Preparing for UPSC Interview

Disclaimer: While aspirants might have come here reading the tag ‘Tips for Civil Services Examination’, I must candidly declare that there are actually no objective tips for this examination as such. I believe that every successful candidate has his/her own style of studying depending upon his/her background, strengths and weaknesses. However a proper guidance always helps and it is my endeavour in this blog to share my experiences and both what I did and what I think should be or should not be done.

Interview is the last and most crucial step in the long process of Civil Services Examination. Unless one has done exceptionally bad or exceptional well in written examination, it also is the most important step of this examination as it can not only make one reach the services but also make all the difference to the rank one gets. This year 564 was the cut-off for mains and 775 was the final cutoff. That means even if one has just managed to clear mains, he/she can score 211 marks and make it to the final list. On the other hand, someone with wonderful score of 700 in mains may be awarded a meagre 120 in interview, and the candidate may escape making it to the top 100.

I believe that a number of parameters apart from good preparation, play a role in interview (only some odd 30 minutes of conversation and 275 marks!), and these parameters can be termed as luck. But having said that, importance of good preparation cannot be undermined. In my first attempt I scored 55% marks in interview and in second attempt, I scored 72% marks. This time before the interview I was more confident about my preparation and also had a better ‘after-feel’ post interview. There were a number of things I tried to work upon this time, that I felt went against me last time. I will also try to share the tips I got from some friends who have done well in interview and some learned persons who have been part of such interview boards in previous years.

I suggest that every reader should use his/her discretion while reading this first and foremost suggestion as well as caution. Please avoid rushing to coaching institutions and mock interviews. I joined many such coaching institutes last year and found them utterly useless and avoided them this year. The reason is that these institutes fail to simulate the actual interview atmosphere that one finds in UPSC. They are often inexperienced to take interviews and may judge on some factual questions or prejudiced opinions. They often fill the candidate with false sense of confidence or despair. One may join at most one institute for brushing up some topics of national and current importance and may give at most two mocks only for self-evaluation. The traits that are perhaps sought during interview cannot be taught but only learnt by self-introspection. Apart from that, I benefitted a lot from group discussions and mocks conducted with other friends who were to appear for interview. One should be calm and peaceful during the days before interview and running hither and thither to various coaching institutions only leads to waste of crucial time and lots of money.

What interviewers look for?

First and foremost thing that Interview board looks for is confidence (and suitability for administration) in the candidate. They may try taking stress interview or even a very casual one. But it is the alacrity with which questions are answered that matters. While knowledge forms the basis of confidence, but it is not the knowledge per se which is being evaluated, but the thought process. One has to be assertive but not arrogant, flexible but not flickering. The answers have to be comprehensive wherever required, but still to the point as too long answers may lead to panel losing the interest and finding something to grill. The panel consists of very well read persons having immense experience. It is not possible to befool them, so one should totally avoid guess work, or pulling a quick one. Some of the member may also be cross checking the answers on internet (thanks to smart phones). One will always be caught sooner or later, and once caught, you can safely conclude that abysmal marks will be awarded. It is not possible to answer each and every question of the board, and one can humbly say “I do not know”, but one is expected to have something to say on opinion based questions. Also, if the exact answer is not known but some relevant thought comes to the mind, one can take permission to express that thought. It will in fact make the interview more of a conversation than a question answer session, which in my opinion is a good thing. Avoid being over smart, but be smart with good presence of mind, and for this one has to maintain cool of his/her mind. The tone should be friendly, cheerful but respectful at the same time.

(About telling lies, let me relate a real incident that happened with someone. The person had written in his DAF that he liked to teach. When asked, he told that he daily taught poor children. He was also working somewhere. After some time, in a very casual manner, another member asked him about his schedule from morning to evening. The person, totally unaware of the trap, went ahead with his daily schedule without any timeslot for teaching. No prizes for guessing, he was awarded very low marks.)

At least in the recent few years, it is being seen that while a good personality is very important, sound knowledge about one’s own self is also very important. Interview usually revolves around the hobbies one has mentioned in DAF. DAF is the candidate’s bio-data and it is from here the board will try to know about him/her, so one must be very careful and truthful while filling the DAF. At the same time one must be thoroughly aware of everything related to what has been written in the form. This majorly includes the hobbies, any particular activity or sports, home state and home town etc. Repeatedly in various public speeches, members of UPSC have stressed upon the importance of graduation subjects of candidate. UPSC interview board is unforgiving if the candidate does not know the basic concepts related to his/her graduation courses. So all engineers beware, do not forget to revise your engineering courses before the interview. Then current affairs and issues of national and international importance are of course important.

Earlier I talked about luck being a factor in the interview. But one can always make efforts to still control the interview. While Preliminary Exam is like an ODI, Mains like Test Cricket, Interview is like a 20:20 match. Whatever may be the questions, it becomes candidate's responsibility to demonstrate her best skills to the board in those 30 minutes. One has to market herself and not wait for the relevant questions. Though this is the tricky part as one must not even sound desperate. Its a skill which may be inherent in some, others may work to develop it.

How to prepare?

• Start right after mains examination. Continue with reading newspapers. Identify some good non-fiction books and read them till interview.
• Interact with people. Till mains, one often has to limit his/her circle due to pressure of studies. But after mains, one must try meeting new people and interact with them. This improves communication and confidence as well as fluency and elocution. The knowledge gained subconsciously from such interactions is of great importance. One may join part time job, or even some good NGO, or may teach somewhere.
• Watch news debates, good speeches on internet. Try to form opinions on whatever you hear or read or think.
• Take a notebook (or a computer) and start making questions related to you DAF, right from the importance of your birth date or information about your state, town (economy, social issues, culture, important events etc.) to the hobbies and activities mentioned in the form. Think of what questions may be asked immediately after looking at your form and prepare them briefly. Do not write exact answers but only broad thoughts and keep refining them and pondering upon them so as to internalize them. Take help from friends and family.
• Revise your graduation subjects and optional (basics), their current relevance, recent developments etc.
• Make a list of various issues of importance like women rights, democracy, corruption, human rights, terrorism, technology, Naxalism, homosexuality, death penalty, neighborhood relations, environment, Disaster management, riots, FDI, economy, reservation, media, social media, health, education etc. and form balanced opinions on these.
• If you are working somewhere then be prepared about questions on your current place of work and job profile. If you are not working anywhere then be prepared on why you are not working.
• If you are from some IIT, IIM, AIIMS etc. then be prepared on questions like
• Why are you not taking up engineering as your career?
• Why not private sector, it pays well?
• Why did you take engineering?
• Why civil services after IIT/IIM
• Aren’t you interested in engineering?
• Aren’t you wasting a seat of IIT/IIM/AIIMS?
• Why not IES?
• Why people from IIT are these days going after civil services?
• What did you learn in IIT
• How will engineering help in civil services
• Introspect and ask yourself with sincerity questions like
• Why do you want to join civil services (particularly IAS/IPS/IFS etc)?
• What prompted you to take this examination?
• What do you want to do as a civil servant?
• What is your vision for India?
• What are the biggest problems being faced by India?
• How can you contribute to solve them?
• Why should you be selected?
• Why not join Civil society or some NGO?
• Why not join politics?
• What are the qualities of a good administrator?
• If your hobby is say singing, why don’t you pursue it as a career?
• Read the book by Madhukar Bhagat for Civil Services Interview.