What is CSAT?

Finally it has been changed! After many years (or even decades) of discussions, meetings, deliberations and many committee reports, the UPSC has finally changed the pattern of the Civil Services Preliminary (Prelims) Exam and according to the information provided by the government this entrance test would be rechristened “Civil Services Aptitude Test” (CSAT) Candidates appearing for the civil services preliminary exam will, from year 2011, have to clear a paper that will test their general aptitude instead of their knowledge in a subject of their choice. The modified pattern of the Prelims means that from year 2011, there will be no optional subject-based paper. However, the other paper on general studies will continue as before. The modified pattern will provide a level-playing field to all candidates as they have to answer the same set of questions. The main complaint about the Prelims pattern was that, “It was a test of memory more than knowledge,” To overcome this allegation, many commissions have given their recommendations, over the years, on improving the process of recruitment to the Civil Services. Some of these were the D.S. Kothari Committee Report of 1976, the Satish Chandra Committee Report of 1989, Professor Yoginder K. Alagh Committee Report of 2001 and the Hota Committee Report, 2004. The newly introduced CSAT was proposed by the Report of the Civil Services Examination Review Committee, 2001, also known as the Professor Yoginder K. Alagh Committee Report. The committee, after its study of the officers selected, concluded that a mismatch exists between the “suitability or aptitude and the service allocated to a candidate.” The Alagh Committee recommended an aptitude test with emphasis on comprehension, logical reasoning, problem solving and data analysis. Based on all these recommendations the UPSC has finally decided to change the pattern of the preliminary examination by introducing CSAT. CSAT will test the candidates’ on their aptitude and analytical abilities rather than their memorising ability.

The New Pattern

The new syllabus, applicable for the 2011 exams, shall now comprise of two compulsory Papers of 200 marks and of two hours duration each.

The Paper-I will be General Studies, which includes 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, Climate Change and General Science. There is not much change in the syllabus of paper –I, except inclusion of the topics of General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change. On the other hand Paper II is completely new to the IAS aspirants. Decoding the New Syllabus of Paper-II The Paper-II, which will be the aptitude test, will include aptitude skills including Comprehension, Interpersonal skills and Communication skills, Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability, Decision Making and Problem solving, General Mental Ability, Basic Numeracy, Data Interpretation and English Language

Comprehension skills.

The paper-II looks certainly like that of management tests and banking examinations, but reliable sources confirm that, CSAT will not be a replica of MAT, CAT or Bank Exams. Experts say that, with the CSAT, UPSC will test the candidates’ administrative aptitude, rather than the Management Aptitude and this way it will be different from the Management aptitude exams. As per the new syllabus, the Paper-II has 8 types of tests. And all these sections have been playing a crucial role in the selection of key employees across the globe in government as well as private sectors. With the introduction of these tests in the civil services exam, it is expected that the UPSC’s recruitment process will be nothing less than perfect, and India’s civil service will have the best talents.

What is the paper-II all about?

Here is a quick tour on the different types of tests included in the paper II syllabus:

Comprehension

In this section the candidates’ level of understanding will be tested. Questions can be based on certain real life situations and are trying to find out how well you can find facts, sift through information, interpret text, infer (what has happened) predict (what might happen) and recognize implied meanings.
Interpersonal skills including Communication skills

Inter personal communication means face-to-face communication involving few people (typically two) rather than large groups. It does not simply involve the exchange of messages. It essentially involves the creation and exchange of meaning. This section included in the UPSC exam is aimed to test the candidates’ ability to understand and manage the dynamics of social interaction, which is essential for a civil servant. A successful candidate should have a natural and highly developed ability to read the actual and potential behavior of others around them and to construct their own conduct in accordance with this reading. Fortunately, interpersonal skills can be learned by anybody. All it takes is awareness, patience and practice.
Logical reasoning and analytical ability

Logical reasoning is the ability to analyze and critique argumentation by understanding and assessing relationships among arguments or part of an argument. Logical reasoning measures your ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate arguments. Each question is based on a short passage, graph, table or a set of conditions. Analytical ability questions are aimed at measuring your ability to analyze a given structure of arbitrary relationships and to deduce new information from that structure. Focus will be on testing your ability to think logically on the basis of a set of rules and analyze situations using common sense.

Decision Making and Problem Solving

Decision Making and Problem Solving explains the key principles for developing your thinking skills and applying them creatively and productively to every challenge. This part of the Examination measures your ability to use logic and commonsense in the solving of problems commonly confronted by administrators. The question will generally relate to situations that require you either to take some action, to explain why an action has or would be taken or interpret what the action implies. Questions based on some law and order situations or civil administrative matters also can be expected in this section. General Mental Ability: In the old Exam pattern, General Mental Ability (GMA) Tests were included in the General Studies Paper. Now it is shifted to Paper-II. Aim of GMA Test is to evaluate your cognitive abilities - how proficient will you are at learning and finding solutions, a competency that will impact on job performance irrespective of the cadre you select. Basic Numeracy: The syllabus clearly says that this section includes numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc, which are of Class X level. The questions will tests your ability to use numbers and solve simple numerical problems. The good news is that the numerical knowledge you need to do well in these tests is the math you learnt in school. You need now is a quick refresher course and the application of little logical thinking.

Data Interpretation

Data Interpretation (DI) questions test your ability to interpret data presented in tables, graphs and charts. DI problems usually require two basic steps. First, you have to read a chart, Table or graph in order to obtain certain information. Then you have to apply or manipulate the information in order to obtain an answer. Though the syllabus prescribed is of Standard X, experts believe that UPSC may not stick to it while preparing the question paper. This section includes Data Sufficiency also. Each Data Sufficiency consists of a question followed by two statements—labeled (1) and (2). Your task is to analyze each of the two statements to determine whether it provides sufficient data to answer the question.

English Language Comprehension

The English language comprehension questions test your ability to read and understand written material. Questions in this section will be of Class X level and will be tested through passages. The Reading Comprehension test requires a good grasping skill over the English language and comprehending. Grasping a written Text means extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible. Passage will be followed by multiple- choice questions to measure your ability to read and comprehend the written material, to reason and evaluate arguments, and to correct written material to conform to standard written English. All questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage, and no specific prior knowledge of the material is required. Comprehension question favour people who can read fast and have good short term memory. If you have these attributes, great; if not, don’t worry- you can still get a great score if you know how to approach the material in the right way. IAS is for SMART people A close analysis of the new syllabus will say that, “ now its’ the turn of the smartest people to win the IAS exam; goodbye to book worms, memory giants and subject masters.”