Akhand Swaroop Pandit
Qualifying for the interview of UPSC engineering services, which is the final stage of selection has always been a dream for its aspirants. Everyone wants to perform their best at this stage. After all, the selected candidates are among the 0.5 per cent who manage to crack the IES examination. Nearly 1 lakh students compete for around 600 vacancies every year for different engineering branches. While the written test evaluates the technical knowledge of the candidates, the IES Interview gauges their personality combined with their field-related knowledge.
The interview also tries to bring out qualities like intuitive powers, spontaneity, practicality, soft skills, leadership qualities, confidence level and team spirit of the finalists. That said, it is the 200 marks and a set of rigorous questions that ultimately decides the fate of those 0.5 per cent candidates whether they can manage to get through one of the most sought-after engineering recruitment examinations. Sounds gruelling? Fret not! All you need is a well-defined plan and some extra efforts to tackle all your apprehensions and give your best shot. Here is a list of preparation tips and tricks for the upcoming IES interview:
Remember, it is the selection day so give your best shot at the interview with patience, confidence and clarity. This will increase your chances of getting through the interview with utmost success. Good Luck!
— The writer is Founder & CEO, Catalyst Group (Online learning platform)
Sample questions from prelims
1) A committee of 4 is to be formed from among 4 girls and 5 boys. What is the probability that the committee will have number of boys less than number of girls?
A. 2/9
B. 4/9
C. 4/5
D. ?
2) Which term refers to a single person having authority to oversee all aspects of a product's production scheduling, inventory, dislocation and sales?
A) Project management
B) Product management
C) Commercial management
D) Venture management
3) Consider the following statements:
i) Mobile cranes are sophisticated machines which are designed for lifting efficiently.
ii) Mobile cranes are a versatile and reliable means of lifting on site.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) Both 1 and 2
D) Neither 1 nor 2
4) Consider the following statements:
i) Knowledge of psychology
ii) Knowledge of the theory of variation
iii) Knowledge of process
iv) Knowledge of the system and the theory of optimization
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