Learn Expert Views and Tips on CSAT Exam

We recently interviewed Mr. Vijay Kalyan Jha, Vice President of CL Educate Ltd (a CSAT Subject Matter Expert) and discussed about different aspects of CSAT and success tips for the exam. Below is the transcript of the interview. CL Educate Ltd.: CL Educate Ltd is Asia’s one of the most prestigious edu-corporates, with focus on diverse segments of education and across learners of multiple age-groups. Established with a passion for excellence in education and led by a team of IIT-IIM alumni, CL Educate Ltd has shaped the lives and careers of lakhs of students in the last 18 years. The establishment’s core ideologies are focused on academic excellence, technological innovation, and deep rooted domain expertise built over close to two decades. Within 18 years of its existence, the CL brand has become a household name in India. It operates across a broad spectrum of segments including test preparation, K-12 education and vocational training. Its core value is to 'enable individuals to realize their potential and achieve their dreams'. The company has state-of-the-art infrastructure spread across 225 learning centers over 175 locations in India. It has a strong 3000+ team of teachers, trainers and academicians, who are committed to deliver path breaking education across various segments. Outside India, it has learning centers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Mr. Vijay Kalyan Jha, Vice President of CL Educate Ltd.: Mr. Vijay Kalyan Jha, Vice President of CL Educate Ltd has been in the academic field for almost two decades now. His primary interest is academics and believes in contributing to the Education Field in various ways. 1.    How long students should prepare for the Prelims exam? Ans. The Prelims exam comprises of two objective-type papers - Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (Aptitude Test). When students prepare for the Prelims exam, he/she should prepare for both General Studies -- Paper I (CSAT) and GS main exam together. On an average, preparing for the Prelims should take 6-8 months which should also include preparing for the main exam (at least for GS papers). If a student study seriously for the prelims exam he/she can cover at least 60-70% of GS main exam. Also it is important to note, preparation differs from student to student depending on their study schedule, individual student’s IQ level and various other factors. 2.    How clubbing CSAT and GS preparation can help students? CSAT and GS are more or less very disjoint sets, there is hardly anything common between these two. However, if I look at it slightly deeper, I can see a relation - if a student is very well-read and good at GS (which is possible only when one is well-read), it can help him/her to tackle the Reading Comprehension section which comprises of at least 40% - 60% of the entire CSAT paper. 3.    What preparation strategies should students follow for CSAT Paper I and Paper II exam?  Ans. Paper I: First and foremost students should be very thorough with NCERT books - History, Civics and Geography (6^th -- 12^th Classes), Economics (9^th, 10^th, 11^th and 12^th Standards) and Sociology (11^th & 12^th Classes). Along with reading NCERT books, students should be very regular with one of the national dailies such as The Hindu and The Indian Express. Plus, reading yearbooks including Manorama Yearbook is a must. Regarding picking up the right magazine, students should be regular with Frontline if he/she reads The Indian Express. However, if a student reads The Hindu he/she can ignore reading the Frontline magazine, as they both are from the same group. In addition, students must read Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) magazine which is very useful from the examination point of view. Civil Servant aspirants should avoid those magazines which give secondary information because it is not going to be beneficial for UPSC examination. Paper II: Aspirants should have absolute command over 7^th, 8^th, 9^th and 10^th Mathematics. Plus, they must practice a good number of analytical reasoning sets, refer previous years' question papers (available at UPSC website) and read good preparatory materials from any good institutions. 4.    What type of questions are asked in Current Affairs? Ans. As far as the Prelims is concerned, a couple of years back a good number of Current Affairs questions were asked. However, there is a drop in the trend in the last 2-3 years. It is important to remember that the Civil Services has no specific trend. Even if Current Affairs questions are not asked in the CSAT exam, it would be asked in the Main exam and Personality Test (Interview). So students should stay updated about the Current happenings around the world as it keep them intact with new developments. 5. What is the chance of success for average students in the CSAT exam? Ans. In 2014, 4.5 lac students have appeared and close to 15,000 have qualified in the CSAT exam, which technically means 3.7% chances of cracking the Prelims. Out of the 4.5 lac students, almost 80% who are very confident right from the start don’t even clear the Prelims. So the actual competition would be among the remaining 20%. The overall success rate is 4% and in the last 5-6 years it was in the range of 3-6% on an average. I would say it is difficult but not impossible even for average students to crack the exam with hard work, perseverance and a bit of IQ. 6.    Is coaching mandatory for CSAT preparation? What kind of training program would you suggest for students? Ans. I strictly think that coaching is not mandatory either for CSAT or for any MBA entrance exams. But if a student plans to join a coaching institute he/she must ensure that the trainers in the institutes are experienced and have faced the exam themselves. Joining a training program definitely has certain advantages especially for the first-timers. Students get thorough guidance on the CSAT exam pattern, become more regular in their studies, learn short-cut methods, focus on what is more important & avoid wasting time on unimportant  areas and get a lot of practice materials. 7.    What suggestions or success mantra would you like to give to CSAT aspirants? Ans. Students should have complete clarity on fundamental concepts, study all subjects (without avoiding any) and keep working until one succeeds.