The preliminary exam has two objective-type papers-
- General Studies Part I
- General Studies Part II
These exams, collectively, are called the civil service aptitude test or CSAT.
CSAT exams are like screening tests that candidates need to clear for appearing in UPSC mains. Candidates are required to score 33 % of marks to clear these exams to the list for the mains.
These exams being objective may sound easier but they require a thorough knowledge of current affairs along with other topics such as-
- Mental ability
- comprehension and grammar
- data interpretation and analytical skills,
- logical reasoning
- Basic maths etc.
UPSC CSAT exams are conducted by UPSC i.e. union public service commission every year. UPSC is a government agency that conducts exams for the recruitment of various high-level central government public servants. CSAT is conducted annually.
Following are the important details about UPSC-
| Exam |
UPSC CSAT |
| Governing Body |
UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) |
| Type |
Autonomous Constitutional Authority |
| Head Quarter |
Dholpur House, New Delhi |
| Chairperson |
Mr. Pradeep Kumar Joshi |
| Established |
1st October 1926 |
UPSC CSAT Exam notifications and News
Every year UPSC i.e. union public service commission conducts civil service exams. Its preliminary exam is called the civil service aptitude test or CSAT. For the year 2021, UPSC has already announced the exam dates in March. The CSAT exams have been postponed to 10th Oct 2021 because of the surge in Covid cases. due to this whole UPSC Civil service exam calendar has been shifted ahead. as per the new information, the following is the latest date chart for various events of CSAT.
following is the date chart for the UPSC CSAT in 2021.
| S. No |
Event |
Date |
| 1 |
Exam Notification |
4th March 2021 |
| 2 |
Last Date For Application |
24th March 2021 |
| 3 |
Date of Exam |
Oct 2021 (Tentative) |
| 4 |
Number of Papers |
2 |
| 5 |
Language of Paper |
Hindi and English |
Due to this delay, admit cards are also not issued yet but they will be issued soon. The result of the UPSC CSAT preliminary exam would be declared at a later date than expected too. Dates for Main and subsequently for the personal interview would be declared later too.
Candidates must be aware that UPSC accepts only online forms. Printing the form and sending it across via mail or any other means would make the application form bogus and invalid. All the information related to UPSA CSAT exams is declared on the official website of the UPSC. Candidates can access all the information regarding the exam only on the website.
UPSC CSAT- Exam Date
UPSC released the exam notification for CSAT 2021 in March with the date of the exam. For the year 2021, the exams were supposed to be held in June but due to the covid pandemic, the dates of the exam are postponed to October 2021.
All the corresponding dates like the date of release of admit card, date for mains, and then personal interview have been subsequently moved ahead too.
Following is the latest date chart of UPSC CSAT exam 2021-
| S. No |
Event |
Date |
| 1 |
Exam Notification |
4th March 2021 |
| 2 |
Last date of Application |
24th March 2021 |
| 3 |
Release of Admit card |
Not yet announced |
| 4 |
Date of examination |
10 October 2021 |
Admit cards for the UPSC CSAT exam have also not been released yet. Candidates can download admit cards from the official website of UPSC thus one should be aware of such release.
Know More – UPSC CSAT Important Date & Notifications
UPSC CSAT- Application Fee
For the UPSC CSAT application, the fee is different for a different category. For candidates of general category or economic weaker section or OBC category, the fee is Rs 200. There is no application fee for female candidates or candidates of the SC/ST category or candidates with disabilities.
| S. No |
Category |
Application Fees CSAT |
| 1. |
General |
Rs 100 |
| 2. |
OBC |
Rs 100 |
| 3. |
Economic Weaker Section |
Rs 100 |
| 4. |
Female Candidates |
NIL |
| 5. |
SC/ST |
NIL |
| 6. |
Candidates with Disabilities |
NIL |
The economic weaker section is that sub-category in which candidates belong to the family with less than 8 lacs as their annual income and do not belong to any SC/ST or OBC class.
UPSC CSAT- Eligibility Criteria
To appear for the UPSC CSAT exam, candidates need to fulfill certain criteria. They must ensure of these before filling up the application form as there will be no refund of the application fee
Candidates must also remember they can attempt these exams only 6 times (though the number of attempts varies for different categories). Thus candidates must make sure they fulfill these criteria before applying. These criteria are divided into different categories.
Educational Criteria-
- Candidates appearing for the UPSC CSAT must be a graduate from govt. recognized university.
- Candidates who have appeared for the exam of their final year of graduation and are awaiting the result can also apply for the UPSC CSAT but must present proof of their certification for the Mains.
- Technical graduates i.e. candidates with MBBS or BE degrees can also apply for CSAT.
- A candidate with a technical or professional qualification recognized by govt. of India which is equivalent to the technical or professional degree can also apply.
Age Limit-
There is an age limit for candidates appearing for UPSC CSAT. This is different for candidates of different categories-
- Candidates applying for the UPSC CSAT must be at least 21 years old but not older than 32 years.
- The upper age limit for candidates of the SC/ST category is relaxed by 5 years.
- The upper age limit for candidates of the OBC category is relaxed by 3 years.
| S. No |
Category |
Age Limit |
| 1 |
General |
21yrs to 32 yrs |
| 2 |
SC/ST |
Relaxed upper limit by 5 years |
| 3. |
OBC |
Relaxed upper limit by 3 years |
Nationality-
- For IFS, IAS, and IPS, only candidates with Indian nationality can apply.
- for other services candidates can be-
- A citizen of India
- A subject of Bhutan
- a subject of Nepal
- A Tibetan refugee who immigrated to India to permanently settle here.
- Citizens of Indian origin who immigrated from Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, east African nations like Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, or Vietnam to permanently settle in India.
UPSC CSAT- Vacancies
PSC does not declare the number of vacancies for the UPSC CSAT exam. Vacancies are declared for the civil service positions which are filled by candidates based on their preference and merit position. The candidates who clear CSAT are selected based on the cut-off for the year.
For the year 2021, the UPSC has declared a total of 712 vacancies that will be filled by the Civil Service exam. This was announced after the exam notification for the UPSC CSAT came out in March 2021.
UPSC CSAT- Salary
Candidates who appear for the UPSC CSAT go on to join Indian Foreign Services, Indian Administrative Services, and Indian Police services along with many other senior government civil services positions. The salary structure for these all services varies. Following is the basic pay structure for IAS, IFS, and IPS under the 7th pay commission.
For IAS –
| S. No |
Level |
Basic Pay (In Rupees) |
| 1 |
Starting/ Entry Level |
56,100 |
| 2 |
Cabinet Secretary Level |
2,50,000 |
* This has to be noted that these pay band does not include DA, HRA and other benefits and allowances.
For IFS-
| S. No |
Grade |
Pay Band (In Rupees) |
| 1 |
Junior Scale |
15,600- 39,100 |
| 2 |
Cabinet Secretary Level |
90,000 |
* This has to be noted that these pay band does not include DA, HRA and other benefits and allowances.
For IPS-
| S. No |
Level |
Basic Pay (In Rupees) |
| 1 |
DSP/ACP (Starting level) |
56,100 |
| 2 |
DGP/Director of IB or CBI/Commissioner of Police |
2,25,000 |
* This has to be noted that these pay band does not include DA, HRA and other benefits and allowances.
UPSC CSAT- Syllabus
The UPSC CSAT has two papers and the syllabus of both these papers is different. Following is the description of the syllabus that candidates appearing for CSAT exams need to cover.
Syllabus for General Studies Paper- I
- National and international current affairs
- Indian History and history of Indian national movement
- Topics related to socio-economic development
- Social inclusion
- Poverty- Causes and effects
- Demographics
- Sustainable and non-sustainable development and its effects
- Indian Polity and its governance
- Indian Constitution
- Branches of government
- Panchayat Raj in Indian villages
- Rights and duties
- Public policies etc.
- Geography of India and its socio-economical affects
- World Geography and its socio-economic effects
- General Studies
Syllabus of General Studies Paper-II
- English Language
- Grammar and comprehension
- Reasoning and analytical ability
- Data interpretation and analysis
- Basic Maths
- Problem-solving capability
- Decision making
- Interpersonal skills such as communication skills
UPSC CSAT- Exam Pattern
UPSC CSAT exams are the preliminary phase of UPSC Civil services exams.
- CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test)
- MAIN exam
- Personal Interview
CSAT in turn divided into two papers-
- General Studies Paper I
- General Studies Paper-II
For CSAT Exams following points are to be remembered-
- These exams are of a total of 400 marks with 200 marks each.
- Candidates need to clear both these exams.
- These usually occur on the same day with a break of 2-3 hours in between.
- These are in-person exams and are taken in offline mode.
- There is negative marking in these exams.
- The language of these exams is Hindi and English. These exams are not held in regional languages.
- To qualify, candidates need to clear both papers.
Know More – UPSC CSAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus
UPSC CSAT- Admit Card
Admit cards for the UPSC CSAT exams are usually released three to four weeks before the exams. For the year 2021, the CSAT exams were initially held in June, but due to covid, the exams have been postponed until 10th October 2021. Admit cards for the UPSC CSAT 2021 may be released by mid-September 2021. Candidates must remember-
- Candidates must download the admit cards from the official website of the Union Public Service Commission, underactive examinations.
- These admit cards are NOT sent by the commission by post or courier.
- No such request would be considered. Candidates must download the admit card, check it properly, and take a printout of it.
- Candidates must keep the admit card safe and secure.
Know More – UPSC CSAT Admit Card and Interview call letter
UPSC CSAT- Result
UPSC announces the result of the CSAT exams on its website. These results are announced and can be downloaded from upsc.gov.in.
- Results for the CSAT are only announced on the UPSC website
- Candidates can check and download the result using their registration number to log in.
- These results are not announced in any newspaper or any other publication
- Candidates need to clear both the papers separately to move onto the mains and personal interview.
Know More – UPSC CSAT Result & Cut off Marks
How to Apply?
For the year 2021, the UPSC announced exam notification for CSAT in March. Candidates who are looking to apply for the UPSC CSAT exam in the coming year should keep the following things in mind-
- UPSC announces the exam notification on its official website, upsc.gov.in.
- These announcements are not made in any other newspaper or any other exam or government platform.
- Before applying for these exams, candidates must make sure they fulfill all the requirements or eligibility criteria since they cannot claim a refund of the application form.
- Candidates can apply only a certain number of times to these exams thus they should make sure to apply only when they are fully prepared.
| S. No |
Category of Candidates |
Number of Attempts |
| 1 |
General |
6 |
| 2 |
OBC |
9 |
| 3 |
SC/ST |
Unlimited attempts till the age of 37 |
Steps to apply for the UPSC CSAT exams are-
- Candidates must visit the official website of UPSC
- Click on “Examination”
- Choose “Active Examination”
- Along with all the other active exams, they will find an announcement for the “Civil Service Examination”
- They must first register for part A of the examination form using their name, their father’s name, mother’s name, contact details, and date of birth.
- For Part B of the form, they must fill in their educational details and center preference. Candidates need to upload the required documents too.
- Once these are done, they would pay application fees.
- Candidates must check the details they are providing. They should complete the documents they are uploading. So there is no mistake and no chances of application rejection.
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FAQs
Q. What is the UPSC CSAT exam?
The UPSC CSAT is the preliminary exam for the civil services exams. CSAT or Civil Service Aptitude Test has two objective type papers. Candidates need to clear these exams before appearing for Civil Service Main exams and personal interviews.
Q. How many times can I appear for the UPSC CSAT exams?
Candidates of the general category can appear six times for the UPSC CSAT exams. Candidates of the OBC category can appear 9 times and candidates of the SC/ST category have an unlimited number of attempts till the age of 37.
Q. Can I apply if I am in my final year of graduation?
A final year student can only apply after giving their final exam. They would also have to provide proof of qualification at the time of the main exam.
Q. When is UPSC CSAT 2021?
The UPSC CSAT exams are on 10 October 2021
Q. What is the age limit to apply for UPSC CSAT?
The age limit for the candidates appearing for the UPSC CSAT is 21 yrs to 32 yrs. This age limit is for candidates of the general category. Whereas the upper limit of the age bracket is relaxed by 3 years for candidates of the OBC category. It is relaxed by 5 yrs for candidates of the SC/ST category.
Recently Asked Questions
Q. What is the application fee for the UPSC CSAT?
The application fee for the UPSC CSAT exam for candidates is Rs. 100. This is for Candidates of the general and OBC categories. However, for the female candidates and candidates belonging to SC/ST category, there is no application fee.
Q. Can I solve UPSC CSAT in my regional language?
No, the language for papers in UPSC CSAT is either Hindi or English. There is no other choice of language.
Q. Is the UPSC CSAT exam online?
No. UPSC CSAT exams are offline exams.
Q. Do I need to study international affairs too for UPSC CSAT?
Yes. For the General Studies Paper I, candidates are required to study international relations and International affairs. Therefore, reading a newspaper regularly is important.
Q. Why is the UPSC CSAT considered one of the toughest exams?
This exam has a vast syllabus. These exams have many limitations for candidates. Such as an age limit, restricted number of attempts, and negative marking. Because of all these reasons, this is considered one of the toughest exams in the country.
