From our research
What this interview looks like
Sub-inspector selection varies by state. Maharashtra's MPSC runs a short interview after the mains and the physical test, Tamil Nadu's TNUSRB holds a viva-voce of 10 marks, West Bengal's WBPRB ends with a personality test, and Karnataka's civil PSI scheme has carried a viva-voce after the written paper. Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Gujarat and Delhi Police through SSC CPO currently select on written and physical tests with no interview, so for those candidates the next face-to-face encounters are the document-verification interaction and the departmental boards during probation and promotion. Where a board sits, it is three to five officers, usually chaired by a DIG or SP-rank officer, for ten to twenty minutes, and it mixes English with Hindi or the state language. It probes background and fitness, basic criminal law under the BNS, BNSS and BSA, local policing in the candidate's district, cyber crime, and above all presence of mind in field situations: a mob, a VIP convoy, a custody incident, a bribe. Marks are small compared with the written paper but they decide ties and borderline ranks. The ExamPilot mock compresses this into fourteen minutes with the same four voices and scores awareness, situational judgement, integrity and communication.
How it is weighted
WBPRB: a personality test after the final combined exam, historically 30 marks against a 200-mark final written paper, added to the final merit. Gujarat Police Recruitment Board: no interview in the current PSI scheme; the mock prepares you for document verification and departmental boards.
Who this is for
West Bengal candidates who have cleared the WBPRB preliminary, PMT, PET and the final combined competitive examination and face the personality test. Gujarat PSI candidates select on the physical test and main written examination with document verification and no interview, and use this board for verification and their probation and training boards.
The panel focuses on
- Home district, education, sport and fitness, and why the police
- BNS and BNSS basics and the first hour after an FIR
- West Bengal context: Kolkata commissionerate, the Bangladesh border and cattle and gold smuggling, political violence around panchayat polls, Durga Puja bandobast; Gujarat context: the Pakistan maritime border and drug landings, Ahmedabad and Surat commissionerates, Rath Yatra and Navratri crowds, the prohibition regime
- Cyber frauds through mule accounts in border districts and the Jamtara-style call-centre pattern
- Field situations: a political clash on polling day, a communal rumour on social media, a smuggling tip-off with a bribe attached
- Integrity under political pressure and family readiness for a border posting
Step 1
Pick your subject
The expert on the panel probes these areas at the level of this post. Optional here; you can choose during setup.
Step 2
Choose how you want to be interviewed
1:1 interview
One interviewer runs every round and adapts the focus as you go. Lower pressure; ideal for a first attempt.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IPS (Retd.)
Chairperson
Panel interview · 3 members
Most realisticEach member leads their own round and hands over to the next. They hear each other, so a weak answer will be revisited.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IPS (Retd.)
Chairperson
Smt. Anjali Deshpande, IPS
External member
Dr. Kailash Nair
Psychologist
What to expect
5 rounds · 14 minutes
A uniformed-service board compressed into 14 minutes: a senior officer chairs and opens on background, fitness and motivation; an external member tests working knowledge of criminal law, local policing and cyber crime in the candidate's chosen area; the chair then puts field situations on mobs, VIP duty, custody, corruption and communal tension; a board psychologist probes pressure and integrity; the chair closes. Real state police SI boards and the IB ACIO interview sit three to five members for 10 to 25 minutes, mix English with Hindi or the state language, and weigh presence of mind and integrity above textbook recall.
- Round 1
Background, fitness and motivation
· 3:00Settle the candidate, understand their home district, education, sport and fitness routine, and hear a credible reason for choosing the police or intelligence service over other government jobs.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IPS (Retd.)2–3 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 2
Law, local policing and cyber crime
· 4:00Test working knowledge in the candidate's chosen area: criminal law basics under the new codes, local policing and the state context, cyber and economic offences, internal security, public order or protection of women and children.
Smt. Anjali Deshpande, IPS3–4 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 3
Field situations
· 4:00Assess presence of mind, lawful use of force, chain of command and integrity through two field situations: a mob or communal flashpoint, a VIP duty, a custody incident or a bribe or political pressure.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IPS (Retd.)2–2 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 4
Pressure and integrity
· 2:00Probe temperament, stress tolerance and personal integrity: how the candidate reacts to provocation, failure, long hours away from family, and temptation.
Dr. Kailash Nair1–2 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 5
Closing
· 1:00Close the interview professionally and check readiness for the realities of posting and training.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IPS (Retd.)1–1 questions
Sample questions
Police SI WB-Gujarat SI interview questions
Questions panels commonly ask in the Police SI WB-Gujarat SI interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.
- Election duty
On polling day in a West Bengal panchayat election, two party groups clash outside a booth and one man is injured. You are in charge of the sector. What do you do?
What a strong answer covers
Separates the groups and secures the booth, gets the injured to medical care, calls reinforcements and informs the sector officer and control room, registers cases against offenders from both sides impartially, and ensures voting continues. Avoid favouring any party or leaving the booth unguarded.
- Communal rumours
A doctored video claiming a temple was attacked is spreading on WhatsApp in your town. What steps would you take in the first hour?
What a strong answer covers
Verifies facts quickly, issues a clear public denial through official channels and community leaders, increases visible patrolling at sensitive spots, requests takedown via the cyber cell and acts against those knowingly spreading it. Avoid ignoring it or making statements without verification.
- Integrity
You get a tip-off about cattle smuggling near the Bangladesh border, but the informer hints that you should also take a share of the seized money. How do you respond?
What a strong answer covers
Acts on the information through proper procedure with BSF coordination, refuses any share, documents the informer interaction and informs seniors. Avoid compromising integrity or ignoring the tip.
- Cyber fraud
Explain what a mule account is and why cyber frauds in border districts use them.
What a strong answer covers
A mule account is a bank account used to receive and move fraud proceeds, often rented or opened in someone else's name, making tracing difficult; investigation involves freezing accounts and tracing beneficiaries. Avoid treating account holders as automatically innocent or guilty.
- Prohibition
Gujarat has had prohibition for decades. As a PSI, what challenges do you expect in enforcing it fairly?
What a strong answer covers
Names real challenges such as illicit and spurious liquor with the risk of hooch tragedies, inter-state smuggling, the temptation of corruption and the risk of selectively targeting poor sellers, and commits to impartial, intelligence-led enforcement. Avoid giving personal opinions on whether prohibition is good policy.
- Crowd management
Durga Puja in Kolkata draws huge crowds to pandals. How would you plan traffic and crowd control around a popular pandal?
What a strong answer covers
Plans separate entry and exit routes, barricaded queues, one-way traffic and no-parking zones, coordination with organisers and volunteers, a clear emergency lane, medical and fire support, CCTV monitoring and public announcements. Avoid blocking emergency access or underestimating late-night crowds.
- Coastal security
Fishermen report suspicious packets washing ashore near a fishing village in Kutch. As the local PSI, which agencies do you inform and how do you handle the packets?
What a strong answer covers
Secures the area, prevents villagers from taking packets, informs senior officers, the Coast Guard, Customs, the NCB and the state anti-terrorism or narcotics unit as per standing orders, and documents seizure with independent witnesses. Avoid opening or moving packets carelessly.
- Political pressure
A local leader phones you to release a car seized in a smuggling case because the owner is his supporter. What do you say to him?
What a strong answer covers
Politely and firmly explains that the vehicle is case property and can only be released by court order under the law, suggests the owner apply to the court, notes the call and informs seniors. Avoid making promises or being disrespectful.
- Motivation
Your first posting may be a thana on the Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas or near the Kutch coast. Why are you ready for that?
What a strong answer covers
Shows genuine readiness with awareness of the challenges of smuggling, infiltration and difficult terrain, understanding of coordination with BSF or the Coast Guard, and family arrangements made. Avoid reluctance disguised as conditions, or bravado without any knowledge of the area.
Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI Police SI WB-Gujarat SI panel that follows up like the real one.
Practise these questionsMeet the panel
Your AI interviewers
Distinct personas, voices and questioning styles, briefed on this post.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IPS (Retd.)
ChairChairperson
Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police; chairs state police sub-inspector interview boards
Firm, unhurried, old-school courteous, sharp on sequence and chain of command, dislikes bravado.
Male voice · 5 languages
Smt. Anjali Deshpande, IPS
External member
Superintendent of Police, State Cyber Crime Cell; external member on police and IB boards
Quick, precise, practical, enjoys a candidate who reasons from a real case, intolerant of section-number recitation without understanding.
Female voice · 5 languages
Dr. Kailash Nair
Psychologist
Police training academy psychologist; board member for stress and integrity assessment
Quiet, observant, non-judgemental, asks short questions and waits, notices rehearsed answers.
Male voice · 5 languages
Languages
Answer in the language you think in
The panel asks in your chosen language. Switch mid-answer if you like.
- English
- हिंदीHindi
- Hinglish (Hindi + English)Hinglish
How scoring works
A report you can act on
Every round is scored on the rubric
Each interviewer scores only the criteria their round covers. Weights add up to your overall score out of 100.
Only what you actually said counts
Feedback quotes your own answers. Rounds you skip show as “Not assessed” rather than a zero.
Communication is always measured
Fluency, clarity, confidence and structure are tracked across the whole interview, in any language.
Pass mark, then a plan
You see the pass mark for this interview, your gaps, and the courses that close them fastest.
Scored on
- Legal and policing awareness30%
Working knowledge of the BNS, BNSS and BSA basics, FIR and arrest procedure, local policing structure and state context, cyber and economic offences, internal security; states the law correctly in plain words and does not bluff.
- Situational judgement30%
Handles mobs, VIP duty, custody, bribery and communal tension with the right sequence: life and safety first, lawful minimum force, inform seniors and the magistrate where required, record everything, no shortcuts; gives concrete first actions rather than slogans.
- Integrity and composure under pressure20%
Honest about weaknesses, gaps and other attempts; refuses illegal orders and bribes with a workable plan rather than bravado; stays calm when the board pushes or disagrees; realistic about the stress and hours of the job.
- Communication and bearing20%
Clear, brief, respectful in English, Hindi or the state language; answers the question asked; gives orders and explanations a constable or a complainant would follow; good posture and eye contact implied in the voice.
Pass mark 60 / 100 · Police and intelligence service interview board
Keep exploring
More Police SI interviews
- Police SI Maharashtra PSI interviewGraduates, 19–31 years (relaxations apply), MPSC Combined Group B
- Police SI Karnataka PSI interviewGraduates, 21–28 years (relaxations apply), Karnataka State Police
- Police SI Punjab-Haryana SI interviewGraduates, 18–28 years (Punjab) / 21–27 years (Haryana), relaxations apply
- Police SI TN-Kerala SI interviewGraduates, 20–30 years (TN, relaxations apply) / 20–31 years (Kerala), Tamil or Malayalam required
- Police SI Delhi Police SI interviewGraduates, 20–25 years (relaxations apply), SSC CPO