IAS Interview Strategy Series-III

FACING THE INTERVIEW BOARD

TOPPER SPEAKS: Rohit Dev Jha, IRS (IT), 2013

FACING THE INTERVIEW BOARD

TOPPER SPEAKS: Rohit Dev Jha, IRS (IT), 2013

 

My profle:

• BE(electrical and electronics) from MIT, Manipal;
• From Madhubani, Bihar;
• Working in TERI as Research Associate in renewable energy;
• First Attempt;
• Optional – Pub. Admin. & Maithili

Chairman of the Interview Board : Sri Vijay Singh
Marks obtained in Interview: 195

List of Questions:

Chairman

1. You have been associated with TERI. What have you done there?
2. What is this Smart Mini-Grid ?
3. Has it been deployed any where?
4. Does it has any utility ?
5. Is it financially viable ?
6. Any other place apart from TERI ?
7. Has it been deployed anywhere in the world other then TERI ?

Member 1

1. What type of organisation TERI is?
2. Have you heard about any document published in 1972 about sustainable development ? ( I couldn’t answer)
3. What is sustainable development ?
(A couple of other questions I am not remembering)

Member 2

1. You are from Madhubani, what is the most famous thing about it ?
2. What are the features of Madhubani painting ?
3. Is it earning any revenue ?
4. Is there any scope of further growth ?
5. Do you support toll collected foll roads ?
6. Who fixes the toll ?
7. What are the different forms of investment in projects ?
8. Do you think PPP is viable ?

Member 3

1. Why do you want to become IAS ( My answer was rhetorical ) ?
2. Similar answers are given in miss Universe competition, do you think they do anything what ever they say there ?
3. Does every Indian has access to banking facility ?
4. What government is doing for this ?
5. Have you heard about government inviting private people in banking sector ?
6. How it is going to bring financial inclusion ?

Member 4
(I couldn’t answer most of the questions)

1. To reach Manipal you must have traveled from Mangalore to Manipal; Five banks have been founded in this region, name them ( I could answer only two).
2. All the five banks are associated with one community, name them ( I could answer only one).
3. Apart from education TMA Pai, the founder of Manipal university has contributed in other ways, what are those ?
4. Dr Pai, initially returned back to his native, because he couldn’t find any earning in Manipal; Can you tell me what brought him back to build such a big institution?
5. Do you remember things you read as an electrical engineer ?
6. Which wave is used in TV signal transmission ( I said electromagnetic; he said be specific; I said, I am sorry, I don’t know; I added though I am an electrical and electronic engineer but electrical was my major) ?
7. (He continued) Have you heard about DSP?
8. What is this DSP?
9. Give example of amplitude modulation and frequency modulation ( I could only say about amplitude modulation being used in AM radia, FM radio didn’t strike me).
10. Have you heard about FM ?
11. What is frequency range of it ( usually it is 87.5 to 108 Mhz but i said 90 to 120 hz(later corrected it as Mhz)) ?
12. Why FM has such a small band width ( I said, I don’t know) ?

Chairman:

1. You often go to your village; what changes you find in Madhubani ?
2. Does only national highways have improved or even state highways?
3. You have seen Madhubani and Mangalore; What disparities you find between the two districts, do you think Madhubani can ever become as good as Managalore ?
4. What developments you would bring in your district ?

Focus of the interview:

• “There were 4-5 factual questions in around 50 questions I was asked in a time duration of 25 minutes which I couldn’t answer to the full satisfaction, apart from that, I think, i am satisfied.”
• “Most numbers of questions were asked about my job experience at TERI. In fact Chairman and first member asked me questions only about TERI, which was on the expected lines. A volley of questions about my Alma mater, that too of this level was perhaps not expected. Questions about electronics were simple but I couldn’t answer satisfactorily because I was not in touch with them.”

Area of Cross questioning:

• “There was very less cross questioning. They don’t like rhetorical answers, even in trivial questions even if you mean that. Questions like why civil services, why IAS etc. can always be cross questioned.”

Message for the future candidates appearing in interview:

• “I think I got bit perplexed when M4 started me asking some very unexpected questions. Though, I tried hard but I couldn’t hide my perplexity. I also intervened and said, that I am electrical engineer not an electronics engineer. Had i not committed this may be I would have got 5 more marks, but there is always a big question mark.”

“I would suggest following things are very important.

1. Every xyz in your biodata
2. Your previous job experience
3. Your Alma mater
4, Academy qualifications
5. Be conversant with current affairs
6, Never lose your patience”

Rohit Dev Jha, IR (IT), 2013

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