Prelims General Studies (GS) and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) – Syllabus

The Examination comprises of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each.

Points to be noted:

1. Both the question papers will be of the objective type (multiple choice questions).
2. The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English. (The candidate can choose the medium in which he chooses to answer).
3. Each paper will be of two hours duration. Blind candidates will however; be allowed an extra time of twenty minutes at each paper.

Only the General Studies Paper i.e, Paper-1 will be considered for ranking purposes to qualify for Mains. The CSAT paper i.e Paper-2 will only be qualifying purposes. A candidate needs to score 1/3rd of the total marks to be considered for Mains. For more details on the pattern and structure of the examinaiton, please refer the article named ‘Pattern and Structure of the Civil Services Examination’.

The Examination shall comprise two compulsory papers of 200 marks each.

Paper I – (200 marks) ; Duration : Two hours

1. Current events of national and international importance.
2. History of India and Indian National Movement.
3. Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
4. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
5. Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
6. General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
7. General Science.

Paper II– (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

1. Comprehension
2. Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability
4. Decision-making and problem-solving
5. General mental ability
6. Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc.

A candidate will only be allowed to write the Mains examination if he/she gets through the Preliminary examination.

Of the 4.5 lakh people who write the examination(although around 10 Lakh apply), only 15,000 get through the Preliminary examination. It is hence not to be taken lightly. You need to be at least in the 97^th percentile to make it through to the Mains examination. General Merit (GM) candidates need to be at least in the 98^th percentile to make it through to the mains examination.

The Prelims examination is only qualifying in nature. The marks scored in the Preliminary examination will not be considered for Final Ranking purposes which will decide the cadre allotted to the candidate.