UPSC Civil Services Exam 2023: Candidates seek reduction in CSAT cut off

A plea has been filed before the Central Administrative Tribunal to reduce the CSAT qualifying cut off for Paper II from 33 per cent to 23 per cent.  

A group of candidates who appeared for the 2023 Civil Services Examination have urged the Central Administrative Tribunal to direct the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to reduce the CSAT qualifying cut off for Paper II from 33 per cent to 23 per cent. The matter is scheduled to be heard by the Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal. 

The applicants have argued that as per the UPSC syllabus, CSAT is designed to test the general aptitude and basic knowledge of the candidates at the Class X level. However, the difficulty level of the questions asked in CSAT exam is similar to that of questions asked in CAT and IIT JEE exams. 

They further argued that the Paper II (CSAT) conducted by the UPSC was not only out of syllabus, but it is also discriminatory for candidates from humble backgrounds who cannot afford special coaching or come from rural areas. 

The applicants have also said that this year at least 10 questions were asked from a topic, which is a part of Class XI NCERT mathematics syllabus, and questions were also taken from previous years exams from IIT JEE or CAT. They have urged that an expert committee should be constituted to review the questions and appropriate action regarding these questions be taken on the basis of recommendations of the committee. 
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