UPSC CSAT 2025: Mains Exam Scheduled for August 22

The Union Public Service Commission – Civil Services Aptitude Test (UPSC CSAT) is a national-level preliminary annual exam to evaluate candidates’ analytical ability, reasoning, and aptitude skills. Key highlights include:

• Conducted by the UPSC recruitment board as the first stage of the Civil Services Examination.
• The official notification for the 2025 exam is yet to be announced.
• Preliminary Exam Date: May 25, 2025, as per the norms of the Department of Personnel & Training.
• Candidates who clear the CSAT proceed to the next stages of the recruitment process.
• Exam rules and updates are outlined in the Civil Services Examination-2025 Rules; applicants should review them carefully.
• Provides opportunities in various Civil Service posts, with details on the salary structure and job roles available in the official notification.

UPSC CSAT Highlights

UPSC CSAT 2025- 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	979
Exam Date	Prelims – May 25, 2025, Mains – August 22, 2025
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/

UPSC CSAT Important Dates

Important events	Date
UPSC CSAT Notification 2025	January 22, 2025
Registration Start	January 22, 2025
Registration Ends	February 21, 2025
UPSC CSAT Admit Card release	May 13, 2025
UPSC CSAT Exam Date	Prelims – May 25, 2025 Mains – August 22, 2025
UPSC CSAT Answer Key (Prelims)	To Be Notified
UPSC CSAT Result (Prelims)	To Be Notified
UPSC CSAT Score Card if applicable	To Be Notified

Importance of UPSC CSAT

Candidates taking the UPSC IAS CSAT must understand why and how important the exam is. The following are some possible reasons why the UPSC CSAT Exam is crucial for applicants taking the exam:

• To determine the applicant’s ultimate order of merit (IAS prelims ranking) for the UPSC mains examination, the total marks of both UPSC Prelims Paper-1 (General Studies Paper) and Paper-2 (CSAT Paper) were considered.
• However, some aspirants protested the CSAT being included in the ranking sequence, and the UPSC replied by making a modest change to the design. In 2015, the CSAT was designated as a qualifying paper.
• To pass the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, students must score at least 33%, or 66 out of 200, on the CSAT paper, according to the current UPSC exam structure.
• Only candidates who score 66 or more in GS Paper-2 while also exceeding the UPSC-mandated cut-off marks in GS Paper-1 are eligible to take the civil services mains test.

UPSC CSAT Vacancies

The exact classification of post-wise vacancies hasn’t yet been updated on the official web portal. 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.

Here is your data formatted into a clean and structured table:

UPSC CSE Post/Service	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Indian Administrative Service	180	180	180	180	180	180
Indian Foreign Service	55	55	37	38	37	35
Indian Police Service	150	150	200	200	200	219
Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’	12	17	25	10	10	19
Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’	28	20	20	28	20	20
Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’	33	24	24	24	24	23
Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’	206	180	192	131	59	74
Indian Revenue Service Custom and Indirect Taxes Group ‘A’	94	94	109	44	41	41
Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’	14	8	12	11	15	36
Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’	15	15	12	10	10	14
Indian Railway Protection Force Service	12	8	13	17	9	12
Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’	0	0	0	0	0	0
Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group ‘A’	0	0	0	0	0	0
Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’	0	0	0	0	0	0
Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’	6	3	14	11	8	10
Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A’	14	48	27	16	20	20
Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’	20	12	10	6	11	7
Indian Corporate Law Service, Group “A”	46	5	5	15	14	16
Indian Railway Management Services, Group “A”	25	150	150	150	–	–
Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade)	42	31	30	55	56	4
Delhi, A&N Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group ‘B’	11	10	31	31	11	21
Delhi, A&N Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group ‘B’	2	41	48	40	17	19
Pondicherry Civil Service, Group ‘B’	11	3	3	5	6	1
Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’	3	2	1	0	0	0
Total	979	1056	1105	1011	712	836

UPSC CSAT Eligibility

In the recent notice, UPSC CSAT Eligibility Criteria 2025 was disclosed. They have remained the same as the last academic session. To be qualified for the UPSC CSAT 2025 exam, a candidate must meet the stated eligibility requirements. Here are the three parameters:

Age Limit:

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 also 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

Qualification:

• To be eligible for UPSC CSAT 2025, a candidate must have graduated from a recognized institution or a deemed university.
• Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree from a university that has been approved by the national or state legislature, created by law, or proclaimed to qualify as a university under section 3 of the UGC Act of 1956.
• Candidates may also take the preliminary exam, the results of which are pending.
• Candidates who have taken the final year of their bachelor’s degree and are awaiting their results, as well as those who plan to take these qualifying exams, may also apply for the UPSC CSAT 2025 if they submit their documentation of qualification with their Mains exam application.

Nationality / Citizenship

To live up to the nationality requirements, the applicant must be:

• An Indian citizen or residing in India for a given stipulated period of years.
• For IFS, IAS, and IPS, only candidates with Indian nationality can apply.

For other services candidates can be-

• An Indian citizen.
• An immigrant from Bhutan
• An immigrant from Nepal
• A Tibetan refugee who has immigrated to India to permanently settle over here.
• Citizens of Indian origin who immigrated from Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and East African nations like Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, or Vietnam to permanently settle in India.

UPSC CSAT Application Process

The UPSC CSAT exam conducting board finished accepting applications on 21^st February 2024 after the formal release of the official notification for UPSC CSAT ’24-2025.

The written UPSC CSAT Prelim examination is set to happen on the 25th of May 2025.

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 would be done through a PI round & medical test only. 

Application fees

Categories	Application Fees
General category Candidates	INR 100/-
SC/ST/PWD/Ex-Servicemen/ Women Applicants	Nil

Application Steps

• Visit the UPSC main webpage as stated.
• Students have to register themselves. Click on the ‘Register’ button. The registration process can only be completed using a Government-issued photo ID or an Aadhaar card.
• In the next step, candidates must enter the required details such as educational details, address, personal details, email ID, and phone number.
• For the students to access important information, they will need to upload scanned copies of relevant documents and set a password for their account.
• Registered email ID and password should be used to log in to the respective account.
• Apply for the UPSC CSAT 2025 exam by clicking on ‘Apply Now.’
• Information about the student will be collected from their profile during registration, and they will not be able to edit it.
• Applicants can pay the fee through the different modes of payment that are available.
• Candidates must print a copy of the same.

UPSC CSAT Admit Card

The UPSC CSAT Admit Card 2025 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 2025 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:

• Step 1. Visit the official website of UPSC.
• Step 2. On the first display, click on the “ADMIT CARDS” link.
• Step 3. It will redirect you to the regional official websites. Click on your region.
• Step 4. Candidates can download the admit card for the UPSC-CSAT’25 written examination.
• Step 5. Fill in your valid credentials, followed by your DOB to acquire the admit card.
• Step 6. Take a printout of the downloaded UPSC admit card and keep a physical copy of the admit card.

Admit Card Details

• Candidate’s Name
• Enrolment Number
• Roll Number
• Date of Birth
• Father’s Name
• Test Centre as per the choice mentioned when filling out the form
• Full Address of Exam Centre
• Photo of the candidate
• Signature of the candidate

Rules that need to be addressed on the UPSC CSAT admit card:

1. The applicants should reach the test center early for the time slot stated in the admit card.
2. No candidate is allowed entry after the entry closing time.
3. The following needs to be brought to the exam center: 2 copies of their latest colored passport-size photograph, A minimum of one valid image-bearing identity proof in ORIGINAL (Aadhar Card, PAN card, Voter ID Card, Driving License, Passport, or other ID Proof given the by Government), Sanitary Mask. Hand sanitizer (Small bottle).Transparent water bottle and a Printout of the COVID-19 Self Declaration type given the Admission Certificate.

Exam Centre Details

For the current academic session, there has been no official notification regarding the exam centers for UPSC CSAT’25-2026.

Candidates can check the UPSC 2025-‘26 exam centers to have an overall idea:

Preliminary Examination

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)

Mains Examination

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

UPSC CSAT Exam Pattern

The Selection process of Civil Services consists of the following two stages:

• CSAT Prelims Examination (Objective Type): It is for the selection of applicants for the CSAT (Mains) Examination
• CSAT Mains Examination (Written and PI): This is the final selection of qualified applicants for the various UPSC posts.

Tier	Type of question for Online CBT
Prelims	Objective Multiple Choice
Mains	Objective Multiple Choice + PI round

UPSC CSAT Exam Pattern: Tier I

Paper	No of Questions	Total Marks	Duration
1 General Studies – I	100	200	2 Hours
2 General Studies – II (CSAT)	80	200	2 Hours

• The question papers will be of MCQ (multiple choice questions) type
• Each paper of the prelims round will be two hours duration. 
• The CSAT General Studies Paper-II Preliminary Exam will be a qualifying paper with qualifying marks set at 33%.
• The question papers will be set in dual languages namely Hindi and English.

For each question for which the candidate provided an incorrect answer, one-third of their marks will be deducted as a penalty.

UPSC CSAT Mains Exam Pattern

Question Paper A and Paper B of the Mains exam are both elimination 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

UPSC CSAT Interview

The personal interview round will constitute 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 also carefully check the exam pattern and syllabus on the official website.

UPSC CSAT Syllabus

To qualify for a position in the Public Service Commission, applicants must pass all the required rounds. Once a candidate decides to apply, preparing for the exam becomes crucial. The syllabus structure plays a pivotal role in this preparation. During the preparation phase, the syllabus, exam pattern, and previous year’s questions are essential tools for the candidate. Below are the updated UPSC CSAT syllabus topics that aspirants for UPSC CSAT 2025 can use for their preparation.

• Key Preparation Tools:
  • Syllabus
  • Exam pattern
  • Previous year questions
• Important for Aspirants:
  • Read the syllabus carefully before starting preparations for UPSC CSAT 2025.

UPSC CSAT Prelims Syllabus

Paper	Syllabus
Paper 1	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 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.

UPSC CSAT Syllabus for Mains Examination

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.	General Studies- IV: General Ethics, and Aptitude
PAPER-III	General Studies- II: Indian Governance, Indian Constitution, Indian Polity, India’s Social Justice and Her International Relations.	Purpose of the Paper: Tests a candidate’s: Attitude toward integrity Approach to integrity in public life Problem-solving mindset in life Topics Covered: Social and Political Ethics Human Interface and Attitude: Content, structure, and function Moral Values for Public Services: Behavioral integrity Consistent impartiality Emotional Intelligence Concepts Philosophical Insights: Social inputs from Indian and global philosophers Specialized Case Studies
PAPER-IV	General Studies- IV: general ethics, and Aptitude	Objective of the Paper: Assess a candidate’s attitude and approach to integrity. Evaluate integrity in public life and problem-solving skills. Key Topics Include: Social and Political Ethics Human Interface and Attitude: Content, structure, and function. Moral Values for Public Services: Behavioral integrity. Consistent impartiality. Emotional Intelligence: Key concepts and applications. Philosophical Insights: Contributions from Indian and global philosophers. 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.

UPSC CSAT Qualifying Marks

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has established the following criteria for the CSAT paper:

• Minimum Qualifying Marks: 33%.
• Total Marks: 200.
• Candidates must score at least 66 marks to qualify.

UPSC CSAT 2025 Books Recommendation

Some of the recommended books to prepare for the UPSC CSAT exam are given below:

• “Analytical Reasoning” by M.K. Pandey
• “A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning” by R.S. Aggarwal
• NCERT textbooks for Mathematics (classes 6 to 10)
• “General Studies Paper II for UPSC Preliminary Examination” by Tata McGraw-Hill
• “CSAT Manual” by Pearson
• “Cracking the CSAT Paper” by Arihant Experts

UPSC CSAT 2025 Preparation Tips

Here are some preparation tips for the UPSC Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) 2025:

• Review the official CSAT syllabus.
• Focus on comprehension, interpersonal skills, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision-making, problem-solving, basic numeracy, data interpretation, and English language comprehension.
• Improve reading comprehension by reading diverse materials.
• Enhance logical reasoning and analytical skills by solving puzzles, critical reasoning questions, and analytical reasoning problems.
• Strengthen basic numeracy by reviewing fundamental mathematical concepts and solving word problems.
• Develop decision-making and problem-solving skills by studying case studies and applying logical thinking to real-world scenarios.
• Improve time management by taking timed mock tests and prioritizing questions based on difficulty and strengths.
• Focus on English language skills by working on grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure.
• Analyze past year question papers for mock tests and improve performance.
• Develop a balanced study schedule by allocating more time to weaker areas.
• Practice data interpretation by working with various types of data presentation.
• Stay updated on current affairs for comprehension passages.
• Focus on accuracy as CSAT is a qualifying paper.
• Manage stress through relaxation techniques and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

UPSC CSAT Results and Cutoffs

Candidates can verify their UPSC CSAT marks after the release of the Written exam Scorecard 2025. 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 2025:

• Go to the official website. Click Here
• The UPSC home page will open.
• Check for the Results section that is visible on the top of the UPSC board.
• Check for UPSC CSAT Exam Result 2025. Click on it.
• Enter the valid credentials for the registration and password.
• Click the submit button.
• Now UPSC CSAT Result 2025 PDF will be downloaded.
• Save the PDF for future reference.

UPSC CSAT Cutoffs

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 on if a candidate clears the exam and secures a percentile of 33% only. All those who clear this cutoff move on to the next stages of the recruitment procedure.

The UPSC CSAT cut-off Marks 2024 going to be released by the officials for the candidates soon after the completion of the application process.

UPSC CSAT Salary Structure

UPSC (Officers) Salary Overview 2025
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
Special secretary-cum-director in the State Secretariat	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.

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Frequently Answered Questions (FAQs)