First things first
This is the second paper of the 2011 UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination, the paper that tests comprehension, reasoning, numeracy and decision making instead of recalled facts. The standard-series booklet is bilingual, around 1.3 MB, and was preserved from the commission’s older website. A different page on this site holds the X Series booklet of the same paper. Neither includes answers.
Skills assessed
| Skill | Typical form |
|---|---|
| Comprehension | Passages with inference questions |
| Logic | Series, arrangements, syllogisms, directions |
| Numeracy | Percentages, ratios, averages, time and work |
| Data | Tables and graphs with comparison questions |
| Judgement | Situational decision items |
Who needs to practise it most
Aspirants from arts and humanities backgrounds often worry about this paper, and rightly so, since it is a qualifying hurdle. Engineers and graduates comfortable with numbers sometimes neglect comprehension and lose marks there. Pick the section where you are weakest and give it a fixed daily slot.
Practice routine
- Take the paper in a single sitting with a timer.
- Record how many minutes each type of question consumed.
- Redo every wrong numeracy question by a second method.
- Summarise each comprehension passage in one sentence to train focus.
Where it meets the syllabus
The paper corresponds to the aptitude heading in the notified syllabus for the Preliminary stage: comprehension, interpersonal skills, logical reasoning, decision making, mental ability, basic numeracy and data interpretation. Because the topics repeat in new forms every year, early papers give a clean introduction to each type.
Time targets
Aim to spend roughly the same time on each question and to leave a short buffer at the end. If a reasoning puzzle needs more than two minutes, skip it, because the same minutes will earn more elsewhere in the paper.
Keep a tally of skipped questions and return to them last. Many candidates find that a calm second look solves puzzles that felt impossible on the first.
Finally, review your errors by type. Misreading a passage, slipping in arithmetic and falling for a trap option each need a different cure, so label every mistake before you plan the next sitting.
Printed practice
Competer carries printed CSAT books and UPSC prelims paper collections in case you prefer to practise on paper rather than from a screen.
