UPSC 2023 candidates demand reduction in CSAT cut-off; Court issues notice to commission

The candidates stated that according to the UPSC syllabus, CSAT is meant to assess the general aptitude of candidates, testing their ability to solve basic questions related to comprehension, logical reasoning, etc., at the Class X level. However, in the plea, they allege that the difficulty level of the CSAT questions was similar to those asked in the CAT (Common Admission Test) and IIT JEE (Indian Institutes of Technology Joint Entrance Examination), going against the provided syllabus.

UPSC 2023 candidates demand reduction in cut-off for CSAT from 33% to 23%

UPSC Exam 2023: As the latest update in the case of UPSC 2023 candidates seeking reduction in CSAT Cut-off, the Central Administrative Tribunal has issued notice to the Union Public Service Commission on a plea seeking a reduction from 33% to 23%. The matter was listed today, i.e. June 9, before the Principal Bench of the Tribunal. However, the Tribunal has refused to direct the Commission to keep the preliminary result in abeyance as prayed for by the applicants, advocate Saaket Jain informed Live Law. The matter is listed now on July 6 for further consideration.

A few candidates who appeared for Civil Services Examination 2023 filed a plea in before the Central Administrative Tribunal seeking a reduction in cutoff for Paper II CSAT from 33 per cent to 23 per cent or to conduct a re-exam for Paper II (CSAT) as part of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023. The plea has been filed challenging the qualifying Part II (CSAT) exam conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) last month. Read further to understand what happened so far!

CSAT difficulty level similar to CAT, IIT JEE

The candidates stated that according to the UPSC syllabus, CSAT is meant to assess the general aptitude of candidates, testing their ability to solve basic questions related to comprehension, logical reasoning, etc., at the Class X level. However, in the plea, they allege that the difficulty level of the CSAT questions was similar to those asked in the CAT (Common Admission Test) and IIT JEE (Indian Institutes of Technology Joint Entrance Examination), going against the provided syllabus.

Questions should have matched Class 10 level

According to the applicants, the CSAT exam, as per the UPSC syllabus, is designed to assess candidates’ general aptitude and their ability to solve basic questions related to comprehension and logical reasoning at the Class 10 level. However, they allege that the difficulty level of the questions in the CSAT exam was similar to those in CAT and IIT JEE exams. The applicants claim that this goes against the provided syllabus and creates a disadvantage for candidates from humble backgrounds who lack access to special coaching or come from rural areas or the arts stream.

Set up committee and review questions

Around ten questions in the UPSC exam 2023 were from topics covered in the Class XI NCERT Mathematics Syllabus, and some questions taken from previous years’ IIT JEE or CAT exams, the applicants allege. The case titled Siddharth Mishra & Ors. v. UPSC is being represented by Advocate Saket Jain. The petitioner have also urged the court to set up an expert committee to review the questions and take appropriate action based on the committee’s recommendations.

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