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Civil Ashram IAS

Free UPSC preparation


CSAT is the one paper you can finish learning.

CSAT is what this place does completely — lectures, every past paper, solved questions and a free test. The Prelims GS Paper I papers and the current affairs videos are here as well. None of it costs money, needs an account, or asks for your email.

Start by finding out where you stand


Twelve questions. Fifteen minutes. No charge.

Fifteen minutes tells you which section is already strong, and which one has the most marks waiting in it for you.

01

Questions at the real standard

Twelve questions across numeracy, reasoning, data interpretation and decision making. Not an easy sample. This is the standard the paper is set at.

02

Your projected mark out of 200

Your accuracy is carried across the full paper with real negative marking and placed against the 66.67 line. It is an estimate, and moving it is entirely in your hands.

03

The full method for every question

All twelve worked out, with the exam-hall shortcut and the trap most people fall into. You see them whether you scored well or not, free.

Keep paper and a pen beside you. You will not need a calculator.

The order to work in


Five steps, in this order.

The order you practise in changes the result more than the number of questions does.

  1. Find where the most marks are

    CSAT is three sections, and usually one of them is where marks come fastest. Name that section first. Everything after it gets easier.

  2. Learn one method at a time

    Percentages, then time and work, then series. Do not move on until one topic is properly clear. One topic understood beats ten topics half known.

  3. Do it slowly first, with no clock

    Do not chase speed at the start. Write the full working on paper. Speed arrives on its own later. Understanding does not.

  4. Then the same questions against the clock

    Now put a time on each question. This is where you find out which method survives an exam hall and which one only works on paper.

  5. Last, a full paper in one sitting

    Two hours, 80 questions, with the negative marking on. This last step is the one that tells you exactly what the exam hall will feel like. Once you have sat a full paper, the real day feels familiar.

Paper analysis


Two blocks decide this paper, and they are the same size.

CSAT 2024, with all eighty questions placed by hand. The result is not what most people expect.

27

Comprehension

Twenty-seven of eighty, sitting under a printed passage instruction.

27

Numeracy

Exactly as many. Numbers, percentages, work, ratios and algebra.

16

Reasoning

Coding, direction, series, clocks and calendars.

10

Data interpretation

All ten are data sufficiency. Most people write this off as a small topic.

The full count, the comprehension questions year by year, and how it was worked out — all of it is open.

The count, taken from the papers

The YouTube channel


Maths and reasoning, question by question.

The teaching itself lives here. Sixteen series working through the maths and reasoning questions of CSAT papers from 2016 to 2025, and the maths taught topic by topic.

Common questions


The things people ask before they begin.

Is CSAT really only qualifying?

Yes. You need 66.67 marks out of 200, which is 33 per cent. Scoring more than that does nothing for your rank. Scoring less does everything — Paper I is never opened, however well you did in it.

I have sat this paper before. Where should I start?

Start with the free CSAT Check. You have seen this paper already, which gives you something a first-timer does not have: real experience of it. The only thing left to find out is which of the three sections holds the most marks for you.

It shows your accuracy section by section, and the order to work in after that is set out above under “The order to work in”. Fifteen minutes and you have a clear plan.

Do I need to be quick at maths already?

No. The numeracy in CSAT is Class 10 level — percentages, ratios, time and work, speed, averages, numbers. It is Class 10 maths done quickly. Speed is a skill, and a skill is built by practice.

In most cases it is a question of method rather than of maths. A method can be taught, and teaching it is what this whole site does.

Is anything behind a login?

No. There is no account on this site. Reading or downloading anything needs no email and no phone number.

Is all of this really free?

Yes. There is nothing on this site to buy at the moment. The lectures, the sixty-two papers, the answer keys, the worked solutions, the CSAT Check and the paper analysis are all open.

Will it work on my phone?

Yes. This site is built for an ordinary Android phone. The pages are kept light so they open on a slow connection. There is no app to install.

Is the material in Hindi?

This website is fully in Hindi and English — use the button in the menu bar. The video lectures are in Hindi. The papers and answer keys are UPSC’s own files, so they carry both languages.

How do I get help with a question?

Post the question in the Telegram discussion group, or send a message on WhatsApp. One person answers, so it is sometimes the same day and sometimes the next. Those are the real times, and they are not dressed up.

Fifteen minutes and you will have a clear plan.

Twelve questions, fifteen minutes, no charge and no email.