Strategy for Beginners student (CSAT Preparation)

This article is an attempt to awaken the beginners to the ideas which are crucial in the preparation for Civil Services Examination.

              In fact we intend to focus upon some practical realities of the preparation. Much has been written on how to prepare for the Civil Service Examination but little attention has been given to the fundamental facets of preparation in the beginning. The beginners have varied perceptions about the preparation and a good number of them are not aware of the realities of the same. They begin but on wrong lines, they go astray and meet failures in initial attempts. It takes them a year or years to be conscious of the realities and that too, at the cost of some attempts. Some take attempts without preparation just to gain some experiences because they do not have a good guide to suggest them that attempts are precious and must not be wasted this way. This article has relevance in the above-mentioned context.

   All the beginners have a great problem when they embark upon the preparation that is how to begin. We provide you step-by-step guidelines as regards how to go in for the preparation for the Civil Services Examination.

• Buy the prospectus which is available in a booklet form in those bookshops which sell books & guides on competitive exams. It contains all the information required.
• Go through it and know the pattern of the examination well.
• Go through the syllabus of the optional subjects for mains - consider five things in selection of optional subjects.

1. The Subject interests you
2. You have familiarity or background
3. Subjects (two optional subjects) have common areas
4. Subjects help you in General Studies
5. You get proper guidance for them (the most important)

• Buy the booklets containing previous years' questions of those subjects (Main) and go through them. Proper idea of the questions will also help you decide optional subjects. 
• After doing all these you come to know all about the examination, the subjects, the nature of questions and of course what you have to study. This way you take the first step in the direction of preparation which is very significant.
• Study on the basis of the syllabus and previous years' questions. Just do not finish topics, as this is eventually meaningless and make sure that study enables you to write good and standard answers. This is essence of preparation.
• Practice writing answers. Create answer formats of typical questions and get the help of a guide.
• Join Four Pillars Academy, Raipur (Chhattisgarh) after considering point (1) to (5). Coaching before these considerations would not be meaningful. On the basis of you would be in a position to assess the significance of the coaching. In reality, coaching helps you in your preparation when it makes you comprehend topics, makes available to you standard study material and the most significantly it enables you to write good & standard answers. And if in a coaching you just work on topics and finish them, it has no value finally when you are writing examination.

Civil Services (Prelim) Exam/ CSAT-2011 (SYLLABUS)

UPSC Aptitude Test Syllabus

Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) 2013 would consist Paper I and Paper II.

Paper 1

Pattern:

Total Marks: 200
          Duration : 2 Hours

1. Current events of national and international importance 
2. History of India and Indian national movement 
3. Indian and World Geography- physical, social, economic geography of India and the world 
4. Indian Polity and governance – constitution, political system, panchayati raj, public policy,               Rights issues, etc. 
5. Economic and social development – sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives etc. 
6. General issues on environmental ecology, bio-diversity and climate change-that donot require subject specialization 
7. General science.

Paper 2

Pattern:

Total Marks: 200
         Duration : 2 Hours

·         

1. Comprehension 
2. Interpersonal skills including communication skills 
3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability 
4. Decision making and problem solving 
5. General mental ability 
6. Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc. (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. –Class X level) 
7. English language comprehension skills (Class X level)

About Four Pillars Academy

Four Pillars Academy is an Education Body of CHAUKHAMBA an All India NGO registered under societies Registration Act 1860.  Four Pillars Academy  is a centre of excellence for the Civil Services Examination, was set up with the avowed aim of giving a new orientation to the studies and preparation for the Civil Services Examination in Chhattisgarh. In addition Four Pillars Academy  has been also offering educational services to the students preparing for UGC-NET/CSIR, Banking Services, SSC and other state level Examination for the last 06 years.