UPSC CSE Prelims · CSAT (GS Paper II) · Subject-Wise
UPSC CSAT PYQs Subject-Wise (2015–2026): Build Each CSAT Skill Separately
CSAT questions from 2015 to 2026, grouped by subject. Practise comprehension, reasoning or numeracy on its own, find the area that is quietly pulling your marks down, and strengthen it until the qualifying line stops being a worry.
Work on one skill at a time
Open the CSAT subject you find hardest and see every question UPSC has set on it since 2015.
A full CSAT paper mixes passages, puzzles, number problems and data sets. That mix is exactly what you need close to the exam, but it is a poor way to learn. When your mind is jumping between a passage on climate policy and a question on work and time, it is hard to notice that you keep making the same error in percentages.
Subject-wise CSAT PYQs separate the paper into its parts. You can spend a whole session on one kind of question, see how UPSC sets it, and build a reliable method. This guide explains how to judge each subject for yourself, how to approach each one, and how to rotate them through your week.
Table of Contents
Why Split CSAT Practice by Subject
CSAT is qualifying, needing 66 out of 200 marks. Most candidates who struggle with it are not weak everywhere; they are weak in one or two areas. Subject-wise practice lets you aim straight at those areas.
- Clearer diagnosis. A long run of questions of one type shows your real accuracy on that type.
- Faster method-building. Repeating one kind of problem fixes a method in memory far quicker than meeting it once in every paper.
- Less anxiety. Improving one area at a time gives you visible progress, which matters for aspirants who dread CSAT.
Previous year questions matter here because they show the exact style UPSC uses for each area: how long its passages run, how its reasoning questions are worded and how its data sets are presented. Practice material from elsewhere can drift from that style.
Isolate one skill
Choose one CSAT subject and solve its questions in a single sitting.
The CSAT Syllabus in Plain Terms
UPSC's official CSAT syllabus lists a handful of areas. Here is what each one means in practice.
| Syllabus area | What it tests in practice |
|---|---|
| Comprehension | Reading a passage and drawing the right inference or main idea |
| Interpersonal skills including communication skills | Understanding how people and messages are best handled |
| Logical reasoning and analytical ability | Arguments, statements and conclusions, and step-by-step deduction |
| Decision making and problem solving | Choosing a sound course of action from the facts given |
| General mental ability | Puzzles, series, arrangements and similar problems |
| Basic numeracy (Class X level) | Numbers, percentages, ratios, averages and related arithmetic |
| Data interpretation (Class X level) | Reading tables and charts and working with the figures in them |
The words "Class X level" matter. The maths is school maths. What makes CSAT hard is not advanced concepts but speed, accuracy and careful reading under time pressure.
See how UPSC sets each area
Read a few questions from every CSAT subject before planning your practice.
Map Your Strong and Weak Subjects
You will read confident claims that a certain CSAT area "always" carries a fixed share of the paper. The balance actually shifts between years, so do not build your plan on a borrowed number. Instead, map your own strengths.
- Solve one set from each CSAT subject without time pressure.
- Note your accuracy and roughly how long each question took.
- Mark each subject as strong, workable or weak.
| Rating | What to do |
|---|---|
| Strong | Light practice to keep speed; attempt it first in the exam |
| Workable | Regular practice to push accuracy up |
| Weak | Rebuild the method from basics, then solve its PYQs in depth |
Redraw the map every month or so. Ratings change as you practise, and a subject you marked weak in the first month may be workable by the third. Equally, a strong subject can slip if you ignore it for too long. The map is only useful if it reflects where you are now, not where you were when you started, so treat it as a living record rather than a verdict.
Draw your CSAT map
Solve one set from each subject this week and rate yourself.
Approaches That Suit Each CSAT Subject
Comprehension
Read the question first, then the passage. Answer only from what the passage says, not from what you know about the topic. The most tempting wrong option is usually true in real life but not supported by the text.
Logical Reasoning and Decision Making
Write the given facts down in short form before choosing an option. Most errors come from assuming something the question never stated.
General Mental Ability
Puzzles and arrangements reward a quick diagram. If a puzzle has not started to make sense after a couple of minutes, leave it and come back.
Basic Numeracy
Keep a short list of core methods: percentage change, ratio and proportion, averages, time and work, speed and distance. Practise each until you can set up the problem without hesitation.
Data Interpretation
Read the table or chart headings and units before any number. Approximate where the options are far apart; calculate exactly only when they are close.
Match the method to the subject
Pick one subject and apply its approach to a full set of questions.
Learn a Method, Then Solve That Subject's PYQs
For the numeracy and reasoning subjects, a simple cycle works better than solving endless questions.
- Learn or revise one method from a school-level maths or reasoning book.
- Solve that subject's CSAT PYQs right after, while the method is fresh.
- Rework every wrong question from scratch on fresh paper, without looking at a worked method first.
- Log the error type in a notebook: concept, calculation or misreading.
Your error notebook soon shows a pattern. If most errors are calculation slips, you need slower, neater working. If they are misreadings, you need to underline what the question actually asks.
Common Subject-Wise Mistakes
- Practising only the comfortable subject because progress there feels quick.
- Memorising shortcuts without understanding when they apply.
- Skipping comprehension practice on the assumption that reading is easy.
Test a method you just revised
Solve the matching CSAT subject's questions today.
Turning a Weak Subject into a Safe One
A four-week block focused on your weakest CSAT subject is often enough to change how the whole paper feels.
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Revise the basic methods and solve the subject's easier PYQs slowly |
| 2 | Solve the rest of its PYQs and rework every error |
| 3 | Re-solve all previously wrong questions, then work on speed |
| 4 | Solve mixed sets from the subject against your own clock |
Keep a light touch on your other subjects during this block, so that they do not slip while you fix the weak one.
Begin your four-week block
Open your weakest CSAT subject and start with week one.
A Weekly CSAT Subject Rotation
Most aspirants study CSAT alongside a heavy GS Paper I load. Short, regular subject sessions fit that reality better than occasional long ones.
| Day | CSAT subject session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Your weakest subject |
| Wednesday | Comprehension |
| Friday | Your weakest subject again |
| Weekend | One workable subject, or a full paper in the final months |
As your weak subject improves, give its slot to the next one on your map.
Plan this week's sessions
Fill in your rotation and start with Monday's subject.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try one subject now
A single focused set will show you where you stand.
Pick Your Weakest CSAT Subject and Begin
CSAT rewards steady, targeted work more than last-minute cramming. Subject-wise PYQs from 2015 to 2026 let you see each part of the paper clearly, build a reliable method for it and check that the method holds on real UPSC questions. Fix your weakest subject first, keep the others ticking over, and the qualifying mark becomes a line you clear with room to spare.
Your next 45 minutes
Open the CSAT subject you find hardest and solve its first set of questions.