Ahead of UPSC CSE prelims 2023 results, plea seeks CSAT cut off reduction

It remains to be seen whether UPSC will be asked to reduce the cut off or not

As the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) prepares to announce the results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) prelims 2023, a plea has been filed seeking a reduction in the cut off for the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT).

The UPSC prelims 2023 candidates who filed the petition argue that the difficulty level of CSAT questions was comparable to those found in highly competitive exams such as the CAT and IIT JEE.

Demand to reduce CSAT cut off to 23 percent

They sought a reduction in the current CSAT cut off from 33 percent to 23 percent. Alternatively, the plea requests a re-examination for CSAT as part of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023.

MS Education Academy

The petitioners claimed that CSAT questions were excessively challenging and not aligned with the provided syllabus. They said that it is discriminatory for rural candidates and those from arts backgrounds.

Previously, the CSAT marks of the candidates were considered for generating the merit list for the Civil Services Mains examination. However, since 2015, the examination was made qualifying in nature.

Currently, candidates have to score a minimum of 33 percent in CSAT, which is not taken into consideration while creating the merit list.

Controversy ahead of UPSC CSE prelims 2023 results

Every year, the candidates used to worry over the UPSC CSE prelims cut off, however, in 2023, the difficulty level of CSAT questions has become a subject of controversy. Candidates express concerns about the challenging nature of the questions.

The plea has been listed before the Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal.

It remains to be seen whether the commission will be asked to reduce the cut off or not ahead of the declaration of CSE prelims 2023 results.

Stages in UPSC Civil Services Exam

The UPSC Civil Services Exam is conducted annually in three stages: prelims, main, and interview. The exam serves as a gateway to select officers for prestigious positions in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), the Indian Police Service (IPS), and other esteemed government roles.

The competition is fierce, with lakhs of aspirants vying for a limited number of vacancies.

The preliminary examination is the first hurdle for aspiring civil servants. Though, it is a qualifying exam, only a few thousand students manage to clear it out of the large pool of candidates who appear each year.

Back to top button