With the Civil Services Aptitude Test scheduled for August 7, IAS aspirants would be putting in their best to clear this first hurdle. For the 2016 exam, one has to be prepared for any eventuality regarding the distribution of the number of questions in different sections. However, one comforting factor for majority of the candidates (as far as Paper II is concerned) is that the marks obtained in Paper II will not be added to the score obtained in Paper I. Paper II (or CSAT) is merely qualifying in nature, wherein a candidate has to obtain minimum qualifying marks of 33 per cent. Given below is a broad preparation strategy for each of the four test areas of CSAT.
MathsIn this part, you may get questions from various topics such as Numbers (LCM, HCF), Equations, Ratio, Proportion, Variation, Time and work, Time and distance, Geometry and mensuration, Counting techniques, Probability, and so on . Data interpretation (DI) is another important area for CSAT. You need to read, understand and draw necessary inferences from the data as given in various charts such as tables, pie charts, line graphs, bar charts, stacked graphs, or other forms. The questions in DI may be based on simple observation or basic arithmetic calculations such as comparison of fractions, percentage calculations, and so on.
ComprehensionIn the English part, all questions will pertain to different passages. From 2011 to 2014 papers, it has been observed that the number of passages ranged from eight to twelve. Also, the number of questions ranged from two to five per passage. In 2015, the number of passages was on a higher side (23 passages). No prior knowledge of any particular topic is required to answer these questions. The passages may be based on themes such as society, politics, economics, technology or science. Your ability to draw a logical conclusion from the content of the passage will mainly be tested.
ReasoningTo crack this part, you need to practise various models of questions from different topics such as Number series, Letter series, Analogies, Coding-decoding, Seating arrangement, Cubes, Venn diagrams, Deductions, Counting triangles, other forms of puzzles, and so on.
Decision-makingQuestions in this test area will include a short description of a situation where you will be asked to choose what you would do in that situation. Such questions are, usually, easy to moderate in difficulty level.
If an aspirant is confident in these test areas, crossing the cut-off of 33 per cent marks in CSAT - Paper II would not be a hurdle.
The writer is deputy general manager, T.I.M.E. institute.
