BRACE UP FOR UPCOMING MPSC INTERVIEW TEST
The dream of becoming a Gazetted Officer through MPSC State Civil Services Examination is just a step away. The schedule of Personality Test of eligible candidates is declared and the interviews are being scheduled in upcoming one month at various centres in Maharashtra. Every aspirant is trying his level best to score the maximum in this final hurdle of the competitive examination to emerge as victorious in this race. The Personality test or Interview phase of this examination is not only the assessment of knowledge of the candidate but the assessment of overall personality of the candidate and his suitability for the desired appointment. In this article, we shall try to focus on an approach for preparation of Personality test in the civil services examination.
Assessment of ATMA in Personality Test :
The personality test is the final hurdle in journey towards dream career of every candidate. The various personality traits of the candidate are assessed through this Personality test and the focus of this test remains on testing ‘ATMA’ components of the personality of a candidate. The acronym ‘ATMA’ includes-
‘A’- Awareness, Alertness, Attitude, Aptitude of the candidate;
‘T’- Thought which is balanced, positive and constructive;
‘M’- Mentality of the candidate and
‘A’- Approach, Action, Agility and Aspiration of the candidate.
The preparation of Personality test for State Civil Services Examination should include mainly four areas namely, candidate’s personal details, current affairs, job details and body language, respectively. The civil services Personality test of a candidate may last for approximately twenty to forty minutes, during which he has to prove to the Interview panel about his/her suitability for the post under consideration. Usually, civil services Interview panel is cordial and provides suitable environment for the candidate to express himself on various issues. The Interview panel prefers to start the interaction with the candidate by asking questions related to his/her personal details including the information related to name, family background, native city, state, educational qualification, present and previous jobs, local issues, hobbies and so on. The candidate must prepare this‘known area’ of interview thoroughly, on which questions can be initiated by the Interview panel. The examination information sheet which the candidate has submitted while submitting the Mains examination application and Personality test form to the MPSC includes all the personal details which needs to be thoroughly prepared. Many times apart from the educational qualification related questions, the Interview panel also asks questions related to hobbies of the candidate. One must be thoroughly updated with the technical aspects as well as the latest trends of hobbies of the candidate. We are familiar with the trend amongst candidates about mentioning their hobbies like playing cricket, but I remember one of the UPSC aspirants who had mentioned his hobby as cricket umpiring. It had not only attracted the attention of interview panel but majority part of his interview was related to cricket umpiring. It is important to note here that the same candidate had stood second all over India in UPSC Civil services examination. Apart from preparation on personal details, the candidate should brush up his knowledge of graduation subjects as well as the optional subject in civil services examination. Any blunder in answering these basic questions may create a negative impression in the minds of interview panel.
Current Affairs & Body Language-
Another area of focus during preparation for MPSC Interview test is knowledge and analytical approach towards the current affairs. The candidate must be thorough and analytical while giving answers on these questions. Awareness about the various current events, its analysis, remedial measures for the prevailing problems of the nation within the constitutional limits would be appreciated by the interview panel. Third area of preparation for the civil services aspirants is the preparation related to body language and mannerisms. A civil servant must have an officer like quality including the gentleman officer like qualities, smartness, honesty, integrity and a presence of mind. These personality traits can be assessed by the panel, especially by the psychologist in the interview panel. The practice of self talk i.e. practicing in front of mirror and exposure to number of mock interviews can sharpen the qualities of a candidate needed for a good presentation during the Personality test.
MPSC interview is typical of testing the personality of the candidate as well as some traditional knowledge of the candidate related to MPSC mains syllabus. One should be not be surprised if few of the aspirants are being asked questions on factual knowledge or traditional aspects of MPSC examination preparation in addition to opinion based questions. So believe in yourself, be confident and enjoy the process of Personality Test before your final selection to the dream career appointment.
(The author of this article ,Lt Col (Dr) Satish Dhage, is an ex Army officer and has been qualified for IPS (Indian Police Services) through IPS LCE 2012. Presently, he is Director, MGM Institute of Competitive Exams Aurangabad. For any queries or feedback, he can be contacted on email id : drsatishdhage@gmail.com)