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Prelims · CSAT Paper II

CSAT: how the paper has changed

What CSAT Paper II has asked since 2011: each area year by year, the subtopics asked most, the passage themes over time, and what the 33 per cent qualifying mark means.

The qualifying mark

33 per cent

Since 2015 CSAT has been qualifying. A candidate needs 33 per cent of its 200 marks, that is 66, and the marks then count for nothing: the merit list is drawn from General Studies Paper I alone.

So the aim is a safe pass, not a high score. With eighty questions of 2.5 marks each and a third of a question's marks lost for a wrong answer, a careful attempt at the areas a student is surest of does more than a rushed attempt at all of them. From 2011 to 2014 the paper counted towards the merit list, which is worth remembering when reading those years.

The areas, year by year

2011–2026

How many of each year's eighty questions came from each area. The counts are of questions as tagged on this site.

Comprehension473 total
  • 201136 questions on Comprehension in 2011
  • 201240 questions on Comprehension in 2012
  • 201331 questions on Comprehension in 2013
  • 201435 questions on Comprehension in 2014
  • 201532 questions on Comprehension in 2015
  • 201627 questions on Comprehension in 2016
  • 201731 questions on Comprehension in 2017
  • 201826 questions on Comprehension in 2018
  • 201930 questions on Comprehension in 2019
  • 202025 questions on Comprehension in 2020
  • 202127 questions on Comprehension in 2021
  • 202227 questions on Comprehension in 2022
  • 202327 questions on Comprehension in 2023
  • 202427 questions on Comprehension in 2024
  • 202529 questions on Comprehension in 2025
  • 202623 questions on Comprehension in 2026
Basic numeracy389 total
  • 201111 questions on Basic numeracy in 2011
  • 20122 questions on Basic numeracy in 2012
  • 201312 questions on Basic numeracy in 2013
  • 201413 questions on Basic numeracy in 2014
  • 201521 questions on Basic numeracy in 2015
  • 201628 questions on Basic numeracy in 2016
  • 201727 questions on Basic numeracy in 2017
  • 201820 questions on Basic numeracy in 2018
  • 201927 questions on Basic numeracy in 2019
  • 202039 questions on Basic numeracy in 2020
  • 202130 questions on Basic numeracy in 2021
  • 202234 questions on Basic numeracy in 2022
  • 202334 questions on Basic numeracy in 2023
  • 202428 questions on Basic numeracy in 2024
  • 202532 questions on Basic numeracy in 2025
  • 202631 questions on Basic numeracy in 2026
Data interpretation and sufficiency89 total
  • 201112 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2011
  • 20121 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2012
  • 20136 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2013
  • 20146 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2014
  • 20153 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2015
  • 20160 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2016
  • 20170 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2017
  • 201813 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2018
  • 20192 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2019
  • 20206 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2020
  • 20215 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2021
  • 20227 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2022
  • 20237 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2023
  • 202410 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2024
  • 20255 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2025
  • 20266 questions on Data interpretation and sufficiency in 2026
Logical reasoning302 total
  • 201113 questions on Logical reasoning in 2011
  • 201230 questions on Logical reasoning in 2012
  • 201325 questions on Logical reasoning in 2013
  • 201426 questions on Logical reasoning in 2014
  • 201524 questions on Logical reasoning in 2015
  • 201625 questions on Logical reasoning in 2016
  • 201722 questions on Logical reasoning in 2017
  • 201821 questions on Logical reasoning in 2018
  • 201921 questions on Logical reasoning in 2019
  • 202010 questions on Logical reasoning in 2020
  • 202118 questions on Logical reasoning in 2021
  • 202212 questions on Logical reasoning in 2022
  • 202312 questions on Logical reasoning in 2023
  • 202415 questions on Logical reasoning in 2024
  • 202514 questions on Logical reasoning in 2025
  • 202614 questions on Logical reasoning in 2026
Interpersonal and communication skills6 total
  • 20110 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2011
  • 20120 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2012
  • 20130 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2013
  • 20140 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2014
  • 20150 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2015
  • 20160 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2016
  • 20170 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2017
  • 20180 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2018
  • 20190 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2019
  • 20200 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2020
  • 20210 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2021
  • 20220 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2022
  • 20230 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2023
  • 20240 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2024
  • 20250 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2025
  • 20266 questions on Interpersonal and communication skills in 2026
Decision making21 total
  • 20118 questions on Decision making in 2011
  • 20127 questions on Decision making in 2012
  • 20136 questions on Decision making in 2013
  • 20140 questions on Decision making in 2014
  • 20150 questions on Decision making in 2015
  • 20160 questions on Decision making in 2016
  • 20170 questions on Decision making in 2017
  • 20180 questions on Decision making in 2018
  • 20190 questions on Decision making in 2019
  • 20200 questions on Decision making in 2020
  • 20210 questions on Decision making in 2021
  • 20220 questions on Decision making in 2022
  • 20230 questions on Decision making in 2023
  • 20240 questions on Decision making in 2024
  • 20250 questions on Decision making in 2025
  • 20260 questions on Decision making in 2026

The subtopics asked most

Outside comprehension

Passage themes over time

Comprehension

What the comprehension passages were about, year by year, counted by question.

Environment143 total
  • 20117 questions on Environment in 2011
  • 201217 questions on Environment in 2012
  • 20137 questions on Environment in 2013
  • 201410 questions on Environment in 2014
  • 20158 questions on Environment in 2015
  • 201610 questions on Environment in 2016
  • 20177 questions on Environment in 2017
  • 201813 questions on Environment in 2018
  • 201910 questions on Environment in 2019
  • 20208 questions on Environment in 2020
  • 20218 questions on Environment in 2021
  • 20225 questions on Environment in 2022
  • 202314 questions on Environment in 2023
  • 20245 questions on Environment in 2024
  • 202512 questions on Environment in 2025
  • 20262 questions on Environment in 2026
Economy102 total
  • 20110 questions on Economy in 2011
  • 20126 questions on Economy in 2012
  • 20138 questions on Economy in 2013
  • 201417 questions on Economy in 2014
  • 20157 questions on Economy in 2015
  • 20167 questions on Economy in 2016
  • 20177 questions on Economy in 2017
  • 20182 questions on Economy in 2018
  • 20197 questions on Economy in 2019
  • 20209 questions on Economy in 2020
  • 20215 questions on Economy in 2021
  • 20228 questions on Economy in 2022
  • 20234 questions on Economy in 2023
  • 20242 questions on Economy in 2024
  • 20259 questions on Economy in 2025
  • 20264 questions on Economy in 2026
Polity and governance64 total
  • 20115 questions on Polity and governance in 2011
  • 20126 questions on Polity and governance in 2012
  • 20132 questions on Polity and governance in 2013
  • 20142 questions on Polity and governance in 2014
  • 201510 questions on Polity and governance in 2015
  • 20166 questions on Polity and governance in 2016
  • 20179 questions on Polity and governance in 2017
  • 20180 questions on Polity and governance in 2018
  • 20193 questions on Polity and governance in 2019
  • 20204 questions on Polity and governance in 2020
  • 20214 questions on Polity and governance in 2021
  • 20222 questions on Polity and governance in 2022
  • 20233 questions on Polity and governance in 2023
  • 20243 questions on Polity and governance in 2024
  • 20253 questions on Polity and governance in 2025
  • 20262 questions on Polity and governance in 2026
Society56 total
  • 20118 questions on Society in 2011
  • 20123 questions on Society in 2012
  • 20132 questions on Society in 2013
  • 20140 questions on Society in 2014
  • 20153 questions on Society in 2015
  • 20161 questions on Society in 2016
  • 20172 questions on Society in 2017
  • 20188 questions on Society in 2018
  • 20194 questions on Society in 2019
  • 20201 questions on Society in 2020
  • 20213 questions on Society in 2021
  • 20221 questions on Society in 2022
  • 20234 questions on Society in 2023
  • 20248 questions on Society in 2024
  • 20254 questions on Society in 2025
  • 20264 questions on Society in 2026
Ethics and philosophy41 total
  • 20117 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2011
  • 20120 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2012
  • 20135 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2013
  • 20140 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2014
  • 20153 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2015
  • 20162 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2016
  • 20174 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2017
  • 20181 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2018
  • 20190 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2019
  • 20200 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2020
  • 20214 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2021
  • 20226 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2022
  • 20232 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2023
  • 20244 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2024
  • 20251 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2025
  • 20262 questions on Ethics and philosophy in 2026
Science and technology38 total
  • 20113 questions on Science and technology in 2011
  • 20120 questions on Science and technology in 2012
  • 20132 questions on Science and technology in 2013
  • 20140 questions on Science and technology in 2014
  • 20151 questions on Science and technology in 2015
  • 20161 questions on Science and technology in 2016
  • 20171 questions on Science and technology in 2017
  • 20181 questions on Science and technology in 2018
  • 20196 questions on Science and technology in 2019
  • 20203 questions on Science and technology in 2020
  • 20213 questions on Science and technology in 2021
  • 20225 questions on Science and technology in 2022
  • 20230 questions on Science and technology in 2023
  • 20245 questions on Science and technology in 2024
  • 20250 questions on Science and technology in 2025
  • 20267 questions on Science and technology in 2026
Other themes29 total
  • 20116 questions on Other themes in 2011
  • 20128 questions on Other themes in 2012
  • 20135 questions on Other themes in 2013
  • 20146 questions on Other themes in 2014
  • 20150 questions on Other themes in 2015
  • 20160 questions on Other themes in 2016
  • 20171 questions on Other themes in 2017
  • 20181 questions on Other themes in 2018
  • 20190 questions on Other themes in 2019
  • 20200 questions on Other themes in 2020
  • 20210 questions on Other themes in 2021
  • 20220 questions on Other themes in 2022
  • 20230 questions on Other themes in 2023
  • 20240 questions on Other themes in 2024
  • 20250 questions on Other themes in 2025
  • 20262 questions on Other themes in 2026
← All CSAT years and areas