- The cut off would be determined by simply adding the marks you've obtained in both papers; there would be no sectional cutoffs; well the most convincing reason was supplied in one website, it stated that "CSAT is a single paper, having two parts, the sectional cutoffs are taken in to account when there are two papers" I'm convinced, I think there is no reason why you think you shouldn't; did not came across any such post where they said there would be sectional cutoffs!
- The answers keys are quite conflicting with one another! I can't imagine how one can determine the cutoffs by banking upon these answer keys? you check your paper with multiple answer keys and will have a difference large as of 20-25 marks! this is something huge and thus I'd say that rather than going for a particular answer keys; google the question you've answered and check it on individual basis, (Most incorrect answers were in RAUS answer key, have they really produced 1/3 of all the civil servants? may be yes that's why the Indian bureaucracy is so "amazing" :P) the question about VPN was wrong in all the answer keys, It is 'B' infact (working in IT, I, almost daily have to use VPN)
- The paper was not heck of the difficult, all those who scared the new comers by showing the misleading figures are proved insane by UPSC, paper II specially should be quite mouth watering for the science background students, engineering to be in particular. Almost everyone is bitten by the "let's bell the cat" syndrome in there 3rd or final year and since this paper was way below at par with that of CAT; thats why guys from Engineering background found it not so difficult. Even in paper I, a person who has completed economics and environmental well, should have been able to hit around 70-85 marks. Though as a matter of fact, the options were very difficult indeed. "All 1, 2 & 3" are very difficult to attempt if you are not aware of all the 3 statements well.
- Let me finally talk about the cut offs; well first thing first, whenever there is a 33% of negitive marking; cutoffs should not exceed the 50% of the total marks, almost a thumb rule I've never seen violating! so I am totally convinced if point 1 is right, i.e the cutoffs would simply the addition of the marks obtained from two papers; it should not be more than 200 in any case; I came across some blogs which put it as high as 240, I think they are disgustingly incorrect!
- So less than 200; can we converge more? at least to a corridor of 5-10 marks? Yes; says others, I have seen nearly 80% of the institutes have converged to 180 (+ or - 5 marks), humm I think they are right, but an and Important but; how to check your marks are 180? from the shabby answer keys? NO, I'd certainly say; ("the" Raus answer keys says the radio transmission does not occur because ionosphere reflects the radio waves as they being of larger wavelength while the TCYonline says the commits are mostly found between Venus and mercury!!!) So check your answers properly, wikipedia, governmental portal of India and the ministry sites would yield the correct answers. Once you are convinced you've secured 170-175 solid marks, I think you should be in, this is also attributed to the fact that students thinks they have marked the correct answer after seeing the correct answer in the answer keys, this is psychological not to blame them at all..
finally Don't loose hope if you have not able to score the marks I've mentioned, "the best about failure is it is not final" and this is where I'd like to conclude!
Thank you,
