
For Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants, the interview stage is the final frontier they must successfully cross to claim the coveted Civil Services. After years of toil, they now face the onerous task of appearing before a panel of senior, accomplished individuals.
While it may seem daunting, the interview stage is the easiest of the three stages. UPSC calls it the Personality Test because the panel primarily evaluates whether you are suited for a career in the civil service.
Here are a few tips to help you crack the interview.
1. Focus on content over appearance
The content of your answers matters more than your looks and demeanour. In mock interviews, panel members place undue importance on attire, the colour of your suit, the manner of your walking, and so on. But in reality, they don’t matter much. Just be presentable and let your answers tell the board about the kind of person you are.
2. Use questions to convey personality
When the opportunity presents itself, don’t be afraid to talk about yourself. The board members are there to find out about you. So, take each question as an opportunity to talk about yourself. The board tries to judge your personality not by the answers themselves but by your reasoning and beliefs that led you to such an answer.
For instance, for a question like: “Do think our country needs smaller states for better governance?” When you say a simple yes or no, it doesn’t say much about you. What led you to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is paramount.
My answer would have been:
“Yes, ma’am. I feel that smaller states are easier to govern because it brings administration closer to the people. For example in my own state, previously, districts and mandals were so huge that the collector didn’t have much time to physically visit and oversee developmental works in my mandal. Now, with a smaller state and smaller districts, projects are expedited because the collector can visit regularly and monitor projects better. Grievance redressal is also faster now. So from my experience, I believe smaller states and smaller districts are better for the country.”
(This answer conveys to the board that: First, you have a reasoned opinion, and second, you are aware of how administration is working in your native place. This is how interview answers are different from Mains. In Mains, you state the opinion of a committee or ARC or some expert to argue a point. But in an interview, your answers must be more personal. It’s your opinion and reasoning that counts.)
3. Overcome insecurities about your background
Remove every strand of inferiority and insecurity you may have because, say, you are 30+, or you aren’t from a good college, or you haven’t worked at a reputable company. I know of friends who graduated from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and interned at multinational corporations (MNCs), plus they are good at extracurriculars. Yet year after year, many such people fail to get exceptional marks.
Remember that the interview board rarely gets impressed by what’s on paper. Rather, they are more interested in knowing you and what you say in those 30 minutes. So, whatever your background, face the interview with confidence.
When we watch a movie, we don’t memorise all the minute details such as the dialogue, the locations, the names of the characters and so on. But when we come out of the movie hall, we have an overall sense of how the movie was — terrible, decent, excellent and so on.
From the panel’s point of view, it’s something similar. When you come out of the room, they will not remember each and every answer you uttered, but they will have an overall perception of you. Irrespective of your background, if you can have a good intellectual conversation and convince them that you are a good fit for the job, you’ll certainly score well.
4. Don’t worry about irrelevant matters
Have no preconceived notions about any interview board. Tackle each question on its merit; the interviewer or the board is not important here. Also, statistics such as average marks given by a particular board and so on are not only irrelevant but also counterproductive.
5. During the interview, focus on the present; not past responses
The hyper-conscious among us have this habit of self-evaluation even as the interview goes on. It’ll keep you stuck on something you may have uttered at the beginning of the interview. Inevitably, you’ll feel nervous and unable to focus on the present question being asked. Don’t be too conscious of your words or your presence. Be your natural self and at ease.
6. Maintain clarity and brevity in your answers
Answers should be neither brisk nor too protracted. When they ask opinionated questions, ideally you must state your opinion upfront and then give a brief reasoning of why you think so. There’s no ideal duration for an answer because it varies from question to question.
But try not to blabber unnecessarily. If they want to know further, they’ll anyway ask follow up questions.
7. Choose your moment and elevate the discussion
Sometimes, the panel asks you flat questions such as “What are the problems with politics in India?” Instead of giving standard answers such as criminalisation of politics, money power, and so on, you can choose to elevate the discussion.
For instance, in this case, you can say, “Sir, the problem with Indian politics is that capturing power has become an end in itself, rather than a means to do greater good.” It might lead to further discussion on ethics and politics and beyond. Hence, such provocative statements lead to follow-up questions and engaging conversations. Choose your moment wisely and elevate the discussion when they ask flat questions.
8. Be a patient listener
Take a moment to think after they ask a question. It exudes calmness and helps you collect your thoughts. I’ve observed that the board members are patient listeners. Only when you are rambling or blabbering, they’ll cut you short. For a few questions, you can even use a pencil to write down your answers.
9. Stay composed, regardless of the panel members' behaviour
If I have to summarise in one word what they look for in a candidate, I’d say ‘balance’. Don’t get carried away if they are jovial, or flattering. And don’t lose your footing if they are confrontational. Stay calm. Balance must reflect in answers too (doesn’t mean you can give some provocative answers — especially when you can elevate the discussion)
Let’s say if they ask about the Aadhar debate, my answer would have been:
“Sir I believe Aadhar and privacy is not a zero-sum game. We need both Aadhar and the protection of individual privacy (my opinion stated upfront). Currently, the debate is skewed either as only Aadhar or complete privacy. But we need more nuance.”
From here, if they want, they might ask follow-up questions about data breaches, the benefits of Aadhar, privacy law, and so on, which you must be comfortable with. So, prepare balanced opinions on contentious topics that are in the news.
10. Over-prepare on your Detailed Application Form (DAF)
Prepare a question bank of the most probable questions from your DAF. Your goal must be to pre-empt as many questions as possible. If you prepare well for the expected questions, it’ll give you the confidence to tackle unexpected questions.
11. Go with a strategy
Go with an open mind but have a clear strategy for the interview. By this I mean you must have definite things about you that you want the board to know. It may be about an academic project or a professional achievement. They may or may not ask the question directly. But when they ask a question related to that area, you should bring in your strong points naturally as part of the conversation.
Experiment with this in your mocks. For instance, let’s say you have won an award for being part of a project in your college or at your workplace. So, when they ask: “What are the qualities of a good leader?” instead of giving a bookish answer, you can talk about your project and the traits that helped you successfully lead and complete it.
12. Use simple, clear language
After writing mains, we tend to use jargon such as ‘participative approach’, ‘multi-stakeholder model of governance’, ‘women empowerment’, ‘disenfranchisement of the marginalised’, and so on. In the interview, instead of such complex phrases, use simple words.
Example: To a question about what must be done to tackle gender bias, don’t say "Sir, we need women empowerment, inclusive growth and a participative approach". All this mumbo-jumbo doesn’t mean anything.
Instead, say, "Sir, we need to provide good education to the girl child, strengthen our policing to ensure women's safety, encourage more women in politics — from panchayats to the Parliament, and support women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in a big way. These are a few steps we can take to build a gender-just society” From here, they can branch off to either of the sub-points you mentioned. Simplicity is clarity.
13. Articulate your genuine motivation for Civil Services
Think deeply about why you want to join the Civil Services.
When they ask this question, it’s a good opportunity to talk about yourself — your life story, your beliefs and core values. Instead of cliched phrases such as ‘job diversity’, ‘work satisfaction’, ‘public service’, ‘varied challenges’ and so on, make the conversation lively by talking about yourself.
If you can convince the board with a good, honest answer, your job is half done. Also, if you are already working, your answer must focus on the positives that you see in the Civil Services that excite and bring you to it rather than talking about what you find lacking in your current job. Avoid negativity.
14. Not knowing answers is absolutely fine
It’s absolutely fine to say ‘I do not know’ to a few questions. But there’s a slight catch here. If it is a factual question — say, the share of thermal power in India’s energy basket — and if you say you don’t know, it’s okay.
But let’s say the question is from your DAF.
For instance, I had mentioned ‘Reading about Artificial Intelligence (AI)’ as one of my hobbies. Now, when asked if I cannot tell the difference between AI and machine learning and deep learning, I was either lying on my DAF or that I’m just plain incompetent. Either way, it’s a serious indictment of me and I fall in the eyes of the panel. So prepare well for your DAF-related questions.
Also, don’t lie to the panel. Their experience in public life is more than your age. They can easily tell.
15. Take mocks, but don’t overthink feedback
I’d suggest you take four to five mocks depending on the time available. If your last mock before the interview goes disastrous, seriously affecting your morale, take another one to boost your confidence.
The point is to go into the actual interview with high morale. Sometimes you might receive contrasting feedback from different mock interviews. Don’t get confused. When in doubt, go with your gut feeling about what is right and what is not.
16. Treat my advice as guidance, not rules
Finally, don’t let the weight of the aforementioned advice burden you. Don’t treat them as cagey rules that you must follow to the last word, but only as a mere compass that helps you navigate through your interview preparation.
Interview preparation really forces us to learn about ourselves deeply. It also gives us a rare opportunity to walk through the hallowed portals of UPSC and have an intellectual conversation with a distinguished panel of members. So cherish the occasion.
It’s only a matter of time before you find your name on the list, too. As you face this final frontier, I will not wish you good luck. Luck is not in our hands, and it presupposes a sense of lack of control. So, I wish you what I told myself on the day of my interview.
"Do your best. That’s a win."
(Anudeep Durishetty, IAS, District Collector of Hyderabad is an IAS officer of the 2018 batch and All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2017. He writes more about UPSC on his blog: https://anudeepdurishetty.in/. Views expressed are his own.)