CSAT Prelims is your first stage to chase your dream for becoming an IAS. This first stage is the screening phase and lakhs of candidates appear for this competitive examination. As of August 2014, nearly 7-9 lakhs students appeared for the CSAT examination. Out of the lakhs of candidates only 10,000 students (approximately) are being selected for appearing in the Main examination. So, you can easily understand the high competition level that this examination carries. Every year, a whole lot of new candidates appear for this examination. So, a lot of students would need clarifications on CSAT Prelims of UPSC IAS exam.
This article mainly focuses on the candidates who are not very much aware about the pattern and preparation time required to clear the examination. Below are some of the questions that may clarify your basic doubts:
1) How much time would I require to prepare for the preliminary examination of CSAT? I have heard that you can clear the Prelims in 2-3 months….
Given that you are a fresher for the preparation of CSAT, give yourself a good 6-8 months to prepare for both CSAT Paper 1 and CSAT Paper 2. You would hear many aspirants claiming to have cracked the examination in 3-4 months’ time. Do not believe on those notions. There could have been many reasons for it:
1. Those aspirants were already very much familiar with the CSAT Paper 2 pattern. They might have been given MBA exams or other competitive exams. So, they needed lesser time to prepare as they would have to focus only on Paper 1.
2. They have covered most of the portions of Paper 1 as they have been giving other competitive examination and needed lesser time to prepare.
3. They have been bluffing and devoted much more time than they claimed.
Remember, preparing for CSAT is not an easy task and requires lot of hard work, dedication and focus. The questions might look very easy to attempt at a glance. But requires a very strong base on the subjects to answer them correctly. You cannot afford to lose marks on guessing since there is negative marking for wrong answers. So, give yourself enough time to delve deeper into subjects.
2) What are the topics on which I need to prepare for CSAT?
CSAT Paper 1 consists of a blend of static questions as well as questions on current affairs. However, you must have a very strong base on the various subjects on which you may be asked questions. The basic subjects that you need to prepare for CSAT Paper 1 is:
1. Economics
2. Polity
3. History of India– early, medieval and, modern
4. Environment
5. Geography
6. Science – Biology >Physics> Chemistry (as per the importance)
Apart from preparing static questions, you must be thorough with all the current affairs on the above subjects. In addition to this, you might expect current affairs questions based on international affairs, questions on economic and social development.
CSAT Paper 2 mainly consists of aptitude based topics and comprises of the following topics:
1. Logical reasoning
2. Decision making
3. Problem solving
4. Maths Numerical and Data Interpretation (class 10 level)
5. Comprehension(class 10 level)
3) What is the syllabus given by UPSC for CSAT?
Here is the syllabus as given by UPSC:
Syllabus of Paper I
Current events of national and international importance.
History of India and Indian National Movement.
Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World.
Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization
General Science
Syllabus for Paper II
Comprehension
Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
Logical reasoning and analytical ability
Decision making and problem solving
General mental ability
Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. – Class X level)
English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level).
Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level (last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) . It will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation in the question paper. As per the latest circular (August 2014), this part will not be considered for merit ranking. Hence, it will not be counted for marking. Thus students may leave this part of the question)
The questions will be of multiple choices, objective type.
4) Where should I start my preparation from and what are the books that I should refer to?
CSAT Paper 1
Start your preparation by reading the NCERT books, especially from 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. You may also refer the NIOS books. Both of these books are available for free online.
Economics – Refer NCERT and NIOS books. Internet
Polity – Indian Polity by DD Basu or Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
History of India– early, medieval and, modern – NCERT books. For Modern History refer, India’s struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra.
Environment – NIOS and NCERT books. Internet
Geography – NCERT books
Science – Biology >Physics> Chemistry (as per the importance) – NCERT books. Internet
For current affairs on the above topics refer newspapers like The Hindu or The Economic Times. You may also refer to the Pratiyogita Darpan. But do selective study as they cover topics for other competitive examination also.
You may also refer to the TMH or Pearson manual. They give you a very comprehensive idea on your preparation. (Always refer to the latest addition)
The above are just the basics but you should study them thoroughly atleast 6-7 times. Be clear on concepts, do not just mug up. CSAT questions are very tricky. They may look very easy form outside. Until and unless you are not very clear on your concepts, you will not be able to attempt them correctly.
CSAT Paper 2
For CSAT Paper 2, refer RS Agarwal for reasoning and aptitude. You may also refer Analytical Reasoning by M K Pandey.
You may also consider the TMH and Pearson manual as they have a lot of practice questions. (Always refer to the latest addition)
Remember, CSAT Paper 2 is all about how good are you in your logical, analytical and comprehensive skills. Do not take this paper too lightly, you need a lot of practice before you attempt for this paper. The questions asked in this paper are not very tough. But as already pointed out, you need to have clear concepts. This paper is much easier to attempt then CSAT Paper 1. So, take the opportunity to attempt as many correct answers as you can. Also, remember that this paper is more competitive than CSAT Paper 1. So, devote sufficient time on a daily basis and practice as much as you can. A good practice is to devote atleast 15-20 minutes on this paper for atleast 5-6 months on a daily basis. Soon, you will realize that you are thorough with this paper.
5) What is the time duration for the CSAT examination and the total marks it carries, and the number of questions? What if I mark a wrong answer?
You get time duration of 2 hours for attempting each of the papers – CSAT Paper 1 and CSAT Paper 2. As per the previous pattern, 100 questions have been asked in CSAT Paper 1 and 80 questions in CSAT Paper 2. Each of the paper carries 200 marks. So for each question that you attempt in CSAT Paper 1, you get 2 marks. Similarly for CSAT Paper 2, each question carries 2.5 marks.
If you mark wrong answers, then 1/3th of your marks for each question will be deducted. This is applicable for both of your papers.
For example, suppose you attempt 70 questions and out of them 10 questions are wrong in CSAT Paper 1, then then your total marks will be [(2*70) –(1/3*2*10)] which comes to =133.33 marks. So, for attempting wrong answers, you lose 6.67 marks from your attempted correct questions.
6) Can I use calculator for CSAT Paper 2?
No, you are not allowed to use any electronic gadgets.
I have answered some preliminary questions for the CSAT Prelims examinations. I will be writing some more articles which will help you in your further preparation. In case, you have any queries, you can drop-in your comments below.