Gear up for the IAS interview

 

Sometimes 2-3 marks less in the interview can lead to a huge change in final rankings that will

determine the service, the cadre and the status of the aspirant for a lifetime.

Civil Services aspirants ar

e ready to take the crucial step in fulfilment of their life ambition. The

interview process, one of the most important components of the Civil Services Examinations, is

now on. Thousands are competing for the 900 positions this year.

How important is the

personality test or the interview in the scheme of examination? Based on

an analysis of the results of the previous years, trainers say high marks in the main examination

and the interview are a common feature of all toppers, and a few marks extra in the

interview

can make a difference of more than 10 ranks.

V. Gopala Krishna of Brain Tree, which trains aspirants, says sometimes two or three marks less

in the interview can lead to a huge change in the final rankings, making a massive difference

between get

ting into the IAS, IPS or the IRS. In short, it will determine the service, the cadre and

the status of the aspirant for a lifetime.

There are quite a few candidates who scraped through the main examination but found a place

on the merit list with very hi

gh marks in the interview.

Is the Civil Services interview the same as a private sector interview? No, says Mr. Gopala

Krishna. “It is wrong to assume all interviews are species of the same genus. The Civil Services

interview is designed and directed towards testing the “governmental attitude” of the

prospective aspirant.

Questions asked in the interview range from the personal bio

-

data of the candidate to the

academic background, current affairs and personal interests. Sometimes, the interview can lead

to

a new area of questions depending on how the candidate responds. When the areas are so

vast and current affairs are so dynamic, how does one prepare for the interview?

Five sections

Mr. Gopala Krishna says it will be better to divide the preparation into

five broad sections—personal, academic, optional subjects, current affairs, and hobbies. “You have to extrapolate

and list out the probable questions and then prepare suitable answers for them.”

A common mistake candidates make is the casual approach, w

hich the board does not tolerate.

Explaining such an attitude, Mr. Gopala Krishna says that once a candidate was asked “What is

Hyderabad known for? The prompt answer was “The Chalta hai attitude”. On being prodded

further he said “Hyderabadi Biryani”. “Hyderabad is known for many other achievements. A

better answer would have been the achievements of Ronald Ross or the Osmania University as

the first university in India to introduce vernacular languages as a medium of instruction. Such

answers display maturity and seriousness, whereas the former reflect a non-serious approach.” 

 

No one expects the candidate to know all the answers, but it will be perfectly reasonable to

expect the future Civil Servant to be honest. Therefore, if one does not know the answe

r he

should politely tell the board about it.

 

Courtesy: The Hindu