How can I practice for IAS interviews?
Those 30 minutes can change your life forever. UPSC Civil Services is considered one of the hardest, competitive, and most prestigious examinations nationwide. With over 5 lakh candidates struggling each year, merely 700-800 candidates get the seats. Candidates must know that the interview carries 275 marks that makes the total of maximum marks 2025. Thus, the performance of the candidate at the interview is exceptionally crucial. However, many fail to understand the importance of the IAS interview, and others do not know how to prepare. To help you qualify for IAS 2021 and further, we have created a 7 step strategy for IAS interview preparation.
7 Step Approach for IAS Interview Preparation
1. Start Early
A goal without a proper strategy remains a mere fantasy. Therefore, it’s always important to begin your IAS interview preparation from the very start. Do not wait for the results and prepare yourself for all three levels from the beginning. Civil Services being the most challenging examination requires more than just preparation. An intelligent approach needs to be scripted, keeping all the necessary details as you move through the different stages. It includes understanding your syllabus, focusing on current affairs, how you will do it, time management, and all the resources you might need.
2. Focus on Important Concepts
You need to understand the difference between rigorous studies and smart studies. Understanding the nerve and pattern of the examination and adjusting yourself to it is essential. Reading newspapers and staying up to date with what is going around the world is highly crucial. Contemporary issues and current affairs are the most influential areas in which UPSC interviews are based. You also need to add a few focused magazines to your daily reading list.
3. Read your DAF Carefully
Do Not Ever Lie On Your Resume. You must read and fill the DAF very carefully. It is one of the most dynamic areas in the Interview. The board members validate every detail you mention, so carefully fill the form with absolutely correct information. Do not fumble on personal details and revise your documents multiple times and prepare well for areas such as work experience, graduation subjects, your optional subject, your hometown, and hobbies, etc. Knowing one’s hometown, the city you currently live in, and your state is very, very important. The purpose of the interview is to understand if the candidate is suitable for a civil services career and if they know about the land, state, and city well.
4. Develop Self Confidence
Everyone loves people with the right attitude and self-confidence. If you are sure about your beliefs and solutions and know-how to express them without mocking anyone and not going overboard, you can be the one. At the same time, it’s also crucial to know yourself. Try to understand your perspectives, temperament, personality traits, even hidden or unknown, and work through them.
5. Learn to Give Balance Answers
It’s essential to learn and comprehend different aspects of a situation. Your views need to be balanced and impartial. However, this does not imply that you shouldn’t take a stand. It simply means that your thoughts should not be politically or socially influenced. Be prepared to justify your answers optimistically and don’t just provide panoramic statements without a good base. Use your common sense, and don’t hamper the thinking process by stressing over questions. Work on the on-the-spot critical or lateral thinking.
6. Dress Neat
The first impression is the last. Indeed clothes matter, especially for an administrative position interview, the highest-ranked position in the country. But it’s essential to be comfortable with what you wear. For men, a light-colored shirt and contrast trousers and a simple saree or salwar kurta are recommended for women. However, whatever you wear, you should feel confident and look neat.
7.Take IAS mock interview
Rehearsals are essential before the performance. Good mentors find your strength, clarify your mistakes, work on your weaknesses, and offer you the necessary guidance. Many toppers suggest that IAS mock interviews surely help and can improve your overall personality. Be sure to enroll yourself at a good institute for IAS Mock Interview.
Final Tip
Carry all the documents carefully. A thriving candidate is progressive, sympathetic to the necessities of other individuals, and has a national outlook or a regional mindset.
