Category: CSAT

Manoj K. Jha

How IAS examination questions are framed?

  • by Manoj K. Jha

Can u guess how IAS examination questions are framed? What are the sources they opt for framing the questions?

Can u guess how IAS examination questions are framed? What are the sources they opt for framing the questions? No surprise, we will provide u the exact source along with book and pages number. We will start with the details of Reading Comprehension of last three year IAS prelims exam. Have a look….

COMPREHENSION PASSAGES: TITLES & SOURCES

A. SOCIAL

1. The Concept of a “Creative Society” [CSAT-2011]
[Book: “Readings in Indian Government and Politics: Class, Caste, Gender (Volume of Essays)” edited by Manoranjan Mohanty; Publisher: SAGE; ‘Chapter-15: Conclusion—Social Movements in a Creative Society’ by Manoranjan Mohanty (The Creative Society: Page-390)]

B. POLITICAL

2. Deepening of Democracy in India: [CSAT-2012]
Transfer of Power from Upper Caste Elites to the Marginalised Subaltern Groups [CSAT-2012]
[Book: “Indian Politics and Society Since Independence: Events, Processes and Ideology” by Bidyut Chakrabarty; Publisher: Routledge; Conclusion: “Growing Democratization” (Pages-171-172)]

3. Democracy and Development—Do they Go Together? [CSAT-2012]
[Book: “The Idea of Justice” by Amartya Sen; Publisher: Penguin; Chapter: ‘Democracy and Development’]

4. Democracy Not Exclusive Western Concept, But Development of Institutional Structure [CSAT-2013] of Democracy—A Western Achievement
[Book: “The Idea of Justice” by Amartya Sen; Publisher: Penguin; Part Four: “Public Reasoning and Democracy”; Chapter-15: ‘Democracy as Public Reason’]

C. ECONOMIC

5. Indian Economy—A Great Paradox [CSAT-SAMPLE]
[Book: “Contemporary India: Economy, Society, Politics”; Publisher: PEARSON; Part-I, Chapter-2: The Evolution of Development Strategy Since Independence by Ambuja Kumar Tripathy]

6. An Enabling State for Inclusive Growth—The Need of the Hour [CSAT-2011]
[The Economic Survey of India 2009-10, Chapter-2: Micro-foundations of Inclusive Growth, Paragraph 2.5]

7. The Potential of Farm Collectivities in Transition Economies [CSAT-2012]
[Working Paper No. 305 (2010) by Bina Agarwal: “Rethinking Agricultural Production Collectivities”, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University; Chapter-7: In Conclusion (Page-31)]

8. Competition Law to Facilitate a Level-Playing Field Among Foreign and Domestic Firms [CSAT-2012]
[Article in The Economic Times dated 04 Nov 2009: “Competition Law and Inclusive Growth” by Madhav Mehra]

9. Indian Financial Markets Integrated With International Financial Markets [CSAT-2013]
[The Economic Survey of India 2011-12, Chapter-5: Financial Intermediation and Markets (Introduction)]

10. Corporate Governance [CSAT-2013]
[Article in The Economic Times dated 18 January 2009: “Corporate Governance” by Lisa Mary Thomson]

D. SCIENTIFIC/ECOLOGY/ENVIRONMENT

11. Effects of Modifications to Earth’s Ecosystem, [CSAT-2011]
Necessitated by a Rapidly Expanding Human Population
[Textbook: “Life-The Science of Biology” (8th Edition) co-published by Sinauer Associates Inc. and WH Freeman; Chapter-56: “Ecosystems and the Global Ecology”—56.4 ‘What Services do Ecosystems Provide’ (Page-1221)]

12. The Influence of Keystone Species on Species Richness in an Ecosystem [CSAT-2011]
[Textbook: “Life-The Science of Biology” (8th Edition) co-published by Sinauer Associates Inc. and WH Freeman; Chapter-55: “Communities and Ecosystems”— (Pages-1062-63) ‘Individual Species May Influence Community Processes’]

13. Introduction of Exotic Species in New Geographic Areas and Its Impact on Biodiversity [CSAT-2012]
[Textbook: “Essentials of Ecology” by Colin R Townsend, Michael Begon, John L Harper; Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; Article 14.2.2 Habitat Disruption (Page-462)]

14. Use of Chemical Pesticides in Agriculture—Is it Sustainable? [CSAT-2012]
[Website: www.trinitygreenconsultancy.com; Category: “Species Richness”; Article: ‘Evolution of Resistance to Pesticides” (posted 01 Nov 2012)]

15. Climate-Smart Development Strategies of Adaptation and Mitigation – The Need of the Hour [CSAT-2012]
[The World Bank Report: “World Development Report—Development and Climate Change” (2010); Chapter-1 (Pages-44-45)—‘Growth: Changing Carbon Footprints and Vulnerabilities’]

16. Habitat Fragmentation—The Most Serious Threat to Biodiversity Conservation [CSAT-2013]
[Article in Deccan Herald dated 17 August 2008: “Mining has spelt ecological disaster” by Praveen Bhargav]

17. Excessive & Indiscriminate Use of Chemical Fertilizers in Agriculture— [CSAT-2013]
A Serious Threat to Aquatic Ecosystems
[Textbook: “Essentials of Ecology” by Colin R Townsend, Michael Begon, John L Harper; Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; Chapter 13: Habitat Degradation; Article 13.2.2 Intensive Cropping (Pages-429 & 430)]

E. EDUCATION

18. Will the Right to Education Remain on Paper or Become a Reality, [CSAT-2011]
Particularly so for Girls?
[Article in The Hindu dated 02 April 2010: “India’s Children Have a Precarious Right” by Krishna Kumar.]

F. ETHICS & PHILOSOPHY

19. A Moral Act is an Act of Will [CSAT-2011]
[Book: “Ethical Religion” by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi; Chapter-3: “What is Moral Action”]

20. India’s Spiritual Greatness—Myth or Reality? [CSAT-2011]
[Book: “Essays on Ancient India” by Raj Kumar; Publisher: Discovery Publishing House]

21. Ever Increasing Man’s Materialistic Needs Leads to Endless Miseries; [CSAT-2013]Only Solution to Change Man’s Character—Make Him Pure, Educated and Spiritually Strong
[Book: “The Indispensable Vivekananda: An Anthology for Our Times” by Swami Vivekananda;

Editor: Amiya P Sen; Publisher: Permanent Black; Chapter III. b. “Karma Yoga: Service Before Self” (Page-203)]

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Is comprehension a reason to worry about???

  • by IAS Score

Of the late Reading Comprehension has become a big headache for the students appearing in the Civil Services Preliminary Examination.

Of the late Reading Comprehension has become a big headache for the students appearing in the Civil Services Preliminary Examination. Majority people who couldn’t make it for the mains either left huge marks unattempted only because they couldn’t manage the time while trying to solve the questions of Reading Comprehension or they couldn’t grasp the basic essence of the passages and marked the answers wrong. It is true that given the weightage UPSC gives to the Reading Comprehensions (nearly 40% to 45% of Paper II) it is absurd that one can leave them while attempting Prelim Paper II (CSAT), along with this the other sections of the paper can also not be ignored. We have already discussed about the various sources of Comprehensions given by UPSC in the previous three years of examinations but to solve them what you need is a resounding strategy. Here we tried to solve this problem for you:-

1) Broaden your database (knowledge)

What section of the newspaper do you turn to while reading a newspaper? Is it the sports section, the editorials, the celebrity column or some other section? I go with the sports section first. Why? Because I like to read news and reports about the sports events.

Similarly, the section that you like to read the most is the one you are most comfortable with.

Do you ever get bored reading that section or do you ever have difficulty understanding what’s written in that section? The answer, of course, is no (or else you would not read it).

Reading essays on topics which you understand and know about is very easy as compared to reading on alien topics. Hence, it is very important to develop a broad background of knowledge in various fields. Remember that essays from any field can come in Reading Comprehension questions.

You can improve your knowledge base by reading books, newspapers, magazines, articles and periodicals regularly. Start taking interest in what is happening around the world. This would not only help you develop your reading skills but also help you with your General Studies (especially what we call ‘current affairs’) and Personal Interview stage.

2) Learn to understand the structure of Paragraphs

Most often, the paragraphs used in Reading Comprehension passages are taken from articles or periodicals written by good writers. These writers generally have a well defined structure of constructing a paragraph. Their paragraphs will mostly have a proper beginning, middle part and an end section. Knowing the functions of the respective parts can help you understand what the passage is trying to convey. For example, the first sentence will most probably be constructed in such a way that it gives the reader the main idea of what is to come in the passage.

3) Choose your Passages Carefully

Accuracy holds the key in Reading Comprehension as well as Verbal Ability as a whole. So, try and finish the easy passages first instead of wasting time on tough passages.

How do I know if a passage is easy?

Keep two things in mind:

a) Is the topic of the passage something you are familiar with?

b) Are the question direct or twisted?

Solve passages having direct questions first. It will be better if the passage is on a subject which you know about.

4) Focus on Comprehension, instead of speed

While reading speed is a key factor in saving time, it is not the most important criteria. One can read a passage very fast without really understanding what it is about. Hence, you need to make sure that you pay more attention to reading the passage instead of Reading Speed.

You should be able to comprehend the passage fast. This will help you a lot in solving the questions. On the other hand, if you just read fast and do not comprehend properly, you may have to revert to the passage again and again.

5) Keep noting the main points of the passage

As long as possible, try to note down the main points of the passage while you are reading it.

Noting down the main points would help you in case you forget something. This will prevent the unpleasant experience of searching for ‘that point I read somewhere’.

Follow these and I am sure you will come out with comparative ease….

IAS Score

Preparing Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency for CSAT

  • by IAS Score

Data Interpretation is one of the easy sections of one day competitive Examinations. It is an extension of Mathematical skill and accuracy

By Dipak Mishra
Data Interpretation is one of the easy sections of one day competitive Examinations. It is an extension of Mathematical skill and accuracy. In the CSAT scenario, it has become important because more often than not, the civil services officers have voluminous data in different forms, from which they are required to churn out information and help the concerned authorities in formulating policy decisions.
Data Interpretation tests your speed, decision making capability and analysing data. It consists of a good number of graphs, charts and tables from which you will have to analyse data. The key to cracking this area is to quickly identify the key pieces of data that you will require to work on the questions asked. It is not unknown for question-setters to try and bewilder students with a large amount of data, most of it unnecessary. As a rule, the more the data presented, the easier the questions that follow, so don’t lose heart if you see a table with 10 columns occupying one whole page. On the other hand, several seemingly innocuous questions may stump you.
Different Data Forms
The different data forms that usually confront the students are
Table Graphs
Tables are often used in reports, magazines and newspaper to present a set of numerical facts. They enable the reader to make comparisons and to draw quick conclusions. It is one of the easiest and
most accurate ways of presenting data. They require much closer reading than graphs of other forms and hence are difficult and time consuming to interpret.
One of the main purposes of tables is to make complicated information easier to understand. The advantage of presenting data in a table is that one can see the information at a glance.

Pie Charts
They derive their name from its shape, like that of a pie divided into various portions. They always represent data in the form of a percentage of the total, with the total percentage being 100. In such a chart, the length of the arc (and therefore the angle each sector subtends at the centre) is proportional to the quantity it represents. Such charts are often used in the corporate world and in newspapers. Since a circle comprises 360 degrees, each percent of a pie-chart is equal to 360 divided by 100, or 3.6 degrees. This fact will be important for the calculations you are expected to perform.

Bar Graphs
Bar graphs represent data in the form of columns or bars. Bar graphs can be horizontal or vertical. The length of the bar is proportional to the data value represented by it.

Line Graphs
Line graph represents data in the form of straight lines that connect various data values. Both line graphs and bar graphs are used to convey same things and hence can be used inter-changeably. For example, a line graph can be generated by joining the tip of the bar graph.

Caselets
In caselets, the mathematical data is represented in the form of a paragraph. Hence extracting data and establishing relationships between different data values becomes difficult. However caselets are very popular with the examiners.

Combined Data Sets
Data is represented in two or more different types of data sets. It could be combination of a table and a graph or two or more similar graphs. You may have to correlate the data in different data sets to solve these questions. Thus interpreting data takes time. These type of sets are very commonly asked. However based on experience, we feel that that if such a set comes in CSAT, then it would not be heavy on data and be an easy set to interpret with the focus on correlation of data.

Some tips to score well in Data Interpretation:
Careful Reading and Analyzing

The first and the most important step in solving any Data Interpretation question is to read the question carefully. Many a times, the data given below the graph turns out to be more important than most of the numbers in the graphs.

The next step should be to analyze the given graph/data carefully. Do not try to see the questions first and find out the answers accordingly. You will waste your time if you follow that method. Try to understand the graph. Instead do the reverse.What is the graph all about? Which years does it cover? Is the data in absolute terms or in percentage terms? What do the two axis signify?, etc. Look at the statistics for each graph, chart, table or pie diagram. Look carefully at the labels. Make sure you understand the central theme of the data.
Worry less about data given
Understand the question, which might contain lots of data that is unrelated and not required for answering the questions. When you look at the question you may get discouraged by the lengthy tables or by the amount of information below the graphs. But, if you were to understand what the data is about and then look at the question, you may find that you only have to use part of the data. Don’t get disheartened by the amount of data and the only thing important is whether you can correlate the data between the graphs properly.

Skip Calculative Questions
Some questions require lots of calculation in order to be solved. These questions are known as the speedbreakers. Such questions are best left alone, at least in the first round. Once you have solved all the easy questions then go to the difficult ones. If you try such questions in the first round, you will lose your precious time on them and may not be able to attempt some simple questions that may follow. Also there are many unnecessary calculations that we do, which might cost us a precious few seconds per question. Sometimes, there are many steps that can be skipped but we still do it as we are trained to solve in a step by step method. Learn to skip those steps.

Attention to the minor details
This is related to the first step which we discussed. Sometimes, the questions will use a different unit for the question and another unit for the data. For example, the data given may be about sales volume in Millions. However, the question may ask about sales volume in lakhs. Also you should have an idea about sales volume and sales value.If you do not pay close attention to the unit, you may chose the wrong answer.
Sometimes there are questions which will ask us to find out some data for which information may not be available. Always be alert enough to see whether the data given is enough to answer the question or not and do not go forward with answering the questions based on assumptions. We will look into this in our next part of discussion.

Approximate properly
CSAT is not about finding the exact answer always. Most of the times, the options given are far enough from each other to give you enough room for approximation. So, for example, if you are asked to divide 642678/161335, you can easily approximate that the answer will be somewhere around 4 by looking at the first 2 numbers only. 64/16 is 4. So, instead of dividing it and finding the accurate answer, try to find an appproximate answer. This will give you the correct answer more often than not. If however, the options are close, you will still be able to eliminate 1 or 2 options easily.

Lets attempt one set and try to apply those steps

The pie chart shows the distribution of Rs 6 lakhs spent by a construction contractor on different items.

1. The amount spent on cement is

a.    Rs.2,00,000
b.    Rs.1,60,000
c.    Rs.1,20,000
d.    Rs.1,00,000

Total is Rs. 6,00,000 (=360 degrees of the circle).Cement is 72 Degrees.
Apply the ratio principle. Hence 72/360= M/6 lakhs where M is the amount spent on cement. HenceM=(72*6)/360=1.2 lakhs.

2. The amount spent on labour exceeds the amount spent on steel by

A.    5% of the total cost
B.    66.66% of the total cost
C.    12% of the total cost
D.    15% of the total cost

There is no need to find absolute values. Just observe the degrees. The difference between Labour and Steel is 90-54 or 36 degrees. And total cost is (6 lakh=) 360 degrees.

So the percentage= 36/360 x 100 =10% of the total cost. But if the options would have omitted the word  “of the total cost”, then the answer would have been (90-54)/54 × 100= 66.66%.The base would have been the cost of steel, in that case.Notice the wrong option B to create confusion in the mind.

3. The amount spent on cement and steel is what percent of the cost on supervision?

A.    70%
B.    42.94%
C.    50%
D.    233.33%

Again no need to find absolute values. Just observe the degrees. The total degrees is 126 on cement and steel while it is 54 for supervision. It is asking, “what percent of the total cost on supervision?”

So cost of supervision is the “base”%.. Hence the required value=(126/54) x 100 =233.33%.

If we reverse the base(take the base as cement and steel) , it becomes 42.94%. If we take the total cost as the base the value becomes 126/180 x 100=70%.If we take the total cost of three items vis-à-vis the total cost as the base, then the value becomes 180/360 x 100=50%.These are the 4 options given in the question as observed here.

DATA  SUFFICIENCY

Data sufficiency tests your skill on the amount data you require to take a decision. Quite a number  of times, you may have to arrive at a decision on the amount of data available, which might be more /less than you actually require. If  you ask your block officer under you as to “ How many families have 2 or more girls in this area” and he/she starts reeling off figures of the population of the block according to last census, infant mortality rate, families having children, population growth etc..that will not serve your purpose. The focus should be only on girl child and not children. A family can have girls and boys, but the question asks” How many families have 2 or more girls in this area”. That family can have boys, but whether it has 2 or more girls  should be the aim that you should focus on.

Format of Data sufficiency question

The format of the question would be something like this.
1.    Is integer x positive?

1.    x > 9
2.    x2 > 81
Mark

(A) if one statement alone but not on other statement alone is sufficient to answer the question
(B) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked
(C) Both statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked; but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient
(D) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data specific to the problem are needed.

Data Sufficiency questions hinge on whether a statement is sufficient to answer a question. A statement is sufficient when it guarantees exactly one answer to that question. For example, in the question:

Is integer x positive?

The statement “x > 9” would be sufficient, as any number greater than 9 is also greater than 0 and therefore positive.

The statement “x2 > 81”, however, would not be sufficient, as there are two potential values of x: 9 (which gives the answer “yes, x is positive”) and -9 (which gives the answer “no, x is not positive”). The correct option is A.

Your job, then, is to determine when a statement is sufficient to provide exactly one answer to the overarching question.

Some tips to score well in Data Sufficiency:

Don’t solve the question.

Data Sufficiency questions simply ask whether you COULD solve the question given the information in the statements. Don’t waste valuable time actually solving unless you are uncertain of sufficiency! Data sufficiency questions are not supposed to involve long and drawn-out calculations. If you find yourself calulating, there is probably something you’re not seeing. Remember that variables can equal a variety of values: negatives, positives, integers, fractions, zero. Don’t simplify when you don’t know what a variable can equal, and don’t assume variables are positive integers!

For “yes/no” questions, focus on whether you are getting a firm yes or no.

There is no “correct” answer. Our task is merely to determine when we have enough information. It is possible for one statement to answer the question “yes” and the other to answer the question “no” and have BOTH statements be independently sufficient.

Focus on this question

2.    Is x=4?

1.X3= -64
2.X2=9
Mark

(A) if one statement alone but not on other statement alone is sufficient to answer the question
(B) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked
(C) Both statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked; but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient
(D) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data specific to the problem are needed.

Here from the 1st statement we get X=-4 which answers the question that X IS NOT 4.

The 2nd statement shows that X is either 3 or -3 and hence not 4.Hence X IS NOT 4.The correct option is B. Note that NO is also an answer to a question.

Note down the variables needed for answering the question BEFORE looking at the statements.

Try to write down your own prediction first. It helps you to eliminate the statements more quickly if you have something to compare their information to, and forces you to spend more time thinking critically. Don’t rush this step!

Remove biasness in mind.

Once you determine the type of question and have analyzed the information given, analyze the first two statements independently of each other. If you have used Statement 1 to answer the question, try to “forget” statement 1 when you move on to statement 2. Don’t underestimate how challenging this can be – try not to mentally “carry over” any info from one statement to the next.

Use the process of elimination to narrow down the choices methodically.

If Statement 1 is sufficient, eliminate C and D. The only two options are A and B. Conversely if 1 is NOT sufficient, eliminate B. Simply by appropriately analyzing the first statement, you can eliminate two answer choices! If statement 1 is challenging for you, you can start by analyzing statement 2. If statement 2 is insufficient, then choices B can immediately be eliminated. It doesn’t matter which statement you analyze first, as long as you start by looking at them individually. Also in some , the question itself gives some of the information which you require. It might be possible that same information is rephrased and again given in one of the statements. You should reach this conclusion that “THE STATEMENT IS REDUNDANT”, and do not use that statement to answer the question.

IAS Score

Preparing for General Mental ability and Basic Numeracy for CSAT

  • by IAS Score

Quantitative section takes about 10-12 % of the CSAT paper. The number of questions varied from 3 to 7 to 11 till last year.

BY DIPAK MISHRA

Quantitative section takes about 10-12 % of the CSAT paper. The number of questions varied from 3 to 7 to 11 till last year. The questions were relatively of lesser difficulty level, hence it is easy to crack this part of the paper. However a few core skills need to be developed. These include a combination of accuracy and speed, the ability to perform simple calculations under pressure and the ability to use reasoning while solving mathematics questions.

Considering the nature and scope of these skills, practice should become imperative for any student. The basic understanding and grasp of concepts is vital and should never be looked over. Along with these, one need to develop a certain set of advanced skills and learn a few short cuts so as to minimize the time you spend on each question.

Given below are some of the tips to master this section along with some examples below to reinforce those tips.

► Learn to master the basics: Majority of questions are asked from the Arithmetic section with the odd questions asked from the Modern Maths section ( viz. Permutation/Combination, Probability and Set Theory). Hence focus should be to master the basics of these sections. Develop strong fundamentals for each of the above mentioned categories. Remember weakness in one area can have a negative effect on multiple sections because most of the time the question requires understanding of concepts of two different areas. In addition to this, one should always know the amount of weightage one should give to each sub areas of quantitative ability while preparing. For example, recent trends show that numbers, time speed distance, permutations and combinations are some topics that are frequently tested in the examination. Questions from topics like Mensuration, time and work and probability vary from year to year. However questions from topics like sets, clocks, pipes and cisterns, are hardly been seen in recent years. This is not to discount the importance of these topics but one should always pay emphasis to topics which are in vogue.

► Focus on application: The formulae plays an important part in attacking a question, but more often than not,the questions that are asked is a combination of formulae, hence the focus should be on application of formulae. Also exceptions to the formulae should also be kept in mind while solving the questions. An example below shows this

1. The LCM of 2 numbers is 272, while their HCF is 8.If one of the numbers is 16, what is the other number?

The formulae is Product of 2 numbers = their LCM × HCF. Applying this we get the other number to be 136.So a straight-forward question.

2. The LCM of 2 numbers is 200, while their HCF is 2.If one of the numbers is 16, what is the other number?

Applying the same formulae, we get the other number to be 16.But the HCF of 25 and 16 is 1, but the question says the HCF to be 2. Hence this question is a wrong question. No such set of numbers exist.

3. The LCM of 2 numbers is 14, while their HCF is 5.If one of the numbers is 35, what is the other number?

This question is again a wrong question, since HCF is always a factor of LCM and here 5 is not a factor of 14.

► Judgmental ability: Always judge the question before attempting the section and try to find out the easy ones on the basis of your skills, ability and strengths. Some problems which may be easy for others may be hard for you and vice versa. Also have a basic idea as to what the question is actually trying to ask. The question might contain information and combination of options, which will make it a little confusing to mark the correct option. An example below shows this

The rate of inflation per year  is 1000%. What will be the cost of an article 2yrs from now, which costs 10 units now? A) 1000  b) 1100 c)1210 d) 100

The inflation is 1000%, which means the price rises by 10 times and hence becomes 11times. Hence the price will be 10×11×11=1210. To confuse you, the question gives options which are 10 times and 100 times of 10.

► Practice and Practice: The way you practice will gives you an edge over others. Given below are some practice tips while going through a quantitative aptitude text book.

1.While  going through a particular topic in a text book, Clear the basics part first by going through the fundamentals of that topic..Fundamentals include the formulae and application of that as well.

2. Practice the examples first. Go through the first 2-3 examples by going through the solutions understanding each step thoroughly. Read carefully and try to understand what it is really being asked in each question.

3. Try doing the next 2-3 examples yourself. If you are not successful, look at the solution .Try to analyse as to why you are making the mistake. Either you are making a calculation error or there is a problem with the funda itself. If you are making a silly calculation mistake, promise yourself to be extra careful. If there is problem in understanding of the fundamentals itself, then go through topic once again to clear the chinks .

4.  Try doing 2-3 very difficult problems on that topic. Give youself a particular time in which to solve them. Scale it up to 10-12 difficulty level problems and then see your accuracy as well as speed on that topic. Practice  as much as possible on that topic.

5. After you have done sufficient number of topics in a particular subarea (Arithmetic, P&C, 3D Mensuration etc), try doing a test on that. To avoid being taken by surprise, it is important to do a number of tests on different patterns, within the given time frame. Analysis of each test is a must so to know the scope of improvement in that particular area. The analysis must have these parameters

a. Which questions to select?

b. How much time to invest in a particular question?

c. Where am I making a mistake? Follow step 3 as given above, accordingly.

At each step, needless to say time plays a big role in the preparation, so be focused on time. Maintain a time discipline, but don’t be rigid right at the beginning of your preparation.

► Test taking strategies:  As you know that in spite of a good theory background and n-number of mock tests, the examinee still fails to devise a proper strategy of attempting a test, mainly because of the fear of the unknown. It is like a cricket captain deciding to field in a final match after winning the toss because past records suggest that(may be a dew factor), but absence of a strategy if the ground conditions change on that day, will ensure that his previous efforts comes to nothing.

As already stated previously, CSAT tests 3 skills

1. Time management   2. Decision making   3. Pressure handling capability.

Having known that you are going devote 25 mins to this section of 8 questions (let’s assume), devise a process in which to make the best use of that 25 mins. By the time you get to sit in CSAT, you will have this knowledge about the general feel of the section (Mocks play a big role in this endeavor). If most of the questions you scan are confusing to solve, try to identify the easy questions (sitters), which you can attempt straightway. If you go through any paper of past years, you will find that at least 1/3rd of questions can be attempted if one has a reasonable knowledge of the fundas. There might be some questions which seem pretty straight forward when you started but soon you understand that there are twists to it. The percentages of those questions are very less. Leave the questions which are taking more than 2-3 mins to solve.

While solving the question, put down all the given information in a neat and structured manner as possible, after which you will be in a position to decide whether you can proceed further or whether you should leave that question and move on. Also, try to check for alternative approaches like elimination/substitution of choices, which often save a lot of time and pay rich dividends. These can be mastered thorough practice.

Given below are 3 problems which will give us an insight about how to choose a question.

1. The probability of Suresh solving a problem is 2/5  , Ramesh solving it is  1/3 and Aakash solving it is  . If all three try to solve the problem, calculate the probability of problem being solved.

A] 31/35  B] 29/35  C] 8/105 D] 1

2. There are eight dice each having 6 faces, which are numbered with the first six odd natural numbers. These dice are thrown simultaneously; find the number of ways in which the sum of the numbers on the faces of the dice equals 43.

A] 10C6 B] 5040 C] 106 D] None of these

3. In how many ways can 30 identical balls be divided into 3 groups?

A] 146 B] 75 C] 76 D] 91

1. This problem says that the problem has to be solved by at least 1 person. So we will not multiply the probabilities. There is one option, which has exactly this option pertaining to

 

2.This question looks like there can be number of cases but you have to know that the sum of 6 odd numbers cannot be odd. So there is no such case which has the sum to be 43. So this is basically a number system question being rephrased into a P&C Question. The correct option is D.HENCE THIS IS AN EASY QUESTION.

3. This problem at the outset looks to be an easy question, but go within there can be a number of cases which are enumerated below.

The number of balls in all the groups can be same in only one case: (10, 10, 10). The number of balls in exactly two groups can be same in these cases: (1, 1, 28), (2, 2, 26), …, (14, 14, 2). These are 14 cases. The number of balls in the three groups can be different in these cases:

First group has 1 ball: (1, 2, 27), (1, 3, 26), …,.(1, 14, 15) (These are 13 cases)

First group has 2 balls: (2, 3, 25), (2, 4, 24), …, (2, 13, 15) (These are 11 cases) (we cannot take (2, 14, 14) which has been counted earlier)

First group has 3 balls: (3, 4, 23), (3, 5, 22), …, (3, 13, 14) (These are 10 cases)

First group has 4 balls: (4, 5, 21), (4, 6, 20), …, (4, 12, 14) (These are 8 cases)

And so on.

So, total number of cases = 1 + 14 + (13 + 11 + 10 + 8 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 1) = 76.

THIS LOOKS TO BE A STRAIGHT-FORWARD QUESTION BUT TURNS OUT TO BE A DIFFICULT QUESTION.

Hope I cleared some of the doubts regarding the GMA section for CSAT.

Practice books which will help you in getting a grasp of topics are:

1. Quicker Maths By M. Tyra

2. Quantitative Aptitude by Abhijit Guha

 

Manoj K. Jha

CSAT is qualifying now ! What Next ?

  • by Manoj K. Jha

Atlast, the government has cleared the air on the controversy of CSAT exam… it has approved the decision for making the General Studies Paper-II(CSAT) in the Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination a qualifying paper with a minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%…. further the English Language comprehension skill portion will continue to remain excluded.

Atlast, the government has cleared the air on the controversy of CSAT…it has approved the decision for making the General Studies Paper-II(CSAT) in the Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination a qualifying paper with a minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%…. further the English Language comprehension skill portion will continue to remain excluded.

Thus, as the weightage of General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) has decreased, the weightage of General Studies Paper-I has increased tremendously. Now this paper will decide whether aspirants are able to come one step closer to goal of becoming a Civil Servant or not.

And as we know, the pattern of questions of General Studies has changed from the past few years; it required a multi-dimensional strategy to cover the topics mentioned in the syllabus. But after changes an aspirant can’t leave any topic of the syllabus because there will be no CSAT for covering up it. He has to be thorough in basic concepts along with current issues to manage the cutthroat competition.

CSAT is qualifying now. What next? How to tackle GS now? GS for prelims have always been a nightmare both for the freshers as well as experienced campaigners. This is primarily because of the vastness of the syllabus wherein almost everything under the sun is covered under it and is fit to be studied and known. Add to it the objective nature of the examination, which makes it important to go through even the minutest details of everything in the syllabus and to be able to recollect and reproduce it accurately in the examination.

This view, though very popular but do not however provide the best picture of the actual nature of the exam. GS for prelims is not actually a synonym of arbitrariness and randomness. A thorough analysis of the paper shall reveal that it is much simple and somewhat predictable. Further recent changes incorporated by the UPSC on the prelims exam has not only made the GS paper much simpler but has drastically reduced the overall effort which was required for clearing the exam provided the candidate follows the right approach and puts in sufficient effort.

However on the other side if a candidate is lackadaisical in putting the necessary effort and fails to appreciate the direction in which the changes are pointing to the task has become even more herculean.

However to elaborate the point further we need to first examine as to what have been the nature of the changes which have become a part of the GS paper during the last three years. Though some people may differ from this view but that is mainly because barring a few of them, most of these changes have been very slowly manifesting themselves and contributing to the evolution of the exam.

More and more questions now are framed around concepts rather than events or fixtures and a candidate is expected to work more on the following lines which is by and large a four step process.

Firstly, it is expected to master all the important concepts in a holistic manner across all the disciplines be it history, polity, economy, geography, science and tech etc.

Secondly, it needs to understand the   theories/principles/fundamental around which the concepts are woven to offer explanations.

Thirdly, it needs to incorporate interdisciplinary concepts to explore more theories and explanations and thus further enriching understanding.

Finally, it needs to apply these theories and concepts to real situations and discover their validity or falsity for a given set of values.

This four-step process though sounds very stupendous but is in-fact foundation to all types of learning. Further following this four step process not only ensures that a candidate clears his GS paper in the prelims but also is very much on track as far as preparations for mains are concerned.

In consonance with this four-step process, there are several noticeable trends, which are visible in the prelims GS paper. Foremost, we find that unlike in the past, the nature of questions asked in the GS paper are more multifaceted that is within the same question, the UPSC tends to identify whether the candidate has a grasp over a concept and whether he is also in a position to apply that concept and give out answers to questions involving theoretical linkages with other concepts. So much so that even some questions from history envisage a candidate to use his knowledge of the social, economic and cultural variables of the time, to answer the questions rather than information like the genealogy of the kings and important dates, that is to indicate a definitive shift from the fact based pattern of asking questions.

Furthermore the increased emphasis on concepts and understanding can be seen in some questions like that on Karl Marx and dialectical materialism (CSAT 2011), which otherwise is a core concept of sociology and political science, and not considered a part of GS, but is of ultimate importance to the understanding of various political and economic concepts.

An extension of the same idea in the disciplines of polity and economics is in the form of asking questions in which the application of the concepts and the theoretical perspectives to real practical situations is required thereby testing for the candidates’ grasp in scenarios where such application of theoretical paradigms is not absolute. In other words not only it is important to know the ‘what’ but also the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ aspects in a critical perspective, taking the entire preparation to the advanced level, closer to that of the mains exam.

This also means that studying NCERT is necessary but not sufficient as the candidate has to cultivate the skill of understanding concepts beyond the conventional perspective, which is something he cannot acquire simply by gazing over NCERT which is more knowledge intensive rather than application intensive.

In that sense only candidates who have managed to take their preparation to the next level run a chance of clearing the Prelims. All this however has proved to be a blessing in disguise for the smart candidate who knows his lessons well as very much of the questions can now be answered merely by applying common sense and also one becomes more comfortable in hitting at the right answers to those questions which offer more than one correct answer or present very close alternatives or involve application of some level of value based subjectivity in coming to the right answers.

Now the question is as to how to maximize the probability of answering the most number of questions in the paper. Foremost is adhering to the wide extensive approach to which there is no substitute. A candidate must be thorough with the various important concepts across all disciplines in conjugation with popular theoretical paradigms.

Once a wide extensive coverage is achieved, it should be followed by a selective intensive approach in which the keyword is ‘current affairs’. Now the word current affairs itself is so broad that some candidates find the application of the selective intensive approach almost impossible. But an avid observer will notice that there is definite definition of ‘relevant’ current affairs and irrelevant current affairs, which we can very well deduce from the previous year question papers.

Having said all this it is equally important to mention in the end, that a candidate must always try to remain original and honest during the course of preparation. All we can offer are just vital clues to make your approach focused and streamlined but the best approach for you is the one you think is the best for you.

I had already written about this change on 22 Jan for Jagranjosh.

http://www.jagranjosh.com/articles/csat-2015-will-upsc-give-another-pleasant-shock-1421921328-1

Prelims Preparatory series Part -1