Candidates who have successfully cleared the first two stages of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) i.e Prelims and Mains, have to appear for an IAS Officer Interview. They might have several questions regarding what exactly happens in an IAS Officer Interview. So, the interview panel conducts a personality test in the interview round, wherein numerous IAS Interview Questions are being asked from the candidate. Before that, the candidate must have to appear for an IAS Mock Interview to know how the interview process works. UPSC Interview Questions include some standard and tricky questions to assess the personality of the candidate and how honest he is. So here, we will clear all your doubts about how they conduct the interview and the IAS Interview Questions and Answers they ask.
- IAS Interview Questions Preparation Strategy
- IAS Officer Interview Process
- Purpose of IAS Mock Interview
- IAS Interview Questions and Answers
- FAQs | IAS Interview Questions
- Editor's Note | IAS Interview Questions
IAS Interview Questions Preparation Strategy
To Follow
- Read the current affairs and do make points from it.
- Make a list of the possible IAS Interview Questions that the interviewer can ask the candidate.
- Built-up your confidence by practicing answering in front of a mirror.
- Analyze how well you are answering the questions.
- If possible, then do record your self-practice sessions.
- Brush up your knowledge over the current scenario and the graduation subject.
To Avoid
- Stay calm and do not stress on your Interview day and if you face any issue, then do take a deep breath.
- Do not bluff with the interviewer. But, it’s not like your other interviews, so do not follow such strategies.
- Don’t get much concerned about the theoretical IAS Interview Questions to be asked because what works is the way you approach any question that is being asked to you.
- Do not argue with the interview panel members and maintain decorum at all times.
IAS Officer Interview Process
In this interview process, we will give you every detail about the IAS Officer Interview related formalities.
1. Entry
You have to report at the venue with some extra time in hand in front of the UPSC gate. The candidate must have to stand in a queue until the preliminary verification process starts.
Documents you need to carry for IAS Officer Interview
- Interview call letter.
- Identification proof such as Mains Admit card, Aadhar card, Voter ID, PAN card, etc.
- You have to cross-check your name on the list. After your verification, they will allow and guide you to enter the building from an entry point.
2. Mobile Submission
While entering the UPSC gates, the candidate will have to submit their phone in an envelope. The candidate appearing for IAS has to write his name and roll number on that envelope. He has to switch off the mobile and submit it to security. They will provide you a table number such as 1, 2, 3, ….14, 15, etc. So, you have to sit according to your table number.
3. Circular Hall Entry
Once you get your table number, a person will guide you in a circular hall with many tables and chairs around them. Find your table according to your table number and get seated. The actual verification of documents for the interview will take place in the circular hall. It’s a smooth process and the staff is there to help you. There are several newspapers to read along with biscuits or tea for the candidates. They will provide the candidate with a questionnaire to fill with basic background information. It’s for IAS research and analysis purposes.
4. Group of 6 Candidates
There will be 5 other people with you appearing for the interview. UPSC will take the IAS Officer Interview in a group of 6 candidates. So, if the number is more, there can be 7. This means one particular board will take an interview with a group of 6-7 candidates.
5. Fill the Form
An attendant will come and give you some forms that you have to fill. So, you have to fill these carefully and slowly. Know your sequence in which you all 6 or 7 will have your IAS Interview. But, there will be a paper including details about your medical test. Later, they will give you a sheet with your user id and password. All these will put into use when you will qualify the IAS Interview Questions round.
6. Verification of Certificate
Now, submit all the required certificates in an original and its photocopy to the attendant. The attendant will scrutinize it and will take it to the senior staff sitting at the hall’s center. After that, they will give these all original documents to you and they will keep a photocopy only. This will take around 30 – 45 minutes.
7. The Questionnaire, TA Bill, and Attestation Form
Submit your Travelling Allowance form (if Non-Delhi candidate) to the staff person. They will ask each candidate one by one to come and collect the questionnaire. You have to submit the attestation form provided to the DoPT and not the UPSC. Then, submit the attestation form further after the result.
What if the candidate won’t have the certificate?
There are many candidates who might not have their original certificates. Besides, they have a doubt about the certificate they have. In these cases, you have to fill an undertaking form containing a legal declaration. They will mention in a declaration, that if you do not submit your certificates within 15 days, then your candidature will get canceled.
In this case, you don’t have to panic at all. Your candidature will not get canceled even if you are not able to submit your certificates by any chance within 15 days. You are still allowed to take the interview with no effect impacting your results. However, the UPSC will declare your candidature provisional. The candidate can later submit your proper certificates.
8. Board Announcement
A person will announce the chairman’s name whose board will take the interview. Do not go for the interview with a pre-formed opinion about any board as it’s not under your control. This process will take around 75 minutes. Then, the interview starts. A person will call out the candidate’s name for the interview.
9. Time for Interview
While going for the interview, you will be thoroughly checked. Do not bring pencils, a pen, watches, etc. inside the room. You can go to the washroom if you want. The candidate have to wait outside the chairman’s room had the nameplate on the door.
Do not enter the interview room by yourself. A bell will ring and the attendant will open the door. Ask for permission to come in, and enter then. For how long you have to wait outside will only depend on the time taken by the previous candidate giving an interview.
10. Interview Room
After all the verifications and procedures, they allow the candidate to enter. So, different rooms have their own setups for the table. Maybe you would get a room where you just have to walk straight and sit on your chair in an interview. While in other, you need to walk around half the table to go to your seat. You will be facing the chairman. Two members will be sitting adjacent to the chairman. The other two will be adjacent to you. Then, they will start asking IAS Interview Questions.
Purpose of IAS Mock Interview
IAS Mock Interview
- IAS Mock Interview helps a candidate assess his strengths and weaknesses in an accurate form.
- This way, the candidate can perform his level best in the final stage of the Civil Services Exam. The Academies conducting IAS Mock Interview ensures that panel members are eminent personalities from the Civil Services Fraternity. The experts’ panel includes currently serving bureaucrats. They also include top retired IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS Officers, and some of the renowned academicians.
- The prominent Academies conduct the interview in an ambiance like an actual UPSC interview. It provides you with a realistic environment and experience. It takes place to give you an experience of the actual interview. They also help you develop a required focus. Moreover, check the confidence to face the esteemed panel at the Interview.
- IAS Mock Interview is the best place where the candidate is not judged for who they are. Examiners will not judge but question you. They will check your personality & interests, Logical reasoning over imaginary situations, etc.
- Moreover, they will critically assess you on the grounds of personality, ethical standards, and general knowledge. Do not miss IAS mock Interview at any cost.
IAS Interview Questions and Answers
Apart from the numerous questions that are being asked in the interview from the candidate, the questions are random in general. However, the candidate cannot prepare for it in advance. We have listed some of the different tricky and standard IAS Interview Questions. It’s just to give you a basic idea of what you can expect from an IAS Officer Interview.
Standard IAS Interview Questions
1. Give your brief introduction.
The most standard UPSC Interview Questions always include an introduction of the candidate. But, not just only in IAS Officer Interview, it’s being asked in every other interview. So, you can start introducing yourself by giving a brief about yourself. It includes your personal information, family background, academic qualification, and professional experience. Moreover, you should keep the information precise and to the point. It should match your resume information that you have given to the panel.
2. Why do you want to become an IAS Officer?
UPSC Interview Questions that the candidates face is aimed at bringing out not just only the goals of the candidate, but also his overall clarity of thought. This is the most important part of IAS Interview Questions and Answers being asked from aspirants. Moreover, it provides an overview of the panelists about your goals, passion, interests, and motivation, and inspiration that drives you to this point of joining IAS. So, the aspirants can do some advance preparation for one of these types of IAS Interview Questions and Answers.
3. Tell us one of your positive and negative strengths.
As an academic knowledge and the mental alertness are key components which form the basic pillars of an IAS Officer. While integrity and honesty are equally important. So, among standard UPSC Interview Questions, these questions let the IAS panel understand your strengths and weaknesses.
They also analyze how honest you are to them while answering UPSC Interview Questions. IAS Officer Interview panel consists of subject matter experts with vast experience. Besides, you cannot cheat with them by providing confusing and vague answers. So, make a list of all your strengths and weaknesses. Try to include logical explanations and examples.
Tricky IAS Interview Questions
4. The interviewer ordered a cup of coffee for the candidate to appear for the interview. Coffee has arrived and was kept before the candidate. So, what is before you?
Alphabet ‘T’ comes before ‘U’. So, T is before U.
Explanation: Generally, a candidate would answer this question with ‘Coffee’. The panelist said he ordered coffee to create a scenario in the candidate’s mind. This will make him think innovatively. But, the perfect answer to this question is to completely ignore the coffee. And, think for an explanation from another view. The candidate answered “Tea” and also explained it that the “T” alphabet comes before “U”. So, “T” comes before “U”. Moreover, the candidates who can handle this kind of IAS Interview Questions and Answers gets selected.
5. What if you woke up one morning & found that you were pregnant? ( asked to a female candidate)
I would be very happy, take a day off and celebrate this good news with my husband.
Explanation: UPSC Interview Questions like these are aimed at testing the candidate. They check how would the candidate react to such shocking news. However, the news can be shocking and also have a positive outcome. So, while answering to such answers, always show your positive blend of mind to the panel.
6. Tell us the place where Lord Rama would have celebrated his “First Diwali”?
IAS Interview Questions and Answers are tricky that requires both academic and practical knowledge of things. But, the common answer to this dictates that Lord Rama may have celebrated Diwali at Ayodhya, Mithila, or at Lanka. The literal history says that Diwali was celebrated as a Lord Krishna’s mark killing Narakasura. Krishnavathar comes after Raamavathar in Dusavathar. However, the Diwali celebration was started after Raamavathar. So, Lord Rama did not celebrated his first Diwali.
7. If 2 is a company and 3 is the crowd, then what will be 4 and 5?
4 and 5 will always be 9.
Explanation: It happens too often that any candidate can get doomed logically in mathematical problems and forget the easy problem while overthinking. But, the candidate must maintain a perfect balance between overthinking and thinking. However, Interviewers check this thing only whether the candidate gets confused easily or not.
8. If you had four oranges and three apples in one hand and three oranges and four apples in the other, then what would you have?
Very large hands.
Explanation: Mostly people would answer this by eight apples and eight oranges. But, the candidate should answer these types of questions by proving himself out of the box.
9. How can you lift an elephant with just one hand?
No issues as you won’t find an elephant with just one hand. So, you can understand these questions well and solved but the candidate who can think out of the box.
10. A cat has three children, a cat named them January, February, and March. So, what is the cat’s name?
The cat’s name is “What”.
Interviewers check the presence of the student’s minds and expect an answer like a future IAS Officer.
Also check about other UPSC Strategy like How to do Essay Writing, Cracking UPSC in First Attempt & How to prepare for overall exam and specifically Prelims Exam.
FAQs | IAS Interview Questions
The IAS interview will carry 275 marks with no minimum qualifying marks.
The candidate can show its graduation degree whether distant or regular. The degrees provided should be of Universities that are incorporated by an Act of the Central and State Legislature in India or any other educational institution which is established by parliament act.
UPSC conducts interviews and personality tests in English, Hindi, and several other languages. They provide the candidates to write all the papers in one language only. They have to dig out the best of brains in the country who could contribute well to the nation’s progress. However, the candidate should have to learn English as it will later help them in their long career. The candidates will have to communicate with various organizations, and institutions. So, language should not be a matter of limitation then.
Editor’s Note | IAS Interview Questions
So, we discussed the IAS Officer Interview process in this article and the most tricky and standard UPSC Interview Questions being asked by the panelist to the candidates. However, these UPSC Interview Questions already have been asked in the past. There is no guarantee that similar questions will be asked again, but they help the aspirants to understand how the questions are being asked. The candidate must have to appear for an IAS Mock Interview to know the real environment of the interview room. Based on that, the candidate can prepare for IAS Officer Interview.
You can also check about Best IAS Coaching in Mumbai.
