IAS interview is the third and final stage of the UPSC IAS exam. The interview is a personality test of the candidate. Let’s be clear about the objective of the personality. The personality is to test your mental alertness, pressure situations, how you present yourself. It does not test your knowledge. This is where many candidates get confused.
If you have made it till the interview then you already have knowledge. Now they want to know how are you in person. The purpose of this blog to educate aspirants with IAS interview questions and answers. Read the article till the end to know UPSC exam questions and answers.
IAS Interview Questions and Answers
Remember the Panelist will judge you on the basis of every aspect. They will watch how you will react and how you come with a logical solution on the spot. Practicing IAS mock interviews will definitely bring you an advantage.
Some of the most asked UPSC interview questions are:
Tell Us Something about Yourself? Or Give a Brief Introduction about Yourself.
This question is asked in almost every interview you go to. Answer this question by giving your personal information like your education, profession of father and mother, about siblings profession if any, and your hobbies. This is why you should be careful while filling the form. There shouldn’t be any confusion. Be confident while replying to the panellist. Don’t mention anything which you don’t have any clue about. Because if by chance panellist asks questions related to that then you will have a bad first impression.
Why do You Want to Become an IAS Officer?
This a standard UPSC interview question. It may be a common question but it is the most important question of the interview. Depending on your answers the panellist will judge your motivation to crack UPSC, your clarity of thoughts. As per your answers, they will get an overview on how what motivates you to do things, are you just after the prestige that a person gets after being an IAS officer or you really want to do civil service.
This is a very important question. Prepare thoroughly for this question. Give IAS mock interviews and also practice in front of the mirror.
Tell Us your Strengths and Weakness
This question asked only to understand your strengths and weakness but also to check how honest you are with the panellist. The people who will be taking your IAS interview are expired and skilled in their jobs. If you lie to them, they will instantly catch it. Therefore be completely honest with every interview question not specifically this.
Some More Examples of IAS Questions and Answers
- How is your education relevant to civil services?
Do some proper research on this. Although this question is similar to ‘Why you want to become an IAS officer?’ Make some relation between your educational background and the civil service
- Why did you choose XYZ optional?
This question is especially important for those who are taking optional different from their specialization I graduation.
- Current affairs
Be updated with current affairs. The panellist can ask your opinion on any current affairs and how you can improve it. They can also ask what was today’s headlines?
- Your hobbies
They can ask questions on hobbies that you fill in the form. The questions vary depending upon the hobby. If you have written one of your hobbies like sports. Then they can ask questions about the famous personality in that sport or the latest results. Many candidates were even asked to sing.
Also Read: UPSC One Year Study Plan: Start Preparing for UPSC 2021 Right Now
IAS Interview Brain Teasers
Apart from this the panellist also asks some brain teasers. These questions are completely situational based and there is no way anyone can pre-prepare it. Here are some frequently asked questions that were asked in the Interviews:
Question 1
What if one morning you woke up and found that you were pregnant? (for a female candidate)
Answer: I would be very happy, take an off and celebrate the good news with my husband.
Explanation: The aim of the question is to test the reaction of the candidate to shocking news. Because every shocking news need not be bad news. Basically, you will have to find the positive side of the situation.
Question 2
How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking?
Answer: Concrete floors are very hard to crack!
Explanation: This question tests the mental alertness of the candidate.
Question 3
What will you do if I run away with your sister?
Answer: I would be very happy, as I won’t be able to find a better match for my sister than you.
Explanation: This question’s objective is to test the positive mindset of the candidate.
Question 4
James Bond was pushed out of an aeroplane without any parachute. He survived. How?
Answer: The aeroplane was on the runway.
Explanation: Here the objective is to check the presence of the mind of the candidate.
Question 5
Where Lord Rama would have celebrated his “First Diwali”?
Answer: Most of the people would answer the Ayodya or Lanka because we were told this in our childhood. But this is a wrong answer.
Explanation: This a trick question. Literary History says that Diwali was celebrated after Lord Krishna defeated Narakasura. In Dusavathaars of Lord Vishnu, Krishnavathaar comes after Raamavathaar. The Dewali was celebrated after Raamavathaar. Which means Lord Rama would never have celebrated Dewali.
Also Read: IAS Dr Nitin Gaur Biography: Know more about IAS Saumya Pandey’s Husband
Conclusion
The Interview is the third and final stage of the UPSC CSE exam. The interview is your personality test. Therefore if you don’t know any answer just humbly say you don’t know. Don’t lie to the panellist. They will catch your lie immediately. For answering brain teaser questions you will have to think out of the box.
Let us know in the comment section where you were able to answer the brain teaser questions without looking at the answers?
