IAS exam is one of the most challenging exams in India that needs consistent hard work, dedication, and smart strategy for preparation. You might have given your best to crack the written exam of IAS, but if you fail to clear the interview, your efforts may go in vain.
The interview round in IAS is actually the third and final phase of the UPSC civil services exam. The first two phases include pre and mains exams, which you need to clear to appear in the interview.
When we compare the IAS interview with the same of other competitive exams, it is more difficult and complex. This is because the panelists don’t ask you general questions or topics, but tricky ones. It is difficult to predict the questions that will be asked to you. However, you can go through the previous year questions asked in UPSC to get an idea about what to expect and what type of questions are asked.
Number of questions asked in IAS interview
The number of questions for the IAS interview is not actually fixed. The questions depend on how well you answer and the pattern of questions the panelists have for you. Mostly, the panelists keep on asking you several questions until they are satisfied and understand what type of person you are.
You simply can’t lie while answering and can’t fake anything. They are experts in the field and catch your lies within a few seconds or minutes. This is by far the biggest mistake IAS aspirants make in the interview.
How to answer the IAS interview Questions?
As discussed above, there are no fixed questions for the interview. However, you can prepare yourself well and practice certain things to ace the interview. Generally, they ask you questions related to your personality and things mentioned in your bio-data. They also ask you questions related to a real-life problem or scenario and seek the answer to that problem.
You must work on your communication skills, practice how to look confident, take mock interviews, and give witty answers.
Previous year questions asked in UPSC
To give you an idea about the UPSC interview questions, we have curated some of the most asked from previous year interviews.
Q-1. Give a brief introduction of yourself.
It is a common question asked in interviews for many exams. You can answer this by sharing your academic qualification, work experience, background about family, aspirations, etc. Try to keep things short and precise.
Q-2. Why do you want to become an IAS officer?
It is yet another common question that you can expect in the IAS interview. This question aims to understand and learn about your goals and what you aspire to do after becoming an IAS officer.
Q-3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This question aims to learn about your strong and weak points, as well as to test your honesty. Since the panellists are experts, it will be better to answer honestly without creating lies or new things in mind.
Q-4. How is your education relevant to civil services?
You must prepare yourself well for this question based on your educational qualification. The answer should be convincing and relevant.
Q-5. What is your aim or ambition in life?
Ambition is something that varies from person to person. You have to answer it thoughtfully.
Some tricky IAS interview questions
Q-6. What if one morning you woke up and found that you were pregnant?
This question was asked to a female IAS aspirant to check how she reacts to shocking news. It’s because such news can cause both panic and happiness.
The candidate answered it well in a positive way that she would be delighted and celebrate it with her husband.
Q-7. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday?
This IAS interview question tests your wittiness. The candidate answered, ‘Yesterday, today, and tomorrow’.
Q-8. James Bond was pushed out of an aeroplane without a parachute, but he survived. How?
The question checks your presence of mind. The right candidate answered, ‘the aeroplane was on the runway’.
Q-9. How can someone go eight days without sleeping?
The correct answer is ‘he sleeps in the night.’
Q-10. How to drop a raw egg on a cement floor without cracking it?
This type of IAS interview questions tests whether you are an out-of-the-box thinker. The right candidate answered- ‘Cement floors are tough to crack.’
Wrapping up:
If you are an IAS aspirant, you must prepare yourself for such questions. Work regularly on your skills, practice mock interviews as much as you can to test your thinking, analytical, and logical skills. And, finally, trust yourself that you can do it.
Read more – Personality Development Tips for IAS Interview