There are various organizations and bodies that conduct examinations for direct recruitment into government sector jobs. SSC, Railways, Bank, Insurance, IAS, etc. are the major exams that recruit candidates into various posts across the respective sectors.
One common subject that is part of almost all major competitive exams is general/financial/current affairs. This part is included in either the prelims or the mains exam (in few cases in both phrases). It can easily increase the candidate’s overall scores as no extra calculations or tricks need to be applied for answering questions under this section.
Beginners who are looking forward to applying for the upcoming competitive exams can visit the Government Exams page and get all the required information about the recruitment process, eligibility, etc.
Discussed further below in this article, is the importance of the current affairs section in increasing the overall scores in the online examination. Also, the important sources and the topics included in this section have been given below.
How To Prepare General Awareness for Competitive Exams?
The following topics are included in the general awareness section of almost all major government exams:
- Current Affairs
- Static General Knowledge
- Financial Awareness
- Government Schemes
- History & Background of Financial and Non-Financial Institutions
- Economic Terms, and more such similar topics
Given below are the tips that can be followed by candidates while preparing current affairs for the upcoming exams:
- Read the Newspaper Daily – This is one of the best ways to keep yourself updated with the events and affairs in news across the world. Generally, what has been analyzed by experts is that the questions are asked based on the background of some current news. Considering the standard of examination, indirect questions are asked more frequently. Thus, staying updated with the events of the present is of utmost importance and this can be achieved by reading the newspaper daily
- Know the background and Related Information – It has been observed that questions based on the background of any news update are being asked in the general awareness section. Thus, it is very important that one must be well aware of the background data and historical facts based on the events in the news
- Refer to Official Sources – For factually correct information, always refer to official or government sources. Monthly current affairs magazines, PIB reviews, The Hindu newspaper, The Indian Express newspaper, etc. are the most reliable sources from where one can gather study material for current affairs preparation
- Make Proper Notes – Considering that there is no specific syllabus for this subject, one must ensure that they make proper notes on each and every topic. This will also be helpful in the long run as revision can be made easy with proper and systematic notes. It is also not possible to keep everything in mind just by reading it, thus by making notes is also advisable
- Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazines – There are multiple magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan that release monthly editions of current affairs. Candidates can subscribe to their soft or hard copies and keep getting all the updates at regular intervals
- Attempt Mock Current Affairs Quiz – One of the best ways to revise current affairs is by solving mock questions. Another benefit is that candidates can comprehend the type of questions that may be asked in the final examination. Aspirants can easily find these mock tests and practise papers online which can be solved for free online
Sources for Current Affairs Preparation
The list of important sources that can be referred to for the current affairs preparation are as follows:
- The Hindu, The Indian Express, are the most recommended newspapers
- Pratiyogita Darpan (Monthly Edition)
- Gist of Yojana
- Economic and Political Weekly
- PIB Release
- Manorama Yearbook
- Kurukshetra Magazine
Another important topic that is very important from the current affairs perspective is the government declared schemes for the welfare of the people of the country. Candidates can get a comprehensive list of Government Schemes 2021 at the linked article.
Since the government exams for many major posts for the present years have already started or are on the verge of completion, aspirants preparing for competitive exams 2022 must kick start their preparation from now for the desired results.
