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CSAT Exam Analysis 2025 highlights the difficulty level of the question paper. This year, the paper was lengthy and tricky, dominated by the quantitative aptitude section, according to CSAT Exam Analysis 2025.
UPSC CSAT Exam Analysis 2025: The UPSC Prelims CSAT Paper 2025 was conducted on 25th May 2025, in the afternoon shift from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. According to the CSAT 2025 analysis, the paper was lengthy and tricky in nature, making it comparably more difficult than the previous year.
This qualifying paper is crucial for candidates aiming to clear the preliminary stage of the Civil Services Examination. The CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) consists of 80 questions worth a total of 200 marks, and candidates must score a minimum of 33% (i.e., 66 marks) to qualify.
Read on for a detailed CSAT paper analysis 2025, including topic-wise question distribution, difficulty level, and good attempts for each section.
The UPSC CSAT 2025 paper was held from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM, with 80 questions worth 200 marks from RC, Reasoning, and Numerical Ability. Many aspirants found this paper to be tough due to more comprehension passages and tricky logical reasoning. Time management remained key to score a minimum of 33%, which is mandatory to qualify. Here we have updated the difficulty and question distribution:
| UPSC Prelims Analysis 2025 CSAT | |||
| Subjects | Questions | Good Attempt | Difficulty Level |
| Reasoning Ability | 17 | 14–15 | Moderate |
| Reading Comprehension | 29 | 22–24 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Numerical Ability | 34 | 25–28 | Moderate |
| Total | 80 | 55–65 | Moderate to Difficult |
For those looking for solutions to CSAT questions and to check out their tentative score, ONLYIAS provides answer keys along with detailed solutions:
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UPSC Prelims Question Paper & Answer Key 2025 |
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| UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2025 | Download Link |
| UPSC Prelims CSAT Answer Key 2025 with Solution | Download Link |
The CSAT 2024 exam, held on 16th June 2024, was moderately difficult. Around 22–24 questions were asked from comprehension passages, while reasoning and numerical sections had about 35–40 and 23–25 questions, respectively. Numerical questions required quick calculations and were based mostly on Class 10-level arithmetic. Here is the detailed analysis of CSAT 2024:
| UPSC Prelims Analysis 2024 CSAT | |||
| Subjects | Total Number of Questions | Good Attempt | Difficulty Level |
| Reasoning Ability | 35-40 | 21-26 | Moderate |
| Reading Comprehension | 22-24 | 14-17 | Moderate |
| Numerical Ability | 23-25 | 15-18 | Moderate |
| Total | 80 | 50-61 | Moderate |
A decade-long review of CSAT papers shows a fluctuating yet patterned trend in the number of questions from key areas. Maths (numerical ability) has ranged between 18–42 questions, with a sharp rise in some years like 2020. This trend table helps aspirants identify weightage and prepare accordingly:
| UPSC Prelims CSAT Exam Analysis – Last 10 years Trends | |||
| Year | Maths | Reasoning | Comprehension |
| 2014 | 20 | 23 | 31 |
| 2015 | 30 | 18 | 30 |
| 2016 | 31 | 21 | 28 |
| 2017 | 28 | 22 | 30 |
| 2018 | 18 | 22 | 26 |
| 2019 | 32 | 18 | 30 |
| 2020 | 42 | 12 | 26 |
| 2021 | 33 | 18 | 27 |
| 2022 | 25 | 22 | 30 |
| 2023 | 37 | 15 | 28 |
| 2024 | 23 | 24 | 40 |
Ready to boost your UPSC 2025 preparation? Join PW’s UPSC online courses today!
Candidates need to score a minimum of 33% (i.e., 66 marks out of 200) to qualify for the CSAT paper in UPSC Prelims 2025.
Yes, in recent years, the CSAT paper has become more challenging, particularly in comprehension and reasoning sections, catching many candidates off guard.
The difficulty level of the CSAT paper 2025 was high, especially dominated by the quantitative aptitude section.
There were just 17 reasoning questions in CSAT 2025 paper.
This year, the toughest section in the CSAT was the Reading Comprehension section, as comprehension passages were lengthy, complex, and time-consuming.
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| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
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