TIPS FOR PREPARING FOR IAS INTERVIEW-PART I

Its time now to tighten reins for the third and final stage of UPSC Civil Services Exam which is known as Personality Test (PT) commonly called as Interview. UPSC IAS Interview is the decisive stage of a yearlong Civil Services Exam process and is indeed the final rank decider. The competition gets stronger and stiffer at this stage as aspirants contest vigorously to make their place in the final merit.

Conducting Interview as part of Civil Service Examination (CSE) selection methodology has been one of the original features of the recruitment system for the higher Civil Services. Initially it was called as Viva Voce and later rechristened to Personality Test without much change in its structure and conduct.

Generally, duration of interview is about half-an-hour. A good score in interview can create a substantial difference of marks with the fellow candidates in just under 30 minutes. Being the last round, this could give one an unassailable lead. Though the final rank list is prepared by taking the sum of UPSC Mains marks (1750) and UPSC Interview marks (275), very often it is seen that those who have scored high in interview are in the top of the final selection list too.

Considering the importance and weightage of PT in the final merit, we will be covering this blog in two parts. In the part one, here, we will be discussing about why and how PT is conducted and will discuss some sample questions which are generally asked by the Boards conducting the interview.

Why the need for PT?  This debate keeps surfacing every now and then. Those against it, the Naysayers, support their argument on the grounds of inherent subjectivity and fear of human biases creeping in the process. Those in favour however state that the requirement of PT is necessitated by the special job requirements of civil services. Any selection/ recruitment methodology based purely on written tests would be inadequate since written tests primarily give evidence of the intellectual calibre (Intelligence quotient, IQ) of the candidate but it does not give an insight to his/her emotional quotient (EQ), beliefs and values, motivational level, general attitude, character, integrity and many other personality attributes. PT, if scientifically organised and conducted can reveal a lot about the candidate and has been found to be quite successful in understanding deep-seated human traits. This argument of Aye-Sayers is further buttressed by the fact that that suitable measures have been built-in in the process to safeguard against any void.

It is important to understand that the UPSC Interview is conducted to uncover your true personality and identify whether you have the traits and qualities that can make you a good civil servant. Board conducting the PT thus focuses on and test specific attributes/qualities. Some of the general attributes a candidate is expected to possess can be broadly divided into six categories, i.e. personality related, motivational aspects, interpersonal skills, intellectual abilities, specific skills and values.  These are: –

1. Moral Integrity

2. Ability to grasp essentials of the problem quickly

3. Ability to utilise conceptual knowledge to general situation

4. Planning and utilisation of resources

5. Confidence and Communication skills

6. Tactfulness

7. Team spirit

8. Empathy/ Compassion

9. Ability for behavioral adjustment

10. Commitment to goals

11. Ability to rise above one’s self interests

12. Secular attitude

13. Receptivity to the needs of the people

14. Patriotic attitude

15. Openness

16. Initiative

17. Innovativeness

18. Ability to guide

19. Decision making

20. Emotional stability

21. Courage

22. Commitment to rules/law

Do remember, that IAS Personality Test (PT) is not the test of your knowledge (would have been called KT otherwise) but it is a test of your personality, as your knowledge has already been tested in the presaging two stages of selection. Notwithstanding, it is important for a candidate to keep abreast with the happenings of national and global importance and to be aware of current socio-economic problems. Anyways, we will cover the aspect of preparations for PT in the later part of this Blog.

Let us now get an insight on how PT is planned and conducted by the UPSC. Usually, 5 to 7 Interview Boards simultaneously conduct the interviews, each headed by a UPSC Member and assisted by four experts (total 5 interviewers) who are retired civil servants, academicians, scientists and others. These experts are drawn from a large panel of names assembled after careful scrutiny by the Commission and the list is constantly updated.

Before the commencement of PT, all the board members (Experts/Advisors) are briefed by Chairman and Members of the UPSC on the purpose and manner of conducting the test. The Boards are asked to follow some common standards towards maintaining uniformity in assessment. Experts are also rotated among different Boards almost every week.

Each of the interview panel member will spend approximately 5 minutes on each candidate. Thus average duration of an interview is about 25 to 30 minutes. About 10-11 candidates are interviewed by each Board per day. The total number of candidates interviewed is approximately two point five times the number of vacancies every year.

Marks scored by the candidates in the Mains are not known to the Board, but a short summary of candidates’ bio-data, hobbies and interests is provided. This short summary of the candidates is prepared confidentially and organised session-wise for each Board on a daily basis and made available to the Board Members only 5-10 minutes before the commencement of the interview. It is said that this system works very well as neither the candidates nor the Chairpersons or the Advisors of the Board get any idea regarding which candidate goes to which Board. In fact, the Chairman, UPSC, marks the name of Board number on the cover of these sealed packets containing profiles of the candidates, randomly, before the commencement of the Board in each session. Quite obviously, influence and recommendation are difficult to operate in such a fair and transparent system.

Members of the Board individually rate intellectual and personal qualities of candidates and their overall performance. The final assessment by the Board is based on discussion of individual assessments made by the Members.

Candidates who have taken the Main Examination in any one of the Indian languages can use the same language for PT, in which case the Board is assisted by language experts, but strictly for the purpose of interpretation.

There are no minimum qualifying marks in the Personality Test, though at one stage in the 1950s minimum qualifying marks were prescribed for selection. Earlier, the Commission had, in fact, adopted 35% marks as the minimum threshold level in the personality test which was meant to be used as a negative screen to weed out those candidates who in the opinion of the Board were unsuitable for public service. However, this was given up in 1957 as it was felt that it would give scope to arbitrariness and the candidates from the weaker sections would be at a disadvantage in such a scheme.

What to prepare for PT?

The answer to this question will flow from the knowledge of areas normally covered by the board. Following merit attention: –

a)  Detailed Application Form (DAF):  Those candidates who clear Mains exams are required to fill up DAF. Personality Test requires first and foremost self-introspection. The same is a much desirable exercise before filling up DAF. A candidate should be sure of and should have a firm sense of conviction of what he or she writes in the DAF. This application form contains information about candidate’s educational back ground; work experience, native place, extra-curricular activities; optional papers etc. In fact, this detailed form serves as a sort of CV of the candidate for the panel members. Hence, it is imperative that many questions in the interview will be based on the details filled up by the candidate in the form.  Hence, it is extremely important that candidate has in depth knowledge about all the details mentioned in the DAF. Thorough preparation of various aspects and the possible questions that could emerge from the DAF must be done. DAF Analysis is thus an obligatory exercise for all candidates.

b) Current issues of interest, primarily national and international.

c) Good knowledge of the candidate’s own state and district.

d) Whenever required, you may have to bring into focus the knowledge of your own specialized field of study while talking on current problems.

e) Also be prepared for probing questions on your own special field of study, including the papers that you have offered for the Main Examination – only the fundamentals of the subjects studied; momentous developments of today, if any; and a lively panoramic grasp of the optional subjects.

Although it is difficult to summarise or quantify the questions which can be asked in PT however, some of the most commonly asked questions in the UPSC Interview are: –

a) Questions pertaining to Civil Services

• Why do you want to be a civil servant?
• Why do you want to switch the job to IAS / civil services, if already employed?
• Having done engineering/ medical – reasons for switching over to an administrative / generalist role
• How your technical /professional qualifications will be helpful in your job in Civil Services
• Reason/Justification for your preferences in Civil Service categories and among Cadre/Zones
• How you will adjust if allotted a State other than your native State: language / cultural adjustment etc.

(b) Questions  pertaining to your Native City / City of Education / City of work/ State / Region

• Geography & History of State / Region
• Places of historical and cultural importance
• Agriculture / Soil / Biodiversity / Forestry
• Economic & Industrial Scenario

(c) Questions pertaining to educational background

• About College / University
• Stream in graduation/ post-graduation and reason for choosing
• Subjects Studied: adequate knowledge would be expected
• Any current developments/ news on the subjects studied by you, which are current
• Application / utility of the subjects studied in the proposed job / civil services.

(d) Questions on Optional Subject

• Reasons for choosing the Optional Subject, especially if the chosen subject is different from what has been studied by the candidate in UG/PG
• Questions based on your understanding of optional subjects (Concepts, important topics etc.)

(e) Questions on work experience

• Nature of work; functions and responsibilities
• Knowledge about Organization

(f) Questions pertaining to Extracurricular Activities/ hobbies

• What are your Hobbies? Reason for pursuing such a hobby- one needs to be careful in filling up details about hobbies. Do not bluff or exaggerate, you will have to ensure that you have good knowledge about the chosen hobby
• What exactly is your role in the NGO / voluntary organization where you contribute
• Details of the prizes / certificates won in Extracurricular activities, if any

(g) Situational questions: Now this is something for which there are no boundaries. Anything can be asked from a candidate by giving him a situation. Most commonly asked situational question starts with something like…….…you are a DM/DC/SP of a district, how will you implement ABCD government scheme………how will you handle law and order situation………how will you handle problem of terrorism/ naxalism …..what actions will you take to address the environmental degradation being caused by ….and so on and so forth.

(h) Miscellaneous questions (which has the potential to put candidates in a spin)

• Give your strengths and weaknesses
• What is the meaning of your name?
• Describe yourself
• Name five attributes of your Sun Sign

In part II of this blog we will be talking about Dos and Don’ts, tips on what is to be done before the PT and on the day of the PT, tips on how to respond and interact with the Board, tips on what to wear and not to wear and many such like queries which generally candidates have but are apprehensive to aspirants. 

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HOW TO READ THE HINDU NEWSPAPER FOR IAS EXAM?

What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humour, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!

                                                                                               PIYUSH JOSHI

In our childhood, most of us got an advice from our parents and teachers that we should inculcate the habit of reading newspaper as it not only improves knowledge quotient but also helps improve language skills and vocabulary. The importance of this advice cannot be overemphasised for the preparation for UPSC Civil Services Exam as well. It is however, not just an advice, rather an instruction, given explicitly by AAP IAS Study Circle to all of its students who aspire to get a rank in the UPSC IAS Exam.

Newspaper provides information about current affairs which is indispensable for both IAS Prelims and IAS Mains papers. With UPSC’s focus slowly weaning away from static and gravitating more towards current component of syllabi, the significance of reading newspaper for IAS Exam has increased tremendously. It is thus imperative that students pay required attention to this aspect.

While regular reading of newspaper is an indispensable part of IAS exam preparations, there is no need to read the entire newspaper as topic, verse and line. There are some do’s and don’ts of reading newspaper, which if followed will give maximum benefit. Those who perfect the art of newspaper reading are bound to manage time effectively and will obviously have brighter chances of doing better than others. There are few more thing which you need to do as prerequisites before commencing with daily newspaper reading. These are: –

(a) Keep a copy of the UPSC Mains Syllabus with you.

(b) Learn the keywords of UPSC syllabus.

(c) Carry out thorough analysis of previous year IAS question papers.

(d) Make a conscious effort to focus on the issue rather than the news.

(e) Develop the habit of focusing on what and why rather than when and where.

Before we proceed ahead, let us also know about what all you need to focus on in the newspaper. You must divide news or issues in few categories like:

• International Relations,
• Environment & Biodiversity,
• Personalities and Awards,
• Government Policies and Schemes,
• International Organisations,
• Economic Policies,
• Science and Technology etc.

Focus of the reader should be broadly on these aspects. Here, it will be worthwhile to also talk about what not to focus upon! You can surely skip political news/political statements, state/city specific news (unless it has a larger national implication), the nitty-gritty of the share market, entertainment news, sports news (unless it is your hobby mentioned in the DAF).

Out of many newspapers available in the market, ‘The Hindu’ newspaper is most popular amongst Civil Services IAS aspirants. It stands out with its effective and detailed coverage of important national and international issues and is well known for its unbiased, forthright views on array of issues. That’s why some of the best columnists in the country choose to write for The Hindu newspaper. It is also a proven fact that in the past many questions in the Prelim exams had been framed straight from the articles published as Editorials, ‘Opposite to the Editorial’ (commonly called as Op-Ed) or covered otherwise by the newspaper.

Now that you are well settled with the fact that every aspirant needs to read the newspaper and, that ‘The Hindu’ is an apt newspaper for UPSC preparation, let us move on to the most commonly asked questions by all UPSC IAS aspirants – how to read the Hindu Newspaper?

After all, one can’t afford to invest 5-6 hrs everyday just to read a newspaper! Let us try to decode a distinctive strategy for studying The Hindu newspaper. First and foremost, let us know the layout of The Hindu: –

a) Page 1 is generally about the Headlines of the day (one read recommended)

b) Pages 2-5 carry regional news (can be skipped)

c)  Pages 6-8 deal with State News (can be skipped)

d)  Page 9 deals with National News (Important)

e)  Page 10 is Editorial Page (most Important)

f)  Page 11 is Op-Ed page (most Important)

g)  Pages 12-13 contain news in general (one read recommended)

h)  Page 14 is about World affairs (one read recommended)

i)  Pages 15-16 focuses on trends, growth parameters, fiscal and monetary policies, socio- economic issues etc. (Important)

j)  Page 17 and rest is on Sports etc. (can be skipped)

Priority I Read:  The most important and indispensable portion of ‘The Hindu’ newspaper is its editorial page. Editorial and Op-Eds pages are the most valuable and informative sections and hence these should be read thoroughly as priority one read. If you are short on time on a particular day, you may skip other sections of the newspaper but certainly not this. The columns/articles written on these two pages are well researched and cover various issues in a very detailed and comprehensive manner. It’s advisable to read this section every day and develop a habit to read the full editorial in one go to get an overview of all dimensions of the issue.

Almost all of the topics covered in Editorials and Op-eds have relevance to the IAS exam. Therefore, high yielding notes can be prepared from these two pages. Try to pick up good introductory and summative lines on crucial issues from here; it can enhance the value of your answers exponentially. You can keep updating these notes every time a new editorial appears on the same issue.

Priority II Read: After finishing Editorials and Op-eds, you can focus your attention to the Business section. This section has important updates about Stats, Ratios and Figures which are useful for Prelims. It also has information about Guidelines/reforms in the economy which is useful from Mains perspective. This section has coverage on policies and stats/figures pertaining to SEBI, RBI and other national and international monetary institutions, which can be noted to add factual value to your answers.

Priority III Read: Lastly, do a cursory reading of the national and international pages to note only those topics or happenings which are frequently stated in the newspaper. Some of these are Supreme Court and High Court verdicts, Parliamentary debates, government policies and orders, important bills in the Parliament, advertisements given by the ruling party where achievements are listed (this will give you a list of the developmental schemes and their provisions, you will know which ministry deals with what schemes), issues of national and international importance, major political events in other countries that have possible international ramifications like a military coup, uprisings, visits of the Head of States and treaties and agreements signed, International organisations like the UN, ASEAN, WHO, IMF, etc. and their reports/publications, India’s role in these should also be read.

Other Important Tips on how to read The Hindu newspaper for Civil Services exam: –

a)  Be thorough with UPSC syllabus so that when you read newspaper, you are able to discern what is related to the syllabus and what is not. Those who have understood the syllabus and pattern of the examination well, will take less time to assimilate but a beginner(having less understanding of syllabus and pattern) will definitely take substantial time to read and prepare.

b)  Always remember that your goal is more important than your interests when it comes to reading the newspaper. It is easy to get tempted to read about a favourite topic or person featured in the newspaper but this will be at the cost of frittering away your precious time on non-important things. Remember you are reading the paper with an aim of preparing for UPSC civil services exam and not for your entertainment or having a break from studies.

c) Make notes as and when you read the newspaper. Your notes should be brief and crisp. Remember, brevity is the key for making good notes. Write in your own words. Keep it simple and easy to learn.

d) Remember that you are not doing research for PhD but understanding an issue/concept for preparing for an exam. Stick to the scope of syllabus.

e)  When you read Editorials/Op-eds you must note down the pros and cons, positive and the negative sides to an issue. Understand the issue from multiple perspectives. Usually, editorials/ authors tend to lean towards one perspective, but when you read and extract info from them, make sure to incorporate both the points of view and you must have a balanced approach. This aspect is critically analysed at the later stage in Personality Test.

f) You must sit at your study table while reading newspaper so that you don’t miss out on any vital news and also enable you to make notes alongside. Some students tend to read newspaper while travelling/commuting with an aim to better utilise time but then the pitfall of this habit is that one can’t make notes while travelling. You can definitely read the notes made out of the newspaper while travelling.

g) Avoid reading newspaper with the perspective of relevance of articles/news for Prelims, Mains and Interview. Keep your life simple …just read the newspaper. Your mind and memory will be able to access info as required.

For a beginner, it will take more time to extract relevant information from newspapers and you may find it difficult. There would be days when you will be spending more time than usual in going through the newspaper and there would be days when you will be able to finish it much quickly. But you will learn gradually and once you have mastered the basic concepts, you will start loving this habit of reading newspaper. This will also help bring a positive change in your outlook towards this exam and your confidence in your preparations.

Reading newspaper will help you prepare for all the stages of the UPSC IAS exam; the Prelims, Mains and the Interview. Apart from that, it is also an excellent habit which will go a long way in making you a well-informed, socially aware and a responsible member of the society.

If you find reading and learning from ‘The Hindu’ newspaper tough, we can help you get started. You can follow  AAP IAS Current Affairs Weekly analysis for UPSC CSE 2020 free videos on YouTube to assist you in your daily newspaper reading.

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मोटिवेशनल टीम आप आईएएस

तुम नहीं कर पाओगे ।
तुमसे नहीं होगा ।
अरे बहुत गए घर से IAS बनने सब लौट के आए हर किसी के बस की बात नहीं होती ।
बड़ी-बड़ी बातें तो हर कोई कर लेता है ।
जब मैंने तुम्हें पहली बार देखा था तभी मैं समझ गया था तुम क्या IAS बनोगे ।
घर पर आकर अपने पापा का काम संभालो यही तुम्हें करना है।
 अभी तुम्हें ज्यादा जोश है ।
जा रहे हो ना बाहर जाओ कर लो तैयारी देख ले कितना IAS बन के दिखाते हो बहुत देखे तुम्हारे जैसे।
 यही आओगे यही देख लेना हर किसी के बस की बात नहीं होती।

 इनमें से लगभग सभी बातें मुझे बोली गई और शायद आपको भी बोली गई होंगे ।

आपको वह दिन याद होगा जब लोगों ने आपको ताना दिया होगा।

आपके इस DREAM का मजाक उड़ाया होगा ।

आपको बहुत ही ना गवार समझा होगा ।
तो दोस्तों यही समय है उन सब का मुंह बंद करने का उन सब को जवाब देने का और वह केवल और केवल हमारी मेहनत और हमारी मेहनत से ही हो सकता है।

 हमें बोलना नहीं पड़ेगा फिर वह हमें देख कर अपनी आंखें नीचे झुका लेंगे और जब वह शर्मिंदा होंगे तब हम उन सब सवालों का उन सब तानों का जो उन्होंने हम से कहे थे उसका जवाब बिना हमारे बोले उन्हें मिल जाएगा तो दोस्तों हताश नहीं होना कभी हार नहीं मानना अगर अभी हार मान ली तो पूरी जिंदगी भर ऐसे ही ताने सुनने पड़ेंगे और फिर यह सोचोगे कि काश एक बार और ट्राई कर लेता कि काश एक बार और कर लेता मैं कभी हार नहीं मानने वाला क्या आप मानोगे?

ऐसी ही ज्ञानवर्धक वीडियोस के लिए हमारे यूट्यूब चैनल को सब्सक्राइब करें 

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