1.mrunal csat comprehension & reasoning_ without coaching studyplan.pdf

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[Studyplan]CSATAptitudePaper2:Comprehension&Reasoning,analysis,previouspapers,freestudymaterial,cutoffs(part1of3)

PostedBySupportStaffOn03/06/2014@6:20pmInAptitude|231Comments

1. Chart:AnalysisofallCSATpaperssofar2. [SectionI]ComprehensionforCSAT

1. Step1:Finishtheory2. Howtopreparehighlevelreasoning?3. Step#2:Movehandswhilereadingpassage4. Step#3:Maximumpractice5. Comprehension:WhyreadNonGScolumns?6. WhatabouttheEnglishpassages?

3. [SectionII]ReasoningforCSAT1. [Block1]Highlevel(HL)reasoninginCSAT

1. Samplequestions:LogicalConnectives2. Samplequestions:Syllogism

2. [Block2]Arrangement1. A1:Bloodrelation2. A2:Grouping:Peoplevsclothing/city/occupation/relation3. A3:LineSequence/Comparisonproblems4. A4:Arrangement:tableCircular/Rectangular5. A5:ConditionalTeamselection6. A6:Schedulinglectures,events,journey7. A7:Directionsensetest

3. [Block3]Reasoning:NonVerbal4. [Block4]Reasoning:Misc.Topics/Lowpriority

1. M1:Missingnumberpattern2. M2:SequenceSeries3. M3:Codingdecoding4. M4:LogicalVennDiagrams5. M5:Calendar6. M6:DataSufficiency(DS)

5. [Block5]Reasoning:TotallyIgnorethesetopics4. Studyschedulefortheremainingdays5. Whypeoplecantfinishpaper?

1. P1:StartwithEnglishpassages2. P2:DontkeepcountingblackcirclesinOMRsheet3. P3:Dontcomebackforsets4. P4:KeepsitterQuestionsfortheend

6. BecomedataprocessorNOTdatacollector7. BooklistforCSATexamPaperII?

1. Backup#1:Banking,insuranceetc.2. Backup#2:nocompetitiveexam3. Backup#3:higherdifficultyexams

8. Bookrelateddoubts



9. Appendix1a:SacredcutoffsofCSATprelimexams10. Appendix1b:MinimumPassingmarksinCSATprelims11. Appendix2:Downloadlinks

Prologuetoamilelongarticle

Yes,JustlikeYOYOHoneySingh,Imalsoalive.and[Current]serieswillberesumedsoonbutfirst,HowtoprepareforCSATpaperII(aptitude)inasystematicandtimeboundmannerthattooviaselfstudy?

1. ComprehensionandReasoningYourehere2. Mathematics&DataInterpretation:highprioritytopics3. DecisionMaking+Mathematics:Medium&lowprioritytopics

StructureofCSATpaperII(Aptitude)

TotalQuestions:80TotalMarks:200Marksforcorrectanswer:2.5Negativemarking:YesMINUS0.83marks.i.e.33%ofcorrectanswer.Sectionalcutoffs:No.TheycombinemarksforbothpaperIandpaperIItoselectcandidatesfornextstagetheMainsexam.

FourSectionsofCSATPaperII(Aptitude)

1. Comprehension(i)totestyourunderstanding(ii)totestEnglish2. Reasoning3. Mathematics4. Decisionmaking(withoutnegativemarking)

Chart:AnalysisofallCSATpaperssofar



Fromabovecharts,itisevidentthatinallthreeyears,maximumnumberofquestionshavecomefromComprehension.So,letsstartwiththat.

[SectionI]ComprehensionforCSAT



HL:Highlevelreasoning(Findassumption,inference,centralthemeinthepassage)

ReadingComprehension 201120122013Comprehensionpassages(printedinbothHindiandEnglish) 28 32 24PassagestotestyourEnglishknowledge(printedonlyinEnglish) 9 8 8Total 37 40 32

UPSCcomprehensionpassagesaretougherthanbanking,insurance,staffselectionandStatePSCsbecause:

1. CSATcomprehensiondontaskstraightforwardwho,whenorwheretypeofMCQs.2. Evenwhentheyaskwhatandwhy,youcantfindanswerdirectlyfromasinglesentenceof

thepassage.Theytestyourunderstandingoftheentirepassage.3. InCSAT2011and2012,onepassagewouldcontainsetof56MCQs.Butin2013,onepassage

containsbarely23questions.HenceyouvetoreadmorenumberofpassagestogetsameamountofMCQs.Similartrendinsittingarrangementanddatainterpretationsets.[SametrendinCATuptomid2000s,onepassage5MCQs,nowadays1passagecontainsbarelytwoMCQs.]

4. TheyevenaskHighlevelreasoningquestionswithinthepassages.(Findassumptions/inferences)

Step1:Finishtheory

YoullencountertheHighlevelreasoningtopicwithinComprehensionsegment,forexample:

Assumptions

1. Whichofthefollowingassumptionsarevalid?then234statementsgiven



2. Withreferencetothepassage,whichoftheaboveassumptionsis/arevalid?

Interferences

3. Whatdoestheauthorimply?4. Whatdoesthepassageimply?5. Whichoneofthefollowingstatementsconveystheinferenceofthepassage?6. Whichofthefollowinginferencescanbemadefromthepassage?

Centraltheme*

7. Whichofthefollowingstatementsconstitutecentralpassageofthetheme?8. Whatistheessentialmessagebeingconveyed?9. Whichofthefollowingbestdescribesthethoughtsoftheauthor?

10. Whichoneofthefollowingstatementsconstitutesthecentralthemeofthispassage?

TheseareexamplesofHIGHLEVELREASONING.*assuchcentralthemeisnothighlevelreasoningquestion,buttoconfuseyou,theyprovideassumptionsandinferencesaswrongoptions.

Passages Questions 201120122013

Comprehensionpassages

Highlevelreasoning(HL)Findassumption,inference,centraltheme 10 8 8otherMCQse.g.findingmeaningofaphrase,causeeffectetc. 14 24 20A.Subtotal:Comprehension 28 32 24

B.Englishpassages

i.e.thoseeasypassagegivenbeforeDecisionMakingsegment,andonlyprintedinEnglish.NoHinditranslationgive. 9 8 8

TotalMCQs A+B 37 40 32

Manycandidatesdontneedtopracticecomprehensionathome.Andintheexam,theymakesillymistakesbymixingupfacts,assumptions,andinferenceswiththecentraltheme.Youneedastronggripoverhighlevelreasoningtheorytotickcorrectoptioninthissection.

Howtopreparehighlevelreasoning?

RecommendedBook:AnalyticalReasoningbyMKPandey(BSCPublication)RSAggarwalalsocoversthesetopicsbutMKPandeysexplanationsandexamplesaremuchmorerefinedandlucid,particularlyforcomprehensionangle.CSATManualsbyTMH,Pearson,Arihantetc.alsocover,butnotinathoroughmanner.AssuchMKPandeyiswrittenforBankexams,hencenotallchaptersareimportantforUPSC.Doselectivestudyinfollowingsequence

Chapter Title Topicstofocus

1 basicoflogic Howtoidentifyconclusion?hehasgivenlistofkeywordsonpage6.

some

Logicalconnectivetheoryexplainedonpage19and20.HedidnotusethewordLogicalConnective.Hecallsthemhypotheticalreasoning.ButeitherwayitsimportantforbothCSATandCAT.Afterthatreadfollowing



2 informationtips

article:

[Reasoning]LogicalConnectives(if,unless,eitheror)forCSAT,CATshortcutsformulasapproachexplained

3 Assumptions

Page29.Whenassumptionisinvalid?Page30.Whenassumptioncannotbeoutrightlyrejected?page33.Differencebetweenimplicationsandassumption.Allthepracticeexercises+readthefullexplanationgivenintheanswerswhyheclassifiedsomethingasAssumption?Otherwiseinthecomprehensionyoullalwaysendupin50:50doubt.Page53:Exercise3C,particularlytheendpartquestionsdealingwithassumptioninpassages.

5 Evaluatinginference

Page119122:howtoavoidconfusionwhilederivinginference?Page127onwards:allthequestionpassages.Alsoreadfullexplanationgivenintheanswers.

10 CauseEffectPage287onwards:differentiatingbetweenimmediatecausevsprinciplecause.Itllhelpparticularlyinthepassagesrelatedtoscience,environmentoreconomy.

6

evaluatingthegivencourseofaction

ThiswillalsohelpindirectlyintheDecisionMakingQuestions:

Page168:howtodeterminewhetherasuggestionactionreducesorsolvestheproblem?Page171:howtodetermineifsuggestionsolutionispracticalornot?Page172:areyousolvingtheproblemorcreatinganewone?

AfteraboveCoretheoryisdone,gothroughfollowing:

Ch.4Forcefulnessofthearguments.Ch.9StrengtheningandweakeningtheargumentsCh.8Punchline.

Sofar,UPSChasntaskedGMATlikequestionsaboutstrengthen/weakenargumentsinthegivenpassage.Butnonetheless,abovetheorywillhelpyoudigestthepassagesbetter.

Step#2:Movehandswhilereadingpassage

ManhattanGMATTMisaprominentcoachingclassinUSA(!)TheircomprehensiontipsareworthimplementingforCSAT.Whilereadingthepassage,dotwothings:

1. Notedowntheassumption&premisesonthemargin,inashorthandnote.2. Highlighttheimportantphrases.(GMAT/CATdoneonline,theirsoftwarehasthisfacility.You

candothesameevenonpaperquestionpaperviapen/highlighter)



Thishelpsquicklyeliminatingoptionswithouthavingtorereadthewholepassageagainandagain,thussavingprecioustimeduringtheexam.Toseepracticaldemo,gotofollowinglinks.TheirinstructorStaceyKoprinceshowedherownnotesandthoughtprocesswhilereadingthepassage:

1. Passage:Languageoftheleader2. Passage:MeteorshowerspartIPartII3. Passage:Multinationalcorporations

Additionaltipsfromthesameinstructor:

3. Hownottoreadthepassage?90%focusvs20%focus4. Howtofindthecentraltheme/centralpoint?

Oncethisisover,timeformaximumpractice.How?

Step#3:MaximumpracticeforComprehension?

Assucheverypublicationhousehasreleasedaseparatebookoncomprehension.ButImnotimpressedwiththeircontentvsMRP.Mostoftheirtipsarejustbolbachhanwithouttellingspecificallydothisordothat.Thentheygive2030practicepassagesandcharge200300rupees.Butthequalityoftheirpassagesdoesntevenjustify50rupeesforthebook.Ifyoucangetsuchbooksfromlibrarythendoborrowandpractice.OtherwisedontwastemoneybuyingsuchspecialcomprehensionbooksforCSAT.

Forpracticeyoucanusefollowingresources:

1. LastthreeyearsCSATpaperstogetatasteofthedifficultylevelofUPSC.(downloadlinksgiveninappendixofthisarticle)

2. 500passagesgatheredfrompagalguy.comsoldthreadsrelatedtoCATpreparationforyear2011and2012.(downloadlinksgiveninappendixofthisarticle)

3. PagalguythreadforCATRCdiscussion20134. thiswebsitegotanother250passages:codecoax.com/grerc/

Youcanfindmanymoreresourcesbyjustagooglesearch.e.g.justtype1000comprehensionpassagesButkeepinmindjust~3monthsleft.DontgetfixatedoverRC.Youvetoprepare&practiceothertopicsaswell.

Comprehension:WhyreadNonGScolumns?

UPSCexaminerdoesntwritenewpassagehimself.HemerelycutpastesthepassagesfromprominentEnglishnewspapersandacademicbooks.Fromhisside,heonlydesignstheMCQs,andgivesHinditranslations.Therefore,irrespectiveofyourmediuminmainsexam,youhavetoreadEnglishnewspapersandmagazines.JustbecauseyoufinishedcollegeinEnglishmedium,doesntautomaticallymakeyoumasterofEnglish.Avoidsuchoverconfidence.TheEnglishtextbooksyouvereadforengineering,medicine,pharmaorcommercetheyre*NOT*thesameEnglishthatUPSCpassageswillcontain.Therefore,youvetogetyourself



familiarwiththesentenceflowandvocabularyofsuchacademic/columntypepassages.Otherwise,intheexam,youlltake15minutesjusttoreadonepassage,whileotherplayersfinishthesamewithin3minutes.Inpastexams,manycandidatesfailedtofinishentirepaper,onlybecauseofthisreason.Togetatasteofcomprehensionpassages,thebestplaceistheBookreviewsegmentwithinHindu,Indianexpress,FrontlineandEPW.Becausetheyfirsttalkaboutthebook,thenaboutthecontemporaryissuedealtinthebooke.g.arts,economics,science,environment,philosophyetc.

Links:

1. indianexpress.com/tag/bookreview/2. thehindu.com/books/3. epw.in/bookreviews4. frontline.in/books/(requiresfreeregistration)

ofcourseitdoesntmeanyouvetoreadallfoureachday.Justkeepaneyeasandwhenyougettime.Mostcandidatesavoidsucharticles/columnsinnewspaper,thinkingthisisnotimportantforGeneralstudiessyllabus.ButKeepinmindComprehensionisaperishableskillthatmustbepolishedwithregularreadingofsuchnonGSEnglishcolumns.Bytheway,

WhatabouttheEnglishpassages?

Yes,whattodowiththoseeasypassagesgivenbeforedecisionmakingquestions?(i.e.printedonlyinEnglishandnotinHindi)Assuchnoseparatepreparationnecessary.BecauseMKPandeyisentirelyinEnglish.Soonceyouredonewiththattheory,youveautomaticallygainedknowledgeofsucheasyEnglishpassages.Butstillforpracticeofsuchpassages,youmaygothroughpapersetsofBankandSSCexams(onlyifyouvetimeleft!)

Anyways,enoughofcomprehension,letsmovetothenextsegmentofCSATpaperII:

[SectionII]ReasoningforCSATType ReasoningTopics 2011 2012 2013

HighLevel

Syllogism 3 5 0Logicalconnectives 0 2 0assumption/inference/conclusion 0 5 0Subtotal:HighlevelReasoning 3 12 0

Arrangement

1casevs.manyquestions 0 5 111case1question 1 7 5bloodrelation 3 1 0Directionsensetest 1 0 0SubTotal:SittingArrangement 5 13 16

NonVerbal

reflectionfrommirror 1 0 0min.colorsrequiredtopaint 1 0 0whichfigurenext 0 2 3



Cubefigure 0 2 1Subtotal:NonVerbal 2 4 4

MiscVennDiagrams 1 1 1Missingnumberpattern 1 0 3Subtotal:Misc 2 1 4

Total FinalTotalReasoning 12 30 24%weightageinPaperII 15 37.5 30

[Block1]Highlevel(HL)reasoninginCSAT

UPSCaskednosyllogism/logicalconnectivesin2013,buttheyfilledupthequotaofhighlevelreasoningbyasking8suchMCQ(findassumption,inferenceetc)within32comprehensionMCQs.

Highlevelreasoning(HLR) 2011 2012 2013StandaloneMCQswithinreasoningsection 3 12 0HLRMCQswithincomprehensionsection 10 8 8totalHLreasoning 13 20 8%weightageinCSATPaperII(outof80) 16% 25% 10%

Wevealreadypreparedthehighlevelreasoningforcomprehensioni.e.logicalconnectives,assertion,reasoning,centralthemefromMKPandeysbook.Onlyoneimportanttopicleft=Syllogism.

Syllogism

Forthis,refertoMKPandeysChapter11page301onwards.Startwithmasteringtwostatements.e.g.allcatsaredogs,alldogsarepigsthenwhichofthefollowingconclusionisvalid?thenmovetothreestatementandfourstatementsyllogism.MKPandeyhasexplainedtwomethodstosolvesyllogism:AEIOmethodvsVenndiagram.IpreferAEIO,somepreferVenndiagram,andyoucanpickwhicheveryoufindmorecomfortable.Eitherway,doalltheexercisesandreadtheanswerexplanationsinhisbook.

IfyoupreferAEIOmethod,then:



Mugupthetablesgivenon306,307,311,321(shortformoftable6)andreadfollowingarticles(theyrebasedonAEIOmethod)[Reasoning]Syllogism(AllCatsareDogs):Method,approach,techniques,shortcutsexplainedforIBPS,SSC,CSATandCAT[Reasoning]ThreeStatementSyllogism:technique,method,shortcutsforIBPS,SSC,CSAT,CAT,CMAT[ReasoningQ]3StatementSyllogismdoubtQuestion:Apples,Mangoes,Vegetarians[Reasoning]4StatementSyllogism:Approach,Techniques,explainedforSBIPO(Highlevelreasoning)andUPSCCSATpaper2

Ifyoustillhavetimeandmood,youcangetadditionalpracticefromRSAggarwalsbook.Butthatdbeanoverkillbecauseonly~3monthsleft.

Samplequestions:LogicalConnectives

(Prelim1995)WhichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromthestatementthatEitherJohnisstupidorJohnislazy?

a. Johnislazy/therefore,Johnisnotstupidb. Johnisnotlazy/therefore,Johnisstupidc. Johnisnotstupid/therefore,Johnislazyd. Johnisstupid/therefore,Johnisnotlazy

(CSAT2012)Examinethefollowingstatements:

1. IwatchTVonlyifIambored2. IamneverboredwhenIhavemybrotherscompany.3. WheneverIgotothetheatreItakemybrotheralong.

Whichoneofthefollowingconclusionsisvalidinthecontextoftheabovestatements?

A. IfIamboredIwatchTVB. IfIambored,Iseekmybrotherscompany.C. IfIamnotwithmybrother,thanillwatchTV.D. IfIamnotboredIdonotwatchTV.

(CSAT2012)Considerthefollowingstatements:

1. EitherA&BareofsameageorAisolderthanB2. EitherC&DareofsameageorDisolderthanC3. BisolderthanC

Whichofthefollowingconclusionscanbedrawnfromtheabovestatements?

a. AisolderthanBb. BandDareofthesameagec. DisolderthanCd. AisolderthanC



Samplequestions:Syllogism

(Prelim1998)considerfollowingstatements:

1. allmembersofMohansfamilyarehonest2. somemembersofmohansfamilyarenotemployed3. someemployedpersonsarenothonest4. somehonestpersonsarenotemployed.

Whichofthefollowinginferencescanbedrawnfromabovestatements?

a. allmembersofMohansfamilyareemployed.b. allemployedmembersofMohansfamilyarehonestc. thehonestmembersofMohansfamilyarenotemployedd. theemployedmembersofMohansfamilyarenothonest.

(CSAT2011).Examinethefollowingstatements:

1. Allanimalsarecarnivorous.2. Someanimalsarenotcarnivorous.3. Animalsarenotcarnivorous.4. Someanimalsarecarnivorous.

Codes:

a. 1and3b. 1and2c. 2and3d. 3and4

(CSAT2011)Examinethefollowingstatements:

1. Alltrainsarerunbydieselengine.2. Sometrainsarerunbydieselengine.3. Notrainisrunbydieselengine.4. Sometrainsarenotrunbydieselengine.

Codes:

A. 1and2B. 2and3C. 1and3D. 1and4


1. Allartistsarewhimsical.2. Someartistsaredrugaddicts.3. Frustratedpeoplearepronetobecomedrugaddicts.



Fromtheabovethreestatementsitmaybeconcludedthat:

a. Artistsarefrustratedb. Somedrugaddictsarewhimsicalc. Allfrustratedpeoplearedrugaddicts.d. Whimsicalpeoplearegenerallyfrustrated


1. Onlythosewhohaveapairofbinocularscanbecomethememberofthebirdwatchersclub.2. Somemembersofthebirdwatchersclubhavecameras.3. Thosememberswhohavecamerascantakepartinphotocontests.

Whichofthefollowingconclusionscanbedrawnfromtheabovestatements?

a. Allthosewhohaveapairofbinocularsaremembersofthebirdwatchersclub.b. Allmembersofthebirdwatchersclubhaveapairofbinoculars.c. Allthosewhotakepartinphotocontestsaremembersofthebirdwatchersclub.d. Noconclusioncanbedrawn.

[Block2]Arrangement

Withinarrangement,Ialsoincludebloodrelationanddirectionsensetestbecauseinallsuchsums,youvetodragachart/diagramintheroughsheetstogettheanswer.MKPandeyhascoveredthemunderChapter20Problemsolving.ForadditionalpracticeyoucanuseRSAggarwalschapter5,6and8.

A1:Bloodrelation

(1998)AtoFaremembersofafamilyconsisting4adultsand3children.AandDarebrothers,Aisdoctor.EisanengineermarriedtooneofthebrothersandhastwochildrenBismarriedtoDandGistheirchild.WhoisC?(2009)Thereisafamilyof6personsA,B,C,D,EandF.Therearetwomarriedcouplesinthe



family.Thefamilymembersarelawyer,teacher,salesman,engineer,accountantanddoctor.D,thesalesmanismarriedtotheladyteacher.Thedoctorismarriedtothelawyer.F,theaccountantisthesonofBandbrotherofE.C,thelawyeristhedaughterinlawpfA.Eistheunmarriedengineer.AisthegrandmotherofF.HowisErelatedtoF?(CSAT2011)AisthebrotherofB,CisthefatherofA,DisbrotherofE,EisthedaughterofBThen,theuncleofDis?MKPandeyChapter20fromPage612onwards.UnderstandtheconceptofbacktrackingandhowtodrawfamilytreeespeciallyforcomplexproblemslikeAiswifeofBwhoisnotanengineeretc.thendoallexercisesin20A(page628onwards).butitisonlyforwarmup.TherealUPSClevelsetsbeginfromExercise20Band20C.Firstsolvethemonyourown,thenunderstandthefullexplanationandtechniqueshownbyMKPandey.

Page Questions combinedproblemofbloodrelationplus__. Explanation

633 1219 intelligencecomparison 670635 2731 Weightcomparison. 673

638 5155 Sittingarrangement+agecomparison.680(buthedidnotexplainthisone,justgaveanswer)

643 7983 Traitcomparison. 687688653 5054 occupation 705653 5559 occupation 705655 7073 nothing 706660 111115 nothing tryyourself662 132135 surnames 709

Foradditionalpractice,youmayreferRSAggarwalCh.5Bloodrelations(page261onwards).Tocomplicatethequestion,oftentheexaminerdoesntaskstraightforwardbloodrelationbutembedsitintheproblemrelatedtogroupingpeoplevs.relationvsoccupationvscarcolorandsoon.Henceournextpreparationshouldfocuson:

A2:Grouping:Peoplevsclothing/city/occupation/relation

(Prelims2010)Gopal,Harsh,Inder,JaiandKrishnanhaveAhmedabad,Bhopal,Cuttack,DelhiandErnakulamastheirhometowns(Notnecessarilyinthatorder).TheyarestudyinginEngineering,Medical,Commerce,EconomicsandHistoryColleges(Notnecessarilyinthatorder).Noneofthefiveboysisstudyinginhishometown,buteachofthemstudiesinoneofthecitiesgivenabove.Further,itisgiventhat:

i. GopalshometownisErnakulam.ii. HarshisnotstudyinginAhmedabadorBhopal.iii. EconomiccollegeisinBhopal.iv. Indershometowniscuttack.v. KrishnanisstudyinginDelhi.vi. JaiisstudyinginErnakulamandtheHistoryCollege4isinhishometownAhmedabad.vii. EngineeringCollegeissituatedinErnakulam.



**thenyouvetosolvefourMCQsaboutwhobelongstowhichcityandcollege.

(CSAT2012)ThreepersonsA,B&CwearshirtsofBlack,BlueandOrangecolours(notnecessarilyintheorder).Nopersonworeshirtandpantofthesamecolour.Further,itisgiventhat,Adidnotwearshirtofblackcolour.Bdidnotwearshirtofbluecolour.Cdidnotwearshirtoforangecolour.Adidnotwearthepantsofgreencolour.Bworepantsoforangecolour.WhatwerethecoloursofthepantsandshirtswornbyCrespectively?(CSAT2013)Infiveflats,oneabovetheother,livefiveprofessionals.TheprofessorhastogouptomeethisIASofficerfriend.Thedoctorisequallyfriendlytoall,andhastogoupasfrequentlyasgodown.TheengineerhastogouptomeethisMLAfriendabovewhoseflatlivestheprofessorsfriend.Fromthegroundfloortothetopfloor,inwhatorderdothefiveprofessionalslive?

Howtoprepare?InMKPandeyChapter20:

Page Questions understandhistechniqueexplainedinpage__599 ex1 602632 15 66763839 5155 680althoughhasnoexplanation657 8892 707658 98102 707663 140144 710664 145149 710

A3:LineSequence/Comparisonproblems

Youregiveninformationaboutpeoplestandinginaline/carsparked/marksorheightorwealthofpeopleinasequence,thenyouvetosolvetheMCQs.observesamples:

(Prelims2010)P,Q,RandSarefourmen.Poldestbutnotpoorest.Rrichestbutnotoldest.QolderthanSbutnotthanPorR.PricherthanQbutnotS.Arrangethesemenindescendingorderoftheirageandrichness.(CSAT2011)Inaqueue,Mr.XisfourteenthfromthefrontandMr.Yisseventeenthfromtheend,whileMr.ZisexactlyinbetweenMr.XandMr.Y.IfMr.XisaheadMr.Yandthereare48personsinthequeue,howmanypersonsarethenbetweenMr.XandMr.Z?(CSAT2012)RamascoredmorethanRani.RaniscoredlessthanRatna.RatnascoredmorethanRama.PadmascoredmorethanRamabutlessthanRatna.Whoscoredthehighest?


Page Questions understandhistechniqueexplainedinpage__60809 Point(3),Ex.7 60910633 1219 670635 2731 67364445 9195 68964546 96100 69064951 2536 699700



654 6569 706660 116121 708661 122126 708709

Additionalpractice:RSAggarwalch.6onpuzzletests.

A4:Arrangement:tableCircular/Rectangular

(2000)AtoFaresittingonacirculartable.AisbetweenDandF.CoppositeofD.DandEarenotonneighboringchairs.Whichofthefollowingmustbetrue?(thenvariouspossibilitiesgiven

(CSAT2013)FivepeopleA,B,C,DandEare,seatedaboutaroundtable,everychairisspacedequidistantfromadjacentchairs.CisseatednexttoA.AisseatedtwoseatsfromD.BisnotseatednexttoA.Whichofthefollowingmustbetrue?

I. DisseatednexttoB.II. EisseatednexttoA.III. Both1and2IV. Neither1nor2


Page Questions understandhistechniqueexplainedinpage__60405 Ex5,Ex6

606608.payattentiontodefiniteinformationvscomparativeinformationvsnegativeinformationandhowheutilizesallthreeofthemtomakethearrangement.

637 3943 677678observehowhepreparesdiagramtoaccommodatecomplexinfogendervsmaritalstatusvspositiononacirculartable

640 6271 681684.againobservehowheprepareddiagramtoaccommodatecomplexinfoofgendervsprofessionvsintelligencevspositiononarectangulartable.654 6064 Thisisforselfexercise.655 7477 thisisforselfexercise659 108110 708661 122126 708709

ThenRSAggarwalCh6

A5:ConditionalTeamselection

(CSAT2013)Atenniscoachistryingtoputtogetherateamoffourplayersfortheforthcomingtournament.Forthis7playersareavailable:malesA,BandCandfemalesW,X,YandZ.Allplayershaveequalcapabilityandatleast2maleswillbethereintheteam.Forateamoffour,allplayersmustbeabletoplaywitheachother.But,BcannotplaywithW,CcannotplaywithZandWcannotplaywithY.Then3MCQgiven(CSAT2013)Themusicdirectorofafilmwantstoselectfourpersonstoworkondifferentaspectsofthecompositionofapieceofmusic.SevenpersonsareavailableforthisworktheyareRohit,Tanya,Shobha,Kaushal,Kunal,MukeshandJaswant.RohitandTanyawillnotworktogether.KunalandShobhawillnotworktogether.MukeshandKunalwanttoworktogether.theonlyMCQgiven.



Howtoprepare?MKPandeyChapter20:

Page Questions understandhistechniqueexplainedinpage__

621 Ex14 621623.Obversehisshortcutmethod,hefocusesontheoptionsthatareblatantlyviolatingtheselectionrules,thusheeliminateswrongoptionsquickly.636 3238 674to676643 8490 688importantdontmisreadthelastcondition!652 4449 703to705658 9397 thisisforselfexercise

ThenRSAggarwalCh.6Type5:frompage356onwards.

A6:Schedulinglectures,events,journey

ObservethepatternofMCQsaskedinpreviousCSATexams:

(CSAT2012)Guestlecturesonfivesubjectsviz.,Economics,History,Statistics,EnglishandMathematicshavetobearrangedinaweekfromMondaytoFriday.Onlyonelecturecanbearrangedoneachday.EconomicscannotbescheduledonTuesday.GuestfacultyforHistoryisavailableonlyonTuesday.MathematicslecturehastobeschedulesimmediatelyafterthedayofEconomicslecture.EnglishlecturehastobescheduledimmediatelybeforethedayofEconomicslecture.***thenMCQsstart**


Page Questions understandhistechniqueexplainedinpage__634 2026 671673638 4450 678679641 7278 684687651 3743 702656 7882 706659 103107 708662 127131 709

Foradditionalpractice,RSAggarwalCh6Puzzletest(page288)

A7:Directionsensetest

Samplequestionsfrompreviousprelims(2009)Apersontravels12kmdueNorth,then15kmdueEast,afterthat15kmdueWestandthen18kmdueSouth.Howfarishefromthestartingpoint?

1. 6km2. 12km3. 33km4. 60km

(2010)Inameeting,themapofavillagewasplacedinsuchamannerthatsoutheastbecomesnorth,



northeastbecomeswestandsoon.Whatwillsouthbecome?

1. North2. Northeast3. Northwest4. West

(2011)ThehousesofAandBfaceeachotheronaroadgoingnorthsouth,Asbeingonthewesternside.Acomesoutofhishouse,turnsleft,travels5km,turnsright,travels5kmtothefrontofDshouse.BdoesexactlythesameandreachesthefrontofCshouse.Inthiscontext,whichoneofthefollowingstatementsiscorrect?

a. CandDliveonthesamestreet.b. Cshousefacessouth.c. ThehousesofCthan20kmapart.d. Noneoftheabove

Howtoprepare?MKPandeydoesntdealwithDirectionsensetesttopic.ForthisconsultRSAggarwalChapter8.

[Block3]Reasoning:NonVerbal

NonVerbal 201120122013reflectionfrommirror 1 0 0Min.colorsrequiredtopaintthegivenfigure. 1 0 0whichfigurenext(similartothoseSSC/Bankquestion) 0 2 3Cubefigurewhichsidewillhavewhatcolor/number/alphabet. 0 2 1Subtotal:NonVerbal 2 4 4

MKPandeydoesntcovernonverbalreasoningPreparationsource:AmodernApproachtoverbalandnonverbalreasoning,RSAggarwal(S.ChandPublication)



solveallthechaptersgivenunderinthenonverbalreasoningsectionofthatbookEvenchaptersrelatedtopapercuttingandpaperfoldingtypeMCQs.Reason:UPSCisfullofuncertainty.Similarlynothingpreventsthemfromaskingpapercutting/paperfoldingtypequestions.Sopracticeafewsumfromeachvariety.Reservethepracticequotaofnonverbal,forthelastmonthbeforeexam.Becauseevenifyoubeginrightnow(June),yourskill/dexteritywillperishbyAugustend.Besidesyoucannotreallymakesrevisionnotesforthistopic.(Exceptafewpointsincubetheorynumberoffaces,howmanysmallercubesifxnumberofcutsaremadeetc.)JustlikefindmissingnumberMCQs,theseshouldalsobedoneatlastduringtheexam.Sometimesparticularlyinthecubequestions,candidatescannotcrackthepatternandunnecessarilywaste1015minutesforaoneMCQ.Avoiddoingthat.Savethesenonverbalreasoningquestionsfortheend.

[Block4]Reasoning:Misc.Topics/Lowpriority

Oddballtopics=Notregularlyaskedinlargeamount.Youcannotseeapatternovertheyearsunlikesittingarrangementorassumptioninference.

ReasoningMisc. 201120122013Missingnumberpattern 1 0 3VennDiagrams 1 1 1total 2 1 4

M1:Missingnumberpattern

(Prelim2006)findthemissingnumberXinfollowingseries

fig1 fig2 fig316 64 64

9 18 25 25 18 1 9 18 136 16 X

Answerchoice:4/16/25/36.(CSAT2013)findthemissingnumberXinfollowingseries

figure1 figure2 figure384 81 8814 12 18 9 ? 11

Themissingnumber(?)infigure3is?Answerchoice:7/16/21/28

Preparationsource:RSAggarwalCh16:InsertingthemissingcharacterPage628andpracticethesumsTip:intheexam,solvethesesumsintheend.Becausesometimesitmaytake10seconds,andsometimesevenafter10minutesoftrialerroryoumaynotseethepattern.Sodontwastetoomuchtime.



M2:SequenceSeries

(1995)considertheseriesgivenbelow.4/12/95,1/1/96,26/2/96,Thenexttermoftheseriesis

a. 24/3/96b. 25/3/96c. 26/3/96d. 27/3/96

(1998).WhichoneofthefollowingsatisfiesrelationshipDda:aDD:Rrb:?

a. DDAb. RRRc. bRRd. BBr

InthemissingnumberquestionswesawUPSCaskedittwice2006and2013.SofarUPSChasntaskedsequence/seriesbutnothingpreventsthemfromasking,especiallyundertheaegisofChairmanDPAgarwal,tobreakthebacksofcoachingclassesandseniorplayers.Therefore,youshouldpreparesuchchillartopicsaswell.Dontliveunderoverconfidencethatjustbecausexyztopicwasnotaskedinlastthreeexams,soUPSCwillneveraskitinfutureexams.

PreparationSource:RSAggarwal,Chapter2numberanalogy,followingtypes

Type8:numberanalogyType9:AlphabetAnalogy

Chapter3:Classification,followingtypes

Type4:choosingoddnumerical(indirectlyhelpfulinmissingnumber)Type5:choosingtheoddlettergroup

M3:Codingdecoding

(1999)Inacodelanguage,SOLIDis,writtenasWPSLPIMFHA.WhatdoesthecodeATEXXXQIBVOreferto?

a. EAGERb. WAFERc. WAGERd. WATER

(2000)Inacertaincode,MARCHiswrittenasOCTEJ,howisRETURNwritteninthatcode?

A. TFUVSMB. QGSTQMC. TGVWTP



D. TGRVSO

PreparationSource:RSAggarwal,Chapter4.Optional:MKPandeyChapter17and19oncodedrelationshipsandinequalities

M4:LogicalVennDiagrams

TherearetwotypeofVenndiagramquestions

1. Mathematical:inasociety30%peopledrinkcoffeeand50%.wellseeaboutthisinnextarticleunderMathsstrategy.

2. Logical:youregivenacomplexVenndiagram,withoutanyquantityorpercentages.Itcontainsoverlappingofsquares,rectangles,circlesandtriangles,thenyouhavetoidentifywhichofthemarebothsingerandpaintersetc.

Inlastthreeexams,UPSCaskedbothtypeofVenndiagrams.TheyalsoaskedsuchMCQsin1996,1998and2001.Henceshouldbeprepared.PreparationSource:RSAggarwal,Chapter9LogicalVenndiagrams.WhattodowithmathematicalVenndiagrams?wellseeinnextarticleunderMathsstrategy.

M5:Calendar

Samplequestionsfrompreviousprelims(2008)March1,2008wasSaturday.WhichdaywasitonMarch1,2002?

a. Thursdayb. Fridayc. Saturdayd. Sunday

Preparationsource:MyarticleunderAptitudeseriesclickmeBytheway,IconsiderPermutation,combination,probability,clockanglesandmathematicalVenndiagramsaspartofmathematics.Wellseetheminnextpart.

M6:DataSufficiency(DS)

Notseeninrecenttimes,buthasbeenaskedinpreCSATera,aspartofage/sittingarrangement/bloodrelationtypeproblems.Observe(2006)P,Q,R,SandTliveinafivestoriedbuilding(ground+4),andeachofthemresidesonaseparatefloor.Further,

1. Tdoesntresideontopmostfloor2. Qdoesntresideongroundfloor3. SresidesononestoryaboveP,andonebelowR.

Toknowwhichpersonresidesongroundfloor,whichoftheabovestatementsaresufficient?

a. only1and3sufficientb. only2and3sufficient



c. 1,2and3aresufficientd. 1,2and3areinsufficient.

(2006)theygavefourdicefigures.andaskedwhichofthemaresufficienttofindoutthenumbersoppositetoeachother.

HowtoprepareDATASUFFICIENCY?

PreparedatasufficiencyONLYafterlearningallthetheoriesinreasoningandmathematicsparticularlyageproblemsandnumbersystem.MKPandeyChapter7,Page203onwards(optional)RSAggarwalschapter17ondatasufficiency.Althoughthatllbeoverkill,becauseMKPandeyschapterisfarbetterandthoroughthanRSAggarwal.

[Block5]Reasoning:TotallyIgnorethesetopics

YoumayIgnorebecausethesetopicsarenotseeninUPSCexamssofar.TheyremainlyreservedforBankexams.AgainIusethewordmaybecauseDPAggarwalmayaskItforbreakingthebacks.butsometimesyouvetotakecalculatedriskhahaha

Topic Whatdoesitcontain? RSAggarwalMK

Pandey

1. Analyticaldecisionmakingor

2. EligibilityTests

Inabigparagraph,firstyouregivenrecruitmentconditions.Then45Caseswhereyouvetotakeappropriateactione.g.selectcandidate,refertomanageretc.ThistypeofquestionsnotseeninUPSC,henceignore.

18 Ch.12

3. InputOutputor

4. SequentialOutputTracing

Firstyouregivenanexample:input,stepI,II,III,IV,Vthenoutput.Thenyourerequiredtodosimilarforgiven45MCQs.

7

Ch.13,14,15and16

Studyschedulefortheremainingdays

Randompreparationbasedonmoodswings=roadto#EPICFAIL.Proceedinfollowingmanner.

Month WhatToPrepare Why?

JuneuptoMid

highlevelreasoning+comprehension

Comprehensionpractice&mocktestswillonlycausefrustrationIFyoudontfinishhighlevelreasoningtheoryfirst.

maths:withemphasisonrecordingallthe

Becauseithassomanytopics,youvetostartearly.Besides,conceptsrelatedtoHCF,LCM,Timespeeddistanceetcwill



July calculationerrorsandshortcutsinyourdiaryofmistakes.

remainforlongerdurationinmemoryComparedtodexterityovernonverbalreasoningordatainterpretation.

MidJulytoAugust9

Datainterpretation(DI)sittingarrangementNonverbalreasoningmisc.topicsundermaths&reasoningComprehensionpractice

Hardlycontainanytheory.EvenifyoufinishentireDItodayitself,yourskill/dexteritywillgetrustedbyAugust.HencereservethequotaforMidJulytoMidaugust.

August10to23rd(14days)shouldbespentinrevision.Practiceaptitudeafterdinner.Thatwayyourhandskeepmovingandbraindoesntfeelsleepy.Allotyourfreshhoursindaytimetogeneralstudiespreparation.Forcomprehension,makearesolvetosolveatleast35passagesondailybasis.Downloadzipfilefrombottom.

Whypeoplecantfinishpaper?

Inpastexams,manycandidateshavefailedtofinishentireaptitudepaperwithintwohoursduration.Why?

1. TheydontreadcolumnsinHindu,IE,frontline,EPWetc.Hencetheytake1015minutestoreadapassage,whichaCAT/GMATmastercanfinishinbarely35minutes.

2. Athome,theydontstudyhighlevelreasoningtheory.Soforeveryassumption/inferencetypequestiontheyre50:50doubtful.YETtheydontskipit,theyjustkeepponderingoveritforanother1015minutes.

3. Athome,theydontstudymathsoutoffear,andstudyreasoninginacasualmanner.Sotocrosstheimaginarycutoffstheycomebackagainandagainonsamecomprehensionpassages,evenwhentheyreunabletosolveit,andrepeatpoint#2.

4. Theytaketoomuchtimesolvingnonverbalreasoningandsittingarrangementquestions.Evenaftercreatingthediagramforsittingarrangement/bloodrelationtheirdiagramdoesntmatchwithanyoftheanswerchoice,sotheyspendanother1015minutesinfixingIt,rereadingtheentirecaselet.

5. Athometheyonlyreadthesumsfrombooksandmugupformulas.Butinreallifeexam,theymakesillymistakesineverymultiplication,addition,subtractionanddivision.Sotheyvetoredothesamequestionmultipletimes.

Toavoidsuchfirefightingandepicfails:

1. BethoroughlypreparedforMaths,reasoningandEnglish.2. Keepawristwatchintheexamhall.3. Observefollowingprinciples:

P1:StartwithEnglishpassages



Donotstartwithfirstpageofthequestionpaper.But,immediatelyopen4thor5thlastpageitllcontainthoseEnglishtestingpassages(=thosepassageswithoutHinditranslations).Solvethemfirstbecauseitstheeasiestsectionintheentirepaper.Letsassumecutoffisxx.Thenyouvealreadyfilledupyourtankby8correctquestions.Nowyourbrainandhandsarewarmedup,openfirstpageandstartwith1,2,3,4Forthefirst~65questions,UPSCdoesnthavesections.Youllcomeacrosscomprehension,reasoningandmathsquestionsatrandomintervals.Somepeoplefirstmarkthepagenumber/Questionnumbersofcomprehensionpassagesontheroughpage.Thenbeginsolvingallpassagesonebyone.Idontrecommendthismethodbecause:

1. Youllendupwastingpreciousmomentsinjustflippingthroughpages.2. Youmightaccidentallymissasinglemaths/reasoningquestionhidingbetweentwo

comprehensionsets.

So,justmovewiththeflowQno.1,2,3,4sowhatevermaths,reasoningorcomprehensionquestionyoufaceinthatsequence,eithersolveorskiporputonmarknreview.

P2:DontkeepcountingblackcirclesinOMRsheet

IdeallyyoushouldcounttheblackcirclesinOMRsheetonlyonce,inthoselast57minutesbeforeexamends.Butmostcandidateskeepcountingtheirblackcircles,afterevery2030MCQsorevery3045minuteshowmanydidIattempt?(imaginary)cutoffcrosshogaakinahi?Thisisabadhabitbecause:

1. Youarewastingprecioustimeinanonproductiveactivity.2. Createsstressonyoursubconsciousbrain,promptsyoutotickanswersbasedongutfeeling,

evenwhereyoure50:50doubtful.3. YoutrytoFitwrongformula/logicintosolvetoughMCQsinmaths/reasoning.4. Youkeepcomingbacktothesetsagainandagain.

P3:Dontcomebackforsets

Scenario:apassagecontains3questions.Yousolved2MCQsconfidently,butinoneMCQyoure50:50undecided.Youmarkitsnumberonthelastpageofquestionpaper,hopingIllcomebackattheendoftheexam.Thisisabadideafortworeasons

1. Whenyoucomeback,theunderstandingofthatpassagewouldhaveevaporatedfromyourshorttermmemoryjustlikeAmirKhaninGhajni.Youllhavetospendanother357minutesrereadingthepassage.

2. Inthelastfewminutesbeforeexamends,personisusuallyunderfearfactorofCutoffsso,evenifheis50:50,heticksansweronGutfeelingjusttoovercomethatimaginarycutoff.InUPSC,usuallyGutfeelinganswersarewronganswers.Sodontdigyourgraveinnegativemarking.

Sameappliestobloodrelation,sittingarrangement,Datainterpretationtypesets.Solvetheentiresetinonego.AvoidcomingbackforasingleunsolvedMCQfromsuchset.

P4:KeepsitterQuestionsfortheend



Wheneveryoucomeacrossfindmissingnumber,findcodingdecoding,findanalogyORNonverbalquestionslikefindnextfigureinthediagram,whatwillbethenumber/coloronxyzfaceofdice.Forallsuchquestions,notetheirpagenumberontheroughspace.Onlywhenyourefinishedwithotherquestions,beginsolvingthesequestions.(thisisonetypeofmarksandreviewinonlineexams)Reason:sometimesitmaytake1minute,sometimes10minutestocrackthepatterninsuchMCQs.YoudontwanttobreakmentalrhythmduringmiddleofthepaperwithsuchbumpyroadMCQs,reservethemforthelastlap.Sameadviceforanyunconventionalmaths/reasoningquestions.Donotbreakrhythmtosolvesomethingthatyouveneverencounteredbeforeathome.oryoullendupthrowinggoodmoneyafterbadmoney.Remember:Yourenotrequiredtotick80/80MCQstoqualifyforMains.UPSCwillgiveyouonly2.5markswhetheryousolveagivenquestionin1minuteorin10minutes.Solearntoprioritizeandmakebestuseoftime.

*yourewelcometoaddmoreprincipalsinthecommentsbelow*

BecomedataprocessorNOTdatacollector

1. UPSCintroducedaptitudepaperin2011.Atthattime,peoplespentcountlesshoursonnet,gatheringtonnesonPDFSandwebpagesrelatedtootherhigherlevelaptitudeexams(CAT,GMATetc.)hopingthatUPSCwillasktoughquestionsfromit.

2. Butnowthreeyearshavegone,thepaperanalysissofarrevealsthatyesUPSCaskstoughaptitudequestions,buttheyrenotthattough.Youcansolvemostofthemthroughtraditionalaptitudebooks.Youdonthavetodownloadterabytesofmaterial,pdfs,movies,softwaresmeantforCAT/GMATetc.Youdonthavetobeon24/7internetgatheringmaterialforaptitude.Sostopthatmaterialcollectionactivityandgetstartpracticingfromthetraditionalbooks.

BooklistforCSATexam?

AptitudeBookchoicedependsoncareerbackup(incaseyoufailUPSC).Dontwasteonmoneyseparatesetofbooksforeveryexam.CSATAptitudeisacuriouscombinationofbothhigherandlowerlevelexamsthanUPSC.So,booksmeantforbothtypeofexams,workjustfinewithslightjugaads.

Backup#1:Banking,insuranceetc.

Jobs:IBPS,SBI,StaffSelection(SSC),CAPF(AssistantCommandant),AFCAT,LIC,NICLAAO,ACIO,FCI,StatePSClowerlevel,&othercentralgovernmentorPSUjobs.Inthatcase,usefollowingbookcombinationfortheCSATpaperII

Maths:FasttracktoObjectiveArithmeticbyRajeshVermaReasoning:RSAggarwalORBSSijwali

ifyourebuyingsecondhandthenRSAggarwalbecausecontainsmorepracticeQsthanSijwali.ifyourebuyingbrandnewthenBSSijwalibecause~Rs.200cheaperthanRSAggarwalandyetcoversalltopicswithgoodnumberofpracticequestions.



Comprehension:MKPandeysAnalyticalReasoning(forassumptioninferenceandhighlevelreasoning)thenmaximumpracticeusingonlineresources.Englishgrammar:ObjectiveGeneralEnglishbySPBakshi(Mindit:thisisnotaskedinCSATPaperIIbutsentencecorrection/grammarimportantfornonUPSCaptitudeexams.)

Backup#2:nocompetitiveexam

Plan:IfIcannotclearUPSCthenIllsimplygobacktoprivatesectorjob/business.InthatcaseuseanyCSATManualbyTataMacgrawHill(TMH),ArihantorPearsonetc.(Whicheveryoucanfindcheapersecondhand.)AssuchIdonthavegoodopinionaboutsuchaptitudemanualsbecausetheyrehardlyusefulfornonUPSCexams:

1. Theydontcontaindetailedtrigonometry,quadraticequation=uselessforSSC,CDS,SCRA,CATetc.

2. Nologarithms,nocoordinategeometry,nogeometrybeyondareavolumeperimeter=uselessforCAT,CDSandSCRA.

3. TheirDatainterpretationsetsdonthavelengthycalculationsandpeculiarproblemsseeninbankingexams=uselessforIBPSandSBIexams.ThenyoullhavetobuyanotherpapersetorDIbook.

4. Theyusuallyavoidinputoutput,eligibilitytesttopicaskedinbankingexam.=uselessforIBPS,SBIandLIC/NICLexam,youllhavetobuyanotherbookorpapersetatthattime.

5. Veryfewquestionsonnonverbalreasoning=notsufficientpracticeforSSC,insuranceandBanking.

Therefore,ifyoureplanningtogivenonUPSCexamsascareerbackup,thenavoidpurchasingAptitudemanuals.Atmax,thesemanualswillhelpinCAPF(Assistantcommandant)butnotmuchoutsidethat.

Backup#3:higherdifficultyexams

CDS,CAT,CMAT,SNAP,XAT&otherhigherlevelexams.

1. Maths:QuantumCATbySarveshKumar(ORArunSharma)a. IFyourealreadygoodatmathsthenArunSharmab. IfyoureweakatmathsthenSarveshKumar.

2. Reasoning:dependsa. InCDStheydontaskreasoning.So,forCSATusethereasoningbooksmentionedunder

backup#1(becauseCSATasksreasoningquestions!)b. ForCATyoumayuseGajendraKumar(Dishapublication).Andthenmaximumpracticefrom

pagalguy.comthreadsforreasoning.3. Comprehension:depends

a. CDS:PassageseasierthanCSAT.Buttheyfillupthedifficultyquotabygivingtoughsetsonsentencearrangementandsentencecorrection.(MinditCSATdoesntaskverbalability/grammar).Henceusethesourcesgiveninbackup#1.

b. ArunSharmaORAjaySinghthenmaximumpracticefrompagalguy.comthreadsforcomprehensionandverbalability.(MinditCSATdoesntaskverbalabilitylikethosesentencecorrectionorsentencearrangement).



Bookrelateddoubts

Q.IalreadyhavepurchasedCSATpaperIIManualbyxyzpublication,doIneedtoreferthoseseparatebooksonmathsandreasoning?Ans.Noneed.Ifyoualreadyhaveboughtsuchmanual,juststudythetopicslistedinthisarticle,fromrespectivechapters.YoucanalsotrydesiJugaad:findafriendinyourcitywithRSAggarwal,exchangebooksfor1015days.Thatwayhecanpracticenewstufffromyourbookwhileyougettopracticetheimportantsectionsfromhis.Q.IalreadyhaveRSAggarwal,doIneedMKPandey?

MKPandeyshighlevelreasoningconceptsarefarbetterthanothers.ParticularlyusefulforcomprehensionsectionofUPSCforthoseassumption/inferencetypeofquestions.RSAggarwalschaptersonlogicassumptioninferencearejustpracticeworkbook,hardlyexplainingthetheory/conceptsindetail.MKPandeyspuzzletest/sittingarrangementchaptercontainsgoodnumberofUPSClevelquestionsets,alongwithusefulexplanationsandtips.+highlyusefulforSBIandIBPSexams.

Q.IalreadyhaveMKPandey,doIneedRSAggarwal?

YesbecauseMKPandeydoesntcovermanyofthelowlevelreasoningtopicssuchasanalogy,nonverbalreasoning,anddirectionsensetest.Anyways,youdontneedabrandnewRSAggarwal,trytofindsecondhandusedcopy.Aggarwalisinthemarketsince90s,youshouldnthavemuchtroublefindingitssecondhandcopyevenintierIIcities.

Q.IalreadyhaveCATbooksORCATcoachingmaterialforreasoning.DOIneedothersbooks?Ans.CATmaterialwillworkjustfine.Butwithconditions

1. CATmaterialusuallydoesntcovernonverbalreasoningbeyondthosecubecolor,dicefacequestions.ButUPSCisaskingwhichfigurenext?soforthatmuchpractice,downloadSSC/bankpapersorborrowsomeonesRSAggarwal.

2. YoumayIgnore/lowprioritizefollowingtopicsfromCATreasoningmaterial,becausetheyrenotseeninUPSCsofar:

i. gamesandtournamentsii. pipenetworkiii. Datasufficiency(askedbutlowpriority)

Q.IveCSATbooksfromxyzjholachhappublicationhouseexclusivelyinHindimedium.CanIrelyonthem?No.Hindimaadhyamaptitudebooksareboguswasteoftimeandmoneybecause

1. TheycomplicateeveneasyconceptsbyusingtoomuchshuddhaHinditerminology2. Theyrefullofprintingmistakesinanswers.itruinsthemoodandtempowhilepracticingsumsat

home.

Therefore,whenitcomestoaptitudebooks,bettergoforEnglishbooksofreputedpublicationhouses.



Appendix1:SacredcutoffsofCSATprelimexams

Onlyfortheinformativepurpose.DONOTentertheexamhallwithcutoffmindset.EachUPSCpaperisunique,eachyearsdemographyisunique.IfsomebabaorSirhasadvicedthatyoumusttickminimum55MCQsinaptitude,ignorethem.IfyoucantsolveanMCQthenyouCANNOTsolvethatMCQ,dontdigyourgravewithguessworkorgutfeelingjusttocross55.

Exam CS(Prelim)*CS(Main)#CS(Final)General 241 564 775OBC 222 534 742SC 207 518 719ST 200 510 707PH1Ortho 199 510 725PH2Visual 184 502 718PH3Hearing 163 410 613Total 400 1750 2025

Minimumpassingmarks:Prelims

Fromtheabove*and#,nowweknowUPSCsofficialsystemofminimumpassingmarks(thiswasneverdisclosedinRTIssofar).itimpliesthatifyoufailedtoreachminimumpassingmarksinanyonepaperthentheywontselectyoufornextstage,evenifyougetbestmarksinotherpapers.BUToverallmeritlistpreparedbycombingscoresofbothGS+Aptituepaper.

MAXmarksMinimumpassingmarks

Mustgetatleast__MCQs

correct*CSAT(GS) 200 30 12CSAT(Aptitude) 200 70 28total 400

*1MCQworth2.5marks.AndassumenoMCQsiswronglyattempted.

PS:unlikeBankexamsthereisnosectionalcutoffswithinanindividualpaper.(ThisisconfirmedviaRTImanytimes)

Sectionalcutoff:no.Paperwisecutoff:no.TheycombinemarksofGS+aptitude:totaloutof400Preliminary(CSAT)markscountedonlyforshortlistingcandidatestonextstage(i.e.Mainsexamination).Finalselectiondependsonthecombinedscoreofmains+interview.

Appendix2:Downloadlinks



#1:UPSCCSAT:Aptitudepapersof2011,2012,2013

Link:https://files.secureserver.net/0s4I32bAjTl3bmUPSCuploadedthesepapersonitsofficialsitebutPDFqualityverybad.Hardtoreadthepassages,andsizetoobigespecially2013paperpdfaloneis22MB.HenceIvecollectedbetterqualityPDFsfromtestkafunda.com+includedofficialanswerkeyfromUPSC.2013sanswerkeywillcomeonlyafterfinalresult,becauseagainLordCurzonstonewalledmyRTI.IFyouwanttopicwisesortedquestionpapers,referCSATTopicwisesolvepapers(19952013)byDishaPublication.

#2:500Readingcomprehension(RC)fromPagalguy.com

Link:files.secureserver.net/0sSHBgG2lnFPwxInthenextarticle,wellseethestudyplanformathematicsanddecisionmaking.Formoreonaptitude,visitMrunal.org/Aptitude.

ArticleprintedfromMrunal:http://mrunal.org

URLtoarticle:http://mrunal.org/2014/06/studyplancsataptitudepaper2comprehensionreasoninganalysispreviouspapersfreestudymaterialcutoffspart12.html

Copyright2014Mrunal.Allrightsreserved.

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