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UPSC CSAT Simplified: Check out the 5-way strategy to tackle the CSAT ‘nightmare’ Maths topics for Prelims 2025

The chances of clearing the UPSC CSAT depend significantly on quantitative aptitude. How can you convert this section from your weakness to strength? Our expert explains.

upsc csat simplified quantitave aptitude prelims

Unlike the humanities subjects, which are more about reading and revising, quantitative aptitude is more about solving more and more questions. Just revising the formulas or re-reading the theory won’t be of much help in this section. (Image Source: Freepik)

(Are you preparing for UPSC CSE 2025? You must not ignore the CSAT paper. UPSC Prelims 2024 had a clear message for students that CSAT practice has to be a constant part of preparation. So, UPSC Essentials’ special series ‘UPSC CSAT Simplified’ presents some important topics from the qualifying CSAT paper of UPSC prelims or answers your general queries.)

—Mudit Gupta

Quantitative Aptitude has been a nightmare for many aspirants. The chances of clearing the UPSC CSAT and scoring the minimum 1/3 marks depend significantly on quantitative aptitude. Though there are no sectional cut-offs in the UPSC CSAT paper, every aspirant needs to attempt at least some questions from this section to sail through the CSAT paper.

In this article, we shall discuss the strategy that can prove worthwhile to the aspirants preparing for the upcoming UPSC CSAT 2025 examination.

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#1 UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF EVERY TOPIC

Before starting any chapter of the syllabus, it is important to understand the depth at which the UPSC tests the candidates. Sometimes, the books available in the market and the questions in the test series might not cover the depth required to meet the requirements of UPSC.

Let us consider a question asked by UPSC CSE CSAT 2024 to drive the point:

Q. 222333 +333222 is divisible by which of the following numbers?

A. 2 and 3 but not 37

B. 3 and 37 but not 2

C. 2 and 37 but not 3

D. 2, 3 and 37

Usually, when we cover the chapter on the number system, our primary focus is divisibility rules, types of numbers, and the concept of unit digits. We try to solve the questions on individual topics. However, the above question depicts the kind of interlinked question asked by UPSC in CSAT 2024. The above question combines the concepts of unit digits as well as the divisibility rules.

Let us take one more question asked by UPSC in CSAT 2024.

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Q. A can X contains 399 litres of petrol and a can Y contains 532 litres of diesel. They are to be bottled in bottles of equal size so that the whole of petrol and diesel would be separately bottled. The bottle capacity in terms of litres is an integer. How many different bottle sizes are possible?

A. 3

B. 4

C. 5

D. 6

The first look at the question may lead us to think that it might be from LCM or HCF; however, a deeper understanding of the last line shows that it is from the topic of factorisation.

So, it is important to understand the depth to which UPSC can ask the question and the interlinkages amongst different topics of the same chapter. There are some chapters from which direct questions may be asked, but some chapters require interlinkages.

#2 FORMULA SHEET

Most of the chapters in quantitative aptitude are formula-driven, including Averages, Percentages, Mensuration, Time, Speed, Distance, Time and Work, etc. It is always advisable to create a formula sheet chapter-wise. Over and above the formulas, certain topic-specific and chapter-specific shortcuts will be used to solve any question in quantitative aptitude. It would be a wise strategy to include the shortcuts along with the formulas in a chapter-wise manner for last-moment revision.

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#3 QUESTION PRACTICE

While practising questions, the focus should be more on those chapters that have been frequently and extensively asked by the UPSC.

You can divide the chapters into 2 categories viz: Category A and Category B. Category A chapters are those where UPSC has been consistently asking questions year after year, and they are vital to your selection. Category B chapters will be those where either the frequency has been low or even if they are asked every year, it is just 1 or 2 questions that are asked.

For your ease, let’s demarcate the chapters in both the categories here:

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Category A Chapters

Number System – LCM, HCF, Concept of Unit Digit, Exponents, Divisibility Rules, Remainder Theorem, Odd-Even Concepts, Decimals

Permutations and Combinations

Averages

Percentages

Mixtures

Time and Work

Ratio and Proportion

Category B Chapters

Profit and Loss

Simple and Compound Interest

Time, Speed, and Distance

Probability

Mensuration

You can use the above table to practice the questions accordingly. Devote more time to Category-A chapters and proportionately lower to Category-B. However, it would not be a wise strategy to skip the Category-B chapters.

#4 TIME MANAGEMENT

The UPSC CSAT paper consists of 80 questions that are to be solved within 120 minutes. This boils down to an average time of 1.5 minutes per question. One can argue that you don’t need to solve all the questions to score a bare minimum of 1/3 in the paper, but still, speed is a deciding factor in scoring the 1/3 marks in the CSAT paper. During the current phase of practising questions, you should monitor the time taken to solve each question. Initially, if you are new to a chapter, it might take some extra time to grasp the concept and that should not be an area of concern. However, as you solve incrementally extra questions, the time taken should reduce with each passing question.

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To drive home the point, it is not just important to solve the questions and clarify the concepts but it should be done in a limited time as well.

#5 PRACTICE MIXED QUESTIONS

Once you are done with the syllabus, it is extremely important to solve the mixed bag of questions. Solving multiple questions from the same chapter might help you solidify a concept; however, solving mixed questions from different chapters would prepare you for a real-time exam-like situation.

The necessity of a mixed bag of questions can be fulfilled by solving PYQs in a randomised fashion or by attempting tests for CSAT. If you choose the latter, there should be a balance in the number of tests that you plan to attempt. Usually, it is advisable to attempt 10-12 full-length tests for UPSC CSAT that would give you sufficient practice for quantitative aptitude. However, a word of caution would be, to avoid test series that are unreasonably hard. Though UPSC asks some difficult questions in CSAT, not every question is meant to be hard. A large number of questions, at best, are easy to medium. And hence, the practice should be a MIXED BAG.

(About our Expert: Mudit Gupta has been a mentor and faculty for the UPSC Civil Services exam for 8 years with expertise in CSAT, Polity, International Relations, and Current Affairs. He is known to break complex concepts into simpler ones that allow UPSC aspirants to develop a grip over the subject matter.)

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