Current affairs are a crucial part of the bank and various government exams. Newspapers serve as the best framework for learning everything about the events and incidents around us to stay updated. A newspaper not only provides information about recent events but also strengthens your English skills. But, to effectively use newspapers for current affairs, one must know how to read them, what to look for what to cover. In this article, let’s understand some benefits of reading newspapers for bank exams and how to effectively use newspapers as a source of exam preparation.
What to read in a newspaper?
Just reading a newspaper won’t fulfil the intent of gaining your target knowledge. It is important to consider the newspaper as a source of study material for effective exam preparation.
Before starting to read one, check previous year’s papers and specifically the GK section of the past 3-4 years and check what’s being majorly asked in the exam. Now, you will have an idea of what to read and what to skip from a newspaper.
What to read from each section of the newspaper?
- Choose the right newspaper – You must know what newspaper provides what type of news, and based on that, you can choose what newspaper to study from. For bank exams, you can choose something around banking policies, the economy, etc.
- First Page or the front page: All highly critical news or headlines are always reserved for the front page. But, there are times when you come across an entertainment-specific newspaper and find information irrelevant to your stream of preparation. Therefore, inculcate the habit of identifying the important part & filtering out the irrelevant ones.
- Editorial section: This section has relevant information related to your stream and is important for widening your knowledge base, improving language skills, understanding key issues etc. But, this section has more comprehensive ideas and facts than GK-specific. Still, this section is helpful.
- Business & Economy: This section is critical, as it has the majority of related topics required for bank exams. Follow this section religiously if you want to score high in the GK section
- Sports: You can note down relevant sports update that has occurred recently globally and nationally. This section is very important from the exam point of view.
- Other National & International news: Choose and pick those events that are relevant to bank exams or current affairs and skip the rest.
How to read a newspaper effectively?
Read the headlinesÂ
The first thing to check in a newspaper is the headline. If the headline is relevant, mark the information relevant to your exam. Check for the following aspects if you are skimming through the sections:
- Important policies in the banking industry or recent additions
- Important bills passed in the parliament related to budget
- Appointment of new board members of senior management to any popular banks
- Important government schemes
- Sports-specific news – winners, events, awards, etc
- Global summits and conferences
- Economic issues and crises in various parts of the world
Take notes while reading the newspaper
It’s best to have a pen and notepad with you to note down all relevant information given in a newspaper.Â
Here’s what you can note down while reading the newspaper
- Business & Economy – Aspirants can take note of the latest budget, macroeconomic trends in the economy like inflation, GDP, recent business mergers and acquisitions, business heads, the new board of directors in major companies, stocks and other relevant news.
- Politics – Aspirants must note down new laws, bills and constitutional amendments related to the economy of the country. Note down recently launched government schemes by the Union government and discussions around them. Also, note down the names of any new authorities in the executive, legislature and judiciary.
- International News – Note down important aspects related to various treaties, global meetings, and crises at the international level and the causes behind them. Note down facts related to India’s foreign relations, economic ties, political issues, bilateral and multilateral relations etc.
- Sports news – From the sports section, make a note of the winners of major international and national level tournaments, the number of awards won and the field of achievement. Check for a recent update on any Indian sport or sportsman felicitated at the international level.
- Miscellaneous – Note down only relevant information for any important day, celebration, important people attending, themes of important days every year, etc.
Benefits of Reading Newspaper
- You become a fast reader over time. Reading newspapers on a daily basis improves your comprehension and reading skills. You can solve comprehension problems faster.
- Reading newspaper help in building your vocabulary, grammar, and knowledge of events around the world. You become knowledgeable about major aspects of the globe and this boosts your confidence in speaking or sharing thoughts about an issue/discussion.
- Reading the newspaper improves your writing skills. Regular newspaper reading reduces grammatical errors and enhances your written article/post as you would have a better understanding of phrasing words better together.
- General Awareness and knowledge improve significantly once you start reading newspapers daily. You are aware and updated about the events and facts nationally and internationally.
- Reading newspaper articles gives better exposure to language and sentence formation. Your vocabulary will be excellent, and you can reflect your knowledge with better confidence and receive recognition in any forum that values excellent knowledge.
Aspirants must keep these points in mind while reading a newspaper article for their upcoming bank exam.
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