UPSC Prelims Paper II General Studies (CSAT) Exam Syllabus

Aspirants of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Examination often struggle with the Paper II General Studies exam, also known as the CSAT exam. It is a crucial examination in which candidates’ persuasive skills, logical reasoning, data interpretation and analysis, and decision-making abilities are tested.

The UPSC exam is conducted in two divisions- Preliminary and Mains. UPSC Prelims mainly has two sections: Paper I – General Studies and Paper II – CSAT exam. The Preliminary stage is a screening process for the Mains Exam, and the CSAT exam is a qualifying test.

The Paper II – CSAT exam is of 200 marks and has a limited duration of 2 hours. It mainly focuses on the candidate’s reasoning and analytical abilities. The examination is objective in nature and consists of multiple-choice questions.

The paper is divided into two parts- Part A and Part B. While Part A generally focuses on questions related to reasoning, Part B of the CSAT exam comprises comprehension, decision-making, and problem-solving questions.

The syllabus for Part A of the CSAT exam includes topics such as:

1. Comprehension skills
2. Logical reasoning
3. Analytical reasoning
4. Data interpretation skills
5. Interpersonal skills, including communication skills
6. Basic numeracy, which includes Numbers and their relations, Orders of magnitude, Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level).

The syllabus for Part B of the CSAT exam includes the following subjects:

1. Comprehension passages
2. Interpersonal Skills, including communication skills
3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability
4. Decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Candidates must remember that the UPSC CSAT exam tests their reasoning and analytical abilities. To clear the CSAT exam, candidates may refer to the following sources:

1. NCERT textbooks of Class IX and X – which can provide an effective baseline in aptitude-based questions.

2. Regular practice of solving mock tests can help in developing one’s reasoning abilities and analytical skills.

3. While preparing for the Paper II – CSAT exam, candidates should also focus on improving their basic numeracy skills and data interpretation skills.

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