CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) – UPSC Prelims Paper 2 Syllabus & Strategy

The full form of CSAT is the Civil Services Aptitude Test. It was introduced in the year 2011 as a part of the UPSC Civil Services Exam (Preliminary) to test the analytical skills, reasoning ability, and aptitude of IAS aspirants.

In this comprehensive guide to the CSAT exam, we have covered the following topics:

While the controversy over the introduction of CSAT, officially known as the General Studies Paper-II, in the UPSC exam still continues, as per the latest news, the Civil Services Aptitude Test will continue to be a part of the UPSC Prelims.

Latest Update about CSAT Exam 2024

CSAT 2024 is scheduled for 26th May 2024. The previous edition of the IAS prelims exam was held on May 28, 2023, and candidates can download the UPSC prelims paper 2 PDF given below for their reference:

UPSC Prelims 2022: CSAT paper II (Series D): Download here

CSAT

• 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 the 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.

What is the preliminary exam in IAS?

The IAS Prelims/UPSC Prelims exam is the first stage of the Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examination (CSE).

The official notification for UPSC 2024 will be released on 14th February 2024, and it has the detailed and updated CSAT syllabus. Candidates can have a look at the IAS prelims GS paper 1 and 2 syllabi discussed below, as per the UPSC notification of 2024.

The UPSC CSE comprises three stages:

1. Preliminary Exam: 2 objective-type papers
2. UPSC Mains: 9 theory papers
3. IAS Interview

Check your eligibility for CSAT UPSC Eligibility Criteria.

The two papers in the UPSC Prelims are:

1. General Studies Paper – I
2. General Studies Paper-II or CSAT

CSAT Exam Pattern:

The 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)

Candidates have to apply for the examination through the UPSC Online Application 2024, details of which are mentioned in the linked article.

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 cutoff in UPSC Prelims-GS Paper I. Aspirants can practice CSAT questions while visiting the linked article.

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

First, all candidates should try to solve  for CSAT and then decide on a preparation strategy.

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 penalized 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 2024:

• 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 backgrounds 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, practicing 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 with very high marks in the GS paper, I will not help them clear the IAS preliminary stage.
• For candidates to increase their speed in solving math questions in the CSAT paper, they can take help from certain well-used math tricks. Refer to this article, Maths Tricks, for the same.
• 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 practice mock test papers or enroll in a reliable CSAT test series.

For all your IAS preparation needs, check the linked page.

CSAT Previous Year Question Papers (2014-2022):

Download the free PDFs of UPSC previous year question papers for CSAT (UPSC Prelims—GS Paper II) from the links below.