The current pattern of the civil services preliminary exams was conceived in 1979 on the recommendations of the Kothari Commission. Since then, for 41 years, the preliminary pattern sustained with only some minor changes once in ten or fifteen years.

But from 2011 onwards, civil services aspirants should prepare themselves for a sea change in how they prepare for the preliminary examination as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has received the Union Government's approval for introducing the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) pattern.

So what will the CSAT be like?

• CSAT will have two papers common to all candidates with no optional paper
• The age limit could be lowered
• The number of attempts could also be reduced
• More emphasis on understanding and analysis than memorizing
• There will be a paper to test the candidate's aptitude for the prestigious civil services from the ethical and moral dimension

What will be the impact of these changes?

• Coaching classes notes will not be enough to clear the CSAT exam
• Candidates with low moral and ethical aptitude will get weeded out, which is not happening currently
• IAS candidates can no longer neglect the General Studies paper and rely solely on optionals to see them through
• UPSC might give preference to younger candidates with high motivation and zeal in the interview

How should you prepare for the CSAT exams?

• Questions will be more dynamic than at present
• Spruce up your general awareness and mental ability
• Focus more on decision-oriented analytical questions
• Be prepared to answer situational questions faced in real life by the civil servants

Books for Paper 1 of IAS Preliminary Examination:

• General Studies Manual by Tata McGraw Hill
• India's Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra (for History part)
• Geography NCERT text books Class XI and XII
• Oxford Student Atlas (for map-based questions
• Spectrum's Indian Economy
• General Science NCERT text books Class VIII to X
• Manorama Year Book (for questions on General Knowledge and Current Affairs)
• Our Constitution by Subhash Kashyap (for questions on Indian Polity)

Books for Paper 2 for CSAT:

• Examrace CSAT Series
• Or refer individual books (like RS Aggarwal, Verbal and comrehension guides, Class V to X Books by NCERT etc. )

Official CSAT Sample Paper by UPSC

Comparison of Different Material: All of the following information can be verified independently.