The aspirants appearing for CSAT exam should prepare well in multiple disciplines like General Science, Indian Politics, General mental ability, Decision making and problem solving. ‘Crack CSAT’ by Disha and ‘CSAT Paper 2′ by Unique are the commonly referred books for CSAT preparation. The detailed syllabus of the exam and the popular reference books are mentioned below.

Syllabus of CSAT exam

Paper-1

• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography
• Indian Polity and Governance
• Bio-diversity
• Environmental ecology
• Climate Change
• General Science
• Economic and Social Development

Paper-II

• Comprehension
• Decision making and problem solving
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Basic numeracy
• General mental ability
• English Language Comprehension skills

Reference Books for CSAT

History of India and Indian National Movement

• Indian History by Krishna Reddy
• An Introduction to the Study of Indian History by D. D. Kosambi
• A Brief Survey of Indian History by Sakuntala
• Indian History by G. K. Puri
• History of Indian National Movement by R. K. Sharma
• A History of India by Hermann Kulke, Dietmar Rothermund

Indian and World Geography

• Indian and World Geography by Hussain
• Indian Geography by A.M Bagulia
• World Geography by A.M Bagulia

Economic and Social Development

• India: Some Aspects of Economic and Social Development by S Mahendra Dev, K S Babu
• Economic and Social Development by Adam Szirmai
• The Necessary Conditions of the Economic and Social Development by Fernando Alcoforado

General Science

• General Science by G K Puri
• General Science by Majid
• General Science by P D S Verma

Current events of national and international importance

• Current Event by Chopra J K
• Current Events by M M Lum
• Current Events by Diane Sylvester

Interpersonal skills including communication skills

• Communication and Interpersonal Skills by Elaine Donnelly
• CSAT: Interpersonal, Communication, Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills by Shalini Verma
• Interpersonal Skills Including Communication Skills by S. Thomas
• Interpersonal Communication Skills by Debra Sutch

Logical reasoning and analytical ability

• Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability by Pratiyogita Sahitya
• CSAT-Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability by Dr. M.B.Lal & Ashok Gupta
• Analytical & Logical Reasoning by Sijwali
• Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning for CAT by Sharma

Decision making and problem solving

• CSAT Decision Making Problem Solving & Interpersonal Skills by Prem Shankar Jha
• Decision Making and Problem Solving Strategies by John Adair
• Quick Skills: Decision Making & Problem Solving by Career Solutions Training Group
• The Problem Solving & Decision Making Toolbox by Paul Wildman

General mental ability

• General Mental Ability by Practice Guru
• General Mental Ability and Reasoning by Pratiyogita Sahitya
• Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, and General Mental Ability for General Studies by Sharma

Basic numeracy

• Basic Numeracy by UPSC Portal
• Basic Numeracy for CSAT General Studies by Arun Sharma
• Numeracy by R Joinson

English Language Comprehension skills

• Language Skills and Comprehension by N K Aggarwala
• English Language Comprehension Skills by UPSC Portal
• English Language Skills by Koneru Aruna
• Comprehensive English Language Course by Chandak Chattarji
• English and Comprehension by Wren and Martin

This exam is considered to be highly competitive and one needs to be thorough with the entire syllabus to crack the exam. Standard text books like that mentioned above should be referred to prepare for this exam. Help of good coaching centers can be utilized for further assistance. A systematic study plan has to be set up a few months prior to the exam. Time management should be given importance in the study plan  so that the candidates can do maximum number of questions correctly within the specified time limit.