General Studies Paper-II (CSAT)

The UPSC General Studies Paper-II, commonly known as CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test), is the second paper of the UPSC Civil Services Examination Preliminary Exam. Below is a comprehensive list of topics typically included in the CSAT syllabus:

1. Comprehension:

   • Reading comprehension passages followed by questions to test understanding, inference, and interpretation.

2. Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills:

   • Verbal and non-verbal communication skills
   • Active listening and understanding
   • Basic etiquettes and manners in personal and professional communication

3. Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability:

   • Analogies
   • Logical deduction
   • Syllogism
   • Venn diagrams
   • Blood relations
   • Seating arrangements
   • Puzzle-solving
   • Statement and assumptions
   • Statement and conclusions
   • Statement and arguments

4. Decision Making and Problem Solving:

   • Decision-making under various situations
   • Problem-solving techniques
   • Critical thinking and analysis

5. General Mental Ability:

   • Mathematical reasoning
   • Number series
   • Coding and decoding
   • Data interpretation
   • Numerical operations

6. Basic Numeracy (Numbers and their Relations, Orders of Magnitude, etc.):

   • Number system
   • Fractions and decimals
   • Percentage
   • Ratio and proportion
   • Square roots
   • Average
   • Profit and loss
   • Simple and compound interest
   • Time and work
   • Time and distance

7. Data Interpretation (Charts, Graphs, Tables, Data Sufficiency, etc.):

   • Tabular data interpretation
   • Bar graphs
   • Pie charts
   • Line graphs
   • Caselet data interpretation
   • Data sufficiency questions