The Union Public Service Commission – Civil Services Aptitude Test (UPSC CSAT) is a national-level competitive preliminary test, that is administered once in an academic session by the UPSC recruitment board. The UPSC CSAT is not a recently introduced examination. It has been taking place every year for the past decade now. The candidates who successfully pass the exam, move on to the next stages of the recruitment process. This examination is indeed designed to measure an individual’s analytical ability, reasoning skills, and other aptitude qualities.
The official notification for the UPSC CSAT exam was released on 1st February 2023. The Preliminary Examination for Recruitment to the Civil Service posts mentioned in the government brochure will be held on the 28th of May, 2023. As stated, it will be administered by the UPSC board in accordance with the norms published by the Department of Personnel & Training.
All candidates are advised to carefully read the Civil Services Examination-2023 Rules along with all the Appendices and Annexures, in addition to this Examination Notice which is derived from those Rules. One should be well versed with any changes that may have occurred since the previous Examination Rules.
Candidates can view information about the UPSC CSAT positions and salary structure and more here. Every year, the Union Public Service Commission administers the UPSC CSAT Exam for several subordinate services.
Notif-CSP-23-engl-010223-1| UPSC CSAT 2023- Exam Summary | |
| Organization | Union Public Service Commission |
| Posts Name | Indian Administrative Service Indian Foreign Service Indian Police Service Indian Audit and Accounts Service Indian Civil Accounts Service Indian Corporate Law Service Indian Defence Accounts Service Indian Defence Estates Service Indian Information Service Indian Postal Service Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service Indian Railway Protection Force Service Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Indian Trade Service, (Grade III) Indian Railway Management Service Armed Forces HQ Civil Service (Section Officer’s Grade) Civil Service (DANICS) Police Service (DANIPS) Pondicherry Civil Service (PONDICS) Pondicherry Police Service (PONDIPS) |
| Vacancy | 1105 (approx.) |
| Exam Date | Prelims – 28th May 2023 Mains – 15th September 2023 (5 Days) |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Exam Mode | Offline / ‘Pen & Paper |
| Recruitment Process | Prelims Mains Personal Interview |
| Education Qualification | Graduation passed or equivalent from a recognized University |
| Age Limit | 21 – 32 years |
| Salary | INR 56100 – INR 250,000 |
| Official website | https://www.upsc.gov.in/ |
| Important events | Date |
| UPSC CSAT Notification 2023 | 01st February 2023 |
| Registration Start | 01st February 2023 |
| Registration Ends | 21st February 2023 |
| UPSC CSAT Admit Card release | May 2023 |
| UPSC CSAT Exam Date | 28th May 2023 |
| UPSC CSAT Answer Key | Yet to be released |
| UPSC CSAT Result | Yet to be released |
| UPSC CSAT Score Card if applicable | Yet to be released |
The official notification by Union Public Service Commission states that there is a vacancy for approximately 1105 post openings. The exact classification of post-wise vacancies hasn’t yet been updated on the official web portal.
These 1105 post vacancies include:
The concluding final vacancies might be undergoing alteration. This can be so after obtaining a firm number of finalized vacancy lists from Cadre Controlling Authorities. Prior reservations will be made available for candidates belonging to ST, SC, OBC, and the financially Weaker Sections. Persons with Benchmark Disabilities will have access to beneficiary schemes which will be fixed by the Government norms.
| Post Name | Vacancy |
| Group ‘A’ Posts | |
| Indian Administrative Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Foreign Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Police Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Audit and Accounts Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Civil Accounts Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Corporate Law Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Defence Accounts Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Defence Estates Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Information Service, Junior Grade | Yet to be released |
| Indian Postal Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Railway Protection Force Service | Yet to be released |
| Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) | Yet to be released |
| Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) | Yet to be released |
| Indian Trade Service, (Grade III) | Yet to be released |
| Group ‘B’ Posts | |
| Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, (Section Officer’s Grade) | Yet to be released |
| Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service (DANICS), | Yet to be released |
| Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS), Group ‘B’ | Yet to be released |
| Pondicherry Civil Service (PONDICS), Group ‘B’ | Yet to be released |
An 11.52 lakh applicant pool successfully qualified for the UPSC CSE Mains 2022 examinations, with 13090 of those applicants qualifying to move on to stage II.
| Year | Number of Vacancies for Various Posts in Civil Services |
| 2009 | 580 |
| 2010 | 965 |
| 2011 | 880 |
| 2012 | 1037 |
| 2013 | 1000 |
| 2014 | 1291 |
| 2015 | 1129 |
| 2016 | 1079 |
| 2017 | 980 |
| 2018 | 782 |
| 2019 | 896 |
| 2020 | 796 |
| 2021 | 712 |
| 2022 | 1022 |
In the recent notice, UPSC CSAT Eligibility Criteria 2023 was disclosed. They have remained the same as the last academic session. To be qualified for the UPSC CSAT 2023 exam, a candidate must meet the stated eligibility requirements. Here are the three parameters:
The age of the aspirant should be between 21-32 years as of 1st February 2023. However, like certain exams where the reserved category candidates are allowed to claim certain reservations, according to the Indian government norms, here, such is as well permitted.
Allowed upper age relaxation for different categories are as below:
| Category | Allowed age relaxation (+ upper age limit) |
| SC/ ST | 5 years |
| OBC | 3 years |
| PwBD + Unreserved | 5 years |
| PwBD + OBC | 10 years |
| PwBD + SC/ ST | 10 years |
| Ex-Servicemen | 5 years |
To live up to the nationality requirements, the applicant must be:
For other services candidates can be-
The UPSC CSAT exam conducting board has finished accepting applications on 21st February 2023 after the formal release of the official notification for UPSC CSAT ’23-2024.
The written UPSC CSAT Prelim examination is set to happen on the 28th of May 2023.
Note: Keeping in mind the COVID-19 scenario that had been prevailing in India, the official authority of UPSC CSAT canceled the second session of UPSC CSAT in 2022. They mentioned that the admission process was to be done through a PI round & medical test only.
| Categories | Application Fees |
| General category Candidates | INR 100/- |
| SC/ST/PWD/Ex-Servicemen/ Women Applicants | Nil |
The UPSC CSAT Admit Card 2023 will possibly be available about 3-5 days before the date of the exam which is yet to be formally announced. Those who enroll for the UPSC CSAT Exam 2023 by the deadline will receive an electronic admissions card, hall ticket, or call letter. This information can be found on the UPSC CSAT portal. The admit card will contain necessary data like Name, Date of Birth, Exam Centre, Registration Number, etc.
To know how to download the UPSC CSAT Admit Card, follow the steps:
Rules that need to be addressed on the UPSC CSAT admit card:
For the current academic session, there has been no official notification so far regarding the exam centres for UPSC CSAT ’23-2024.
Candidates can check the below UPSC 2022-‘23 exam centres to have an overall idea:
| AGARTALA | GORAKHPUR | PATNA |
| AGRA | GURGAON | PORTBLAIR |
| AHMEDABAD | GWALIOR | PRAYAGRAJ (ALLAHABAD) |
| AIZAWL | HYDERABAD | PUDUCHERRY |
| AJMER | IMPHAL | PUNE |
| ALIGARH | INDORE | RAIPUR |
| ALMORA (UTTARAKHAND) | ITANAGAR | RAJKOT |
| ANANTHAPURU | JABALPUR | RANCHI |
| AURANGABAD (MAHARASHTRA) | JAIPUR | SAMBALPUR |
| BAREILLY | JAMMU | SHILLONG |
| BENGALURU | JODHPUR | SHIMLA |
| BHOPAL | JORHAT | SILIGURI |
| BILASPUR (CHHATISGARH) | KOCHI | SRINAGAR |
| CHANDIGARH | KOHIMA | SRINAGAR (UTTARAKHAND) |
| CHENNAI | KOLKATTA | SURAT |
| COIMBATORE | KOZHIKODE (CALICUT) | THANE |
| CUTTACK | LEH | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM |
| DEHRADUN | LUCKNOW | TIRUCHIRAPALLI |
| DELHI | LUDHIANA | TIRUPATI |
| DHARAMSHALA (HIMACHAL PRADESH) | MADURAI | UDAIPUR |
| DHARWAR | MANDI (HIMACHAL PRADESH) | VARANASI |
| DISPUR | MUMBAI | VELLORE |
| FARIDABAD | MYSURU | VIJAYAWADA |
| GANGTOK | NAGPUR | VISHAKHAPATNAM |
| GAUTAM BUDDHA NAGAR | NASIK | WARANGAL |
| GAYA | NAVI MUMBA | GHAZIABAD |
| PANAJI (GOA) |
| AHMEDABAD | DELHI | PATNA |
| AIZAWL | DISPUR (GUWAHATI) | PRAYAGRAJ (ALLAHABAD) |
| BENGALURU | HYDERABAD | RAIPUR |
| BHOPAL | JAIPUR | RANCHI |
| CHANDIGARH | JAMMU | SHILLONG |
| CHENNA | KOLKATA | SHIMLA |
| CUTTACK | LUCKNOW | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM |
| DEHRADUN | MUMBAI | VIJAYAWADA |
The Selection process of Civil Services consists of the following two stages:
| Tier | Type of question for Online CBT |
| Prelims | Objective Multiple Choice |
| Mains | Objective Multiple Choice + PI round |
| Paper | No of Questions | Total Marks | Duration |
| 1 General Studies – I | 100 | 200 | 2 Hours |
| 2 General Studies – II (CSAT) | 80 | 200 | 2 Hours |
For each question for which the candidate provided an incorrect answer, one-third of their marks will be deducted as a penalty.
Question Paper A and Paper B of the Mains exam are both eliminating in nature. The pattern for the same is stated below.
| Paper | Subject | Total Marks | Duration |
| Paper-A | One of the Indian Language | 300 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-B | English | 300 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-I | Essay | 250 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-II | General Studies-I | 250 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-III | General Studies -II | 250 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-IV | General Studies -III | 250 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-V | General Studies -IV | 250 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-VI | Optional Subject – Paper 1 | 250 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Paper-VII | Optional Subject – Paper 2 | 250 Marks | 3 Hours |
| Total | 1750 Marks | ||
The personal interview round will be constituting a total of 275 marks, and the test is not of an arduous cross-examination, but of a natural conversation that is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate.
One has got to try and do well in all the rounds of the UPSC CSAT Examination. Candidates must carefully check the exam pattern and syllabus on the official website as well.
To qualify for a position in the Public Service Commission, applicants must pass all the rounds as has been stated before.
So now, let’s say one decides to apply for the exam. Henceforth, one will need to prepare oneself. Thereby now, this syllabus structure comes to play a pivotal role.
During the exam preparation, – the syllabus, exam pattern, and previous year questions are indeed of immense help. It is certainly needed by an examinee. Thus, updated UPSC CSAT syllabus topics are covered ahead. Therefore, aspirants of UPSC CSAT‘23 can utilize this while their preparations.
The detailed examination syllabus for each level can be found below at which all can take a look. All candidates should read the syllabus carefully before preparing for the UPSC CSAT 2023 exam.
| Paper | Syllabus |
| Paper 1 | Current affairs include events of global importance. Indian History and INM. Global Geography, Social, Economic Geography of India. Indian politics and governance is a highly comprehensive field, covering several important topics The Indian constitution, political system, public policy, rights issues, etc. There is also a lot of importance on the economic and social development. Environmental ecology. |
| Paper 2 | To solve a comprehension passage; Interpersonal skillset analysis Communication skill analysis; Logical reasoning Analytical ability; Decision-making and problem-solving; General mental ability; Basic numerical problems (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) The interpretation of given data (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. |
| Paper | Subject | Syllabus |
| Paper 1 | Essay | Candidates are expected to write essays on various topics. They will need to keep close to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion and to express them concisely. Credit points will be awarded for an effective and exact expression. |
| Paper 2 | General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture, World History and Geography and Society. | India as a cultural estate. Indian history until the present. The Freedom movements. Post-independence reformation of the Indian subcontinent. Indian Society includes many salient features; its diversity, the role of women’s organizations, population, and associated issues, etc. Effects of globalization on Indian society. Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism. Key features of global geography. Importance of Geophysical phenomena. |
| PAPER-III | General Studies- II: Indian Governance, Indian Constitution, Indian Polity, India’s Social Justice and Her International Relations. | The Indian Constitution. Modus Operandi and liabilities of the Union and the States. Parliament and State legislatures. Basis and functionality of the Indian Executive and the Great Judiciary. Welfare policies. Significance of union public civil services in a democracy. India – relation with neighbors. Important International institutions and agencies. |
| PAPER-IV | General Studies- IV: general ethics, and Aptitude | This paper is to test a candidate’s attitude and approach to integrity, integrity in public life, and their life’s problem-solving approach. The topics would roughly include: Social and Political EthicsHuman Interface and Attitude: content, structure, function.Moral values for Public Services, behavioral integrity, consistent impartiality. Emotional intelligence concepts. Social inputs of philosophers from across India and the world. Specialized Case Studies. |
| PAPER-VI & PAPER VII | Optional Subject Papers I & II | Applicants may choose any subject as their optional paper from the government subject list. |
Candidates can verify their UPSC CSAT marks after the release of the Written exam Scorecard 2023. The total marks acquired by the candidate will be used to determine the candidate’s proceeding to the UPSC CSAT exam’s stage 2.
Following are the given steps to download the UPSC CSAT Result 2023:
The preliminary exam of the Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Aptitude Test (UPSC CSAT) is a small part of the Civil Services Examination (CSE). Qualifying strictly depends if a candidate clearing the exam and secures a percentile of 33% only. All those who clear this cutoff moves on to the next stages of the recruitment procedure.
The UPSC CSAT cut-off Marks 2023 going to be released by the officials for the candidates soon after the completion of the application process.
| UPSC (Officers) Salary Overview 2023 | |
| Pay Commission | Pay Grade (INR 50K+ to 2.5 lahks) |
| Pay Matrix | Differs for various posts |
| Allowances | Transport Hand Area Other allowances (as applicable). |
The Union Public Service Commission has a wide range of salary structures, with an average salary of Rs. 50K to 2.5 L per month. This number can vary depending on the post but is generally in the range of Rs. 8-10 lakh/annum for an astounding officer.
| Posts | Remuneration/Payment Scale | Main Salary |
| The sub-divisional magistrate in District Administration | 10 | Rs. 56,100 |
| Undersecretary in State Secretariat | 10 | Rs. 56,100 |
| Assistant Secretary in Central Secretariat | 10 | Rs. 56,100 |
| Additional district magistrate in District Administration | 11 | Rs. 67,700 |
| Deputy Secretary in State Secretariat | 11 | Rs. 67,700 |
| Under-Secretary in Central Secretariat | 11 | Rs. 67,700 |
| District Magistrate in District Administration | 12 | Rs. 78,800 |
| Joint Secretary in State Secretariat | 12 | Rs. 78,800 |
| Deputy Secretary in Central Secretariat | 12 | Rs. 78,800 |
| District Magistrate in District Administration | 13 | Rs. 1,18,500 |
| Special secretary-cum-director in State Secretariat | 13 | Rs. 1,18,500 |
| Director in Central Secretariat | 13 | Rs. 1,18,500 |
| Divisional Commissioner in District Administration | 14 | Rs. 1,44,200 |
| Secretary-cum-commissioner in State Secretariat | 14 | Rs. 1,44,200 |
| Joint Secretary in Central Secretariat | 14 | Rs. 1,44,200 |
| Divisional Commissioner in District Administration | 15 | Rs. 1,82,200 |
| Principal Secretary in State Secretariat | 15 | Rs. 1,82,200 |
| Additional Secretary in State Secretariat | 15 | Rs. 1,82,200 |
| Chief Secretary in State Secretariat | 17 | Rs. 2,25,000 |
| Secretary in Central Secretariat | 17 | Rs. 2,25,000 |
| Cabinet Secretary of India | 18 | Rs. 2,50,000 |
The perks and beneficial allowances paid to candidates for employment are also quite significant. These include both beneficial elements, such as pay and benefits, as well as non-beneficial elements, such as office space and leave entitlements.
Check Out Other Exams –
IAS Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility & Notification
IPS Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility & Notification
IRS Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility & Notification
IFS Foreign Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility & Notification
IFS Forest Exam Dates, Fees, Eligibility & Notification
Preparing for the UPSC CSAT 2023 examination would require first understanding the test pattern and syllabus. Then, one should make a timetable and study routine and follow it daily. Revision of the entire syllabus will help make all concepts clear. Finally, solving previous year’s question papers will give an idea of what kind of paper is to be expected on the actual examination.
For each correct answer, 2.5 marks will be rewarded; on the other hand, for each incorrect answer, 0.83 marks will be deducted.
Yes, candidates do have to undergo the personal interview process after qualifying for the UPSC CSAT 2023 prelim and mains exam.
The eligibility criteria to apply for UPSC CSAT 2023 pertains to three major points.
Age Limit: UPSC CSAT has set the age limit for the applying candidates between 21-32 years.
Nationality: Candidates have to be an Indian or a resident of an Indian province for a stipulated period.
Qualification: Anyone who has completed graduation or equivalent from a recognized University stands eligible.
For the current academic session, the official notification so far regarding the exam date for UPSC CSAT Prelims’23-2024 is 28th May 2023.
The UPSC CSAT 2023 Exam is yet to be conducted. Considering the current academic session, there has been no official notification so far regarding the cut-offs for UPSC CSAT ’23-2024. The UPSC CSAT cut-off Marks 2023 going to be released by the officials for the candidates soon after the completion of the application process.
But generally, qualifying strictly depends if a candidate clearing the exam and secures a percentile of 33% only. All those who clear this cutoff moves on to the next stages of the recruitment procedure.