Interview Guidance Program

Candidates who are selected for the Personality Test are usually 2.2 times the number of vacancies, notified in the UPSC’s advertisement every year. If the Main Exam marks decide whether a candidate is in the Civil Services or not, then it is the Interview score that actually determines, which of the service a candidate is likely to join finally. Therefore though the maximum interview marks are 275, but the interview plays a very crucial role in deciding whether a candidate can get his desired service or not.

Interview according to the UPSC is described to be a test of a candidate’s overall personality which includes analytical ability, lateral thinking, logical decision making etc. The objective of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a board of competent and unbiased observers. The test is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only his/her intellectual qualities but also social traits and his/her interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interests, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.