UPSC Interview: The Final Frontier

anudeepdurishetty.in/upsc-interview-the-final-frontier

Anudeep Durishetty January 28, 2019

In 2014, when I first visited Dholpur House (seat of UPSC office) for my maiden Civil
Service interview, the experience was contrasting. I was much younger back then, and
understandably, less mature, and more anxious. But having scored 204 that year, it
helped me face this second interview with confidence and poise. Also, nothing like age
and experience to teach you how to handle your nerves.

This time I was neither excited nor anxious. I only told myself this: “No matter what
questions they ask, or how much they grill you, give the best answer you can in that
moment. Your best is the best possible outcome. That’s a win.”

After the call, I sat down for a couple of hours to revise my notes, mentally reviewing my
profile and some of my accomplishments which I wanted to convey to the interview
board. I also went through the day’s newspapers before heading toward UPSC.

At UPSC, after the security checks, we were ushered into a large waiting hall. As we took
our respective seats, an officer with a smiling face walked into the hall to address all the
interviewees. With a wide grin, he briefly explained us the procedure and the guidelines.
He even cracked a couple of jokes in between, which only drew light murmurs. The
tension in the room was palpable, but he did his best to ease the nerves. Towards the end
he wished us good luck.

Those wishes felt genuine. How ironical, I thought. As an aspirant, all that the word UPSC
reminded me was an imposing concrete building, separated from the rest of us by an iron
curtain. No one really knew what happened inside. So it was nice see someone from the
institution who smiled, joked and genuinely wished us well.

After the document verification and paperwork, we were told that we will be interviewed
by Retd Air Marshal Ajit Bhonsle. My interview began at around 3:00 PM and went on for
35 minutes. I was asked on a diverse set of topics: Aryan migration, hate crimes,

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meditation, Artificial Intelligence, Swachh Bharat and why I want to get into the IAS. I
had anticipated and prepared for some of those questions apriori, so I could answer them
well. After the interview, I was glad with how I did.

*******

When the final marks were declared, I was slightly disappointed that my interview score
of 176 was 15-20 marks less than what I had expected. I protested with a friend. He turned
towards me and said, “Man, are you serious? You might have gotten more marks than
you deserve in some Mains paper. Stop complaining. If you whine even after getting this
rank, aspirants would come find you and punch you in the face.”

I think he had a point. Regardless of my interview marks, I still believe it was the best I
could do. I guess that’s how it works, no? Sometimes the results are beyond your
expectations (for instance, my mains score), and sometimes underwhelming (interview
marks). But when you strive to give your best each and every time, on the whole it evens
out.

So if I were to give the interview this year, I’d probably polish a few areas, but the overall
strategy would be the same. I am indebted to my friend Rishanth Reddy (IPS 2015). Most
of what I learnt about the interview preparation is from his personal advice and this video
of his.

Before I dive into the preparation strategy, I must tell you something important. I’m not
an authority on UPSC interview. No one really is. The following points and tips merely
reflect my learnings from the two interviews I had given. If you feel what I suggest here
isn’t right, or that I’m not making sense, ignore the advice.

Having said that, I really hope that the following suggestions and notes add value to your
interview preparation, and you take home something useful.

Tips for the Interview

The content of your answers matters more than your looks and demeanour. In mock
interviews, panel members put undue importance on attire, colour of your suit,
manner of your walking etc. But in reality, they don’t matter much. Just be
presentable and let your answers tell the board the kind of a person you are.
When the opportunity presents itself, don’t be afraid to tell about yourself. The
board members are really there to know about you. So take each question as an
opportunity to convey about yourself. And the board tries to judge your personality
not by the answers themselves, but your reasoning, beliefs that led you to such an
answer.

For instance, for a question like: “Do think our country needs smaller states for better
governance?” When you say a simple yes or no, it doesn’t say much about you. What led
you to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is paramount.

My answer would have been:

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“Yes, ma’am. I feel that smaller states are easier to govern because it brings
administration closer to the people. For example in my own state, previously, districts
and mandals were so huge that the Collector didn’t have much time to physically visit
and oversee developmental works in my mandal. Now with a smaller state and smaller
districts, projects are expedited because Collector can come visit regularly and monitor
projects better. Grievance redressal is also faster now. So from my experience, I believe
smaller states and smaller districts are better for the country.”

(This answer conveys to the board that: first, you have a reasoned opinion, and second,
you are aware of how administration is working in your native place. This is how
interview answers are different from Mains. In Mains, you state the opinion of some
committee or ARC or some expert to argue a point. But in interview, your answers must
be more personal. It’s your opinion and reasoning that counts.)

Remove every strand of inferiority and insecurity you may have because, say, you
are 30+ or that you aren’t from a good college or you haven’t worked at a reputable
company. I know of friends who had done graduation from IITs, interned at MNCs
with good extra-curriculars. Yet year after year, many such people fail to get
exceptional marks. Remember that the interview board rarely gets impressed by
what’s on paper. Rather they are more interested in knowing you and what you
speak in those 30 minutes. So whatever be your background, face the interview with
confidence.

When we watch a movie, we don’t memorise the all minute details such as the dialogues,
the locations, and the names of the characters etc. But when we come out of the movie
hall, we have an overall sense of how the movie was— terrible, decent, excellent and so
on.

From the panel’s point of view, it’s something similar. When you come of the room, they
will not remember each and every answer you uttered, but they will have an overall
perception of you. Irrespective of your background, if you can have a good intellectual
conversation and convince them that you are fit for the job, you’ll certainly score well.

Have no preconceived notions about any particular interview board. Tackle each
question on its merit; the asker or the board is not important here. Also, statistics
such as average marks given by a particular board etc. are not only irrelevant but
also counter productive.
The hyper-conscious among us have this habit of self evaluation even as the
interview goes on. It’ll keep you stuck on something you may have uttered at the
beginning of the interview. Inevitably, you’ll feel nervous and unable to focus on the
present question being asked. Don’t be too conscious of your words or your
presence. Be your natural self, and at ease.
Answers should be neither brisk, nor too protracted. When they ask opinionated
questions, ideally you must state your opinion upfront and then give a brief
reasoning of why you think so. There’s no ideal duration for an answer, because it
varies from question to question. But try not to belabour your point unnecessarily. If
they want to know further, they’ll anyway ask follow up questions.

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 This point is straight from the video I shared at the beginning of the post.
Sometimes the panel asks you flat questions such as “What are the problems with
politics in India?” Instead of giving a standard mains answer such as criminalisation
of politics, money power etc you can choose to elevate the discussion. For instance
in this case, you can say “Sir the problem with Indian politics is that capturing
power has become an end in itself, rather than a means to do greater good.” It
might lead to further discussion on ethics and politics etc. Hence such provocative
statements lead to follow up questions and engaging conversations. Choose your
moment wisely and elevate the discussion when they ask flat questions.
Take a moment to think after they ask a question. It exudes calmness and also helps
you collect your thoughts. I’ve observed that the board members are patient
listeners. Only when you are rambling or belabouring your point, they’ll cut you
short. For some questions you can even use pencil to write down.
If I have to summarise in one word what they look for in a candidate, I’d say
‘balance’. Don’t get carried away if they are jovial, or flattering. And don’t lose your
footing if they are confrontational. Stay calm. Balance must reflect in answers too.

Let’s say if they ask about Aadhar debate, my answer would have been:

“Sir I believe Aadhar and privacy is not a zero-sum game. We need both Aadhar and
protection of individual privacy (my opinion stated upfront). Currently the debate is
skewed either as only Aadhar or complete privacy. But we need more nuance.”

And from here, if they want, they might ask follow up questions on data breaches, benefits
of Aadhar, privacy law etc. which you must be comfortable with. So for contentious topics
that are in news, prepare such balanced opinions.

Prepare a question bank of most probable questions from your DAF. Your goal must
be to pre-empt as many questions as possible. If you prepare well for the expected
questions, it’ll give you the confidence to tackle unexpected questions.
Don’t lie to the panel. Their experience in public life is more than your age. They can
easily tell.
Go with an open mind, but have a clear strategy for the interview. By this I mean
you must have definite things about you that you want the board to know. It may be
some academic project or some professional achievement. They may or may not ask
the question directly. But when they ask a question related to that area, you should
deftly bring in your strong point naturally as part of the conversation. Experiment
this in your mocks. For instance, let’s say you have won an award for being part of a
project in your college or at your workplace. So when they ask- “What are the
qualities of a good leader?” Instead of giving a bookish answer, you can talk about
your project, and the traits that helped you successfully lead and complete it.

After writing Mains, we tend to get into a habit of throwing around jargon such as
‘participative approach’, ‘multi-stakeholder model of governance’, ‘women
empowerment’, ‘disenfranchisement of the marginalised’ etc. In the interview,
instead of such complex phrases, use simple words.

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Eg: To a question of what must be done to tackle gender bias, don’t say ‘Sir, we need
women empowerment, inclusive growth and a participative approach’. All this mumbo-
jumbo doesn’t mean anything.

Instead, say ‘Sir, we need to provide good education to the girl child, strengthen our
policing to ensure women safety, encourage more women in politics— from panchayats
to the parliament, and support women SHGs in a big way. These are some of the few
steps we can take to build a gender just society” From here they can branch off to either
of the sub-points you had mentioned.

Simplicity is clarity.

Think deeply why you want to join the civil service. When they ask this question, it’s
a good opportunity to convey about yourself— your life story, your beliefs and core
values. Instead of cliched phrases such as ‘job diversity’, ‘work satisfaction’, ‘public
service’, ‘varied challenges’ etc., make the conversation lively by telling about
yourself. If you can convince the board with a good, honest answer, your job is half
done. Also, if you are already working, your answer must focus on the positives that
you see in the civil service that excites and brings you here, rather than talking about
what you find lacking in your current job. Avoid negativity.
It’s absolutely fine to say ‘I do not know’ to some questions. But there’s a slight catch
here. If it is a factual question— say, the share of thermal power in India’s energy
basket— and if you say you don’t know, it’s okay. But let’s say the question is from
your DAF. For instance, I had mentioned ‘Reading about Artificial Intelligence’ as
one of my hobbies. Now when asked, if I cannot tell the difference between AI and
machine learning and deep learning, I was either lying on my DAF or that I’m just
plain incompetent. Either way, it’s a serious indictment of me and I fall in the eyes
of the panel. So prepare well for your DAF related questions.

I’d suggest you to take 4-5 mocks depending on the time available. If your last mock
before the interview goes disastrous, seriously affecting your morale, take another
one to boost your confidence. The point is to go into the actual interview with high
morale. Sometimes you might receive contrasting feedbacks from different mock
interviews. Don’t get confused. When in doubt, go with your gut feeling of what is
right and what is not. I was in Hyderabad through out my preparation, and took all
my mocks here, so I can’t comment on institutes at Delhi. The following are the
institutes I had taken mock interviews at:

a. Officers IAS Academy- Skype session (average)

b. Lakshmiah Institute (didn’t find it useful)
c. RC Reddy (good)
d. Feynman IAS Institute (personal discussion with Venkata Mohan sir was helpful)
e. Hyderabad Study Circle (Excellent)

Finally, don’t let the weight of the aforementioned advice burden you. Don’t treat
them as cagey rules that you must follow to the last word, but only as a mere
compass that helps you navigate through your interview preparation.

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My Notes and Reading Material

Go through these notes and customise the questions according to your profile. You may
need to update some of the statistics in my notes, wherever necessary.

1. Home state (Telangana) & Home district (Jagtial/Karimnagar)

Internet
Book on Telangana Economy
Latest Socio Economic Outlook of the State

2. Graduation (Electronics and Instrumentation): Notes

3. College (Birlas, BITS Pilani, Rajasthan): Notes

4. Hobbies (AI, Meditation) : Notes

5. Leadership positions (Football, Creative Activities Club, Project): Notes

6. Work Experience (Google, IRS, GST): Notes

7. Innovative Solutions: Notes

8. Compilation of Most Probable Questions from my Profile: Notes

9. Optional (Anthropology) : Notes

10. My Interview Transcript: Download

Interview preparation really forces us to know about ourselves deeply. It also gives us a
rare opportunity to walk through the hallowed portals of UPSC, and to have an
intellectual conversation with a distinguished panel of members. So cherish the occasion.

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