Revise the maintained notes on a daily basis giving around 35- 40 minutes daily without fail. 
• The continuous chain of revision shall help keeping in mind the events fresh which will help in retaining the facts.
• Each session of revision if done on regular intervals of time shall take precisely half the time of the previous session. It is advised to the students to revise the notes of current affairs so maintained on regular intervals of time for a better retaining of facts. 
• The regular revision shall give the seeker an insight of the weak areas, those weak areas are to be identified and caught and re-revised again and again so that maximum can be retained. 
• Our mentors here at NORTHEAST PSC, an APPSC coaching Centre in Itanagar, widely tells the students about the Retrieval Practice.  It is advised to practice this method and try remembering stuff when notes are not opened in front of you. Practice it at-least 2-4 times a day doing any other activities (brushing, cooking etc.) to check what the memory remembers and what area is grey and needs to be revisited. 
• It is advised to the seekers to regularly reflect on the progress made by oneself specially in the area of retainment of information because ultimately what is retained by the memory is carried inside the exam hall with you, do not forget reflecting on your memory so that you are aware how much more efforts are required. 
• For better retainment of the facts the students are further advised to practice MCQ questions based on current affairs, to keep a check on the pattern and the studied material.  
• While performing the revisions the students are advised to pay attention on the time line and the story line of the events and try forming themes so that the mind takes it as a story and it is easy to remember. 

The team at NORTHEAST PSC, an APPSC coaching centre in Naharlagun sincerely aspires for its students to understand the relevance of methods to approach different preparation techniques so that they perform actions with utmost clarity and the path to success appears effortless.