Considered to be one of the toughest competitions to crack in India, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services examination witness lakhs of students competing every year for merely 800-1000 seats. The whole process of selection in UPSC involves 3 stages, the preliminary, main examinations and the interview (personality test), and each phase gets tougher with time. The most important round is the interview round or personality test round as it is the final barrier to overcome before testing the long overdue success. As a panel of industry stalwarts cast questions relevant to industry, personal skills, and viewpoints of the candidates, their aim is to test the mental stability of the participants. The candidates who are preparing for UPSC exam interview round should know that the personality test carries 300 marks out of the total 2300 marks. As it is the last obstacle that stands in their way, the students should focus on their performance as it will ultimately decides their final rank in the merit list.

Some of the tricks to crack the interview round of the UPSC exam is mentioned below.

1. Understand the nature of the interview:

As we all know that there is no defined syllabus for UPSC personal round interview unlike prelims and mains exams. The members of the interview panel are drawn from diverse academic disciplines, which is why they ask questions from their domain as well, making the interview more challenging. With a comprehensive preparation strategy for the UPSC Interview round, students should go through topics such as their chosen optional subject for mains, their educational background, their place of residence, their motive behind becoming an IAS/IPS officer, contents they have written in the Detailed Application Form (DAF) and the current affairs are some of the most covered concepts of the UPSC interview round. Reflecting on every aspect of his/her life a candidate should prepare for the interview session.

2. Prepare the DAF:

Candidates who get qualified in the written part of the UPSC Examinations, have to fill-up the Online Detailed Application Form (DAF), which is another biggest aspect of UPSC interview round. UPSC Interview panel generally refer the content written in the DAF by the applicant to frame questions, as this form comprises a comprehensive information about the candidate including information regarding his/her Birth Place, optonal subject, details of the college, the topic of interests, Subjects in graduation, professional skill and experience, hobbies, and so on.  Hence, a considerate time must be given to prepare the DAF.

3. Maintain a Good Impression:

Candidates must work on their attitude, body posture, attire, personal appearance, and body language, as they are going to be judged on the basis of their personality and preferences in the interview. During the interview, candidates should try to remain calm, keep eye contact, listen to the questions of panel members very intently and patiently, greet them with a smile and maintain an attentive yet composed body posture.

4. Know about Current Affairs:

Keep yourself alert about the important current news, election figures, government schemes and policies, and so on. Read newspaper and industry-specific magazines thoroughly and take notes from them. The panel can sometimes ask about the recent news or current affairs. Don’t bluff if you don’t know the correct answers. If you don’t know the answers accept that you don’t know and move on.

5. Be Confident:

Lastly, be confident in front of the panel members. In most of the cases, students get nervous which prevent to give their best performance. Know when to answer and when to stop. Don’t engage in any kind of argument with the panel members to prove yourself right. Panel members are there to judge you in every possible way and remember the thin line between confidence and over confidence; it is good to be confident but don't cross the line.