Reasoning is one of the crucial subjects of the UPSC CSAT exam. To excel in UPSC CSAT reasoning, you must have an understanding of concepts along with practice of previous year’s questions and mock tests.Â
Below, we’ll explore these aspects in detail and provide valuable insights to help you effectively prepare for UPSC CSAT reasoning.
But first, let’s briefly review the UPSC CSAT exam pattern to understand the weightage of the reasoning section.
UPSC CSAT Pattern
Here is the UPSC CSAT pattern:
UPSC CSAT Pattern | |
Number of Questions | 80 |
Total Marks | 200 |
Per Question Marks | 2.5 |
Total Time | 2 Hours |
Negative Marking | 1/3rd, i.e. 0.83 marks |
Qualifying Marks | 33%, i.e. 66 marks |
Sectional Timing | No |
Mode of Exam | Offline (Pen and Paper) |
Paper Type | Objective |
Paper Language | English and Hindi |
Reasoning for UPSC CSAT
- Questions
- UPSC CSAT consists of 80 questions, out of which 11 to 24 questions are asked from Reasoning.
- Total Marks
- Each question is worth 2.5 marks, so 11 to 24 questions mean 27.5 to 60 marks out of 200.
- Time
- You have 2 hours to complete the UPSC CSAT paper. There is no sectional timing for the Reasoning section.
- Negative Marking
- There’s a 1/3th (0.83 marks) penalty for each incorrect answer.
- Syllabus
- Important Topics
- Trend Analysis
- Strategy
UPSC CSAT Reasoning Syllabus
As per the official notification of UPSC Civil Services, UPSC CSAT Reasoning syllabus is:
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
We have analysed the UPSC CSAT Reasoning previous year’s questions to list down the detailed syllabus.
UPSC CSAT Reasoning Distribution of Questions | ||||||||||
Topic | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Alphanumeric Series | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coding & Decoding | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Continues Letter Series | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Analogy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Direction Sense | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Blood Relation | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
Ranking & Order | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Syllogism | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Sitting Arrangement + Puzzle | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 8 |
Clock | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Calendar | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dice | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Counting Figure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cube & Cuboid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Images | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Analytical Reasoning | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
Total | 15 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 10 | 18 | 20 | 25 | 22 | 22 |
Based on the above PYQ analysis, here is the UPSC CSAT reasoning syllabus:
- Alphanumeric Series
- Coding & Decoding
- Continues Letter Series
- Analogy
- Direction Sense
- Blood Relation
- Ranking & Order
- Syllogism
- Sitting Arrangement + Puzzle
- Clock
- Calendar
- Dice
- Counting Figure
- Cube & Cuboid
- Images
- Analytical Reasoning
- Syllabus
- Important Topics
- Trend Analysis
- Strategy
Important Topics of UPSC CSAT Reasoning
The most important topics for UPSC CSAT reasoning are:
- Syllogism
- Blood Relation
- Direction Sense
- Alphabetical and Alphanumeric Series
- Coding and Decoding
- Calendar
- Clock
- Continuous Letter Series
- Ranking and Order
UPSC CSAT Reasoning Books
Here are the best books and resources to prepare for the Reasoning section of the UPSC CSAT exam.
UPSC CSATÂ Reasoning Recommended Books | ||
Book | Author | Publisher |
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S. Agarwal | S Chand |
A New Approach to REASONING Verbal, Non-Verbal & Analytical | B.S. Sijwalii & Indu Sijwali | Arihant Publications |
- Syllabus
- Important Topics
- Trend Analysis
- Strategy
UPSC CSAT Reasoning Previous Year Questions
Here are the topic-wise UPSC CSAT reasoning PYQs:
UPSC CSATÂ Reasoning Previous Year Questions | |||
Syllogism | Blood Relation | Direction Sense | Alphabetical and Alphanumeric Series |
Coding and Decoding | Calendar | Clock | Continuous Letter Series |
Ranking and Order |
Free Material of UPSC CSAT Reasoning
Here are the topic-wise UPSC CSAT Reasoning concepts:
UPSC CSATÂ Reasoning Free Material | |||
Syllogism | Blood Relation | Direction Sense | Alphabetical and Alphanumeric Series |
Coding and Decoding | Calendar | Clock | Continuous Letter Series |
Ranking and Order |
Practice Questions of Reasoning for UPSC CSAT
After understanding the concepts of each reasoning topic, it’s crucial to practice a wide range of exam-level questions to:
- Reinforce your conceptual understanding.
- Gain exposure to diverse question types and problem-solving techniques.
- Identify areas for improvement.
- Develop effective time management strategies.
- Enhance your problem-solving skills.
- Boost your confidence for the actual exam.
Here are the topic-wise UPSC CSAT reasoning practice questions:
UPSC CSATÂ Reasoning Practice Questions | |||
Syllogism | Blood Relation | Direction Sense | Alphabetical and Alphanumeric Series |
Coding and Decoding | Calendar | Clock | Continuous Letter Series |
Ranking and Order |
- Syllabus
- Important Topics
- Trend Analysis
- Strategy
Conclusion
We hope this information will help you get a complete picture of the reasoning section of the UPSC CSAT exam. By understanding the exam pattern, identifying key reasoning topics, learning concepts, and practicing exam-level questions, you can effectively prepare for this crucial section. Once you’ve mastered reasoning, it’s time to move on to the other UPSC CSAT exam subjects—English and Maths.