Latest news with #CivilServicesAptitudeTest
NDTV
04-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Why Analytical Thinking Matters More Than Ever To Crack UPSC Civil Services Exam
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has steadily reshaped its civil services examination to test a candidate's thinking abilities. Cracking this prestigious exam now takes more than memorising textbooks. Now it assesses critical reasoning, contextual awareness, and structured argumentation. Over the past decade, the examination pattern has evolved across all stages-Prelims, Mains, and the Personality Test. Now it challenges aspirants to think on their feet, draw connections between diverse subjects, and apply knowledge to real-world scenarios. This shift was notably marked by the introduction of the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in 2011. With CSAT came analytical reasoning, comprehension, and decision-making-setting the tone for what UPSC expects from future administrators. Civil servants today are expected to deal with complex governance challenges, policy dilemmas, and ethical conflicts. UPSC has aligned its evaluation methods accordingly. Mains questions increasingly prompt candidates to take a stance, compare perspectives, and offer well-reasoned conclusions. For example, a typical question might ask: "Assess the role of digital platforms in participatory governance." There's no one "correct" answer-what matters is how well the candidate connects policy, ethics, technology, and recent developments into a thoughtful analysis. This analytical push is also seen in the growing number of interdisciplinary questions. A topic on climate change might combine elements of constitutional law, ethics, and economics of green energy policy. Similarly, current affairs now require aspirants to go beyond headlines and consider long-term implications on governance, international relations, and public policy. During the interview stage, knowledge alone won't suffice. Candidates are tested for clarity of thought, emotional intelligence, and decision-making under pressure. Ethical dilemmas, hypothetical governance issues, or nuanced questions on one's optional subject are all fair game. "Aspirants must now shift from merely collecting facts to building frameworks of understanding," said Vibhas Jha, Senior Faculty of Economics at NextIAS. "The growing focus on analytical thinking in UPSC exams isn't just a change in academics-it shows what kind of civil servants India needs now. The country requires people who can handle unclear situations, make smart choices, and come up with well-thought-out answers to urgent problems," he added.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Two Cong MLAs sentenced to jail for obstructing road in '14
1 2 3 4 Jaipur: A Jaipur court Tuesday sentenced two Congress MLAs, Mukesh Bhakar and Manish Yadav, along with seven others, to one-year simple imprisonment for blocking traffic outside Rajasthan University more than a decade ago. The demonstration, held on Aug 13, 2014, was part of an agitation against inclusion of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in the UPSC preliminary exam. It disrupted traffic on JLN Marg outside the university's main gate for about 20 minutes. Following the sentencing, the court suspended the sentence, giving them a month to appeal the decision. Additional chief judicial magistrate-19 (ACJM-19), Jaipur Metropolitan First, found all nine accused guilty of unlawful assembly and obstructing a public road. Those convicted include Ladnun MLA Mukesh Bhakar and Shahpura MLA Manish Yadav, along with Abhishek Chaudhary, who contested from Jhotwara on a Congress ticket. Also convicted are Rajesh Meena, Ravi Kirad alias Ravikant, Wasim Khan, Dron Yadav, Bhanupratap Singh, and Vidhyadhar Meel. Prosecution officer Kavita Pingolia said police filed a chargesheet in the case on Aug 11, 2016. During the trial, some of the accused argued they were not present at the protest site and their names were not in the original FIR. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Walgreens Keeps Quiet About This '9 Pills for $7' Generic Cialis Deal Health Alliance by Friday Plans Learn More Undo However, prosecution witnesses testified that those chargesheeted were present at the scene, and their testimony remained consistent throughout. The court dismissed the defence's argument that the case was politically motivated, stating that the evidence clearly pointed to the involvement of all nine accused. During the trial, the prosecution presented four witnesses, all of whom were policemen. To support their statements, the prosecution also submitted documentary evidence. These included the site map of the incident, a copy of the daily diary entry, and a certified copy of the original FIR. Under Section 147 of IPC (rioting), each convict was sentenced to one year of simple imprisonment and fined Rs 3,000. If the fine is not paid, they will serve an additional month in jail. Under Section 283 of IPC (causing obstruction in a public way), they were each fined Rs 200, with the alternative of 15 days in jail if unpaid.
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 result declared, application for mains exam to begin next
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today released the Civil Services Examination (CSE) preliminary exam result status. Candidates who have appeared in the UPSC CSE 2025 prelims exam will now be able to download and check their result status from and UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 Result LIVE Updates The exam was held on May 25, 2025 for paper 1 and paper 2. While the UPSC CSE prelims paper 1 for general studies paper started at 9.30 am, the paper 2 exam for Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) started at 2:30 pm. UPSC Prelims 2025 exam was an overall lengthy paper, according to students and mentors. This year, 979 posts will be filled as part of the recruitment process. Last year, the UPSC CSE prelims exam was conducted on June 16 and the results were declared on July 1. In 2023, the UPSC prelims CSE exam was held on May 28 and the result was announced on June 12. Comparative overview of UPSC CSE prelims cut-offs (2020–2024) Candidates scoring above the cut-off marks in CSE prelims will become eligible to register for the UPSC main examination. The mains will be descriptive and will be conducted from August 22 for five days. The UPSC CSE exam is conducted in three stages — prelims, mains and interview. A final merit list is prepared for candidates qualifying the exam and the interview with the highest marks.
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 Result LIVE: When will UPSC announce CSE Preliminary result?
Union Public Service Commission CSE Prelims 2025 Result Date Live Updates: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will soon be announcing the results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025 preliminary exam. Candidates who took the UPSC CSE 2025 prelims exam on May 25 will be able to download and check and download their result status from and Last year, UPSC held the CSE prelims exam June 16 and the UPSC CSE prelims result status was announced on July 1. While, in 2023, the UPSC CSE preliminary exam was conducted on May 28 and the result was released June 12. UPSC CSE prelims 2025 exam was conducted for paper 1 and paper 2. The UPSC CSE prelims paper 1 was held for general studies and the paper 2 exam was held for the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). As per aspirants who appeared for the exam this year, the UPSC Prelims 2025 exam was an overall lengthy paper. Candidates scoring above the cut-off marks in CSE prelims will become eligible to register for the UPSC main examination. The mains will be descriptive and will be conducted from August 22 for five days. Live Updates The UPSC CSE exam is conducted in three stages — prelims, mains and interview. A final merit list is prepared for candidates qualifying the exam and the interview with the highest marks. © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘We don't drink water to avoid inaccessible washrooms': UPSC must get out of its ablest framework
Written by Olly Mohanta With the conclusion of the UPSC civil service examination prelims, the buzz around reforms has grown louder. Experts and commentators are calling for changes in the syllabus, the pattern, and even the upper age limit — all in the name of efficiency and meritocracy. However, amidst these reformist appeals, one voice remains conspicuously absent: Aspirants from the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBDs) category. I write this not as a detached observer, but as someone who has walked — or rather wheeled — through this journey. When I first considered appearing for the exam (before 2015) orthopaedically disabled aspirants like me weren't even allowed scribes. The provision existed for visually impaired candidates, but not for those of us whose locomotor disability made even the act of marking circles on an OMR sheet painfully slow — and sometimes impossible — without assistance. It wasn't just an oversight. It was structural exclusion and ignorance. Even now, many of us continue to face hurdles that no exam syllabus can prepare us for. The Civil Services Aptitude Test paper, introduced as a qualifying test, for instance, often functions as an unspoken barrier for PwBD candidates. Time-bound reasoning and numeracy questions disproportionately impact those who, due to years of inaccessible education or chronic conditions, were never given a fair start. Extra time is a Band-Aid, not a solution, when the foundation itself is fractured. But the issue goes beyond just question papers. The very act of preparing for the UPSC becomes a daily negotiation with neglect. In my pursuit of higher education for years, I travelled 30–40 kilometres one way to attend classes, only to return home from metro stations where the elevators were mostly out of order. There were days I reached classes late or skipped them entirely because hopping into an auto or e-rickshaw wasn't an option, not for someone with wheels beneath them and no accessible infrastructure to support them. Those who advocate for a 'younger, sharper' bureaucracy rarely stop to ask: How does one compete on equal terms when disability arrives in your twenties? When your youth — the most defining years of professional life — is spent not chasing internships or placements, but navigating pain, rehabilitation, and invisibility? I earned a research degree from a premier central government university, but I remain unemployed. Not because I don't want to work, but because age, disability, and lack of formal experience are treated as liabilities. But how do you gain experience if no one hires you to begin with? How is age a standalone marker of efficiency? The private sector doesn't have room for us. And the state public service commissions (PSCs) — ironically — are even more rigid. Many of them refuse to acknowledge the existence of certain disabilities, particularly those who need maximum support. What is left then? For many of us, the UPSC is not a fallback. It is the only ladder that still stands — however frail, however far. Yet, even this ladder is slippery. Many exam centres lack accessible toilets. And so, many of us avoid drinking water for hours before and during the exam. How does one focus on an exam spread across an entire day when basic human needs are held hostage? Shouldn't these also be taken into account when we talk about reforms? When we talk of reforms, they must be holistic. They must include those who have historically been left out of the conversation. The agony that disabled aspirants go through — the delays, the logistical nightmares, the financial strain, the social isolation — is not something that can be measured in cut-offs or mark sheets. Those who shape policy and regulation — bureaucrats, commissions, experts — are looked up to. That gaze carries weight. It demands responsibility, fairness, and inclusion. Merit, in its truest sense, should never be diluted. But let us also ask: Is the scheme of the exam fair to all? If the system privileges those with stable health, full mobility, financial resources, and accessible transport, what merit are we even measuring? Disability-inclusive reforms within the UPSC must not be an afterthought. They must be central to any vision of a just, equitable civil service — one where hope is not rationed, and dignity is not reserved for the able-bodied. The writer is a PwBD UPSC aspirant. This is a first person account
