CSAT — the Civil Services Aptitude Test — is Paper II of the UPSC Prelims. It carries 200 marks (80 questions) and is qualifying in nature: you need just 33% (about 67 marks) to pass it.
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What CSAT Tests
- Reading comprehension
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision-making and problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy and data interpretation (Class X level)
Why Toppers Still Fail CSAT
Because it is “only qualifying”, many aspirants ignore it — and then discover that 80 questions in 2 hours with tricky comprehension passages is no joke. Every year, strong GS scorers miss the Mains cut because of CSAT. Engineers usually find the maths easy but stumble on long comprehension sets; humanities students face the reverse.
How Much CSAT Preparation Does It Need?
Give it 2–3 hours a week and one mock every fortnight. Solve the last 5 years’ CSAT papers under timed conditions — the pattern repeats more than people think. If you consistently score above 100 in mocks, you are safe; if you hover near 70–80, treat CSAT as a full subject, not an afterthought.