AIECT

CSAT – Civil Services Aptitude Test

Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) every year to select candidates for Civil Services Main Exam. Those who pass the Mains Exam and Interview can join prestigious Indian government services such as IAS, IPS, etc.

Recent Changes in Civil Services (Prelims)

The new syllabus was introduced in 2011. It has two papers.

Paper I: General Studies and Current Affairs

It consists of all the topics from old syllabus of Paper I except general mental ability. It also has new topics such as economic and social development and general issues on environmental ecology, bio-diversity, and climate change.

Paper II: General Mental Ability

Paper II of Civil Services Aptitude Test includes general mental ability (shifted from Paper I) along with comprehension, interpersonal skills including comprehension skills, logical reasoning & analytical ability, decision-making and problem-solving, basic numeracy, data interpretation and English language comprehension skills.

Exam Pattern of CSAT

There are two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. Both question papers are of objective type (multiple-choice questions).

Paper I comprises 100 questions with each question carrying 2 marks each while paper II has 80 questions with each question carrying 2.5 marks each.

There are four alternatives for answers to every question. The question papers are set in both in Hindi and English. However, questions relating to English language comprehension skills are tested through passages without proving Hindi translation in the question paper.

Negative Marking in CSAT

There is negative marking for incorrect answers for all questions except some of the questions where the negative marking will be inbuilt in the form of different marks being awarded to the most appropriate and not-so-appropriate answer for such questions. If you give a wrong answer, one-third of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty.

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality: You should be the citizens of India for the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service.

Age Limit: You should not aged less than 21 years and not more than 32 years. (In case of candidates belonging to SC/ ST category, the upper age limit is relaxable up to five years. In case of OBC candidates, the upper age limit is relaxable up to three years).

Educational Qualification: You should possess a degree of any of the universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a university under Section-3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.

Number of Attempts: You can apply to a maximum of six times. The candidates belonging to OBC category can apply for a total of nine times. This restriction on the number of attempts will not apply in case of Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe candidates.

CSAT(Civil Services Aptitude Test) Syllabus

CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) has two papers:

1. General Studies
2. General Ability Test

CSAT was first time conducted in 2011. There is no sectional cutoff. Marks for both paper I and paper II are combined to select candidates for the Mains exam.

CSAT General Studies Paper 1 Syllabus

CSAT Paper I: 200 Marks; Duration: Two Hours; Number of Questions: 100

1. Current Affairs: Events of national and international importance
2. History of India and Indian National Movement
3. Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World.
4. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
5. Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
6. General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change (no subject specialization required)
7. General Science

CSAT Paper I Analysis

CSAT General Ability Test Paper 2 Syllabus

CSAT Paper II: 200 Marks; Duration: Two Hours; Number of Questions: 80

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)
7. English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level).
8. Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level. (will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation)

Marking Scheme: Total 80 questions have 200 marks, thus each question is of 2.5 marks. There is a negative marking of 33% or 0.83 marks. Decision making section doesn’t have any negative marking.

CSAT Paper II Analysis

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