Important tips by Ann Mary who scored 193 marks (70%) in her UPSC interview.
She got selected in IFS.
About IAS Interview
DAF is the foundation on which your interview is built. Prepare each word in the DAF thoroughly. Give them interesting hooks in the DAF to ask upon. Otherwise they will ask random questions which cannot be prepared for. But do not write anything false because if they catch it, that’s the end of the game.
Be abreast of all recent events. Listen to AIR news at 9pm and read at least 2 newspapers and develop a rational and balanced point of view on these topics.
Pay special attention to international events or nations being visited by PM.
Record all the mocks that you give and come home and listen to your own answers. You will be able to identify mistakes yourself. Go for at least one mock in which they give you video feedback. You get to see our own facial expressions and body language that we are not aware of.
During the Interview
Enter with a smile. You can ask the staff outside the room if there is a lady member in the panel and in which side she is sitting. So, you can be prepared to greet the board in the right order.
Let them complete the question. Pause and then reply. It shows that you have appreciated the question well.
Give reasons for your views. This can display your rational thought process.
Take permission before guessing.
Accept the fact that you may not be able to answer all questions in an interview. Here, Sanjeev Kabeer sir’s (Career Quest Institute) analogy of interview to a cricket match is worth mentioning. There will be some balls in which u have to just defend the wicket, some in which you can hit a six and even others which you can get a run or two. It is all about understanding the nature of the question and answering accordingly.
So, it doesn’t matter how many “I don’t know” you say but it’s important that you say it in the right spirit and don’t get disheartened. (As told to insightsias)
Wish you all the best!
About IAS Interview coaching:
Career quest has helped me in the most crucial phase of my journey to success-the interview. I joined CQ after Civil Services Main Exam-2016.
The detailed orientation regarding the different aspects of interview-posture, timing, structuring the answer, accepting your ignorance with grace etc. gave me an in-depth idea regarding interview preparation.
Though many people tell that interview is all about luck, I feel there is a lot to be prepared for interview. Unlike written exams, the interview is a personality test rather than knowledge test. So, it involves questions that you may not be able to answer.
Here, Sanjeev Kabeer sir’s analogy of interview to a cricket match is praiseworthy. There will be some balls in which u have to just defend the wicket, some in which you can hit a six and even others which you can get a run or two. It is all about understanding the nature of the question and answering accordingly.
Kabeer Sir’s vast experience in interview guidance is worth noting because all other coaching centres just let u take a mock, while sir takes into consideration each and every aspect of the interview. He helps us to prepare for questions from our hobbies to home state to cadre preference in a comprehensive manner.
This helped me to refine my answers in the final interview.
Thank you sir. I wish success to all aspirants and am sure that CQ will help them just the way it did for me.
Ann Mary George, IFS (Indian Foreign Service)
Kerala, (AIR-123, CSE-2016)
