Civil Services Aptitude
Test
The Preliminary Examination of Union Public
Service Commission for Civil Services Examination is also popularly
called CSAT AND CIVIL SERVICES APTITUE TEST. The CSAT is actually the second paper of General Studies that was
introduced in 2011. The CSAT was implemented to end the use of scaling system
for varying subjects in the General Studies paper and was a matter of concern
for many Civil Services councillors. With the introduction of the CSAT, the
UPSC now intends to choose Civil Servants who not only have the knowledge but
also the aptitude for reasoning and analytical brain.
There are some changes made in the Civil Services
Examination from 2013. It's for the first time the Indian Forest Service (IFS)
aspirants were combined with the Civil Services aspirants and are made to take
Preliminary examination. Those Indian Forest Service aspirants who may
eventually clear the Preliminary examination have to write separate exams for
their Mains ifs examination..
There is also a pattern change in the Civil
Services Mains examination introduced from 2013. Now there are four compulsory
papers of General Studies, there is only one optional subject now instead of
two, plus there is one compulsory essay paper. English and one language paper
is of only qualifying nature.
Scheme of Civil Services
Examination
The Civil Services Examination consists of two
successive stages -
- Civil Services
Preliminary Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates
for the Main Examination; and
- Civil Services Main Examination
(Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various
Services and post. The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of
Objective type (multiple choice questions) each of 200 marks and carries a
total of 400 marks. The question papers are set both in Hindi and English.
Each paper is of two hours duration. Blind candidates are allowed extra
time of twenty minutes for each paper.
Scheme of Preliminary
Examination
This examination is meant to serve as a
screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the
candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination
will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of
candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to
thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the
year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who are declared
by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year
are eligible for writing the Main Examination of that year.
