Mrunal (Studyplan) CSAT Aptitude Paper 2 - Comprehension & Reasoning, Analysis, Previous Papers, Free Studymaterial, Cutoffs (Part 1 of 3) Mrunal

6/13/2014 Mrunal [Studyplan] CSAT Aptitude Paper 2: Comprehension & Reasoning, analysis, previous papers, free studymaterial, cutoffs
(part 1 of 3) Mrunal
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[Studyplan] CSAT Aptitude Paper 2: Comprehension & Reasoning, analysis, previous
papers, free studymaterial, cutoffs (part 1 of 3)
1. Chart: Analysis of all CSAT papers so far
2. [Section I] Comprehension for CSAT
1. Step1: Finish theory
2. How to prepare high level reasoning?
3. Step#2: Move hands while reading passage
4. Step#3: Maximum practice
5. Comprehension: Why read Non-GS columns?
6. What about the English passages?
3. [Section II] Reasoning for CSAT
1. [Block 1] High level (HL) reasoning in CSAT
1. Sample questions: Logical Connectives
2. Sample questions: Syllogism
2. [Block2] Arrangement
1. A1: Blood relation
2. A2: Grouping: People vs clothing/city/occupation/relation
3. A3: Line Sequence / Comparison problems
4. A4: Arrangement: table Circular / Rectangular
5. A5: Conditional Team selection
6. A6: Scheduling lectures, events, journey
7. A7: Direction sense test
3. [Block 3] Reasoning: Non Verbal
4. [Block 4] Reasoning: Misc. Topics / Low priority
1. M1: Missing number pattern
2. M2: Sequence Series
3. M3: Coding decoding
4. M4: Logical Venn Diagrams
5. M5: Calendar
6. M6: Data Sufficiency (DS)
5. [Block 5] Reasoning: Totally Ignore these topics
4. Study schedule for the remaining days
5. Why people cant finish paper?
1. P1: Start with English passages
2. P2: Dont keep counting black circles in OMR sheet
3. P3: Dont come back for sets
4. P4: Keep sitter Questions for the end
6. Become data processor NOT data collector
7. Booklist for CSAT exam Paper II?
1. Backup#1: Banking, insurance etc.
2. Backup#2: no competitive exam
3. Backup#3: higher difficulty exams
8. Book related doubts
9. Appendix1: Sacred cutoffs of CSAT prelim exams
10. Appendix2: Download links
Prologue to a mile long article
6/13/2014 Mrunal [Studyplan] CSAT Aptitude Paper 2: Comprehension & Reasoning, analysis, previous papers, free studymaterial, cutoffs (part 1 of 3) Mrunal
Yes, Just like YOYO Honey Singh, Im also alive. and [Current] series will be resumed soon but
first, How to prepare for CSAT paper II (aptitude) in a systematic and time-bound manner that
too via selfstudy?
1. Comprehension and Reasoning Youre here
2. Mathematics & Data Interpretation: high priority topics
3. Decision Making + Mathematics: Medium & low priority topics
Structure of CSAT paper II (Aptitude)
Total Questions: 80
Total Marks: 200
Marks for correct answer: 2.5
Negative marking: Yes MINUS 0.83 marks. i.e. -33% of correct answer.
Sectional cutoffs: No. They combine marks for both paper I and paper II to select
candidates for next stage the Mains exam.
Four Sections of CSAT Paper II (Aptitude)
1. Comprehension (i) to test your understanding (ii) to test English
2. Reasoning
3. Mathematics
4. Decision making (without negative marking)
Chart: Analysis of all CSAT papers so far
From above charts, it is evident that in all three years, maximum number of questions have come
from Comprehension. So, lets start with that.
[Section I] Comprehension for CSAT
HL: High level reasoning (Find assumption, inference, central theme in the passage)
Reading Comprehension 201120122013
Comprehension passages (printed in both Hindi and English) 28 32 24
Passages to test your English knowledge (printed only in English) 9 8 8
Total 37 40 32
UPSC comprehension passages are tougher than banking, insurance, staff selection and State
PSCs because:
1. CSAT comprehension dont ask straightforward who, when or where type of MCQs.
2. Even when they ask what and why, you cant find answer directly from a single
sentence of the passage. They test your understanding of the entire passage.
3. In CSAT 2011 and 2012, one passage would contain set of 5-6 MCQs. But in 2013, one
passage contains barely 2-3 questions. Hence youve to read more number of passages to
get same amount of MCQs. Similar trend in sitting arrangement and data interpretation
sets. [Same trend in CAT- upto mid-2000s, one passage 5 MCQs, nowadays 1 passage
contains barely two MCQs.]
4. They even ask High level reasoning questions within the passages. (Find assumptions /
inferences)
Step1: Finish theory
Youll encounter the High level reasoning topic within Comprehension segment, for example:
Assumptions
1. Which of the following assumptions are valid? then 2-3-4 statements given
2. With reference to the passage, which of the above assumptions is/are valid?
Interferences
3. What does the author imply?
4. What does the passage imply?
5. Which one of the following statements conveys the inference of the passage?
6. Which of the following inferences can be made from the passage?
Central theme*
7. Which of the following statements constitute central passage of the theme?
8. What is the essential message being conveyed?
9. Which of the following best describes the thoughts of the author?
10. Which one of the following statements constitutes the central theme of this passage?
These are examples of HIGH LEVEL REASONING.
*as such central theme is not high level reasoning question, but to confuse you, they provide
assumptions and inferences as wrong options.
Passages Questions 201120122013
Comprehension
passages
High level reasoning (HL) Find assumption, inference,
central theme
10 8 8
other MCQs e.g. finding meaning of a phrase, cause-effect
etc.
14 24 20
A. Subtotal: Comprehension 28 32 24
B. English
passages
i.e. those easy passage given before Decision Making
segment, and only printed in English. No Hindi translation
give.
9 8 8
Total MCQs A+B 37 40 32
Many candidates dont need to practice comprehension at home. And in the exam, they make
silly mistakes by mixing up facts, assumptions, and inferences with the central theme. You need a
strong grip over high level reasoning theory to tick correct option in this section.
How to prepare high level reasoning?
Recommended Book: Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey (BSC Publication)
RS Aggarwal also covers these topics but MK Pandeys explanations and examples are much
more refined and lucid, particularly for comprehension angle.
CSAT Manuals by TMH, Pearson, Arihant etc. also cover, but not in a thorough manner.
As such MK Pandey is written for Bank exams, hence not all chapters are important for
UPSC. Do selective study in following sequence
Chapter Title Topics to focus
1
basic of
logic
How to identify conclusion? he has given list of keywords on page 6.
2
some
information
tips
Logical connective theory explained on page 19 and 20. He did not use
the word Logical Connective. He calls them hypothetical
reasoning. But either way its important for both CSAT and CAT. After
that read following article:
[Reasoning] Logical Connectives (if, unless, either or) for CSAT, CAT
shortcuts formulas approach explained
3 Assumptions
Page 29. When assumption is invalid?
Page 30. When assumption cannot be out rightly rejected?
page33. Difference between implications and assumption.
All the practice exercises + read the full explanation given in the
answers- why he classified something as Assumption?
Otherwise in the comprehension youll always endup in 50:50
doubt.
Page 53: Exercise 3C, particularly the end part questions dealing
with assumption in passages.
5
Evaluating
inference
Page 119-122: how to avoid confusion while deriving inference?
Page 127 onwards: all the question passages. Also read full
explanation given in the answers.
10 Cause Effect
Page 287 onwards: differentiating between immediate cause vs
principle cause. Itll help particularly in the passages related to science,
environment or economy.
6
evaluating
the given
course of
action
This will also help indirectly in the Decision Making Questions:
Page 168: how to determine whether a suggestion action reduces
or solves the problem?
Page 171: how to determine if suggestion solution is practical or
not?
Page 172: are you solving the problem or creating a new one?
After above Core theory is done, go through following:
Ch.4 Forcefulness of the arguments.
Ch.9 Strengthening and weakening the arguments
Ch.8 Punch line.
So far, UPSC hasnt asked GMAT like questions about strengthen/weaken arguments in the
given passage. But nonetheless, above theory will help you digest the passages better.
Step#2: Move hands while reading passage
ManhattanGMAT
TM
is a prominent coaching class in USA(!) Their comprehension tips are worth
implementing for CSAT. While reading the passage, do two things:
1. Note down the assumption & premises on the margin, in a short-hand note.
2. Highlight the important phrases. (GMAT/CAT done online, their software has this facility.
You can do the same even on paper question paper via pen / highlighter)
This helps quickly eliminating options without having to re-read the whole passage again and
again, thus saving precious time during the exam. To see practical demo, go to following links.
Their instructor Stacey Koprince showed her own notes and thought process while reading the
passage:
1. Passage: Language of the leader
2. Passage: Meteor showers part I; Part II
3. Passage: Multinational corporations
Additional tips from the same instructor:
3. How not to read the passage? 90% focus vs 20% focus
4. How to find the central theme / central point?
Once this is over, time for maximum practice. How?
Step#3: Maximum practice for Comprehension?
As such every publication house has released a separate book on comprehension. But Im
not impressed with their content vs MRP.
Most of their tips are just bolbachhan without telling specifically do this or do that.
Then they give 20-30 practice passages and charge 200-300 rupees. But the quality of their
passages doesnt even justify 50 rupees for the book.
If you can get such books from library then do borrow and practice. Otherwise dont waste
money buying such special comprehension books for CSAT.
For practice you can use following resources:
1. Last three years CSAT papers- to get a taste of the difficulty level of UPSC. (download
links given in appendix of this article)
2. 500 passages gathered from pagalguy.coms old threads related to CAT preparation for
year 2011 and 2012. (download links given in appendix of this article)
3. Pagalguy thread for CAT RC discussion 2013
4. this website got another 250 passages: codecoax.com/grerc/
You can find many more resources by just a google search. e.g. just type 1000 comprehension
passages But keep in mind just ~3 months left. Dont get fixated over RC. Youve to prepare &
practice other topics as well.
Comprehension: Why read Non-GS columns?
UPSC examiner doesnt write new passage himself. He merely cut-pastes the passages
from prominent English newspapers and academic books. From his side, he only designs
the MCQs, and gives Hindi translations.
Therefore, irrespective of your medium in mains exam, you have to read English
newspapers and magazines.
Just because you finished college in English medium, doesnt automatically make you
master of English. Avoid such overconfidence.
The English textbooks youve read for engineering, medicine, pharma or commerce
theyre *NOT* the same English that UPSC passages will contain. Therefore, youve to get
yourself familiar with the sentence flow and vocabulary of such academic / column type
passages.
Otherwise, in the exam, youll take 15 minutes just to read one passage, while other
players finish the same within 3 minutes. In past exams, many candidates failed to finish
entire paper, only because of this reason.
To get a taste of comprehension passages, the best place is the Book review segment
within Hindu, Indian express, Frontline and EPW. Because they first talk about the book,
then about the contemporary issue dealt in the book e.g. arts, economics, science,
environment, philosophy etc.
Links:
1. indianexpress.com/tag/book-review/
2. thehindu.com/books/
3. epw.in/book-reviews
4. frontline.in/books/ (requires free registration)
of course it doesnt mean youve to read all four each day. Just keep an eye as and when you get
time. Most candidates avoid such articles/columns in newspaper, thinking this is not important
for General studies syllabus. But Keep in mind-Comprehension is a perishable skill that must
be polished with regular reading of such non-GS English columns.
By the way,
What about the English passages?
Yes, what to do with those easy passages given before decision making questions? (i.e.
printed only in English and not in Hindi)
As such no separate preparation necessary. Because MK Pandey is entirely in English. So
once youre done with that theory, youve automatically gained knowledge of such easy
English passages.
But still for practice of such passages, you may go through papersets of Bank and SSC
exams (only if youve time left!)
Anyways, enough of comprehension, lets move to the next segment of CSAT paper II:
[Section II] Reasoning for CSAT
Type Reasoning Topics 2011 2012 2013
High Level
Syllogism 3 5 0
Logical connectives 0 2 0
assumption / inference / conclusion 0 5 0
Subtotal: High level Reasoning 3 12 0
Arrangement
1 case vs. many questions 0 5 11
1 case 1 question 1 7 5
blood relation 3 1 0
Direction sense test 1 0 0
Sub Total: Sitting Arrangement 5 13 16
Non-Verbal
reflection from mirror 1 0 0
min. colors required to paint 1 0 0
which figure next 0 2 3
Cube figure 0 2 1
Subtotal: Non-Verbal 2 4 4
Misc
Venn Diagrams 1 1 1
Missing number pattern 1 0 3
Subtotal: Misc 2 1 4
Total
Final Total Reasoning 12 30 24
% weightage in Paper II 15 37.5 30
[Block 1] High level (HL) reasoning in CSAT
UPSC asked no syllogism / logical connectives in 2013, but they filled up the quota of high
level reasoning by asking 8 such MCQ (find assumption, inference etc) within 32
comprehension MCQs.
High level reasoning (HLR) 2011 2012 2013
Standalone MCQs within reasoning section 3 12 0
HLR-MCQs within comprehension section 10 8 8
total HL reasoning 13 20 8
% weightage in CSAT Paper II (out of 80) 16% 25% 10%
Weve already prepared the high level reasoning for comprehension i.e. logical connectives,
assertion, reasoning, central theme from MK Pandeys book. Only one important topic left =
Syllogism.
Syllogism
For this, refer to MK Pandeys Chapter 11 page 301 onwards.
Start with mastering two statements. e.g. all cats are dogs, all dogs are pigs then which of
the following conclusion is valid? then move to three statement and four statement
syllogism.
MK Pandey has explained two methods to solve syllogism: AEIO method vs Venn diagram.
I prefer AEIO, some prefer Venn diagram, and you can pick whichever you find more
comfortable. Either way, do all the exercises and read the answer explanations in his book.
If you prefer AEIO method, then:
Mug up the tables given on 306, 307, 311, 321 (short form of table6) and read following
articles(theyre based on AEIO method)
[Reasoning] Syllogism (All Cats are Dogs): Method, approach, techniques, shortcuts explained for IBPS,
SSC, CSAT and CAT
[Reasoning] Three-Statement Syllogism: technique, method, shortcuts for IBPS, SSC, CSAT, CAT,
CMAT
[Reasoning Q] 3-Statement Syllogism doubt Question: Apples, Mangoes, Vegetarians
[Reasoning] 4-Statement Syllogism: Approach, Techniques, explained for SBI PO (High level reasoning)
and UPSC CSAT paper 2
If you still have time and mood, you can get additional practice from RS Aggarwals book. But
thatd be an overkill because only ~3 months left.
Sample questions: Logical Connectives
(Prelim 1995) Which of the following can be inferred from the statement that Either
John is stupid or John is lazy?
a. John is lazy/therefore, John is not stupid
b. John is not lazy/therefore, John is stupid
c. John is not stupid/therefore, John is lazy
d. John is stupid/therefore, John is not lazy
(CSAT 2012)
Examine the following statements:
1. I watch TV only if I am bored
2. I am never bored when I have my brothers company.
3. Whenever I go to the theatre I take my brother along.
Which one of the following conclusions is valid in the context of the above statements?
A. If I am bored I watch TV
B. If I am bored, I seek my brothers company.
C. If I am not with my brother, than ill watch TV.
D. If I am not bored I do not watch TV.
(CSAT 2012) Consider the following statements:
1. Either A & B are of same age or A is older than B
2. Either C & D are of same age or D is older than C
3. B is older than C
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
a. A is older than B
b. B and D are of the same age
c. D is older than C
d. A is older than C
Sample questions: Syllogism
(Prelim 1998) consider following statements:
1. all members of Mohans family are honest
2. some members of mohans family are not employed
3. some employed persons are not honest
4. some honest persons are not employed.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn from above statements?
a. all members of Mohans family are employed.
b. all employed members of Mohans family are honest
c. the honest members of Mohans family are not employed
d. the employed members of Mohans family are not honest.
(CSAT 2011). Examine the following statements:
1. All animals are carnivorous.
2. Some animals are not carnivorous.
3. Animals are not carnivorous.
4. Some animals are carnivorous.
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/studyplan-csat-aptitude-paper-2-comprehension-reasoning-analysis-previous-papers-free-studymaterial-cutoffs-part-1-2.html/p 10/24
Codes:
a. 1 and 3
b. 1 and 2
c. 2 and 3
d. 3 and 4
(CSAT 2011) Examine the following statements:
1. All trains are run by diesel engine.
2. Some trains are run by diesel engine.
3. No train is run by diesel engine.
4. Some trains are not run by diesel engine.
Codes:
A. 1 and 2
B. 2 and 3
C. 1 and 3
D. 1 and 4
1. All artists are whimsical.
2. Some artists are drug addicts.
3. Frustrated people are prone to become drug addicts.
From the above three statements it may be concluded that:
a. Artists are frustrated
b. Some drug addicts are whimsical
c. All frustrated people are drug addicts.
d. Whimsical people are generally frustrated
1. Only those who have a pair of binoculars can become the member of the birdwatchers
club.
2. Some members of the birdwatchers club have cameras.
3. Those members who have cameras can take part in photo-contests.
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the above statements?
a. All those who have a pair of binoculars are members of the birdwatchers club.
b. All members of the birdwatchers club have a pair of binoculars.
c. All those who take part in photo-contests are members of the birdwatchers club.
d. No conclusion can be drawn.
[Block2] Arrangement
Within arrangement, I also include blood relation and direction sense test because in all
such sums, youve to drag a chart/diagram in the rough sheets to get the answer.
MK Pandey has covered them under Chapter 20 Problem solving. For additional practice
you can use RS Aggarwals chapter 5, 6 and 8.
A1: Blood relation
(1998) A to F are members of a family consisting 4 adults and 3 children. A and D are
brothers, A is 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?
(2009) There is a family of 6 persons A, B, C, D, E and F. There are two married couples in
the family. The family members are lawyer, teacher, salesman, engineer, accountant and
doctor. D, the salesman is married to the lady teacher. The doctor is married to the lawyer.
F, the accountant is the son of B and brother of E. C, the lawyer is the daughter-in-law pf A.
E is the unmarried engineer. A is the grandmother of F. How is E related to F?
(CSAT 2011) A is the brother of B, C is the father of A, D is brother of E, E is the
daughter of B Then, the uncle of D is?
MK Pandey Chapter 20 from Page 612 onwards. Understand the concept of backtracking
and how to draw family tree- especially for complex problems like A is wife of B who is
not an engineer etc.
then do all exercises in 20A (page 628 onwards). but it is only for warmup. The real
UPSC level sets begin from Exercise 20B and 20C. First solve them on your own, then
understand the full explanation and technique shown by MK Pandey.
Page Questions
combined problem of blood
relation plus __.
Explanation
633 12-19 intelligence comparison 670
635 27-31 Weight comparison. 673
638 51-55
Sitting arrangement + age
comparison.
680 (but he did not explain this one, just
gave answer)
643 79-83 Trait comparison. 687-688
653 50-54 occupation 705
653 55-59 occupation 705
655 70-73 nothing 706
660 111-115 nothing try yourself
662 132-135 surnames 709
For additional practice, you may refer RS Aggarwal Ch. 5 Blood relations (page 261 onwards) .
To complicate the question, often the examiner doesnt ask straightforward blood relation but
embeds it in the problem related to grouping- people vs. relation vs occupation vs car color and
so on. Hence our next preparation should focus on:
A2: Grouping: People vs clothing/city/occupation/relation
(Prelims 2010) Gopal, Harsh, Inder, Jai and Krishnan have Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Cuttack, Delhi
and Ernakulam as their hometowns (Not necessarily in that order). They are studying in
Engineering, Medical, Commerce, Economics and History Colleges (Not necessarily in that
order). None of the five boys is studying in his hometown, but each of them studies in one of the
cities given above.Further, it is given that:
i. Gopals hometown is Ernakulam.
ii. Harsh is not studying in Ahmedabad or Bhopal.
iii. Economic college is in Bhopal.
iv. Inders hometown is cuttack.
v. Krishnan is studying in Delhi.
vi. Jai is studying in Ernakulam and the History College4 is in his hometown Ahmedabad.
vii. Engineering College is situated in Ernakulam.
**then youve to solve four MCQs about who belongs to which city and college.
(CSAT 2012) Three persons A, B & C wear shirts of Black, Blue and Orange colours (not
necessarily in the order). No person wore shirt and pant of the same colour. Further, it is
given that, A did not wear shirt of black colour. B did not wear shirt of blue colour. C did
not wear shirt of orange colour. A did not wear the pants of green colour. B wore pants of
orange colour. What were the colours of the pants and shirts worn by C respectively?
(CSAT 2013) In five flats, one above the other, live five professionals. The professor has
to go up to meet his IAS officer friend. The doctor is equally friendly to all, and has to go
up as frequently as go down. The engineer has to go up to meet his MLA friend above
whose flat lives the professors friend. From the ground floor to the top floor, in what
order do the five professionals live?
How to prepare? In MK Pandey Chapter 20:
Page Questions understand his technique explained in page __
599 ex1 602
632 1-5 667
638-39 51-55 680 although has no explanation
657 88-92 707
658 98-102 707
663 140-144 710
664 145-149 710
A3: Line Sequence / Comparison problems
Youre given information about people standing in a line / cars parked / marks or height or wealth
of people in a sequence, then youve to solve the MCQs. observe samples:
(Prelims 2010) P, Q, R and S are four men. P oldest but not poorest. R richest but not
oldest. Q older than S but not than P or R. P richer than Q but not S. Arrange these men in
descending order of their age and richness.
(CSAT 2011) In a queue, Mr. X is fourteenth from the front and Mr. Y is seventeenth from
the end, while Mr. Z is exactly in between Mr. X and Mr. Y. If Mr. X is ahead Mr. Y and
there are 48 persons in the queue, how many persons are then between Mr. X and Mr. Z?
(CSAT 2012) Rama scored more than Rani. Rani scored less than Ratna. Ratna scored
more than Rama. Padma scored more than Rama but less than Ratna. Who scored the
highest?
608-09 Point (3), Ex.7 609-10
633 12-19 670
635 27-31 673
644-45 91-95 689
645-46 96-100 690
649-51 25-36 699-700
654 65-69 706
660 116-121 708
661 122-126 708-709
Additional practice: RS Aggarwal ch.6 on puzzle tests.
A4: Arrangement: table Circular / Rectangular
(2000) A to F are sitting on a circular table. A is between D and F. C opposite of D. D and E are
not on neighboring chairs. Which of the following must be true? (then various possibilities given
(CSAT 2013) Five people A, B, C, D and E are, seated about a round table, every chair is spaced
equidistant from adjacent chairs. C is seated next to A. A is seated two seats from D. B is not
seated next to A. Which of the following must be true?
I. D is seated next to B.
II. E is seated next to A.
III. Both 1 and 2
IV. Neither 1 nor 2
604-
05
Ex5, Ex6
606-608. pay attention to definite information vs comparative information
vs negative information and how he utilizes all three of them to make the
arrangement.
637 39-43
677-678 observe how he prepares diagram to accommodate complex info-
gender vs marital status vs position on a circular table
640 62-71
681-684. again observe how he prepared diagram to accommodate complex
info of gender vs profession vs intelligence vs position on a rectangular
table.
654 60-64 This is for self-exercise.
655 74-77 this is for self-exercise
659 108-110 708
661 122-126 708-709
Then RS Aggarwal Ch 6
A5: Conditional Team selection
(CSAT 2013) A tennis coach is trying to put together a team of four players for the
forthcoming tournament. For this 7 players are available: males A, Band C; and females W,
X, Y and Z. All players have equal capability and at least 2 males will be there in the team.
For a team of four, all players must be able to play with each other. But, B cannot play with
W, C cannot play with Z and W cannot play with Y. Then 3 MCQ given
(CSAT 2013) The music director of a film wants to select four persons to work on
different aspects of the composition of a piece of music. Seven persons are available for
this work; they are Rohit, Tanya, Shobha, Kaushal, Kunal, Mukesh and J aswant. Rohit and
Tanya will not work together. Kunal and Shobha will not work together. Mukesh and Kunal
want to work together. the only MCQ given.
How to prepare? MK Pandey Chapter 20:
621 Ex14
621-623. Obverse his shortcut method, he focuses on the options that are
blatantly violating the selection rules, thus he eliminates wrong options
quickly.
636 32-38 674 to 676
643 84-90 688- important dont misread the last condition!
652 44-49 703 to 705
658 93-97 this is for self-exercise
Then RS Aggarwal Ch.6 Type 5: from page 356 onwards.
A6: Scheduling lectures, events, journey
Observe the pattern of MCQs asked in previous CSAT exams:
(CSAT 2012) Guest lectures on five subjects viz., Economics, History, Statistics, English
and Mathematics have to be arranged in a week from Monday to Friday. Only one lecture
can be arranged on each day. Economics cannot be scheduled on Tuesday. Guest faculty for
History is available only on Tuesday. Mathematics lecture has to be schedules immediately
after the day of Economics lecture. English lecture has to be scheduled immediately
before the day of Economics lecture. ***then MCQs start**
634 20-26 671-673
638 44-50 678-679
641 72-78 684-687
651 37-43 702
656 78-82 706
659 103-107 708
662 127-131 709
For additional practice, RS Aggarwal Ch6 Puzzle test (page 288)
A7: Direction sense test
Sample questions from previous prelims
(2009) A person travels 12 km due North, then 15 km due East, after that 15 km due West and
then 18 km due South. How far is he from the starting point?
1. 6 km
2. 12 km
3. 33 km
4. 60 km
(2010)In a meeting, the map of a village was placed in such a manner that south-east becomes
north, north-east becomes west and so on. What will south become?
1. North
2. North-east
3. North-west
4. West
(2011) The houses of A and B face each other on a road going north-south, As being on the
western side. A comes out of his house, turns left, travels 5 km, turns right, travels 5 km to the
front of Ds house. B does exactly the same and reaches the front of Cs house. In this context,
which one of the following statements is correct?
a. C and D live on the same street.
b. Cs house faces south.
c. The houses of C than 20 km apart.
d. None of the above
How to prepare?
MK Pandey doesnt deal with Direction sense test topic. For this consult RS Aggarwal Chapter
8.
[Block 3] Reasoning: Non Verbal
Non-Verbal 201120122013
reflection from mirror 1 0 0
Min. colors required to paint the given figure. 1 0 0
which figure next (similar to those SSC/Bank question) 0 2 3
Cube figure which side will have what color / number / alphabet. 0 2 1
Subtotal: Non-Verbal 2 4 4
MK Pandey doesnt cover non-verbal reasoning
Preparation source: A modern Approach to verbal and non-verbal reasoning, RS Aggarwal
(S.Chand Publication)
solve all the chapters given under in the non-verbal reasoning section of that book-Even
chapters related to paper cutting and paper folding type MCQs.
Reason: UPSC is full of uncertainty. Similarly nothing prevents them from asking paper
cutting / paper folding type questions. So practice a few sum from each variety.
Reserve the practice quota of non-verbal, for the last month before exam. Because even if
you begin right now (June), your skill/dexterity will perish by August end. Besides you
cannot really makes revision notes for this topic. (Except a few points in cube theory-
number of faces, how many smaller cubes if x number of cuts are made etc.)
Just like find missing number MCQs, these should also be done at last during the exam.
Sometimes particularly in the cube questions, candidates cannot crack the pattern and
unnecessarily waste 10-15 minutes for a one MCQ. Avoid doing that. Save these non-
verbal reasoning questions for the end.
[Block 4] Reasoning: Misc. Topics / Low priority
Odd ball topics = Not regularly asked in large amount. You cannot see a pattern over the years-
unlike sitting arrangement or assumption-inference.
Reasoning Misc. 201120122013
Missing number pattern 1 0 3
Venn Diagrams 1 1 1
total 2 1 4
M1: Missing number pattern
(Prelim 2006) find the missing number X in following series
fig1 fig2 fig3
16 64 64
9 18 25 25 18 1 9 18 1
36 16 X
Answer choice: 4 / 16 / 25 / 36.
(CSAT 2013) find the missing number X in following series
figure 1 figure 2 figure3
84 81 88
14 12 18 9 ? 11
The missing number (?) in figure 3 is? Answer choice: 7/16/21/28
Preparation source: RS Aggarwal Ch16: Inserting the missing character Page 628 and
practice the sums
Tip: in the exam, solve these sums in the end. Because sometimes it may take 10 seconds,
and sometimes even after 10 minutes of trial-error you may not see the pattern. So dont
waste too much time.
M2: Sequence Series
(1995) consider the series given below. 4/12/95, 1/1/96, 26/2/96, The next term of the series
is
a. 24/3/96
b. 25/3/96
c. 26/3/96
d. 27/3/96
(1998) .Which one of the following satisfies relationship Dda:aDD:Rrb: ?
a. DDA
b. RRR
c. bRR
d. BBr
In the missing number questions we saw UPSC asked it twice- 2006 and 2013. So far
UPSC hasnt asked sequence/series- but nothing prevents them from asking, especially
under the aegis of Chairman DP Agarwal, to break the backs of coaching classes and senior
players. Therefore, you should prepare such chillar topics as well.
Dont live under overconfidence that just because xyz topic was not asked in last three
exams, so UPSC will never ask it in future exams.
Preparation Source: RS Aggarwal,
Chapter 2 number analogy, following types
Type 8: number analogy
Type 9: Alphabet Analogy
Chapter 3: Classification, following types
Type 4: choosing odd numerical (indirectly helpful in missing number)
Type 5: choosing the odd letter group
M3: Coding decoding
(1999) In a code language, SOLID is, written as WPSLPIMFHA. What does the code
ATEXXXQIBVO refer to?
a. EAGER
b. WAFER
c. WAGER
d. WATER
(2000) In a certain code, MARCH is written as OCTEJ, how is RETURN written in that code?
A. TFUVSM
B. QGSTQM
C. TGVWTP
D. TGRVSO
Preparation Source: RS Aggarwal, Chapter 4.
Optional: MK Pandey Chapter 17 and 19 on coded relationships and inequalities
M4: Logical Venn Diagrams
There are two type of Venn diagram questions
1. Mathematical: in a society 30% people drink coffee and 50%.well see about this in next
article under Maths strategy.
2. Logical: youre given a complex Venn diagram, without any quantity or percentages. It
contains overlapping of squares, rectangles, circles and triangles, then you have to identify
which of them are both singer and painters etc.
In last three exams, UPSC asked both type of Venn diagrams. They also asked such MCQs in
1996, 1998 and 2001. Hence should be prepared.
Preparation Source: RS Aggarwal, Chapter 9 Logical Venn diagrams.
What to do with mathematical Venn diagrams? well see in next article under Maths strategy.
M5: Calendar
Sample questions from previous prelims
(2008) March 1, 2008 was Saturday. Which day was it on March 1, 2002?
a. Thursday
b. Friday
c. Saturday
d. Sunday
Preparation source: My article under Aptitude series- click me
By the way, I consider Permutation, combination, probability, clock angles and mathematical
Venn diagrams as part of mathematics. Well see them in next part.
M6: Data Sufficiency (DS)
Not seen in recent times, but has been asked in pre-CSAT era, as part of age / sitting arrangement
/ blood relation type problems. Observe
(2006) P, Q, R, S and T live in a five storied building (ground+4), and each of them resides
on a separate floor. Further,
1. T doesnt reside on topmost floor
2. Q doesnt reside on ground floor
3. S resides on one story above P, and one below R.
To know which person resides on ground floor, which of the above statements are sufficient?
a. only 1 and 3 sufficient
b. only 2 and 3 sufficient
c. 1, 2 and 3 are sufficient
d. 1, 2 and 3 are insufficient.
(2006) they gave four dice figures. and asked which of them are sufficient to find out the
numbers opposite to each other.
How to prepare DATA SUFFICIENCY?
Prepare data sufficiency ONLY after learning all the theories in reasoning and
mathematics- particularly age problems and number system.
MK Pandey Chapter 7, Page 203 onwards
(optional) RS Aggarwals chapter 17 on data sufficiency. Although thatll be overkill,
because MK Pandeys chapter is far better and thorough than RS Aggarwal.
[Block 5] Reasoning: Totally Ignore these topics
You may Ignore because these topics are not seen in UPSC exams so far. Theyre mainly
reserved for Bank exams. Again I use the word may because DP Aggarwal may ask It for
breaking the backs. but sometimes youve to take calculated risk hahaha
Topic What does it contain?
RS
Aggarwal
MK
Pandey
1. Analytical
decision
making or
2. Eligibility
Tests
In a big paragraph, first youre given recruitment
conditions. Then 4-5 Cases where youve to take
appropriate action e.g. select candidate, refer to
manager etc.
This type of questions not seen in UPSC, hence
ignore.
18 Ch.12
3. Input-
Output or
4. Sequential
Output
Tracing
First youre given an example: input, step I, II, III,
IV, V then output. Then youre required to do
similar for given 4-5 MCQs.
7
Ch.
13,
14, 15
and
16
Study schedule for the remaining days
Random preparation based on mood swings = road to #EPICFAIL.
Proceed in following manner.
Month What To Prepare Why?
June
upto
Mid
July
high level reasoning +
comprehension
Comprehension practice & mock tests will only cause
frustration IF you dont finish high level reasoning theory
first.
maths: with emphasis on
recording all the
calculation errors and
shortcuts in your diary
of mistakes.
Because it has so many topics, youve to start early.
Besides, concepts related to HCF, LCM, Time-speed-
distance etc will remain for longer duration in memory -
Compared to dexterity over non-verbal reasoning or data
interpretation.
Mid
July to
August
9
Data interpretation
(DI)
sitting arrangement
Nonverbal
reasoning
misc. topics under
maths & reasoning
Comprehension
practice
Hardly contain any theory. Even if you finish entire DI
today itself, your skill/ dexterity will get rusted by August.
Hence reserve the quota for Mid-July to Mid-august.
August 10 to 23
rd
(14 days) should be spent in revision.
Practice aptitude after dinner. That way your hands keep moving and brain doesnt feel
sleepy. Allot your fresh hours in daytime to general studies preparation.
For comprehension, make a resolve to solve at least 3-5 passages on daily basis. Download
zip file from bottom.
Why people cant finish paper?
In past exams, many candidates have failed to finish entire aptitude paper within two hours
duration. Why?
1. They dont read columns in Hindu, IE, frontline, EPW etc. Hence they take 10-15 minutes
to read a passage, which a CAT/GMAT-master can finish in barely 3-5 minutes.
2. At home, they dont study high level reasoning theory. So for every assumption /inference
type question theyre 50:50 doubtful. YET they dont skip it, they just keep pondering over
it for another 10-15 minutes.
3. At home, they dont study maths out of fear, and study reasoning in a casual manner. So to
cross the imaginary cutoffs they come back again and again on same comprehension
passages, even when theyre unable to solve it, and repeat point #2.
4. They take too much time solving non-verbal reasoning and sitting arrangement questions.
Even after creating the diagram for sitting arrangement / blood relation- their diagram
doesnt match with any of the answer choice, so they spend another 10-15 minutes in
fixing It, re-reading the entire caselet.
5. At home they only read the sums from books and mugup formulas. But in real life exam,
they make silly mistakes in every multiplication, addition, subtraction and division. So
theyve to redo the same question multiple times.
To avoid such firefighting and epicfails:
1. Be thoroughly prepared for Maths, reasoning and English.
2. Keep a wrist watch in the exam hall.
3. Observe following principles:
P1: Start with English passages
Donot start with first page of the question paper. But, immediately open 4
th
or 5
th
last pageitll
contain those English testing passages (= those passages without Hindi translations). Solve
them first because its the easiest section in the entire paper. Lets assume cut off is xx. Then
youve already filled up your tank by 8 correct questions.
Now your brain and hands are warmed up, open first page and start with 1, 2, 3, 4
For the first ~65 questions, UPSC doesnt have sections. Youll come across comprehension,
reasoning and maths questions at random intervals.
Some people first mark the page number / Question numbers of comprehension passages on the
rough-page. Then begin solving all passages one by one. I dont recommend this method
because:
1. Youll end up wasting precious moments in just flipping through pages.
2. You might accidentally miss a single maths /reasoning question hiding between two
comprehension sets.
So, just move with the flow Q no. 1, 2, 3, 4so whatever maths, reasoning or comprehension
question you face in that sequence, either solve or skip or put on mark-n-review.
P2: Dont keep counting black circles in OMR sheet
Ideally you should count the black circles in OMR sheet only once, in those last 5-7 minutes
before exam ends.
But most candidates keep counting their black circles, after every 20-30 MCQs or every 30-45
minutes- how many did I attempt? (imaginary) cutoff cross hogaa ki nahi?
This is a bad habit because:
1. You are wasting precious time in a non-productive activity.
2. Creates stress on your subconscious brain, prompts you to tick answers based on gut-
feeling, even where youre 50:50 doubtful.
3. You try to Fit wrong formula/ logic in to solve tough MCQs in maths/ reasoning.
4. You keep coming back to the sets again and again.
P3: Dont come back for sets
Scenario: a passage contains 3 questions. You solved 2 MCQs confidently, but in one MCQ
youre 50:50 undecided. You mark its number on the last page of question paper, hoping Ill
come back at the end of the exam.
This is a bad idea for two reasons
1. When you come back, the understanding of that passage would have evaporated from your
short term memory just like Amir Khan in Ghajni. Youll have to spend another 3-5-7
minutes re-reading the passage.
2. In the last few minutes before exam ends, person is usually under fear-factor of Cutoffs
so, even if he is 50:50, he ticks answer on Gut feeling just to overcome that imaginary
cutoff. In UPSC, usually Gut-feeling answers are wrong answers. So dont dig your grave in
negative marking.
Same applies to blood relation, sitting arrangement, Data interpretation type sets. Solve the
entire set in one go. Avoid coming back for a single unsolved MCQ from such set.
P4: Keep sitter Questions for the end
Whenever you come across find missing number, find coding-decoding, find analogy; OR
Non-verbal questions like find next figure in the diagram, what will be the number / color
on xyz face of dice.
For all such questions, note their page number on the rough space. Only when youre
finished with other questions, begin solving these questions. (this is one type of marks and
review in online exams)
Reason: sometimes it may take 1 minute, sometimes 10 minutes to crack the pattern in
such MCQs. You dont want to break mental-rhythm during middle of the paper with such
bumpy-road MCQs, reserve them for the last lap.
Same advice for any unconventional maths/reasoning questions. Donot break rhythm to
solve something that youve never encountered before at home. or youll end up throwing
good money after bad money.
Remember: Youre not required to tick 80/80 MCQs to qualify for Mains. UPSC will give
you only 2.5 marks whether you solve a given question in 1 minute or in 10 minutes. So
learn to prioritize and make best use of time.
*youre welcome to add more principals in the comments below*
Become data processor NOT data collector
1. UPSC introduced aptitude paper in 2011. At that time, people spent countless hours on net,
gathering tonnes on PDFS and webpages related to other higher level aptitude exams (CAT,
GMAT etc.) hoping that UPSC will ask tough questions from it.
2. But now three years have gone, the paper analysis so far reveals that yes UPSC asks tough
aptitude questions, but theyre not that tough. You can solve most of them through
traditional aptitude books. You dont have to download terabytes of material, pdfs, movies,
softwares meant for CAT/GMAT etc. You dont have to be on 24/7 internet gathering
material for aptitude. So stop that material collection activity and get start practicing from
the traditional books.
Booklist for CSAT exam?
Aptitude Book choice depends on career backup (in case you fail UPSC). Dont waste on money
separate set of books for every exam. CSAT Aptitude is a curious combination of both higher and
lower level exams than UPSC. So, books meant for both type of exams, work just fine with slight
jugaads.
Backup#1: Banking, insurance etc.
Jobs: IBPS, SBI, Staff Selection (SSC), CAPF (Assistant Commandant), AFCAT, LIC, NICL-
AAO, ACIO, FCI, State PSC lower level, & other central government or PSU jobs.
In that case, use following book combination for the CSAT paper II
Maths: Fast track to Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma
Reasoning: RS Aggarwal OR BS Sijwali
if youre buying second hand then RS Aggarwal because contains more practice Qs
than Sijwali.
if youre buying brand new then BS Sijwali because ~Rs.200 cheaper than RS
Aggarwal and yet covers all topics with good number of practice questions.
Comprehension: MK Pandeys Analytical Reasoning (for assumption inference and high
level reasoning) then maximum practice using online resources.
English grammar: Objective General English by SP Bakshi (Mind it: this is not asked in CSAT
Paper II but sentence correction / grammar important for non-UPSC aptitude exams.)
Backup#2: no competitive exam
Plan: If I cannot clear UPSC then Ill simply go back to private sector job/ business.
In that case use any CSAT Manual by Tata Macgraw Hill (TMH), Arihant or Pearson etc.
(Whichever you can find cheaper second hand.)
As such I dont have good opinion about such aptitude manuals because theyre hardly useful for
non-UPSC exams:
1. They dont contain detailed trigonometry, quadratic equation= useless for SSC, CDS,
SCRA, CAT etc.
2. No logarithms, no coordinate geometry, no geometry beyond area-volume-perimeter =
useless for CAT, CDS and SCRA.
3. Their Data interpretation sets dont have lengthy calculations and peculiar problems seen in
banking exams = useless for IBPS and SBI exams. Then youll have to buy another paperset
or DI book.
4. They usually avoid input-output, eligibility test topic asked in banking exam. = useless for
IBPS, SBI and LIC/NICL exam, youll have to buy another book or paperset at that time.
5. Very few questions on non-verbal reasoning = not sufficient practice for SSC, insurance
and Banking.
Therefore, if youre planning to give non-UPSC exams as career backup, then avoid purchasing
Aptitude manuals. At max, these manuals will help in CAPF (Assistant commandant) but not
much outside that.
Backup#3: higher difficulty exams
CDS, CAT, CMAT, SNAP, XAT & other higher level exams.
1. Maths: Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Kumar (OR Arun Sharma)
a. IF youre already good at maths then Arun Sharma
b. If youre weak at maths then Sarvesh Kumar.
2. Reasoning: depends
a. In CDS they dont ask reasoning. So, for CSAT use the reasoning books mentioned
under backup#1 (because CSAT asks reasoning questions!)
b. For CAT you may use Gajendra Kumar (Disha publication). And then maximum practice
from pagalguy.com threads for reasoning.
3. Comprehension: depends
a. CDS: Passages easier than CSAT. But they fill-up the difficulty quota by giving tough
sets on sentence arrangement and sentence correction. (Mind it CSAT doesnt ask
verbal ability /grammar). Hence use the sources given in backup#1.
b. Arun Sharma OR Ajay Singh then maximum practice from pagalguy.com threads for
comprehension and verbal ability. (Mind it CSAT doesnt ask verbal ability like
those sentence correction or sentence arrangement).
Book related doubts
Q. I already have purchased CSAT paper II Manual by xyz publication, do I need to refer
those separate books on maths and reasoning?
Ans. No need. If you already have bought such manual, just study the topics listed in this article,
from respective chapters.
You can also try desi-Jugaad: find a friend in your city with RS Aggarwal, exchange books for
10-15 days. That way he can practice new stuff from your book while you get to practice the
important sections from his.
Q. I already have RS Aggarwal, do I need MK Pandey?
MK Pandeys high level reasoning concepts are far better than others. Particularly useful for
comprehension section of UPSC for those assumption / inference type of questions.
RS Aggarwals chapters on logic-assumption-inference are just practice workbook, hardly
explaining the theory/ concepts in detail.
MK Pandeys puzzle test/ sitting arrangement chapter contains good number of UPSC level
question sets, along with useful explanations and tips.
+ highly useful for SBI and IBPS exams.
Q. I already have MK Pandey, do I need RS Aggarwal?
Yes because MK Pandey doesnt cover many of the low- level reasoning topics such as
analogy, non-verbal reasoning, and direction sense test.
Anyways, you dont need a brand new RS Aggarwal, try to find second hand used copy.
Aggarwal is in the market since 90s, you shouldnt have much trouble finding its second
hand copy even in tier II cities.
Q. I already have CAT books OR CAT coaching material for reasoning. DO I need others
books?
Ans. CAT material will work just fine. But with conditions-
1. CAT material usually doesnt cover non-verbal reasoning beyond those cube color, dice
face questions. But UPSC is asking which figure next? so for that much practice,
download SSC/ bank papers or borrow someones RS Aggarwal.
2. You may Ignore / low-prioritize following topics from CAT reasoning material, because
theyre not seen in UPSC so far:
i. games and tournaments
ii. pipe-network
iii. Data sufficiency (asked but low priority)
Q. Ive CSAT books from xyz jholachhap publication house exclusively in Hindi medium.
Can I rely on them?
No. Hindi maadhyam aptitude books are bogus waste of time and money because
1. They complicate even easy concepts by using too much shuddha Hindi terminology
2. Theyre full of printing mistakes in answers. it ruins the mood and tempo while practicing
sums at home.
Therefore, when it comes to aptitude books, better go for English books of reputed publication
houses.
Appendix1: Sacred cutoffs of CSAT prelim exams
Only for the informative purpose. DONOT enter the examhall with cutoff mindset. Each UPSC
paper is unique, each years demography is unique. If some baba or Sir has adviced that you
must tick minimum 55 MCQs in aptitude, ignore them. If you cant solve an MCQ then you
CANNOT solve that MCQ, dont dig your grave with guess work or gut feeling just to cross 55.
out of 400 201120122013 yet to come. Lord Curzon stonewalled my RTI
GEN 198 209
OBC 175 190
SC 165 185
ST 161 181
PH1- Ortho 135 160
PH2-Visual 124 164
PH3-Hearing 96 111
Sectional cutoff: no.
Paperwise cutoff: no. They combine marks of GS+aptitude: total out of 400
Preliminary (CSAT) marks counted only for shortlisting candidates to next stage (i.e.
Mains examination).
Final selection depends on the combined score of mains + interview.
Appendix2: Download links
#1: UPSC CSAT: Aptitude papers of 2011, 2012, 2013
Link: https://files.secureserver.net/0s4I32bAjTl3bm
UPSC uploaded these papers on its official site but PDF quality very bad. Hard to read the
passages, and size too big especially 2013 paper pdf alone is 22 MB. Hence Ive collected better
quality PDFs from testkafunda.com + included official answerkey from UPSC. 2013s answer
key will come only after final result, because again Lord Curzon stonewalled my RTI.
IF you want topicwise sorted question papers, refer CSAT Topicwise solve papers (1995-2013)
by Disha Publication.
#2: 500 Reading comprehension (RC) from Pagalguy.com
Link: files.secureserver.net/0sSHBgG2lnFPwx
In the next article, well see the studyplan for mathematics and decision making.
For more on aptitude, visit Mrunal.org/Aptitude.
URL to article: http://mrunal.org/2014/06/studyplan-csat-aptitude-paper-2-comprehension-
reasoning-analysis-previous-papers-free-studymaterial-cutoffs-part-1-2.html
Posted By Mrunal On 03/06/2014 @ 18:20 In the category Aptitude

Mrunal (Studyplan) CSAT Aptitude Paper 2 - Comprehension & Reasoning, Analysis, Previous Papers, Free Studymaterial, Cutoffs (Part 1 of 3) Mrunal

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