Civil Services Exam (Preliminary)/Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT)

Civil Services Exam (Preliminary)/Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT)


From 2011 onwards UPSE has changed the pattern of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.
 Now students will be tested with a Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) which focuses on analytical abilities rather than their ability to memorise.


The examination system of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is updated from time to time to keep it in harmony with the changing environment. In regard to the Civil Services Examination (CSE) the Prime Minister has approved the proposal for introduction of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in place of the existing Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination. The CSAT is expected to come into effect from Civil Services Examination, 2011. This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Shri Prithviraj Chavan in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. The current pattern of the civil services preliminary exams was conceived in 1979 on the recommendations of the.[1] Since then, for 41 years, the preliminary pattern sustained with only some minor changes once in ten or fifteen years. But from 2011 onwards, civil services aspirants should prepare themselves for a sea change in how they prepare for the preliminary examination as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has received the Union Government's approval for introducing the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) pattern.


CSAT will have two papers common to all candidates with no optional paper There will be a paper to test the candidate's aptitude for the prestigious civil services from the ethical and moral dimension More emphasis on understanding and analysis than memorizing


From Civil Service Examination 2011, Preliminary Examination would consist of two papers- 
Paper I and Paper II. 


The syllabus and pattern of the Preliminary Examination would be as under:

(Paper 1) (200 marks) - Duration : Two hrs.

1. Current 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-that donot require subject specialization
7. General science.

(Paper II) (200 marks) – Duration : Two hrs

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),
7. Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. – Class X level)
8. English language comprehension skills (Class X level)

It is possible that in the coming years there can be some more changes in the format.