CSAT Exam

• CSAT stands for Civil Services Aptitude Test. It is a part of the UPSC Prelims (Civil Services Exam – Preliminary). However, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) refers to the exam as General Studies (GS) Paper – II.
• Hence, in the context of UPSC Prelims, GS Paper II refers to the CSAT while in context of UPSC Mains, GS Paper II is the Polity (etc.) paper.
• Candidates are advised to understand the complete UPSC CSE Syllabus and the syllabus of CSAT in UPSC Prelims to avoid confusion.

CSAT Exam Pattern:

CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test was introduced in 2011 to test candidates’ analytical skills. It is the second paper in the UPSC Prelims. Officially, it is known as General Studies Paper-II.

The CSAT exam pattern for UPSC:

• Number of questions: 80 Objective-Type (MCQ) questions
• Negative Marking: Yes (1/3rd of the maximum marks for the question)
• Time: 2 hours
• Type of Exam: Offline exam
• Date of CSAT exam: 10th October 2021
• Language of CSAT exam paper: English/Hindi
• Maximum Marks: 200
• CSAT qualifying marks: 66 marks (33% qualifying criteria)

CSAT Syllabus – GS Paper II – UPSC Prelims 2023

The CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) syllabus for UPSC 2024 shall comprise the following broad categories:

1. Comprehension
2. Interpersonal skills including communication skills
3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability
4. Decision-making and problem-solving
5. General mental ability
6. Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)

Best books for CSAT (GS Paper II):

The books recommended by IAS toppers for acing the UPSC Prelims – CSAT (GS Paper II) are given below:

1. CSAT Paper – 2 Manual by TMH
2. Analytical Reasoning – M. K. Pandey
3. Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R. S. Aggarwal

However, since the CSAT exam in UPSC CSE was made qualifying in 2015, candidates need to score only 33% to qualify for Mains, provided they score above the cut off in UPSC Prelims – GS Paper I.

The qualifying nature and the level X standard questions in CSAT mean that serious candidates do not need to memorise or go through multiple books.

CSAT marking scheme:

• The CSAT paper consists of 80 questions which the candidate has to finish in the allotted time of 2 hours only.
• Each question carries 2.5 marks in the CSAT paper making the total to 200 marks.
• Candidates must remember that there is negative marking in the CSAT paper.
• For every incorrect answer, the candidate is penalised 1/3rd of the total marks allotted to that question, i.e., 0.83 marks will be cut.
• If a question is not attempted, i.e., the candidate leaves it blank on the OMR sheet, no marks will be cut for that question.

CSAT strategy for IAS Prelims 2025:

• Candidates should not ignore the CSAT paper thinking it is only a qualifying paper.
• If candidates feel that their general English comprehension and basic math skills are not up to the mark, they should spend a decent amount of time on the CSAT paper.
• This holds true especially for aspirants from the humanities and arts background who have not been in touch with such subjects ever since their school days.
• For those candidates who are at ease with the type of questions asked in the CSAT paper, practising the adequate number of UPSC previous years’ question papers for CSAT will do.
• But if candidates do not practice the CSAT question papers, it would be very difficult to complete the 80 questions in the prescribed time limit of two hours.
• Remember, candidates should score at least 66 marks. If they do not qualify, even very high marks in the GS paper I will not help them clear the IAS prelims stage.
• Questions from data interpretation, logical reasoning, etc. are generally easy but if the candidate is unfamiliar with them, answering them can be a tricky affair. This is where practice becomes essential.
• Also, some of the CSAT questions are lengthy and rather time-consuming. It becomes doubly important for candidates to practise mock test papers or enrol for a reliable CSAT test series.