Topics Covered: UPSC CSAT Reasoning Syllabus, UPSC CSAT Reasoning PYQs, UPSC CSAT Reasoning Important Topics, UPSC CSAT Reasoning Books and Resources, UPSC CSAT Reasoning Concepts, UPSC CSAT Reasoning Questions.

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. 

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 Questions80
Total Marks200
Per Question Marks2.5
Total Time2 Hours
Negative Marking1/3rd, i.e. 0.83 marks
Qualifying Marks33%, i.e. 66 marks
Sectional TimingNo
Mode of ExamOffline (Pen and Paper)
Paper TypeObjective
Paper LanguageEnglish 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.
UPSC CSAT
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  • Syllabus
  • Important Topics
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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
Topic2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Alphanumeric Series1221010000
Coding & Decoding2101102100
Continues Letter Series0101110000
Analogy0001102000
Direction Sense2012120031
Blood Relation0120110251
Ranking & Order3212351312
Syllogism2023110100
Sitting Arrangement + Puzzle00310081188
Clock22010211
Calendar2113130000
Dice0000003001
Counting Figure0000001000
Cube & Cuboid1100031110
Images0000002002
Analytical Reasoning0200000438
Total15111517101820252222

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
UPSC CSAT
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  • Syllabus
  • Important Topics
  • Trend Analysis
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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 CSAT Reasoning
Recommended Books
BookAuthorPublisher
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal ReasoningR.S. AgarwalS Chand
A New Approach to REASONING Verbal, Non-Verbal & AnalyticalB.S. Sijwalii & Indu Sijwali Arihant Publications
UPSC CSAT
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  • Syllabus
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UPSC CSAT Reasoning Previous Year Questions

Here are the topic-wise UPSC CSAT reasoning PYQs:

UPSC CSAT Reasoning
Previous Year Questions
SyllogismBlood RelationDirection SenseAlphabetical and Alphanumeric Series
Coding and DecodingCalendarClockContinuous Letter Series
Ranking and Order

Free Material of UPSC CSAT Reasoning

Here are the topic-wise UPSC CSAT Reasoning concepts:

UPSC CSAT Reasoning
Free Material
SyllogismBlood RelationDirection SenseAlphabetical and Alphanumeric Series
Coding and DecodingCalendarClockContinuous 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 CSAT Reasoning
Practice Questions
SyllogismBlood RelationDirection SenseAlphabetical and Alphanumeric Series
Coding and DecodingCalendarClockContinuous Letter Series
Ranking and Order
UPSC CSAT
Free E-Book
  • 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.