How important is the Interview test?

While filling in the application form for the Civil Services Preliminary and Main examination, candidates are also asked to fill in their preferences for their appointment in various services once they qualify.

According to statistical results, people who score more than 60% enjoy a huge possibility getting into the service of their own choice, once they qualify in the interview.

About 90% of the candidates, who qualify for the interview, score around the range of 55%. If you are able to score more than 58%, it is quite likely that you would be appointed in a Class I service.

Confidence, self-assurance, tact and diplomacy play a key role for a successful interview test. The selectors in the interview panel analyse the thought process of the candidates and their ability and presence of mind to tackle tricky questions with diplomacy, without provoking controversies or attacking a particular section of a society with prejudice or racist remarks.

Candidates can score well in the interview if they keep themselves updated about the core socio-economic issues, foreign relations and current affairs of our country and converse about the relevant issues with clarity of expression.

Rules for choosing optional subjects for the Main examination

A candidate is eligible to choose an optional subject that he has not studied during the graduation or post graduation level. In addition, candidates can write the exam in English or any of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth schedule of the Indian constitution.

However, a student cannot write different papers of the Civil Services Main Examination in different languages.

Candidates are required to choose two optional subjects of their choice for the main examination. However, the following combinations of optional subjects are not allowed.

1. Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science.
2. Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science and Medical Science.
3. Anthropology and Sociology.
4. Commerce & Accountancy and Management.
5. Management and Public Administration.
6. Mathematics and Statistics.
7. Of the Engineering subjects, viz., Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering – not more than one subject.
8. Political Science & International Relations and Public Administration.
9. Two literature subjects cannot be opted together. Only one of them can be chosen.

Besides, the candidate can also opt for taking the interview in the same national language that he has chosen to write in the Main examination.

Eligible number of attempts to appear in Civil Services examination

                Many students have numerous queries regarding the number of attempts that they are eligible for to appear for the civil services examination.

                Except for people belonging to the scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST), for whom there are no restrictions, there is an upper limit for the number of attempts to qualify for the civil services examination.

                People falling under the general quota category are allowed a maximum of 4 attempts whereas people from other backward castes (OBC category) are allowed a maximum of 7 attempts for appearing in the examination. Besides, only the candidates belonging to communities that are listed in the central list of OBCs are eligible for these concessions.

                There is no additional relaxation for candidates who are physically handicapped. They are allowed for the same number of attempts as any other aspirant, depending on the category they fall in.

                If a candidate has only applied for the civil services preliminary examination but has not appeared for any of the papers, it is not counted as an attempt. However, if the candidate has completed writing any one paper of the preliminary examination and signed the attendance, it is still counted as an attempt even if he discontinues attempting the rest of the papers in the middle.

Click here to know more the eligibility and restrictions to appear for civil services preliminary examination.

Preparation Tips for the UPSC interview

                 The last and the most important step for qualification in the Indian Civil Services examination is the interview. While you have a few hours to prove your skills in written examination, the interview test explores your spontaneity, general knowledge, reasoning and decision making skills in addition to your soft skills like clarity in thoughts and expression, ability to interact and also your presence of mind!

                 There is no thumb rule or guide book to prepare for the UPSC interview. In fact, it is a continuous process and should be done throughout the preparation. The best way to tackle the interview stage is to have a fair idea of subjects of varied interests by reading newspapers, journals, magazines, editorial columns and reviews.

                 It may also be worthwhile to practice mock interviews if you are doing group study with other civil services aspirants. The ability to carry on an interesting and constructive conversation with clear and correct pronunciation of words will go a long way to qualify in the interview.

                 Interview questions are not at all tough to tackle if you are aware of the current affairs and socio-economic issues and are able to tackle questions related to them.

                 You can browse the internet for quick tips of tackling interviews and also contact the thinktank panel of the indiancivils team and request for further help in tackling tricky questions.

Making your UPSC interview, a success story

                   You have crossed a major part of your journey to fulfil your dream of joining the Indian civil services once you qualify in the preliminary and mains examination. The last step is to give a good interview and impress the panel who are evaluating you.

                   The first step to display your confidence is to show a positive body language. Ensure that you follow the formal dress code while appearing for the interview and sit with the right posture. Maintain a calm composure and do not get into long-winded discussions that are irrelevant to the topics asked.

                   

                    Note that the key to a good interview is to grasp the question and answer briefly only with the relevant points with clarity of expression. Show your appreciation and knowledge of various topics in current affairs like socio-economic problems or foreign relations that are relevant to the question asked. Your answers should also reflect your personal viewpoints that do not trigger any controversies, but reflect a concern for the economic growth and progress of our country.

To know more about the interview, visit http://www.indiancivils.com/exams/civil_services_exam_interview.htm.

                     Indiancivils.com would be proud and happy to guide students who qualify for the interview through the expert thinktank panel who have valuable experience in the past of qualifying in the UPSC interview.

Facts about India and Current Affairs

How much do you know about your motherland? Are you familiar with various facts about India in different domains – geography, sports, politics, entertainment, foreign relations and trade, education, employment, history, freedom movement and any other topic such as these?

Well, scoring in CSAT (Prelims) is not really tough if you are aware about your country and keep yourself updated about current affairs.

The key is to purchase the latest yearbook (most popular being, Manorama Year book) and also subscribe to popular journals and magazines (like FrontLine and World Focus) during the course of your preparation. Attempt the extensive question bank in the year book and also concentrate on the major headlines related to current affairs in the magazines.

Make it a point to read the newspaper. The Hindu and The Indian Express are recommended. However, considering the fast-paced life and limited time at your disposal, you should quickly be able to differentiate between ‘sensational news’ and ‘headlines’ and concentrate more on what is important.

Do you want further assistance on ‘success strategies’ while preparing for the Civil Services Examination? Attend the orientation programme conducted by Indiancivils.com and also register for our courses conducted by our experienced faculty team.

Register for the Virtual classroom sessions now!!

Easy subjects to score for CSAT (Prelims)

In order to score well in prelims, civil services aspirants can thoroughly prepare for some topics that are quite straightforward and easy to score. Most of them involve light reading of well-organised resources on a regular basis.

Some of them include questions that:

·         are based on statistics

·         are map based

·         related to polity and current affairs

·         test comprehension and decision making skills

Do you commute for long hours to your office in a bus? Do you travel frequently? Then carry a copy of Manorama Year book and a small pocket notebook to make important notes. You can spend about 20 minutes after lunch to just glance through the topics and even prepare flash cards.

Some of the general knowledge topics are quite tedious to read and hence, schedule a time for preparing for these while you are at home. Otherwise, you can keep browsing through the latest headlines to keep yourself updated about the current affairs.

Make it a point to practice sample tests regularly from the comprehensive question bank at Indiancivils.com and attempt questions that have appeared in the previous years. You may also contact our faculty for any further queries or clarifications while preparing for CSAT (Prelims).

Smart Preparation Tips to score well in Civil Services Examination

Many civil services aspirants wrongly assume that they need to dedicate 10 to 15 hours every day for effective preparation. How many of you realise that the quantity of time spent for preparing does not matter and quality is what finally matters?

·         Go through the syllabus and highlight sections that are easy to cover.

·         Make a note of areas that are easy to score.

·         Write down those topics which you find easy.

·         Note down topics which you are very unsure of or find it difficult to understand.

Plan a schedule for preparing for subjects that are weak on a regular basis and practice questions from the comprehensive question bank so that you know the kind of questions that have appeared in the previous year examinations.

Ask your queries during the online virtual classroom session to the faculty so that the rest of the students are also benefited. You may also send emails directly to your faculty to clear your doubts.

Attend practice and mock tests and be regular with your submissions. Read the feedbacks of the faculty carefully and attend the sessions where the solutions of the tests are discussed without fail.

Join ‘Online Virtual Classroom’ launched by Indiancivils.com!

Working people normally face some common constraints while preparing for Civil Services Examination.

·         Inadequate time for preparation

·         Professional accountability and responsibilities that may not allow you to be regular while preparing for the examination

·         Lack of proper guidance and well-organised resource materials that would help you to effectively cover the syllabus

·         Energy and zeal to achieve preparation targets even when faced with professional pressures

·         Difficulty to focus while preparing after a tiring day

People who prepare full-time for Civil Services examination are at an advantage as they are able to organise themselves better and focus on the tasks involved.

Indiancivils.com guides you with simple steps in order to help you to manage your time effectively.

·         Save time. Avoid commuting long hours to coaching classes.

·         Listen to the recordable videos of the online virtual classroom sessions. This would help you focus on your studies better.

·         Participate in the online interactive sessions and talk directly to the experienced faculty and other civil services aspirants and get important tips for preparation.

·         Practice with our comprehensive question bank regularly and answer the questions from the examinations held in previous years.

Civil Services – A Prestigious Career Option

                             How many of you think that joining the civil services is a prestigious career option? Well, considering that lakhs of civil services aspirants write the civil services examination every year, we know that the number is not too less.

Interestingly, people who aspire for civil services are not aware of all the career options available to them! Sounds surprising? May be, not!

Go through the list of civil services that you can join based on your performance and the available postings in a particular year.

The Civil Services posting is broadly divided into three categories:

·         All India Services 

·         Group ‘A’ Services

·         Group ‘B’ Services

All of us want to give our best shot while preparing for the examination, is it not?

But how many of us are aware of a powerful state-of-the-art online ‘Virtual Classroom’ coaching centre to help us interact with some of the best faculty in India and also with other civil services aspirants sitting in the comfort of our homes?


Does it sound exciting? Visit Indiancivils.com to know more!

Is IAS coaching suitable for working people?

When did the IAS bug catch you? Were you a school kid or a graduate when you were smitten by it the first time? 


Well, for many who desire to join civil services, the dream just buries itself as one of those childhood dreams that you can only ‘aspire’ for! How many of you are perseverant enough to brush aside this assumption and take that extra step to pursue your dreams?


Do you think it is near to impossible to prepare for Civil Services examination once you start working? Most coaching centers require you to commute to a particular location to enjoy professional assistance.

How exciting is it for you to hear that an online coaching centre, with an excellent team of faculty and advisors are waiting to help you at your doorstep?

Isn’t it truly unbelievable? Then, don’t waste a minute! Click here to know more about ‘the virtual classroom’ launched by Indiancivils.com, an institute that offers online coaching for civil services aspirants!

Do you want to join the IAS bandwagon?

How many of you have always been wanting to join the IAS bandwagon right from your school days and still have this latent desire steaming inside you to write the civil services examination?

How many of you are motivated enough to jump into this challenge and overcome all the presumptions and assumptions and give it a sincere try?

Indiancivils is here to give you a motivational helping hand with our eminent core faculty team and expert guidance panel panel to take your dreams to reality.

Indiancivils has launched an online coaching centre with its powerful user friendly software with live audio/video streaming features that enables registered students to actively participate in the online sessions and interact with the faculty and other civil services aspirants.

Why don’t you register for any of the preferred courses and follow the sessions for a trial period of one week and assess the quality of coaching yourself? All you need to do is to just pay a nominal fee of Rs. 500 and you are all set to participate in the virtual classroom sessions sessions and also gain access to the comprehensive question bank!

We warmly welcome you to the Indiancivils family!