Prelims: CSAT to be the qualifier

• Unless one gets 33% in CSAT, GS paper won't be evaluated
• Latest change lays emphasis on general studies
• Prelims scheduled on August 24, leaving little time for students to adapt to the change

In a step that will prove to be a game-changer, the CSAT(Civil Services Aptitude Test) will be evaluated first. The GS (General Studies) papers of only those who secure a minimum of 33 per cent marks in CSAT will be evaluated. Further, the cut off will be based on the scores of the general studies paper.

This step lays emphasis on Paper II of the Civil Services. Called General Studies, the paper consists of 100 questions for 200 marks. Candidates will be quizzed on Indian history, Indian polity, economy, sciences, science and technology, social development and current national and international events.

What is now the qualifying paper, CSAT, will consist of 80 questions for 200 marks and will test a candidate’s aptitude in general comprehension, interpersonal skills, logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision making and problem solving, general mental ability, basic numeracy, and English language comprehension skills. This will mean, going by the latest change, a candidate will have to secure a minimum of 66 marks in CSAT to qualify for the next round.

Experts welcome this move as they believe it will now provide students with rural backgrounds a level-playing field. “Candidates would now have to concentrate on both the sections unlike previous times where they could compensate for their bad performance in one of the papers by doing better in the other”, says Deepika Reddy, a Civil Sservices faculty with Shikara Academy for Competitive Examinations.

People well-versed with the examination pattern also point out that this change will only act as a negative filter and will eliminate those who do not have their basics in place. “In fact, this will only prove advantageous. Students investing their initial efforts in General Studies will also be able to perform well in the main exam. And also General Studies is very important for candidates who wish to become civil servants. There should be no easy way out here," opines Deepika.

On the other hand, Mandar, a civil services aspirant, expresses his disappointment regarding the change. “I do not support the decision of making CSAT the qualifier. But if it is indeed important, the cut-off should be more than 33 per cent. Such a low cut-off does not serve any purpose. Also, the present pattern undermines the importance of English and Math, which are also crucial subjects.

Civil servants who cannot communicate in basic English or are not good at number crunching cannot be good at their jobs”, says Mandar. Mandar echoes the thoughts of many other civil services aspirants with backgrounds in Math, who believe the latest change comes as a huge disadvantage. With a majority of applicants being engineers, CSAT previously proved to be an entry pass for most of them.

By:Mythili Sankara