My Civil Services Interview

My interview took place on 31 march early at 10:00 am. I was assigned to Mr Balaguruswamy's board. Yeah the same guy who wrote those computer books on BASIC and C . The board also had 4 other members. The interview took around 40 mins and it was very very cordial.

I enter and take the seat. The chairman appreciates that I am already a manager@Oracle. Despite that , why civils was his first question. He also said that I need not worry abt the salary once I get in. It may not match my current salary but that it would be okay. I was like why is he saying this. Wasn't he supposed to attack me saying that u would be earning lesser salary once u get in? He also asked me what is good governance and how I could bring IT into governance. While I was talking abt land record digitisation, he stated that his property@Hyderabad was grabbed by some judge and that I should do this IT thingee ;).

Some questions
1. Why civils ? Don't give us the standard answer

2. Can you make the transition between private and public sectors. Looks like they had some concern with my private sector leaning. There was one guy who thought that my professional outlook could be incompatible with the profile of a babu!!!! Whatever that means!

3. Discuss indo-us, indo-aus, indo-srilanka relations!

4. What is shifting cultivation?

5. How are snow caps formed? I was like "Say whaaaaaaaaaaat????". Didnt answer this!

6. Why india had to go for liberalisation in the 90s?

7. Should we talk to Pakistan? I said 'Yes' and the guy didn't like it. Welcome to the club sir!

8. What are non tariff barriers?

9. State the finance sector reforms on the anvil.

10. why anthropology? Is it because it is said to be scoring?

11. Anthropometry, DNA fingerprinting

12. Some questions testing my honesty and integrity. Eg., what would you do if they put you in a remote area with no water connection. I said that I would take it as an opportunity to get water connections to that place. Chairman said, "Very Positive".

13. Some situational questions like how I would react under political
pressures.

14. Many more related that I cannot recall.

15. Opportunity for me to ask them a question. I asked them about any core principles that I need to keep in my mind to be successful. At this juncture one guy, a former IAS completely discouraged me from joining the civils. He was serious. He was not questioning me or testing me. He was just stating his opinion.


Before leaving the chairman shook my hand and gave me a chocolate. I asked him if I could take one more. He laughed and said Yes. While leaving, I accidentally took the pencil that was kept for me. They asked me to return as it was UPSC property.

Overall it was good. lets see how that translates into marks.

Gopi