Interview Experience in Dholpur house by Himanshu Jain

Afternoon session. I was the last candidate to be interviewed and it seems to be fatal in my case . Interview started with bouncers and ended with the same. Felt like I forgot to bring my helmet there .Here are the questions which i am able to recall right now will update the blog in case I am able to recollect more::







CM(Chairman):: So your name?






Me: Sir Himanshu Jain.






CM: Your Roll Number?






Me: Told him.






CM: your date of birth?






Me: Told him.






CM: what’s the significance of it?






Me: Sir it’s the summer solstice. Sun is overhead of tropic of cancer and it’s the longest day of the year.






CM:( started bowling bouncers): So are you aware of any other longest day?






Me: No sir.






CM: In World War II there was a longest day. Heard of it?






Me: No sir. I am not aware of it.






CM:Are you not aware of World War II?






Me: Sir I am aware of World War II but I am not aware of longest day related to WW II.






CM: Okai. There was a longest day there too. There was a movie also named THe Longest day. Have you watched it?






Me: No sir I have not seen the movie.






CM: What is kindle?






ME: told him about kindle. A e-book reader from amazon where one can read books as well as newspaper on the demand electronically.






CM: what are pros and cons of it over a normal book.






Me: Sir first of all the collection is big and one can buy any book on the fly.one can browse the book and if ones likes it can bought it online and there is no need to carry these books physically which many times a problem in case of a normal book. moreover kindle is using a font and look which is pretty similar to normal hard copy feel of a newspaper and gives a feel one is reading a hard copy version of normal book/newspaper only.






CM: what are disadvantages of it?






Me: Sir some people like the aesthetic feel of keeping a book with them. many are not very comfortable with reading them electronically. Moreover many people like to highlight and mark and write many things on the book itself, which may not usually happen with a e-book reader. (should have mentioned that adobe provides even this facility ).






CM:Llast year there was 150th birth anniversary of a famous scientist. who was he?






Me: (thought for a second or two) Sir it is Jagdish Chandra Bose.






CM: No. There was one more famous scientist.






Me: Sir it was Charles Darwin( sigh of relief ).






CM: yeah it was Charles Darwin. He gave theory of evolution. What the name of his ship?






Me: (is it a quiz going on here ?) Thought for a second. Sir it was Beagle.






CM: yeah it was HMS Beagle. Now name me the place where he got this idea.






Me:( although I knew this place but that time I got blanked out( ). Sorry sir I am not able to recall it sir.






CM: Okai. Your hobby is reading detective fiction. which authors do you read?






Me: sit it’s Byomkesh Bakhshi by Saradindu Bandhopadhyaya. Feluda by Satyjeet ray and Agatha Christie.






CM: Okai. what was the original name of Agatha?






Me:( Again a blunder. I should have known this). Sir I think here original name was agatha.






CM: No her name was different.






Me: Sorry sir then I am not aware of it.






CM: Okai. One of the detective that featured in her novels was Hercule Poirot. Name the other one.






Me: Sir it was Miss Marple.






CM: Yeah it was. Okai you are born in lalitpur. why Laliptur is famous for?






Me: Sir there is Chanderi in Laitpur district which is famous for its silk and cotton sari. moreover there is a place name Devgarh which is famous for Hindus’ and Jains’ temples.






CM: Okai. Tell me why rani kii jahnsi did not go to lalitpur?






Me: SIr she got support from Gwalior and she went there to fight against Britishers.






CM: why not Lalitpur?






ME: Sir I am not aware of it.






CM: Tel me the distance between Lalitpur and Gwalior?






ME: Sir I am not sure about exact distance but sir it’s approx 200 km.






CM: Okay Like there are Hindu pilgrimages .Tell me some Jain Pilgrimages.






ME: Sir one is Sikharji it’s in Rajasthan(Actually it’s in Bihar), Tijara jii near Delhi, Vehalna near Muzzafarnagar, Mount abu in Rajasthan, Srwanabel Gola in Karnataka.






CM: Okai. gave indication to the First member.






M1: okai you told about jain pilgrimages. ever heard of nagore related to jainism in rajasthan?






Me: Sorry sir i am not aware of it.






M1: Okai. What are seven sisters?






Me: Sir they are tripura, mizoram,meghalaya,manipur,nagaland,assam and arunachal pradesh.






M1: okai. Give me the names of the capitals






Me: sir it’s agartala,kohima,imphal,dispur,itanagar and shilong. i was not able to recall the seventh one .






M1: one is missing.






Me: yes sir but i am not able to recall it.






M1 okai what is administration.






Me: sir it’s conscious activity of 2 or more people to achieve pre decided goal.( again a blunder, very basic definition)






M1: not very convincing.let’s suppsoe if two students preparing for civil services and their aim is to get selected in the exam. do we also call it adminsitration?






Me: Sir in a way yes. (at the same time broadened my definition). sir if we go for broader definition administration sets the goals of an organisation and at the same time provides the broader policies under which organisation has to achieve it’s goals.






M1: okai what is public administration?






Me: Sir public here is the government. so it means government providing services to its citizens be it tangible like providing roads transport etc or intangible in the form of health and education.






M1: have you heard of dead sea?






Me: yes sir.






M1: where iis it? it’s between 2 countries.






Me: Yes sir. It’s between Israel and Jordan.






m1: why is it called Dead Sea?






Me: sir actually the salinity of the water is so high that plants and others cannot survive there hence the name dead sea.






Passes on to second member






From here on i was screwed badly in my interview






M2: you told about highlighting facts in e book reader. but you have worked also in adobe systems. here we can easily do it. Highlight it and mark it. so that’s not a problem isn’t? so that is a wrong point.






Me: yeah sir Adobe PDF has these features.(i should have also added that not all e book readers are adobe pdf based but i thought not to enter into an argument).






M2: okai tell me about digital libraries?






Me: answered it.






m2: Give me the pros and cons of it.






me: answered it but not a very sophisticated one. he was not convinced with cons






M2: hmmmmm tell me more cons.






me: Sorry sir i am not able to recall it.






M2: Told his point (which i think not a con anymore these days. but he was very happy after telling this point and was showing to other members too that he knew a damn lot about digital fundas. So i decided not to intervene and to boost his ego ).






M2: okai. name me some digital libraries.






me: sir It’s google books .moreover like ieee also have it.






M2: no some other name? you must have used it.






Me: Sorry Sir I am not able to recall it.






m2: it’s ACM.






Me: Thanks a lot sir.






M2: okai a computer scientist got nobel prize in 1980s. his book name was **** architecture(forgot the name now).






name him?






Me: Thought for a second.Sir is it John Nash.






M2; no , no not John nash






Me: ohh yeah sir. he got for game theory in economics. sorry sir i am not aware of it sir.






M2: told me the name.






M2: what is the difference between theory and thesis?






Me: sorry sir I am not aware of the exact difference.






And he felt very happy that he was able to pinned down a computer science engineer






Passes on to member 3






M3: Okai what is a computer?






me: explained her.






M3: Have you worked on a shop floor?






Me: no madam.






m3: okai. So have you worked on a control systems ** **?






me: Madam i have heard the name but i am not aware of the exact nitty gritties.






m3: then you must not be aware of fluid cells ** , ** ,** (she gave some 6-7 terms) related to electrical it seemed and not at all related to computer science.






Me: No madam. sorry but I am not aware of these terms.






M3: what is an outcome budget?






Me: here due to nervousness or god knows what i became totally blanked. i thought for 3-4 seconds but was not able to bring it back from my memory.






Me: sorry madam i know it but i am not able to recall it.






m3: okai tell me about Hdi and GDI?






Me Told her.






M3; what are the factors here ?






Me: again a blunder. madam it’s PPP, literacy and age( what the hell age ?)






M3 : No No it;s not age it’s life expectancy not age. there is a big difference. life expectancy is at birth.






Me: yes madam.sure sorry madam.






M3: have you visited a slum?






Me: No madam






M3: what is imbalanced development in cities?






Me : explained her. but I could have handled it in a much better way .






M3: okai. what are the problems of slum?






Me: madam it’s sanitation, house, water problems.






M3: where do they live.






Me: there are no permanent house as such.






m3: what do we call them?






Me: madam it’s kachaa houses.






M3: what the sanitation problem. where do they defecate?






me: madam majorly either it’s in open or in drains(i saw daily in Noida this practice as they used to do it in front of my adobe office ).






m3: Have you not heard of community toilets?






Me: yes madam, if it is available then they go there too.






M3: what are the charges of community toilets?






Me: madam it’s 1 rs per person.






m3: what is CSR?






Me: explained her about giving back to the society and blah blah.






M3: okai what do these companies do there?






Me: madam planting saplings, take charge of slums and give foods,clothes, going to schools and teach them(like adobe does )






M3: What is gender budgeting?






Me: Answered her.






M3: okai, In the today’s newspaper there was a news item related to Narmada Dam.






Me: yes madam.






M3: what was it






Me: madam serious questions were raised regarding the rehabilitation and resettlement problems of the residents of that area.






M3: Yes but there were other things too. very strong adjectives were used too. tell me the other adjectives.






Me:( beside this news clip all was there in my mind but seems a bad luck again here ). Sorry madam i am not able to recollect the other adjectives right now.






Passes on to Fourth member.






at this time it seemed that k.k. paul sir was not interested as he made a sound which felt like he wanted to wrap up the interview.






M4: okai tell me the exact difference between NHDP1 & NHDP2?






Me: sorry sir I am not aware of exact difference?






m4 : you know NHDP?






Me yes sir told him.






M4: okai they are for what?






Me: sir national highways?






M4: what are other type of road?






Me: told him state roads, district roads,village roads.






M4: tell me the exact length of National Highways?






Me: sorry sir i am not aware of the exact length.






M4: okai tell me the speed of rajdhani?






( Is it bcoz i am the last one to be interviewed and they have legitimate right to throw bouncers??)






Me: sir i am not aware of exact speed but i can make a guess( again a blunder )






M4: yeah you can






Me: sir 80 km/hr(what a pathetic guess. Bravo Mr Jain, you are determined to screw your interview)






k.K. paul started here:






CM:But not all rajdhani speeds are same. Tell me the fastest one?






Me: (Smiling, the only shield to save one self from bouncers )Sorry sir but as far as i know all rajdhanis speed are equal :).






M4: no there is a difference between their speeds.






Me: sorry sir i am not aware of it.Fourth member started again.






m4: okai okai. Tell me the new train that started from lalitpur in this budget?






Me: sir i a m not aware of it.






M4: have you not read the railway budget?






me: sir I have read it but i am not able to recollect this information.






m4: do we have similar project like NHDP in railways?






Me: sorry sir i am not aware of it.






M4: tell me about Prdhan Mantri Sadak Yojana?






Me: Again a blunder. I was a bit nervous till now and told him about the scheme to create better connectivity and 1000 fro urban and 500 for rural(actually it was 1000 for rural and 500 for hilly areas).






M4: urban? i think number is different. what are the urban areas?






Me: i answered his doubts.






M4: okai okai. and then he explained things related to it.






k.k paul asked why do you know a little about lalitpur? are you not living there?






Me: Sir actually i was just born there as my maternal grandfather was posted at that place. i was there for a month and then my grand father was transferred from there.






CM: okai okai that’s the reason you told me the wrong distance between lalitpur and jhansi? it’s much lesser than 200km.






This was a googly. he initially asked me about distance between Lalitpur and Gwalior.






Me:(trying my best not to offend him at the same type to present my point too) smiling . Yes sir you are correct. but yes initially i was asked distance between Gwalior and Laitpur which i told 200 km and as you correctly said sir distance between jhansi and lalitpur is less which is around 72 km.






(Now this may again be a blunder to correct CM . But otherwise i was thought to be a man of flukes. So took the risk. Result will tell whether this was blunder or a brave move).






CM: then he moved his desktop to my side in which sir he had already opened a Agatha Christie webpage.






CM: see her sirname was different before marriage. she was married and after marriage it became Christie.






Me: thanks a lot sir. I will keep it in my mind.






CM: you can go now. your interview is over.






I wished them and came out of the room.






Crux of the interview: Not satisfied with my performance. did 3-4 big blunders. moreover somehow feel that my personality was not judged as it was fact oriented interview. so expecting average to below average marks.






Lets see will only come to know after the results are out

Is the CSAT going to be a Boon or in Vain?

Aspirants for the civil services will be facing a different pattern of examination from next year (2011). Since the government has approved a proposal to introduce an aptitude test in place of the existing optional subject paper in the civil service preliminary exam to shortlist candidates for the main exam. Currently all the candidates will have to attempt two papers with a General Studies Paper and the other one is the Optional paper in which the candidate will have to select one subject among the 23 subjects listed by UPSC. After giving effect to the proposed change in the Preliminary examination in 2011, Candidates will have to appear in two objective-type papers, which will be a General Studies Paper and the other one will be the General Aptitude Paper. The Aptitude paper will replace the previously existing Optional subject paper. On effecting this model, Civil Services Preliminary Examination will be called as Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT).
This change will be effective only for the Preliminary examination and the Main examination will remain unchanged until a expert committee gives a detailed report for changing it.


Now, lets compare the features of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) to have a better understanding on the proposed new pattern


S.NoCivil Services Preliminary ExaminationCivil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)


1Two Objective Papers with one General Studies and One Optional out of the 23 subjects given by UPSCTwo Objective Papers with one General Studies and One General Aptitude Paper


2More weightage for optional with 300 marks for Optional subject and only 150 marks for General StudiesEqual weightage for both General Studies as well as General Aptitude paper. Both carrying equal marks


3Advantageous for people who completed masters degree and having a grip on Academic Subject Equally good for All kinds of graduates creating a level play ground.


4No Transparency in terms of Assessment and disclosure of Preliminary marksComplete Transparency in terms of disclosure of marks


5High amount of disparity between one optional subject and the other, creating sense of biasedness on few particular optional subject.No disparity, Equal game to be played by all in a equal platform


6Easy for Candidates who studied in high caliber institutes compared to a student with Rural background.All the students have equal opportunity, since everyone has to prepare in similar patterns.


7High Competition due to people cramming with the subject knowledge in Optional.Infuses fresh blood in the examination arena such that all the people have to prepare a fresh.






Why is the Change: Various committees including the second Administrative Reforms Commission, in their reports submitted over the years suggested the changes and laid greater emphasis on the 'aptitude' of candidates than their knowledge of a subject. The committees argued that specialists or experts in any particular subject might not necessarily be good civil servants. Moreover the preliminary exam which does not discloses the marks , Cut off to select the candidates for main exams or the method which they use to compare various optional subjects is repugnant to the Right to Information Act 2005. It is criticized in various directions and dimension that there is no transparency in the current format in which preliminary exam is conducted. To overhaul the current process and create more transparency in the selection process this General Aptitude paper is introduced in the place of the Optional Paper.


Introduction of Negative marks was the last change in Civil Services Examination. Introduction of Aptitude paper will be the major change after the introduction of Negative marking pattern. UPSC was talking about the System of Online Application Procedure (SOAP) that was successfully implemented in the Indian Forest Service Examination 2010.






What is an Aptitude test: Aptitude tests are designed to assess your logical reasoning or thinking performance. They consist of multiple-choice questions and are administered under exam conditions. They are strictly timed. UPSC conducts various examinations in any given year and they name those test papers with various names such as General Studies in Civil Service, General Ability in Combined Medical Exam, General Knowledge in Combined Defence Service, General Ability and Intelligence in Central Police Force Exam. But they have never used the nomenclature General Aptitude; this is the first time UPSC going to have an Aptitude test. Attempting maximum question under exam condition in the given time is the key for success in a normal Aptitude test.






The most common Aptitude test pattern are


Verbal Aptitude,


Quantitative Aptitude,


Abstract Reasoning,


Spatial Reasoning,


Mechanical Reasoning,


Data Checking,


Fault Diagnosis.


We wish to hear Good news, but we cannot interpret and fit the information received as per our preconceptions. We should do a deep dive analysis. The above given aptitude test pattern are just for your information and no were UPSC have given any details about the content of the aptitude test. Hence we cannot conclude that the General Aptitude paper may contain the above-mentioned list of aptitude test. The only hint received from the Government about the content of General Aptitude test is 'Greater emphasis will given to test the aptitude for civil services as well as on ethical and moral dimension of decision-making'.






The above line makes it clear that the aptitude test will be heavily leaned towards the Psychometric Testing pattern rather than a normal clerical aptitude test. The ethical and moral decision making test is already in vogue at various International organizations. This kind of Aptitude test will create a uniform ethical standard for the Civil Servants. General Aptitude test will check whether the candidate is having integrity and a strong sense of social responsibility also willing to reflect on and learn from their actions.






There is no formula or algorithm for moral decision-making. It is not a process, which can easily be based on a determinate set of rules. It is also important to see that good moral decision-making involves more than just acting on hunches or intuitions. Good moral decision-making involves a) knowing the facts of the situation, and b) careful consideration of the moral values that are relevant to a given situation. Importantly, it involves sensitivity to the moral dimensions of everyday situations, and an awareness of the range of interests involved in specific decisions.


Is the Aptitude Test a Combination of Public Administration, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology


NO, This is a General Aptitude test and no subject will influence or be infused in this paper. May be the above combination of professionals like Administrators, Psychologist and others can be used to set a question paper. But for sure the above-mentioned subjects (Theoretical and Purely Subjective) will not play a part in the Aptitude test.






Can a person be trained in the Aptitude test: A person grown up with a sense of moral and ethical values with consideration towards humanity being logical and taking sensible decisions will find this Aptitude paper easy. But still, fine-tuning the skills with the assistance of professional trainers will enhance the success ratio of a candidate. As a word of caution I wish to request all the candidates to wait until UPSC gives clear directions about the subject content of the General Aptitude test paper. Since the change can be utilized by various people for false propaganda to sell their books and training programme, which is of no use for the candidates. Until then the candidates can prepare for their General Studies paper, which remains unchanged.


It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not. - James Gordon, M.D.


The above quote of James Gordon gives the conclusion such that we shall equip ourselves to face the change and achieve our ambition. Leave away all the doubts and fears, prepare yourself to embrace the change. Time is very near to rise and shine. For sure CSAT is going to be a boon for aspiring candidates.


All the best for giving your best efforts, to get the best results


K.Purushothaman


Director, Educasium Civil Services Coaching Centre, Chennai

Civil services examination in for a revamp

Civil Services Aptitude Test is being mooted at the preliminary level from 2011 and the  UPSC is expected to push for changes in the Main examination too

Those aspiring to be civil servants must have not only the required skills and knowledge, but also the right 


values which would include integrity, commitment to public service and above all, commitment to the 


ideals and philosophy embodied in the Constitution.

So a number of committees and commissions were setup to make recommendations on various aspects of 


recruitment. The first committee was the Macaulay committee of 1854. This committee established the 


principle of ‘transferability of academic talent to administration.' The Macaulay system continued till three 


decades after Independence.

In 1976, the Kothari committee recommended a sequential system of examination based on the dictum 

that “the average quality would get richer as the stream proceeds from one ‘stage to the next'. Accordingly 

the examination was designed as a sequential three stage process - an objective type Preliminary 

examination comprising one Optional and General Studies, a Main examination which would comprise 9 

written papers and finally a Personality Test.

In 1989, Satish Chandra Committee was appointed to suggest reforms and it recommended minor changes 


to Kothari model. Accordingly, an ‘Essay' paper was introduced and the marks for the Interview were 


enhanced. Presently, the Civil Services Examination is conducted on an annual basis on this pattern.

The new millennium demanded excellence at every level of governance which required almost total re-


shaping, re-structuring of the economic as well as the administrative apparatus of the government. 


Responding to this need, the Y.K. Alagh Committee, in 2001, recommended significant changes.

At the Preliminary level, it suggested that the ‘optional' subject should be continued but the General 


Studies paper should be recast to that of a Civil Services Aptitude Test comprising questions on basic 


awareness', ‘problem solving and analytical abilities' ( situation from the civil services arena to be taken to 


test reasoning and understanding of problems ) and ‘data analysis ability'.

In order to establish a level playing field it recommended that the optionals at the Main examination be 

replaced by four compulsory papers - Sustainable Development and Social justice, Science and Technology 

in Society, Democratic governance, Public Systems and Human Rights. The Second Administrative 

Reforms (Veerappa Moily) Commission in its report in 2008 upheld the recommendations of the Alagh 

Committee and made a few more significant suggestions.

The first step in this direction is its proposal to introduce a Civil Services Aptitude Test at the Preliminary 


level from the year 2011.

The Preliminary examination is expected to be re-modelled in either of the following formats:

Format-I : In this format, following the Alagh committee recommendations the Preliminary examination 


may comprise the following two objective type papers - the Optional Subject (300 marks) and Civil 


Services Aptitude Test (200 marks).

Format-II : In this format, following the recommendations of ‘P.S. Bhatnagar' the Preliminary examination 


may comprise the following two objective type papers - Civil Services Aptitude Test (300 marks) and 


General Studies (300 marks).

The Union Public Service Commission may choose any of the above formats and a notification may be 


expected by May-June this year. Whatever the format, the Civil Services Aptitude Test appears to be on 


the anvil.

Likely pattern of a Civil Services Aptitude Test

It would comprise questions which would test the ‘problem solving', ‘analytical', ‘logical reasoning' and 

‘decision-making skills' of the aspirant. To ensure that these questions are relevant they would necessarily 

be from the arena of civil services with an underlying essence of Public Administration in practice.

The UPSC is expected to push for changes at the level of the Main examination too. It is seriously 


examining the proposal of including compulsory papers exclusively from the domain of humanities based 


on the French Model of examination. The compulsory papers that are expected to be introduced are: 


sustainable development and social justice; democratic governance, public systems and human rights; 


Indian Constitution with an emphasis on Indian legal system including administrative law; economic 


theory and Indian economic system; administrative theories and organisational behaviour and Indian 


administrative system. However, these changes are not expected in the near future.

Changes

The news of any change is an unnerving moment for any long term serious aspirant. However, if one is 


mentally prepared, the transition becomes easier.

Given below are a few broad guidelines to help the prospective aspirant to prepare for the examination :

First and foremost, there is only a proposal for a change in ‘principle'. The change is to be debated and 


accepted. The UPSC has to formally declare the new pattern. Till then, all aspirants should continue with 


the old pattern.

As the questions would be from the arena of the civil services, all aspirants irrespective of their 


background should try to understand the philosophy behind the Constitution, its ideals, its principles and 


its focus on development. Having understood the constitutional framework they should comprehend the 


position of the civil services in the relevant context.

Having acquired basic knowledge within the given parameters, the next step would be to understand the 


logic behind every provision. Till now, what was tested was the ‘what', now what would be tested will be the 


‘why'.

The mode of preparation should change from the ‘descriptive' mode to the ‘explanatory' mode.

Having established a base for developing reasoning and problem solving skills, the prospective aspirant 

can ‘hone' them at the appropriate juncture.

GOPALA KRISHNA. V.

Director, Brain Tree