The UPSC released the UPSC CSAT Exam Pattern 2025 along with the official UPSC Notification. Having an understanding of the UPSC CSAT Exam Pattern is crucial before starting preparation. Anything less than a 33% score in CSAT will mean that the candidate is not eligible for the next round- i.e. the UPSC Main.
UPSC Prelims are the first round of the Civil Services Examination. It consists of two papers, the General Studies I and General Studies II paper. The General Studies II Paper is also known as CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test. Here is the CSAT Pattern for UPSC so that candidates can create an optimal preparation strategy for success in the exam.
UPSC CSAT is designed to test a candidate’s aptitude. It tests a wide range of skills ranging from one’s mathematical, analytical, logical and verbal abilities. CSAT is qualifying in nature, meaning that candidates must score 33% marks in the exam- i.e. at least 66 out of the total 200 marks in order to qualify.
Following is the UPSC CSAT Exam Pattern 2025.
|
CSAT Exam Pattern 2025 |
|
|
Maximum Marks |
200 |
|
Time Duration |
2 hours |
|
Timings |
Afternoon Shift (2:30-4:30) |
|
Language |
English and Hindi |
|
Number of Questions |
80 |
|
Question-Wise Weightage |
2.5 marks per question |
|
Negative Marking |
1/3rd of the marks allotted to a question or 0.83 marks |
|
Cutoff Marks |
33% or 66 marks |
CSAT has a total of 80 objective type (MCQ) questions carrying 200 marks. These have to be answered in a span of 2 hours. The UPSC CSAT marking scheme is as follows.
|
UPSC Marking Scheme |
|
|
For every correct response |
+2.5 marks |
|
For every incorrect response |
-0.83 marks |
|
For every unattempted question |
0 |
There is negative marking in CSAT. For every incorrect answer, there is a negative marking of 1/3rd of the marks allotted to that question, i.e. 0.83 marks. However, there is no negative marking for questions left unanswered. Hence, candidates must be careful while answering questions they are unsure of.
Here is a UPSC CSAT Past Years Trend Analysis done by our experts to help aspirants gain an understanding of what they can expect in the exam. Although the UPSC CSAT Exam Pattern does not specify the exact number of questions or the section-wise weightage, looking at the past years papers makes it possible to have an idea of the same.
There are no fixed number of questions in UPSC CSAT. However, the number of questions in each section over the past 6 years are listed below.
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Number of Questions in CSAT over the Past 6 Years |
||||||
|
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
Verbal |
30 |
26 |
27 |
27 |
26 |
27 |
|
Reasoning |
18 |
12 |
22 |
17 |
11 |
15 |
|
Quants |
32 |
42 |
31 |
36 |
43 |
38 |
Following is the average UPSC CSAT section-wise weightage over the past 6 years, in order to give aspirants an idea of the section-wise weightage.
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Average Section-Wise Weightage over the Past 6 Years |
||||||
|
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
Verbal |
38% |
33% |
34% |
34% |
33% |
34% |
|
Reasoning |
23% |
15% |
28% |
21% |
14% |
19% |
|
Quants |
40% |
53% |
39% |
45% |
54% |
48% |
The next step after knowing the exam pattern and the marking scheme is to start preparing. Here are some preparation tips to get you started.
For complete UPSC Preparation Tips, check the linked article.
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Yes, there is negative marking in CSAT. For every incorrect answer, there is a negative marking of 1/3rd of the total marks allotted to the question, or 0.83 marks.
Aspirants must score at least 33% marks i.e. 66 out of the total 200 marks in order to qualify for the Main. If an aspirant scores less, they are automatically unable to proceed to the next round.
If an aspirant fails CSAT, they will automatically fail the Prelims, regardless of their GS Paper I score. It is essential to pass CSAT in order to clear the UPSC Prelims.
CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test is the second paper in the UPSC Prelims. It is also known as GS Paper II, or General Studies Paper II. Aspirants must qualify CSAT in order to proceed to the Main.
There are a total of 80 questions in CSAT. Each question carries 2.5 marks each, adding up to a total of 200 marks.
To qualify CSAT, an aspirant must score at least 33% or 66 out of the 200 total marks.
No, the use of calculators is not permitted in the Civil Services Aptitude Test, since the main purpose of the test is to assess a candidate’s aptitude and mental ability.
The UPSC CSAT exam consists of 80 objective type questions of 2.5 marks each, adding up to 200 marks. There is a negative marking of 1/3rd of the marks assigned to the question or 0.83 marks per incorrect question.
