Utkrisht Prasoon (AIR 101), the highest scorer in the interview section of CSE-2013 gives some amazing tips on how to ace your interviews.
It is the last and final stage in the entire process. On the outset it might appear that 275 marks , which the interview carries is very little as compared to the totality of 2025 marks, especially as compared to the total 750 marks of the mains exam. It is indeed a supplement and not a decider to your final rank in the merit list. But it is also a game changer for your final rank as it is within your capacity to filter out more than 70 % of the 275 marks, as compared to the written marks, where even getting 40 % is a bit too difficult nowadays for most.
this is however, contingent on you being able to work the entire session work in to your favour. Remember, this isnt a test of your knowledge , but of your personality. hence it is how you present yourself that matters. you may be able to answer all the questions correctly, but if you somehow give an image of a person who is at the wrong place in the interview room, or someone whom the board members don’t want in the administration - you will be given less than average marks. It can also be the other way round that you might not be able to answer 99 out of 100 questions, but still you are able to get high marks, because of how you present yourself.
No one will tell you how to present yourself in a better manner. though there are cues - your appearance, tone, tenour, manners, etc. But presenting yourself goes beyond that to entail the entirety of your personality. You will never get a definite tip over how to present yourself better. But yes, it can come from altering your mental framework. Hence, once you are called for the interview when the mains result is out; start imagining yourself as a civil servant. Think like a civil servant. Talk like a civil servant. This enriches your personality. In some ways your personality becomes naked in the course of the interview. Once the board members realize that your thinking is akin to what a civil servant’s should be - they will try to ensure that you end up as a civil servant.
One thing before I begin about how to prepare for the interview. A senior once told me this, and this everyone should know. Everyone has a perception that the interview board members are a pack of hounds ready to rip you apart once you enter the interview room. In reality, they are matured, senior, experienced people. All they are demanding is an adult conversation with a prospective civil servant. It is a conversation afterall, not an examination. Hence make your conversation with bold members as you would with such elderly and matured people otherwise in your life - with sobriety and respect.
Preparing for the interview
The truth about interview preparation is that, well, you cant really chart out definite areas to prepare from. But some questions are predictable from your DAF, current events, basic GS areas and basics of optional :-
- current events - be well abreast of current events from since giving your mains exam. Current events preparation never ends. I would suggest to read The hindu and Indian Express everyday. also AIR discussions are useful
- DAF - right after your mains result, go thoroughly through your DAF, and chart out at least 60-70 possible questions, especially from areas mentioned in the summary sheet of the DAF. (As the summary sheet is with all the board members, the entire form is only with the chairperson). then search for and write the answers to all those questions. this is the most crucial part of interview prep as this is the basic minimum which you must know everything about. Prepare to face question to anything even tangentially related to your DAF, as there has to absolutely zero margin of error here.
- Home state - you must be well aware of the prevailing problems/issues/ conditions of your state. Also you must know intricate details about the state - tourist spots, culturally important areas, festivals of the state, monuments, condition of industries, mineral resources, literacy rate, human development indices, etc. I would suggest that you should read a book relating to your state. NBT publishes books on individual states which can be read. You c should also do an internet search and read the wiki pages of the various areas of your state - political, administrative, geographical, cultural, history, etc.
- building opinions - You must have opinion on important issues which have been there for years eg FDI, J&k, Naxalism, etc.
- GS basics - i would suggest a basic quick read through of important areas of polity, economy and history.
- optional - revise important topics of your optional, especially the paper 2 part.
- areas from education background - you must revise important areas from your graduation subject and infact, any subject which gets reflected in your DAF. for example - people with engineering background should revise about important areas which you have studied, and areas in vogue.
This is only an indicative list, as there is no end here. Do as much as possible to build a positive mental metal. In truth, you can face question from any area which is in the mind of your interviewer , and you will not be prepared for it. But you have to Prepare on how to give an honest, mature response and not to lose your cool.
Other important tips
- verbal - you must speak in a calm manner. those who arent adept are spoken english skills have nothing to fear. You should start practice speaking in english, and also start to think in english. this would improve your communication.
- Avoid being verbose - brevity is the soul of wit
- dont speak too quickly
- do not argue with the interviewer in questions of fact
- do not interrupt any board member
- if interviewer argues in a question of opinion, stick to your stand, but also remain polite
- be courteous throughout in case you and your interviewer are of opposite viewpoints on an issue
- dont be afraid to say ‘i dont know’ to questions you have no idea about
- maintain your cool and remain calm -
this is the most crucial thing about the interview. These days most of the interviews are in the form of a stress interview , in which one or more interviewer corners you in a question, or speaks about you in a derided manner. you should keep in mind, that the interviewer is doing this on purpose. As an administrator you will be in many stress related situations, the interviewer is checking on how you will react to such a situation by putting you in a stress situation. Hence, maintain your cool and be courteous in such a situation.
- maintain eye contact
- give at least 4 mock interviews at samkalp, vajiram etc.
My interview
Before the interview - I was calm, confident and nervous at the same time. being in the UPSC overjoyed me more than anything else. being nervous right before your interview call comes is inevitable. But you must try not to be overwhelmed by it and maintain a confident framework nonetheless. Even if you are nervous beyond measure, once you enter the interview room and begin to answer questions, all your nerves will fade away through the course of the interview.
Board - Alka Sirohi
Duration - around 30 mins
Marks - 215
Background - BE in IT
hobbies- reading books, mostly fiction
Sports- football
Home state - Bihar
Chairperson
CH - In football, there is a major event coming up?
Ans - the football world cup 2014 is coming up in brazil
CH - why does Brazil produce so many legends in football?
Ans - I believe that football is very much engraved in the culture of Brazil, and has captured the imagination of the society right at the grassroot level in a developing country.
CH - who is the latest in the line of such footballing greats in Brazil?
Ans - Ma'am , Neymar is said to be the next big thing.
CH - can you tell what is brazil’s style of football?
Ans - Sorry ma’am, i am not aware of this.
CH- okay, why do you think is the component of skills lacking in civil services?
Ans - i think that the reason for this is that people are attracted to the civil services largely because of the prestige associated with it and due to familial pressure. People do not know, what job specification they will have and they arent abreast with it. Also, the UPSC follows the negative recruitment method till today.
CH - what is negative recruitment ?
Ans - It is a recruitment process in which the agency associated isnt proactive in recruiting, but people themselves seek the agency for recruitment.
CH - So, how do you think the skills component in civil services can be improved?
Ans - i think this can be done by being proactive and nurturing the prospective applicants, about what the civil service really is about and what challenges one faces as a civil servant. Just like advertising is done these days in case of armed forces; the same should be done for civil services.
Member 1
M1 - About snowden affair, do you think it was good for the world and bad for the US? explain?
Ans - yes sir, i believe it was so. people must know what limits their freedom, and it has initiated a debate regarding internet freedoms and recourse against snooping
M1 - which countries opposed snooping?
Ans - Sir Germany and Brazil were very vocal against snooping
M1 - what was india's stand on this ?
Ans- India was quietly critical about the entire issue.
M1 - what recently happened in Afghanistan?
Ans - The presidential elections took Place.
M1 - what are the possible challenges which can be thrown up after the results?
Ans - Afghanistan faces a threat of a possible divide on ethnic lines. Also, extremist groups like taliban may acquire power, running the constitutional machinery aground.
M1 - name some ethnic groups of Afghanistan.
Ans - Pashtuns, Tajiks, I cant recall more
M1 - how did the taliban come into being?
Ans - It was a result of the US arming and funding various rebel groups in the wake of the Soviet war in afghanistan.
M1 - Do you know who provided the funding?
Ans - Sorry sir, I do not know
Member 2
M2 - you like to read books. name some of the books you have read.
Ans - Sir i have liked classical fiction books like the catcher in the rye, the great gatsby, the old man and the sea, crime and punishment, shantaram - which isnt classical fiction, etc.
M2 - what is crime and punishment about?
Ans - Sir it is about an individual who commits an act of murder, believing he is doing a great feat, very much akin to what a Napolean may do. But this comes to haunt him and he ends up seeking redemption.
M2 - about internet governance, there is said to be a lot of component of US control over this, how should it be handled?
Ans- There should be a multi- stakeholder body comprising of various civil society, media and technical entities along with representation from countries. As today, internet has gone beyond mere international borders.
M2 - most of tech entities are of the US, is there any way out?
Ans - we need to develop an indigenous software base along with developing broadband connectivity to the last mile.
M2- In bihar, there are a number of private armies? what is your opinion on them? how will you handle them?
Ans - Sir, private armies like the Ranvir sena have propped up due to disillusionment of the state’s efficiency in its counter insurgency operations. These also develop due to a belief that law can be taken in your own hands. I would initially issue an ultimatum about all such private armies with a time frame of them to be disbanded. At the same time, I would also assure and demonstrate to the resident/members of such armies that the state is fully capable of dealing with such public order problems. After the time frame, I would whatever action is possible in my limited capacity.
Member 3
M3 - you have some achievement in maths,how will you explain what is the radius of the circle in a village ?
Ans- Sir, I would take them to a well along with a well along with a brass rod marking the two ends of the circle. Wherever the distance between the two ends is maximum would be the diameter and half of it the radius.
(he didnt understand initally, the Chairperson intervened and explained it to him)
M3- what is (some inter university football tournament's name)?
Ans- sorry sir, i havent heard of it.
M3 - what is the ratio which represents pi?
Ans - (my mind had gone blank) Sir, unable to recall it has just gone out of my mind…
M3- 22/7 !
Ans - yes sir!
M3- Okay tell me, why did hitler hate the jews?
ans- sir i am not sure about this, but it was probably due to the fact that he blamed the jews for the failure of the first world war and also he considered his own race to be superior
(he wasnt convinced, shook his head)
M3 - why were there protests in Brazil last year?
Ans- Sir, it was protest against holding of such lavish events, the burden of which had to be borne by the public by increase of user charges.
M3 - Do you think it was justified? Why?
Ans- yes sir it was. Such events do have their value in enhancing the global standing of a nation worldwide, but this should never be it the cost of basic benefits to citizens being denied. The first duty of the govt is to fulfill the basic needs of its citizens, not hold such grand events.
Member 4
M4 - what will your priorities be if you are posted in bihar?
Ans - The foremost priority would be that of public order, which needs to be continuously maintained. the next would be of infrastructure - that of education, health etc.
M4 - give some specific uses of e gov?
Ans- land records, CCTNS, records of birth and death, transparency, etc. (dont remember right now what i said)
M4 - do you think india has a strong defence? why so?
Ans - India has definitely made a lot of headway in the prospect of defence with defence partnerships, holding of annual exercises. But there is still a lot of way to go through in the areas of defence indigenization and transparency in defence procurement.
M4 - why then so many recent submarine accidents?
Ans - they might be due to lack of oversight in induction of such submarines and their spare parts - faults could have been overlooked amongst other reasons.
M4 - you are from ara, what is the condition of naxalism there?
Ans- the situation has certainly improved over the years as the state police has become proactive in this regard. also forming a separate state armed unit consisting of retired army personnel has reaped benefits.
M4- do you think india can emerge as a nuclear powerhouse?
Ans - India definitely has the potential to do so. we have been successful in negotiating nuclear deals with other countries, we have thorium resources and also we have now an active nuclear submarine.
M4 - why has India not been able to acquire this potential?
Ans - there have been hassles in negotiating the supplier Nuclear liability and also since accidents such as Fukushima, concerns regarding safety have come up, also springing up local protests.
M4 - what is nuclear fission and fusion?
Ans - Sir nuclear fission is a process in which a nucleus is bombarded by an electron to split into two nuclei along with the release of more electrons. In Fusion, two nuclei come together at very high temperature to form a single nucleus along with release of energy
Chairperson
CH - what do you think is more important - the journey or the destination? why?
Ans - ma’am i believe the journey is more important as even if you do not end up to the destination , you emerge as a more experienced and an enriched person.
CH - okay tell me, do you think ends justify the means? why?
Ans - No ma’am as if in the means we subvert the ends we are trying to reach, we subvert our very purpose.
CH - okay, you may go now.
thnx! very usefull
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