Under the current UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination scheme, General Studies Paper II is an objective paper of 200 marks with a duration of two hours. It is qualifying in nature, and candidates must secure at least 33% marks. The examination also applies a one-third penalty for an incorrect answer.
Although CSAT marks are not used to determine the final Prelims merit score, failing to meet the qualifying requirement can prevent a candidate from progressing even when their General Studies Paper I performance is strong.
This is why CSAT should not be postponed until the final weeks before Prelims.
Students need enough time to: