5 Things to keep in mind for Current Affairs!

5 Things to keep in mind for Current Affairs!

The idea behind writing a piece on this topic began with a discussion with my colleague. We were talking about the importance of being updated about recent events. But, as you would agree, recent events cannot be fit into a watertight compartment.

How to prepare for current affairs to get admission into one of the top-10 B-schools?

Is it necessary to know everything under the sun to ace interviews?

Why do they test us on our knowledge of what’s happening in the world?

From when should an aspirant start preparing for it?

I am sure these questions plague you from time to time. Being updated about the happenings of the world is not easy, let alone knowing about every single event that is happening every second. They are dynamic, and spread across different subjects. Even global news networks that cover the same event, share different perspectives. It’s understandably difficult to be aware of everything and remember every bit.

How does one soak it all in then?

To find out, let’s dive into the 5 ways to prepare for Current Affairs.

1. Start today to prepare for current affairs!

This might seem like a cliché statement to you. But it can’t be stressed enough. Procrastination has pernicious effects. Get rid of it

At first it might seem overwhelming due to the amount of information that is freely available. However, with time you will get a grip over how to navigate through it. While reading a newspaper, it is important to not just read, but also to read selectively. Segregating the information into the following buckets: ‘events that may have a global impact’, ‘laws or policies that may affect our day-to-day lives’, ‘Market performance’, ‘highlight of the day’, ‘inspiring snippets about people or groups’, ‘celebrity news’ etc. can help you focus on information that is a ‘must have’ along with news that tickles your personal interest.

2. Why is it important to be updated?

Practically speaking, it’s a very useful tool. For example, if you had not kept track of the news after the lifting of the covid-19 restrictions, you wouldn’t have been aware of the resurgence of the virus. Ergo, you would have continued to go out without a mask and become susceptible to infection.

Secondly, B-school panelists expect you to be aware of current affairs because it reflects your inclination towards society and people. Interview panelists expect you to not just receive information, but also respond to it. Respond in the form of conversations wherein you are able to articulate information and opinions well. Thorough research backed by verified data is the bedrock of a business idea; being updated about current affairs is the first step to gathering and mapping information. It’s imperative to take current affairs seriously. Scoring 99+%ile is only the beginning. Clearing interviews confidently is a different ball game; and being a humble ‘know it all’ is certainly a bonus.

Lastly, knowing about what’s happening in the world also acts as a talking point or ice breaker. Often, people don’t end up having conversations because they don’t have a common topic to discuss. Information about day to day affairs helps overcome this barrier and strike a chord with people on a variety of topics. Even a vague idea about an event is sufficient to begin a conversation. In addition to this, it builds great networking skills.

Pssss. It also acts as a funnel to network with intellectuals.

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3. The right sources to prepare for current affairs

Gathering information from the right platform gives you an unbiased overview of events. This brings us to the question – “What is called a right source?”. Determining appropriate sources varies with respect to the type of news. For example, if an article is science-based then one has to look for the number of citations. If you stumble upon an anthropology article, looking into the credentials of the author is a (more or less) reliable criterion for determining authenticity.

Here are some suggestions for you:

Facebook is the best place to look for trustworthy news (JUST KIDDING)

1. Newspapers like Indian Express, Economic Times and Hindu. Even Mint publishes good articles
2. Being active or passively active on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit.
3. For headliners, you could use apps like Inshorts or daily hunt. However, this is only recommended for days when you have no time at your disposal.
4. Money control, Reuters, Wion, and BBC News are great for breaking news. Reuters especially is widely considered reliable.
5. Magazines like ‘Time’, ‘New York Times’, ‘The Economist’, ‘The Guardian’, and ‘Atlantic’ give really good perspectives on diverse matters. Lesser known magazines like ‘The Diplomatic’ are also a great source of information
6. E-papers like ‘the quint’ and ‘the newsprint’ share opinions with an underlying political leaning. So, it’s preferable to take it with a pinch of salt.
7. Journals and magazines like ‘The Baffler’, ‘aeon’, ‘Nature’, ‘Scientific American’, ‘Smithsonian’ etc. share intriguing and startling perspectives that cause pleasant disturbances in our minds.

So, peruse through all of them to select one that aligns with your disposition. Start now and keep gathering as much information as you can.

4. How to cover up for past news?

This could be pain staking at first. But it’s ideal to refer back to old news whenever it gets mentioned in current affairs. It seems tedious at first, but it gets easier if you perceive it through the lens of history. I’d urge you to try and look at it as a continuous story, instead of individual events broken by time. When you realise the fact that events may be connected, your personal opinions also take shape. These opinions (avoid rigid viewpoints) become a talking point in B-School interviews and help network with like-minded people.

5. Take opinions with a pinch of salt

All said and done, you might agree that the information that we get is shrouded in emphatic adverbs and adjectives. It is therefore advisable to harbour healthy skepticism while receiving information. It is better to nurture viewpoints that favour just principles over a single ideology. That way you steer clear of squabbles and have a sensible outlook, all at the same time.

I’ll conclude by saying that you cannot know everything. It is impossible to know and remember every single thing that is happening in the world. In all honesty, B-school interviewers also don’t expect you to know everything. They only expect you to handle the unknown cleverly. Therefore, pack in information, but do it smartly.

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Cheers and Best wishes for your CAT 2022 folks!