IAS interview questions | Top questions you must prepare!

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examination is India’s most demanding competitive examination. To go to the last level, the IAS interview, one must pass both the Prelims and Mains exams. To get into the different postings under the Indian Administrative Services, the interviewers will assess you based on your knowledge, personality, abilities, wit, and attributes at this stage.

You need to have some specific abilities to become an IAS officer, such as-

• Love and dedication to your country.
• A brilliant thinker who thinks beyond the box and is innovative.
• Great interpersonal and communication skills.
• Determined and persistent.
• The ability to tackle and adjust to a wide range of social situations.

This blog will help you in preparing for some of the top IAS interview questions and answers for the year 2022. So, keep scrolling!

Basic IAS interview questions and answers

Q: Give a brief introduction of yourself.

In the IAS interview questions and answers session, this is a frequently asked question to check how effectively you can portray yourself.

How to Answer: In an IAS interview, you should boldly give all relevant details, such as personal information, educational credentials, professional experience, and so on. The response should be precise and consistent with the résumé you submitted to the panel. 

Q: Describe your strengths and weak points.

One of the IAS interview questions used by the panel to determine a candidate’s honesty and self-awareness is this one. Apart from possessing all of the necessary qualifications, the most critical quality that an IAS officer should possess is honesty.

How to Answer: Answer every question in your IAS interview. When presented with such questions, always respond with confidence. No one is perfect, and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, don’t be afraid to share yours. 

Q: Have you committed any mistakes in your preparations?

How to Answer: I wasted a lot of time in my quest for perfection. I did not try the previous exam since I was unprepared to go through the exam process. So yes, I have made some mistakes but have learned from them to improve myself to prepare for this exam.

Q: Why do you wish to be an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) member?

This is one of the most prevalent but tough IAS interview questions. This question assesses a candidate’s clarity of thinking and desire for pursuing their aim of becoming an IAS officer.

How to Answer: Well, there is no ideal or conventional answer to this question as each aspirant has their own motivation, narrative, and goals. So the answer to this question will differ from person to person. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare this answer well in advance in order to impress the IAS interviewing panel. 

IAS interview questions – The tricky ones!

Apart from academic knowledge, the distinguished IAS interview questions examine the candidate’s degree of thinking. This is to see how creatively one can think to come up with solutions to various tasks and questions.

So let’s have a look at a couple of tricky IAS interview questions and answers.

Q: A woman is the mother of nine children. The boys make up half of the group. How is this even possible?

How to Answer: When answering such IAS interview questions, one must employ common sense and a smidgeon of analytical thinking. If you carefully consider the question, you will undoubtedly receive a response. The solution is right in front of you, tucked away in the questions.

A lady is the mother of nine children. So, the total number of members is ten. There are five boys and five girls among them (a woman and the rest of the four girl children).

Q: Someone was thrown from an airplane without a parachute. He made it out alive. How’s that possible?

How to Answer: The primary aim of such questions and answers in an IAS interview is to assess a candidate’s presence of mind. The ideal answer can be, “The airplane was on the runway or parked in the hangar.”

Key takeaways

• IAS interview is one of the crucial aspects in your journey of becoming an IAS. So, prepare for this part in the right manner.
• Your answers should be genuine so that you don’t appear fake when speaking in front of the interviewers. 
• The best option is to have someone do a mock IAS interview with you. Make sure you record it so you can analyze it to improve and make corrections.
• Practice diligently and prepare for the interview before going. An interviewer wouldn’t want to spend 30 minutes in an interview room with someone who is not prepared for that interview. 
• Set up some time to research some common IAS interview questions. Besides, practicing previous years’ questions is a great idea too.

Now, ace your IAS interview by preparing well with these IAS interview questions. If you have any questions/suggestions, reach out to us or drop a comment. 

All the best!

Liked this blog? Read next: Academic Counselor | A handy guide for you to become one!

FAQs

Q1. Is the IAS interview challenging?

Answer- The fact that you’ll be competing against the finest of the best makes the IAS Interview one of the toughest parts of the civil service test to pass.

Q2. What is examined during an IAS interview?

Answer- Personality tests often include questions regarding the candidate’s hobbies, current events, general knowledge, and situation-based questions. It assesses a candidate’s personality as well as their critical thinking skills. The mains exam and the personality test are the sole factors that go into the final score.

Q3. In the IAS interview, what language is used?

Answer- When attending the UPSC panel, candidates can choose between English, Hindi, or other regional languages. Only those candidates who are excused from taking the mandatory Indian language exam should attend the interview, which can be conducted in either English or Hindi.

Q4. What is the IAS personality test?

Answer- The personality test administered by the UPSC is the third (and last) step of the civil service examination. Through the main tests, candidates with almost double the number of openings are sent invites to appear on the personality test. The personality (interview) exam is worth 275 points.