Top 10 IAS Interview Questions with Answers

While for clearing the Prelims and Mains of UPSC IAS exam you would require hard work, dedicated study hours, for cracking an IAS Interview, you would require intelligence and most importantly, a presence of mind. The thought of facing a panel asking tricky questions and judging you based on your promptness and intelligence can be a nightmare for many!

In such a scenario, you simply need to be careful about how to answer different types of questions.
A trained and professional IAS academy in Delhi would prepare you for facing these questions and answering them confidently.

We have listed the top 10 most frequently asked questions in an IAS Interview round.

Q. 1. Tell me about yourself.

This Is one of the most common questions asked in UPSC IAS Interview. You simply need to begin by providing a brief background of your personal information, family, academic qualifications, and professional experiences. Be as clear and precise as possible while answering this.

Q. 2. Why do you want to become an IAS Officer?

This question is asked to make the candidate talk about his/her goals and ambitions as an IAS officer. This question also indicates the clarity of your thoughts and career choices. By this question, the panellists want to know what are the interests, motivation, passion and goals that led you to decide joining the UPSC Civil Services.

Q. 3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

This is a question asked in any job interview. Be honest here since the IAS interview panel comprises subject matter experts. Any attempt at cheating can lead to disqualification. Simply make an analysis of your positive and negative aspects and give a brief of an understanding of your own self, along with your skills and abilities.

Q. 4. What if one morning you wake up to find yourself pregnant?

Ans. - I would be extremely happy and celebrate it with my husband.

Q. 5. How can a man go sleepless for 8 days?

Ans. - He sleeps at night.

Q. 6. How can you drop a raw egg on a concrete floor and not crack it?

Ans. - Concrete floors are hard to crack!

Q. 7. Interviewer orders a cup of coffee for the candidate and places it in front of him/her.
     The interviewer asks “What is before you?”

Ans. - Tea. The alphabet ‘T’ appears before ‘U’.
Q. 8. What happened after the wheel was invented?

Ans. - The candidate who got selected answered this - ‘It caused a revolution!’.

Q. 9. One day if you return home and see your sister lying nude on bed, what will you do?

Ans. - Pick her up, cover her with warm clothes since infants catch a cold quickly.

The interviewer is testing your temperament and wisdom here. Make sure you don’t lose
it or get tempted by questions like these!

Q. 10. If you have four oranges and three apples in one hand, and three oranges and
    four apples in the other hand, what will you have?

Ans. - Very large hands.

Q. 11. What looks like a half apple?

Ans. - The second half of the apple.
Dress Code for Appearing the IAS Interview

Apart from appearing confident, you also need to take care of your dress code
while appearing for the UPSC Civil Services Board Interview. You need to -

Wear clean, well-washed and ironed clothes.
Put on decent clothes, and avoid the revealing ones.
Avoid wearing too loose or too tight clothes. Make sure you are wearing the right size
 and appearing smart and confident in your outfit.
Go for formal Indian wear, such as a sari. However, if you are not comfortable in one, you can
choose a cotton salwar suit with a light and sober colour. Men should appear in light-coloured formal shirts, along with dark trousers.
Make sure you are comfortable in whatever you are wearing. Don’t let your board interviewers
see your uncomfortable behaviour.
Wear formal and fully covered formal shoes, with dark socks. Avoid chappals, flip-flops or sneakers.
Avoid flashy or expensive jewellery. However, a formal watch can do good.

An ideal IAS academy in Delhi would guide you throughout and teach you the ways to answer such tricky questions.
Mentors would also help you develop your personality, self-confidence and motivation, so that you can face the UPSC Board Interview
panelists with determination and courage.