How to Prepare for IAS Interview?

Table of Contents

IAS Interview is the final stage of the Union public service commission(UPSC) civil service exam. Interview will be held after the results for main exams are declared. The interview carries 275 marks and the entire process of the interview plays a crucial role in deciding the rank of the aspirant. The objective of the IAS interview is to test the personality and suitability of the candidate for the job. In case candidates fail to present before the interview on the scheduled date and time, the candidate will be treated as absent and will not be called again and no further correspondence will be made in this regard. The IAS Interview will be conducted at UPSC, New Delhi. The Interview will be conducted in two sessions per day. The forenoon and the afternoon session. The session details will be mentioned in the calling letter. UPSC 2019 notification announced 896 vacancies. In this article let us check how to prepare for IAS Interview.

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How to Prepare for IAS Interview?

In this article the reader can get a glimpse on

Overview of IAS selection process
The IAS interview process and panel
IAS interview objective
IAS interview questions
IAS Interview Do and Don’ts
IAS interview preparation tips

Overview of IAS Selection Process

The IAS Exam is conducted in three phases:

Phase 1: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type)

Phase 2: Civil Services (Mains) Examination (Descriptive Type)

Phase 3: Personal Interview (Personality Test)

IAS prelims consists of two papers with a total of 400 marks and time duration of 4 hours to complete both the papers general studies and aptitude test

IAS mains consists of 9 papers out of which two are qualifying in nature.one is any Indian language and other is an English language paper with each carrying 300 marks

The rest 7 papers sums up to a total of 1750 marks with 250 each for every subject. The seven papers are Essay, General Studies – I (Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society), General Studies – II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations), General Studies – III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management), General Studies – IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude), Optional Subject – Paper I and Optional Subject – Paper 2

The IAS Interview Process and Panel

Candidates much reach the venue before the scheduled time.
The security aspects will be checked on entrance by cross verifying the interview call letter and their list.
Mobile and bag check in will be conducted.
The candidate has to then proceed to the entrance hall.
Verification of document takes place.
The candidate has to fill in a basic details questionnaire.
Once documents are verified and submitted the candidate will be given the number of the panel and the candidates schedule number at which they have to appear before their panel.
The candidates have to wait for their turn in a hall to which they will be escorted to.
And when their turn comes the candidate has to appear for interview in front of the panel which he was assigned to.
Each panel will consist of 5 members including the chairperson of the interview board.
The chairperson will always be a UPSC member. The other four members will be experts from different fields chosen by UPSC.
Each member of the panel will spend 5 minutes each with the candidate asking questions. A total of 30-40 questions will be asked with the candidate.
The interview usually lasts for 30 minutes.
The interview carries 275 marks out of the total 2025 marks of IAS examination.

The pictorial representation of IAS Interview panel

IAS Interview objective

The board of observers will assess the candidate in the following terms.

logical thinking
Critical powers of assimilation
Mental Alertness
Balance of judgment
Variety of depth of interest
Inter-personal relationship skills and leadership
Humane attitude and due sensitivity towards people’s feeling

During the interview, the precision of language, discipline of thought and lot of patience in placing the views are the prerequisites for success. The personality test requires the candidates to exhibit not only the art of balanced and precise thoughts, but also the art of delivering or communicating them effectively.

IAS Interview questions

IAS Interview Questions Related to Detailed Application Form (DAF)

Candidates who have qualified the mains examination has to complete the online submission of DAF. At the IAS Interview there will be questions asked related to the information that the candidate has shared in his DAF. Hence every candidate has to ensure that he has a thorough knowledge on every single detail he has mentioned in his DAF. Following are few sample questions.

The introduction you give about yourself should not contradict with the details mentioned in your DAF
Any famous personality with your name?
Meaning of surname.
Questions on the famous personalities of sports or other hobbies the candidates has mentioned as your interest must reflect the curiosity you have in those areas.

The following are the other areas in which interview questions will be asked

Questions related to Educational Background
Questions related to Work Experience
Questions related to your Hobbies
Questions related to your district and state
Questions related to your Optional Subject
Questions related to your Preference of services
Questions related to current affairs

Few sample questions asked in IAS Interview

Reason for choosing the degree pursued by the candidate
Mission of the college the candidate attended
Application of his degree to civil services
Why does a candidate want to join civil service?
If already working why a candidate wants to switch over the job?
How can the job expertise be useful in the field of civil service?
Application of the optional subject
Why a preference is given for a particular state?
If a particular state is not allotted how a candidate will adjust with the state that is linguistically and culturally different?
Questions on the problem of your state and town and some statistics related to it like; gender inequality, sex ratio, and rising corruption and things like that.
Reason for pursuing a particular hobby.

IAS Interview Do and Don’ts

Never feel bad about any aspect of your personality. None of us are perfect. Accept who you are and bring out the best in you.
Whether the question is easy or difficult, take a little bit of time before you answer. Don’t come across as somebody very hasty. Haste is not a good officer’s quality.
Listen patiently and maintain eye contact with the board members
While answering do not glance at other members, as it can be very distracting for the interviewer. If some other member asks you anything, look at that member and answer and turn back to the first.
You should never feel bad about your background, whether rural or urban, rich or poor, education, job etc. All you need is the conviction that you will be a very good civil servant.
Do not fidget or throw your hands around, or shake your head.
Your posture should be attentive and relaxed at the same time do not crouch/bend forward or place your hands on the table.
The board members have 20-30 years of experience in their fields and can easily catch a liar. So be very honest.
Use couple of words from the question while answering any question. It shows you have listened to the question carefully.
Always keep a slight smile on your face throughout the interview. Maintain a formal appearance at all times.
If you do not know anything about a topic you are asked in the interview, don’t panic and admit your ignorance on the same.
Get up to leave only when the chairperson asks you to do so. Similarly, even if someone has not asked a question and the chairperson asks you to leave, then please leave.
Some members may not ask questions at all, due to various reasons and this should not bother you.
Before leaving, politely thank the chairperson and nod at the others members politely. Avoid saying “Have a good day sir”. A “Thank you Sir/Madam” is enough.

IAS Interview Preparation Tips

Do not wait for the mains result to begin your preparation for interview. Do not wait for the last minute and rush your preparation. Prepare well in advance as preparation is no doubt the key to success
Work on self-confidence. Attend and participate in events that help you build up your self-confidence. Confidence is not something that can easily be built in a day or so. You need to be exposed to it and need to learn from experience. Hence take part in every opportunity that gets ahead you.
Be confident with your Bio data. You must ensure that you are well aware of everything that is mentioned in there
Pay attention to your hobbies.
Polish your personality thoroughly, improve command over the language, listen to debates and current affairs.
Read newspaper religiously.
Study your native district in detail.
Brush up recent happenings related to your optional subject and go through your graduation books.
Explore mock interviews.
Maintain positive body language.
Re check your documents.

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