What is the full form of CSAT

CSAT: Civil Services Aptitude Test

CSAT stands for Civil Services Aptitude Test. It is a part of the Civil Services Exam. The Union Public Service Commission holds the Civil Services Examination (CSE), a national competitive exam, in India for the recruitment of higher civil services, such as the Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Administrative Service.

UPSC examination is divided into three phases: a preliminary examination with two objective-type exams (General Studies Paper I and Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT), commonly known as General Studies Paper II, and the major test of nine traditional (essay)-style papers, of which only two are qualifying seven marks are counted. The final phase is a personality test (interview). A successful applicant must undergo 32 hours of testing which takes around a year.

Process

The Civil Services Examination is modeled after imperial civil service exams from the British era as well as those administered by former Indian empires such as the Mauryan Empire and the Mughal Empire. One of the hardest competitive exams in India is this one. A single try may require two full years of preparation: one year prior to the preliminary exams and one year following the preliminary exams till the interview. Every year, between 900,000 and 1,000,000 people apply on average, and roughly 550,000 candidates take the preliminary exam. Mid-August marks the release of Preliminary Exam results, whereas May marks the release of Final Exam results.

Selection Process

• Stage I: Preliminary Exam - Annually held in June. In August, the outcomes are released.
• Stage II: The Mains

1. Exam: It is annually held in October. The outcomes are revealed in January.
2. Personal Interview: held in March. In May, the final findings are often released.

The training programme for the chosen candidates typically starts the following September when the physical examination of the successful applicants and other formalities are completed.

Eligibility

Following are the requirements for the exam:

i) Nationality

Regarding the Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Administrative Service. The applicant must be an Indian national.

The applicant for other services must fit one of the following criteria:

1. An Indian national.
2. A resident of Bhutan or a citizen of Nepal.
3. A refugee from Tibet who made a permanent home in India prior to January 1, 1962.
4. A person of Indian descent who moved to India with the purpose of staying there permanently from one of the following countries: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Zaire, Zambia, or Vietnam.

ii) Educational background

All applicants must possess at least one of the following academic credentials:

• A certificate or degree from a central, state, or deemed university
• A diploma from correspondence or distant learning
• An open university diploma
• A degree that India's government has deemed to be equal to one of the aforementioned qualifications

The following applicants are also qualified; however, they must present identification from a relevant institution/university official before the main exam to avoid failing.

• Candidates who have taken an exam that would make them academically qualified to satisfy one of the points above.
• Candidates who have successfully completed the MBBS degree's final exam but have not yet finished an internship.
• Candidates who have aced the ICAI, ICSI, and ICWAI final exams.
• A diploma from a private college.
• A diploma awarded by a foreign institution that has been accepted by the Association of Indian Universities.

iii) Age

The applicant has to be at least 21 years old and, for general category candidates, not older than 32 years old on August 1 of the assessment year. With regard to caste reservations, different age restrictions apply.

• The maximum age for Other Backward Castes (OBC) is 35
• The maximum age is 37 years for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC).
• The maximum is 40 years for military personnel who become injured while performing missions during conflicts.
• For candidates whose family members served in the military, including senior officers and ECOs/SSCOs, for a minimum of five years and who have since been discharged
  1. upon completion of duty (such as those whose assignment is due to be finished within a year of the year's first August, barring dismissal or discharge for misconduct or inefficiency,
  2. due to a physical impairment brought on by military service or
  3. any invalidation
• In the event of ECOs/SSCOs who have accomplished an initial period of assignment of 5 years in the military as of 1 August of the year, whose assignment has been prolonged beyond five years, and in whose case the Ministry of Defense offers a certificate that they can seek for civil employment and that they will be discharged on three months' notice upon selection from the date of receiving of an offer of appointment, a relaxation of up to five years will be allowed.
• The maximum age is 32 years for ECOs/SSCOs who have finished their original period of assignment, which was five years of military service.
• The maximum age for PwD candidates is 37 years.
• The typical age restrictions are in effect for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.

Recent changes in Civil Services Preliminaries

The revised curriculum was launched in 2011. There are two papers:

General Studies and Current Affairs in Paper I

It covers every subject from the former Paper I syllabus, with the exception of general mental aptitude. Additionally, it includes fresh subjects like social and economic growth as well as broader concerns with an environmental ecology, biodiversity, and climate change.

General Mental Capacity Paper II

The General Mental Ability section of the Civil Services Aptitude Test is now found in Paper II. This section was previously found in Paper I. As of late, it has expanded to comprehension understanding, interpersonal skills like comprehension, logical thinking and analytical skills, decision-making and problem-solving, basic arithmetic, data interpretation, and English language comprehension abilities.

CSAT Exam Pattern

There are a total of 400 marks available for the preliminary test, which comprises two objective-type examinations with multiple-choice questions. This test is only intended to be used as a screening tool. The final order of merit is determined without taking into account the preliminary examination scores.

There are two 200-point mandatory papers. In Paper-I, there are 100 problems each of 2 marks, whereas, in Paper-II, there are 80 questions worth a total of 2.5 marks.

For every question, there are four potential solutions. The question papers are written in both Hindi as well as English. The question paper does not provide any evidence of the Hindi translation for questions testing understanding of sections in English, nonetheless.

CSAT Negatively Marking

Answers that are erroneous receive a lower grade. One-third of the marks awarded for that question will be deducted if you select the incorrect response. Even if one of the several answers you provide turns out to be accurate, it is still considered a bad response if you provide more than one. There is no penalty for a question that is left unanswered or that is left blank.