The race for UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) aspirants has been hijacked by coaching institutes and content creators masquerading as mentors. Daily current affairs updates, once a valuable resource, have now turned into a corporate scam designed to trap unsuspecting candidates—particularly college graduates and fresh aspirants—into a cycle of information overload and fear of missing out (FOMO).
This business model thrives on a simple principle: the more content they churn out, the more dependent aspirants become.
The Exploitative Nature Of Daily Current Affairs Content
Many coaching institutes publish 2,000-word daily news compilations and one-hour-long video analyses of newspapers.
Their justification?
They claim that every article, every editorial, and every minor update is crucial for the UPSC exam. However, the reality is starkly different.
These institutions and their social media counterparts aren’t serving aspirants; they are serving search engine algorithms.
The flood of daily current affairs content is a marketing tool, a way to remain discoverable on Google and YouTube, pulling in naive students who believe that consuming more equates to better preparation.
The result?
Students spend hours memorizing irrelevant details instead of understanding what truly matters.
The Recycling of Content for Profit
A dirty secret in the UPSC coaching industry is the way these materials are produced.
Many content creators are former aspirants who, after failing to clear the exam, join coaching institutes for a meager salary.
Their task?
To regurgitate newspaper articles into lengthy daily, weekly, and monthly compilations.
The objective is not to filter the most relevant topics but to include everything so that, in hindsight, the institute can claim credit if a question is even remotely related to their material.
This strategy extends to their free monthly compilations, which are nothing but poorly edited dumps of daily news articles spanning 100–150 pages, half of which have zero relevance to UPSC.
Instead of curating information efficiently, they overload aspirants with a false sense of security—that reading more will guarantee success.
When Even Reputed Newspapers Join the Race
A leading national newspaper, known for its credible journalism, has also entered this game. It now releases special UPSC-oriented compilations under the guise of “Essentials,” further feeding into the aspirants’ dilemma.
While its core reporting remains valuable, these special UPSC-oriented publications dilute the quality by trying to market themselves as a must-have for aspirants.
This is nothing but a tactic to attract a large and growing UPSC audience, making aspirants waste time on information that is often superficial or redundant.
The Real Relevance Of Current Affairs In UPSC
Current affairs do hold importance in UPSC preparation, but they must be studied within strict boundaries.
The Prelims and Mains examinations have well-defined syllabi, and a significant chunk of the so-called “important” current affairs material never translates into actual questions.
If one carefully scrutinizes previous year question papers (PYQs), it becomes evident that nearly 80% of what is marketed as crucial current affairs is, in fact, irrelevant.
Out of the 100 Prelims questions, only about 15–18 questions have a direct link to current affairs. The key is to differentiate between what is useful and what is mere noise.
How to Approach Current Affairs Without Falling Into The Trap
To avoid being exploited by coaching institutes and content creators, follow these principles:
- Avoid Mindless Reading: Don’t waste time memorizing massive magazines. Stick to high-yield topics that provide maximum returns with minimal effort.
- Ignore Daily YouTube News Analyses: One-hour videos dissecting the day’s newspaper are an unnecessary drain on time and focus.
- Prioritize Key Events: Focus on major policies, ISRO missions, Supreme Court judgments, government schemes, and important national/international developments.
- Steer Clear of Obscure Trivia: UPSC rarely asks about minor topics, exotic species, or obscure international news. Focus on government-related developments.
- Don’t Learn Answer Writing from Coaching Institutes: Many aspirants spend hours watching coaching classes for answer writing techniques. Instead, they should practice actual writing and seek feedback.
- Never Read Daily Editorial Analyses: Editorials are meant for perspective-building, not rote learning. Skimming key themes is sufficient.
- Differentiate Between Good Content and Marketing Gimmicks: Just because a coaching institute publishes something doesn’t mean it’s essential.
- Connect News to the Syllabus: The most effective way to study current affairs is to map it directly to UPSC’s syllabus.
- Keep Perspective: Current affairs are important, but they don’t determine success. Conceptual clarity and revision are far more crucial.
- Never Watch Daily Current Affairs Videos: They are designed to keep aspirants hooked rather than help them prepare efficiently.
The Bottom Line
The business of current affairs in UPSC preparation is designed to create confusion, anxiety, and unnecessary workload.
Coaching institutes exploit aspirants by overloading them with information that does little to enhance actual exam performance.
The real strategy for mastering current affairs lies in selective reading, smart revision, and linking news to static portions of the syllabus.
It’s time to break free from the content marketing trap and approach UPSC preparation with clarity and purpose. Less is more when it comes to current affairs, and recognizing this early will save aspirants from years of futile effort.
Also Read | UPSC Preparation: How Many Facts Can You Memorize Before It All Becomes Useless?