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UPSC IAS Interview: UPSC IAS civil offerings is a superb possibility for applicants meaning to get a process as an officer in Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPC), Indian Foreign Services (IFS). 

IAS interview spherical is that the last and final round relating to the recruitments of the candidates, referred to as the “Personality Assessment Round” which might mirror his personality. once clearing the preliminary and mains rounds of UPSC IAS, the IAS interview is the last of the round regarding the recruitments of the Candidates.

After clearing the initial and mains rounds of UPSC IAS, the IAS interview is the final and very last degree of the spherical concerning the recruitments of the applicants, called the “Personality Assessment Round”.

Tips to Remember While Preparing for UPSC Personality Test

1. Build an inventory of the doable IAS Interview queries that the asker can raise the candidate.
2. Browse the present Current affairs and do build points from it.
3. Do not attempt to deceive the interviewer. But this isn’t like your past interviews, so don’t use the same tactics.
4. Don’t be concerned about the theoretical IAS Interview Questions that will be asked; what matters is how you respond to any question that is posed to you.
5. Analyze how well you’re answering the questions.
6. Settle your confidence by active respondent ahead of a mirror.
7. If possible, then do record your self-practice sessions.
8. On the day of your interview, stay cool and relaxed, and if you have any problems, take a deep breath.
9. Maintain civility at all times and do not quarrel with the interview panel members.
10. Brush up your data over the current state of affairs and therefore the graduation subject.

Top 10 Questions to prepare before you appear for UPSC IAS interview

Q1. Give a brief personal introduction about yourself.

Answer. This is the most common question asked in virtually all interviews, not only for civil service examinations. If this question is posed to you, you can begin by providing some background information about your family, personal information, academic qualifications, and professional involvements. When compared to your CV or other material supplied to the panel, the information should be accurate and to the point with no ambiguity.

Q2. Tell me about your positive and negative strengths

Answer. While academic knowledge and unusual mental alertness are crucial components of an IAS officer’s fundamental tenets, honesty and integrity are also essential. The IAS interview panel usually asks this question to determine not just your skills and shortcomings, but also how honest you are with them. It’s important to remember that the IAS interview panel is made up of subject matter specialists with a lot of expertise. In other words, deceiving them by offering imprecise or ambiguous replies would not help you.

Q3. What motivates you to pursue a career as an IAS Officer?

Answer. This is another common IAS interview question that applicants are asked, and it is designed to reveal not just the candidates’ aspirations as IAS officers, but also their clarity of thinking in this respect. Although this is a frequent question, it is one of the most essential since it offers the panellists a quick overview of your passions, ambitions, hobbies, and the reason that has led you to enter the public service. As a result, it is recommended that candidates prepare for this question in advance.

Q4. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking?

Answer: Concrete flooring are extremely difficult to break! This quiz is intended to assess the candidate’s mental acuity.

Q5. The interviewer placed an order for a cup of coffee. Coffee was brought in and placed in front of the applicant. What do you have in front of you?

Answer: Because the letter ‘T’ comes before the letter ‘U,’ T comes before U.

Explanation: Normally, a candidate would respond with ‘Coffee,’ but knowing that the panellist had bought coffee just to create the circumstance in which he could ask this question necessitates some creative thinking. The ideal response to this issue would be to entirely disregard the coffee and seek an explanation elsewhere. The applicant who was chosen stated ‘Tea’ was in front of him and explained that the letter ‘T’ comes before ‘U’, thus T comes before U.

Q6. What if you woke one morning to discover you were expecting a child?

Answer: I’d be overjoyed, take a day off, and rejoice with my spouse over the excellent news.

Explanation: The purpose of this question is to see how the candidate reacts to such surprising news. However, the news does not always have to be surprising in a negative sense; it can also have a beneficial consequence. In summary, such responses demonstrate to the IAS interview panel that you have a good attitude.

Q7. Adarsh and Anupam are twins who were born in May but have a June birthday | Is that even possible?

Answer. May is the name of a town.

Q8. When the wheel was invented, what happened?

The candidate who was chosen said, “It created a revolution.”

Explanation: To express a quirky answer, the applicant utilised the ‘Pun’ and personification figure of speech. The answer is divided into two parts, the first of which explains the essential function of a wheel, which is to rotate. On a deeper level, the discovery of the wheel ushered in the foundations of mechanics, which ushered in a revolution that altered the world and technology as we know it today. As a result, the revolutionary argument is likewise valid.

Q9. A killer was found guilty and condemned to death. Three rooms have been seen. The first chamber is on fire, with the second room containing the killer and the third tiger, who had gone three years without eating. Which path should he take?

Answer: Room 3, since the tiger would have perished of starvation after three years.

Q10. You’re driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, and it’s pouring buckets outside, when you get to a bus stop and find three individuals waiting for a bus: An elderly lady who appears to be dying; an old buddy who once saved your life; and the ideal spouse you’ve been looking for. Which one would you select to give a ride to if you knew you could only take one person in your car?

Explanation:  Although unusual, interview panels are known to utilise similar questions to assess a candidate’s moral character. This is a question that effectively puts the candidate in a moral bind when it comes to making a decision. On the one hand, the candidate, as a decent person, would want to save the elderly lady’s life, which requires medical treatment; on the other hand, he can choose to repay his buddy for saving his life by saving him from the storm; and finally, the right spouse can be a top priority for the individual. Candidates must think outside the box and broaden their thinking horizons in order to respond to such queries.

Answer: The candidate who aced his interview with this question stated he would hand over the keys to his friend and instruct him to take the elderly lady to the hospital while he waits for the bus with his ideal spouse.

Things to Remember for UPSC Interview

1. Getting ready for inquiries about your work experience:
   • Knowledge about the organisation in which a candidate now works or has worked Key responsibilities in that organisation
   • Any use of his civil service job experience.

2. Candidate’s Ideal Etiquettes: 

• First and foremost, do not act at the interview as if you are not yourself.
• Some of the questions may be hard, so it’s best to respond nicely and respectfully that you don’t know the answer.
• Take your time to answer each question and express your thoughts.

3. Getting ready for inquiries about your educational background:
   • Candidates must provide information regarding the college or university where they received their bachelor’s or master’s degree. 
   • If the college’s name is Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, for example, a candidate might expect a question on Ramakrishna and his goal.
   • Candidate’s chosen degree and why they chose it. Because the applicant has spent 3 to 5 years learning a particular stream, UPSC expects him to have enough understanding of it. 
   • Check to see if there is any recent news on the stream. For example, a mechanical engineering applicant should be aware about 4D printing, which is frequently mentioned in the press.
   • The application of a degree in the civil service must be supported by examples. As a result, review the essential issues and concepts related to stream.

4. Interviewer Bluffing: 

• When you don’t know the answer, make it obvious to the interviewer that you don’t know the answer and that you’d want permission to guess the answer. It will show honesty in your personality if you do these small things.
• Whatever you say, say it with assurance. Do not deceive yourself. Even if you have to lie, do so with confidence.

5. Retaining Cool Posture:
   • It’s critical to maintain your composure throughout the interview, since a board member will assess your ability to handle difficult conditions. 
   • The approach to the issue, rather than the solution, is what the UPSC is looking for. Maintain your grin since it reflects your confidence and good attitude.
6. Getting ready for inquiries about your district and state 
   • One of the most typical questions you’ll be asked is about your state and district. 
   • As a result, you should prepare questions such as your state’s and town’s problem, as well as some data connected to it, such as gender inequality, sex ratio, and growing corruption, among other things.
   • Questions concerning the district and state may be asked. Gather information about your birthplace. Learn about the issues in your town or village.
7. The Importance of Current Affairs Preparation: 
   • It has been observed that UPSC questions about everything under the sun in terms of current affairs.
   • The applicant should be up to speed on current events across the world.
   • The interview panel is made up of topic specialists from many areas, with current events serving as a common ground.
8. Getting ready for questions about your hobbies:
   • The following points should be considered: –  
     1. What motivates you to pursue a specific hobby?
     2. Having a thorough understanding of the chosen pastime.
     3. If you’re a member of an NGO or a club, – Candidate’s role in a certain NGO/Club.
9. Getting ready for inquiries about your service preferences:
   • The aspirant should prepare about the aspects regarding the service preferences.
   • The following is the justification for giving priority to the sequence of services:
     1. IAS>IRS>IPS
     2. Why is there a preference for one state over another?
     3. How would a candidate adjust to a state that is linguistically and culturally different if a specific state is not assigned?
10. Getting ready for inquiries about your Optional Subject:
    • If the optional differs from the one the applicant studied at graduation, there is a reason for picking it.
    • Optional concepts and subjects should be reviewed because the question might be based on them. For example, a candidate with an economics choice may be questioned about the current condition of the economy’s problem.

Every year, thousands of students take the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil services test in order to be recruited for prominent positions like as IAS and IPS. The examination, however, is so rigorous that only a few candidates are able to pass it. Prelims, Mains, and Personality Test are the three levels of the UPSC civil services exam (Interview). The majority of candidates pass the first two rounds but fail to pass the interview process.

Many candidates fail to pass the initial step, known as the ‘Prelims.’ Those who succeed move on to the second part of the test, known as the ‘Mains.’ Those who pass both rounds are invited to the third stage of the test, the “Interview,” which is the final stage before the results are announced. Many candidates have to go through this step four or five times since they don’t know how to respond to the unique and perplexing questions presented during the interview.