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The final step to becoming an IAS/IPS Officer is to crack the Interview, in other words, it is also enlightening as the Personality Test, as it is not solely based on the knowledge but also on the personality of the candidate. If you think that clearing the examination is the most difficult part and the interview is piece of cake, then you’re wrong, it is said to be the most difficult stage of the Civil Services Examination.
In this final round, all the panel members of the UPSC Board ask questions from the candidates. You should know that the personality test carries 275 marks out of 2025 which is the last and final barrier in the journey of the Civil Service Examination. There are various factors that need to be kept in mind while preparing for the Interview Round.
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Contents
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OverviewThings to avoid during the UPSC Interview
Illusions about UPSC Interviews
Strategies to clear the Interview
Facts about the Interviewer Conclusion FAQ |
Things to avoid during the UPSC Interview
Every year lakhs of students sit for the UPSC Examinations and thousands of them also cleared the Mains and Advanced Examination but only hundreds of them can clear the personality round or we can say the Interview round with flying colors, students often misunderstood the Interview round as the test for knowledge, but that’s not true the main purpose of the interview is to check your personality and the ability to do work. Here, are a few tips to avoid during the interview.
Don’t panic- Clearing the written examination is already a big achievement, if you prepare well you can also excel in the interview round. Rather than panicking, go through the UPSC Interview Questions and understand the concepts accordingly.
Don’t fake it- Never pretend to be someone else, they’ll eventually know your personality and your identity within a few minutes only. The panelists are very well experienced, they can easily differentiate between the person who is genuine or fake.
Do not argue with the interviewer- Make sure to be polite and not argue with the panelist even if you strongly disagree with them and believe that you’re right.
Don’t fidget- Just believe in yourself and be confident in front of the interviewers. Fidgeting can increase worry and nervousness which is not a good sign.
Don’t wear casual clothes- It is necessary to wear formal clothing while going for an interview. Be it for UPSC or any other interview, wearing formal clothing is a must.
Don’t criticize- Keep this in mind, do not criticize anyone and anything, this shows your negative attitude and mindset which is not a pleasing factor.
Don’t present negative body language- Start working on your body language as soon as possible, make eye contact, good posture is necessary as well, do not fidget, and many more. It takes a while to form a routine and make a positive impression.
Don’t brag about yourself- Do not brag about yourself, your skills, and your abilities. Those people also have years of experience in the field, and if you attain the qualities, they’ll eventually find it.
Don’t interrupt- Never ever interrupt a panelist while they are speaking. First listen what they say and then only reply to the interviewer.
Don’t be disrespectful- While expressing your opinions make sure that you’re not being disrespectful towards anyone. It does not give a good impression if you’re arrogant while channelizing your thoughts.
Don’t show negative energy/mindset- Having a positive attitude and mindset is necessary for the aspirant. The interviewer checks the personality of the candidate, and if he’s capable of handling the position or not.
So these are some of the factors that you should avoid at any cost while preparing for the Personality Test.
Illusions About UPSC Interviews
We often heard that getting complete knowledge and understanding the subjects will help you to crack the examination, but these are just the myths about the Interview. The interview carries many factors like body language, attitude, mindset, calmness and many more. There are are several more illusions/myths about UPSC Interviews.
Test of knowledge- As per the survey conducted, most of the candidates think that UPSC interview is all about the test of knowledge, but they can’t be more wrong about it. As we’ve already discussed above, it is a test of personality not about the knowledge factor.
Rank is solely based on Interview- This is an another illusion about the interview that the final rank is solely based on the interview, which is so not true. The score of the interview matters but not that much. The weightage of the interview is 13.6% which is 275 out of 2025 marks. So, don’t think that the interview matters only in the case of rank.
Fluency in English is necessary- They’re not looking for an English Professor, they’re looking for a suitable candidate for the role. The only thing taht matter is the quality of your opinion, not the way you express it. You can easily give your interview in Hindi or any other language.
Answering all the questions is necessary- The panel/board already knows that it is not possible to know the answer of each and every question. They basically look at the way you handle the question. Even if you don’t know the answer, you should not loose your confidence and tackle the question/situation calmly.
Strategies to crack the interview
The UPSC interview is one of the toughest part of the process. Only 700- 1000 gets selected every year out of lakhs of students. They only focus on the written examination and this is one of the major reasons why students got rejected in the interview round as they do not focus on the other factors which are necessary to crack the interview.
Body Language- Body Language is one of the most basic and important part of the interview. When you enter the panel room till you take exit, every movement is important. The main reason of the interview is to check the personality of the candidate. They already checked the knowledge of the candidate in the written examination.
Go through the DAF- DAF or Detailed Application Form is important as most of the questions are asked according to the DAF. Prepare your questions according to the DAF such as your educational background, skills you acquire, your interests, hobbies, etc.
Confidence- Confidence is the first and foremost thing they see in the candidate. Your body language shows the confidence you attain. Wear your confidence, even if you don’t know the answer, don’t be nervous and start fidgeting but be calm and confident it’ll show your positive attitude towards the problem and your problem handling skills.
Read the newspaper on daily basis- Being updated is very crucial, most of the questions they ask are from current affairs and news only. Sometimes they also ask the headlines of the newspaper of the current date as well.
Understand the list of events- Understanding the events of series is important, sometimes they are interrelated to each other in one way or another which is very important to connect. Get complete knowledge of your country’s geography is necessary.
Facts About The Interviewers
- The interviewers are the senior retired officers with a lot of experience.
- They’re mostly the age of 60+ which means a lot of experience of the field.
- They’ve indulged their whole life in the field and with their hobbies, that’s the reason why they have so much knowledge about the topics.
- They’re unbiased observers who selects the candidates on the basis of their skills, personality and the knowledge they attain.
Conclusion
As your final score will depend on your written examination + your interview and most of the candidates get rejected in the interviews, it is necessary to understand the actual meaning of the interview process for the selection.
Today we discussed about the things you should avoid during the interview process, the myths/illusions you might have about the interview process and the strategies you can use to crack the interview. We wish you luck and hope these tips will help you with your preparation!
FAQ
Q1. Can we fail in UPSC interviews?
Ans- Yes, you can fail in UPSC interviews. There’re thousands of candidates who cleared their written examination but end up failing the interview.
Q2. What is the success rate in the interview process?
Ans- Out of the total, only 20% of the candidates have the success ratio in the interview process. Only 40% of the total candidates pass the written examination in which only 20% pass the interview process.
Q3. What is the time duration of the interview?
Ans- The total time duration of the interview is 20 minutes. It totally depends on your application. Mostly the interviewer ask questions from your DAF itself.
Q4. Is UPSC interview recorded?
Ans- No, the UPSC interview is not recorded. The videos you find on the social media platforms are the practice session videos for the reference.
Q5. Does gap matter in the UPSC?
Ans- No, the gap doesn’t matter in the UPSC Examination. What matter is your opinion and the way you express your thoughts.
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