5-Step CSAT Strategy to Score 66+ Marks

CSAT requires 33% to qualify (66 marks out of 200).

Step 1 — Attempt Easy Questions First

Start with:

• comprehension

• logical reasoning

• basic maths

Skip difficult questions immediately.

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Step 2 — Follow the 70-Question Rule

To safely qualify:

• Attempt 55–70 questions

• Maintain 60–70% accuracy

Example:

Attempt	Correct	Marks
60	40	80 marks

This safely crosses 66 marks.

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Step 3 — Use Elimination

Usually 2 options are clearly wrong.

Example signals:

• extreme words (always, never)

• unrelated ideas

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Step 4 — Time Division (Most Important)

120 minutes strategy:

Section	Time
Comprehension	40 min
Reasoning	40 min
Maths	40 min

Never spend more than 1.5 minutes per question.

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Step 5 — Skip Calculation Traps

UPSC often gives long calculations to waste time.

Instead:

• approximate

• use option elimination