UPSC Interview Preparation
Hello Friends
Preparation for the Interview is a continuous process. You should keep the interview preparation in mind the day you start preparing for the prelims because it’s more about developing your personality.
At this stage, focus will be on assessing your ‘overall personality’ rather than testing one’s ‘knowledge’, as it is already been tested in Prelims and Mains.
It is the deciding factor of you getting into the services or out of it or which service you might get into – IAS/IPS/IRS/ …. Even, if you would have just crossed the Mains cut-off, scoring high in interview will place you in the final list.
In 2014, the difference between 50th rank (Marks- 968) and 720th rank (Marks- 889) was 79 Marks. And the difference between the candidates in the range of 50 to 100th (Marks- 952) rank was just 16 marks. Moreover, a difference of 5-10 marks can place you in IPS or IRS or other services instead of IAS (if IAS, was your 1st choice). Changes in service allocation will make you undergo the entire process once again. So this phase of your preparation should be smartly handled, as it has high stakes involved.
What are the personality traits that are usually checked in the interview?
- Clarity of expression- grasp of narrative and argument
- Reasoning ability
- Appreciation of different points of view
- Awareness and concern for socio-economic problems,
- Ranges and depth of interests and
- Personal attributes relevant to interaction with people (qualities as suggested by Kothari Committee of the UPSC)
The objective behind the interview, as put by UPSC :
“The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his/her career. He/she will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a Board of competent and unbiased observers. The test is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In broad terms this is really an assessment of not only his/her intellectual qualities but also social traits and his/her interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity”.
Read the above lines as many times as possible so that it is etched in your memory and also gives you clarity on what is expected out of a candidate from the UPSC board.
Every coaching starts with Gyaan once the results are announced. All they give is some heuristics based on some experience of the successful students in the past.
Neither the people who run these coaching institutes have personally faced interview nor would have that wavelength.
Where in we differ
- Get the framework on how to analyze the mind of interviewers?
- How do they frame a question bases on your resume?
- What assumptions they make about you?
- What is important from interview framework and what is not?
- How do you deal with all these?
Get to know all this from people who have maxed in interviews with the highest scores in interview. This is the difference IASbaba will give over others
One carries his/her marks the moment they enter the interview room. Rest depends on how you have justified the initial benchmark set by interview board. In the very first impression you will be analyzed by the experts sitting over there.
An incident: A candidate went to interview room and was attacked by 10 back to back factual questions and unfortunately the answer was “Sorry I do not know the answer”
And he got 230 out of 300! 🙂
How?
Because from 11th question– He was asked “Opinion based questions” and he nailed it confidently.
Bottom line: It is not about your knowledge but confidence and presentation. When he was harassed by factual questions, he didn’t lose his cool and was able to control his emotions. The moment he was given opportunity to express his opinions, he grabbed it and went on to exemplify his real personality. None is Google or Wiki out there and no one can be.
“Last time there were efforts by secure guys who had become insecure of preventing students from coming to our workshops through perverse methods”
In spite of that our workshop had an overwhelming response. So, we request our sincere aspirants to utilize the best of this opportunity and attend the workshop.
IASbaba presents a three hour workshop, completely FREE on 27th February, 2016 (starting at 9.30 am) at KLE college, Rajajinagar, Bangalore (Same Venue), only for those who have written mains.
P.S: Email your confirmation at iasbaba2015@gmail.com and attach your Mains Hall Ticket (Subject: Interview Workshop Confirmation). Its mandatory to bring your Mains Hall Ticket for the workshop. Candidates without the Hall ticket are strictly not allowed.
