Mock vs Real Interview of UPSC

From my personal experience, understanding that mock and real interviews are not the same is the single most important lesson you can have while preparing for the interview.

 

Then, why do many recommend to do as many mock interviews as possible?

 

What will happen if I completely place my trust in mock interviews?

 

Such a distrust on mocks is it not misplaced? Is the failure to crack interview projected onto mocks?

 

Coaching institutes have seen so many aspirants, they could be better judge of character for personality test?

 

What then must be the to-do list for self interview preparation? 

 

The actual scenario:

I remember the day clearly, it was very early in the morning, Delhi's cold added to the shivering I had from inside.  I was accompanied by two of my friends in a cab to Dholpur house.

One of my friends who is currently an IAS started the conversation asking me a question as to how I would answer it. Frankly, I didn't knew the answer.  The other friend noticing my difficulty prompted him to stop asking questions at this hour.

You can imagine how pre-occupied my mind was about interview. How it might happen that my mind was blocking everything that was not going according to the plan.

I reached UPSC. Everyone was rather calm. When we went inside and sat for our turns. There were some anxious faces, some happy ones, some strolling to keep things together. I tried to close my eyes and relax.  The atmosphere was not overwhelming but that's the opposite of what I come to imagine it to be based on experiences from friends and by Institutes.

It was my turn, my heart was thumping. I was called inside, my chairman was Air Marshal.  He started rather comfortingly, asking me to give answers without getting anxious.  The dialogue had an opposite effect.  I misinterpreted his first question and my mind blocked.  From then on, it everything was going south as I was just answering without any emotion. It was more of one word answers than an effective conversation.

I came out with a feeling, knowing that it won't happen.  But then like everyone else I cajoled myself that may be subjectively it was good. The more I spoke about it to people the more I wanted to hide the truth and more I started believing that it would happen miraculously.

Coming back from jodhpur house.  I clearly remember one thing i.e. mock and real interview are not the same. 

Mocks focus on what you know and how you say it.  Real interviews do focus on them i.e. what and how but they also want to see how you handle the situation overall. Can you make a comeback after a blunder. Can you keep it more conversational. Can you think out of your wits and answer something honestly and genuinely.  Basically, it was about, can you apply your mind.  Is your mind open at that point of time.

The hype around interviews does exactly the opposite.  It kills your ability to think given a situation. Anything other than you thinking is just acting in front of panel. And they can see through it.  Even when you act, you should be able to choreograph it in more humbler and softer sense to give bad answers in a softer tone to be ig ored by panel while awarding marks.

So kill the hype, kill the amount of information you need to put inside, kill the amount of time spent on boasting your ego of cracking mains.  Then you will have lot of time to think through the questions they might ask you from your personal life and current happenings.

Use mocks as a resource to test your knowledge.  But be prepared yourself for personal questions. Better way would be to try to speak about yourself to people both known and unknown and keep them interested.

 

If you can keep anyone interested with your conversation then you are half way through in interview preparation.  Being honest is the other half of interview.