CSAT strategy for IAS Prelims 2021

• Candidates should not ignore the CSAT paper thinking it is only a qualifying paper.
• If candidates feel that their general English comprehension and basic math skills are not up to the mark, they should spend a decent amount of time on the CSAT paper.
• This holds true especially for aspirants from the humanities and arts background who have not been in touch with such subjects ever since their school days.
• For those candidates who are at ease with the type of questions asked in the CSAT paper, practising the adequate number of UPSC previous years’ question papers for CSAT will do.
• But if candidates do not practice the CSAT question papers, it would be very difficult to complete the 80 questions in the prescribed time limit of two hours.
• Remember, candidates should score at least 66 marks. If they do not qualify, even very high marks in the GS paper I will not help them clear the IAS prelims stage.
• For candidates to increase their speed in solving math questions in the CSAT paper, they can take help from certain well-used maths tricks.
• Questions from data interpretation, logical reasoning, etc. are generally easy but if the candidate is unfamiliar with them, answering them can be a tricky affair. This is where practice becomes essential.
• Also, some of the CSAT questions are lengthy and rather time-consuming. It becomes doubly important for candidates to practice mock test papers or enrol for a reliable CSAT test series.