- Prologue
- Prerequisites for finishing Newspaper in 30 Minutes
- TheHindu Newspaper Page-by-Page Utility
- Should I watch Daily Current Affairs/Newspaper Summary videos?
- Can I completely skip the newspaper & rely on CA-PDF?
- Shd I make notes from newspaper?
- How many HRS daily to spend on Current Affairs?
Prologue
- Just like how the novice UPSC aspirants are engaging in Mains-Answer-writing-ki-Pipudi-from-day1, they’re engaging in current affairs ki Haay-Haay (Crying all the time)
- ✅Wrong approach: Reading newspaper for 2 hours
- ✅Wrong approach: Watching daily 1 hour summary video on newspapers/editorial.
- ✅Right approach: Finish newspaper in 30 minutes, only for selected portions make notes, Do rest of the things from CA-PDF.
Prerequisites for finishing Newspaper in 30 Minutes
Following conditions need to be met before you can hope to finish the newspaper in 30 minutes for UPSC prep:
- AT LEAST You are preparing for the UPSC for four to six months.
- AT LEAST You have finished the core syllabus of polity and economy.
- You are completely familiar with the syllabus, trend and topic wise papers from 2011 onwards (for prelims) and 2013 onwards (for mains). If not, visit Mrunal.org/Prelims and Mrunal.org/Mains
- So, I’m assuming that you are intelligent enough to know whether a given CA-topic connects with which part of the syllabus.
TheHindu Newspaper Page-by-Page Utility

Latest example of today’s theHindu newspaper (1st July 2020). Similar scene in IndianExpress
Page | theHindu News Headlines and its utility | Minutes taken |
---|---|---|
1 |
|
⏱ 2 mins |
2 |
|
⏱ 1 mins |
3 | ✋advertisement SBI full page. So just flip over the page that means Zero minute taken in reading it. | ⏱ 0 mins |
4 | ✋Ad-Page about SBI celebrating 65th Foundation Day and its Accomplishments in terms of number of branches number of ATM machines. So just flip over the page that means Zero minute taken in reading it. | ⏱ 0 mins |
5 | ✋Same as above. Ad-Page about SBI | ⏱ 0 mins |
6 | ✋Northern states and Eastern states news.Congress bjp type news. Police man murdered robbery undertaken HIV kids are vulnerable to Covid. Just glanced over nothing golden gem exam worth news here. | ⏱ 1 mins |
7 | ✋Western States news: Mostly about how many people died in Maharashtra etc. Just glanced over nothing golden gem exam worth news here. | ⏱ 1 mins |
8: editorial |
|
10-15 minutes Depending on your reading speed |
9: editorial |
|
3 minutes. of glancing over. |
10 |
|
⏱ 1 mins |
11 |
|
⏱ 1 mins |
12 |
|
⏱ 1 mins |
13 |
|
⏱ 2 mins |
14 |
|
⏱ 0 mins |
15 |
|
⏱ 0 mins |
16 |
|
⏱ 2 mins |
17 | Economy and business
|
⏱ 2 mins |
18 |
|
⏱ 1 min |
TOTAL TIME | ⏱ 33 mins |
- Thus we can see hardly 6-7 items are newsworthy from a given days theHindu newspaper, And it can be finished in barely 30-35 minutes of self-study.
- If you are taking more time that means you are reading the unnecessary things not important for the exam.
Should I watch Daily Current Affairs/Newspaper Summary videos?
- Youtubers make 1 hr videos on daily newspaper analysis, because longer video = more number of advertisement breaks = more money from Youtube.
- To drag their video for one hour, such youtuber unnecessarily bloating it with so many factoids which are not important for the scope of exam. Example: India-China Territorial dispute
- ✋Depth of the lake or
- ✋Height of the mountain,
- ✋List of every low profile mountain pass etc.
- Such approch Which is giving very poor cost-benefit for the exam.
- So, If you are able to finish a topic in 30 minutes reading then there is no need to spend 1 hour video of it.
- Because even after watching DAILY Newspaper summary video for 1 hour you will require some hard/soft copy TEXT-material to revise before the exam anyways.
- IF only you are unable to understand the given topic e.g. removal of article 370 or RBI’s Operation Twist → then only watch video for Complex Topic
Can I completely skip the newspaper and rely on the Current affair PDF files?
- Current affairs PDFs are supplements but not substitute for the Newspaper reading.
- Newspaper is required for building the clean vocabulary, grammar and language proficiency for the essay paper.
- Newspapers also contain information related to Optional Subject, Cases Quotable for Essay / GSM4, & factoids imp. for UPSC interview i.e.
- Your Home-state’s polity, economy, environment, developmental issues
- Hobbies,
- Graduation e.g. Some new drug discovery for MBBS, or new developments in Companies Act for B.Com grads,
- Job (e.g. working in ONGC/Infosys and appearing in exams).
- Above information is NOT covered current affair PDF files yet It is important for your optional subject for UPSC interview.
- Therefore you have to read the newspaper i.e. The Hindu or IndianExpress (NOT both, only one).
Whether I should make notes from the newspaper?
- Ans. Make newspaper NOTES ONLY FOR Optional Subject, Cases Quotable for Essay / GSM4, & factoids imp. for UPSC interview i.e. about your home-state, hobbies, graduation & job (if any).
- No need to make notes for General studies such as Art370 or AtmaNirbhar Bharat. Because Current Affairs PDF-walla will provide their combined notes anyways. Maximum utilities 150-250 words. No point in inventing the wheel by yourself.
- It is true that not many MCQs can be solved directly from the current affair PDF files but if you engage in ‘Manual notes making exercise for all the general studies topics from the newspaper by yourself’= you will get exhausted and you will be left with very little time to finish other parts of the syllabus.
- Beside the prelim cut off is never 200 out of 200 marks. One does not have to become the master of current affairs.
- For more insights, watch this FREE video slide number 36 onwards.
How many HRS daily should I spend on DAILY Current Affairs centric Preparation?
Ans. Watch this FREE video slide number 29 onwards.
Thank you sir it was really helpful for beginners cuz there is so much content to pick out from.
It is really very nice
Useful information . Thanks sir
I am a aspirant of CAPF AC. I want to know that arihant encyclopedia for general science book is enough for this examination? Please reply
Thanks Sir for Guiding us… giving us clear path
Thanks sir for guiding us…..it’s really useful for all upsc aspirants …
Sir आपको गुरु मान लिया है ।
आशीर्वाद रखना ।?
Thanks u sir ??
sir,how to prepare current affairs …..are current affairs monthly magazine are sufficient???
and as we are having exam in october till which month we should complete monthly current affairs??
Do read Current Affairs from specially dedicated article or PDF as like Mrunalji Said. Eg: Plasma Therapy and Plasma Bank Article
That was informative thank you sir
I’m preparing for state osc.. How I strt my preparation
Iam rangam priyajyothi study B SC ( bzc) 2020 pass my Fashion job Indian Forest service please syllabus and mains details explain
sir,how to prepare current affairs …..are current affairs monthly magazine are sufficient???
There has been a hype about syllabus also. Please write on that too.
You made Newspaper reading a cakewalk. Honestly, the way you have used the mix up of languages, “phrases” would make anyone to start preparing for UPSC CS Exams!!
Pls guide me in economics for prelims 2020
Thank you sir
Thank you sir
Thanks you so much sir
The hindu ko kese pde
Nice
dear sir, your website is a blessing for a UPSC aspirant
I am very thankful to Mrunal sir and team for there direction and content. thankyou sir.
Really helpful in current affairs preparation. Thank you sir:-)
I am preparing for UPSC since 2 month and complete my geography, sociology, history and side by side I also reading essays and current affairs, kurukshetra, Yojana is anybody tell this is right way to go ahead or should I improve somewhere?
if it show you can Crack UPSC in 2 more month ..:)
Thanks 😊
Thank you very much sir
It’s just perfect.
sir plzz do reply if possible
firstly daily i see your youtube commentry on newspaper and then go through the topics you highlight nd i make my notes from your excel file.does it is sufficient or should i go for vision ias current magzine plzzz reply krdena sir
Maybe one who is a beginner, will use this information as a mere guidelines to stick to. But for the person who have done all the mistakes before and had then moved onto right strategy, Kasam se har ek baat sir ki dil chuu rhi h😂