What is the Importance of Mock Interviews for UPSC?

Now that the mains results are out and your name is on it, it is time you start your preparations for the interview.

The key element in interview preparation is attending mock interviews. You may wonder why mock interviews are important? Can’t I do away with them?

Imagine you being selected for space travel. Without proper testing and training, you will not be able to survive even a single trip to space. The same is the case with the UPSC Mock Interview. Without proper testing and training, you cannot become successful in the interview. Attending mock interviews are the key.

Here are some reasons why mock interviews are important:

1. Personality Analysis

The first thing the UPSC interview panel members observe is your body language. The way you move, the way you conduct yourself at the interview creates an impression. They also try to analyze your personality from the way you answer the questions.

Mock interviews help you analyse your personality. You will know about your strengths and weaknesses in and out. With a mock interview, you will know how not to fall into the personality question traps set by the interviewers.

2. Expert Guidance

Mock interviews are conducted by a panel of experts. They are domain experts, eminent Civil Servants, and probably ex-UPSC interview board members. Thus, by attending mock interviews, you will get expert guidance on how to get a good score in the actual interview.

They provide a detailed analysis of things you need to improve by testing you on various aspects like your personality, subject matter knowledge, etc.

3. Ambiance Akin To Actual Interview

Mock interviews replicate the ambiance of the actual UPSC interview. As such, there will be a five-member panel conducting mock interviews.

The main aim here is to familiarize you with the UPSC way of conducting an interview and making you less fearful of the actual interview.

For it has been seen that many candidates fumble at the final interview due to the lack of awareness about the interview. Fear takes over, and they struggle to perform at the interview. Attending mock interviews will help avoid this.

4. Questioning Diversity

It is futile to guess what the panel member might ask you during the actual interview. But, preparing yourself for the challenge will help.

If you join a mock interview program, you will be attending many interview sessions. In each session, the questions the panel members ask varies. Thus, you will be preparing yourself to answer diverse questions which the UPSC interview panel might ask.

A mock interview thus prepares you in advance for any adversity you might face in front of the interview board.

5. The Feedback

The key element of mock interviews is the feedback that you receive. After an interview session, through the panel discussion, the panel members will share their feedback. You will get to know about the areas where you need to improve.

As in the game of shooting where you cannot hit a bullseye without rigorous training, you cannot attend the UPSC interview without attending mock interviews. They are a very important aspect of USPC preparation.

Wishing You Success!
Always!
Classic IAS Academy