—Mudit Gupta (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.) Over the last five years, UPSC has considerably changed the pattern of the UPSC CSAT examination. However, the myths circulating amongst the aspirant community, mostly springing up by looking at the old strategy blogs or watching the old topper talks, remain the same. With the changing pattern and needs of the examination, we need to update our strategy too. This article will examine the three most widely circulated myths about CSAT preparation, which often cost the aspirants an attempt. Myth #1 : 'IF I AM FROM MATHS BACKGROUND, CSAT IS A CAKEWALK FOR ME' The maths we read in 11th and 12th standard or the Maths of B.SC or B.Tech comprised discrete maths, calculus, coordinate geometry, vectors, linear equations, etc. Conversely, the maths asked in UPSC CSAT is mostly arithmetic, including number systems, averages, percentages, mixtures, permutations and combinations, etc. Moreover, maths in colleges is more about derivations and conclusions, whereas the requirement of CSAT is more about solving the questions accurately in a minimal span. Given the changing trend of the UPSC CSAT, you will need more shortcuts and rigorous practice to gain accuracy with speed. For example, let us consider a question asked in 2024 from the chapter on the number system. The question goes like this: 421 and 427, when divided by the same number, leave the same remainder 1. How many numbers can be used as the divisor in order to get the same remainder 1? 1) 1 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 Looking at this question, we can draw a few important conclusions: 1. This is just one type of question asked in CSAT from the number system. In the last three years, UPSC has asked at least 8 different types of questions from this chapter. 2. Only if you have a good command and practice of the topic of HCF can you solve this question in minimal time. 3. Such concepts are usually not covered in maths at the graduation level but are being increasingly asked in the UPSC. On a side note, the purpose of drawing these conclusions is not to create a sense of panic but to alert you to take the subject seriously, given the sufficient time that is still left for the 2025/2026 attempt. Myth #2 : 'IF I COVER ONLY LOGICAL REASONING AND SKIP MATHS, I’LL CLEAR CSAT' The UPSC CSAT paper consists of three broad pillars viz:- Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Reading Comprehension. There is no fixed weightage of the sections, and it is up to the discretion of the UPSC to demarcate their weightage. Let us consider a scenario wherein you decide to under-prepare maths and rely more upon logical reasoning to score the requisite 1/3rd marks in the CSAT paper. We can think of the following possible scenarios: 1. The paper had a considerable weight of logical reasoning, with most questions well within the range to attempt. In such a scenario, everything went as per the plan, and you will be able to score well above the 1/3rd mark. However, the two conditions to be satisfied here are: UPSC should ask heavily from logical reasoning, and they should be easy to attempt with minimal negative marking. 2. The second plausible scenario is that UPSC asked more questions from the quantitative aptitude section and fewer questions from logical reasoning with the questions from logical reasoning part being on the tougher side. In such a scenario, the aspirant will find it almost impossible to sail through the requisite 1/3rd mark. Data shows that in the last 4 years, the weightage of English Reading Comprehension and Quantitative Aptitude has outnumbered the Logical Reasoning section. YEAR ERC LOGICAL REASONING QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE 2021 27 17 36 2022 27 22 31 2023 27 14 39 2024 27 15 38 Deciphering the data in the above table, we can draw the following conclusions: 1. The year 2023 saw almost half of the paper from the quantitative aptitude section. 2. English Reading Comprehensions have maintained a constant weightage of 1/3 of the paper over the last four years. However, one aspect that data doesn’t represent is the level of difficulty of the passages. The difficulty level of the passages has remained variable, with no one fixed difficulty level. 3. Logical Reasoning section has seen minimal weightage over the last 4 years. However, given the unpredictable nature of the UPSC exam, it remains a matter of guessing as to how many questions will be asked in the upcoming exam cycle. To connect all the dots, the CSAT paper is a combination of 2 factors: the number of questions asked from each pillar and the difficulty level of the respective pillars. Based on the old data, aspirants are advised not to skip any pillar of the paper or take any section of the paper lightly. All three pillars should be diligently prepared to tackle the unpredictability of the UPSC paper. Myth #3 : 'ONLY PYQS ARE SUFFICIENT FOR CSAT' Previous Year Questions (PYQs) are a holy grail in UPSC preparation, and there is no second doubt about it. PYQs are a guiding light and tell us about the mind and thought process of the examiner. They help us move in the right direction and fill in the loopholes, if any. However, in the case of UPSC CSAT, there are 2 shortfalls of the PYQs: 1. CSAT preparation involves the rigorous practice of questions to attain speed and accuracy. PYQs, being limited in number, albeit important to understand the direction of the examiner, are not solely sufficient to gain speed and accuracy altogether. PYQs can help assess the level of preparation but an aspirant needs to practice over and beyond the PYQs to be sure of crossing the 1/3rd mark. 2. The second issue is the out-of-the-box questions. With the changing difficulty level of the UPSC CSAT, many novel and unforeseen questions are asked by the UPSC. Such questions can be attempted only if an aspirant has worked on the basics and attained conceptual clarity. For reference, consider the question given below: Consider the following statements : 1. Between 3:16 p.m. and 3:17 p.m., both the hour hand and minute hand coincide. 2. Between 4:58 p.m. and 4:59 p.m., both minute hand and second hand coincide. Which of the above statements is/are correct? 1) 1 only 2) 2 only 3) Both 1 and 2 4) Neither 1 nor 2 This question on Clock was asked by UPSC in 2022. Though the questions on clocks are frequently asked by UPSC, the novel feature of this question was that never before was a question asked by UPSC about the co-incidence of the minute and the second hand. This was a new type of question introduced by the UPSC in 2022. To drive home the point, though the UPSC CSAT PYQs are an indispensable part of the preparation, to rely solely upon them and skip question practice under the presumption that PYQs alone are sufficient might prove to be a costly myth. (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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