UPSC CSE 2023 Interview | Expert’s talk : P.S. Ravindran on Personality Test Stage (Part 1)

FYI: The UPSC Personality Test, also known as the UPSC Interview, is the final stage of one of the world’s most difficult examinations– UPSC Civil Services Examination. It is conducted by the various boards constituted by UPSC at the Union Public Service Commission office housed at Dholpur House in Delhi. It carries 275 marks. This year the UPSC interviews begin on January 2, 2024.

Manas: To begin with, kindly make us understand the ultimate objective of conducting a personality test, popularly known as the interview for UPSC CSE.

P.S. Ravindran: The Civil Services Exam is all about selecting those individuals who are to become the backbone of the governance architecture of the country. It is believed that after one qualifies for the Prelims and Main Exam, majorly the test of knowledge as a candidate is mostly done with. However, the next stage, i.e. the interview stage, now assesses the personality of the candidate as she is expected to work close to people, political personalities, and other officials in many capacities. Hence, certain traits like honesty, public service, empathy, presence of mind, attitude and aptitude, team spirit, willingness to assume responsibilities, leadership, etc. are checked in this stage.

The ultimate objective, I would say, is to see if the individual can fit into the system and work with the least amount of friction. It would be, to an extent to check, once inside the governance architecture, the individual shall strive towards making India a better society to live in.

Manas: Often a candidate is asked– “Why Civil Services?” How should an aspirant reply to such a question?

P.S. Ravindran: Whether the board asks the question – “Why civil services” or not, I strongly believe that the underlying current for most questions in spirit is to check the suitability of a candidate for the civil services.

Here the crucial idea and the inner calling of a candidate to opt for civil services and not any other services matter a lot to show the real “you” to the board.

A candidate questioned upon this, should not be very direct and rather should be moderate in her approach. Terms like power, authority, job stability, and social prestige should be avoided. Rather aspirations like public service, honesty, leadership, diversity and challenges, opportunities, and change agents shall be preferred as far as possible.

A candidate must understand the fact that civil services is about leadership, decision making, authority, etc., but is also about contributing to society, team building, institution, and value set as well.

Manas: We often hear that DAF (Detailed Application Form) is one of the most important documents for UPSC interview preparation. What is the importance of mastering the DAF in UPSC preparation?

P.S. Ravindran: It is to be logically understood that the panel that will conduct the interview needs some information about the candidate to steer through the personality test. The DAF (Detailed Application Form) becomes the base for it. This form, as the name suggests caters to the basic information about the candidate starting from residence to information about parents, to education and professional detailing to individualized information like achievements, interests, and hobbies. It deals with many parts of the aspiration of a candidate as well as that of service preference of cadre choices.

Thus it is very important to fill out the DAF very carefully and mark the entries. Spelling mistakes must be avoided at all costs. For instance, one of the candidates some years back while filling out the DAF couldn’t see a minor spelling mistake, where his hobby of “Collage” making was incorrectly written as “College” making. This created a considerable amount of embarrassment for the student in front of the board.

Majorly in the interviews, the initial few questions are based on DAF’s Column No. 07, which talks about medals, Prizes, scholarships, leadership positions, extracurricular activities and interests. These questions are very personalized and provide a good cushion for the candidate to get acquainted with the surroundings and settle down for the next few minutes of the interview.

One major thing that all candidates must understand is that coherency in DAF entries and answers and views in the interview matters a lot.

It paints a picture that the candidate is honest and helps increase the scores. However, just the opposite of it, i.e. difference between what one has marked in the DAF and what she is answering in the interview, may not create a great picture and can also be punished by a reduction in score in the interviews.

Hence, mastering DAF becomes very important for a candidate facing the interview as the impression one creates in the initial and most personalized part matters a lot to the board. It helps in testing the personality of the candidates, starting and ending with the DAF. It’s the very purpose of the interview itself.

Manas: What are the ideal interview etiquette for candidates that should be kept in mind while facing the UPSC interviews? What are your tips for candidates inside the interview room?

P.S. Ravindran: An interview might last about 25 to 30 minutes on average and within this short period, the board is going to assess the candidate on multiple fronts and majorly one, i.e. her ability to become an officer and run the affairs of the state.

Let me elaborate on the expected behaviour and what one can do in the personality test.

Ideally, it is expected that a candidate appearing before the board is well-groomed both physically and mentally and must not appear sloppy. Physical appearances like clean clothes- a suit, saree, dress, etc, polished shoes, well-knotted tie, and decent colour of attire matter, but much more than that what matters is the conduct, behaviour, and choice of words while one responds and above all the character that one portrays to the board in that short period.

A few things to keep in mind are that the board is learned and well-experienced, there shall not be any lie or misinformation in the statements, and remember honesty is the best policy. If a candidate doesn’t know something, there is no harm in accepting it in front of the board. Body gestures must be normal, they should not be robotic, and at the same time, one must refrain from making it over dramatic, especially the hand movements. Good eye contact and a straight sitting posture, with a clear voice are always add-ons.

Interrupting the board while they are speaking, arguing with someone, or using extreme words and informal sentences must be avoided at all costs. At the same time, behaving like a thinking individual, with firmness in voice, empathy and sincerity in sentences, and a smile over conversation is always appreciated.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2.

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