Civil Services Aptitude Test(CSAT)

-

Please go to http://www.civilservices.tk/ to prepare for IAS

 

Preliminary Examination Syllabus 2011

The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of objective type (multiple-choice questions) carrying a maximum of 400 marks. The Question Papers (Test Booklets) are set in English & Hindi

Civil Services Aptitude Test

The new Recruitment Process of Civil Services Exam is called the CSAT or the Civil Services Aptitude Test. The CSAT is coming into effect from the Civil Services Examination, 2011. CSAT will not only enable us to choose civil servants with right aptitudes but also end the use of scaling system for varying subjects that has been a matter of concern for many. No changes are being introduced at this stage in the Civil Services (Main) Examination and Personality Test in the scheme of Civil Services Examination (CSE).
From Civil Service Examination 2011, Preliminary Examination would consist of two papers- Paper I and Paper II. The syllabus and pattern of the Preliminary Examination would be as under :
(Paper 1) (200 marks) - Duration : Two hrs.

  • 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 and climate change-that donot require subject specialization
  • General science.
(Paper II) (200 marks) – Duration : Two hrs

  • Comprehension
  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
  • Decision making and problem solving
  • General mental ability
  • Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc. (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. –Class X level)
  • English language comprehension skills (Class X level)
  • Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level (last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question paper.
  • The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.
A set of sample questions for both Papers has been put on the UPSC website for reference of prospective candidates.

Eligibility


Academic Eligibility for IAS Exams

  • A degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be a Deemed University under the UGC Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification.
  • Candidates who have appeared or intend to appear for the qualifying examination and are awaiting results are also eligible to appear for the Preliminary Examination. All such candidates who qualify to appear for the Civil Services Main Examination must produce proof of having passed the said examination along with their application for the Main Examination.
  • The UPSC may in exceptional cases treat a candidate without the foregoing requisite qualification as an eligible candidate if he / she has passed an examination conducted by other institutions, the standard of which justifies his / her admission in the opinion of the Commission.

  • Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees.
  • Candidates who have passed the final year of MBBS or any Medical Examination but are yet to complete the internship can also appear for the Main Examination. However they must submit along with their Main Examination application, a certificate from the concerned authority of the University / Institution that they have passed the final professional medical examination. At the Interview stage they must then produce a certificate from a competent authority that they have completed (including internship) all the requirements for the award of the Medical Degree.

Other Eligibility Conditions for IAS Exams

(1) Nationality
i. Only Indian nationals are eligible for IAS and IPS.
ii. For other services a candidate can be either of the following:
    a. a citizen of India, b. a subject of Nepal, c. a subject of Bhutan, d. a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or e. a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire or Zambia with the intention of permanently settling in India. Candidates belonging to either categories of b., c., d. or e., must produce an eligibility certificate issued by the Government of India. Those who belong to either of b., c., or d., categories are not eligible for appointment to the Indian Foreign Service.


(2) Age Limit
i. A candidate must have attained 21 years and not be over 30 years on August 1 of the year of examination.
ii. The upper age limit is relaxed in specific cases as mentioned below:
    a. upto a maximum of 5 years if the candidate belongs to SC/ST. b. upto a maximum of 3 years if the candidate belongs to Other Backward Classes. c. upto a maximum of 5 years if the candidate had been domiciled in Jammu & Kashmir during the period between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989. d. upto a maximum of 3 years in the case of Defence Services personnel disabled during hostilities with foreign countries or in a disturbed area and consequently released. e. upto a maximum of 5 years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs / SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on August 1 of the year of examination and have been released:
    • on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from August 1 of the year of examination) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or
    • on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service, or
    • on invalidment.
    f. upto a maximum of 5 years in the case of ECOs / SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment (5 years Military Service) as on August 1 of the year of examination and whose assignment has been extended beyond 5 years. Such candidates will have to provide a certificate from the Ministry of Defence stating that they can apply for civil employment and they will be released on a notice of 3 months, upon selection, from the date of receipt of offer of appointment. g. upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped candidates.
Restrictions on applying for the examination:
A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Foreign Service on the results of an earlier examination and continues to be a member of that service will not be eligible to compete at this examination.



CSAT Sample Paper

SAMPLE QUESTIONS BASED ON REVISED PATTERN OF CS(P) EXAMINATION EFFECTIVE FROM 2011

A set of 14 sample questions for Paper-I and Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, on the revised syllabus and pattern, are given below. These questions are indicative of the type of questions that may be constructed and used by UPSC in Paper-I and Paper II of CS (P) examination, 2011. However, neither the content nor the structure/type of questions may be construed as being exhaustive or limiting the freedom of UPSC to set questions based on the syllabus prescribed for the examination.
It may be noted that as per the existing practice, both the question papers would be bilingual (English and Hindi), except for some questions specifically intended to test English Language Comprehension skills, which would be in English only. Some more sample questions may be put up subsequently. Hindi version of the sample questions would follow.

CS(P) Examination SAMPLE QUESTIONS

(Based on revised syllabi & pattern effective from CS(P) Examination, 2011)
PAPER-I
1. With reference to Simon Commission’s recommendations, which one of the following statements is correct?
(a)     It recommended the replacement of diarchy with responsible government in the provinces.
(b)    It proposed the setting up of inter-provincial council under the Home Department.
(c)     It suggested the abolition of bicameral legislature at the Centre
(d)    It recommended the creation of Indian Police Service with a provision for increased pay and allowances for British recruits as compared to Indian recruits.
2. A geographic area with an altitude of 400 metres has following characteristics:

MonthJFMAMJJASOND
Average313131313030292829293031
maximum temp.
0C











Average212121212121202020202020
minimum temp.
0C











Rainfall (mm)518518815813912113416818522119886

If this geographic area were to have a natural forest, which one of the following would
it most likely be?
(a)     Moist temperate coniferous forest
(b)     Montane subtropical forest
(c)     Temperate forest
(d)     Tropical rain forest
3. Other than Jatropha curcas, why is Pongamia pinnata also considered a good option for the production of bio-diesel in India?
1. Pongamia pinnata grows naturally in most of the arid regions of India.
2. The seeds of Pongamia pinnata are rich in lipid content of which nearly half of oleic acid.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)        1 only
(b)      2 only
(c)       Both 1 and 2
(d)      Neither 1 nor 2
4. If a potato is placed on a pure paper plate which is white and unprinted and put in a microwave oven, the potato heats up but the paper plate does not. This is because:
(a)               Potato is mainly made up of starch whereas paper is mainly made up of cellulose
(b)              Potato transmits microwaves whereas paper reflects microwaves
(c)               Potato contains water whereas paper does not contain water
(d)              Potato is a fresh organic material whereas paper is a dead organic material
5.        With reference to India, consider the following:
1.    Nationalization of Banks
2.     Formation of Regional Rural Banks
3.     Adoption of villages by Bank Branches
Which of the above can be considered as steps taken to achieve the ‘financial inclusion” in India?
(a)          1 and 2 only
(b)         2 and 3 only
(c)         3 only
(d)         1, 2 and 3
6. Consider the following actions by the Government:
1.                 Cutting the tax rates
2.                  Increasing the government spending
3.                  Abolishing the subsidies
In the context of economic recession, which of the above actions can be considered a part of the ” fiscal stimulus” package?
(a)               1 and 2 only
(b)              2 only
(c)               1 and 3 only
(d)               1, 2 and 3
PAPER-II
Read the following passage and answer the given questions. Your answers should be drawn from the content of given passage only.The economy of contemporary India is a great paradox. It is a strange combination of outstanding achievements as well as grave failures. Since independence, India has achieved remarkable progress in overcoming its economic backwardness. From being a very poor country in the 1950s and a ‘basket case’ in the mid 1960s, it has emerged as the fourth largest economy in the world (in terms of purchasing power parity). Our economy has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Now the country is one of the leading players in the world knowledge economy with vast intellectual capital and booming software and information technology services. While our country has joined the league of the world’s top five fastest growing economies, we are in the bottom 20 among all countries in terms of the Human Development Index. While the country is celebrating its growth rate and technological wonders, it is witnessing social contradictions and the paradox and ironies of development. Thus, there are ‘two Indias’ in contemporary India.
1.     Why is the Indian economy considered ‘a great paradox’?
(a)  It is a leading player in information technology services with low levels of
literacy.
(b)  There is poverty amidst plenty in agricultural produce.
(c)  It is one of the largest economies with low human development.
(d)  It has scientific achievements with social contradictions.
2.      Why is India being referred to as a leading player in the world knowledge economy?
(a)  India’s knowledge base in science and technology is one of the world’s best.
(b)  India has huge reserves of human intellectual capitals and information technology services.
(c)  India is among the World’s five fastest growing economics and technology reserves.
(d)  India has a huge reservoir of human capital and scientific knowledge export potential.
3.     What does the author imply by the phrase ‘two Indias’ ?
(a)  There is the India that has vast intellectual capital and the other that is largely
illiterate.
(b)  There is the India of burgeoning growth and the India of widespread want and
misery.
(c)  There is the India of progressive mindsets and the other who are socially
conservative.
(d)   There is an India of outstanding achievements combined with gigantic failures.
4.        Consider the following statement and also the conclusions. Answer the question that follows:Statement : Education is in the Concurrent List. The State government cannot bring reforms in education without the consent of Central Government.
Conclusion I : For bringing about quick reforms in education, it should be in the State List .
Conclusion II: States are not willing to bring about quick reforms in Education.
Which one of the following is correct?
(a)   Conclusion -I only follows from the statement.
(b)   Conclusion -II only follows from the statement.
(c)   Both conclusions I & II follow from the statement
(d)   Neither conclusion I nor conclusion II follow from the statement
5.         Five persons P, Q, R, S, T are sitting in a row. Q is between P and T. To find who among them is in the middle, which of the information given in the following statements is/are sufficient?
1.  P is left of Q and right of S.
2.   R is at the right end.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b)        2 only
(c)        Either 1 or 2
(d)       Both 1 and 2
6. Which one among V2 , , V6 , is the smallest one?
7. The following pie charts show that a man spends 10% on clothes, 20% on rent, 30% on food and rest on miscellaneous items in the month of January and spends 15% on clothes, 25% on rent, 35% on food and rest on miscellaneous items in the month of February.

Consider the following statements:
1.            The money spent on food over rent in the month of January is same as the
money spent on food over rent in the month of February.
2.            The money spent on rent over clothes is same as money spent on food over
rent in the month of January.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)         1 only
(b)        2 only
(c)        Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Note:The following question would be in English Language only to test
English Language Comprehension.
8. Whenever I had occasion to indulge in these surreptitious feasts, dinner at home was out of question. My mother would naturally ask me to come and take my food and want to know the reason why I did not wish to eat. I would say to her, ‘I have no appetite today; there is something wrong with my digestion.’ It was not without compunction that I devised these pretexts. I knew I was lying, and lying to my mother. l also knew that, if my mother and father came to know of my having become a meat- eater, they would be deeply shocked. This knowledge was gnawing at my heart.
Why did the author devise some pretexts not without compunction ?
(a)    He wanted to keep away from home some times.
(b)    Surreptitious feasts thrilled him.
(c)    Dinners outside were better than at home.
(d)    He wanted to eat meat.



Please go to http://www.civilservices.tk/ to prepare for IAS



Availability of Application Forms:
Candidates can avail the application form from the different designated Post Office located all over the nation. Candidates have to fill in the application form as per the notification offered in different local newspapers. Apart from this, candidates can also obtain the application form through post.

    Please go to http://www.civilservices.tk/ to prepare for IAS

    Comments

    Post a Comment