UPSC is the most prestigious exam in India for Civil Services recruitment. One of the most important parts of the selection process is the interview round or the personality test. In this test, a board of UPSC tests a candidate. The interview normally lasts for 25-45 minutes. The panel can ask candidates questions about a wide range of subjects:
- Academic Credentials of the candidate
- Understanding of Current Events and Personality
- The board could ask questions about the hobbies nominated in the DAF.
- One could also ask about social and political problems.
The board will examine the candidate’s clarity of thought, communication abilities, and the ability to think on their feet. All these traits are what they are looking for in a candidate. Here are some tips on How to prepare for a UPSC interview:
1. Make a Good First Impression:
Your first impression on the UPSC Interview board is critical to your success. It is important to dress professionally, keep eye contact, and smile when greeting the panel. Your whole appearance, body language, and attire should be professional. Making a good First Impression might help you to stand out from a crowd of candidates.
2. Be Confident:
The interview stage is all about presenting oneself. If you are appearing for the interview, you should have a clear knowledge of your optional subject, academic background, and current development. You should always have an opinion on every social and political problem. The board will try to grill the candidate or try to change their opinion, but you have to remain calm and firm on your opinion if it is logical. Do not take an extreme stand in any situation.
3. Be well-versed with your surroundings and background:
The UPSC Interview board may ask some questions about your city or village, for example, they may ask which river flows through your city or in which seismic zone your city falls in. So, research everything about your city/village, which are the prominent places to go, what are the problems faced by your city and what could be its possible solutions.
4. Research your hobbies:
The most neglected part of a DAF (Detailed Application Form) is the hobbies section, as the candidate feels he/she can mention everything there. But be prepared, there can be a few questions from the hobbies section as well, for example, if someone has mentioned gardening as their hobby, then they should be well versed in various concepts of gardening, and they should have a clear view of about what is permaculture, how to make a soil more or less porous, which flower species bloom in which season and so on. Do not mention a hobby for the sake of mentioning it, you should be practicing it. In case you are not, then at least you should research it so that you get familiar with its latest practices because if you don’t the interview board will call out your bluff in a few questions.
5. Enhance your communication skills:
In case you have opted for English as your preferred language, then you must be well-versed in the English language and should be able to convey what you want to say very clearly, always choose a language in which you are most comfortable
6. Utilise Mock tests for practice:
Mock interviews can assist the candidate in preparing for the final interview. Conduct Mock Interviews with your mentor or friends. Such Mock interviews will help you deal with interview pressure in real real-life environment.
7. Be open to suggestions:
In case the mock interview board gives you some feedback by identifying your strengths and weaknesses, take note of their opinion and be open to their suggestion. Accepting their feedback will show that you are keen to learn.
Most of the candidates get average marks in the UPSC Interview, but to get more than average marks, you must follow these great tips.
We wish you all the best for your preparation!
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