Current Affairs have become an integral part of today’s competitive examinations as it is a test of your social, economical, geographical, historical and political awareness in various events around the world. Other than being one of the most scoring sections of the examination, a good hold over this section is a clear indication of superiority in critical thinking, learning ability, decision making, analytical skills and an insatiable hunger for knowledge. A strong knowledge of the current happenings around the world can give you an edge in job interviews as the facts that you include in your answers add weightage to your statements and help the interviewee assess you better and higher than your competitors. Aspirants join telegram groups like Current Affairs & Exams Notification by Exambazaar to stay updated.

In this blog we will look at all the imperative sources that aspirants can utilize to increase and enhance their knowledge of current affairs, which can in turn increase their chances of selection and spike their bankability.

Current Affairs Books for Competitive Exams

Books offer a very extensive and comprehensive insight into various events around the world. The printed material from a renowned publisher acts as a pretty solid and accurate source of knowledge for various competitive exams. Students preparing for government jobs like UPSC, CGL to UG/PG examinations like CLAT, CAT to banks can refer to these following books for an all-inclusive preparation:

1. Manorama Year Book 2020 by Mammen Mathew

• Since the 1950s, the Malayala Manorama Group has been publishing a book which consists of all the yearly events related to politics, history, sports, TV, books, geography etc and has been considered as one of the best books for GK and current affairs preparation.
• It caters to a wide range of demographics as it is available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.

1. General Knowledge 2021 by Arihant Publications

• Published by the revered group of Arihant Educators, the book is one of the bestselling books in the market for current affairs for government jobs, banks and other examinations like CAT, CLAT.
• It offers subject wise coverage of factual information that is further divided into six sections.

1. General Knowledge 2020 by Lucent Publication

• One of the most comprehensive books for current affairs preparation when you are running against time.
• The content is precise and highly informative.

1. Quick General Knowledge and Current Affairs Updates by Disha Publication

• Disha Publication are the forerunners in the education business as their books are considered to be one of the best. The book is revised and renewed every year with better point-to-point data and events around the world.
• The information is crisp and concise with an easy-to-understand language.

Magazines

Aspirants can subscribe to weekly/monthly magazines for an extensive and exhaustive current affairs review. Magazines provide a very radical and sweeping perception into various events which can help aspirants crack Personal Interviews.

1. Competitive Success Review (CSR)

• According to National Readership Surveys, CSR is the biggest magazine in India for current affairs and GK for past four decades
• It consists of trivia in National Politics, Indian current events, tips for interviews, interview with toppers of IAS, CAT, SSC etc, Group Discussion tips and sample papers for various Government examinations.

1. Pratiyogita Darpan

• First published in 1978, it is an Indian bi-lingual magazine for current affairs and GK specializing in IAS and other similar government exams.
• With a readership of 5 million, it is the 3rd largest magazine of India.

1. Down to Earth

• Started in 1992, it is a bi-lingual magazine for events related to the environment, science, economics and politics of the country.
• It is a fortnight based magazine with a massive following.

Websites and Apps for latest Current Affairs

With immense growth in technology and media, accessibility to quality material on current affairs and GK is just a click or a swipe away. With many online websites and apps supplying free digital material, printed material has gone out of trend as access to it requires monetary funds and is a wastage of paper.

1. Jagran Josh (website)

• One stop destination for college going students and aspirants of various examinations to brush up their current affairs.
• It is of a blog format with 21 posts per quarter.

1. GK Today (website)

• One of leading websites in current affairs and GK preparation for a variety of examinations like IAS, NDA, IMA, CAT, CLAT etc.
• It is of blog format with 14 posts per quarter.

1. Exambazaar  (website)

• Uses various tools like EQAD, Exam Wiki, Previous Year Papers and a lot more to make learning easy and engaging. Provides current affairs for all Government Exams like Banking, SSC, Railways, IBPS, IAS etc.
• It provides the user downloadable Pdf, unlimited downloads, All section wise Pdfs and lots more.

1. InShorts (app)

• Offers daily news and events of the globe in a crisp 60 word format at a single swipe.
• Available on PlayStore and iOS stores.

1. Adda 247 (app)

• The app offers the latest news with current affairs and GK in various subjects. Best for government, bank and competitive exams.
• Best for interview tips and GD practice.

Newspapers for Current Affairs

Considered as one of the best sources for current affairs preparation, newspaper reading not only inculcates discipline and order in your your life but also helps you extensively improve upon your vocabulary, sentence formation, pronunciation, orating skills and the ability to quickly digest and recall whatever you have read. The following newspapers can be religiously followed in accordance with their speciality:

1. The Hindu

• More youth oriented articles with special focus on employment, jobs and career.
• Standard articles on burning topics by leading authors and strict reporting ethics.
• Quality journalism with vocabulary-dense articles.
• Discussion forums and best-in-class editorial section.
• App available on Android and iOS.

1. Indian Express

• More inclined towards politics, economic reforms and finances.
• Quality articles on latest political drives, financial developments and market analysis.

1. Times Of India

• The bestselling newspaper of India with more than 2 million daily readers.
• An umbrella of events like national, international, sports, editorial, finance, kids, lifestyle etc covered by this ‘complete’ newspaper.
• App available on PlayStore and iOS stores.

Current Affairs YouTube Channels

With easy accessibility to high-speed internet and smartphones, current affairs related YouTube channels have come up  a big way. Mentioned below are a few YouTube channels with quality material for current affairs preparation:

• Online Study Point
• Weekly Current Affairs by Exambazaar
• GKToday Current Affairs

I hope this blog clarified all your doubts regarding the ” Imperative Current Affairs Checklist for your Competitive Examinations“. We, The Team at Exambazaar, wish you all the best for your future endeavors.