I failed CSAT in my first attempt.

As Prelims is just a month away, I’d like to share my #CSAT strategy.

I failed CSAT in my first attempt.

Was it because I ignored the paper? No!

I was strong in Maths (being a Bio-Maths student till 12th) and also good at Comprehension (as an English graduate).

I used to study CSAT topics, take tests, and even score 100+ marks in mocks.

But the issue was this:

I didn’t pay enough attention to the actual demand of the exam.

I didn’t go through the CSAT PYQs.

How I tackled CSAT in my second attempt:

I did a SWOT analysis and found that I could focus more on Comprehension than Maths.

Now, when it comes to Comprehension, there’s a common notion among aspirants that the options are vague, uncertain, or that all the options might seem correct.

Is it really so? No!

UPSC uses specific keywords in Comprehension questions—like inference, assumption, etc. And the meaning of each of these keywords is different.If you are choosing an option without considering the keywords they have used,the options may seem uncertain

So, my strategy was simple:

I looked up the exact meaning of these keywords using Google, YouTube, and other sources, and made sure I fully understood and absorbed their meanings.

(The notes I made for these keywords are shared in the PDF below.)

After that, I went through UPSC Comprehension questions since 2020 and classified them based on the keywords used.

(PDF attached below.)

Then I solved the questions based on a single keyword together, trying to understand exactly what UPSC meant when they used each keyword.

Trust me! Despite being called the Unpredictable Public Service Commission, I found that there is actually consistency in the keywords used in the questions and the answer choices given in the official key.

With that understanding, I approached the CSAT this year—and it worked!