The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is the first round conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) for recruitment to the 24 prestigious services of the Government of India, which comprise of 3 All India Services (IAS – Indian Administrative Service, IPS – Indian Police service and IFS – Indian Foreign Service), 16 group A services and 5 group B services.

With over 9,00,000 applicants every year and a success rate of just 0.1% to 0.3%, the CSAT followed by the Civil Services Mains round is considered to constitute the second toughest competitive exam in the world. Naturally, one must have a comprehensive preparation strategy encompassing thorough understanding of the UPSC pattern and syllabus, and intensive preparation with focus on important topics, to crack the UPSC exam.

The Polity section of the UPSC tests your knowledge on political institutions and the governance architecture of India i.e. the structures through which the Republic is governed. Questions asked in the Polity section are along the lines of “Which Article of the Constitution discusses the powers of the Election Commission?”, or “What is the difference between the Council of Ministers and the Cabinet?” Polity is what is called “Civics”� in most school courses.

Attempting for the Polity section requires a thorough understanding of how governance occurs in India. Knowledge of the Constitution is of paramount importance. For Prelims, basic knowledge is required, which would mean knowing the important ideas in the Preamble, the major Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles, and which Articles they are contained in, the Fundamental Duties, the important bodies of the Republic (such as the Election Commission and Finance Commission), the powers of the President, Speaker and Prime Minister and the manner of their elections, and various procedures of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha (such as Money Bills and Budget). For a beginner, Polity often seems difficult. However, it is not so once you gradually get comfortable with it.

This course is part of a series of comprehensive test prep courses for the UPSC Prelims. Subscribe to the course bundle – Civil Services Exam – UPSC Prelims: CSAT Prep Part 1 at a discounted price or subscribe to individual courses in this bundle like:

• UPSC Prelims Prep: A crash course on CSAT History
• UPSC Prelims Prep: A crash course on CSAT Economics
UPSC Prelims Prep: A crash course on CSAT Geography

Due to its exact, static nature, Polity is the most scoring of all areas, and any serious aspirant should ensure he makes the most out of this section. This UPSC Polity course by FACEPrep will help you do just that. In this UPSC Polity course, you will learn about:

• States and Citizens
• Federalism
• Constituent Assembly
• The Preamble
• Fundamental Rights
• Directive Principles
• Fundamental Duties
• The Parliament
• Lok Sabha
• Rajya Sabha
• The President