Mastering the UPSC CSE Interview: Insights from My Personal Journey

For UPSC | 11th October 2023 – 12 mins read

“Creating a meticulous strategy and staying committed to it are the two most essential components behind an accomplishment of a great order”

– Anuj Jindal

I am sure you must have heard countless number of times how a well-crafted strategy and meticulous approach often play a major role in achieving success as it channelizes our efforts in the right direction. Well, the same holds true for the UPSC exam!

It is pretty well-known that UPSC CSE is considered to be one of the toughest exams in the country yet lakhs of aspirants apply each year for this prestigious exam.

However, much like the earlier stages, i.e., Prelims and Mains, there is often anxiety, misunderstanding, and confusion amongst the students while preparing for the final round, i.e., the Interview.

In that reference, talking about my first UPSC Interview experience, I scored an average of 180 marks out of a total 300 marks.

Looking back at how I was inadequately prepared, scoring 180 marks on my first attempt was decent enough. However, to my surprise, in my second attempt, I attained an exceptional score of 195 out of 275 marks.

So, what were the factors that led to me scoring such high marks in the Interview?

Well, no worries because in this blog, I will discuss my approach which helped me to tremendously improve my performance and score brilliantly in my second Interview.

Factor No. 1: Adopt a different approach for the Interview

When I sat down to analyze the reasons behind scoring average marks in my first Interview, I realized it was my outlook toward the Interview.

Unlike the Mains exam, where the focus lies on delivering concise answers with an approach to providing solutions for all questions.  The Interview requires candidates to adopt a more analytical approach while giving answers.

It is so because panelists are interested to know more about your analytical skills and to familiarize themselves with you on a more personal level.

Hence, instead of viewing the Interview as unidimensional, i.e., a mere question-answer round, think of the Interview as an opportunity to present your personality.

Factor No. 02: Create a visual narrative for impressive answers

Along with cultivating analytical abilities, creating a picture in your mind will also help in illustrating your answers.

To give you an example, during the Interview, I was asked a question by the chairman, who is also a former IFS officer on the status of China’s relations with other countries apart from India.

So, this time I gave my answers by providing a pictorial representation of the topic I was asked.

I started my answer by segregating the relations China shares with the rest of the world on the basis of the directions – North, South, East, and West.

For example, relations on the eastern side can be summed up as difficult due to China’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.

Towards the Western side, the scenario is different due to the history of the Cold War and shared ideologies on Communism which is why it is close to countries like Russia.

Talking about USA, it has active trade relations with the country but at the same time very competitive policies as both nations are racing to become global leaders.

It has friendly relations with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and countries in the Middle East because of its interests in oil and the hostility it shares with India.

This is how I created a visual narrative which left the panellists impressed as they greeted me with a big smile after listening to the answer.

Take your time to think about the question asked, analyze it, and present your answer using your knowledge and visualization.

Factor No. 03: Combine your knowledge with practical applicability

Preparation for the UPSC Interview requires candidates to possess comprehensive knowledge along with practicality. In order to execute these two things, the candidates also need honesty and rationality.

If you are rational but not honest, that might hamper your integrity whereas if you are honest but not rational you might come across as unthinking in your answers.

Therefore, these two traits are required to prepare for the UPSC Interview and you must ensure are reflected in every answer during the Interview.

While candidates would be well-equipped with knowledge due to the rigorous preparation performed during the Mains exam.

Talking about practicality, it can be cultivated by analysing the knowledge you possess on the subject and thinking about the methods through which the knowledge can applied in real–life scenarios.

For example, if you are posed with the hypothetical question of how would you tackle the problem of corruption as an administrative officer.

Now, we all are familiar with the general ways to tackle the problem of corruption. However, such questions would require you to think as an administrative officer and offer practical application of the knowledge you have gained.

So, if you are aware of ground- realities and attach your practical understanding of the issue, then this will help in presenting your answers constructively.

Factor No. 04: Cultivate presence of mind to tackle challenging questions

Another major component you must ensure is the presence of mind, as UPSC is well–known for its unpredictability, the same can be said about the type of questions asked during the Interview.

So be prepared to be asked some unexpected questions requiring you to showcase your thoughtfulness while giving answers.

For example, despite knowing about my graduation in Management subject, the panelists asked me questions about diverse subjects such as History and IR.

However, the ability to not get bogged down and using your knowledge with presence of mind to answer those questions will prove to be extremely beneficial during the actual interview.

Factor No. 05: Ensure preparedness by giving as many mocks as possible

Apart from these, an important process that the candidates must follow is to give mock interviews before the actual interview takes place.

Well, you need not necessarily need to take mock tests by the Institute, you can also practice by rehearsing in front of the mirror regularly for half an hour to 1 hour as it will help you to assess the accuracy of answers, presentation style, confidence, body language, answering techniques, facial expressions, mannerisms, voice tone.

By doing so, you can analyze the areas you need to work on and focus on improving your performance accordingly.

My Advice to the aspirants

A common query that I heard from a lot of my students is whether they are overprepared for the Interview.

Well, let me tell you that you can never be overprepared. Despite the rigorous preparation, you will always be underprepared for the Interview due to the dynamism in the questions asked by the panelists.

My advice to the aspirants is to take the Interview into serious consideration as it can be a game–changer in the final selection of a candidate.

Therefore, practice meticulously, seek feedback on your performance, and remember to stay calm while handling difficult questions.

With adequate practice, confidence, and presence of mind, you can definitely ace the Interview with flying colors!

In summary, I would like to say that following these tips and strategies which I discussed above using my personal experiences will be beneficial in your exam preparation.

My journey from scoring average marks in my first Interview to achieving great marks in my next should be a testament to the fact that by following a right approach you can achieve anything you intensely desire!

So, work on improving yourself, prepare thoroughly, stay confident and I assure you that your dream of becoming an administrative officer is closer than you think!