From our research
What this interview looks like
The Personality Test carries 275 of the 2025 marks in the final merit list, with no minimum qualifying marks, so it typically decides service and cadre. A board of about five members, chaired by a UPSC Member, interviews each candidate for roughly 25 to 30 minutes at Dholpur House, New Delhi. The chairperson opens from the Detailed Application Form: name, home district and state, education, work experience, gaps, optional subject, hobbies and service preference. Members then take turns on current affairs and policy, administrative and ethical situations, and the candidate's hobbies and motivation, often arguing the opposite side to test balance. The candidate may answer in English or in any language in the Eighth Schedule. ExamPilot compresses the board into a 20-minute mock: DAF opening, current affairs and governance, an administrative dilemma, hobbies and motivation, and a closing, personalised to the profile you choose and scored on clarity of thought, awareness, integrity, communication and motivation.
How it is weighted
275 of 2025 marks (about 13.6 percent); no minimum qualifying marks. A previous interview score is not visible to the board, but the DAF shows the attempts, and boards probe gap years and the Plan B honestly declared.
Who this is for
Mains-qualified candidates who have appeared for the Personality Test before, or qualified Mains in an earlier attempt, including serving officers in allied services seeking a higher-preference service. The board asks what changed since the last attempt, how the years of preparation were used, and whether the motivation has survived.
The panel focuses on
- What you learnt from the previous board and what you changed
- How the preparation years were spent beyond study
- Serving-officer candidates: your current service versus the one you want
- Current affairs and governance at the depth expected of a repeater
- Ethical dilemmas and composure under a sceptical board
- Plan B stated honestly and without bitterness
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, IAS (Retd.)
Chairperson
Panel interview · 4 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, IAS (Retd.)
Chairperson
Smt. Vandana Krishnamurthy, IAS (Retd.)
External member
Dr. Farhan Qureshi
Psychologist
Prof. Arvind Deshpande
External member
What to expect
5 rounds · 20 minutes
A board led by a chairperson with members taking turns, mirroring the UPSC Personality Test. Opens from the candidate's DAF (home state, education, work, hobbies, optional subject), then a member probes current affairs and policy with a demand for balanced views, a member poses an administrative ethics dilemma, and a member explores hobbies, motivation and service preference. The board assesses personality, balance and judgement, not recall.
- Round 1
Opening from the DAF
· 4:00Set a courteous, unhurried tone and open the candidate's profile as the real board does: home district and state, education, work experience, gap years, optional subject and service preference. Form a first view of composure and honesty.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IAS (Retd.)2–3 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 2
Current affairs & governance
· 5:00Test awareness of national and international developments and governance debates linked to the candidate's background, and whether they can hold a balanced, reasoned view when the opposite side is put to them.
Smt. Vandana Krishnamurthy, IAS (Retd.)3–4 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 3
Ethics & administrative situations
· 5:00Assess integrity and practical judgement in a district administration dilemma: political pressure, disaster response, corruption, communal tension or a conflict between rules and compassion.
Dr. Farhan Qureshi2–2 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 4
Hobbies, motivation & service preference
· 4:00Explore a declared hobby in genuine depth, the candidate's motivation for the civil services and their service preference, and look for leadership indicators and realism about the first posting.
Smt. Vandana Krishnamurthy, IAS (Retd.)2–3 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 5
Closing
· 2:00Close the board courteously, as the UPSC does, without feedback or hints about performance.
Shri Devendra Singh Rathore, IAS (Retd.)1–1 questions
Sample questions
UPSC CSE Repeater interview questions
Questions panels commonly ask in the UPSC CSE Repeater interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.
- Self-reflection
This is your third interview. What did you learn from the previous boards, and what is different about you today?
What a strong answer covers
Honest reflection on specific shortcomings, such as weak current affairs or rehearsed answers, the concrete changes made since, and growth as a person. Avoid blaming the previous boards or claiming nothing needed to change.
- Gap years
Your DAF shows four years since graduation without employment. Apart from studying, what did you do in those years that would make you a better officer?
What a strong answer covers
Specific activities such as teaching, volunteering, a part-time job, learning a language or helping family, and how they built skills or understanding of people and governance. Avoid saying only studying or appearing defensive.
- Serving officer
You are already serving in the Indian Revenue Service. Why do you want to change services, and what would you lose?
What a strong answer covers
Respectful view of the current service, a genuine reason for preferring another such as field work, with clarity about what will be lost, such as seniority and specialised expertise. Avoid disparaging the current service or citing only perks.
- Plan B
Suppose the final list does not carry your name this year. What is your Plan B, stated honestly?
What a strong answer covers
A realistic, dignified Plan B such as a profession, teaching, state services or further study, showing no bitterness and indicating a fulfilling life outside the civil services. Avoid saying there is no Plan B or appearing desperate.
- Current affairs
As a repeater, you are expected to know current affairs well. Discuss the debate on One Nation One Election, presenting the main arguments on both sides.
What a strong answer covers
Arguments for: cost, governance continuity, voter fatigue. Against: federalism concerns, constitutional amendments needed, accountability and local issues being overshadowed. Concludes with a balanced view and emphasis on consensus. Avoid taking a partisan position or misrepresenting the constitutional process.
- Ethics
As an SP, you learn that one of your best-performing station house officers has been extracting money from small traders. What will you do?
What a strong answer covers
Verifies facts discreetly, orders an inquiry, takes disciplinary and legal action if confirmed, protects complainants, and addresses systemic issues that enable it. Performance does not excuse corruption. Avoid ignoring it, warning him quietly or acting without evidence.
- Motivation
How has your view of the civil services changed over these years of preparation? Are you more or less idealistic now?
What a strong answer covers
A thoughtful, honest answer showing a more realistic understanding of constraints such as politics, procedure and capacity, while keeping the core motivation intact, with examples from reading, volunteering or conversations with serving officers. Avoid cynicism about the services or naive idealism.
- Composure
The board may argue that repeated attempts show an inability to move on. How would you respond?
What a strong answer covers
A calm reply that presents persistence as commitment, backed by evidence of growth, a balanced life and real readiness to accept either outcome. Concede what is fair in the criticism. Avoid getting defensive, emotional or arguing with the member who made the remark.
- Intellectual growth
Pick one Mains answer topic you now see differently than you did in your first attempt, and explain how your thinking has evolved.
What a strong answer covers
A specific topic such as federalism or welfare policy, the earlier view, new evidence or experiences that changed it, and the more nuanced view held now. Shows intellectual growth. Avoid vague claims of having matured with no specifics.
Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI UPSC CSE Repeater 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, IAS (Retd.)
ChairChairperson
Former Secretary to Government of India; UPSC-style board chairperson
Measured, senior, tests balance and composure.
Male voice · 2 languages
Smt. Vandana Krishnamurthy, IAS (Retd.)
External member
Former Chief Secretary of a state; served as District Collector in two districts; member on civil-services boards
Warm but exacting, field-rooted, allergic to slogans.
Female voice · 4 languages
Dr. Farhan Qureshi
Psychologist
Educational psychologist & inclusive-education expert
Calm, observant, empathetic.
Male voice · 3 languages
Prof. Arvind Deshpande
External member
Professor of economics and public policy; former member of a central finance commission's research team; external member on civil-services boards
Analytical, soft-spoken, probes reasoning and numbers.
Male voice · 4 languages
Languages
Answer in the language you think in
The panel asks in your chosen language. Switch mid-answer if you like.
- English
- हिंदीHindi
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
- Clarity of thought & balance25%
Structured, balanced views; distinguishes fact from opinion; sees more than one side of a policy question; avoids extreme or partisan positions; can hold a view under counter-argument without becoming rigid.
- Awareness & depth25%
Grasp of current affairs, home state, academic background and DAF entries, with genuine depth on follow-ups rather than headline recall.
- Integrity & situational judgement20%
Ethical reasoning, honesty under pressure, administrative practicality: knows the rules, the people and the sequence of actions in a district situation.
- Communication & composure20%
Concise expression, listening, poise when challenged, admits not knowing gracefully, does not bluff or ramble.
- Leadership & motivation for service10%
Genuine, specific motivation for public service; service-preference reasoning; evidence of initiative, teamwork and taking responsibility.
Pass mark 60 / 100 · Civil services personality test — UPSC-style board
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