MentorAID Student Interview Transcript


Interview Date - 6th January 26/ Afternoon
Daf Keywords : Vipassana, Strength Training, Digital Governance, Reading Fiction , Tribal Development Department

Board : B.B. Swain (1st to go in the afternoon)
Started with a very jovial and light hearted discussion of naming mismatch of Maharashtra candidates.

Swain sir : You like English literature and fiction. Who is your favourite author?
Have you read his recent book?
What did you like in the books?

Member 1
You are from Mumbai. What is organised crime?
What are the different types of organised crime?
Have you heard about Jamtara?
How is whatever happening in Jamtara an organised crime?
How will you dismantle it?

Member 2
Worked in Ministry of Tribal Affairs.. What are the tribes found in Maharashtra?
Are Bhils found in Maharashtra?
In Nandurbar, are there Bhils found?
Why is their condition so bad?
What are the three most impactful legislations that you think that government bought for Tribals in India?
Have you heard about LARR ACT 2013?
What is it?

Member 3
What is Digital Governance?
What is Digital Divide?
What is Digital Justice?
What do you think in “reasonability”?
So instead of putting reasonability’s burden on a particular person.. can we just say it is adjustable according to the circumstances?

Member 4
What is Vipassana?
What is the difference between Vipassana and mindfulness meditation?
Tell me what do you think about our neighbouring country Bhutan?
Are you aware of the security apparatus there?
How do they manage their internal security?
China has settled its border disputes with many countries.. which two countries do you think have unsettled borders with China?
What was the Doklam Issue?

O20 :
Utkarsh Shukla sir MentorAID (went above his course deliverables)
Ganesh Shetty sir (Unique IAS Academy, Thane)
Ayush Sinha (ForumIAS)
Shubham Sir (Vidyapeeth IAS)
Farees Rehman Sir

Mocks Given
Quantel, CDAC(Thane), SIAC, Samkalp. Unique IAS Academy (Thane)

Interview Transcript
@KindaAlright

Interview Date - 6th January 26/ Afternoon
Daf Keywords : Vipassana, Strength Training, Digital Governance, Reading Fiction , Tribal Development Department

Board : B.B. Swain (1st to go in the afternoon)
Started with a very jovial and light hearted discussion of naming mismatch of Maharashtra candidates.

Swain sir : You like English literature and fiction. Who is your favourite author?
Have you read his recent book?
What did you like in the books?

Member 1
You are from Mumbai. What is organised crime?
What are the different types of organised crime?
Have you heard about Jamtara?
How is whatever happening in Jamtara an organised crime?
How will you dismantle it?

Member 2
Worked in Ministry of Tribal Affairs.. What are the tribes found in Maharashtra?
Are Bhils found in Maharashtra?
In Nandurbar, are there Bhils found?
Why is their condition so bad?
What are the three most impactful legislations that you think that government bought for Tribals in India?
Have you heard about LARR ACT 2013?
What is it?

Member 3
What is Digital Governance?
What is Digital Divide?
What is Digital Justice?
What do you think in “reasonability”?
So instead of putting reasonability’s burden on a particular person.. can we just say it is adjustable according to the circumstances?

Member 4
What is Vipassana?
What is the difference between Vipassana and mindfulness meditation?
Tell me what do you think about our neighbouring country Bhutan?
Are you aware of the security apparatus there?
How do they manage their internal security?
China has settled its border disputes with many countries.. which two countries do you think have unsettled borders with China?
What was the Doklam Issue?

O20 :
Utkarsh Shukla sir (MentorAid)(went above his course deliverables)
Ganesh Shetty sir (Unique IAS Academy, Thane)
Ayush Sinha (ForumIAS)
Shubham Sir (Vidyapeeth IAS)
Farees Rehman Sir

Mocks Given
Quantel, CDAC(Thane), SIAC, Samkalp. Unique IAS Academy (Thane)

Name: Bhavi
Board: BB Swain Sir
Keywords- Classical Music, Nagpur, Reading Novels, Geography Optional

Chairman - So, you read novels?
Have you read any Marathi novel?
Have you read any Marathi play?


M1- Monologue on Right to freedom of movement. Then asked if it is okay to make people wear helmets on two wheelers.
Why Geography Optional?

M2- Are Himalayas still a barrier for India(in terms of security)?
Space programs and reconnaissance exist, still geo matters?
Revenge of Geography, in terms of Indian border.
Which is more important- Land Border or Maritime?

M3 - Nagpur is famous for?
Orange cultivation in Nagpur?
Climatic and weather requirements.
Impact of erratic rainfall on yield?
Government initiatives to counter that?
Chandrapur is near Nagpur-it's speciality. (Mentioned high temperature and coal) Then he said about LWE.(Answered that it is close to Gadchiroli, etc.)
Assessment of Government effort to reduce LWE?
Causes of LWE? Any 4. (He then mentioned delayed justice as another cause)

M4 - Asked me which Raga is sung between 6-8am?
Asked me if I know the Aroh-Avroh(said that I do not have to sing it)
A great exponent of Hindustani Classical Music who expired recently? (I said I cannot recall, he said Pt. Bhimsen Joshi- he actually expired long back in 2011)
Why is he so famous?
Famous music personality from Nagpur?
Type of music of Vasantrao Deshpande?
Asked me which attempt is this.
Any technology change which has revolutionized intel gathering?
What do you know about Pegasus software?
Questions about my work.

Overall from DAF, with some tangents. Board was cordial(Chairperson asked only 2-3 questions in the beginning). Conversational board (in between my answers if they recalled something, they also interacted amongst themselves.)

Mocks/DAF Discussion-

Pre DAF- Mahesh Bhagwat Sir, Dipak Sir and many seniors

One on one- Mahesh Bhagwat Sir, Vinay Sir Insights, Satyam Sir Understand UPSC

Panel mocks- Maharashtra Sadan, Chanakya Mandal, PW(One online, one offline), Shankar IAS(Online)

UPDATED HCS syllabus

Name - Osho
Date 7 January
Board -Hon. Sheel Vardhan sir
DAFKeywords - singing Maharashtra psir disaster management
Chairman sir - So your hobby is singing, who is your favorite singer?
Old songs are better , why not new ?
Do u think technology is the reason?
What is an influencer ?
Is it a job ?
If I criticise a brand without any data facts , should I be liable for that ?
Where is my freedom of expression?
What if the same is done by an AI humanoid? Who will be held responsible?
M1- why are there many disasters in uttrakhand?
If you are an SP how will you respond to the disaster?
How to care for mental health post a disaster event ?
M2
What is cyber crime? What is cyber security?
How to prevent cyber crimes ?
Can you locate an individual using cell tower ?
M3
Where was kishore kumar born ?
What was the name of his wife ?
Any idea about weather warfare?
M4
What is nagpur famous about except oranges ?
Who was the founder of RSS ?
What are they celebrating recently?
Name the CAPF forces ?
Name the seven sisters state with their capitals ?
What is a separate vidarbha movement?
Chairman - your interview is over , you can leave.

Name: AG
Date: 7th Jan Afternoon session
Board:  sujata Chaturvedi mam
Keywords- Karnataka,belagavi, electronics and communication engg, Police dept (9 years ), kannada literature, cybercrime, ERSS, badminton

Chairman - read my DAF highlighting keywords ...
Why India is super power in software industry ?
Sub questions followed on that.. conversation


M1- cybercrime call centres? how  they are trained? Famous districts for cyber crime in India? Sub questions  followed on my answers, scam compounds, What is modus operandi in cyber crime?  What is dead drop in communication?( I didn't answer)


M2- ODOp of your district?how it is prepared? Constituents of that product? How sugarcane price is determined? What is extradition treaty? Recent exchanges..
How do you exchange narco criminals?
How do you control narcotics in the border? Sub q n a

M3 - what is Interpol explain? Red notice?
Is wireless communication is still relevant in the mobile era justify (my job role), what are Nilgiris?(sir asked me in kannada )it's Uses?
it is used in afforestation ?
What is ethical hacking?
Which type of communication is used in bandipur national park?( I think this is the key question sir wanted to check my basics..got it right with explanation)

M4 -  what is happiness according to you? When you feel happy? give examples ..(expected qn based on my name)
One biggest challenge you faced in your work n how do you overcome it ( expected qn)
Follow up and on hapiness...
Difference between free bees n welfare programs? Openion on recent Bihar election free bee scheme
Questions about my work.

Overall from DAF with applied qns. Board was very cordial.

Mocks/DAF Discussion-
Panel mocks-  samkalp,vision ias (2) n vision online sessions, PW(O2O, one offline), osn academy few sessions (very helpful for situational/hypothetical qns, Shankar IAS(Online classes), daf discussion at insights ,jice n by recent year toppers

*NAME*: DAREDEVIL
7TH JANUARY
*BOARD*: DINESH DASA BOARD
FORENOON (1ST PERSON TO GO)

*KEYWORDS*: Assistant commissioner of commercial tax, Public Works department, Tamil Nadu, Visually challenged, Chess, Adaptive cricket, MA English Literature, Sociology optional, Proficiency award, ULLAS scholarship

*CHAIRPERSON*:
1. Kindly introduce yourself
2. Is this your 1st interview?
3. Why so many chess grandmasters from Tamil Nadu?
4. What is the GST collection of Tamil Nadu for December 2025?
5. What is the GSDP of Tamil Nadu?
6. What is the economic target of Tamil Nadu?
7. How is state government planning to achieve this target?
8. how is commercial tax department contributing to it?
9. How many goods were shifted in GST 2.0?
10. Should social change come from society or legislation? (related to Sabarimala issue)

*MEMBER 1:*
  1. You have received proficiency award. What is it for?
2. What is this ULLAS scholarship?
3. What is adaptive cricket?

*MEMBER 2:*
1. Did you face any discrimination in your work? And how did you tackle it?
2. What are the qualities you give importance to as an administrator?
3. Why sociology as an optional?

*MEMBER 3:*
1. Do you view chess just as a board game or beyond?
2. Should chess be made mandatory for civil servants?
3. Who is your favourite author? (I said Shakespeare)
4. Why Shakespeare? Because of popularity or you had it in your curriculum?
5. Which is more tragedy? King lear or hamlet?
6. To be or not be. (From hamlet) What does it signify to you?
7. Does it signify only indecisiveness or also moral dilemma?

*MEMBER 4:*
1. What have been your key learnings working in public works department?
2. Why bridges are falling these days? How to address it?
3. Situation based- You are an administrator, you are being approached with a project proposal exceeding the actual cost of the project and there is time pressure to complete this project. What would you do?
4. How do you promote reading habit among youth?

Some questions I could not recollect.

*Mock interviews:* Naan Mudhalvan, Manidhaneyam, Samkalp, Keystone IAS, Vajirao & reddy, OnlyIAS, Cracking IAS
*One on One: *Jawahar sir (former IAS), Mahesh Bhagwant sir (IPS), OnlyIAS, Ravi Kapoor sir (former IRS)

Name: ross
Date of interview : 7 january
Board : BB SWAIN Sir

DAF Keywords : swachh bharat mission, football, gujarat, commerce graduate ,sociology,reflective journaling .

Chairman :
Challenges guj faces in sociological matters
Way forward how to improve .

M1
What is reflective journaling
And same of sports in india
India venezuela
India football
Why sports have lacked
Way forward

M2
Sociological analysis of society
Differentiate between Society vs community
Hand cuffs during arrests should we use ?

M3
Why gujarati use so much sweet in their food chairman interrupted ,that is not the case ....
What dishes u cook
Assume that you are my CA , Inflate my balance sheet to show that my profits are high to attract investment
Graduation in 2021, what were u doing since then .
IT act 2025 amedments
New tax regime
Chairman interrupted

M4
Sbm is it a success ?
Infra dev in sbm
What will u do if u are made a dm ? will SBM be your priority ?
Football womens team captain
Guj players in football team.

Chairman said thank you your interview is over.
4 5 more questions from members which im not able to recall right now

One to one :
Mentor aid : Utkarsh shukla sir ( helped a lot in framing answer and putting a way forward and articulation )
Shubham aggrawal sir vidhyapeeth ias : boosted my confidence and also helped in presenting a balanced view and opinions in better manner
Daf dissection with IPS Mahesh bhagwat sir was very helpful , covered all the areas

Mocks given :
Samkalp , vajiroa and reddy , vision , forum , next ias

Name : Bajranbali ka bhakt
Date : 07/01/2026
DAF: one project on vegetable other nothing
Afternoon session.
Board : Hon' suman sharma ma'am

Greetings and all

Chair:
Is health state list or concurrent list? I said not 100% sure but it is state list.
Then she said concurrent list. I agreed with her.
Should we bring in state list?
I said yes..said positive and negative.
Then should india cut it ties from global world!? I said no ..oil and all dependent. Then 2-3 points.
What about the bilateral treaties, why reducing and fta? The question was difficult to understand. Said sorry.


M1:
Vegetable supply does india export? Which countries?
Then some country giving honeybees right. Then 1-2 question on that.
Giving incentive to companies.

M2:
Should build dams in Himalayas? It is damage to environment etc.
1-2 ques i could not remember.

M3:
Excellences vs equity? How to manage.
5 criteria to keep for policy making.
Geriatric care precautions.

M4:(lady)
Offshoer and onshore . Wasn't clear I started about wind production. Then said no.
Asked about gift city(as from Gujarat), I answered. Then I mentioned offshore transaction. Then she said that's what I was talking.
As SP what precautions for child from gaming violence and all.

Chair: thank you.!

Board was cordial. No grilling. Just issue was random question and random topics.
Ma'am was smiling throughout interview and acknowledging some points.
Other 4 were not smiling.

Mock: CMP(best), Sankalp (2nd best) , pw(worst), unacademy (average).
Utility of mocks : confidence, speaking practice baki ek bhi question repeat nahi hoga.

Advice: Go with open minded, keep confidence. Be positive. Baki bhagwan sambhal lenge.

Alll the best..!!

PT SCORE -175

Name: Rimuru Tempest
Optional: Zoology
DAF:
Hobbies: Watching Air Crash Investigation, listening to happiness psychology podcasts, reading English fiction (children’s classics)
Place: Pune, Maharashtra
Date: 07/01/2026
Session: Forenoon
Order: Last candidate
Chairperson: Sanjay Verma Sir
Chairperson
1. You read children’s classics? Is there a child inside you? (asked with a smile)
Answer: I smiled and said yes, sir.
2. Which Indian English authors do you like, except Ruskin Bond?
Answer: Sir, I primarily read Western authors, and among Indian authors I have only read Ruskin Bond.
Sir raised his eyebrows and asked:
3. Is this honesty or confidence?
Answer: Sir, honesty.
4. Okay, tell me about Ruskin Bond.
5. Name contemporary English authors.
Answer: I named Kelly Barnhill, Ross Welford, I said that Roald Dahl is my favourite.
6. What will you suggest to promote children’s classics in schools?
Answer: I said teachers must encourage students,the primary reason my hobby developed was that my teacher was good.
7. Name three traits of public speaking.
Answer: Clarity, Confidence, Composure.
8. If someone is giving a public speech, what three tips will you give?
Answer: Breathing, cold water face dip, and paced walk.
9. Who is the best and the worst public speaker in India?
Answer: For best, I said Shashi Tharoor. For worst, I said I cannot point to any specific person.
10. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Name one.
11. Who is the best public speaker in Marathi?
Answer: I said my father.
They all laughed and smiled.
They said they understand, but asked me to name someone else.
I thought carefully and said Shripal Sabnis, former Chairperson of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan.
Member 1
1. Why did you spend so much time preparing for the civil services? How have you contributed to this country in these youthful years?
Answer: I said that I am pursuing my goal with all my effort, and by being on the right path and not straying, that is how I am contributing.
2. What are your career goals?
Answer: I said I wish to work in the field of education.
3. Why?
Answer: Education is a very potent tool for socio-economic upliftment.
4. Then why didn’t you choose teaching?
Answer: Sir, here I can work at a larger scale.
5. Tell me your views about SIR.
Answer: Gave a balanced answer.
Member 2 (Female)
1. Why do you enjoy watching air crash investigations?
Answer: I said it is intellectually stimulating, and the remedies applied after each crash are wonderful to watch.
2. Why not train crashes?
Answer: I said no other industry conducts research as intensive as the airline industry. Also, they publish videos on YouTube, whereas such material is not available for trains.
3. What is demographic dividend?
4. Compare the demographic dividend of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
I did not understand and asked again. Ma’am clarified that she wanted to know about TFR.
5. Are you aware of these technical aspects?
Answer: I said yes.
I explained that the TFR of Uttar Pradesh is above the replacement level, so more people are in the working-age group. For Maharashtra and Kerala, TFR is below the replacement level, so the number of dependents is on the rise.
6. What should be the solution? What should these states do?
Answer: I said gainful employment and health education.
7. Ma’am wanted another answer.
They were all pushing me towards the ananswer and giving me hints but I did not understand.
Then they themselves told me that the answer was migration.
Member 3
1. Do you know the fertility rate required to maintain a stable population?
Answer: Yes sir, it is 2.1.
2. What is essential for demographic dividend to actually become a dividend? What is needed? Give one example from our neighbours about what happens when it is absent.
Answer: I said gainful employment, health, and education to improve the quality of the workforce.

I said it is absent in Afghanistan (I deliberately avoided Pakistan as I did not have knowledge about its demographic dividend). I said that due to constant instability, Afghanistan was never able to utilise the potential of its youth.
3. What about Pakistan?
Answer: I said I do not know about their demographic situation.
He said that due to the decline of educational institutions, youth become jihadists there.
Member 4
1. Recently a prominent person from Pune passed away. Do you know who?
Answer: Yes sir, former MP Suresh Kalmadi.
2. He was associated with some scam.
Answer: 2010 Commonwealth Games scam.
3. Many scams happened in 2010, but no major convictions have happened. What do you think is the reason?
Answer: I said delayed trials.
Sir did not look happy.
He said: Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Speak confidently.
I then said political influence over the judiciary.
4. If you are the District Magistrate of Pune, how will you apply Chanakya Niti to collect intelligence?
Answer: I said sir, I do not remember specific Chanakya Nitis.
He smiled and said it’s okay and asked me to tell about intelligence.
I said I would take the police into confidence and involve the local people.
5. If you are supposed to create a new town and are given no funds, what will you do?
Answer: I said for funds—CSR and NGOs.
He said no, that was not the answer.
He asked what one does when forming a town.
I said demarcate boundaries.
Then he explained.
I said sorry sir, I misunderstood the question.
He smiled and said okay.
Chairperson interrupted and said your interview is over. Thank you.
I stood up and thanked everyone.
Ma’am and other members smiled.
Tip: Prepare why and how questions.
Mock interviews: No mock compares to the actual interview. It is a very different experience. Use mocks only to improve basic things like posture, speaking, and eye contact. Do not worry about the questions asked in mocks.
PW Only IAS, Vajirao, and CMP (Dharmadhikari Sir) gave proper reviews. Vajirao boosted my confidence.Most importantly - a private telegram group I was part of helped me a lot, thank you all for the help.
All the best.

Name : Hulk
Board : sanjay verma sir
Date : 07/01/2026
Keywords: Dentist, Gujarat, Gym, Sports Authority of India,
Kant (DAF)

Chairman sir
1. Greeted me in Gujarati
2. Started with the quote on oral cavity
3. Three health myths and reality about those myths
4. Class,caste and gender bias in gym
5. Is ther any bias of caste in trainers community ?
6. 2 things that has brought joy in last 24 hours ( don't give common answer that this interview)

M1
1. Philosophy of kant (DAF). Had some discussion .
2.What will you do to bring long term change in behavioural ethics of your organisation ?
3. Some questions on health which I am not able to remember
4. What are the future technologies you see that will have major impacts
5. What do you understand by spiritual health?
6. How do you achieve it ?

M2.
1. Other writers of Gujarati literature (optional)
2. Kavi narmad and zaverchand meghani's famous sayings
3. What is national security
4. Some other aspects of national security apart from sovereignty and peace
5. You have worked as a dentist, liberty and now SAI..how do you justify this transition


M3.
Long discussion on USA attacks , Greenland and economic security of nation answers and counters

Another discussion on critical minerals

M4.
1. Why SAI
2. If you are happy why civil services
3. How can you be better civil servant and a human being
4. Who was the idol before starting preparation
5. What have you done to counter myths that you talked earlier
6. How all other jobs that you have done can help you to become better administrator ?
7. Will you continue in SAI or you will look for other things is well ?
8. Do you think tobacco ads are bringing awareness or is it not worth enough ?
9. Check on high processing food and health

Very cordial board
Had some lighter moments
Overall good experience

Mocks : O2O with satyam jain sir (understand UPSC), Vishwajeet sir (edSaarthi)
Pannel : CMP , Next IAS, PW OnlyIAS

PT MARKS -200

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Team @csetranscripts

Name: BVNGR

Date: 7th jan afternoon

Key DAF Details: Gujarat, IIT Bombay, mechanical, powerlifting
(rest from CA or random)
Board: Suman sharma mam


Questions asked

Chair:
1) Tell me something about investor summits, MoUs in Vibrant gujarat vs actual realisation, waste of money? Shouldnt we stop organising them. Why other states not able to benefit.
2) India vs Pak foreign policy, whats the issue with pleasing another country if it benefits us
3) Rank priority for Pak: China vs USA vs Russia

M1
1) Sector wise impact of US tariff, is there a way around this
2) civil vs criminal law: diff in judicial procedure

M2
1) Why no IITs in Gujarat (despite IIT gandhinagar), why so many IITs? open more? Brand value?
2) why underperforming on rankings
3) what would you export to EU
4) gujarat semicon policy, isnt it leading in chip design
5) 4 pillars of quantum mission

M3
1) cough syrup deaths why, regulatory and executive gaps
2) Recent deaths due to water contamination in gujarat? What to do (Typhoid outbreak, gandhinagar)

M4
1) DL and bench numbers
2) put vs call (stock market)
3) Why poor research outcomes at IITB, 2 deeptech research initiatives at iitb
4) Low private investment in RnD india vs developed. Solution.

Chair:
Thank you, your interview is over

Very cordial, more like a conversation (not adversarial like mock interviews), might say factually incorrect things to test you (You’re supposed to defend your stance without pointing out their mistakes and while maintaining humility)

PT MARKS -190

Interview date:-07/01/2026 Forenoon
DAF Keywords:- Cricket, MBBS/Public, COVID health,Chess,Thane

Board: Sanjay Verma sir (5th to go)
1.)Do you know about Inspector Zende
2.) Similarity between modern cricket and Indian epics
3.)How do you imagine a General practitioner's clinic in 2047
Follow up on whether AI will play a role
4) Many doctor turn to Civil services,is it something that we should be worried about
5) Tell me a song with a female singer, female lyricist,female composer, and movie also directed by female

Member 1
1)How has Vipassana helped you
2) Ports in Mumbai
3) Difference between 2 Ports of Mumbai
4) how was your experience during Covid as frontline worker

Member 2
1) Important development projects in Thane
2) Famous personality of Thane
3) Do you read books
4) What are your thoughts for Fit India, what will you do if you are to design policy

Member 3
1)How do you stay fit
2) Is Gym enough for fit India campaign
3) What will you do for mental health of students
4)Why suicides in Kota? Why only few commit suicide
5)Can you relate mental health and sports

Member 4(Lady)

1)what are ultra processed foods
2)UPF selling near school, what can be done
3)also a livelihood issue, how will you balance both
4) is Australia banning social media a right step?
5) How to prevent the misuse of social media especially in children/teenagers

Chairman
Choose one:- will you allow age 0-50 yr old to eat anything and strict diet after 50yrs
Or impose stricter diet on 0-50 yrs old

Your interview is over
Time :- 30 min

Mocks:- Unique academy (thane), CDIAC, SIAC, JPEC(online), Forum , Next IAS,Vision Faculty, CMP,MH sadan
O2O :- Mahesh Bhagwat sir,Vivek sir, Saarthi- Saloni ma'am

PTMarks -171
AIR 788

Key word: mbbs, football, hiphop dance, scholarship, medical science optional.
Recreational fishing, fitness, (only 3-4 questions on my background.)

Date 5/01/26
1st to go in forenoon on first day of 2nd phase. My luck

Chairman: Sujata Chaturvedi Ma’am.

1. How are you?
2. After reading out my DAF, name, graduation, work experience.
3. What is ** in your name.
4. You have appeared for interview previously?
5. Did you get chance to read news today?
6. What did you read yesterday? I said USA had taken military operations against Venezuela and kidnap their president
7. why USA attacked Venezuela?
8. What is the bigger context of this operation?
9. Can you identity the picture on the wall?
10. Tell me about the picture.
11. What is VB G RAM G? Tell me the new provisions.
12. Tell me the full form of VB G RAM G.

1st Lady member.

1. What is nocebo?
2. What is SHANTI BILL?
3. What are the different components of Nuclear power plant.
4. What is the chemical composition of heavy water?
5. How many neutron does deuterium has?
6. What are the different classical dance festivals in India.

2nd male member.

1. What is the condition of Indian health system?
2. How to solve the issues you mentioned
3. Are you aware of what happen in Indore, the cleanest city in India.
4. What is the cause?
5. How can we manage such issues better?
6. Why does Manipur produce many talented women boxer?

3rd lady member.

1. Why does President Zelensky not sign the peace deal?
2. Are you aware of UK-France attacking Syria
3. What about USA attacking Syria. Chairman intervene to ask about national issues instead, too much IR.
4. What is your opinion on huge migration?
5. What about illegal migration and refugees issues. (Got remark good answer)
6. How can we manage the open border with Nepal?
7. If you are posted as the High Commissioner of India in Dhaka, what are the advices or suggestions you want to give to govt of India.
8. What is your opinion on sports(cricket) being pull in the Bangladesh minority tension.

4th Male member.

1. What is Siliguri corridor and where is it located.
2. Why is it important?
3. What is China doing with Arunachal Pradesh?
4. And what should India do about it?
5. How can we improve the economy of NORTHEAST.
6. Why is our food processing industries weak as compare to Bhutan though a small country has good food processing industries.

Chairman: Mr **** your Inteview is over.
Board members were looking at me with smiling face as I thanked them and took my leave.

Time: entered at 10:45 Am. 28 minutes.

My experience: the board were eagerly listening to me. 3/4 questions couldn’t answer, some well answered and some could have answer better reflecting now. Only about 3-4 questions from my DAF, all current affairs and general knowledge related.

Mock Experience. Good enough to learn how to handle pressure and what the board think about me, I became aware of my non verbal behaviour and communication skills.
Mock interviews were uncomfortable as I feel uneasy being video recorded. Felt so cringe listening to my own voice but had to endure that to review myself.

Gave panel mock of NEXT IAS, VAJIRAM and RAVI, PW ONLYIAS, VAJIRAO REDDY, and DRISTI IAS.
Wanted to storm off during the mock interview in VAJIRAM AND RAVI because put under extreme stress and pressure that couldn’t think to answer anymore even on topics I’ve studied. (Sweat dripping pressure)

O2O with Mridul Sir(chrome IAS), Vinay Sir (insightIAS), Saloni Ma’am (Saarthiias) Mohan Sir (IASBABA).

Name: Sippy CR7
Date: 08th Jan 2026
Board: Suman Sharma Ma’am
MORNING SESSION
DAF KEYWORDS: Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, IIT (only relevant)

Chairperson
1.1 You’re from Bhopal? I said yes. She said Beautiful City!
1.2 You worked for about 9 months after college. I said yes.
1.3 You’re a sports Enthusiast? Yes. I said yes.
1.4 Tell should betting in sports be legalised?
1.5 really there are analytics that happen now a days in sports as well.
1.6 GIFT city Gujrat. It has allowed alcohol but the rest of the state has banned it? Why difference ?
1.5 But businesses are in Surat as well. Diamond industry is there. Don’t you think this heterogeneity shouldn’t be there?
1.6 Okay. Venezuela is gone. What next?
1.7 Are we moving towards WW3?

M1 (Male)
2.1 UN is dead. Should we throw it away?
2.2 Should what kind of reforms you suggest?
2.3 Voting should be one country one vote or a weighted voting system?
2.4 I said demarcated voting. Then he said something which i couldn’t understand. Then he said about imperialism.
2.5 I said One country one vote for Imperialism prevention as well
2.6 This inter country migration. Is this a good thing or not?
2.7 what kind of burden does it create?
2.8 So if someone who’s staying in Mumbai for many generations is he more of a citizen then someone who came few years ago. I said no. They both have same rights and violence and resentment must not be there towards migrants and efforts should be made to arrest distress migration.

M2 (Male)
3.1 US last night passed a law that allows upto 500% tarrifs on India? How do we deal with it?
3.2 What are the problems that India is facing in creating products and R&D, Despite having so many IITs?
3.3 World War 3. Are we heading towards it? Chairperson intervened and told the member “Sir Mai pooch chuki hoo ye question”
3.4 Biotechnology. How can it be used to diversify meat products?
3.5 This is productivity enhancement. How to diversify?
3.6 What is A2 Cow Milk ?
Rest forgot

M3 (Male)
4.1 Tell me what do we need to do to become job suppliers rather than job seekers?
4.2 What are policies that Govt has taken for startups?
4.3 Nuclear. Energy. What are the issues in that?
4.4 Okay. Govt has taken many steps for Maritime economy. Tell me that?

M5 (Female)
5.1 Should India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh etc form a bloc together to tackle west? What have been the problems in doing that? What will you do If selected in Foreign Service
5.2 Yes i am aware of the issues. But how can we surpass these issues?
(I said trade entanglement)
5.3 Has any Leader in India followed this policy in past. I said PM Manmohan Singh.
5.4 Anyone before that who tried to do similar things. I said PM Nehru wrt China. She nodded.

Chair: Thank You. Your interview is over.

I thanked everyone and left.

Overall cordial environment. It felt like a conversation.

Mocks: Samkalp x 2, Vajirao and Reddy, PW onlyIAS, Jamia RCA, NirnayIAS (through Quantel), O2O with Dharmadhkiri sir CMP (must recommend), Utkarsh Shukla sir( great), Shubham Agarwal sir Vidyapeeth IAS (He gave that confidence that I needed by telling me that one line that worked like a Eureka moment for me: Highly recommend). DAF Analysis with Utkarsh Shukla sir (Great. Gives good time and Analysis) Himanshu Khatri sir ( Great in giving a different perspective), 2 from Quantel as well.

Regular discussions with Umesh Reddy Sir and all the peers. They really helped a lot. I looked forward to those discussions every evening. PT MARKS - 187

Name- Rahul
Board- shri B.B.Swain sir
Session- forenoon
DAF- MBBS, Pune, maharashtra, mindfulness meditation, Sudarshan kriya,self help books, anthropology.

Chairman sir-
1. how are you?( Fine sir )
2. Name some South Indian tribes state wise.( Sir irula, toda, kadar. Unable to recall them statewise sir)
3. Toda tribe belongs to which state? ( Unable to recall sir, can I take a guess - kerala. Sir said it's karnataka)
4. Tell me Abt kondareddy tribe( unable to recall sir. I will read Abt it)

M1:
1. Differentiate growth and development. ( mam first is quantitative and other is qualitative)
2. Any ex?( GDP growth vs development of social parameters)
3. Any concept that balances both?( Sustainable development mam)
4. How many?(17)
5. Are we progressing on it?( On Some we have done good progress like poverty , others we r improving)
6. What Abt gender inequality?( Female gender face discrimination rt from their birth to healthcare, edu and glass ceiling)
7. Case study on male junior in ur company facing sexual harrasment.what will u do?( Form internal complaints commitee, impliment it's recommendation, follow rule of law, create awareness)
8. Posh is female oriented what can be done( it needs to be made gender neutral)
M2:
1. What u learn from self help books( self-awareness, discipline, good habits)
2. Is India in a state of war? ( There is neighbourhood instability, threatening border security but not in a state of war yet. Op sindoor Sent strong msg that cross-border terrorism will be treated as an act of war)
3. What is defence budget( sry sir not aware. He answered)
4. Why govt reducing defence budget? ( Unable to recall....sir said take a guess...I said govt resources are limited and have to balance national security, social welfare schemes and infra development)
5. How many people taken out of poverty?( Sir presently poverty is around 3 percent)
6. But how many uplifted, govt comes out with this data frequently ( sry sir unable to recall)
M3:
1. Why many people are following Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Punjab?( Sry sir not aware . He answered)
2. Opinion on press freedom.( They have rt to freedom of speech and expression under constitution)
3. What Abt 27/11 issue then( if press freedom threatens national security then govt can restrict press freedom)
4. Press under corporate?( Yes sir it is influencing press independence and leading to spread of misinformation. Govt funded news channels and cross checking websites needed)
M4:
1. differentiate meditation and Sudarshan kriya( first is psychological and other physiological practice)
2. Disadvantages of meditation.( In some people it can aggravate anxiety and restlessness )
3. Benefits of both?( Meditation provides mental clarity , kriya enhances lung capacity and cardiovascular health)
4. Why civil services?( I asked if I can share my story....narrated how during my childhood DM of nanded implemented copy mukt abhiyan and  motivated me to pursue civil services)
5. How other sdg impact sdg 3( sdg 2 - nutrition, sdg 6- sanitation, sdg 11- sustainable cities)

Chairman sir: enquired members if they want to ask anything else. Thank you Rahul. All the best.

Experience: highly cordial and comforting board, Long monologues, I was unable to look at all members while answering, used terms like 'right sir' 'okay sir' while agreeing to some of their answers / monologues which could have been avoided. To 2 questions I asked if I can guess and to 1 question I asked member if she could repeat. Chairman sir appreciated few of my answers. Unable to answer 6-7 questions .Mostly opinion based and very few facts)

Mocks: 7 panel mocks( study IQ , vajirao and hamdard were good)
4 1 to 1 with Mahesh Bhagwat sir, Vivek Kulkarni sir, Shubham Agrawal sir and Dr. Atul dhakane sir( all were helpful), prerna batch of jyan prabodhini- pune helped a lot to work upon my personality. Vivek sir's soothing words boosted my confidence.

Name: Jyoti
Board: Lt Gen Raj Shukla sir
Date: 8-1-26
Slot: AN

Hobbies: historical cooking; yoga and meditation; talking to people from different countries and cultures
Leadership: vice president of english literature club in college
self employment: freelance content writer


Chairperson sir: on my free market debate prize
* what do you think is free market? (i mentioned competition and social upliftment)
* does it need regulation? (i said yes)
* do you think india's early mixed economy model was right (i said not fully right, the state had to intervene to resolve inequality)
* gave a monologue on indigo crisis
* what is a strategic sector?
* should there be monopoly in strategic sector
* whats the best feature of SHANTI bill (I mentioned about SMR)
* should gov monopolise SMR? who should run SMRs? who has technology for SMR (i said sorry sir i will read on that)

Madam: on english literature club leadership
* who are your favourite writers (i said daphne du maurrier and edgar allen poe)
* what works have you read by 'em (rebecca and tell tale heart)
* what have you learnt from people of different countries (we have more in common than there are differences)
* what countries' people have you spoken to (I said Togo, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria, Afghanistan)

Sir 1: because i had filled IFS 1st preference
* whats NATO
* article 5 of NATO (collective security)
* will NATO lose relevance (trump will fund it less but it will remain strategically important in eastern europe and atlantic)
* what did trump say about NATO (US is bearing burden)
* what happens if a NATO country attacks NATO country (Greenland situation)
* how is europe dealing with trump's behavior

Sir 2: on my freelance content writing work
* where did you work? (my ex school)
* what was your work? (english literature content writing for school students)
* oh, then you must be good with communication; how can a civil servant do better communication with people? (i mentioned emotional intelligence and hearing people more; learning their culture; e.g. durga, lakshmi, barqat analogies for beti bachao)
* your hobby is talking to people from different countries and cultures - how can it help you in IFS (built empathy, people to people ties)
* benefits of yoga

Sir 3: on my IGNOU degree
* whats the 1st open uni in India (i said sorry sir)
* take a guess - i said Nalanda, immediately realised its not open so i said im so sorry sir, its not an open uni; he said, its okay doesnt matter
* benefits of IGNOU degree; for remote people (i said 40 lakh certificates distributed, important for women and all people to learn flexibly; its affordable)
* minister said there should be one open uni per state; whats the progress on that (i said sorry sir, i will read on that)
* in hindi: aisa koi neta ho jo bol raha hai ki mujhe toh attack hi karna hai; toh phir hum kya karein (i said sir, such statements are transient, what matters is long term engagement and actions e.g. quad, military exercises and strategic engagement)
* so you think such statements are irrelevant? (i said, not irrelevant but we should continue backchannel engagement because one statement cannot undo decades of diplomacy)

Mocks given: 2 at Samkalp

Name - Ruuuuh
Date - 08/01/2026
Forenoon (1st to go)
Board - Sheel Vardhan Sir
DAF - Writing Letters/Infosys/Hindi Short Stories/Sociology/Bsc Physics(H)

Chairman -
Welcome to the conversation.
So you write letters. When was the last time you received a letter?
After I answered, he said - “I asked my daughter the same question too and she said the last letter I got was for you in 1998”(all started laughing)

Do you see any ideology in Premchand’s writings?
What is Chayyavaad?
Name the pillars of Chayyavaad.
What comes after Chaayaavad?
Have you read Aashadh ka ek din? What’s so special about it?

Member 1 (lady) -
Do you think you’re an empowered woman?
As a District Collector, if a woman comes to you with a complain of sexual harassment, what steps will you take ?

Member 2 -
What work does Infosys do?
What did you do in Infosys?
Do you think the demand for software employees from India is decreasing in the West?
How does AI impact this demand?

Member 3-
So you mentioned ‘Shatranj ke Khiladi’. What is that story about ?
What is doctrine of lapse? (Related to the above story)
Which states were annexed by this doctrine?
Do you know who Epstein is?
What did he do?
Who all are named in those files ?

Member 4 -
There’s a movie made on this story ‘shataranj ke Khiladi’. Do you know who the director is ?
(Chairman sir laughed and said “Arey ye toh bohot choti hai abhi, ye film toh hamare zamane ki hai” and all started laughing)
Have you read ‘Usne Kaha tha’? Who wrote it?
Why the prices of gold and silver increasing ?
(I told them about silver price increase but faltered a bit wrt gold prices, so member 3 helped me with it)

Chairman sir again-
Which new technology do youngsters talk about the most these days? (I said AI)
Young people are excited about AI but we older folks are anxious. Can you give a sociological reason for this?

Member 4 - (after my answer)
Youngsters are more intelligent these days that’s why they’re more adaptable. To which I replied that the wisdom and experience of older generation is much more valuable.
Sir said - “oh you made me happy” and all started laughing again.

Chairman Sir -
Your interview is over. It was nice talking with you.

Mocks -
1. Samkalp (helpful to build confidence)
2. ⁠Vajirao and Reddy (diverse set of questions, most critical)
3. ⁠Chanakya Mandal (Cordial board, instilled positivity)

O2O

Shubham Sir (Vidyapeeth) -
Most helpful to build confidence, super motivating, highly recommended.

Name: Venom1730
Date- 8th Jan Afternoon (1st to go)
Keywords: Creative upcycling, NITK Surathkal, Li-Fi tech, Anthropology, B. Tech ECE, Travel Vlog, Bangalore (rest not asked)

Chairman Sanjay Verma sir

1. How Air BnB is shaping our society, say it's sociological perspective. How is it changing indian society.

2. Compare Politicians of west vs India. Why do you think politicians of the west are so open and liberal.

3. How did music industry shaped by electronics? (I said EDM, Aucostics, etc) (Sanjay Verma sir added few things, I said thank you sir for the information)

Sir (M1)
1. What is creative upcycling? Give an example. (chairman interrupted and asked other examples)
2. What is Lifi tech? How is it secure?
3. Why Anthro after engineering?
4. Qualities of an Civil servant? I said 4-5 qualities. He said these qualities are also there in doctor, engineer professions. Why do you think dedication to public service is an imp quality for an civil servant.


Sir (M2)
1. Follow up on creative upcycling(he summarised it well, best from the waste)
2. Where are you from? You are hybrid being-Rajasthan, Karnataka. How come?
3. monolog on interstate water dispute between kar and TN. Apart from cauvery dispute, which other river do we see such disputes? Solutions for it. (In one of the points i had mentioned setting up of an expert independent body)Do india have any such independent body?
4. Why do delays happen in such dispute resolutions. Any technical reason for it?

Mam (M3)
1. You stayed in Bangalore. Say some issues of Bangalore.
2. What do you like about Karnataka?
3. What are the famous blockbuster from Karanataka(I said kantara and KGF)
4. Anthropological perspective of Kantara and what do others learn from the movie, follow up questions.

Sir (M4)
1. How do you see trump's diplomacy?
2. How should India react to it?
3. Is India tilting towards russia? Followup on it
4. What technology will we see in coming 10 years(he was intrested to know about it)

Chairman- thank you for your interview.

Time- 29 mins.


PT Marks- 150 (Sanjay Verma)