IAS is one of the toughest examinations in India. Though many people clear the written examination yet they find it very difficult to crack the interview. It takes months and years of preparation to clear the UPSC interview. The questions are a test of the candidate’s mental and decision-making capability. It’s not easy to crack them. You must have a sound knowledge of the subject you studied at the graduation level, but that’s not the only thing to consider. The IAS interview panel asks some critical questions that require knowledge, presence of mind, honesty, awareness of social issues, and reasoning abilities to answer them. Here are the Top IAS Interview Questions Asked by UPSC Panel.
Top IAS Interview Questions Asked by UPSC Panel and How to Answer Them
Questions about Introduction
The first few questions are based on introductions. These are open-ended questions and you should take about 30-40 seconds to answer them. The interview panel usually asks follow-up questions based on them. So, you should be honest and appropriate about the answers you provide to avoid getting into a complex situation. There is no point bragging about your educational background or something else. It’s because the panelists can easily make out if you fake information. The following are the first set of top 20 IAS questions asked by the Interview Panel.
- Can you introduce yourself briefly?
To answer this question, you can tell briefly about yourself, your educational background, and any professional education or experience. The information must be accurate as one wrong information can be an embarrassment to the later part of the interview.
- Tell us about your family briefly.
You should talk about your parents and siblings. Start with your parents, their profession, and how they influenced you positively to be what you are now. Then you can talk about your siblings, how many are there and what they do.
- Tell us about your home town or village
In this part, you need to describe your hometown briefly, where it is located, how are the basic facilities there, what are the facilities for healthcare, education and what are the important places.
IAS interview questions on Education
The second set of questions is about your educational qualification. They might ask you questions about your educational background, the reason for choosing a particular subject or school. They will ask you questions on the subject you studied at the graduation level. If you know the answer to the question, it’s great. However, if you don’t know the answer, then be honest to say that you are not aware of the answers. Following are some of the top 20 IAS questions asked by the interview panel in this section.
4. Which was your favorite subject and why?
To answer this question, the first thing you should remember is, to be honest. Whatever your favorite subject was, you should be honest about it. Tell me why you like it. Give a genuine and honest reason for the answer.
5. Which subject you did not like at all and why?
Here also, you need to be honest about the answer and give a genuine reason why you did not like that subject.
6. Would you call yourself a brilliant or average student?
This is a tricky question and you should answer it with utmost honesty. Even if you had been a brilliant student, don’t brag about it. Always be humble while answering such questions.
7. Why did you choose this college?
There can be different reasons why you liked the college. It could be because the college could be close to your home, or you found great faculties for the subject you studied. Always give a genuine reason for your answer. Remember any fake information can ruin your years of hard work.
8. Which projects did you take while you were at your graduation level?
If you had taken a project at your graduation level, talk about it and let them know what you learned from that and how it was helpful.
Questions To Check Your Mental Alertness
The next set of questions are about checking your mental alertness. They ask these questions to test your skill and your thinking about how you react in different situations. If you are aware of the answer, then answer it otherwise humbly say that you do not know of it. They might ask you the following question in this section.
9. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking?
Ans. concrete floors are very hard to crack! { to check your mental alertness}
10. What will you do if I run away with your sister?
Ans. I will be very happy as I won’t get a better substitute than you for my sister{ to check your mindset}
11. The panel ordered a cup of coffee and kept it in front of you and then they asked about it?
Ans. In this type of question, you have to apply your logic and answer it smartly.
12. 10 hours are taken by 8 people to build a wall. So how much time would 4 people take to build the same wall?
Ans. If 8 people have already built the wall, why will 4 people again build it?{Tricky Question}
13. If a stone which is red is thrown into a blue sea, then what would happen?
Ans. The stone will drown.{The colors are just specified to confuse the candidate}
14. A cat gave birth to 3 kittens and named them after the names of months January, February, and March. So what is the cat’s name?
Ans. The answer is already given in the question. Read the last line of the question. Got the answer? Yes, ‘What’ is the name of the cat.
Questions about the Job Profile
These questions carry a lot of weightage when it comes to the top 20 IAS questions asked by the interview panel. These are directly related to the work you are going to do daily if you are selected. So, you should answer appropriately and with confidence. Moreover, you should be able to present a reason for the answer you give. It’s because they may ask you follow-up questions if they are not fully convinced. Here are the questions you may face under this section.
- What is the role of an IAS officer?
- What prompted you behind choosing administrative service over other lucrative career options?
- What is the first thing you would like to change if you are given the charge of your district?
Questions on Hobbies:
The next part of the interview might have hobbies. You must prepare for questions on your hobbies. There might be follow-up questions based on your answer. The question might include the following.
- What is your hobby and why do you love it?
- Why is your favorite sportsperson and why (if a sport is your hobby)
- Tell us about your favorite film/actor/singer (if you choose to watch a movie or listening to music as your hobby)
Suppose you say that playing or watching cricket is your hobby. The follow-up question can be about the latest cricket series or the one that has finished recently. If any major cricketing event is going on, you should be aware of the latest developments on that.
The interview of IAS is a test of your personality. It’s all about impressing the interview panel while being yourself, but you should not fake anything. Another important aspect is to be well mannered, polite, and patient, and maintain an assertive tone. These are the most probable top IAS questions asked by the Interview Panel. However, they might ask you some tricky IAS questions to test your confidence. It’s not about the accuracy but they ask those questions to test your presence of mind.
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