Get ready for CSAT !

CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test is the preliminary test conducted by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) every year. CSAT has started from 2011 onwards. It will take place across the nation on May 20, 2012. The Civil Services Exam will be conducted in two successive stages. CSAT is the qualifying round for the Mains exam.

Candidates who qualify the Mains and subsequent interview will be eligible to join IAS and allied services on the basis of merit and choice of candidate:

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
  
• Indian Police Service (IPS)
  
• Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
  
• Indian Revenue Service (IRS) 

Eligibility criteria:

• Age Limit: The candidate should have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years.
• Nationality: The candidate should be an Indian National either by birth or otherwise. Or a subject of Bhutan/ a subject of Nepal/a Tibetan refuge
• Educational qualification: The candidate should posses a valid degree from a recognized university.

Paper Pattern

The CSAT exam comprises of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. The papers are of two hours duration each. All questions are of objective type. Papers I tests the General Awarness of a candidate, whereas, Paper II tests Logical reasoning skills/Decision making skills/Problem solving skills/Communication skills/Mental ability/Analytical ability/Comprehension skills/Numerical aptitude/Data interpretation/English Language and Comprehension skills. The marks scored in the CSAT are used for determining whether the candidate has qualified for the Civil Services (Mains) Exam or not.

CSAT Examination centers

The entrance will take place at centres located in the following cities:

• Ahmedabad
  
• Bhopal
  
• Mumbai
  
• Jammu
  
• Kohima
  
• Dehradun
  
• Jorhat
  
• Agartala
  
• Chandigarh
  
• Kochi
  
• Jaipur
  
• Allahabad
  
• Lucknow
  
• Itanagar
  
• Srinagar
  
• Madurai
  
• Jodhpur
  
• Aligarh
  
• Bangalore
  
• Dharwad
  
• Sambalpur
  
• Puducherry
  
• Imphal
  
• Kolkata
  
• Chennai
  
• Bareilly
  
• Delhi
  
• Port Blair
  
• Aurangabad
  
• Gangtok
  
• Hyderabad
  
• Aizawl
  
• Udaipur
  
• Ranchi
  
• Raipur
  
• Panaji (Goa)
  
• Shillong
  
• Nagpur
  
• Thiruvananthapuram
  
• Shimla
  
• Cuttack
  
• Patna
  
• Vishakhapatnam
  
• Tirupat
  
• Dispur 

Other interesting reads:
- AIEED scheduled for May 20
- AMU EEE for B.Tech admission on May 20