Name:

Date:Feb 3, morning session,
3rd to go

Key DAF details:Kerala, sociology, watching socially relevant movies (nothing else was asked)

Board:Sujatha mam

Sujatha mam-read the DAF out loud
1.I will first ask you a very simple question,why do you want to be a civil servant ?
2.Asked me what should we talk about?(I mentioned the India USA trade deal)
3.What was the trade deal about.was it signed or is it going to be signed?
4.Are you aware about the  India EU trade deal and what is Pakistan's angle in it ?
5.Do You know about the  movie Great indian kitchen?Tell other members about the movie
6.Isn't such things an exaggeration?..our mothers and grandmothers  also worked like that .Some follow up questions on that

M1
1.You are from Kerala..there are many famous sportspersons like PT Usha from Kerala.Why does kerala have such sportspersons?
2.If appointed to a post in charge of sports department what changes would you bring in order to improve sports in india
3.You are a sociology student.Tell me difference between matriliny and matriarchy ?
4.Has matriliny improved condition of women.Discussion on that
5.There are many famous temples in kerala ..like the guruvaayoor temple ..they are under the state govt ..don't you think govts intervention in such matters violate the idea of secularism?

M2
1.What is the population of india?
2.Is it increasing or decreasing?
3.What is population of china?Has it started decreasing ?
4.What did china do to decrease its population
5.Is there any difference in population in northern and southern states?
6.What are the consequences of that(sir himself mentioned about Delimitation)
7.What happens to LS seats of southern states when Delimitation is done ?
8.When is the next Delimitation exercise ?
9.Why do we need so many people..isn't having so many people bad ?
10. You mentioned the word sustain earlier ,coming to that ..tell me what is sustainability from the perspective of tourism
11.Can you give any example in which sustainable tourism is practiced ?(I told about Responsible Tourism mission in kerala and about Kumarakom model-Sujatha mam intervened and asked more details)

M4
1.Tell me advantages and disadvantages of having large population?
2.what is the most important thing to do to reap demographic divident ?
3.Tell me 3 good things from budget (i mentioned about Biopharma Shakthi)
4.What is india doing currently in pharma sector and what changes india is planning to bring ?

M4
1.About the India USA trade deal you mentioned earlier..what all things President Trump mentioned in yesterdays tweet ?
2.Are you aware of the incident that happened some time back when Afghanistan's foreign minister visited India?
3.What did India do and what was the outcome?
4.If Russia and Ukraine have to stop the war what all things you think should each side have to give up ?Some follow up on that.

Chairman -Your interview is over

Mostly conversational and follow up questions were based on previous answers

O2O:Nithin sir(Fortune ias),Shinas sir(ilearn ias),Anuroop sir(lead ias)

Mocks-Fortune ias,kerala state civil service academy, Sankalp,Pala civil service academy,Xylem ias

Name: Murphy's Law
Date : 3/02/2026, Afternoon. 3rd To go.
Duration: not sure, was waiting for around 5-10 min outside (was called 10 -12 minutes before 3PM), Exit time i saw the clock: 3:35PM
Board: Had no idea- some ma'am i didn't recognise- as I haven't seen any of their profile,plus couldn't spot any name on cabin before entering- later asked the person who escorted me.

DAF: Civil Engineering, PSIR, Gaya, Bihar, Jharkhand. Nothing else asked.
Greeted everyone, Ma'am asked me to take my seat.

Ma'am read my DAF and pointed out towards my work experience with an aggregator.

Ma'am: Are you still working?
I said no ma'am. (worked till July 2025).
Ma'am: But you worked for quite sometime here.
I said yes ma'am.
Ma'am: Is this work related to civil engineering?
I Said no ma'am. It dealt with Time Value of Money.
She said okay. (i expected a related question as 5 years i did that job)

Ma'am: So, Murphy's Law- Help me understand this. You are a civil engineer, India is a hot climate country yet we have this trend of glass buildings. Why?

(First question itself bouncer for me, given 5+ years gap with Engineering). I couldn't think beyond asthetics.And it wasn't very engineering answer so i didn't said that.
Gave 2 points (1 was horribly wrong)
1. ma'am we also have a lot of dust and it could help in such structures. (realised as soon as those words left my mouth that it was a senseless point).
ma'am: Dust can be blocked by concrete walls as well. Plus glass gets dirty.
I said Yes ma'am.
2. In some buildings modified glass looking facade is used to act as solar panels as well.

She nodded , but wasn't fully convinced (as i am sure this wasn't the right explanation)

I then added sorry' ma'am i cannot think of any other engineering justification as of now. (as soon as i saw the first glass building after returning from UPSC bhavan - it struck me; Material costs are key consideration here since steel is more expensive and is integral to modern concrete constructions so glass does offer little glass advantage by limiting use of steel and concrete to just frame)

Ma'am: Okay tell me what are Green buildings.

I said, buildings that are sustainable. Both- during their construction - using low carbon process and materials, as well as during their operations and life cycle.

Ma'am: Tell me some elements of Green buildings. Assuming construction phase has used sustainable process.

I said: 1. Clean air conditioning and heating. 2. Using Footsteps and activities in the building to generate some power. 3. Treating and re-using Grey Water.
Ma'am interjected and asked- Treated water, meaning rain water harvesting?
I said ma'am Rain water harvesting is a part, but by Grey water -i mean - water from toilets being treated and re used for non drinking purposes like gardening and cleaning.

She seemed convinced.

Ma'am: So you live in Jharkhand. Must have heard about Jamtara. How do we prevent such things if you are posted in any district of Jharkhand?

I said - Ma'am the people involved in Jamtara were mostly footsoldiers. And operated at behest of outside criminal networks like the ones in south east asia. So awareness will be a key tool in combating.

1. We can make people aware of the same so that they don't fell prey to such criminal networks.
2.Also to make them aware of negative consequences on their life. Being on wrong side of the law can ruin lives as well.
3. Timely detection.I explained using a recent Bihar example where authorities detected a person using Sim Box of 20,000 Sim and defrauded thousands - by tracking abnormal power utilisation.

Ma'am asked how will you spread awareness!?
I said since mostly from rural areas these people are, can take help from local Panchayats- as there is more ground level connect of local leaders to people.
Also Civil Society organisations.

(Social media should have been an important part here but didn't even occur to me till i left the room- many such moments will be there throughout the PT)

Ma'am: Okay let's talk about Israel Palestine. Do you see any peace happening there anytime soon?

I started with the India Arab league declaration just a few days ago on the issue reaffirming Palestinian self determination and 2 state solution. And the Gaza peace board.
Said since the two parties are not on the same page on specifics it's difficult.
Hamas is reluctant to disarm and Israel reluctant on 2 state solution.

Ma'am then again asked what do you think? Peace will come here or not?

I Said, ma'am if we look at the history, Very difficult to say peace will occur. Mentioned Camp David accords and Oslo accords. And how something or the other happens. So as things stand peace is not likely.

Ma'am then indicated member to her left.

M1: (Again Civil Engineering related)- Only 2 Qs

Since you are a civil engineer, our country is doing a lot in terms of infrastructure. Is there anything that we have done to streamline coordination in that regard?

I said PM Gatishakti.
M1: what does it do?
I said - Inter department and ministerial coordination to minimise delay and facilitate effective execution.
Pragati portal also i added that helps in fast-track many projects.
He interjected and said Okay okay (probably guessed i know about this :( )

M1: Something about logistics and tracking dashboard for projects. I didn't understand and then he said - where we track projects or something. Do you know about this?
I said No Sir. Sorry.

He said okay and passed on to next member.

M3:
Again started with civil engineering.
What is this we are doing with river linking? Are you aware?

I said yes sir. The idea is to link water deficit Rivers with water surplus ones via canals to ensure availability of water throughout.

However it has some issues.
1. We don't have truly water surplus rivers beyond himalyan rivers. Most are monsoon dependent and these days monsoon is very erratic to give any predictability for water availability. (Can have either excessive rains in short time or just dry spells)

2. The logistical cost is very high. relocation and submergence of large areas (Couldn't remember name of that Tiger reserve which is said to be at risk of submergence and he didn't ask)

Sir nodded. And then asked are there any active projects in river linking? I said - ken betwa river linking, where we are planning to connect surplus ken river with Betwa river to support bundelkhand region.

He nodded again and moved to next topic.

Sir (kind of monologue )- You are native of Bihar. Lets accept it as given that conventional industries won't come to bihar. and leave aside political issues. What could be done? So many bureaucrats come from that state.

( i was in a spot. without addressing political instability and lack of industries it was difficult to come up with any convincing points)

I said- Sir, predictability and stability are crucial for any investment and industry. And even if we assume no conventional industries are there or Will come,
Bihar has good potential at MSME level - (i wanted to link SHGs but forgot in midst)- used the example of food processing potential. Talked about Makhana. How Bihar is home to most makhana which is worldwide famous but there is very poor price discovery. Said, we can try to make complete ecosystem here which will be helpful.

Next, as sir mentioned bihar has skilled and talented people, we can explore domains like offering land and skilled manpower for Data centres/Cloud services - for which the budget announced tax holiday till 2047.

Another point i would like to add, is exploring Bihar's huge potential in tourism sector. We have buddhist circuit, Mahabodhi temple etc that can also boost the state.

(Felt Bihar's question could have been answered better but it was like conversation so couldn't just pause and think on templates - somehow felt unnatural)

Sir nodded and moved on to IR.

Do you think India should join Gaza peace board? ( I had mentioned uncertainty of it's role in answer to ma'am's question on Israel Palestine)

I said, we should wait and evaluate if it fits requirements for our core national interest.
i mentioned - India is committed towards multilateralism and UN. The board is being proposed as a potential alternative to UN by president Trump. Which goes beyond it's mandate.
Even the P-5 Members; France and UK have declined. So we should wait and see what future this board has.

Sir- okay, do you know what Pax Silica is?
I said - It's a US led grouping of Nations to ensure reduced dependency on Semiconductor and AI technology.
We have been invited to the grouping soon after the New US ambassador took charge - sir also added this when i mentioned.

Do you think we should join pax Silica?

I said Yes. It's in our interest. We have huge dependency on critical elements. mentioned how china had blocked access to rare earths magnets.
He said - If president Trump says - you can join pax Silica only if you join Gaza peace board. What advice would you tender to the Government of India?

I said, Pax Silica is in our interest,if they offer us membership without any strings attached i would advise the government to join.

Sir said - Nothing comes without any strings attached. Other members chuckled in agreement.

I said - Sir our decision should be guided by our own national interest. If we find the terms not aligned in our favour, we should reconsider joining the pax Silica grouping as well.

Sir said -since the time of Narsimha Rao India has pursued a foreign policy of (something i don't exactly remember , something about not being decisivene)We are an aspiring superpower - is that Narasimha Rao doctrine still valid?don't you think we should be more decisive?

I agreed. and added yes sir decisiveness is indeed very important but we should also have material strength and situation to back up our decision.

I gave example of China which in 1980s and throughout till early 2000s had the luxury of having a supportive America,and they practiced -build your strength and bide your Time. I said we don't have that luxury of that cooperative America at the moment but we should practice the strategy of building strength and bide our time.

Sir added something more - about that Chinese strategy and said you should read more about this. I said right sir.


M3: Sir started conversation in Hindi
आप civil engineer हैं। (I dreaded again 🫠)
देखिए मेरे पिताजी ने एक घर बना कर दिया उसमें ही मै रहता हूं। मैं एक ग़रीब आदमी हूं नया घर नहीं बना सकता। हमारे घर में सीलन की समस्या है। आप बताइए बिना पैसे खर्च किए कैसे इस समस्या को दूर किया जाए?
आप समझते हैं न सीलन क्या है?
(Although i had planned in mocks to keep my mode English, still it felt like I should ask because we were sitting on a small dining table type setting unlike mocks- where it felt more formal)

I Said - sir shall i continue in English or answer this in Hindi?

Sir - आपको तो हिंदी अच्छे से आती होगी, हिंदी में ही बात करिए।

मैंने कहा - जी सिर। सीलन घर के नीचे वाली मिट्टी में पानी के कारण होती है (और दीवार और छत पर भी पानी की वजह से)

मेरे अनुसार अगर हम Lime (चुना) treatment करें घर के नीचे वाली मिट्टी की तो वह मिट्टी डिहाइड्रेट होजाएगी।

sir ne bola - घर तो बना हुआ है कैसे घर के नीचे वाली मिट्टी में लाइम ट्रीटमेंट करोगे । ( I didn't wanted to push back here- as he might have something pre set in mind)

मैंने कहा - सिर वॉटरप्रूफ पेंट लगा सकते (for walls)

Sir said- भाई इसमें तो पैसे खर्च हो जाएंगे। मैं गरीब हूं।

I said- माफ़ करिएगा sir मैं अभी और कुछ तरीके नहीं सोच पा रहा।

Sir in very jolly mood said; घर के चारो और की मिट्टी काट दें अगर कुछ दूर तक तो हो जाएगा काम. ( I thought in my head - how the hell will it not cost money, isse accha to lime hi daal lete- sasti hoti h)

I said; जी सर।

Sir - आपका जन्म स्थल गया है।गया हिंदुओं के लिए काफी महत्वपूर्ण माना जाता है। फल्गु नदी और उसके आसपास पहाड़ों पर के मंदिर। क्यूं?

I said: जी सर। गया काफ़ी महत्वपूर्ण हैं। यह पिंडदान के लिए काफ़ी प्रसिध्द है। पितृपक्ष में यहां काफ़ी लोग पिंडदान करने आते है अपने पूर्वजों के लिए।

Sir: क्यों?

सर ऐसा माना जाता है कि अगर आप गया में पिंडदान करते है तो आपको पितृऋण से मुक्ति मिलती है! श्री राम और सीता जी ने दशरथ जी के की गया में ही पिंडदान किया था।

Sir - विष्णुपद मंदिर के बारे में बताइए क्या है ऐसा?

I said; सर ऐसा माना जाता है कि गया शहर गयासुर नाम के राक्षस के ऊपर बसा हुआ है। और जब भी वह अस्थिर होते थे तो शहर v अस्थिर हो जाता था। तो भगवान विष्णु ने उनके छाती पर अपने एक पांव रख दिए जिससे वह शांत हो गए। और जहां पर भगवान विष्णु के पांव पड़े थे वहीं पर उनके पद के निशान बन गए।
इसके लिए ही विष्णुपद के नाम से जाना जाने लगा।

Sir: अच्छा ये बताइए। आप ऐसा देख रहे होंगे आजकल परिवार छोटे हो गए हैं। पहले हम सब एक छत के नीचे रहते थे अब सब अलग अलग। ऐसा क्यों हो रहा है । जब हमारे पास पैसे नहीं होते थे तो परिवार जुड़ा हुआ था,अब परिवार टूट रहे हैं आपका क्या विचार है?

I said; सर मेरा मानना है कि परिवार टूट नहीं रहे मगर "Transform" हो रही। (Couldn't think of hindi word for transform then)

आजकल नौकरी एवं अन्य कारणों से लोगों को migrate करना पड़ रहा। इसके अलावा अब घर में दोनों व्यक्ति (पति पत्नी) काम करते हैं। तो यह ज़रूरत भी बन चुकी है।

इसके बावजूद हम अपने परिवार से जुड़े रहते हैं। मुलाकात होती रहती है। बात होती रहती है। और जबतक यह सौहार्द का भाव रहेगा परिवार टूटेंगे नहीं।

Sir nodded and moved on to next question।

आप Politcal साइंस के विद्यार्थी हैं (Optional) भारत में 2-4 Century BC se democratic culture hai। Kuch 3-4 aise गणराज्य ke naam bataie।

( I felt more than PSIR it was ancient history)

मैंने कहा

मगध
अंग
वैशाली

Sir- वैशाली तो नहीं है। I said sorry sir मैं अभी सोच नहीं पा रहा और नाम। (I easnot sure what all were Republics- otherwise would have continued with Vaji, Ujjain etc)

Next-

अच्छा ये बताइए - भारत में काफी प्रसिद्ध विश्वविद्यालय थे ; नालंदा एवं विक्रमशिला। आप जानते हैं कौनसे डिस्ट्रीक्ट में है विक्रमशिला।

मैने कहा ; जी भागलपुर।

Sir- अब ये बताइए इन दोनों में पढ़ाने के तरीके में क्या अंतर था? ( I felt lost- prelims k baad Ancient history aiss hi yaaad nahi rhti- maybe related to different type of Buddhism - but i had no Idea)

Said- Sorry sir. मुझे इसका ज्ञान नहीं।

सर ने कहा कोई बात नहीं। Ma'am then indicated next member

M4:
So you are a civil engineer (🥲)

We observe this issues of poor construction quality. Why is it that we have poor quality compared to British era structures.

I Said - sir one prime reason that i can think of is we follow Project based approach in india. where demand for engineers peak during construction phase.

On the other hand the idea should be to have life cycle based approach. Where engineers are engaged throughout the life cycle of any structure not just construction. It is followed in developed countries.
I added NHAI has started doing it.

Then he started talking about the bridges - Indore, Mumbai and added in Bihar it's common for bridges to fail.

I said - Sir in the context the Bhopal 90degree Bridge (sir said yes Bhopal). Bridges do not get constructed in matter of days. it takes 2-3 years. And there is usually regular audit. It seems it was not properly done otherwise the issue would have been flagged.

So who do you hold accountable? The contractor would say i am executing the design given.

I said, sir we need to identify at what levels lapses have been there. Right from design to execution and audit. And need to fix accountability at every level.

Then again - Why does it happen?

I said we also have very high tolerance for non compliance in some areas.
(Ma'am raised eyebrows with a grin -and the sir who asked - other members also changed their facial expressions from smiling poker face to wider grin and maybe mild surprise/shock on me uttering those words)

Sir asked-

North Bihar is flood prone. Are you aware we are constructing a medical College there.
I said yes sir- AIIMS Darbhanga.

How do you construct in a flood prone area.

I said- if we have to construct in a water logged situation; can explore coffer dam to halt water and do the foundation work like we do in case of river bridges.

Sir said - Coffer Dam will last only one year or so then what?

I thought he was referring to overall approach towards structures in flood prone areas.
I said we need to have elevated structures on piers or basement having provision for flood waters to pass as is followed in Japan. However for that there needs to be complete interconnectedness of drainage system in the municipality. ( Maybe he wanted to know about identification of areas which are not in flood plain then do the construction but he didn't follow up)

Sir- What is the process to be followed in construction? Do we just do tendering and start??

I said - Sir we start with feasibility study. For example - if we want to construct a road, need to first asess requirement, traffic studies and see if feasible to construct at that area.

Next do preliminary survey.
(sir said - something related to one step i can't recall but i had said, yes sir it will be part of feasibility studies)
After that design phase and follow up with tendering, then execution.


Ma'am said - Thank You your interview is over you can go. I thanked everyone and left.

I felt that conversation was not long maybe 20minutes. But then
Glanced at clock while getting up from chair - It was 3:35PM. Had not checked the clock while entering (was zoned out)

Maybe i entered around 3PM as i was escorted 10 -12 minutes before 3PM from waiting area and waited for 5-10 minutes outside. (Don't know time feels different there) so I guess around 30 minutes

Asked the person escorting me back - Kinka board tha. He said with surprise - Suman Sharma Ma'am ka. ( am I cooked 🥲?)

Ignorance is bliss 😄🤣. But it made sense. Felt board had an idea what all i could be well prepared as we are in the third phase so no point asking "easy questions" 🥲( budget, Hobbies, Work, IR) so they leaned towards one weak link- civil engineering (as i had no connection with it for 5+ years and no related work experience) So might have theoretical knowledge of the subject (which i did and had prepared in last 50 days or so-but not other practical aspects)

Fumbled a bit in 2-3 places.
While answering glanced at others occassionally - everyone was listening. Ma'am was noting down stuff here and there. Some members too.

Felt very different from mocks. Even questions were not in QnA format but just conversation - so couldn't just go with template made answers. But in hindsight some aspects like; Jamtara , Bihar qs and quality of construction - could have been better tackled (This will always be the regret no matter what)

Very cordial and comfortable board.

Mocks; Vajiram, Vajirao and Reddy,Vision Ias, Samkalp (2), Sriram IAS, Ekagra IAS, NACS Bihar Jharkhand, CMP O2O

Peer Discussion with my mains group friends.
Non UPSC Friends - helped in analysis other aspects through Mock videos feedback.

Name: Murphy's Law
Date : 3/02/2026, Afternoon. 3rd To go.
Duration: not sure, was waiting for around 5-10 min outside (was called 10 -12 minutes before 3PM), Exit time i saw the clock: 3:35PM
Board: Had no idea- some ma'am i didn't recognise- as I haven't seen any of their profile,plus couldn't spot any name on cabin before entering- later asked the person who escorted me.

DAF: Civil Engineering, PSIR, Gaya, Bihar, Jharkhand. Nothing else asked.
Greeted everyone, Ma'am asked me to take my seat.

Ma'am read my DAF and pointed out towards my work experience with an aggregator.

Ma'am: Are you still working?
I said no ma'am. (worked till July 2025).
Ma'am: But you worked for quite sometime here.
I said yes ma'am.
Ma'am: Is this work related to civil engineering?
I Said no ma'am. It dealt with Time Value of Money.
She said okay. (i expected a related question as 5 years i did that job)

Ma'am: So, Murphy's Law- Help me understand this. You are a civil engineer, India is a hot climate country yet we have this trend of glass buildings. Why?

(First question itself bouncer for me, given 5+ years gap with Engineering). I couldn't think beyond asthetics.And it wasn't very engineering answer so i didn't said that.
Gave 2 points (1 was horribly wrong)
1. ma'am we also have a lot of dust and it could help in such structures. (realised as soon as those words left my mouth that it was a senseless point).
ma'am: Dust can be blocked by concrete walls as well. Plus glass gets dirty.
I said Yes ma'am.
2. In some buildings modified glass looking facade is used to act as solar panels as well.

She nodded , but wasn't fully convinced (as i am sure this wasn't the right explanation)

I then added sorry' ma'am i cannot think of any other engineering justification as of now. (as soon as i saw the first glass building after returning from UPSC bhavan - it struck me; Material costs are key consideration here since steel is more expensive and is integral to modern concrete constructions so glass does offer little glass advantage by limiting use of steel and concrete to just frame)

Ma'am: Okay tell me what are Green buildings.

I said, buildings that are sustainable. Both- during their construction - using low carbon process and materials, as well as during their operations and life cycle.

Ma'am: Tell me some elements of Green buildings. Assuming construction phase has used sustainable process.

I said: 1. Clean air conditioning and heating. 2. Using Footsteps and activities in the building to generate some power. 3. Treating and re-using Grey Water.
Ma'am interjected and asked- Treated water, meaning rain water harvesting?
I said ma'am Rain water harvesting is a part, but by Grey water -i mean - water from toilets being treated and re used for non drinking purposes like gardening and cleaning.

She seemed convinced.

Ma'am: So you live in Jharkhand. Must have heard about Jamtara. How do we prevent such things if you are posted in any district of Jharkhand?

I said - Ma'am the people involved in Jamtara were mostly footsoldiers. And operated at behest of outside criminal networks like the ones in south east asia. So awareness will be a key tool in combating.

1. We can make people aware of the same so that they don't fell prey to such criminal networks.
2.Also to make them aware of negative consequences on their life. Being on wrong side of the law can ruin lives as well.
3. Timely detection.I explained using a recent Bihar example where authorities detected a person using Sim Box of 20,000 Sim and defrauded thousands - by tracking abnormal power utilisation.

Ma'am asked how will you spread awareness!?
I said since mostly from rural areas these people are, can take help from local Panchayats- as there is more ground level connect of local leaders to people.
Also Civil Society organisations.

(Social media should have been an important part here but didn't even occur to me till i left the room- many such moments will be there throughout the PT)

PT marks - 190. (Not recommended) first PT, last attempt. 30 age.

Hope it helps 😇

Ma'am: Okay let's talk about Israel Palestine. Do you see any peace happening there anytime soon?

I started with the India Arab league declaration just a few days ago on the issue reaffirming Palestinian self determination and 2 state solution. And the Gaza peace board.
Said since the two parties are not on the same page on specifics it's difficult.
Hamas is reluctant to disarm and Israel reluctant on 2 state solution.

Ma'am then again asked what do you think? Peace will come here or not?

I Said, ma'am if we look at the history, Very difficult to say peace will occur. Mentioned Camp David accords and Oslo accords. And how something or the other happens. So as things stand peace is not likely.

Ma'am then indicated member to her left.

M1: (Again Civil Engineering related)- Only 2 Qs

Since you are a civil engineer, our country is doing a lot in terms of infrastructure. Is there anything that we have done to streamline coordination in that regard?

I said PM Gatishakti.
M1: what does it do?
I said - Inter department and ministerial coordination to minimise delay and facilitate effective execution.
Pragati portal also i added that helps in fast-track many projects.
He interjected and said Okay okay (probably guessed i know about this :( )

M1: Something about logistics and tracking dashboard for projects. I didn't understand and then he said - where we track projects or something. Do you know about this?
I said No Sir. Sorry.

He said okay and passed on to next member.

M3:
Again started with civil engineering.
What is this we are doing with river linking? Are you aware?

I said yes sir. The idea is to link water deficit Rivers with water surplus ones via canals to ensure availability of water throughout.

However it has some issues.
1. We don't have truly water surplus rivers beyond himalyan rivers. Most are monsoon dependent and these days monsoon is very erratic to give any predictability for water availability. (Can have either excessive rains in short time or just dry spells)

2. The logistical cost is very high. relocation and submergence of large areas (Couldn't remember name of that Tiger reserve which is said to be at risk of submergence and he didn't ask)

Sir nodded. And then asked are there any active projects in river linking? I said - ken betwa river linking, where we are planning to connect surplus ken river with Betwa river to support bundelkhand region.

He nodded again and moved to next topic.

Sir (kind of monologue )- You are native of Bihar. Lets accept it as given that conventional industries won't come to bihar. and leave aside political issues. What could be done? So many bureaucrats come from that state.

( i was in a spot. without addressing political instability and lack of industries it was difficult to come up with any convincing points)

I said- Sir, predictability and stability are crucial for any investment and industry. And even if we assume no conventional industries are there or Will come,
Bihar has good potential at MSME level - (i wanted to link SHGs but forgot in midst)- used the example of food processing potential. Talked about Makhana. How Bihar is home to most makhana which is worldwide famous but there is very poor price discovery. Said, we can try to make complete ecosystem here which will be helpful.

Next, as sir mentioned bihar has skilled and talented people, we can explore domains like offering land and skilled manpower for Data centres/Cloud services - for which the budget announced tax holiday till 2047.

Another point i would like to add, is exploring Bihar's huge potential in tourism sector. We have buddhist circuit, Mahabodhi temple etc that can also boost the state.

(Felt Bihar's question could have been answered better but it was like conversation so couldn't just pause and think on templates - somehow felt unnatural)

Sir nodded and moved on to IR.

Do you think India should join Gaza peace board? ( I had mentioned uncertainty of it's role in answer to ma'am's question on Israel Palestine)

I said, we should wait and evaluate if it fits requirements for our core national interest.
i mentioned - India is committed towards multilateralism and UN. The board is being proposed as a potential alternative to UN by president Trump. Which goes beyond it's mandate.
Even the P-5 Members; France and UK have declined. So we should wait and see what future this board has.

Sir- okay, do you know what Pax Silica is?
I said - It's a US led grouping of Nations to ensure reduced dependency on Semiconductor and AI technology.
We have been invited to the grouping soon after the New US ambassador took charge - sir also added this when i mentioned.

Do you think we should join pax Silica?

I said Yes. It's in our interest. We have huge dependency on critical elements. mentioned how china had blocked access to rare earths magnets.
He said - If president Trump says - you can join pax Silica only if you join Gaza peace board. What advice would you tender to the Government of India?

I said, Pax Silica is in our interest,if they offer us membership without any strings attached i would advise the government to join.

Sir said - Nothing comes without any strings attached. Other members chuckled in agreement.

I said - Sir our decision should be guided by our own national interest. If we find the terms not aligned in our favour, we should reconsider joining the pax Silica grouping as well.

Sir said -since the time of Narsimha Rao India has pursued a foreign policy of (something i don't exactly remember , something about not being decisivene)We are an aspiring superpower - is that Narasimha Rao doctrine still valid?don't you think we should be more decisive?

I agreed. and added yes sir decisiveness is indeed very important but we should also have material strength and situation to back up our decision.

I gave example of China which in 1980s and throughout till early 2000s had the luxury of having a supportive America,and they practiced -build your strength and bide your Time. I said we don't have that luxury of that cooperative America at the moment but we should practice the strategy of building strength and bide our time.

Sir added something more - about that Chinese strategy and said you should read more about this. I said right sir.


M3: Sir started conversation in Hindi
आप civil engineer हैं। (I dreaded again 🫠)
देखिए मेरे पिताजी ने एक घर बना कर दिया उसमें ही मै रहता हूं। मैं एक ग़रीब आदमी हूं नया घर नहीं बना सकता। हमारे घर में सीलन की समस्या है। आप बताइए बिना पैसे खर्च किए कैसे इस समस्या को दूर किया जाए?
आप समझते हैं न सीलन क्या है?
(Although i had planned in mocks to keep my mode English, still it felt like I should ask because we were sitting on a small dining table type setting unlike mocks- where it felt more formal)

I Said - sir shall i continue in English or answer this in Hindi?

Sir - आपको तो हिंदी अच्छे से आती होगी, हिंदी में ही बात करिए।

मैंने कहा - जी सिर। सीलन घर के नीचे वाली मिट्टी में पानी के कारण होती है (और दीवार और छत पर भी पानी की वजह से)

मेरे अनुसार अगर हम Lime (चुना) treatment करें घर के नीचे वाली मिट्टी की तो वह मिट्टी डिहाइड्रेट होजाएगी।

sir ne bola - घर तो बना हुआ है कैसे घर के नीचे वाली मिट्टी में लाइम ट्रीटमेंट करोगे । ( I didn't wanted to push back here- as he might have something pre set in mind)

मैंने कहा - सिर वॉटरप्रूफ पेंट लगा सकते (for walls)

Sir said- भाई इसमें तो पैसे खर्च हो जाएंगे। मैं गरीब हूं।

I said- माफ़ करिएगा sir मैं अभी और कुछ तरीके नहीं सोच पा रहा।

Sir in very jolly mood said; घर के चारो और की मिट्टी काट दें अगर कुछ दूर तक तो हो जाएगा काम. ( I thought in my head - how the hell will it not cost money, isse accha to lime hi daal lete- sasti hoti h)

I said; जी सर।

Sir - आपका जन्म स्थल गया है।गया हिंदुओं के लिए काफी महत्वपूर्ण माना जाता है। फल्गु नदी और उसके आसपास पहाड़ों पर के मंदिर। क्यूं?

I said: जी सर। गया काफ़ी महत्वपूर्ण हैं। यह पिंडदान के लिए काफ़ी प्रसिध्द है। पितृपक्ष में यहां काफ़ी लोग पिंडदान करने आते है अपने पूर्वजों के लिए।

Sir: क्यों?

सर ऐसा माना जाता है कि अगर आप गया में पिंडदान करते है तो आपको पितृऋण से मुक्ति मिलती है! श्री राम और सीता जी ने दशरथ जी के की गया में ही पिंडदान किया था।

Sir - विष्णुपद मंदिर के बारे में बताइए क्या है ऐसा?

I said; सर ऐसा माना जाता है कि गया शहर गयासुर नाम के राक्षस के ऊपर बसा हुआ है। और जब भी वह अस्थिर होते थे तो शहर v अस्थिर हो जाता था। तो भगवान विष्णु ने उनके छाती पर अपने एक पांव रख दिए जिससे वह शांत हो गए। और जहां पर भगवान विष्णु के पांव पड़े थे वहीं पर उनके पद के निशान बन गए।
इसके लिए ही विष्णुपद के नाम से जाना जाने लगा।

Sir: अच्छा ये बताइए। आप ऐसा देख रहे होंगे आजकल परिवार छोटे हो गए हैं। पहले हम सब एक छत के नीचे रहते थे अब सब अलग अलग। ऐसा क्यों हो रहा है । जब हमारे पास पैसे नहीं होते थे तो परिवार जुड़ा हुआ था,अब परिवार टूट रहे हैं आपका क्या विचार है?

I said; सर मेरा मानना है कि परिवार टूट नहीं रहे मगर "Transform" हो रही। (Couldn't think of hindi word for transform then)

आजकल नौकरी एवं अन्य कारणों से लोगों को migrate करना पड़ रहा। इसके अलावा अब घर में दोनों व्यक्ति (पति पत्नी) काम करते हैं। तो यह ज़रूरत भी बन चुकी है।

इसके बावजूद हम अपने परिवार से जुड़े रहते हैं। मुलाकात होती रहती है। बात होती रहती है। और जबतक यह सौहार्द का भाव रहेगा परिवार टूटेंगे नहीं।

Sir nodded and moved on to next question।

आप Politcal साइंस के विद्यार्थी हैं (Optional) भारत में 2-4 Century BC se democratic culture hai। Kuch 3-4 aise गणराज्य ke naam bataie।

( I felt more than PSIR it was ancient history)

मैंने कहा

मगध
अंग
वैशाली

Sir- वैशाली तो नहीं है। I said sorry sir मैं अभी सोच नहीं पा रहा और नाम। (I easnot sure what all were Republics- otherwise would have continued with Vaji, Ujjain etc)

Next-

अच्छा ये बताइए - भारत में काफी प्रसिद्ध विश्वविद्यालय थे ; नालंदा एवं विक्रमशिला। आप जानते हैं कौनसे डिस्ट्रीक्ट में है विक्रमशिला।

मैने कहा ; जी भागलपुर।

Sir- अब ये बताइए इन दोनों में पढ़ाने के तरीके में क्या अंतर था? ( I felt lost- prelims k baad Ancient history aiss hi yaaad nahi rhti- maybe related to different type of Buddhism - but i had no Idea)

Said- Sorry sir. मुझे इसका ज्ञान नहीं।

सर ने कहा कोई बात नहीं। Ma'am then indicated next member

M4:
So you are a civil engineer (🥲)

We observe this issues of poor construction quality. Why is it that we have poor quality compared to British era structures.

I Said - sir one prime reason that i can think of is we follow Project based approach in india. where demand for engineers peak during construction phase.

On the other hand the idea should be to have life cycle based approach. Where engineers are engaged throughout the life cycle of any structure not just construction. It is followed in developed countries.
I added NHAI has started doing it.

Then he started talking about the bridges - Indore, Mumbai and added in Bihar it's common for bridges to fail.

I said - Sir in the context the Bhopal 90degree Bridge (sir said yes Bhopal). Bridges do not get constructed in matter of days. it takes 2-3 years. And there is usually regular audit. It seems it was not properly done otherwise the issue would have been flagged.

So who do you hold accountable? The contractor would say i am executing the design given.

I said, sir we need to identify at what levels lapses have been there. Right from design to execution and audit. And need to fix accountability at every level.

Then again - Why does it happen?

I said we also have very high tolerance for non compliance in some areas.
(Ma'am raised eyebrows with a grin -and the sir who asked - other members also changed their facial expressions from smiling poker face to wider grin and maybe mild surprise/shock on me uttering those words)

Sir asked-

North Bihar is flood prone. Are you aware we are constructing a medical College there.
I said yes sir- AIIMS Darbhanga.

How do you construct in a flood prone area.

I said- if we have to construct in a water logged situation; can explore coffer dam to halt water and do the foundation work like we do in case of river bridges.

Sir said - Coffer Dam will last only one year or so then what?

I thought he was referring to overall approach towards structures in flood prone areas.
I said we need to have elevated structures on piers or basement having provision for flood waters to pass as is followed in Japan. However for that there needs to be complete interconnectedness of drainage system in the municipality. ( Maybe he wanted to know about identification of areas which are not in flood plain then do the construction but he didn't follow up)

Sir- What is the process to be followed in construction? Do we just do tendering and start??

I said - Sir we start with feasibility study. For example - if we want to construct a road, need to first asess requirement, traffic studies and see if feasible to construct at that area.

Next do preliminary survey.
(sir said - something related to one step i can't recall but i had said, yes sir it will be part of feasibility studies)
After that design phase and follow up with tendering, then execution.


Ma'am said - Thank You your interview is over you can go. I thanked everyone and left.

I felt that conversation was not long maybe 20minutes. But then
Glanced at clock while getting up from chair - It was 3:35PM. Had not checked the clock while entering (was zoned out)

Maybe i entered around 3PM as i was escorted 10 -12 minutes before 3PM from waiting area and waited for 5-10 minutes outside. (Don't know time feels different there) so I guess around 30 minutes

Asked the person escorting me back - Kinka board tha. He said with surprise - Suman Sharma Ma'am ka. ( am I cooked 🥲?)

Ignorance is bliss 😄🤣. But it made sense. Felt board had an idea what all i could be well prepared as we are in the third phase so no point asking "easy questions" 🥲( budget, Hobbies, Work, IR) so they leaned towards one weak link- civil engineering (as i had no connection with it for 5+ years and no related work experience) So might have theoretical knowledge of the subject (which i did and had prepared in last 50 days or so-but not other practical aspects)

Fumbled a bit in 2-3 places.
While answering glanced at others occassionally - everyone was listening. Ma'am was noting down stuff here and there. Some members too.

Felt very different from mocks. Even questions were not in QnA format but just conversation - so couldn't just go with template made answers. But in hindsight some aspects like; Jamtara , Bihar qs and quality of construction - could have been better tackled (This will always be the regret no matter what)

Very cordial and comfortable board.

Mocks; Vajiram, Vajirao and Reddy,Vision Ias, Samkalp (2), Sriram IAS, Ekagra IAS, NACS Bihar Jharkhand, CMP O2O

Peer Discussion with my mains group friends.
Non UPSC Friends - helped in analysis other aspects through Mock videos feedback.

NAME- May Hay
Date of Interview- 5th Feb 2026

Board- Anuradha Prasad Ma'am

DAF Keywords- Heartfulness, LLB, LAW Optional (so many other keywords but nothing else was asked)

Chairperson-
1. You got first prize in UP in Heartfulness Essay Event, who organized it and what was the process?
2. What is Heartfulness?
3 .Difference between Heartfulness and Mindfulness?
4. Which one is better (I said-from administrative perspective mindfulness, all of them laughed and then she said tell me in general parlance)

Member 1-
1. Why such a large pendency in court?
3. What are we doing for it, how BNSS is helpful ( I mentioned BNSS in my last answer)
2. Some says that's judges are less in number, is this true or just a excuse?
3. Three problems in judiciary and how will you solve them?

Member 2-
1. Two principles of Natural Justice
2. Difference between economic rate of interest and accounting rate of interest?

Member 3-
1. She asked me legal advice as to her long pending civil land suit (long discussion)
2. Why do we need advocates?
3. Why don't people plead their own cases?
4. Income tax act is made people friendly, any such change if you can suggest for the regular judiciary?
5. What is higher judiciary
6. Any law that regulates anti obesity drugs.?

Member-4
1.Maritime Zones of India
Rest I don't remember,  2-3 more questions he asked.!


Apologies some questions I may have missed.!


MOCK- NEXT IAS, vision IAS, Only IAS, Sankalp, Vajirao and Reddy.

1 to 1 with Bassi Sir and RC Sinha sir.!

Special thanks to my mentor and biggest support- Varun Rai sir (next ias)

Name- xyz
Date -10th feb 2026
Key daf details - sociology, crime thriller web series, astrology, supply chain management
Board- Swain sir

Chairman 
1) why do people watch crime  web series
2) do you watch malyalam web series, as crime movies are mostly famous in malyalam


Lady member
1) why do you wanna join civil services
2) haryana is known for suppressing women, but times are changing, tell me some women who have big achievements in Haryana
3) your subject is sociology, what do you study in it
4) why social stratification is prevelant in society
5) as society progresses some people hover more power than others what's your opinion on this
6) marx approach failed and weber talked about over bureaucratisation, so where should we balance 
7) you study astrology tell me how the world will be in the coming 5 years
8) and will you get selected in civil services according to astrology?

Male member 1
1) as you study supply chain, tell me about rare earth metals supply chain and where are they used
2) is india too late in its race for rare earth metals
3) but how will we process the ores of rare earths as we donot have the technology, who'll give us the technology

Male member 2
1) difference between innovation and invention
2) haryana is known for social issues, though it's a progressing state, but still it has issues, tell me how you'll solve some of the social issues of haryana
 
Lady member interrupted
1)you said inheritance, what is India doing for gender gap in land inheritance 

Male member 3 
1) difference between global supply chain and global value chain
2) should we teach astrology in universities?
3) isn't it a pseudoscience?

Chairman
Your interview is over do you want us to discuss on anything specific?

One to one - insights ias (good), drishti ias dipanshu saini sir (good articulation practice), sankalp ias rajiv ji (gave new points)
Mocks - one vision faculty mock , 2 sankalp ias mocks (most close to actual interview)

SPECIAL THANKS TO Group captain Dr Anand Sarup Sir (Drdo trained psychologist, UPSC ex selection member for ssb, faridabad defence academy) for providing regular one to one sessions (MOST HELPFUL, gave unique and customized answers as one member told me "kisi ne to hatke jawab diya" and most importantly taught how to be yourself , really a confidence booster)

Hello here is my transcript. Thank you very much

Board : Sujata Chaturvedi Ma’am
Date : 21 January - last one to go in afternoon session
Daf keywords : Surat, Gujarat, geography optional, stock market, diamonds, tourism, rest not asked.

Chairperson: Ma’am greeted me and read my DAF aloud.
1. What is the meaning of your name?
2. Why UPSC? what motivates you to pursue a career in civil services
3. Tell me which are the regulatory bodies of India ?
4. Why they are needed?
5. Should Capitalist policies after 1991 reforms requires regulation ?
6. What is the full form of SEBI ? Where it is located in India?
7. Tell me about various reforms sebi has undertaken
8. Have you read today’s newspaper? tell me three news which are pressing domestic issues ?

Member 1
1. Tell me how to analyse a diamond?
2. How clarity is determined in a diamond? What are different types of it?
3. Factors affecting diamond industry in surat?
4. What type of diamond will you suggest me to buy?
5. Tell me how can I allocate my portfolio to different asset classes in terms of equity, debt, mutual funds, gold etc

Member 2 (lady member)
1. What is technical and fundamental analysis?
2. Which is better investment between gold and diamonds?
3. What do you mean by letter z in Gen z?
4. Tell me about the issue of diego garcia ?
5. History of diego garcia?
6. Why Trump wants it?
7. What is the stand of India?

Member 3
1. Which tourist places will you suggest me to visit in Gujarat?
2. Which is the oldest mosque in India?
3. What challenges does Gujarat faces in social sectors ? How to improve them
4. What is the cause of terrorism in India ?
5. What is the progress in red fort blast case? Which organisations were involved in it?
6. Tell me about kashmir issue?
7. History of POK and treat of accession? Present status.

Member 4
1. What is the role of RBI?
2. Tell me about the competition commission of India? Why it is needed in free market economy?
3. Progress of Insolvency and Bankruptcy code of India?
4. What is the working of it ?
5. Appellate courts related to it?
6. Compare with SARFAESI act.
7. What are tribunals? Any Law related to it?
8. How many tribunals are there in India?
9. Benefits of Tribunals.

Mocks given : AlS Ias, Samkalp, Chanakya mandal, Quantel, Sriram IAS, Career will, Samarthya Ias, one to one with Mahesh bhagwat sir

Hello here is my transcript. Thank you very much

Board : Sujata Chaturvedi Ma’am
Date : 21 January - last one to go in afternoon session
Daf keywords : Surat, Gujarat, geography optional, stock market, diamonds, tourism, rest not asked.

Chairperson: Ma’am greeted me and read my DAF aloud.
1. What is the meaning of your name?
2. Why UPSC? what motivates you to pursue a career in civil services
3. Tell me which are the regulatory bodies of India ?
4. Why they are needed?
5. Should Capitalist policies after 1991 reforms requires regulation ?
6. What is the full form of SEBI ? Where it is located in India?
7. Tell me about various reforms sebi has undertaken
8. Have you read today’s newspaper? tell me three news which are pressing domestic issues ?

Member 1
1. Tell me how to analyse a diamond?
2. How clarity is determined in a diamond? What are different types of it?
3. Factors affecting diamond industry in surat?
4. What type of diamond will you suggest me to buy?
5. Tell me how can I allocate my portfolio to different asset classes in terms of equity, debt, mutual funds, gold etc

Member 2 (lady member)
1. What is technical and fundamental analysis?
2. Which is better investment between gold and diamonds?
3. What do you mean by letter z in Gen z?
4. Tell me about the issue of diego garcia ?
5. History of diego garcia?
6. Why Trump wants it?
7. What is the stand of India?

Member 3
1. Which tourist places will you suggest me to visit in Gujarat?
2. Which is the oldest mosque in India?
3. What challenges does Gujarat faces in social sectors ? How to improve them
4. What is the cause of terrorism in India ?
5. What is the progress in red fort blast case? Which organisations were involved in it?
6. Tell me about kashmir issue?
7. History of POK and treat of accession? Present status.

Member 4
1. What is the role of RBI?
2. Tell me about the competition commission of India? Why it is needed in free market economy?
3. Progress of Insolvency and Bankruptcy code of India?
4. What is the working of it ?
5. Appellate courts related to it?
6. Compare with SARFAESI act.
7. What are tribunals? Any Law related to it?
8. How many tribunals are there in India?
9. Benefits of Tribunals.

Mocks given : AlS Ias, Samkalp, Chanakya mandal, Quantel, Sriram IAS, Career will, Samarthya Ias, one to one with Mahesh bhagwat sir

Name: TN
Date: 05 Jan 2026
Board: Sheel Vardhan singh sir
Keywords: Doctor, Sociology optional,Hobbies- pencil sketching of portraits ,singing tamil melodies,Ranipet district,Tamilnadu

1st one to go

Chairman:
Had your breakfast..what did you have? relax and be comfortable,let's start our interaction.
1.pencil sketching is your hobby,do you this type of pencil(showing a pencil on his table) or any special ones?
2.how do you like to draw, live persons or from mobile screen or imagination?
3.Have you read Oscar Wilde book on Portraits ( said one book name)?No sir - you should read it's very nice.
3.Say about the bronze Nataraja sculpture in tamilnadu?
4.Is there any rock cut sculpture of Nataraja in Tamilnadu?
5.Do you know who is mahendravaran pallava king,does he have relation with that?
6.Say about the sociological aspects of the temples in tamilnadu

M1(Lady member)
1.Do you know about Gig economy? What it is? In answer I mentioned Labour codes
2.do you think labour codes will solve the problems of gig workers?
3.what effect will labour code have on business
4.Suppose you are posted as DM,how will you handle the situation of violence against doctors?

M2
1.What are the govt schemes for improving health of the underprivileged?
2.what reliable methods you use to reach the people?
3.Does technology help in that?

M3
1.Do you know what is narcissistic personality?
2.You know some persons like Imran khan..who is he?..can you say any action of him in cricket or politics that makes him narcissistic?
3.You would have faced COVID 19 pandemic and the first wave called alpha ,the second as beta and the third as delta..they have left the Chi/Xi..do you what's the reason?
He asked me to take a guess..then he told it was resembling Xi jingping(china) so they avoided.I thanked him.
4.You have put singing as you hobby..how songs cinema is important to Tamilnadu? Answer on politics and cinema

M4
1.You are from Ranipet,that is famous for?
2.what are the industries present there
3.what type of goods are exported
4.Your optional is sociology,what is sanskritisation?
5.does it relevant to today's society?
6.Being a doctor ,why IAS?
7.If you are posted in IRS or something,how your medical education will have use there,it becomes waste right?
8.what is skill?( Follow up from previous answer)

Again chairman
1.what do you want to say to us?
2.Your final question,What make you joyful and happy?

Chairman: Interview is over ,Thank you.

O2O: Mr.Sudhagaran IRPS sir(Director,Naan mudhalvan),Mr.Jawahar IAS(R) sir
Mocks: TN govt institute mock,Manidhaneyam IAS,Shankar IAS ,Chinmaya IAS,Samkalp,Vajirao and reddy.

Name : La Pulga
Date : 10/02/2026
Board: Sanjay Verma Sir
Afternoon, last to go.

DAF keywords: Dhanbad, Applied Geology, Football, Contemporary hindi poetry

Chairperson
1. What are the Current anxieties in hindi poetry?
2. What geological disasters are going to happen in the world?
3. Who is going to win the world cup?
(I said Argentina thinking he was talking about football but then he mentioned cricket. I said India again has very good chances of winning it.)
4. Who do you think is the weak link in the Indian cricket team?
a. Yes. Gambhir bhi BJP, BCCI bhi BJP. (when I said no player as such is a weak link but the coach himself can be one. He had a hearty laugh and a nod in affirmation.)
5. Who is going to win the world cup? (He asked again. I clarified whether he is talking about football or cricket)
a. We have defeated NZ recently. They won’t be a problem. (When I mentioned that NZ can play spoilsport to which I then further said - in bilaterals yes but in ICC tournaments, they can play spoilsport)
6. Have you been abroad? (No sir)
7. Farthest you have travelled in India? (kanyakumari, rameshwaram etc)
8. How far is it? (Took a guess - about 2000 kms. He nodded saying a little bit more than that but okay)
9. Women of India who you admire.
a. IAS Supriya Sahu, Smriti, Kiran Bedi etc. Sir was looking at me expecting more names I guess. I blurted Mamta Banerjee (all for her bravery) which I think was the end of me. But Sir and the woman member to the left of him acknowledged that her bravery is indeed something admirable. But the member sitting left to me had other plans)

M1(left to me)
1. Do you know she once slapped a bureaucrat? Do you know she is distributing free ration cards to everyone? Would you agree to all that since you admire her?
a. I don’t agree to any of it Sir. I think of her bravery as something that I can imbibe myself and hence the admiration.
2. Would you be able to differentiate in all people the good from the bad?
a. Yes I would.
a. Even if someone has many bad qualities but just one good quality? Would you ignore all the bad qualities?
a. Again I said if I am looking to learn something from someone I would only look at the things that I can imbibe myself.
3. What is this integrated M.tech? What degree is this?
4. It happens after class 12th? 5 years?
5. You found this subject interesting?
6. What is applied about Geology?
7. How many plates are there?
8. What is Tethys?

M2(to the immediate right)

1. Made me look at a file on which there was the national emblem. Asked me where does it come from?
2. Asked me what was written below the emblem. (Satyameva Jayate)
3. Can you tell me with conviction that you have never lied?
4. When is lying useful?
5. So the quote is wrong, is it?
6. When you entered, what did you say? ( I had said Good evening, but i thought I had said Good afternoon and then he said to think again)
7. Why good evening? When does it become good evening from good afternoon?
a. I told him about the discussion outside which we were indeed having about how to greet the panel members now that it is past 4. I said all of it and also that we arrived at a consensus that we would say good evening)
8. But the person before you didn’t say good evening. Looks like you didn’t reach a consensus.
a. I said he was not part of the discussion. (light laughter)
9. When does it become good night from good evening? (I said I am not aware)
10. What is pythagorus theorem?
11. How do you use pythagorus theorem in geology?
12. Long discussion on the concept of GenX, GenY, GenZ. Rationale behind it, cut off year etc etc

Chairman sir then asked the next member to ask.

M3 (female)
1. What is Chayanika Sangh (my college’s literary club)
2. What is contemporary period of hindi period?
3. Which poets you like?
4. What is rat hole mining?
5. Does it happen in Jharia? An incident of land subsidence and mining she mentioned that I was not aware of.
6. Your thoughts on liquor prohibition in Bihar.


PT Marks - 192
Sanjay Verma Sir board

M4 (to the right of chairman)
1. What is Pangea?
2. Hydroelectricity in J&K and associated geological and ecological concerns.
3. Renewable energy possibilities in India.
4. Nuclear energy. Is it safe?
5. Fukushima disaster. Why it happened?
6. Who would be India’s new neighbours due to plate tectonics till much later in future.
7. Which is the oldest democracy?

Chairman Sir : So Argentina for the world cup, isn’t it. I said yes sir, as long as Messi plays it is always likely. He said your interview is over. I thanked the members.

Mocks : Samkalp (2), NextIAS, Forum, Vaijrao, Vajiram, PW, NACS-Bihar & Jh

Conversation with friends was extremely helpful.

Transcript
----------
Board: Sujata Chaturvedi Ma’am
DAF: Jharkhand, Bihar, Mithila, PSIR, WorkEx, Football
Experience: Nearly entirely DAF+IR centric


Chairperson
⁠1. Why leave the job with high salary, was it planned or something happened.
⁠2. Mark Carney speech, relevance, why it's being celebrated
3. ⁠⁠Is US wrong in staying that other countries have benefitted at its peril. [Too many counters on How USA is correct in its stance]
4. Trace the relationship history between the USA and Canada.

M1
5. Would you as an advisor advise PM Modi to give same speech
6. Derisking vs decoupling. India's strategy,Way Fwd
7. Will Board of peace replace the UNSC

M2
8. Why is mithila or Bihar food not as common as South Indian or Delhi food?
9. Why is Champaran famous, Year of revolt, root cause of it etc.
10. Which state produces most riverine fishes? How as secretary you can increase fishery output in Bihar.
11. Football - which league, team? UCL standings. How many in knockout? Which league dominated. Which team is not auto qualified. What happened in their last game? Who was the coach of the opponent?

M3
12. Jharkhand has all the resources but we still starve. Why industries don't exist. [kept asking for more reasons and countered all xD]
13. Why are mithila and bengali cultures the same?
14. Digital Arrest, solutions

M4
15. Id India's growing debt sustainable? Is India heading for a WB debt trap?
16. WB vs IMF
17. BRICS relevance
18. Issues in Neighborhood, Solution
19. Should we just extradite Sheikh Hasina

Gratitude for overall guidance: Shubham Jatte sir [CivilsDaily], RCS sir and Nitin Sir [Forum IAS]

O2O: Many done, helpful ones mentioned {Shubham Agarwal Sir [Vidyapeeth IAS], Saket Jha sir [CivilsDaily], Sajal Sir [Sarrthi], Deb Tripathi sir [Edukemy]}

Mocks: Vajirao, Vajiram, StudyIQ, CivilsDaily [most helpful], Samkalp, NextIAS[Faculty], Online Mock by UpWise [Bimal Julka sir board]

Peer discussion group created by Anil Swarup sir and studyIQ team was the most helpful of all.

PT MARKS -205

Name - Dwight Schrute
Board - Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla
Date & Time - 10 Feb 2026; Afternoon (3rd to go)
DAF Keywords - BA.LL.B (Hons); Sainik School; Paper on Prisoners’ Voting Rights; Article 19(1)(a); Constitutionalism; War Movies.

CHAIRMAN
1. (Long Monologue) - So you are a lawyer, in the book Breakneck, the author states that China is advancing because it is a country of engineers and US is losing its place because it is a country of lawyers - Do you think the same is true for India?
2. Do you think India’s judiciary has a tendency of obstructionism towards growth?
3. What are the challenges that lead to this tendency?
4. How can they be resolved?
5. There are two institutions - the Bar and the Bench - which of these two is more important?

MEMBER 1
1. So you watch war movies - Tell me three you watched recently?
2. Which one out of these three was your favourite why?
3. According to you, how should a director approach a war movie to ensure that the outcome is a good one - What in your opinion are the dos and don’ts?
4. If you are given a free hand to bring one reform in India, in any area - what would it be? Why?
5. What are the barriers to bringing meaningful change to judiciary?
6. Since you are a lawyer, if you are posted as a DM in a rural district - what are the three courses of action that you would take, blending your understanding of law and the practical realities?

MEMBER 2
1. So you studied in a Sainik School and that too in the science stream - then why did you choose to pursue law afterwards?
2. What do you know about the Green Hydrogen Mission?
3. What are the steps that the Government is taking in this regard?
4. What exactly would be the impact of green hydrogen on the economy?
5. But Green Hydrogen is expensive, how can it then meaningfully replace fossil fuel use?

MEMBER 3 (Lady Member)
1. You wrote a paper on enfranchisement of prisoners - what is it about? What was your central argument?
2. Why are there so many undertrial prisoners in the country?
3. What steps has been taken in this regard by the Government or the Judiciary?
4. You were the co-ordinator of a lecture series on Constitutionalism - what was the role?
5. Who were some of the speakers that you had invited during your tenure?
6. What were their message in the lectures that they had delivered?
7. What is the status of Article 19(1)(a) - freedom of speech in our country? How can that be improved?

MEMBER 4
1. What are some ways in which law can be used to bring about social changes?
2. Apart from the constitutional provisions that you had stated, in what other ways has law impacted social change?
3. If you are posted as a DM in a district where there is a rise in crime against women, what are the steps that you would take to deal with this?
4. What is the problem in criminal justice system when it comes to cases of crimes against women?
5. What would you do in the short term and the long term in this regard?


DAF Analysis- Mr. Mahesh Bhagwat IPS (comprehensive guidance on DAF based focus areas), VisionIAS Mentor; PW OnlyIAS; FreshlensIAS; Saarthi (Pre DAF - Mr. Shivin); Naan Mudhalvan (Pre DAF - Mr. Sudhakaran, DAF - Mr.Karthikeyan); DeFacto IAS (Mr. Aditya Tiwari) - law focused.
Panel Mocks - Naan Mudhalvan (2); Samkalp (2); VisionIAS (2); NextIAS; Chanakya Mandal (comprehensive feedback); Manidhaneyam

Interview date 10/02/2026
Board - Honourable Raj shukla sir.
Keywords- Branch post master , Indian post, maharashtra, PSIR , Pune, kabaddi , street food, Aadhar card.

Chairman sir
1) contribution of Ajit pawar to Maharashtra politics.
2) flaws in  his personality.
3) sharad pawar - Ajit pawar relationship.
4) Sharad pawars contribution
5) greatest politician in Maharashtra?
6) Hardcore hindutvavadi politics or more pragmatic politics?
7) why pune facing lots of issues like traffic , potholes?why not developed like Bengaluru?

Member 1
1) Rawl's theory of justice.
2) concept of veil of ignorance.
3) affirmative actions in india .
4 ) right to life?
5) judicial verdicts related to right to life?

Member 2
1) should we promote traditional sports like kabaddi?
2) how to promote?
3) Tell Me one game that's specific to Maharashtra only.
4) street food types.
5) Is there healthy street food available?
6) role of Indian post in Promoting small business?
7) How to utilise postal resources more efficiently?
8) how will you ensure healthy hygeinic street food?

Member 3
1) How migrants are able to get Adhar card?
2) How to give Aadhar card to person not having any documents?
3) why Indian post stopped money order business?
4) why merger of speed post and register posts?
5) discussion on postal stamps .
6) Impact of  discontinuing money order on poor , vulnerable.

Member 4
1) why traffic jam on Mumbai - pune highway recently?
2) what steps will you take to to tackle such issues?
3) why public preferring private banks over postal banking?
4) what steps will you take to promote heritage site as a tourism hub?
5) chages needed in postal department?

Mocks : unique academy, Jnanprabodhini , Nirav da , only ias , sriram ias, samkalp ias, vajirao reddy,  study IQ, Hamdard.

Time - 34 minutes.
Special thanks to Vidya probondhini , kolhapur.