CSAT issue

July 30, 2014 02:24 am | Updated September 23, 2017 12:53 pm IST

The allegation that the Civil Services Aptitude Test is biased against aspirants from the Hindi-medium stream is unfounded. The level of the CSAT papers is that of Class X, which is certainly not too high to expect from those aspiring to become foreign secretaries, principal secretaries, ambassadors and so on. If engineering graduates can study politics, geography and history and top the civil services examination, surely candidates from the Hindi medium stream and the humanities can revisit their Class X English syllabus and clear CSAT. The main issue is that of translation. From where did the wild demands of scrapping the test come?

Divya Bhagat,New Delhi

I am surprised at the attitude of UPSC aspirants who call for the scrapping of CSAT. A screening test with questions from Class X- level lessons does not give an unfair advantage to anyone. It is saddening to see the selection process to India’s premier services being tarnished and vilified.

Subhaga Ann Varghese,Thiruvananthapuram

The idea of introducing CSAT was to create a level playing field, but it seems to have created a situation that favours people with English medium or convent education. While the contention that the test favours engineers may not be right as aptitude tests are part of other competitive examinations too, Hindi medium students may be at a disadvantage because even one misunderstood word can lead to getting the whole comprehension wrong. Also, many words that have crept into Hindi (such as kunji patal for keyboard) most of us have not even heard of. The translation should be in a commonly understood form of Hindi. Such translations are an injustice to people from rural backgrounds.

Barkha Chadha,Moradabad

The civil services examination is regarded as the toughest one. It is challenging to pass all the steps and reach the stage when one can serve the nation. If the UPSC starts giving in to the varied demands of all civil service aspirants, will it be able to select the best?

Ankita Das,Kolkata

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