Parliamentary panel to review CSAT in UPSC exam to meet today
New Delhi, June 22
A meeting of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice will be held on Monday at the Parliament House Annexe Extension Building, to review the Civil Services Aptitude Test component in the Civil Services Examination.
As per the notice issued by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the Committee will hear the views of Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT); and Secretary, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), on the subject "Filling up of vacancies in the Central Government" as well as impact and outcomes of the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) component in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.
The parliamentary panel is headed by BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Uttar Pradesh DGP, Brij Lal.
The committee, in April, had urged UPSC to revisit the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in the prelims, highlighting that its heavy focus on quantitative and analytical skills may disadvantage non-science, rural, and underserved aspirants.
CSAT, introduced in 2011, was meant to test logical reasoning and aptitude alongside General Studies.
Addressing the Rajya Sabha in April, MP Brij Lal said, "GS determines merit, CSAT is a qualifying paper of 200 marks, and the second is the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). CSAT has 80 questions and has a negative marking of 0.68 marks. If an aspirant does not clear CSAT, their GS-1 is not checked. The CSAT is a disadvantage for aspirants with a humanities and arts background. This has led to 65 per cent of engineers entering civil services. Earlier, there were aspirants from all subjects. I demand either CSAT to be abolished or it should be rationalised to be advantageous for all."
In its report in March, the Committee recommended that the Ministry of Law and Justice take "expeditious and time-bound measures, in coordination with UPSC, SSC and DoPT, to complete the recruitment and promotion processes and fill up the vacant posts across all grades at the earliest."
The Committee further recommended that the Recruitment Rules for the ILS be finalised and notified on priority so as to facilitate timely selection through UPSC and ensure the availability of adequately qualified legal professionals for the effective functioning of the Department, including the Law Commission of India.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a rural aspirant from a Hindi medium background, CSAT was my biggest hurdle. Even after clearing prelims twice, I couldn't crack the final because of maths and reasoning. The government should at least make it easier for non-STEM students. Abolishing it entirely might be too drastic, but rationalising the syllabus is a must. 🙏
I disagree with the committee. CSAT was introduced to test aptitude, not just rote learning. If you can't handle basic quantitative reasoning, how will you handle complex policy decisions? The exam should be tougher, not easier. Engineers bring analytical skills that are needed in governance. 🤷♀️
The problem isn't CSAT itself, it's the disproportionate weightage and negative marking. 0.68 marks for each wrong answer is harsh, especially for those from weaker educational backgrounds. Instead of abolishing it, UPSC should consider making CSAT just a qualifying test with easier cut-offs, and focus more on GS and interview. Common sense, yaar!
Look at the bigger picture – this is about representation. If only engineers get in, rural and arts students are systematically excluded. A bureaucrat from a village understands ground realities better than someone from IIT. The committee is right to push for change. Let's hope UPSC listens! 🇮🇳
BJP MP Brij Lal is making valid points. But let's be honest – this is a political move. UPSC reforms have been pending for years. Instead of blaming CSAT, the govt should focus on coaching
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.