Stand a chance

The results of the Civil Services (Mains) exam have just been declared. With the interviews beginning in April, it is important to have the right attitude and approach to stand out in the last leg of the selection process, writes S. K. Jha

Out of the 1.75 lakh-odd candidates who took their Civil Services Preliminary Test (PT) in May last, those who have cleared this are tantalisingly close to realising their long-cherished goal: getting into the civil services. Yet, the fact remains that almost 60 per cent of the 1150-odd candidates, who have made it to the interview stage of this prestigious examination, will be eliminated by the time the final list is announced.

How then can you make sure that come mid-May – when the results will be out — you are Mussoorie-bound and not headed, yet again, to one of those ubiquitous teaching shops?

Take a cursory glance at the UPSC notification, which talks about a "Personality Test for Selection to Indian Administrative Service...". The interview round, scheduled to begin on April 4, thus, is not a typical Sidharth Basu-type general knowledge test. It is an opportunity to prove that your "personality" is good enough to fit into the country’s steel frame!

In a nutshell, you have to prove that you epitomise the values that we, as a nation, stand for.

Admittedly, a fortnight is not a period adequate enough for a "personality overhaul". However, you can use this period to consolidate your strengths and minimise the weaknesses.

While filling up the application from for the Main examination, you were required to fill up an elaborate application form, which extracted the minutest of your background details. Now, it’s these details that will come under the scanner of the interview board. You would be required to prove two things: that you know your Ps and Qs, and were honest during this process of self-appraisal.

Your personal details along with your commitment to the democratic ideals would form the crux of the interview. For this, you also need to be clear about the evolving role of the bureaucracy in India.

The first logical step would be a thorough evaluation of the application form. Let’s take a hypothetical example of an MBBS student from Chandigarh appearing for the interview. Say, the candidate has listed "music" and "media" among the hobbies. It’s best to do a quick recap of both the subjects, with special emphasis on the contemporary scene.

You could brush up your knowledge on these lines: what is happening in the world of music — here in India and the world; the personalities who’ve been in the headlines; the distinctions between classical and western music; music in Indian popular culture; Bollywood music and the degeneration therein and so on.

Similarly, the candidate must be thoroughly aware about the media world.

But, then, does one give current affairs a complete go-by? Not exactly. You cannot possibly ignore the recent events of national and international importance. They must be prioritised judiciously. The personality test requires you to look at the big picture and not the micro-details.

Look at the big picture

After your personal details, come the current affairs (actually, a take-off from your CV); and what is really at test is your ability to see the big picture. For instance, more than the finer details of say, the inter-Punjab cooperation process, the interview board might be interested in knowing its larger, long-term implications in improving the Indo-Pakistan ties.

Apart from all this, it pays to be honest with the interview board. Remember, the interview board members are veterans in their respective fields and they can very well see through pretenders. A polite "I don’t know" carries far more weight than unnecessarily beating about the bush. You may also face what are known as "situational questions". For instance, as an IAS officer how would you handle a communally-sensitive district?

The civil services, once a national obsession, may have seen an erosion in its charm with the advent of market era. But that has not in any way affected the gruelling competition one has to face to come up trumps at the end. Not for nothing is it said that you require planning, patience, perseverance and a slice of luck to make to the IAS!