[Q] When to start Newspaper reading for IAS exam?

Enter your email address

Once you subscribe,
you'll get my full articles
in your email for free!
See Below
The Number of readers
I already have!

Many newcomers have this doubt:

at what time do we start to read newspaper for next year exam

First,

Why should we read newspapers at all?

• UPSC doesn't have any strict 'time-boundaries' about questions, especially for the descriptive ones: Direct Tax code, GST, formation of new states, corruption, Education, Food security, planning Commission, India-America etc: these are hot topics for every year.
• General Awareness and broad understanding of international/social/political/economic issues will not develop immediately after reading one book or class-note or magazine.
• Daily newspapers and editorial columns' reading broadens your vision, provide you the food for thought and nutritional-fodder material for descriptive answer, helps you link up one issue with another. It helps you see the real-life examples of theories and academic stuff you read in the reference books.
• And and those things are essential for writing decent essays and giving decent answers in interview. [Marks of both, counted in final merit list]
• So Keep in mind, Newspaper is not just a short-term investments for MCQs in prelims- it is long term investment for scoring high in Essay and interview.

When should we start reading newspaper?

• To gain the the awareness about contemporary issues, you should start reading newspapers from this day onwards, no matter whether you're planning to appear in 2012 or in 2014.
• Besides you're always competing with veterans who've been upto interview stage multiple times, Their current-awareness level will be higher than yours, so you can't ignore newspapers or put any time-frame on it just because your target is 2013 or later.
• By newspaper, I mean the serious newspapers : Indian Express, The Hindu. and not the page3 Masala stuff that appears in Times of India.

till when???

• Until your name appears in the final list of successful candidates
• or until you cross the attempt-limit
• or until you cross the upper age limit.
• or until you give up your civil service dream

For More on How to read newspapers and what to ignore in newspapers :CLICK ME