Can I prepare for UPSC Interview at home?

The last stage in the examination process of UPSC is the Personality Test/Interview. UPSC board interviews the candidates to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service. The candidate aspiring to become a civil servant whether preparing at home or at any UPSC hub must know the intention behind UPSC Interview before starting his/her preparation for the interview.

The intention behind UPSC Interview

• To judge the mental abilities of the candidate. It is the assessment of all-round qualities like
• Intellectual qualities, social traits and knowledge of current events.
• To reveal the mental qualities of the candidate. Some of the qualities to be judged are
  • Mental alertness
  • Critical powers of assimilation
  • Clear and logical exposition
  • Balance of judgement
  • Variety and depth of interest
  • The ability for social cohesion and leadership
  • Intellectual and moral integrity
• The candidates should have an interest in events happening around them, both within and outside their own State or Country.

Tips to Prepare for UPSC at Home

It doesn’t matter where you prepare for the UPSC interview. Once you understand the intention behind the interview, all you need to do is brush up on your skills with regard to communication, presentation of thought and body language. Some tips to prepare for UPSC at home are given below

• Prepare the topics mentioned in the DAF: Most of the questions will be based on the Detailed Application Form(DAF). The DAF defines everything from the career of a candidate to their posting. So, candidates have to take extra care while filling the DAF. The candidate will be asked questions on details filled in the DAF related to
  • Educational background
  • Work Experience
  • Reasons for choosing civil service
  • Optional Subject
  • Preference of services
  • District and State he/she belongs to
• Improve your body language: Sit in front of the mirror and work on few aspects like sitting posture, appearance and behaviour. Try to maintain eye contact while listening and while talking. Improve your communication skills by talking to your friends about current issues and watching debates on popular news channels
• Read the newspaper and current affairs: UPSC CSE notification mentions that the candidate must have knowledge of events happening around him (within or outside the state or country). So, the candidate must be aware of various current social, economic and political issues. So, read the newspaper and current affairs thoroughly and keep yourself updated.
• Improve your confidence level: The candidate has to appear confident in front of the panel members. If you don’t know the correct answer just say that you don’t know the answer and tell them that you will try to know more about it later. There is no need to feel bad if you don’t know the answer and lower your confidence level. You should understand that the UPSC interview is not the test of your knowledge which is already proven in your main exam.
• Give Mock Interviews Online: There are many coaching centres that are offering online mock interview services these days. Mock interviews help the candidates to avoid some common mistakes and analyse his/her performance. There are many mentors in the market who have no clue about the actual process of the interview. There are a large number of self-appointed experts in the market who distort the candidate’s vision and confuse their mind about the interview. So take care while choosing the institutes for online mock interviews.

The place doesn’t matter while preparing for UPSC interviews. These days all the education and coaching services are provided online. The most important things required to crack any examination are hard work, planning and practice.

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