Civil Services Aptitude Test in place of Civil Services Pre Examination From 2011

A reformatting of the civil services examination will hopefully increase transparency in the evaluation process.
AFTER years of dithering, the Government of India has finally agreed to change the format of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil services examination. The present format had come under severe criticism from both members of the public as well as from parliamentary committees, and there had been tremendous pressure on the government to review it. Its shortcomings, which have come to light following queries made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, warranted urgent action.

To begin with, the Preliminary examination, which consists of general studies and optional papers, may be replaced with an aptitude test, to be called the Civil Services Aptitude Test. The test will comprise two objective-type papers, which will be common for all candidates appearing for the examination. A proposal to this effect has received the Union government’s approval.
Confirming this, Shantanu Consul, Secretary, Department of Personnel, Government of India, told this correspondent that the proposed changes would come into effect next year as the notification for this year’s examination had already come out. Refusing to disclose any other details about the new format, he said it was the prerogative of the UPSC, which conducted the examination, to notify the changes.
Changes in the Recruitment Process of Civil Services Exam
The examination system of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is updated from time to time to keep it in harmony with the changing environment. In regard to the Civil Services Examination (CSE) the Prime Minister has approved the proposal for introduction of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in place of the existing Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination. The CSAT is expected to come into effect from Civil Services Examination, 2011.

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Shri Prithviraj Chavan in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Source: http://pib.nic.in