The GS paper of CSAT 2011 was very much different from its predecessors. Although the curriculum for the GS paper remained almost same, the approach and the target areas were very different from previous years. The following are the relevant changes that were implicit in the GS paper of CSAT 2011:

Reduction in number of questions

The number of questions in CSAT 2011 was reduced to 100 from the previous figure of 120 without altering the time duration. However the difficulty level of the questions was higher vis-à-vis those in the previous years. The direct questions and sitters were absent in CSAT 2011. The concept of the negative marking continued in the CSAT 2011 as well. Thus the changed approach of examiners envisages accuracy amidst higher difficulty level on the virtue of some relaxation in time pressure.

Conceptual clarity is the new name of the game

About more than 90% questions were based of the application of the concepts from the diverse disciplines.  The present format has made the mugging of facts, figures and definitions of limited utility in CSAT.  The present pattern has become the litmus test for the application of concepts with acumen and common sense. For example consider the following question of CSAT 2011:

Why is the Government of India disinvesting its equity in the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)?

1. The Government intends to use the revenue earned from the disinvestment mainly to pay back the external debt.

2. The Government no longer intends to retain the management control of the CPSEs.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

The questions like this cannot be answered without having the conceptual clarity of Disinvestment in the Indian context along with the Disinvestment policy of UPA government.

Interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary questions

Many of questions asked in CSAT 2011 were interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary in nature. Thus solving these questions require the knowledge from more than one subject along with the critical linkages between the subjects.   

Subject wise analysis of CSAT-2011

The following is the subject wise distribution of the questions in CSAT 2011:

Thus as per the current trend the Economics and Geography together contributed to about 51 questions in CSAT 2011.

It is to be kept in mind that this weightage of subjects per se, can change any time. Therefore in order to be on the safer side the exam strategy of the aspirants should be such that they should be able to cope up with any alteration in the weightages.

Unpredictable content but predictable context

Since the syllabi for the General Studies for Civil Services is so vast that it is impossible to predict the exact questions in the future, however their context is relatively predictable. As a matter of the fact the context of the questions asked in Civil Services Exams can be easily predicted as it consists of the contemporary challenges and opportunities that the county and world are facing. For instance the Climate Change and ecological degradation are posing the formidable challenge to the country these days. The same was reflected in the CSAT 2011. There were about 21 questions from different subjects in which the context was Climate Change or ecological degradation. For example consider the following questions from CSAT 2011:

The formation of ozone hole in the Antarctic region has been a cause of concern. What could be the reason for the formation of this     hole?

(a) Presence of prominent troposphere turbulence; and inflow of chlorofluorocarbons 

(b) Presence of .prominent polar front and stratospheric': Clouds; and inflow of chlorofluorocarbons 

(c) Absence of polar front and stratospheric clouds; and inflow of methane and chlorofluorocarbons

(d) Increased temperature at polar region due to global warming.

This question is from Geography section however the context is Climate Change. Similarly:

In the Union Budget 2011-12, a full exemption from the basic customs duty was extended to the bio-based asphalt (Bio-asphalt). What is the importance of this material

1. Unlike traditional asphalt, bio-asphalt is not based on fossil fuels.

2. Bio-asphalt can be made from non- renewable resources.

3. Bio-asphalt can be made from organic waste materials.

4. It is eco-friendly to use Bio-asphalt for surfacing of the roads.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1,2 and 3 only

(b) 1,3 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1,2,3 and 4

This question is from Economics but the context is again ecological degradation

 Similarly the following is analysis of the context based questions in CSAT 2011:

Therefore about 40 questions out of 100 revolved around the above three contexts.

Strategy for CSAT 2012

There is no universal strategy to crack CSAT 2012. The aspirants should make their respective strategies according to their strengths and weaknesses.  However the following golden rules can be followed while making the strategy

Golden rule 1: Knowing your strengths and weaknesses

The aspirants should have the clarity of her/his strength and weaknesses.  The aspirants should know the areas in which they are good at, and weak. After knowing the strengths and weaknesses it should be analyzed that how to sharpen the strong areas and at the same time mitigating the weaknesses. Since 100% coverage of all the subjects is next to impossible the aspirants must be clear which areas to target and which areas not to target.

Golden rule 2: Increase the width of preparation

It is advisable to read the basic concepts of all the subjects’ at-least once even if the aspirants are not targeting these areas. This is because of the fact that there are always some sitters in the exam from the diverse subjects. The aspirants should not miss any of the sitters.

Golden rule 3: Increase the width of preparation in the selected areas.

The students should enough read and practice the sample questions from some of the selected areas so that in those subjects they acquire enough confidence before exam that irrespective of the difficulty level of the question they would be able to score.

Golden rule 4: Appropriate allocation of time

The aspirants should devote the time to each subject as per their relative importance in the exam. For instance based on the past experience and on analysis the following is the list of the subjects in descending order of their weight age

1.  Economics
2.  Geography
3.  History
4.  Current Affairs
5.  Polity
6.  Biology
7.  Chemistry

​Golden rule 5: Identifying the context

As stated earlier it is easier to analyze the contexts in which the questions would be designed irrespective of the subjects. The following is the list of contexts that would play crucial role in CSAT 2012:

1. Climate change and ecological degradation
2. Economic reforms in India and integration of Indian economy with world.
3. The financial markets in India and the foreign funds
4. Debt crisis in Europe and slowdown in emerging economies
5. Fiscal and monetary policies in India and issues like improving growth and targeting inflation.
6. Social sector (specially the flagship schemes and entitlement issues)