Courses
UPSC – CSAT
UPSC Prelims – CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test)
Paper II: General Studies (Qualifying Paper)
⸻
📘 Purpose:
- Tests your analytical ability, comprehension, and basic numeracy.
- It is qualifying in nature — you need 33% (66 marks out of 200) to pass.
⸻
🧾 Test Pattern:
- Total Marks: 200
- Total Questions: 80 (all are MCQs)
- Time: 2 Hours
- Negative Marking: 1/3rd marks deducted for wrong answers
⸻
📚 Subjects/Topics Covered:
- Comprehension
- Reading passages with questions
- Tests understanding and interpretation
- Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability
- Puzzles, patterns, conclusions
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- Basic Numeracy (Class X level)
- Number systems, percentages, ratios, averages
- Time-speed-distance, profit & loss, etc.
- Data Interpretation
- Graphs, tables, charts, pie diagrams
- General Mental Ability
- Coding-decoding, direction sense, syllogisms
- Decision-Making and Interpersonal Skills (Less focused in recent years)
⸻
✅ Qualification Rule:
- Only marks above 66 are considered pass.
- If you fail CSAT, your Paper I is not evaluated, even if you scored high.
Purpose:
The interview is conducted to assess the candidate’s personality, not just academic knowledge. It checks:
- Mental alertness
- Critical thinking
- Balance of judgment
- Moral integrity
- Leadership and communication skills
- Awareness of national and international issues
⸻
🧾 Test Format:
- Conducted by: UPSC Board (panel of experienced members)
- Duration: 25–40 minutes (on average)
- Type: Face-to-face interaction at UPSC Bhavan, New Delhi
- Language: English or Hindi (as per candidate’s choice)
⸻
📊 Marks:
- Total Marks: 275
- No minimum qualifying mark, but the score can significantly impact your final rank.
⸻
🧠 Areas Covered:
- DAF (Detailed Application Form): Hobbies, education, optional subject, job experience
- Current affairs and government policies
- Situational questions (testing decision-making and ethics)
- Opinion-based questions on social, political, or economic issues
⸻
📌 Final Merit List:
- Written Exam (Mains): 1750 Marks
- Interview (Personality Test): 275 Marks
- Total: 2025 Marks
The UPSC CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) is a qualifying examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in India.
One key feature of the UPSC CSAT is its focus on testing the aptitude and reasoning abilities of candidates. To excel in the CSAT, candidates need to develop and showcase certain essential skills and attributes:
- Analytical Thinking: The CSAT questions are designed to assess a candidate’s ability to analyze information, identify patterns, and draw logical conclusions. Practice solving a wide range of problems to improve analytical thinking.
- Numerical Ability: Strong numerical skills are essential, as candidates will encounter quantitative reasoning questions that require numerical calculations, data interpretation, and basic arithmetic operations.
- Verbal Reasoning: Candidates need to comprehend complex passages, understand arguments, and draw inferences from the text. Improving reading comprehension and verbal reasoning skills is crucial.
- Logical Reasoning: This section evaluates a candidate’s logical and critical reasoning abilities. It includes questions on syllogisms, analogies, coding-decoding, and logical deductions.
- Data Interpretation: The ability to interpret data presented in the form of graphs, charts, and tables is crucial for the CSAT. Practice analyzing and drawing conclusions from data visualizations.
- Decision-Making: CSAT also assesses candidates’ decision-making skills through scenario-based questions. Candidates should consider various factors and make informed decisions.
- Time Management: Efficient time management is essential during the exam. Candidates must balance their time wisely among different sections to attempt maximum questions within the allocated time.
- Accuracy and Precision: While time management is vital, candidates must maintain accuracy in their responses. Wrong answers can lead to negative marking.
- Emphasis on Current Affairs: While the CSAT doesn’t have a specific section for current affairs, having a good understanding of current events can be beneficial in comprehending passages and contextual questions.
- Regular Practice: Consistent practice is key to mastering the CSAT. Solve previous years’ question papers, take mock tests, and engage in regular practice to enhance your aptitude and reasoning skills.
Remember that the CSAT is just one of the two papers in the UPSC preliminary examination, and it is qualifying in nature. The marks obtained in the CSAT are not considered for the final ranking, but candidates must secure the minimum qualifying marks to proceed to the mains examination.
