When IAS aspirants enrol in an All India Civil Service coaching centre, they know what to expect. Their objective is the same- to land a job in the highly respected Civil Services. It is this goal that drives lakhs of students every year to take up the challenging UPSC exams.
After passing both the UPSC Prelims and Mains, a coveted few candidates will take the interview, which is the final and third stage. The interview is as tough as the preceding exams, which are famously complex.
Headed by a panel of UPSC board members, the IAS interview has great scoring potential. It comprises a mixed bag of questions that allow the panellists to score the candidates based on their performance. The panel closely scrutinizes the candidate’s reaction to the question and the subsequent answers.
The IAS interview questions is a topic of great interest, fuelling everyone’s curiosity to know what will be asked by the panel. In this blog, we list down some of the most interesting and amusing questions that have been a part of the previous IAS interviews. Let’s take a look.
Top IAS Interview Questions That Keep You Engrossed
Which animal's milk is pink in colour?
The Hippo’s milk is bright pink because of the two unique acids -Hipposudoric acid and Norhipposudoric acid.
Name the animal with three eyes.
The Tuatara is the only animal with three eyes. Found only in New Zealand, this reptile has a third eye on its head, called the Parietal Eye. The third eye is visible only in hatchlings and is covered with scales after four or six months. The eye is connected to the pineal body and has a retina, cornea, and nerve endings. However, it is not used for viewing.
Which is the least-populated Indian state?
Sikkim is the most sparsely populated Indian state with a total population of 610,577.
How can you assess how old a corpse is?
Besides a medical autopsy that will reveal the time and cause of death, the presence of insects and maggots on a corpse also reveals these details.
Some of the interesting questions include:
Who launched the 'MANI' app to help visually challenged people in identifying currency notes?
The MANI or Mobile Aided Note Identifier is an application initiated in Jan 2020 by Sakthikanta Das, the Governor of The Reserve Bank of India. The app aids visually challenged people to identify the currency notes easily. The app can be downloaded free of cost from the Android Play Store and iOS App Store.
What is the decree of the KV Kamath Committee?
The KV Kamath Committee is a five-member committee functioning under KV Kamath, the former CEO of ICICI Bank. Formed by the RBI, this committee’s mandate was to recommend the financial guidelines and parameters for the one-time restructuring of loans affected by the pandemic.
The committee scrutinizes the restructuring of loans above 1500 crores and is applicable only for borrowers impacted by Covid19. Borrowers classified as standard and with payment arrears less than thirty days as of March 1, 2020, are eligible for restructuring.
State the difference between Rule Of Law and Rule By Law?
The Rule Of Law states that the King or the Head of the State should be governed by the word of law. The term comes from the phrase ” la Principe de regality”, which translates to “Government based on law principles”. In simple terms, it means that no one is above the law, however high they are in the social strata.
The Rule By-Law is just the opposite in meaning. It’s origin comes from the Latin term – ” Rex is Lex” or “King is Law”. Rule By Law is an instrument of tyrants, dictators, and oppressors to violate human rights.
What happens when the RBI increases the Cash Reserve Ratio?
When the Cash Reserve Ratio increases, it decreases the supply of money in the economy and restricts the funds available in banks. This automatically increases the interest rates on bank loans.
List Of Analytical & Hypothetical Questions
The list of analytical questions is designed to evaluate the candidates’ critical thinking ability and problem-solving skills.
You have Rs.100. You can buy one goat for Rs.1, 1 buffalo for Rs.10 and 8 hens for Rs.1.How can you buy 100 animals for Rs.100?
If we spend Rs.9 on 72 hens, Rs.21 on 21 goats and Rs.70 on seven buffaloes, we can buy a hundred animals for Rs.100.
Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday?
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Hypothetical thinking is critical for IAS officers. As a learning method, it allows us to imagine a critical situation and think about the moral significance of the situation. The panellists assess candidates’ temperament, presence of mind, and quick-thinking skills in situations that they will face in their careers.
If someone involved in a fistfight on the road falls unconscious, whom will you call?
The first call should go to the ambulance services and not the police. The unconscious person should be given first aid to resuscitate him to save his life.
Out-Of-The-Box, Witty Questions
Not all questions are about current affairs, general knowledge and critical thinking. Panellists may surprise candidates with simple and amusing questions to assess their creativity.
What happens if you throw a red stone into the blue sea?
The stone will sink.
What happens when you drop a raw egg on a hard surface?
The surface will not crack because it is hard.
If peacocks cannot lay eggs, how are peachicks born?
Only pea-hens lay eggs. The peacock is a male bird.
A woman was born in 1945 and died in 1945. But she was 70 years old when she died. How is that possible?
She was born in a room numbered 1945 and died at 70 years of age in 1945.
A waiter serves you coffee. Now state what is before you
T is before U because before the alphabet U comes “T”.
Questions of historical importance
Candidates can expect the panel to ask historical questions because History is an important part of the UPSC syllabus.
Name the economic critics of colonialism in India?
A Dadabhai Naoroji, G. Subramania Iyer and R. C. Dutt
What were the kingdoms associated with the life of Buddha?
Kosala and Magadha
What are the Montague-Chelmsford Proposals related to?
They are related to constitutional reforms.
What does the term 'Araghatta' refer to?
It is a waterwheel used in the irrigation of land.
Summing up
The IAS interview questions can be from any given topic. The objective of the interview, though, is not about the questions or answers. It is all about how well the candidate responds. Panellists look for clarity and presence of the mind while addressing tricky questions. Well-prepared candidates will ace the interview with flying colours.
The Chinmaya Academy of Civil Services in Chennai is equipped with the infrastructure and an exclusively knowledgeable faculty to ensure the same. Our goal-oriented methodologies, relentless support and extensive training are just what you need to ace the UPSC exams. Contact us for more details.
List of Exams Conducted By UPSC
UPSC or Union Public Service Commission conducts several examinations. They are as follows: Railway protection force or RPF, Central Armed Police Forces Examination or Assistant Commandment Exam, Combined Geologist and Geoscientist exam, IFS or Indian Forest Service exam, Special Class Railway Trainee, National Defense Academy Exam, Civil Services Exam, Combined Defense Services Exam, Combined Medical Services Exam and Engineering Medical Service Exam. To know more about the examinations conducted by UPSC, visit UPSC Website.