CSAT - the game changer

After a study on the GS Paper for the Civil Services Prelims(CSP), let us now dwell deeper into the Paper II, which is popularly known as the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT).

Before going into the details, let me start with an important fact related to the CSP. In the Prelims examinations of yesteryears, a general candidate who gets 50% marks would easily qualify for the Mains. But, this trend has changed since the year 2012. The cut-off marks for 2012 and 2013, as published by UPSC is 209 and 241 respectively out of a total of 400 (For the year 2014, it would come around 220).

Now what is the reason for such a jump in the cut-off marks? Here comes the significance of the CSAT paper. People who are not so good in GS, rather perform extremely well (above 150) in CSAT thus raising their total far above 200. Consequently, the range of marks among candidates is comparatively narrow for GS, while  in the case of CSAT it is very wide with some candidates scoring even above 180 marks. This makes the CSAT Paper, the decisive one for the CSP, even though it is of not of much use in the higher levels of the Civil Services Exam.

 Let us now study the syllabus for the CSAT, as notified by the UPSC. As in the case of Paper I, this paper also has a 7 point syllabus which is as follows:

1. Comprehension.
2. Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
4. Decision-making and problem-solving.
5. General mental ability.
6. Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc. - Class X level), Data - interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. - Class X level)
7.  English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level). 

Now, this contains a few topics that are overlapping and in turn confusing, at least for those who are not familiar with such a Paper. Hence let me simplify the syllabus initially, like what was done for the GS Paper of the CSP. I am reducing it to a 5 point syllabus so that you get a clearer picture.

1. Reading comprehension.
2. Decision-making.
3. Logical and analytical reasoning.
4. Basic numeracy.
5. Data interpretation.

To make things simpler, I am giving a brief description of each section below:

• Under Reading Comprehension, the candidates are required to read a given passage and answer the following questions based on it. The candidates can opt for either English or Hindi as the language, except for the compulsory English Comprehension part.
• Under Decision Making, a situation is provided and you would be asked to choose the most appropriate action from the given options.  The UPSC syllabus describes about Interpersonal Skills, but is not asked separately. Rather, it is used for solving Decision Making questions. One important fact is that this section does not have negative marking and credit is given to the best alternative.
• Logical Reasoning involves questions that can be solved using basic logic. They can be classified into two:
• Verbal reasoning - includes problems based on Statements & Conclusions, Logical Connectives, Syllogism etc
• Non Verbal reasoning - includes problems based on figures like pattern detection, dice problems etc.
• Analytical Reasoning problems are more complex compared to the Logical Reasoning ones and require the candidates to draw rough diagrams to find exact solutions. This includes problems on arrangement and ordering, blood-relations, direction sense etc.
• Basic numeracy involves problems based on Xth class Mathematics like percentage, ratio & proportion, time & distance etc.
• Data Interpretation problems involves data represented in the form of graphs, charts or tables and followed by questions based on them. It tests the ability of the candidate to analyse the given data. It is a part of the Statistics subject that you might have already studied in School. 

With this information at hand, it is the right time to analyse the CSAT Questions papers for the years 2013 and 2014.

Section	2013	2014
Comprehension	32	32
Decision making	6	0
Reasoning	22	23
Basic Numeracy	14	19
Data Interpretation	6	6
Total	80	80

Some important observations:

• The number of questions under Comprehension has remained the same in 2013 and 2014. With 32 questions in all ,this remains the largest section in the CSAT paper. But in 2014, six questions from the Compulsory English section were not considered for evaluation thus bringing down the number to 26.
• While there were six questions on Decision-Making in 2013, the whole section was absent in 2014. The most probable reason would be the introduction of the Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude Paper (or GS Paper IV) in the Mains examination. But this doesn't imply that such questions won't be asked in the next Prelims.
• Questions on Reasoning have got almost equal consideration in 2013 and 2014. Among them, more questions (two-third) were from the Analytical Reasoning part.
• Basic Numeracy is a section which saw a sharp increase in the number of questions in 2014 compared to the previous year as is evident from the table. In short, the Decision Making section was effectively replaced by questions from Basic Numeracy.
• The number of questions from Data Interpretation has remained the same in 2013 and 2014.

Important take-aways :

• The pattern of questions from different sections has remained more or less the same across the years. Atleast a few questions from the Reasoning and Numeracy sections were seen to be repeated. Hence the starting point for you would a thorough analysis of the previous years question papers. 

• There is a misunderstanding among the aspirants that the CSAT is complete Maths. This need to be done away with initially. Among the five major sections, only Basic Numeracy and Data Interpretation test your arithmetic skills. As is evident from the above table, the number of questions asked from these two sections together is 20 and 25 respectively in 2013 and 2014. Moreover, the UPSC has specifically mentioned that questions from these section will be of the Xth class level. Hence we need to understand that CSAT is not Maths.  

• Decision-making and Comprehension are qualities that are inherent in a person. Hence, we need to hone up those skills by practising more questions. While people with wide-reading and good English language skills can easily answer the questions under Comprehension,  Decision Making demands for practical wisdom among the candidates.

• The most important element of the CSAT is the time-management. 80 questions in two hours implies 1.5 minutes per question. But there can be wide variation in the complexity of questions. While a few can be solved within 30 seconds, some other questions would take above 2 minutes, especially if you are stuck up while solving those. Generally, Comprehension and Reasoning consumes more time and this has to be balanced with the Maths (Basic Numeracy and Data Interpretation) and Decision-Making sections.

The exam strategy:

The two hours for the CSAT is a golden time-period and your output depends upon how you manage it. The total time can be divided among different questions; like 80 Q in two hours implies 40 Q in one hour or 20 Q in half an hour. Further, different sections may be mixed up so that there is a balance; like Basic Numeracy can be done in between Reading Comprehension. Ultimately, you should not end up in leaving those questions which you actually know, just because you don't have the time. 

Please be mindful of the fact that "watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise".  You have been given a two hour time, not for dreaming, but to accomplish a mission; something which you have been cherishing for long. Hence pick your battles wisely... 

Deciphering the Civil Services Prelims..

I had mentioned about the relevance of the syllabus in one of my earlier posts. Let us take it further to analyse the pattern for the Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination (Here after I call it CSP). A general reading of the CSP syllabus would make your heads dizzy especially for those folks from a non-Humanities background. But a clear understanding of the pattern of the previous years question papers would help a lot in making up a strategy for the examination.

Before directly going to the question paper analysis, we study the syllabus initially and present it in a simpler form. The Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) has published a 7 point syllabus for the CSP and this is in place for the last few years, and most probably will continue this year also. It is as follows:

1. History of India and Indian National Movement.
2. Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
3. Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
4. Economic and Social Development - Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
5. General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.
6. General Science.
7. Current Events of National and International Importance.

Well, that covers many a things, a few among which would have definitely gone over your head. Now let me write these 7 topics once again in a plain language so that you get an overview of the syllabus, if not its details.  

1. History.
2. Geography.
3. Polity.
4. Economics.
5. Ecology and Environment.
6. Science & Technology.
7. Current affairs.

Now let us see what is the weightage for the above subjects in the CSP. It is to be noted that UPSC neither provides any such information, nor follows a fixed pattern. But a general trend can be obtained from the analysis of previous years question-papers. Below is the statistics regarding the same.

Subject	2013	2014
History	16	21
Geography	16	17
Economics	18	11
Polity	16	12
Science & Technology	16	15
Environment & Ecology	18	19
Current affairs	0	5
Total	100	100

Some highlights of the above data are:

• The distribution of marks among different topics seems to be even in 2013(except Current Affairs) while it is skewed in 2014 with topics like History getting a higher weightage.
• History - the most important sub-topics were modern Indian history and Art & Culture. The latter consumes almost half of the history questions (8 no.s) in 2013, while in 2014 the number has risen to 15. On the other hand the ancient/ medieval history is becoming less attractive w.r.t the examination, with just 2 questions being asked each in 2013 and 2014.
• Geography - Most of the questions were map-based. A few were from the field of agriculture, crops, soil-forms etc. In 2014, some questions were asked from World Geography also.
• Economics - A number of questions were from basic concepts like inflation, money supply, public finance, balance of payment etc. Also there has been a stress on the latest economic terms coming in the newspapers like Bank Saathi, Marginal Standing Facility, venture capital etc.
• Polity - Some concept oriented questions were asked from the philosophy of the Constitution. A number of questions were about the Parliament and the Union Executive. The 2014 questions were a lot simpler when compared to the previous year.
• Science & Technology - Many questions were life-science based ie related to living-organisms like micro-organisms, plants, animals and human-beings. A few questions were asked from areas like science in daily-life and latest advancements in technology. 
• Environment & Ecology - The number of questions from this topic has remained almost the same in 2013 and 2014. An important area is ecology and questions about the food-chain, ecological adaptations, succession and exchange of matter have been consistently asked from here. In 2014, a greater stress has been given to various organisations and statutes related to the conservation of environment.
• Current affairs - The notable fact is a set questions on current international issues asked in 2014 (like BRICS, Arctic Council etc). UPSC had not touched upon this area in 2013.

A few take-aways

The preparation for the Civil Service Examination is a smart work rather than hard work. Even though the syllabus seems to be enormous, what we should do is to prioritise the different subjects and their sub-sections. The following tips would help you in this regard.

• In History, stress upon Modern History and Art & Culture.
• In Geography, adopt a map-based learning. Be ready with an ATLAS.
• In Economics, try to understand the basic economic concepts. Track the newspapers for frequently occurring terms.
• In Polity, thoroughly understand the areas like the Executive, Parliament and Constitutional philosophy.
• In S&T, study the basic science(especially biology) from textbooks and update yourself with the latest technology.
• In Environment, understand the science concepts (like ecosystem, Green House Effect) from textbooks and update yourself with the latest happenings related to environmental degradation and its conservation.
• For current affairs, make your own short-notes on national and international issues. 

I would like you to make informed choices on top of these observations. It is better to have your own strategies rather than "doing what others do" and "reading what others read". Hence, try to be yourself and get going.. All the very best..!!!

The winds of change in India

Topic : Energy (GS Paper III)

Wind remains the largest renewable power resource having a share of almost 65% in the total installed capacity. As on December, 2014 the total capacity has crossed 22000MW and the leading state are Tamil-Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka. The largest windfarm in India is Muppandal in Tamil-Nadu. There is a long-term objective to generate 60GW of power from wind energy resources by year 2022, as announced recently by Power Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal.

Why wind power developed in a better manner compared to solar power?

1) The cost factor : The cost per watt generated from wind power plants is lower compared to that from solar-power plants.
2) Government policies : The two important Government programmes related to this sector are

• Accelerated Depreciation Scheme (ADS) - This provides a way of deferring corporate income taxes by reducing taxable income in current years, in exchange for increased taxable income in future years. Thus the producers need not carry the burden of high taxes for their establishment in their initial years but can pay them one's their business is stabilised. 
• Generation Based Incentives (GBI) - incentive of 50 paise is provided for every unit of electricity generated from wind resources.

But these programmes were shelved in between when the Government started to concentrate more on the solar energy sector.

The current challenges ?

• Power generation from wind-mills is highly erratic since it depends of the speed of the wind which keeps varying. This demands for efficient power storage and evacuation systems. 
• Even though it is cheaper than solar energy, when compared to coal-based or hydro power plants, it is expensive.
• Threats to wild-life in rural-areas - The massive turbines are a threat to birds. The large columns require deep digging which may affect the ecosystems there. 

New developments ?

Parallel to the impetus provided to solar energy sector, the Government is also considering a time-bound plan to develop the wind energy sector. Here are a few steps taken in this regard.

• National Wind Energy Mission - to strengthen grid infrastructure for wind power, identify high wind power potential zones, ease land clearances for the projects, regulate wind power tariff and incentivise investment in the wind sector.
• The Accelerated Depreciation Scheme(ADS) and Generation Based Incentives(GBI) have been restarted for putting wind energy on the same league as the high-profile solar mission.
• The Green Energy Corridor - A 43000 Crore project supported by Germany with an objective of synchronising electricity produced from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, with conventional power stations in the grid. Currently the supply from renewable sources suffers from voltage-fluctuations on account of variations in generation. This demands for an efficient power storage and evacuation infrastructure. (A question regarding this was asked in 2013 Mains) 

Sunny days ahead in India's energy sector

Topic : Energy (GS Paper III)

"Solar" has been a frequent buzzword especially in the state of Kerala, but for all the wrong reasons. Let us keep that aside and see what are the better things happening in this sector. Solar energy has great potential in a country like India which is situated in the sub-tropical region and has almost 300 sunny days in an year.

What are the broad objectives regarding solar energy in India?

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission(JNNSM) envisages to have 20GW of grid connected and 2GW of off-grid capacity by 2020. This implies 20GW would be supplied to the national electricity grid, while 2GW will be generated and distributed locally without connecting to the grid. The Power Minister has announced a bigger goal of 100GW of solar power by 2022 in the recently held World Economic Forum at Davos.

How will the Government achieve those ?

The Solar Energy Corporation of India(SECI) has been established as a not-for-profit company to supervise the development of solar power in India. SECI has taken up the following projects/ activities.

• Implementation of JNNSM Phase-II – This runs from 2013 till 2017 and includes grid-connected solar power plants and off-grid systems.
• Solar Thermal installations for water/air heating and industrial process.
• Implementation of  Grid Connected Solar Roof-Top scheme.
• Development and dissemination of low cost solar lanterns.
• Solar Mini/Micro Grids having a capacity of 10kW-10MW. These are off-the-grid systems and would be the best option for rural electrification.
• Research and Development including solar resource assessment.

Apart from this there is a plan to build large solar power plants of capacity 1000MW-4000MW (called Ultra Mega Power Plant). One such plant is coming up in the Sambhar area in Rajasthan and is currently the largest in the world. In canal irrigated regions, there are projects for installing solar panels covering thousands of kilometers.

What are the major hurdles ?

The major hurdles are of three types - technical, cost-related and administrative

1) Technical difficulties :

• Shortage of efficient solar photo-voltaic (PV) cells and modules - Currently a large proportion of solar photo-voltaic cells are imported from countries like U.S and China, since domestic production cannot catch up with the demand. The JNNSM has included a Domestic Content Requirement(DCR) provision in the case of solar cells which would help in the growth of domestic manufacturing sector. Consequently India has invoked Anti-Dumping Duties to restrict the import of solar cells from outside. But this has lead to US approaching the WTO on account of violations of international trade.
• Power evacuation - Solar energy generation depends on the sunlight and is not consistent throughout the day. This demands for efficient power evacuation system, to feed the power to the transmission network in a synchronised manner. India does not have a well developed power-evacuation system.

2) The cost-factor :

• The solar-cell manufacturing industry in India is in its nascent stage and hence does not enjoy the advantage of scale economies. This implies since production is low, cost of the good ie the solar cell/module is high. This puts burden on the solar power producers and in turn on the entities in the value chain till the end customer. This is the reason why the power producers has been demanding for the import of solar cells/modules despite the Government's push for indigenous manufacturing through the "Make in India" programme.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy provides 30% subsidy(70% in case of North Eastern states) on the installation cost of a solar photovoltaic power plant. Further a 30% to 40% subsidy is given on solar-lamps and home lighting. 

3) The administrative bottlenecks:

• This is significant in the case of grid-connected systems. The whole system works on State government run distribution companies (or DISCOMS) that are debt-ridden, inefficient and corrupt. Thus the reforms in generation, transmission and distribution of power need to carried on simultaneously. The Central Government has been encouraging the usage of renewable power by enforcing renewable purchase obligation(RPO) on the state utilities. This makes mandatory for the power distributors to purchase a share of power from renewable sources also. But this has been largely unsuccessful on account of the inefficiency of state discoms.
• Another area is the dissemination of information regarding solar-energy. A web-based platform named SOLAR GUIDELINES has been set up with the support from Germany for facilitating dissemination of information and giving latest updates on the development of solar energy projects.

Are the goals ambitious or can they be realised?

Government has taken a two-pronged approach - large centralised(or grid connected) power plants on one hand and small decentralised(or off grid) micro/mini grids and roof-top systems on the other. The former would require large tracts of land, which would face opposition from people. Moreover the synchronisation of such plants with the national grid is cumbersome(remember the large power blackout that happened in 2012). Hence, the ideal model model for India would be the small localised solar systems. This would be specifically helpful for electrification in rural India which faces frequent power-outages. The goals though seem ambitious, are achievable if there is greater political will-power and bureaucratic efficiency.

Next in line : Wind-power in India