UPSC Civil Services Exam Prelims CSAT UPSC Civil Services Exam Prelims CSAT 2026 Mock Test Series

• Carry a printed e-Admit card and a valid original photo identity card.
• Use only a black ballpoint pen for marking responses in the OMR sheet.
• Electronic devices, including mobile phones and smartwatches, are strictly prohibited inside the exam hall.
• Reach the examination center at least 60 minutes before the scheduled commencement.
• Candidates must remain in the examination hall until the paper duration concludes.

The UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, including the CSAT (Paper II), is conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission. CSAT is a qualifying paper requiring a minimum of 33% marks (66 out of 200). Candidates must monitor the official website upsc.gov.in for the release of the Examination Notice. The syllabus remains consistent with the Civil Services Examination Rules, emphasizing Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Ability, and Data Interpretation.

To download the official UPSC notification, follow these steps:

1. Visit the official website: https://upsc.gov.in.
2. Navigate to the 'Examination' tab in the main menu.
3. Select 'Active Examinations'.
4. Click on the 'Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination' link.
5. Download the 'Notice' PDF containing the complete exam scheme and instructions.

The total number of vacancies for the Civil Services Examination is notified annually in the official gazette. The distribution is as follows:

• General (UR): Varies by year
• EWS: 10% horizontal reservation
• OBC (Non-Creamy Layer): 27% reservation
• SC: 15% reservation
• ST: 7.5% reservation
• PwBD: 4% horizontal reservation

The application fee for the UPSC Civil Services Examination is INR 100.

• Exempted Categories: Female, SC, ST, and Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) candidates are exempt from payment.
• Payment Modes: Online via SBI Net Banking, Visa/Master/RuPay Credit/Debit cards, or offline via SBI Challan at any branch.

Candidates must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years as of August 1st of the examination year.

• SC/ST: Up to 5 years
• OBC: Up to 3 years
• PwBD: Up to 10 years
• Ex-Servicemen: Up to 5 years

Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s Degree from any recognized university or institution. Candidates appearing for the final year examination are also eligible to apply, provided they produce proof of passing at the time of the Main Examination.

1. Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type)
2. Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written)
3. Personality Test (Interview)

Note: Negative marking of 1/3rd of the marks assigned to the question applies for every wrong answer.

The starting basic pay for entry-level Civil Servants (IAS/IPS) is INR 56,100 per month under Pay Matrix Level 10, plus applicable allowances including Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), and Travel Allowance (TA).

Admit cards are released on upsc.gov.in. Candidates must carry a printed e-Admit Card and an original Photo ID (Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, or Passport) to the examination venue.

UPSC releases the official answer key for the Preliminary Examination only after the entire recruitment process (including the final result) is concluded. Candidates may check the official portal under the 'Examination' section for the 'Cut-off Marks and Answer Keys' link.

The CSAT paper is strictly qualifying in nature. Scores in Paper II are not counted for the Preliminary merit list, which is determined solely by Paper I (General Studies). Final merit is based on the Main Examination and Interview marks.

Focus on Reading Comprehension (approx. 25-30 questions) as it is the most reliable scoring area. Practice Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning using previous 10 years' UPSC question papers. Maintain a 33% threshold focus but ensure accuracy to avoid negative marking pitfalls. Allocate 30 minutes for passage analysis and 90 minutes for quantitative and reasoning sections.

The following data represents the official cut-off marks for the UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, specifically for General Studies Paper-II (CSAT), which is a qualifying paper requiring a minimum of 33% marks (66 out of 200) as per the UPSC notification guidelines. The data is sourced directly from official UPSC result write-ups and examination notifications.

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination - CSAT Qualifying Standard

Source: Official UPSC Civil Services Examination Rules and Notification PDFs (Annual). Note: CSAT is a qualifying paper; candidates must score 33% to qualify for the evaluation of General Studies Paper-I.