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UPSC CSAT 2025, Paper Analysis, Syllabus and Exam Pattern

UPSC CSAT 2025 is an essential and qualifying UPSC Prelims Exam 2025 paper. CSAT Full Form is know as Civil Services Aptitude Test and Prelims General Studies Paper 2 is another name for it. UPSC introduced it in 2011 as a part of the UPSC Prelims exam. CSAT was included in the UPSC CSE exam to assess a candidate’s analytical skills, aptitude skills, decision-making skills, general mental aptitude and reasoning ability. While passing with a score of at least 33% on this qualifying paper for the Prelims exam may appear simple, UPSC is known for its unexpected questions. To pass the CSAT Examination with the required score, you need to put in the effort and have a good strategy. We will give you detailed information on the CSAT 2025 Exam, including the format, syllabus, and past questions. Our goal is to help candidates succeed by providing all the necessary information in a clear and simple way.

UPSC CSAT 2025

Union Public Service Commission has released the UPSC CSAT Exam Date for the Year 2025 which is going to take place on 25 May 2025. The UPSC CSAT 2025 takes place on the second shift between 2.30 PM and 4.30 PM. The CSAT Exam must be qualified candidates for them to clear the UPSC preliminary Examination. Candidates must review the syllabus and exam format to develop an effective strategy for this paper

UPSC CSAT 2025 Overview

UPSC Syllabus has included the CSAT, Often known as General Studies-2, in the UPSC Prelims since 2011. The UPSC CSAT 2025 is held on May 25, 2025, from 2:30 PM to 04:30 PM in the second shift following the GS Paper 1. Candidates should know these details as they prepare for the upcoming CSAT exam.

  • The initial merit list for the Prelims test was created using the CSAT or UPSC GS Paper 2 grades.
  • The CSAT paper was changed to be qualifying in nature in 2015 by the Commission, which also made significant changes to the test structure. According to the exam format, applicants only need 33% of 66 out of 200 to pass.

The CSAT syllabus is smaller than the UPSC GS Paper 1, making it easier for applicants to prepare. One can easily pass this test if one invests enough time in practicing for it. However, a determined strategy is necessary to cover each component of this article. The UPSC CSAT Overview is provided below in the table:

UPSC CSAT 2025 Overview
Parameters Details
CSAT Full Form Civil Services Aptitude Test
UPSC CSAT Paper UPSC Prelims GS Paper 2
Number of Questions 80
Total Marks 200
Negative Marking in CSAT 0.83 (1/3rd Marks)
Type of Exam Offline
CSAT Qualifying marks 66 Marks
UPSC Prelims Exam 2025 25th May 2025

UPSC CSAT Syllabus 2025

The CSAT or General Studies-2 Syllabus assesses a candidate’s analytical aptitude and decision-making skills. Basic numeracy, understanding, general mental aptitude, and other topics are included in the UPSC CSAT 2025 syllabus. Candidates must put in much work to do well on this test. Below, we present the entire UPSC CSAT Syllabus 2025.

UPSC CSAT Syllabus
  • 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

The UPSC Prelims Syllabus has the CSAT Syllabus as GS 2 in it. An outline of the subjects that will be covered in the next exam is given in the syllabus. To determine the question trend and adjust their preparation, candidates must complete UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for the CSAT.

Check out the linked article on the UPSC Syllabus 2025 Here!

UPSC CSAT Previous Year Question Paper

The UPSC GS-2 exam questions from the past year are one of the most crucial tools for CSAT 2025 exam preparation. UPSC is unpredictable when it comes to how the questions are framed. Because of this, candidates need to review the question papers from past years to comprehend the difficulty of the questions, the format of the exam and the paper, current trends, and significant themes from the CSAT Syllabus 2025, among other things. Candidates can download the UPSC CSAT previous year’s question papers from the URL below.

CSAT Previous Year Question Paper
Year CSAT Paper PDF
2022 – Set A Download PDF
2022 – Set D Download PDF
2021 – Set A Download PDF
2021 – Set D Download PDF
2020 – Set A Download PDF
2020 – Set B Download PDF
2020 – Set C Download PDF
2019 Download PDF
2018 Download PDF

UPSC CSAT Paper Analysis (2011-2020)

Candidates can view the amount of questions from various categories from 2011 to 2020 in the table below. The students will be able to better prepare if they are aware of the crucial areas of the CSAT exam syllabus.

UPSC CSAT Paper Analysis (2011-2020)
Year Reading comprehension Data Interpretation Math & Basic numeracy Decision making Logical & Analytical reasoning
2011 39 5 11 8 17
2012 40 0 3 9 28
2013 33 9 11 6 21
2014 31 6 20 0 23
2015 30 2 30 0 18
2016 28 0 31 0 21
2017 30 0 28 0 22
2018 26 14 18 0 22
2019 30 0 32 0 18
2020 26 0 42 0 12

You can see from the above table how crucial it is to devote effort to reading comprehension in the CSAT since data sufficiency accounted for five of the questions in 2020. From the perspective of the exam, Math and Basic Numeracy constitute yet another significant component. Therefore, if a candidate thoroughly studies for these two portions, he or she will be able to pass the CSAT paper with ease.

UPSC CSAT 2025 Qualifying Marks

The UPSC CSE CSAT 2025 will consist of 80 questions in total and will be 2 hours given for the paper. Each question is worth 2.5 marks, for a total of 200 marks. 0.83 marks, or one-third of the total marks for the question, will be subtracted for each incorrect response. There isn’t a credit for unanswered questions, though. Candidates must receive at least 33%, or 66 marks, qualifying for this paper.

UPSC CSAT Exam History

  • Prior to 2011, the Kothari Committee was in charge of the UPSC Prelims, which consisted of two papers: Paper II, one of 23 optional subjects, and GS, worth 150 points.
  • The examination format was revised by the UPSC in 2010–2011; two 200–mark exams and a CSAT paper were included.
  • After CSAT was introduced, it was treated similarly to GS paper 1 in the UPSC Prelims in terms of scoring. However, there was a dispute because candidates from rural backgrounds claimed that this paper was hurting their prospects of passing the Prelims.
  • Due to this, the commission decided to make the CSAT exam qualifying in August of 2014, and the paper’s qualifying nature became apparent in 2015.

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UPSC CSAT FAQs

What is CSAT in UPSC?

The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is the General Studies Paper 2 in the UPSC Prelims exam.

What are the Qualifying Marks for CSAT Paper?

The UPSC CSAT qualifying marks are 33% or at least 66 marks out of a total of 200 marks. There are a total of 80 questions in this GS 2 paper in which each question carries 2.5 marks.

How many questions are asked in CSAT?

The CSAT paper includes 80 questions and candidates will get 2 hours to complete the paper. Each question carries 2.5 marks and the total marks of the CSAT paper will be 200.

Will CSAT be removed from UPSC 2025?

No, CSAT is not removed from the UPSC 2025 exam. CSAT or the General Studies-2 paper will be a part of the UPSC exam 2025, and candidates must come up with a solid preparation strategy to ace this exam.

Is CSAT compulsory for UPSC?

Yes, CSAT is the compulsory paper in the UPSC exam. It is also known as the general studies-2.

Is there any negative marking in CSAT?

Yes, there is a negative marking for the CSAT paper and it will be ⅓ mark of the total marks allotted to the question.