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CSAT Questions: Maths, Reasoning, CSAT Practice Questions with Solutions PDF

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: November 14th, 2023

Practicing CSAT Questions would play a vital role for all the candidates preparing for the UPSC exam. The second paper of the UPSC Preliminary exam is also known as Civil Service Aptitude Test. Additionally, glancing at the previous year’s paper would help applicants understand the type of CSAT questions they might encounter for Maths, Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension.

It’s crucial to pass CSAT; else, no matter how well you do in General Studies 1, you won’t be able to pass the UPSC Prelims. We have included UPSC CSAT questions in this post to assist the applicants significantly.

CSAT Practice Questions

Candidates are advised to set up the timer first and then create a comfortable environment for the exam. Start answering the CSAT questions, then look over your results. Use the answer key to check your score and see whether it corresponds to your expectations. If you made mistakes, correct them, and retake the test after some time as it was because you hadn’t practiced enough UPSC CSAT questions or for some other reason.

CSAT Practice Questions with Solutions PDF

Candidates can check out the CSAT practice questions with solutions PDF below to understand the difficulty level of the exam.

Year CSAT Questions PDF Solutions
2022 Download PDF Download Here
2021 Download PDF Download Here
2020 Download PDF Download Here
2019 Download PDF Download Here
2018 Download PDF Download Here

UPSC CSAT Questions

The CSAT Questions are intended to assess candidates’ analytical abilities. Union Public Service Commission made CSAT qualifying in nature from the Year 2015. To qualify for this paper, students must score 33% (66.66 marks out of 200). There are 80 questions asked in the paper, which includes subjects like General Mental Ability, Analytical Reasoning, and English (Reading Comprehension).

Most Important Questions for CSAT 2023

Look at the most important questions to practice for CSAT 2023 paper which is to be conducted on 28 May 2023. These questions will allow candidates to understand the pattern and type of questions expected in the exam.

Math Questions:

Question 1: Simplify the expression: (2 + 3) × (4 – 1) ÷ 5.

Options: a) 4, b) 3, c) 5, d) 6

Answer: b) 3

Question 2: Find the value of ‘x’ in the equation: 3x + 7 = 22.

Options: a) 5, b) 6, c) 7, d) 8

Answer: a) 5

Question 3: A shopkeeper offers a discount of 20% on an item. If the original price is Rs. 500, what is the discounted price? – (a) Rs. 100, (b) Rs. 200, (c) Rs. 300, (d) Rs. 400

Answer: (c) Rs. 300

Reasoning Questions:

Question 1: In a certain code language, “PENCIL” is written as “LNEPIC”. How will “MARKER” be written in the same code language? – (a) ERMRAK, (b) ERAMKR, (c) RKERAM, (d) RMAKER

Answer: b) ERAMKR

Question 2: Arrange the following words in a logical order: Mountain, Valley, River, Forest.

  1. Valley, River, Mountain, Forest
  2. River, Valley, Mountain, Forest
  3. Forest, Mountain, Valley, River
  4. River, Mountain, Forest, Valley

Answer: b) River, Valley, Mountain, Forest

Question 3: If all cats are dogs, and some dogs are birds, which of the following statements is true?

  1. Some birds are cats.
  2. All cats are birds.
  3. Some dogs are cats.
  4. All birds are cats.

Answer: c) Some dogs are cats.

CSAT Maths Questions

Candidates should give Quantitative Aptitude, one of the subjects with the highest scoring ranges, top priority. Work on your fundamentals and attempt as many CSAT Maths questions as possible to pass this section with a command. The UPSC CSAT Aptitude questions are as follows:

Question: If the diagonals and sides of a quadrilateral are equal, then the quadrilateral is: Rhombus, Square, Rectangle, or Parallelogram?

Answer: Square

Question: If the radius of a right circular cylinder is increased by two times, what is the ratio of their volumes?

1: 2, 2: 3, 1 : 4, None of the above

Answer: 1 : 4

Question: Certain 3-digit numbers have the following characteristics:

  • All three digits are different.
  • The number is divisible by 7.
  • The number on reversing the digits is also divisible by 7.

How many such 3-digit numbers are there? – 2, 4, 6, 8

Answer: 4

Question: How many numbers are there between 99 and 1000 such that the digit 8 occupies the unit’s place? – 64, 80, 90, 104

Answer: 90

Along with practicing CSAT Maths questions, also check out other learning material related to it from the following links:

CSAT Reasoning Questions

The exam includes a section on decision-making and logical reasoning. The amount of CSAT Questions asked in the exam has significantly decreased, following previous patterns. The CSAT Reasoning questions are as follows:

Question: In a school, there are five teachers A, B, C, D, and E. A and B teach Hindi and English. C and B teach English and Geography. D and A teach Mathematics and Hindi. E and B teach History and French. Who teaches the maximum number of subjects? – A, B, D, E

Answer: B

Question: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G are members of a family consisting of four adults and three children, two of whom, F and G are girls. A and D are brothers and A is a doctor. E is an engineer married to one of the brothers and has two children. B is married to D and G is their child. Who is C?

  1. E’s daughter
  2. G’s brother
  3. F’s father
  4. A’s son

Answer: A’s son

Question: A number series is given with one term missing. Choose the correct alternative that will continue the same pattern and fill in the blank spaces.

1, 4, 27, 16, ?, 36, 343

  • 121
  • 244
  • 125
  • 81

Answer: 125

Question: Out of 130 students appearing in an exam, 62 failed in Science, 52 failed in English, whereas 24 failed in both Science and English. The number of students who passed is

50, 20, 40, 30

Answer: 40

CSAT Questions: Reading Comprehension

A total of 25 to 30 CSAT questions, or 33% to 38% of the questions on the paper, are under the subject of Reading Comprehension and were included in exams from the previous year. The UPSC CSAT questions for this section are as follows:

csat reading comprehension questions

CSAT Questions: Subjects to Prioritize

Quantitative Aptitude is the subject with the highest weightage, and most of the CSAT questions are asked from this subject. The number of Aptitude questions has increased, according to the information in the table. In 2020, a total of 40 questions were derived from this area. Candidates should prioritize all topics included in this subject because it is one of the subjects with the highest scores. Work on your fundamentals and attempt as many CSAT Maths questions as possible to pass this section with a command.

Around 35% of UPSC CSAT questions are asked on reading comprehension. Therefore, it is critical to comprehend the passage and approach the CSAT questions in a coordinated manner.

The following topics will be covered after the abovementioned: Logical Reasoning and Decision-making. The number of UPSC CSAT Questions for Reasoning has significantly decreased, in line with prior patterns. Fifteen questions on this topic were asked last year. Even if this subject’s weightage was lower in the UPSC previous year question papers, it is still advisable to thoroughly prepare for each area so that you can perform well under any circumstance.

Tips to Prepare for CSAT Questions

Understanding what to avoid and what to attempt is critical for candidates, given how the UPSC structures its CSAT questions. Candidate preparation for the CSAT must be based on a sound strategy, as simply preparing to qualify will not work. The following are some tips based on the CSAT Previous Year Question Papers. They will undoubtedly be helpful to you when answering CSAT questions.

  • Candidates need to get their essential English better. Reading magazine articles, editorials, and newspaper stories will improve your reading skills. Practice with the understanding section questions from past years’ CSAT questions is crucial.
  • If a candidate is familiar with the questions in the Reasoning section, they can typically answer them. One should practice at least 50 to 60 questions each day to successfully attempt the majority of CSAT questions.
  • Since the majority of the questions on Basic Numeracy are matriculation level, they will be simple to answer. Better scores can be achieved with consistent practice and comprehension of the fundamental ideas. Practicing 40 to 50 CSAT Maths questions is necessary.
  • To test your skills, solve several CSAT practice questions from the mock tests daily.

Best Books for CSAT Practice Questions

Every student requires a trustworthy and reliable book for CSAT Questions. Although there are plenty of resources online, having CSAT Books to practice questions might be a sensible decision. The best books for the UPSC CSAT practice questions are listed below:

Book for CSAT Questions Publisher
Analytical Reasoning M K Pandey
The Mantra of CSAT Paper 2 Gautam Puri
General Studies Paper 2 Tata McGraw Hill
Cracking the Civil Services Aptitude Test Paper 2 Arihant
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning R.S. Aggrawal

Previous Year Trend Analysis of CSAT Questions

Knowing the subject-wise weightage of the CSAT questions asked in the previous exams is the first step in smart preparation. For each area, the CSAT questions trend has been extracted by our team of experts. You can prioritize your concentration by looking at the table below to see how many questions were asked on each subject in the UPSC CSAT:

Subject Wise CSAT Questions Trend
Year No. of Quantitative Aptitude Questions No. of Reading Comprehension Questions No. of Logical Reasoning Questions
2014 15 33 32
2015 21 29 30
2016 25 28 27
2017 23 27 30
2018 31 23 26
2019 26 24 30
2020 40 15 25

How to Solve CSAT Questions?

The following are some important pointers an aspirant should keep in mind while solving CSAT Questions:

  • Spend some time on the questions if you believe that your general English comprehension and fundamental Math skills fall short of the mark.
  • Practicing an adequate number of CSAT practice questions for the exam will suffice for candidates who are comfortable with the types of questions asked on the Paper.
  • Finishing the 80 CSAT questions in the allotted two hours would be very challenging if candidates did not practice the question papers.
  • Candidates need to receive at least 66 marks. Even if they receive very high scores on the GS paper, it won’t assist them in passing the IAS prelims stage if they don’t qualify.
  • Candidates can utilize specific tried-and-true mathematical techniques to help them solve arithmetic problems more quickly on the exam.
  • Some of the CSAT questions are lengthy and take time. Candidates should take a test series or practice with practice papers now more than ever.
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