Almost every IAS aspirant knows the importance of reading newspapers for UPSC Civil Services Exam preparation.
Among the newspapers in the market, ‘The Hindu’ is the most recommended newspaper, primarily for its high standards. You can either read the paper version OR the digital version (e-paper).
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Why is reading ‘The Hindu’ important?
‘The Hindu’ distinguishes between news and opinion very well.
Also, it gives priority to areas of national concern and usually avoids trivial issues/masala items.
But reading ‘The Hindu’ completely may require at least 4-5 hours daily. With plenty of other books and materials to complete, devoting this much time daily to newspaper reading is not a good idea.
Then, how should an aspirant proceed?
How to read ‘The Hindu’ effectively in less than 60 minutes?
By the proper practice of effective reading, you can capture everything necessary for the UPSC exam from the ‘The Hindu’ in less than 60 minutes. This is by focusing on important areas and just skimming over non-priority pages.
Tips for Effective and Faster Reading of the ‘The Hindu’ newspaper
Here are the tips for effective reading. Practice the below tips daily. You will see that your speed of reading and comprehension improves.
- Page 1: You just need to skim through the news headlines. Don’t waste too much time on the front page.
- Pages 2-6: Pages 2 – 3 usually carry only regional news (which varies from city to city) while pages 4-5 deal with news from respective states. As these are not so important from the UPSC exam point of view, you can skip them.
- Page 7: Page 7 is important as this deals with the nation. Focus on Supreme Court and High Court verdicts, Parliamentary debates, Government orders, etc. here.
- Editorial Page (Usually Page 8): This is the most important page of ‘The Hindu’ newspaper from the UPSC Exam perspective. Carefully read the two ‘editorials’ given on the left margin. Then move to the ‘Lead‘ article. This usually would be an excellent analysis of a current issue. Finish this page, by reading the ‘Letters to the editor‘ as this would give different opinions on the same issue. But don’t get biased. Note: Try to finish everything up to this page within 30-40 minutes.
- Perspective Page (Usually Page 9): This is where you see the op-ed. An ‘op-ed’ (originally short for “opposite the editorial page”) is a written prose piece typically published by a newspaper or magazine that expresses the opinion of a named author usually not affiliated with the publication’s editorial board. ‘The Hindu’ names these articles as ‘comments’. Read this to get a different perspective on current issues.
- Page 10-11: These pages deal with the news in general. There is no need to go deep into political news or issues, just have a superficial knowledge of what is happening around you.
- World (Page 12): This page would be useful for the International Relations topic which is part of the UPSC syllabus. Spend some time here, if you find any major happenings.
- Business (Pages 13-14): Focus on trends, growth parameters, and issues here. Read issues connected with Fiscal and Monetary Policy. If you find socio-economic issues related to women, education, or health, read in-depth.
- Sports Page and Life Page: Ignore. Sports news is not generally asked in UPSC CSE.
Extra Tip: Don’t miss Thursday’s edition of Hindu Science and Technology. It covers many questions both in prelims and in the mains exam as well.
What should be focused on?
- Good analysis of current issues (Editorial page or Op-Ed page).
- Supreme Court and High Court verdicts.
- Issues of national and international importance.
- Parliamentary Debates.
- Government policies and orders.
Extra Tip: Make notes on the hot topics (See sample notes on GST, Paris Agreement, etc. You may make notes on all recent bills, recent Supreme Court orders etc)
What should not be the focus?
- Local news.
- Political news.
- Masala items like film reviews, wardrobe malfunctions (which you won’t find in ‘The Hindu), celebrity interviews, etc.
- Trivial facts like sports titles, awards, personalities in the news, etc.
Extra Tip: Beginners may keep the UPSC mains syllabus in front of them while reading the newspaper. This would help you concentrate on areas of importance (e.g.: NGOs, Self-Help Groups, etc. as they are mentioned in the UPSC CSE syllabus)
Can an aspirant succeed in the IAS exam without reading ‘The Hindu’ newspaper?
The answer is yes. There are always substitutes – other newspapers, magazines, current affairs capsules, mobile apps, and so on.
But we advise a 1-hour reading of ‘The Hindu’ newspaper as a daily exercise for all aspirants as this has multiple benefits. The most important of the benefits would be the ‘pictorial memory’ which would be of immense help in Prelims, Mains, and Interviews.
Also, there would be a lot of improvement in your vocabulary and communication skills.
Conclusion
The importance of reading the newspaper for Civil Services has increased tremendously.
The crux of these tips is not to waste time over trivial issues (unimportant for the UPSC exam) and focus on areas where it matters.
Also read: UPSC Last Minute Revision – Check The Latest Ebooks (PDFs): Save Time
Very useful tips. Thank you.
I need a help
Thank you so much sir, these are very clear instructions and tips. Thank you
Thanks a lot
Tq u sir, bt beginers shall make note from the hindu news paper in starting time?
Thanks a lot.
Thank u so much sir ,it ‘s a very useful tips
Thanks alot @Clear IAS
Thanks a lot. Very useful tips.
very useful tips.thank you.
Thank u very much for this….
Hey thanks a lot for this valuable guidance
Good to see all days news nand update.Thanks
I thank u so much from the innermost core of my heart. I used to spend a lot of time to read The Hindu newspaper. Finally I got the solution. ☺
thank you so much sir. It’s really helpful to like us rural and self prepare aspirants
Thankyou
I was really confused about reading hindu
Ran into this super useful article today
Thankyou once again. must read
Very nice sir
Thanks for these tips I m very tens abt news reading what to read or what to not but now its easy to read news paper….
Sir/Mam I am going to apper for IAS exam in 2021. Currently I am going through NCERT books, Is making notes from “The Hindu” worth now ? or I should start making notes from 2 years before the exam and focus on building habit to read “The Hindu” and NCERT. Is there anything else for which I should prepare from now ?
I think it’s better to go on from now with already a vast syllabus at hand and if added with previous it surely is a real back pain … It’s up to you…but just in case u can find various important facts all over the net n u don’t need to go through all the trouble of going back for two years.
Its sufficient
Hindu news paper iz in MY opinion most important to any IAS kas aspirant
Very helpful diversification of the Hindu..
Very very thank u
Thanxxx a lot
My various confusions gets clear . It is very good and useful app . Good job hats off to u …
I am very inspired these tips which will make our goal very skillful and steady
All i can say is thank you as it worked as an amazing guide.THANK YOU
Thanks alot sir. This will be really helpful!
Cool and worth methods…
Physics honours wale ISA ka tyari kr skte h
Sir, Please suggest the best news paper for a hindi medium student for upsc exam preparation.
Nice suggestion for all the civil service aspirents.Thanks & need your blessings and further guidance in this regard.
So much helpful thanks a lot for this
Nice tips! I hope it will help everyone to read newspaper effectively. Thank you very much!
thanks u very much
Thank you so much sir for giving the right suggestions to all IAS aspirants as most candidates get confused to select the right newspaper…..
Hi, it is very useful for beginners like me .it helps to improve our both communication and vocabulary skills as well.many thanks .
Thank you very much sir……I was just confused what to read n what not, but now got to know the correct way….!!
very very thanks sir
Is it possible , A person having privarte job with engineering back ground can success in UPSC ? If yes ,please hep how?
Thanks alot for your advice
thank you so much sir for guide
tips really works thanx.
Reallly i am so grateful to u thank u so much.
now i am not confused in whole page of the news paper
Does they require any charges for the tips ?
Thank you so much for your guidence