faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the CAT Examination Preparation.

Q. Which Optional Subject to Choose?

Answer: Choice of optional subject is very crucial step in the preparation of civil service examination. Right selection of optional subject brings major difference in the chances of getting the selection in the mains examination. Now to question is what is right optional... Read full

Q. How important is Role of Online Coaching in Civil Service Preparation?

Answer: Civil Services preparation is based on hard work as well as smart work. Before starting the preparation, every aspirant has this question of whether to join... Read full

Q. Is the General Studies Paper-II of qualifying nature? How much Cut-off Marks prescribed by UPSC for this Paper?

Answer: The General Studies Paper-II is of qualifying nature. The minimum qualifying marks in this Paper according to the Examination Rules is 33% of total marks.

Q. Can a candidate write the Civil Service (Main) Examination in English and take the interview in any other Indian language?

Answer: The candidate has to submit the language medium for the interview at the time of filling up of the Detailed Application Form (DAF). The candidates who opted to write the Civil Services (Main) Examination in English, may choose either English or Hindi or any other Indian Language opted by them for the compulsory Indian Language Paper in the Civil Services (Main) Examination. The candidates will have to choose either English or Hindi as medium of Interview in case they are exempted from the compulsory Indian Language Paper.

Q. What are the Cut-off Marks for the compulsory language Papers?

Answer: According to the UPSC Examination rules the minimum qualifying marks in each of the two Qualifying Papers i.e., English and Indian Languages is at present 25%.

Q. Is the Indian language Paper compulsory for candidates who belong to the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim?

Answer: The Paper A on Indian Language is not compulsory for candidates who belong to the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. For such candidates the option for Indian Language will automatically be disabled in the Online Application.

Answer:

Choice of optional subject is very crucial step in the preparation of civil service examination. Right selection of optional subject brings major difference in the chances of getting the selection in the mains examination. Now to question is what is right optional for any candidate? This question can be answered by considering the following factors sincerely:

  1. Graduation subject of the candidates:
    Most of the candidates are comfortable and good in the understanding and reproducing their graduation subject, be it engineering subject or any other subject. For these kinds of candidates, this choice of graduation subject becomes fruitful and they are able to score good marks in mains. Candidates have spent lots of time in reading their graduation subjects so it will give them little edge in the examination to deal with difficult and out of the box questions. Now for candidates who are not comfortable with their graduation subjects must consider other factors mentioned below.
  1. Subject of Interest:
    Some of the candidates find interest in reading and understanding some of the subjects. These subjects can be taken as optional subject because for optional subject a student has to spent lots of time thus it is required that the student have some interest in the subject. Without and interest they will not be able to comprehend the concepts with ease and also cannot spend such long time with the subject.
  1. Subject having overlapping syllabus with general studies:
    Most of the optional subjects such as Political Science, Geography, History etc. have syllabus which overlaps with large portion of General Studies syllabus. Candidates can cover the syllabus in less time and they may also find the process less burdensome. Thus candidates should also consider this factor.
  1. Understanding Syllabus:
    Before deciding any subject as optional subject, candidates must go through the syllabus of the respective subject as mentioned in the notification released by UPSC. Students should look for length of the syllabus and also look for the availability of study material and required guidance.   
  1. Analysing Previous Year Questions (PYQs):
    Analysis of the PYQs for the selected options of optional subjects is very necessary. PYQs can be seen as a guide for candidates to understand the kind of questions asked and the to know the level of understanding one must possess to deal with such questions. Hence candidates may know that they will be able to cover the syllabus to the extent that it will be sufficient to fulfil the demand of the type of questions asked, or not.

Hence before selecting any optional candidate must give time to consider all these factors. Optional subject should not be selected in any hurry because any wrong choice can lead to loss of a good attempt. Therefore, careful consideration of optional subject is crucial for scoring good marks in mains and for ultimately getting good rank in Civil Service exam.

Answer:

Civil Services preparation is based on hard work as well as smart work. Before starting the preparation, every aspirant has this question of whether to join any coaching or not. Most of aspirants are confused between online coaching and offline coaching. Let’s first try to decide whether joining any coaching is necessary for civil service preparation or not.

Joining any coaching is not the necessary condition for selection in the examination but coaching institutes provides the required guidance to the aspirants so that they do not waste their time and energy in wrong direction, as already mentioned earlier the examination demands smart work.

It is evident that changing time demands changing approach, same is in the case of civil services preparations through coaching. Time bound changes introduced the online coaching mode, which makes learning more reliable and accessible. Due to the increasing dynamism and complexity in the pattern of questions in the exam, online learning became more important now a days, which is also aided by the conditions created by the pandemic situation.

Now the question is, does online Coaching mode is better than offline coaching mode? the answer will be yes. This yes can be justified through following arguments:

  1. Online classes can be accessed from anywhere and anytime as per the student’s choice, as one only needs internet connection for it and nothing else. People who cannot afford to come to places like New Delhi etc. can also get the desired learning experience. Unacademy is solely working in this direction constantly.
  2. Online mode is cheaper than most of the offline coaching institutes, thus people with weaker financial condition can also afford online learning. As almost all the courses on Unacademy are cheaper than any other online as well as offline coaching.
  3. In case of online mode lectures of faculties can be accessed any time form anywhere and lectures can be watched again and again as per student’s convenience. Similarly, in Unacademy lectures can be watched multiple times and with only one subscription, large amount of top-class content can be made available.
  4. For those who are working professionals distance learning and online education is very convenient. Unacademy is a boon for these kind of candidates as the myth that one has to come to Delhi to prepare for civil services, has been busted by the Unacademy. Now many of the successful students have been the student of programmes of Unacademy.
  5. Uninterrupted learning can be achieved as there is less disturbance in online classes.

The decision to choose right learning platform is very important for getting right content and for getting guidance in right direction. Unacademy presents perfect example of being such institute. Moreover, the issues like lack of good teachers, no direct interaction etc. are being successfully resolved by Unacademy as it provide best faculties available for respective subjects.

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FAQs

What is the date for CAT Exam 2026? +

The CAT 2026 Exam is going to be held on 29th November, 2026.

How many sections are there in the CAT exam?+

There are three sections in the CAT exam, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude.

What is the DILR section in CAT?+

The Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section consists of 20 questions based on structured thinking and decision making.

Are there TITA questions in DILR?+

Yes, the DILR section has TITA questions.

How many sections are there in DILR? +

There are typically 4 sections in DILR.

How many questions are there in the Quant section?+

There are 22 questions in the Quant section.

What are the topics in the Quantitative Aptitude section? +

The Quantitative Aptitude section typically has topics including Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry and Modern Mathematics.

What is the easiest section in Quantitative Aptitude?+

The Arithmetic section is generally the easiest to solve in Quantitative Aptitude.

Which is the best online coaching institute for CAT 2026 to prepare for DILR and Quant? +

An aspiring CAT 2026 candidate is recommended to join Unacademy and explore different batches. The candidate can select the batch best suited for them and get access to interactive live sessions, preparation strategy content, mocks and many other perks.