Current Affairs
Current events of national and international importance; includes all areas of relevance in governance, policy, economy, environment, science and technology, and international relations within the past 1–2 years.
- National current affairs; Government initiatives and schemes; Economic surveys; PIB updates
- International current affairs; Bilateral and multilateral summits; Global reports and indices
- Important organizations like UN, WHO, IMF, World Bank, WTO, ASEAN, G20, BRICS
- Important awards; sports; personalities in news; defense exercises
History of India and Indian National Movement
Comprehensive study of ancient, medieval, and modern Indian history with emphasis on socio-economic, political, and cultural developments and the freedom struggle.
- Ancient India; Prehistoric period; Indus Valley; Vedic age; Mauryan and Gupta Empires; Sangam age; art and architecture
- Medieval India; Delhi Sultanate; Mughal Empire; Bhakti and Sufi movements; Vijayanagar and regional kingdoms
- Modern India; European penetration; British conquest and expansion; reforms and revolts
- Social and religious reform movements of the 19th and 20th centuries
- Indian National Movement; Revolt of 1857 to 1947; INC sessions; freedom fighters; Gandhian era; constitutional development
Indian and World Geography
Physical, social, and economic geography of India and the world; includes geomorphology, climatology, oceanography, human and economic geography.
- Physical geography; Earth structure; landforms; plate tectonics; volcanoes; earthquakes
- Climatology; monsoons; jet streams; winds; cyclones; precipitation types
- Oceanography; currents; tides; salinity; ocean resources
- Indian geography; rivers; soils; agriculture; natural vegetation; resources; industries
- Human geography; population distribution; migration; urbanization; settlements
- Maps and locations; important places in news
Economic and Social Development
Indian economy and issues of development, inclusion, and planning; macroeconomic concepts and government policies for sustainable growth.
- Macroeconomic concepts; GDP; GNP; inflation; fiscal and monetary policy
- Banking system; financial inclusion; digital economy; budgeting
- Inclusive growth; poverty alleviation; employment and skill development programs
- Sustainable development; SDGs; environment economy linkages
- Human development; demography; health; education; social welfare
- Government schemes and programs for social sectors
Environment and Ecology
Concepts and issues related to ecology, biodiversity, and climate change; Indian and global environmental governance and sustainable management practices.
- Ecology; ecosystem structure and functions; food chains; biodiversity types and values
- Environmental degradation; pollution; waste management; climate change and global warming
- Conservation efforts; wildlife protection; biosphere reserves; national parks
- Global environmental conventions; UNFCCC; CBD; Kyoto Protocol; Paris Agreement
- Indian environment policies; Environment Protection Act; Forest and Wildlife Acts
- Impact assessment; sustainable resource use; environmental organizations
General Science and Technology
General awareness of scientific developments, discoveries, and technological applications relevant to India; emphasis on applied and emerging technologies.
- Basic principles of physics; chemistry; biology and their applications in daily life
- Space technology; ISRO missions; satellites; defense technology
- Biotechnology; genetic engineering; health and disease control innovations
- Information technology; AI; robotics; nanotechnology; cybersecurity
- Agricultural science; renewable energy; environmental technologies
- Achievements of Indians in science and technology
CSAT (Paper II)
Comprehension
Reading comprehension passages in English and Hindi testing ability to understand, analyze and infer information logically from given text.
- Factual comprehension; direct questions based on passages
- Inference and logical conclusion type comprehension
- Tone and attitude of author; vocabulary in context
- Passage based reasoning and summarization
Interpersonal Skills and Communication
Questions assessing interpersonal effectiveness, empathy, and communication clarity in administrative and team settings.
- Basic communication principles; verbal and non verbal cues
- Empathy; emotional intelligence in decision making
- Public relations; interpersonal behavior; listening and persuasion
Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability
Logical thinking; pattern recognition; analytical reasoning and syllogism based problem solving.
- Syllogism; statements and conclusions; assumptions
- Cause and effect; analogies; classification
- Coding decoding; blood relations; direction sense
- Series completion; missing numbers; analytical puzzles
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Case based reasoning problems testing judgment and integrity in administrative situations.
- Situational decision making with ethical context
- Prioritization and resource allocation
- Trade off analysis and stakeholder management
- Conflict resolution and public interest reasoning
General Mental Ability
Quantitative aptitude and reasoning skills covering arithmetic, algebra, and data sufficiency.
- Number systems; divisibility; simplification
- Averages; ratios; proportions; percentages
- Profit and loss; simple and compound interest; time and work
- Time speed distance; boats and trains; mixtures and alligations
- Permutation combination; probability basics
Data Interpretation and Analysis
Interpretation and analysis of quantitative data; ability to draw logical inferences and apply numerical reasoning to real life administrative data.
- Tabular and graphical data interpretation
- Statistical tools; mean; median; mode; range
- Percentage and ratio based analysis
- Trend identification and comparative analysis