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)

Suman Sharma Ma’am board
Keywords : Dr. , J and K ( nothing else asked from DAF)
Date: 8/01/2026
Maam: You belong to Jand K , it is very cold there, you might be feeling well here. , then smiled
Ask India is know as pharmacy of the world? Why ?
I replied then she said to give other reasons, I couldn’t think of other reasons
Then ask a concept, I said I dont know then Maam explained it and then ask my view on it , it was about care economy about women n follow up
Then said Im asking you a very wierd question, smiled and then ask , if you were animal what would you be n follow up question on my rply.

M1: U are DC, and there is cloudburst, u just have one helicopter whom will you save first.
Give a monologue n then ask is our approach towards Pak n Bangladesh appropriate n follow up questions
( could not recall his other questions)
M2: If you have to improve MCI What would it be? ( now it has become NMC)
Then ask about vaishno mata university issue
Why we dont do hormones level in diabetes but we do in thyroid
Counter hormones of Insulin
Stucture of steriod ring ( on the basis of my answer)
Monologue on Autism and follow up questions.

M3 : what is one health approach?
Why we need it ?
( could not recall 1 more question)

M4: As we do in surgery, u remove the issue from body , what issue you will remove from India like that?
How can we protect himalayas from spoiling by tourists? Counter questions

Overall very cordial board
O20 : Shubham sir ( Vidhyapeeth) , Alchemy institute, one arranged by quantel , Saarthi Ias
Panel mock : Next Ias , samkalp ( both good) , keynote ias arranged by quantel, pw ( not good) CMP, vajirao n reddy

PT Marks: 195

Name: K
Date: 8th Jan forenoon
DAF keywords: MBBS, Mental Health, Forensic Medicine, Social taboos around menstruation, Best speaker award
Optional: Medical Science

Board: Sujata Chaturvedi mam

Chairperson:
1.Meaning of your name
2.You have lived in your city and moved to an entirely different one for college. What are 3 specific issues you faced as a woman ? Not general but based on your real experiences.
3.So what do you think is the issue with men in the society? (follow up from my previous answer)
4.What are some recent topics in news you’re aware of ? (answered Venezuela crisis)
5.What European powers colonised Latin America.
6.what are the languages spoken in Latin America

M1 (female):
1.What is India doing for its neighboring countries ?
2.Do we give any training to the people there ?
3.Are there any specific institutes we have built in these countries?
4.You’re are doctor, what is one recent declaration by who (answered pandemic treaty)
5.Main points of pandemic treaty
6.What do you think happened at Wuhan ?

M2 (male):
1.What is the projected growth rate for this year as released today ?
2.So, it’s better than last year. Why do you think so ?
3.What about our exports ? what is the value of exports in last quarter ? were they better than the previous quarter?
4.So, we didn’t get affected by Trump’s tariffs because we are doing better ? What are the reasons ?
5.Do you think mental health issues are more in youth or in general the whole population?
6.What can be some measures for the same ?
7.Recently there have been a trend of changing names. What is your opinion on this ?
8.Any recent example of name change from your state ?

M3 (female):
1.What are three qualities of best speaker ?
2.What if the people still don’t agree with you even if you talk rationally? (follow up)
3.What is the meaning of social taboos?
4.What are some social taboos apart from menstruation related ?

M4 (male):
1.IPC has been changed to BNS. What are some provisions related to forensic medicine in BNS ?
2.What are the forensic applications of DNA fingerprinting ?
3.What is CBRN warfare i.e. chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear ?
4.Any recent biological terror plot ? (answered ricin plot)
5.Details of ricin plot.

Time: 25 to 30 mins

Mocks: Next IAS, PW onlyIAS, Study IQ, Samkalp, HSC, Sarthi IAS, O2O with Satyam jain sir, O2O with Mahesh Bhagwat sir.

PT MARKS-186

Name: Bruno
Board: Sanjay Verma
Date: 8 Jan, Forenoon (2nd)

DAF: MBA, E-commerce, Dogs, Cooking, Private sector work experience


Chairperson
-How did you manage to keep your suit free of pet hair?
-Can an old dog learn new tricks?
-How would you train a cat?
-Does e-commerce truly democratise markets — for buyers or for sellers?
-Is food still considered ritually pure in contemporary India, especially after Independence?

Member 1
-What is organisational culture?
-How can organisational culture be changed?
-You are explaining theory — have you personally been involved in a culture change?
-If you are the head of an organisation, how would you curb corruption?
-How would you help a destitute person who is not covered under existing rules?

Member 2
-How did you develop an interest in animal/dog training?
-Isn’t dog training mainly for service purposes (e.g., assisting the disabled)?
-What are the pros and cons of lateral entry into the civil services?
-What factors do you consider while switching jobs?
-Why would someone take a lower-paying job at a later stage in their career?

Member 3
-What does having multiple job changes in a short span indicate?
-How would you assure the Commission that you would not leave public service later?
-What is your purpose in life at this stage?
-Discuss India’s energy security.
-What are green tariffs?
-How is green hydrogen produced, and what are its limitations?

Member 4
-Is marketing ethical?
-Is surrogate advertising ethical?
-Why not opt for lateral entry instead of the civil services?
-Do private companies follow government directives or ignore them?
-Should the government regulate businesses strictly or allow them to operate freely?
-What kind of guidelines should the government give to companies?
Is social media truly free?
-Is there an implicit cost to using social media platforms?
-Why is fast fashion dominant in e-commerce despite sustainability concerns?

Chairperson (Closing Question)
-If you were to propose a “New Delhi Consensus/Declaration”, what would it focus on?

Time - 29 min

Mocks - Many (Vajirao, Chanakya Mandal, Vision, Unacademy etc.)
O2O - None

Name: (ac_baali)

Date: 08/01/2026

Key DAF Details: Cycling, Kota, IIT, RBI, Cricket, CAPFs, SSB

Board: Sheel Vardhan Sir

First one to go in the afternoon session (1300 HRS)

I honestly had no time to think which board I’m going to get or what will be asked because as soon as we entered, within like 10 minutes after filling the forms and Documents check, I was immediately asked to get ready. So it felt like I entered the interview room directly from the main gate :)! (Even I had filled the TA form after the interview)

I entered the room, I wished good afternoon to the lady member and then to the chairman. (Good afternoon Ma’am! Good afternoon Sir!)

Questions asked:

Chairman: Please have a seat…
*Thank you sir!

Chairman: So you are Mahesh and you like cycling. That’s great. Tell me something how you did you find cycling as a hobby.

* Sir, it was coincidence since I started cycling as a strengthening exercise for my leg injury.

Chairman: So you go for city travels or long road journeys?

*Sir, I do city travels on regular basis but I have long road journeys as well.

Chairman: Tell me about any of the journeys you went on?

*Sir, the very first long road journey in the course of my recovery was from Jaipur to Jaisalmer, to and fro, that was a 1200kms journey which I completed in 12 days.

Chairman: That sounds like a real hobby. That’s good. What do you learn from the cycling?

*Sir, cycling for me is like a meditation that makes a healthy body, and a healthy mind. It teaches me endurance, and the motivates me to push my boundaries beyond a city towards others.


Chairman: Thank you Mahesh. (Asks lady member to ask the questions)

L1: You have mentioned that you went to Kota from Jaipur for studies. So why was this switch?

*Ma’am, I went to Kota to prepare for IIT-JEE.

L1: So you did your 12th from there only, so did you go to the school also?

*Yes Ma’am. I went to the school.

L1: Okay so there a lot many students commit suicide in Kota. Was the same culture there when you went there?

*Ma’am, Kota has been a hub for IIT and Medical entrance exams for so many years and the students suicides has been a sad reality there which has increased over the years now.

L1: Okay, so didn’t you feel that stress or peer pressure and how did you handle that?

* Ma’am, Honestly, I had no friends in Kota since I had my rented room very far from the coaching, which was about 8kms. And I would say that for me it was more of a competitive environment that time or May be I was not mature enough to think about the peer pressure or performance pressure.

L1: Okay, so let’s say you are made the collector of Kota so what would you do to stop student suicides?

*Ma’am, first of all I will encourage all the coaching institution for mandatory students counselling cells 24*7 with a mandatory parents counselling as well. Secondly, I’ll encourage buddy system in coaching institutes for early detection and reporting of stress. Also, I’ll simultaneously study the past suicide records and I’ll try to use data analytics to find out a pattern and hotspots of suicides, and then apply data driven targeted approach to prevent student suicides.

L1: Thank you. (Asked next member to ask questions)

M2: So you are working with the RBI, what is REPO rate?

* Sir, repo rate is the policy interest rate at which RBI lends to the banks/FIs, with the obligation to repurchase the securities which were used at the collateral.

M2: Okay, what is your role in RBI?

* Sir, I’m working in the Agencies Coordination Group which is one of the offsite decisions in the Department of Supervision where my role is to work as a bridge or a point of contact between the RBI and the law enforcement and law enforcement agencies like CBI, ED or state police.

M2: Tell me some example where you have to coordinate with the LEA.

*Sir, in case of a cyber fraud related complaint where the fraud involved multiple bank accounts maintained with multiple banks.

The money trail is received from the CFCFRMS module of NCRP under MHA and from there if the state police/ complaint forwards the list of involved bank accounts with the RBI, we make sure the mentioned bank accounts are checked for KYC/AML compliance and the required actions are taken as per the directions. Also, we are working on a draft SOP for banks in consultation with the MHA with respect to the cyber fraud cases after the recent Kerala High Court judgement and earlier Nagpur High Court bench regarding freezing of bank accounts by the banks.

M2: So you mentioned that KYC is done in the banks. Why is it necessary?

*Sir, there are multiple reasons for this. One is to ensure the lawful use of banking services by the lawful people.
Another one is that it helps in effectively supervising the bank accounts like Suspicious Transactions are reported if anything unusual happens or of they are being used mule accounts. For example, if in the current account opening if I’m showing my yearly income of about 5 lakh and suddenly I get 1 crore in my account. That generates an alert whether the account is being used for illegal activities or is it a genuine transaction. So customer profiling through KYC becomes a useful tool for safe banking.

M2: Okay so you mentioned about mule accounts. Why are they used?

*Sir, mule accounts acts as the rented bank accounts which are used for illegal transactions involving a fraud or a money laundering.

M2: Okay, so recently RBI is reducing its repo rate, why is it doing so and is it getting passed on to the customers?

*Sir, Repo rate acts as one of the quantitative tool in hand of the RBI for liquidity management. In the first half of FY2025-26, India recorded a growth rate of 8.0% and the inflation of about 3.3% was well within the targeted range that the MPC has set that is 4+_2%. So it was a prudent step to push for increasing liquidity in the market while supporting the growth perspective in this unique goldilocks period in India. Sadly, it’s not passed on to the customers immediately and proportionally . So it’s a challenge in transmission of policy rates to the customers.

M2: Why there is so less interest rate on the deposits?

*Sir, the there is no interest paid on the deposits in the current account but when it comes to the savings deposits, it is less because the savings deposits acts one of the source of liquidity for the banks and this spread which is the difference between interest rates on loans and deposits, acts as source of profit for the banks.

M2: (said thank you and looked convinced and asked other member to proceed)

M3: You were a part of IIT madras cricket team. So do you know any of the famous cricketers who got international fame and who is from IIT Madras.

*Sir, I’m not able to recall any such name who was part of IIT madras but players like Murali Vijay, R Ashwin have a great connection due to SANMAR cricket academy which manages IITM cricket ground.

M3: Okay, there was a famous cricketer, May be you don’t know him. Read about him when you go.

*Sure, sir. And thank you for this unknown insight.

M3: You also worked for Sashastra Seema Bal, do you know why it was raised?

*Sir, originally Special Services Bureau (SSB) was raised in December 1963 in the aftermath of Indo- China Conflict of 1962 as a civilian force aimed at inculcating the sense of nationalism among the border population and to train for defence in times of war.

M3: And are you aware of the person who was the person behind creating of SSB at that time and was also the first DGP of SSB.

*Sir, at this point I’m not able to recall the name sir.

M3: Okay, no issues. Tell me what are the forces for India’s maritime security.

*Sir, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Marine Police and the state Police.


M4: Is India coast guard a paramilitary force?

*Sir, ICG is not a paramilitary force and this comes under the control of Ministry of Defence.

M3: Okay. Thank you. (Asked last member to ask questions)

*Thank you sir.

M4: you mentioned that you used to stay 8 kms from your coaching in Kota. So how did you commute to coaching? Did you use the bicycle?

*Yes Sir, I used the bicycle to reach the coaching.

M4: So was it in Kota that you found Cycling as a hobby?

*No sir, I would say in Kota, using cycle was more of a necessity since rents were very high in the closer proximity of the coaching.

M4: Also, you left SSB and joined RBI. Was it because of your injury or there was any other reason?

*Sir, it was because of my injury.

M4: You also play cricket. So which format do you like the most?

*Sir, new formats of cricket are being popularised due to many involving commercialisation but personally I like Test Cricket because it is the real test of technique, endurance and mindset.

M4: Why test match gets over in 3 days these days but earlier it used to take 5 days.

*Sir, one of the reasons can be the common players who plays both the limited overs crickets and test cricket, so the muscle memory kicks in. But these days also we can see test matches ending on 5th day like today’s fifth Ashes Test between Aus and Eng.

M4: So what is Bazball cricket??

*Sir, Bazball cricket refers to the aggressive mindset in England Test Cricket where the batsmen try to score fast with a good run rate. This was popularised by the name of England cricket coach Brandon Bazz Maccullam.

M4: So was it the mind set of the players or the coach? Did Bazz played fast for England?

*Sir, this was because of the name of the coach, and Maccullam played for NewZealand.

M4: You mentioned that you are working with the RBI, what do you think RBI is to the commercial banks? A teacher, A Father or Police?

*Sir, I’ll say, RBI is more of like a Father to the commercial banks because it not only tells you how to grow and do things right, it also gives you the opportunity to rectify their mistakes. It also punishes the banks when any grave intentional mistake is committed. Like for a father, the success of banks is the success of the RBI. (He seemed quite impressed with the reasoning and felt like he went speechless, he said nothing for second before the chairman started asking questions again.

Chairman: So tell me something more about Indian border security forces.

*Sir, are you with respect to the CAPFs or overall border security?

Chairman: Tell me about the CAPFs.

*Sir, starting with the western borders, BSF is there on Indo- Pak borders, then There is ITBP on Indo-Tibetan border, SSB on Indo-Nepal and indo- Bhutan borders, then we have Assam Rifles in the north east India and Indo- Myanmar border and at last BSF again on the Indo- Bangladesh borders.

Chairman: So there is this FMR concept. Should India ban this totally and what is your stand?

*Sir, Free Movement Regime (FMR) is the stretch of about 16 kms on Indo- Myanmar border where the movement of the local communities was unrestricted. But in the current context of increasing security threats like Durg trafficking and safe heaven for the insurgents, it is is prudent step by the govt to decide for the total ban, and we have recently completed the fencing in Manipur on Myanmar border.
Sir, I believe that FMR is the necessity in present context but in the long run no border fencing can do what human intelligence can. So rather than complete closure, the regulated and strict movement can be implemented for indo- Myanmar border with the necessity of VISA/ passport to restrict any illegal action across the border.

Chairman: what is INner line permit system?

*Sir, ILPS is the system of restricted movement to certain places where isolated communities didn’t like to interact with the outsider population. So it was a differentiated approach for tribal populations.

Chairman: So do you think that has become irrelevant in the present context of increased social media penetration in the isolated locations.

Name : RS
 
Date : 06/01/2026
 
Key daf details : dogs, IIT, IRMS, strength training, sociology, AP
 
Board :sheelvardha sir
 
Mocks : did not get MOCKED anywhere. Do it according to your risk appetite
 
Overall : this is my 2nd interview in less than 11 months. Unlike the previous board, sheelvardhan sir board goes complete daf based. The chairman is quite interesting guy in terms of framing question. Be ready for shockers on the spot. They like unique answers is what I observed when a gave a odd answer to a casual question. The others went factual. Overall give your best with no expectations. I wish you all good luck!! :)) 
 
Sheel vardhan
1 Did you have dogs? What was its name? what breed was it ?
2 The more I think like a man the more I like dogs .. What do you understand ?
3 I had a conversation with a monkey, it said you humans are foolish to provide such shelter to dogs. What do you think?
4 Every dog has its day. What do you understand?
5 Is pakistan a fox ? How do you see their relation with america?
6 What would happen if malacca strait is closed?
7 Have you ever tried seeing the india map inverted? What will happen if india map becomes inverted?
 
Member 2
1 What are the major civil engineering infra challenges we face?
2 What steps is the govt taking to address these?
3 Types of PPP
4 Is PPP being used in social sector projects too?
 
Member 3
1 SC order on stray dogs. It gave 2 orders. What was it?
2 What is your favorite construction?
3 When will mumbai ahd railway corridor be completed ?
4 Who is funding it ?
5 How is railways handling with such heavy load running on tracks?
 
Member 4
1 Meaning of your name ?
2 Do you know the sports person we have on your name ?
3 Covering dogs with sweaters? Your opinion?
4 Which dog breed is the best?
5 Which breed would you recommend me for house purpose?
6 DO you think dogs take after their owner's personality?
7 In india we usually we import dogs, how are they accommodating themselves here ? Do you think that sweaters we make them wear here in delhi is actually required?
8 Have you heard of the malacca dilemma?
9 Who is facing it ?
10 What are the 2 ways in which china is trying to avoid malacaa dilemma ?
11 Who gave the term indo pacific?
12 Have you heard of istamus of kra ?
 
Member 5
1 Have you been to sri city ?
2 Have you been to srihari kota ?
3 After whose name was it named?
4 You said brihadeswara temple.. Do you know other temple that was destryoed?
5 Who invaded it ?
6 When was it repaired?
7 Contraversy after independence when somnath temple inaugration was being done?
8 Who was the president at that time?
9 Did he attend the inauguration
10 Have you been to any other place apart from andhra and TN. I said kerala, karntaka, HP. Where in himachal pradesh? Shimla. Do you know about the significance of shimla? (summer captial of british)

Name : Visionary Villager
Date : 07/01/26
Board : Sh. sheel Vardhan Singh Sir
Keyword : Water Bodies rejuvenation, Trekking, L&T , Manobal.

Chairperson :
Welcome to this conversation, he read my name and asked what did your friends call you ?
1. Who is known as water man of India? What is his contribution?
2. Traditional water bodies?
3. After indore tragedy what would be your suggestion to curb water pollution?
4. Whats your role as Counsellor?
5. Which questions students asked generally ?
6. How do you resolve their doubts?

M1 (Lady Member)
Carried forward this conversation and asked about total number of students?
1. Despite of working in industrial sector why did you move to social sector?
2. What are the challenges of higher education in India ?
3. Whats government is doing for this ?
4. Shiksha Adhisthan Bill
5. What would happen to Bodies like UGC ?
6. You provide only counselling to students what about their skilling?
7. Again asked on various types of Divyang students in Manobal
8. Technology for study.

M2
Conversation started with Manobal
1. Whats the funding mechanism for Manobal ?
2. What is CSR ? and it's details.
3. Then asked me about L&T and coal Gasification where I worked
4. What is the NMR award and why they gave to you ? ( mentioned in DAF)

M3.
1. Which is your memorable trek ? And why ? I told about Kalsubai and the wedding function of friend that we organised on top of Kalsubai.
2. They asked more details of wedding function and said I would like to see the photos, little bit laughter among them.
3. You are looking like an Army personal and from Ahmednagar so tell me about various millitary related establishments from Ahmednagar
4. What your neutral opinion on changing the name of any city?
5. What about Ahmednagar? Tell me what do you feel ?

M4.
Its good that you are working since 2009 and getting education from open university,
1. you have done M.A. in political science so tell me what is Democracy and Republic?
2. What is the difference between them ?
3. Can a non democratic country be a republic? Any Examples?
4. Have you heard about UNO ?
5. After USA-Venezuela crisis do you think it's a relevant body now ?
6. Why UNSC eeformsr?
7. Tell me the reasons why India should get UNSC membership?
Both M3 and M4 were involved in above conversation.

Chairperson
Nodded and said our conversation is over calling me with name that I told him in beginning.

Experience: very cordial, supportive board, continuous smile on their face.

A very big thanks to Shri Bhagwat Sir for guiding me since last few years in this journey, who thoroughly helped me while filling the DAF and giving me minute details about probable questions.

My gratitude towards Deepsthambh Foundation's Manobal and Shri Mahajan Master, Milind Patil Sir and Amol Lanke Sir.

Many thanks to Vidya Prabodhini and Rajkumar Patil Sir for all the support and encouragement.

Mocks given : HSC, OnlyIAS and Sankalp
Interview related sessions: Mahajan Master on Body Language.
O2O : Amol Lanke Sir, Saurabh Chinchole Sir and Prashant Sir ( Deepsthambh Foundation )

Sanjay Verma Sir's board...09/01/2026
Keyword - hindi literature, kite flying, rajasthan ( other se kuch nhi pucha)

After greetings..I stood near the chair 10-15 sec .
Then say ..aap khde kyu h baith jaiye

Major events of 2001... (9/11, Bhuj earthquake, and the Parliament attack, and in the 2001 census, India was second in terms of population.)

Being second in population is a bad thing, right?

( Demographic dividend so it can be a good thing)

You also took avatar on Earth in 2001, did you forget that? Do you believe that by being born on Earth, you have done a favor to the Earth? (Definitely sir.....everyone started laughing 😂🤣 relaxing environment)

Which Novel has highest selling in 2025...?(Said sorry)
And Tell me about the in Hindi novel ...
Do you fly kites? Are there any stories or poems about kites in Hindi? Tell me.

Some Hindi publishers..

Rajendra yadav ki kisi rachna ko recently translate kiya h ..uska shirshak pta h aapko .. ( sorry)
Does UPSC also ask questions out of syllabus?..
Hamne to syllabus acche se define kar rakha h ?

Do you know Amrita Pritam? ( Sorry sir, I can't recall at this moment)( Ma'am said this is out of syllabus question 😅)
Is she a scientist? 😂🤣
( Nhi sir , wo hindi ki sahityakar h jinhone women regarding writing ki h but m unki rachnaye dhyan nhi kar pa rha )


You fly kites, so during kite flying, why are deaths happening?
A child is flying a kite and using Chinese manja (kite string), and because of that, a vehicle driver's neck is cut. Who will be responsible? Long discussion that who will responsible

(I said ki sir Chinese manjha seller , then parents and administration)

And, the children are also at fault, will you take criminal action against the child?

Then, the vehicle driver who died also had children, why won't you take criminal action against ordinary children...?
Childern age related discussion?

M2 ma'am

Are the incidents against women in Rajasthan real or is it only a perception...?

Then I told her all the points,.. Then she asked me to explain...
Child marriage related question... deep discussion
How to prevent child marriage...?
Who will be responsible? The Sarpanch or whom? Give solutions...

Don't remember other questions but a good conversation, ma'am appreciated me somewhere..

M3...

In Rajasthan, we see many things, as you were just telling me, like Sati and Jauhar practices are prevalent. What are the reasons? Was this practice good? I mean, Sati was being forced upon women in many states...
At that time, besides johar could women have used any other method to assert their power...?
Whoes falut ...( I said ...Fight like laxmi bai )

(Counter by 4th member)Even if , they were captured, they could still be exploited.

(I said, If women had been trained and participated in the war, the chances of winning would have increased significantly)
Ma'am said very good 😅

M4
What is rajasthan police benevolent fund?
Case study where legal accountability is sought from those in power, and corrective measures are taken under preventive laws for the public. Should this model be implemented in Rajasthan?

What is the general public's perception of civil services? Why..( sath m ye bhi bola ki bookish or tarif nhi karna jo real h whi btana)
Can you name some civil servants in Rajasthan towards whom the public has a positive attitude, and some towards whom they have a negative attitude?

What are the shortcomings in the general public that you would like to improve?

M5
India-China relations: background, issues, some countermeasures, current status...
If border issues are resolved, can we have good relations?
Long distances...
Other questions I can't remember..



Overall good experience like conversation... Rather than mock interview ....


8,9 mocks
One2one with shubham sir ..( specially thanku sir )

Name : BKB
Board : Lt.General Raj Shukla Sir
Date : 6th Jan ( first to go )

Daf Keywords : IIT Madras, EPFO ,  Electrical Engineering, Communication engineering ( Mtech ), startup cofounder, village Library, Diary writing.

Chairman :

1. Where are you from ?
2. What are the reasons for poor AQI in Delhi ?
3. But those reasons are historical , why it's a problem now
4. If vehicular emissions are a problem , during Covid years why was the AQI poorer during  Covid lockdown compared to other years. Doesn't it burst the myth of blaming vehicular pollution
5. What's the relationship between cleanliness and AQI ?

Member 1 :

1. What are the issues with EPFO ?
2. Why does the beneficiary not receive it on time ?
3. All the issues can be addressed ? But why still it's not being done ?
4. How do you use your knowledge of communication engineering in forest conservation and degradation management
5. What are the challenges the tribals are facing in India ?
6. Development vs conservation where should the line be drawn ?

Member 2:

1. What is your innovative idea for startup ?
2. What are the challenges you faced and Indian startup ecosystem facing ?
3. If human resources is a challenge how to address it ?
4. Isn't employment a measure of skill ? There are 100 percent placements in colleges how can they get a job without skill
5. This is a perpetual cycle of lack of skills and education not able to provide skills. So what is the solution ?

Member 3:

1. What your initiative of village Library mentioned here ? Explain it
2. Why do you write diary ?
3. What did you learn about yourself ?
4. What are your strengths and weakness
5. Why did you not pursue your startup ? Why did you leave it ?

Member 4 :

1. What is LIFO and FIFO in accounting
2. Asked about some technical term in accounting ( said I don't know )
3. How do you ensure the credit sustainability of economy ?

Chairman : Your interview is over thank you !

Almost all the questions were on DAF except 1 or 2 questions.

Mocks given : 0

PT MARKS-195

Name : bts
Date: 9 jan forenoon
Board: BB Swain sir
DAF: korean drama, nit warangal chemical engineer, cg, worked as process engineer, sociology

Chairperson:
Which lang u want to give the interview ? - since my interview medium was hindi.

M1:
1) rank of my college? Why it is that rank? Which college produce more patent?
2) why people are watching k drama? Tell me comedy kdrama? Do u follow k fashion ?(i have mentioned about it in my previous ans)

M2:
1) tell me border issue between mp and cg? Issue about Balaghat st certificate.
2) why naxalism in cg and whats status of it? Why they are surrendering?
3) why bsp is recently in news?

M3:
1) what is the status of women in army? What was the case which permitted their entry? Why women are not hired by army? (Bcoz men don't want to take order frome female - he added on my ans)
2) op sindoor - why, when, how, impact? (I have talked about it in me prev ans)
3) can op sindoor stop terrorism in India? Since when pak using terror attack in India? What can India do to control the pak and terrorism? (He added Baloch in my ans)
4) did u face lang barrier in ur college?

M4: lady member
1) ye sir kya h ( sound like teacher not S. I. R., and everyone laughed).
2) mujhe matdata k voting rights k bare me btaye? voter does not know the candidate thery are voting, ur thought?
3) ur thought on UCC? Shaira bano case do u know? (But whole board got involved like tea party, talking about HAQ movie and all)
3) now tell me ucc and saira bano?

Chairperson: why this service? This is not a question, I just want to know.

My view: they were parallelly doing other task as well. They had Calm and curious personality. Outside staff member was also motivating us.


Mock interview: vajirav & reddy, unacademy, pw, drishti.

ALL THE BEST, I hope we all meet in masoory and share this experience personally :)

Name: xyz
Date: 7.01.2026
DAF: Sociology, ECE, working in Industries department (J&K) (nothing from hobby)

Board: Sujata mam
(Last one to go in the evening)

Chairperson:
How are you feeling? What were you thinking while sitting on the chair outside? I responded that I was just reflecting that this was the third time my interview was last (twice in state pcs). so I was smiling at the coincidence.
Which topic do you want us to have discussion on? I first chose US-Venezuela. She said its too boring. Then I chose Semiconductor and India’s progress. Discussion on this began.
Pax silica
Is India a late entrant into this field?
What is USA’s take on climate change? Discussion on this

Member-1
Explain working of touchscreen
Monologue on generation gap within families and intra-family tensions; Gen-Z, who teaches GenZ about being independent and autonomous; so should we ban social media
Role of mobile phones in families. What to do? Should we ban use of phones inside homes? Discussion followed

Member-2
Current tensions between Israel and Gaza; what is Oslo Accord and its status
What is the China-Taiwan issue?
What is the importance of Taiwan in technology sector?
Status of UN. Why not disband it and have a new organisation which better reflects current realities?

Member-3
Problems of Apple growers in Kashmir
Features of J&K Industrial Policy
Which industries have recently invested in J&K and what are the international investments?
Status of Lithium discovery in J&K

Member-4
We spend so much on defence. Dont you think we should focus more on health and education?
Dont you think we should not possess nuclear weapons? They are a threat to humanity?
Status of women empowerment in India. Is it really working? Give specific examples. What else should we do for women?

Chairperson:
Discussion continues on women empowerment. What is the status in J&K? Be specific. What have you observed ever since you have begun observing the society? Region wise: jammu, kashmir, Pir panjal? Are women entering STEM fields? How conservative and how liberal etc
Name one woman from your district who is popular and well-educated.
Alright, that brings us to the end of your interview.

Despite being the last one to go, they were in no haste. Very cordial.

Panel Mocks: Vajirao & Reddy; Samkalp, HSC, NEXT IAS.
The real interview felt like a mix of questions from all the above mocks.

PT MARKS -195

BOARD: Raj shukla sir
Date:05 january,afternoon
Daf keywords:iit,vizag, andhra,geography, grievance redressal,performing arts.

Chairman
1)current scenarios of iits are they of any value ? how was ur experience with ur professors?
2)long discussion on why iits arent able to produce advanced tech for india?
3)why people from iits are giving interviews for group d or even lower posts which they arent meant for?
Long story of sir’s visit to some conference in stanford and what he observed there…
Discussion about anusandhan research fund…
4)what should we do to bring iitians into high technology sectors rather than they making food delivery apps and earning which others or anyone else can do?

Member1
1)how do u analyse the bifurcation of states in light of andhra?
2)what are the five major problems of ur district and how u would solve them?(very lengthy answer)
Follow up why literacy rates are poor of ap ?

Member2
1)what are the advantages and disadvantages of geography of india and what are your solutions to it?
2)why different types of floods are occurring and how to tackle them?
Some discussion followed.

Member3
1)why is risk taking important?what was one of ur initiative as part of student body which was innovative and out of box?
2)whats ur opinion about women in administration?
3)why did u not choose a good paying job over civil services?
4)greivance redressal what could be done and what have u done?

Member4
1)why did u not choose to be a professor over civil servant?
2)details about your social awareness activities in college anything in regional language?

Chairman
All the best your interview is over.

Overall: my answers were very lengthy wrt some questions i felt i was the only person speaking continuously while the board listened patiently.

Mocks: o2o- shinas sir ilearn(constant guidance),sriram ias.
Panel mocks: macs society,vajirao,nextias(mudgal sir-confidence booster).

Name: Andrew Tate
Board: Suman Sharma ma'am
Date: 8th January
Slot: Afternoon

DAF keywords: IIT KANPUR, Cooking,Electrical engineering (Nothing else asked from DAF)



Chairperson:
1. You have done any job?( i said no and i added that I'm doing some freelance work for financial independency)
2.Discom related challenges.(I answered)
3. Why rooftop solar scheme is not picking up and what are the impact on these to Discoms.
( i mentioned some factors- ma'am asked is there anything else- I said I'm not able to recall: ma'am- no problem let's change the topic)
4. Khap panchayat: should we legalize them as they are doing some positive work now ( i said definetley not: she insisted me to change my stance: i said no with some reasons: ma'am smiled and said it's okay.)

M1(very old lady)
1. Should we make whole courty vegan (i said no - personal choice, nutrient security etc.)
2. Just like gambling, alcoholism etc.. we should also ban non-vegetarian ( i said ma'am it should be a personal choice.)
3. Can Govt do this ( yes but there should be some reasons under article 13,14,19 and 21 and other fundamental rights)
4. Why cycles are not gaining awareness in india compared to western countries.(i said lack of cycling infra and rising materialism)

M2: smart gentlemen

1. Earliest Niti ayog AI policy (me: I'm not aware about the exact details.
2. Will AI take many jobs.( Yes but in a short term basis: asked how: i said it's kind of creative destruction, only short term phenomena, longer vision require skilling, reskilling and upskilling)
3. Should india make it's AI inclusive ( i said yes with some reasons)
4. Should we open more IITs. Isn't it degarding the status of IITs ( I said definetley for localised research and should be complemented with universites, he said old IITs have earned this IIT status in 50 yrs, should it be given so easily to newer colleges: I said sir these new IITs will also achieve these kind of heights in next 30-40 years.)

M3:
1. Different type of soil pollution (i mentioned about batteries, and solid waste: sir told me about agricultural and deforestation also: i replied with reasons of these pollutions)
2. How should we tackle them effectively especially for small/marginal famrmers( i said cooperative farming and crop diversification and for deforestation i mentioned about miyawaki method)

M4 ( smart gentlemen)
1. Tell me some industries in which china is leading.( i said AI, semiconductor etc: he was smiling continuously)
2. Why china is leading.( i said lack of long term vision, China is now leading in 57/75 emerging tech only because of the vision and we are still not able to rise up from the petty issues etc)
3 what should we do. ( i mentioned some suggestion)
4. Why cloud seeding(IITK) in delhi failed. (I mentioned about lack of hygroscopic nuclei at the time of seeding: he asked me about the pilot project and its testing: i said I'm not aware about it sir.

Finally ma'am smiled and said okay XYZ your interview is over.

Overall:
1. I avoided giving too much diplomatic answer. In most of the questions i took my stand.
2. Board was very nice and cordial. They ask you a question and listens very carefully. Very different from mocks. Ma'am was writing something on her writing pad continuously.

Mocks: Shubham sir Vidyapeeth IAS( very good for confidence),
1. Samkalp, Forum IAS, Unacademy Quantel-2 mocks(all were very good)
2. KGS, ALS, Ekam ias, (decent)
3. Study IQ, Vajiram and ravi( both worst, just arguing with me constantly and try to negate me, they were not giving time to complete my answer)

O2O mock: PW- very good
InsightIAS- worst: they recorded my video but didn't gave it me.
Satyam Jain: good for confidence but questions were very childish:I mean jab le rahe mocks ho toh thoda serious hoke lo na yrr.

Last: 4 people peer discussion was helpful; a friend who scored 200+ in CAPF interview helped me a lot by daily discussion and also to balance my answers.

Advice for medical: Ear clean karwa lena pahle hi, don't eat anything in morning especially tea and all those things.

Name: XY Z

Date: 08-01-2026

Key DAF details: IIT Bombay, civil engineering, MP, anthropology, chess, cricket, Lashkar (Gwalior)

Board: BB Swain sir (1st to go) (25-28 mins)

Questions asked:

Chairman (listening to conversation carefully):
Q1) So, should we call you XY or Z?
Q2) You have graduated from, 'the' IIT Bombay. How was it?
Q3) I've asked this question multiple times but still would ask you again, why civil engineering is called civil engineering? What's so civil about it? (everyone laughed as I stated an extra fact regarding it which even the chairman didn't knew)

M1 (female, polity):
Q1) Nobody wants to die a slow death, but it is happening right infront of our eyes. Can we file a writ petition in the courts against this slow death due to climate change? (mentioned about right against adverse effects of climate change)
Q2) Which main fundamental right gets involve in such a petition?
Q3) Important steps to counter air pollution.

M2 (little bit poker face, but overall he was acknowledging the answers, international relations):
Q1) You play both chess and cricket, which one of them do you think is more strategic and requires more mental awareness?
Q2) Let's talk about Operation Sindoor.
Q3) What's so different about this mission as compared to earlier strikes? (mentioned about water and blood can't flow together, which led to follow-up question)
Q4) Discussion on PM's statement of 'any act of terror will be considered as an act of war against the terrorist org as well as the state sponsoring it'.
Q5) Consequences of pahalgam attack.
Q6) Present status of IWT. (mentioned about abeyance status)
Q7) Which rivers are given to Pakistan for its usage under IWT?
Q8) 3 levels of arbitration in IWT. (mentioned World Bank)
Q9) How World Bank got involved in bilateral relations of 2 nations?
Q10) India has put IWT in abeyance, can it also completely suspend the IWT unilaterally?
Q11) We have put IWT in abeyance, is it truly abeyance or just a symbolic action on our part? (stated that at present we don't have the dams to stop the flow of rivers)
Q12) How relations of upper riparian and lower riparian states are governed?
Q13) China is building a very big dam in Brahmaputra, what will be its effects on India?
Q14) If China can build such big dams, should we also build dams and stop Pakistan's entire lifeline?

M3 (mixed current affairs with static part of economics):
Q1) So, you were born in Lashkar (Gwalior), what is its significance?
Q2) Do you have interest in economics?
Q3) There has been an important stat released in relation to budget today about growth of India in this year. Could you tell its importance in making of budget? (about first advance estimates)
Q4) What does budget involves?
Q5) What should this year's budget focus upon?
Q6) How can we improve credit availability?
Q7) For a common middle class person, how can we raise the credit availability via fiscal policy?

M4 (very interested in both the discussions on civil engineering and anthropology):
Q1) What are the main developments and advancements in civil engineering in last half a decade? (mentioned smart concrete)
Q2) Discussion on smart concrete.
Q3) What is self-healing concrete?
Q4) You have taken anthropology as your optional, even after graduating from the best institute of India, IIT Bombay. Was it only for the UPSC mains examination, or did you also have a genuine interest in it?
Q5) Name some tribes of MP. (mentioned Sahariya tribe)
Q6) Where is Saharia tribe found geographically in MP.
Q7) Is it a PVTG or not?
Q8) What are the differences between PVTGs and STs?
Q9) Full form of PVTG.
Q10) What are the issues faced by tribes? (mentioned about mentality of tribes)
Q11) You have mentioned that the tribe itself don't want to send the children to school, what's the reason behind it?
Q12) How can we alter their thoughts in order to make them understand that school is better for them?

Chairman:
Q1) Do you want us to ask you something else? (replied with civil engineering, he said he don't have the expertise in civil engineering, then everyone laughed, later he asked other members to ask couple of more questions)

M4 (again):
Q13) What do you understand by green engineering?
Q14) What is GRIHA rating system?
Q15) Do you know its exact parameters on which it is built upon?

Overall experience: It was a different experience when compared to mocks that I gave. It was a back-and-forth conversation, building up new questions by the answers I gave. Everyone had a smiling or a 'not so' poker face, which allowed me to get more confidence.

Mocks (all 7 bureaucratic mocks): Vajiram & Ravi (far from real one, but helped in handling stressed situations), PW OnlyIAS (questions were okayish, but the environment was completely different from real one), Forum IAS (good bck-and-forth discussion), Vision IAS (most realistic scenario, current affairs oriented), Next IAS (good analytical questions for thinking deeply), Sriram IAS (expected questions, nothing extra), StudyIQ IAS (just 14 mins interview, it felt like they had no interest in interview, no question asked actually required any thinking)

Name - Naruto
Date - 8th jan
Board - sheelvardhan sir

DAF KEYWORDS: MBBS, anthropology,mental health,poetry,MP, Datia, regional science Congress

Medium - english
1st attempt

Good morning, baithiye
I said thank you sir

Chairman sir - so your hobby is hindi poetry then he started reciting few stanza and asked me who is the writer ? And in what context it was written?
2.why do you like poetry
And told that you can answer in whichever language you are comfortable
3.what is soft power and hard power
4.do you think soft power is effective in current global scenario.

M1 - how will you solve the problem of doctor shortage
2. Aayushman bharat scheme , gaps, and it's effectiveness

M2- what is telemedicine actually I mentioned the word in previous answers
2. Which phone you are using 4G or 5G
3. Arrange telecom operators rank wise
4. Why Jio is no 1
5. What you did in science Congress

M4- so you studied psychiatry tell me difference between psychosis and schizophrenia
2. Despite scientific advancement why scientific temperament is still lacking
3. Why people still trust on babas like ram rahim, what your honest opinion.
4.what is social health
5. Why mental health has not given adequate importance.

M4- whole discussion was in hindi
He himself recited one gazal and asked me who is the poet.
2.tell about poets from MP
3. Why it is said " Jhansi gale ki fansi, Datia gale ka har"
4.tell us about sonagiri temple and peetambra peeth.


Then again chairman sir asked
1. What steps would you take for mental health as health secretary
2. Bollywood movies on mental health.

Then asked me to ask something from them.
I said something
Then sir said thank you, you may go now.

Few more questions were there which I didn't remember.
Board was very cordial, it was a good experience.

Now hope for the best.🤞😊

Mocks: total 9 mocks.
Sankalp, next IAS, vajirao ,chankya mandal, study IQ, KGS.

O2O - only IAS, quintel.

All were helpful in improving articulation and presentation.

Name: M
Date: 8 jan, afternoon, last to go
Board: sujata mam
Keywords: phd in russian& central asian studies, JNU, sign language, global south, kumher, rajasthan
Chairperson: so you are a computer scientist and all expert in IR.
1. What is your PhD topic?
2. Why this topic? Why russia?
3. Many russians have blonde hair, blue eyes, look like western people. Why don't they consider themselves western?
4. What are their values?
5. What sources you are referring to for phd?
6. But they are western sources? How is it from russian perspective?
7. Do you know about 1st world, 2nd world?
8. Then what is 3rd world called now?
9. Why did we stop using the third world word? What exactly is global south?
M1: 1. which country is doing good in agriculture?
2. Why?
3. Any scheme for agriculture?
4. What is organic farming? Which organisation certifies that?
5. Something new happening on republic day. Are you aware of that?
6. What is Cryptocurrency?
7. Are all crypto Blockchain?
8. Usa came up with coin. Do you know?
M2: 1. Rajasthan is known for vibrant colours. Where are colours coming from for a saree?
2. Anything famous in kumher?
3. If somebody is about to get arrest what right do they have?
M3:
1. Jnu is known for politics? Why does politics happen there too much?
2. Have you participated in politics?
3. Why left wins in jnu?
4. Do you support left ideology?
5. Which ideology you belong to? ( Very weird question, I just kept smiling, chairperson intervened that she is only interested in civil services, then I added that yes to serve any government)
6. Japan is giving loans to India without interest. Why?
7. Earlier children used to listen to their parents. What about this generation? Do they?
M4: 1. What was your project (sign language btech project)
2. Will AI not solve ? ( When mentioned challenges)
3. How older generation and young generation read IR? Are they really interested? And how perspective is different? ( I answered, again chairperson asked russia or ukraine)
4. Will russia usa ever fight? As recently ship seized. What is your assessment?
5. Something related to impact on nato ( I don't remember)

Board was okay. I will not say much cordial, no grilling.
Mocks: sriram, next ias, sankalp, quantel
O2o: mahesh bhagwat sir ( daf analysis) , satyam sir, paras sir, vidyapeeth ias( shubham aggrawal sir)

Date - 6th January 2026.

Chairman
  1. When did you pick up journaling?
  2. What are the three aspects you learned from journaling?
  3. What podcasts do you listen to?
  4. Do you listen to Lex Fridman? - Mentioned a specific podcast episode on Amazon Forests
  5. Do you listen to Andrew Huberman? What are they about?
  6. Do you listen to Joe Rogan?
  7. Why is Smita Prakash's podcast so famous - reasons?
  8. The Beer biceps guy, why was he in the news recently?
M1
  1. Financial inclusion - impediments?
  2. Any gender based issues on financial inclusion?
  3. Geographical based concerns on financial inclusion?
  4. If you are DC, how will you aide in improving financial inclusion?
M2
  1. You studied in IIT and then did marketing in IIM, why did you not continue in your profile and switched careers?
  2. What marketing did you use in your job?
  3. Use of social media marketing in your job?
  4. What is SEO?
  5. How will you use technology in improving financial inclusion?
  6. What is PM WANI scheme?
  7. What are the workings of PM Wani scheme? What is PCO? PDO?
M3
  1. What is the future of Lawn Tennis?
  2. What kind of courts are there in LBSNAA?
  3. The future of lawn based courts?
  4. Did you learn any Odia?
  5. Have you been to Puri?
  6. Have you visited Jagannath temple?
  7. History of the temple?
  8. What are the 3 deities present in the temple?
M4
  1. So you are in IRS IT, what is the current Income tax as % of GDP?
  2. what is the one suggestion that you would give to improve tax collection in India?
  3. Did you get an opportunity to read today's newspapers?
  4. What newspapers did you read?
  5. What are the three headlines in today's newspaper? If you are the ambassador of India and certain US senator is making such comments on India, how would you respond?

Name: Ramu.
Board: Sanjay varma sir
Date of interview: Jan 8th , 4th person to Go after noon.
Key words - Literature,Mahabharatham, Hyderabad, translator,ANDHRA PRADESH ,ECE, worked in TN.

Chair:
1.Which is the highest selling book in telugu this year or in india?
2. Some foreigner came to india. He wants to know about the country, wants to go some places etc etc ..long monologue.....which book you suggest them to read? I am still not sure what did he ask.
3. What is famous in hyd? Food? 
4. How many kilos of rice is consumed every day in hyd for biryani.?
5. In Mahabharatha , Pandavas walked alot. How far did they walk? He asked me to make a guess 

M1: FEMALE.
1. how Andhra  is Doing after bifurcation?
2. What is green field port?( Earlier mentioned in my answer)
3. How is Tourism in AP?
4. What are there for spiritual Tourism ( mentioned in earlier ans)
5. What is AP doing regarding maintaining beaches (mentioned in earlier answer)
6. Comparison between AP and TN in employment , growth.
7.Why did you leave the job?
M2:
1.Coastal Erosion condition in Andhra?
2.What is being done to counter it?
3. Why farmer suicides are high in AP after MH ? and counter questions.

M3:
1. What is Cyber warfare?
2. Giving you unless unlimited power, what will you do to adress the Cyber threat in india.
3. What did you as a translator?

M4: 
1. In Mahabharatha, How did he teach Gita to Arjuna? Did he stopped everything? Or taught while war was going? Only to Arjuna?or to everyone was listening?
2. What did he teach?how did it help to Arjuna? I explained it in 3 parts .ie karma yoga,jnana yoga,bhakthi yoga.
3. For example,ur sub ordinate is not doing any work.he is not interested? Will you teach all these yogas and all?
4. Tell me what you know about dist administration?
5. What is the role of ZP CEO?

CHAIRMAN: your interview is over.You can go now.