The UPSC Interview is the last and final step in the UPSC Civil Service Examination's process. This half-an-hour activity has the power to change a student's life and make their dream come true of being a civil servant. Of the 2075 points, there are 275 marks for the interview or personality test. If trained well it helps the applicant to build a difference between their fellow aspirants of more than 100 points. How to ace the UPSC Civil Services interview?
It is necessary to get tips from experts on how to conduct the interview and face the board of competent observers who will assess you based on your personality, verbal and non-verbal communication abilities, your body language, your decision-making skills, and several other factors. It is equally important to prepare before going for the final hunt, and hence it is highly recommended to enroll for mock interviews.
Following are some of the steps that may help the candidates to perform well at their UPSC Civil Services Interview:
1. As a Civil Services aspirant, you must now be well versed with the value of newspaper reading for the coverage of current affairs, factual aspects and analysis. Following newspapers regularly helps you to keep yourself updated about the events happening around you and to develop your views on different national and international conditions. Questions for interviews might be about anything and the best you can do is to be prepared.
2. Hobbies are not always a pastime practice, it may also help you to discover another dimension of your character and fine-tune your inbuilt ability. And this is why UPSC gives importance to hobbies to recognize a candidate's true personality and inbuilt talent during the interview round. There's a hobby we all have; we just need to cultivate it, henceforth, take that hobby seriously, gain comprehensive context information about it and be ready at the UPSC Interview round to be questioned on the same lines.
3. In preparation for the Civil Services personality test, mock interviews are important because they give you a glimpse of the actual interview scenario and get you ready for the real challenge. Facing a prominent civil services panel will help you improve your confidence to talk more skillfully and to maintain your point effectively. While mock interviews help you understand the psychology of the panel members, you can further examine the weaker areas of your personality and improvise on them in the post-interview discussion with the panel. It is therefore a must to succeed in the Civil Services interview process to take up at least 2 to 3 mock interviews.
4. Candidates preparing for the examination of the Civil Services often appear to confuse their minds with the overloaded burden of data needed to succeed in the initial two stages, Prelims and Mains, but then the interview requires a more secure, relaxed and composed mind. You can easily crack the interview with your confidence if you are assured that you know things and the relevant concepts are obvious. So don't just gather the data, but get yourself ready for the main interview. Practice interacting with your others on important subjects and most importantly, try to be part of various conversations and debates. The more rational thinking you practice speaking your point, there are higher chances of cracking the Civil Services Interview, as the interviewees just want to know how smartly you can cope with a basic or complicated question or circumstance.
5. Prepare yourself enough for this reality, and in any case, do not panic. Be very confident before the panel, hold your opinions. Be very cool, even in the case of conflict in opinions, and consider the points of the opposite side in an accepting way. If proven wrong, do not get nervous or panic.
Maintain your point of view effectively, but do not argue to prove your point. Be a good listener and also a strong presenter. Balance the debate with a discussion that is light and pleasant. This is one habit that the examiners would never understand and so you must avoid fidgeting with your face, clothing, handkerchief or something.
