How to Read The Newspaper Like a Pro for UPSC CSE 2023

Best Newspapers for UPSC Exam Preparation

Best English Newspapers for UPSC Exam Preparation

The best English newspapers for UPSC Exam preparation are “The Hindu” and “The Indian Express.” 

These two papers are particularly favoured by almost all aspirants and recommended by UPSC CSE toppers because of their high standards in reporting news. In addition, they distinguish between ‘news’ and ‘opinions’ really well. 

Best Hindi Newspapers for UPSC Exam Preparation 

For Hindi readers, Navbharat Times, Dainik Jagran, and Dainik Bhaskar are recommended as the best newspapers for UPSC. 

Newspaper reading will help you sail through the Prelims till the final Interview round. If done well, it can help you become a pro at managing your time effectively and crack India’s toughest exam. 

Now that we are aware of the best newspapers for UPSC exam preparation, let us how to read the newspaper for UPSC CSE. 

How to Read The Newspaper for UPSC CSE Exam

The goal is to be smart while reading the newspaper and avoid wasting too much time.

When you read the newspaper, it is essential to keep the UPSC syllabus in mind, otherwise, you will end up wasting a lot of time reading unnecessary news. 

You must carefully read the newspaper from Polity, Economy, National News, International Relations and General Knowledge points of view. 

Let’s begin. 

Important Topics to Cover in National News

• Cover all first-page national news and do your own research on it. You can also find important points in current affairs magazines. 

• National schemes and initiatives launched by the Government of India in recent years. 

• News related to government bodies of national importance like ISRO, SEBI, and others. 

• Events of national importance that make the headlines. 

Important Topics in Polity

• Highly debated and contentious bills passed in the parliament.

• Amendments and constitution-related news.  

• Any major decisions taken by the Election Commission of India and election-related news. 

• Major schemes or reforms announced by the government. 

• Important Supreme Court verdicts and other judiciary-related news. 

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Important Topics in Economics

• Financial reforms and measures introduced by the government. 

• Press releases issued by the SEBI, RBI, NITI Ayog, NASSCOM and others. 

• News related to GDP, Inflation, Digital Currency, International Trade and others. 

Important Topics in International News

• Major news that affects India’s International Relations.

• Recent international conferences and events attended by the Prime Minister and the President. 

• Treaties and agreements signed by India with other countries or international bodies. 

• Reports published by various international organizations such as the UN, WHO, UNICEF and ASEAN among others. 

• Political events of other countries that change international relations or events that have a direct impact on India. 

Also read: How to Crack UPSC on the first attempt?

Important Topics for General Knowledge 

Most of the major topics have been covered above already. However, there are also other important topics to cover such as Climate Change, Global Warming, the Rise of Electric Vehicles in India, and others.

Similarly, you need to brush up on information regarding the environment, biodiversity, news about endangered species, culture and heritage, and science and technology news. 

Till now, we have covered everything that you must focus on while reading the newspaper. At the same time, it is equally important to know what not to focus on while reading the newspaper. This will help make your preparation strategy better and more effective. 

Let us now look at what you need to avoid while reading the newspaper for UPSC. 

Topics to Avoid in UPSC Newspaper Reading

Following is the list of topics you can skim over or avoid altogether while reading the newspaper. These are some of the common mistakes UPSC aspirants make in their preparation. 

• Entertainment news.

• State-centric news unless it has a larger implication on the nation or at an international level. 

• Local news unless you are preparing for the Final Interview. 

And there you go. That is everything you need to know about how to read newspapers for the UPSC exam. 

Just to make sure you are completely prepared, we have some additional pro tips to help you get an edge over your competition. 

Pro Tips to Ace UPSC Newspaper Reading for CSE

#1 Understand the UPSC syllabus clearly. Only when you know the syllabus will you be able to identify and study the important news easily. 

#2 Make it a point to read only exam-related articles and editorials. 

#3 Make your newspaper study sessions more productive by writing crisp and clear notes. The importance of note-making is paramount when you are studying current affairs. These notes will help you later in revision and remembering what you study. 

#4 Divide what you read in the newspapers into different categories such as geography, polity, economics, environment, ecology and science and technology among others. This is a great way to make your note preparation easier and speed up your preparation. 

#5 For effective reading, go through the previous year's questions. They will give you an idea of what to focus on and the current affairs topics that are usually asked. 

And that’s it. We have covered everything you need to know about how to read newspapers for your UPSC preparation. 

At the same time, we understand that it is easier said than done. It is tough to study all the information in a newspaper, make notes and categorize them for future reference, every day. If this is your first attempt you will require a reliable partner in your UPSC journey.

You can make your UPSC journey easier by downloading the PrepLadder App. Our leading UPSC Faculty like M.Puri, Vivek Singh, Himanshu Sharma and Hemant Jha will help you with every subject and paper to take your preparation to the next level. 

It has high-quality study tools, concise, effective and well-planned video lectures by the Dream Team, high-yield QBanks and PrepTests based on the real exam pattern, and PYQs. 

Everything you need to ace the UPSC CSE is available on the PrepLadder App. 

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