 This is a panel discussion on civil services personality test with me in the panel. There are eight IS officers of 2015 batch for your benefit in this discussion. We'll take up all the aspects of civil services personality test Now I will invite all the members to introduce themselves. Hello everyone. I am Harshal Panjwadi from Ujjjain, Madhya Pradesh And I am IS 2015 back. Hi, I'm Prashant Pahar. IS 2015. I'm from Delhi. Hi, I'm Ritraj IS 2015. I am from Jaipur. Hello, I am Bashiwal Haq. IS 2015 batch, and I am from Jammu and Kashmir. Hello, I am Suharsh Bhagat. IS 2015 batch I am from Samasthipur, Bihar. Hello, I am Savan Kumar from Bihar and From 2015 batch IS. Hello, I am Sumit Sassavan. IS 2015 batch from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Hi, I am Rahul Uda. IS 2015 batch I am from Haryana. What exactly this interview is all about? I mean to say that the UPSC has designed this program called as personality test. We don't call it civil services interview, we call it civil services personality test. What are the objectives of the UPSC behind this personality test? I mean to ask that what the selectors are looking for in a candidate. Sir, the personality test of UPSC is like a grand finale of the mega event that the candidate goes through after pre and main examinations. Yeah, very nice. This is not just an interview or question and answer session, rather a personality test in which the overall trades are tested for a candidate if it is suitable for the various top jobs which are on dropping through this examination. So the interview, the examiner, the interview, the focus is on the balanced personality, the emotional understanding of the candidate and overall awareness about the various issues that is going on in the society, country and international. As well as the focus now is more on his suitability to the job that there's the most important job like Indian administrative service or police service or revenue service and various other services. So rather than just being in the job interview, it's more of your test of your aptitude and attitude if you are suitable for the job most job of the country. I mean UPSC has a notification regarding also what are the guidelines for civil service interview. Would you like to highlight those guidelines which is given also in the notification? So the guidelines specifically says that candidate will be tested on the overall general awareness that a normal person, that a general person should possess and his decision making abilities with special focus on the weaker and marginalized sections and empathy towards the weaker sections and his dedication to the overall service of the business. So rather than just being a test of your knowledge, it's more of the test of your personality and the basic etiquettes that you should have being a public servant. What is the role of knowledge and how this personality is going to be assessed in the interview? So Basi, would you like to give some opinion on that? So I would like to suggest one thing that UPSC clearly defined that we are not going to test only the knowledge of a candidate. We are going to test the knowledge as well as personality or social traits of a candidate which is suitable for the civil service and civil services of different type. For example, you are going to the Indian administrative services or police services or foreign services. So how much you are sensitive about your country, about your society and about your about the welfare of the people. So it simply shows that the sensitiveness, awareness and also the judgment, critical analysis or judgment of a particular candidate for the services towards the nation. So to add to what my friends already said, I think overall the underlying is personality in the whole scheme of things. So even if you don't answer any factual question, it does not matter. But if they give you some situation and you are able to analyze it critically, then that makes a lot of difference. And through these questions only they test you whether you have that sort of body language and confidence as you already pointed out. So more than that, it's how a person thinks on any particular situation rather than what he knows. If for example, if I give you any factual question, for example, number of islands in Andaman, in Iqobar and questions of that sort. And if you're not able to answer that, it's perfectly all right. But if I give you some situation and you're not able to analyze it critically, then that's a major. So you mean to say that if you are not doing some factual questions, answer of that, it is perfectly all right. So in that case, I think candidates who said very politely and nicely that I don't suppose that is a better answer for that. Yes, absolutely. Sir, I would like to add that. Yeah, the objective is of course that personality that they how you present yourself, how you handle the pressure, etc. But a few obvious things cannot be actually neglected during the day of your personality. Like what the grant of ass is, like what the new paper headlines, etc. Obviously, the focus is generally also on the international affairs. Lots of things do keep happening and are generally discussed. So a few things should be really kept in mind. Sir, the personality test actually completes the entire 360 degree evolution of our candidate in this examination. The limitation of even a perfectly drafted question paper in an exam is that it cannot counter-question you. If you have an opinion or if you suggest a fact, it cannot counter-question you and that too on your face and that too impromptu. So that ability to reflect upon your answer at that very moment. As we say in Hindi, that attitude is needed in the public sector working. So that is tested by this and as far as knowledge goes, there is some basic knowledge that is required of everybody. For instance, I am an electrical engineer and if somebody asks me what is current, defined current or what is own flow, any basic. So I cannot say no to that. But if I am asked some high-fi electrical engineering thing or some electronics thing, you are carrying a mobile phone with you, how many circuits it has. So, I am not expected to answer that. But if I get on a back foot on that saying that, oh god, what? He asked me such thing and I don't know that. So that is there to evaluate for yourself that are you ashamed of not knowing that thing? Although UBSC interview is about your personality, but knowledge plays a very critical role. First thing I would like to point out that it provides you a confidence which provides a very good reflection on your personality. Secondly, the nature of knowledge itself changes. You do not focus on the minute details of the issue, but the broad ideas and the concepts through which you solve a particular problem. I would like to point out a particular question asked from me during my interview. I am a chemical engineer. So during my mTech thesis, I was working on a carbon dioxide capture from environment. So they asked me what is its social utility and they did not go into the technical details, minute details of the problem. But they asked me about the social relevance of the issue. So what does it reflect is that your knowledge should be more socially oriented. And that's what one must focus on while preparing for the interview. Rather than about the mugging of many things related to current affairs. I want to add one more thing. Harshal very beautifully underlined this point that confidence plays a very good role. What I simply said that knowledge is simply give you a confidence. What I observe in my first interview, they simply asked me some little bit of questions of computer engineering. And even if you are not a computer engineer, you can simply answer that question. But my level of confidence was low in such a way that I can't answer that question, that easily easy questions at that point of time. So I practiced a lot in my, in this attempt and they simply asked me what is digital India. I can answer that question, but they asked me one more question. What is, do you know this rupee card rupee card like that? So I said, I have heard about it, but I don't know what exactly it is. So it simply shows you that digital India, because I am a computer engineer, you must know that what is digital India. But if you don't know the rupee card, that doesn't matter to them as well as to me. So confidence plays a very good role. But in this, the role of knowledge, that after all, without knowledge, the exam cannot be given. Means knowledge plays a very important role there. But students always have a confusion how much and what kind of knowledge is required. But particularly from Savan Kumar, I would like to know if you have made a good result from the Hindi medium. You have become an IS, so there are a lot of Hindi medium students who have a great inspiration. So you want to highlight something, what is the role of knowledge in this? Sir, as far as my knowledge is concerned, in fact, this candidate should keep in mind that we are not going to work in any private sector. For example, if a person joins a marketing MBA, then he has marketing ability. Financial ability should be so that he can sell his product. But you are going to the Indian government where you have to deliver service. So the basic value here is that you are a democratic value. You are the political executive of the local institutions. And when you go to higher positions, which are your legislative educatives, then how do you respond? Second, how do you deal with the public sector and the public sector? The objective is to keep your thoughts in front of your political boss. And the common people who serve the public sector, how do you address their feelings, their input, their problems, their losses? This core value, which has been given to us by society, is a social and political law. How will we fulfill this so that India can be developed in 2050? We will have to understand this value. We are not going to take a private sector job. But knowledge, when it comes to any problem, then knowledge is actually good. For example, if you have come to Abda, if the problem of Bihar comes to Abda, then what kind of a step should you take as a basic input? We can take a technical step to mitigate Abda. But our understanding of the step that can be taken in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be taken as a step in Bihar. What is the status of Uttarakhand and Bihar? This is our common sense. We apply the perspective of that terrain as per that area. As far as the personality test is concerned, this is generally presented in front of our personality. Because in the next half an hour, the child will be able to handle that challenge when he is in the field. If a little bit of pressure is applied, then the person who is fully convinced will be able to say that he is confident. Sir, I had my first interview for Uttarakhand. The simple question was when was the battle of Palasi? Why was the battle of Palasi? When I was in history, I was not able to speak as much as I was confident. If you start... Sir, when you have confidence, if two questions are bunked, then your confidence level goes down. If you have a good question, then you can ask all the questions later. The question begins later, and then your perspective is presented. The knowledge is important to keep your confidence level high. As you said, the basic information that we are moving forward with the subject, we should be aware of what are the important things. The conclusion comes that a relevant thing. That is also an art and a lot of awareness is required. What are the relevant things in terms of facts about one candidate's self, whether it is the moderator, the surrounding international issues, and also the educational background. What are the subjects he has read? What are the optional subjects? So some basic factual smartness and knowledge is must there. But in addition, that adds to confidence when a candidate is prepared. Naturally, when the preparation goes through the pre and means, a lot of information is already there. But when you have brushed up that goes to a next level of the preparation. But overall important is how you are going to present your information. And when you are not knowing any facts, how do you react? How do you respond? You are not losing confidence. You are not losing the track. But you are still able to maintain your patience and complete perseverance on that that you are ready for the next question and a good candidate for the civil service.