Myths About IAS-CSAT

The whole process of this examination is carrying some myth which gives sometime wrong perceptions and notion in the mind of Civil Services Aspirants. I feel my utmost responsibility to dispel it from the mind of aspirants as much as possible.

1. The UPSC did not Prefer Candidates in their late 20’s
The most interesting fact about IAS selection in recent years is the increase in average age of successful candidates. In the 2008 IAS batch, only 16 officers (out of 111) were below 26.

2. Recruitment and Selection is dominated by males
Out of the total 4,572 IAS officers all over India (as on January 1, 2009), only 604 are women (Just 13.72 per cent). But, in the last five years, out of the 465 candidates selected to IAS, 101 are women (22 per cent).

3. It is examination for convent educated
In the year 2009, 19 out of the 111 selected to the IAS wrote the exam in Hindi. In 2008 IAS batch, there was one officer who wrote the entire exam in Tamil and there was another who wrote it in Telugu.

4. CSAT is revised version of Management and PO Exams
CSAT is a recruitment exam for a career in the Civil Services, a discipline which requires a different set of abilities and attitude, so the CSAT is an entirely different exam.

5. Numeracy and Reasoning of CSAT is difficult and give undue advantage to candidates with a technical background
CSAT, by virtue of being an Aptitude Test for Civil Services, will test students for their ability to play with numbers but not higher level Maths. A candidate who has passed 10th standard knows more Maths than is needed by the CSAT.

6. The Comprehension and English Language Comprehension Skill will be easy
It is not true because unlike other areas UPSC here judge not only your overall understanding of language but also your grammar, composition, usage, vocabulary and analytical power.

By: Vivek Kumar Singh
Editor,CSAT Comprehensive Manual
UPSCPORTAL.Com

CSAT Preparation Books & Study Materials:

• English Language Comprehension Skills
• Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency
• English Grammar and Usage
• Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability
• Basic Numeracy & Mental Ability