Patterns in UPSC interview questions
Where UPSC interview questions come from, which DAF entries draw them, which topics are rising, and how boards and members differ.
Browsing as a guest
You see 10 questions a search. Log in for 20, and the questions boards asked on your own DAF.
Source of the question
Share of all questions. Click a bar to open it in Search.
What the board asks you to do
Share of all questions by type, the top ten.
- Plain fact16%
- About you13%
- Your opinion9%
- Why / reasons8%
- Define a term8%
- Open prompt on a topic8%
- What should be done6%
- Counter-question5%
- Impact / importance4%
- Compare two things4%
Which DAF entries draw the most questions
For each part of the DAF: how often a board picks it up, and how many questions follow once it does.
| DAF field | Interviews where it came up | Questions when it came up (average) | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbies & Interests | 1,693 (66%) | 4.2 | 7,162 |
| Education Background | 1,652 (65%) | 4.1 | 6,808 |
| Home State | 1,207 (47%) | 3.9 | 4,689 |
| Work Experience | 1,036 (40%) | 4.6 | 4,731 |
| Home District / City | 948 (37%) | 2.8 | 2,668 |
| Optional Subject | 924 (36%) | 3.2 | 2,985 |
| Other DAF Entry | 570 (22%) | 3.2 | 1,843 |
| Extracurricular Activities | 563 (22%) | 2.7 | 1,495 |
| Name / Family Background | 294 (11%) | 1.6 | 458 |
| Prizes & Achievements | 104 (4%) | 2.4 | 245 |
| Language / Medium | 76 (3%) | 1.6 | 120 |
| Service Preference | 74 (3%) | 1.9 | 144 |
| Scholarships | 37 (1%) | 1.4 | 52 |
Most-asked DAF entries
Number of interviews in which the entry prompted at least one question. Click one to see the questions.
Education Background
Home State
Optional Subject
Extracurricular Activities
Themes boards keep returning to
Each topic by how often it comes up and whether it is rising or fading. Click a dot or a row to open the topic.
14 topics are frequent and rising: prepare these first
Frequent and rising:US, Trump and tariffs (+21.2)Artificial intelligence (+15.6)Women and gender (+5.7)Films and OTT (+5.3)Books and reading (+4.8)Language and Hindi (+4.0)District administration (+3.6)Defence (+2.8)China (+2.6)Olympics and sports (+2.1)Health (+1.9)Media (+1.8)Heritage and culture (+1.3)Leadership (+1.2)
| Topic | Group | Interviews | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Trend | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 661 (26%) | 25% | 24% | 28% | 29% | 25% | ↑ +2.6 | ||
| Women and gender | 577 (23%) | 17% | 22% | 21% | 28% | 22% | ↑ +5.7 | ||
| Books and reading | 493 (19%) | 17% | 15% | 23% | 22% | 20% | ↑ +4.8 | ||
| District administration | 474 (19%) | 17% | 16% | 19% | 20% | 21% | ↑ +3.6 | ||
| US, Trump and tariffs | 446 (17%) | 7.0% | 8.7% | 11% | 32% | 26% | ↑ +21.2 | ||
| Why civil services | 419 (16%) | 18% | 18% | 15% | 14% | 16% | ↓ -2.9 | ||
| Artificial intelligence | 403 (16%) | 4.0% | 9.8% | 18% | 21% | 25% | ↑ +15.6 | ||
| Russia and Ukraine | 396 (15%) | 29% | 19% | 11% | 14% | 7.5% | ↓ -13.3 | ||
| Olympics and sports | 373 (15%) | 15% | 12% | 15% | 18% | 14% | ↑ +2.1 | ||
| Heritage and culture | 364 (14%) | 14% | 12% | 16% | 14% | 15% | ↑ +1.3 | ||
| Health | 359 (14%) | 14% | 13% | 14% | 13% | 17% | ↑ +1.9 | ||
| Films and OTT | 355 (14%) | 11% | 11% | 14% | 17% | 16% | ↑ +5.3 | ||
| Language and Hindi | 353 (14%) | 14% | 11% | 13% | 18% | 15% | ↑ +4.0 | ||
| Bureaucracy and lateral entry | 335 (13%) | 14% | 13% | 12% | 13% | 14% | steady | ||
| Media | 335 (13%) | 14% | 11% | 14% | 13% | 15% | ↑ +1.8 | ||
| Infrastructure and railways | 326 (13%) | 14% | 13% | 12% | 11% | 14% | ↓ -1.5 | ||
| Water | 304 (12%) | 15% | 11% | 13% | 8.9% | 13% | ↓ -2.4 | ||
| Constitution | 277 (11%) | 11% | 13% | 9.7% | 10% | 8.9% | ↓ -2.8 | ||
| Leadership | 276 (11%) | 8.1% | 11% | 14% | 9.6% | 12% | ↑ +1.2 | ||
| Defence | 266 (10%) | 9.7% | 8.7% | 9.7% | 13% | 11% | ↑ +2.8 | ||
| Pakistan | 262 (10%) | 9.4% | 11% | 9.7% | 9.1% | 11% | steady | ||
| GST and taxation | 257 (10%) | 12% | 8.5% | 11% | 11% | 9.5% | steady | ||
| Judiciary | 249 (9.7%) | 9.4% | 13% | 9.2% | 8.5% | 7.1% | ↓ -3.6 | ||
| Cricket | 247 (9.6%) | 8.6% | 9.2% | 8.2% | 12% | 9.8% | ↑ +2.0 | ||
| Budget and fiscal policy | 245 (9.6%) | 8.1% | 12% | 8.8% | 12% | 6.8% | ↓ -0.6 |
Share of each year's interviews with at least one question on the topic. Change compares CSE 2024 and 2025 with CSE 2021 and 2022, in percentage points. The early years come from different compilations, so treat small changes with care.
How a board builds a line of questioning
- Most points get one question. On current affairs, 56% of points are a single question, 28% get two, and 16% get three or more.
- Opinions draw a counter. After an opinion question, a counter-question follows 23% of the time.
- Role-plays continue. After "As DM, what will you do?", a second role question follows 36% of the time and a counter 24%.
- Questions are short. The median question is 9 words. One in five is five words or fewer.
Board styles
Share of each board's questions by source. Darker blue: more than the average.
| Board | Questions | DAF | Static GS / Opinion | Current Affairs | HR / Motivation | Situational | Ice-breaker / Small Talk | Ethics / Philosophy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raj Shukla (277 interviews) | 8,037 | 41% | 34% | 15% | 5% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
| Dinesh Dasa (258 interviews) | 6,761 | 44% | 31% | 11% | 6% | 4% | 2% | 1% |
| Sheel Vardhan Singh (229 interviews) | 6,682 | 50% | 29% | 11% | 4% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
| R N Choubey (252 interviews) | 6,490 | 26% | 46% | 15% | 5% | 3% | 4% | 1% |
| Sanjay Verma (223 interviews) | 6,457 | 51% | 27% | 8% | 6% | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| B B Swain (214 interviews) | 6,187 | 51% | 28% | 11% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 1% |
| Suman Sharma (222 interviews) | 6,051 | 35% | 40% | 18% | 2% | 4% | 0% | 1% |
| M Sathiyavathy (191 interviews) | 5,411 | 47% | 29% | 12% | 7% | 3% | 0% | 1% |
| Smita Nagaraj (163 interviews) | 4,409 | 39% | 37% | 12% | 6% | 3% | 0% | 2% |
| Preeti Sudan (122 interviews) | 3,484 | 47% | 33% | 10% | 5% | 4% | 0% | 1% |
| Manoj Soni (97 interviews) | 2,853 | 44% | 33% | 10% | 6% | 4% | 2% | 1% |
| Sujata Chaturvedi (78 interviews) | 2,354 | 36% | 37% | 16% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| B B Vyas (78 interviews) | 2,211 | 42% | 36% | 11% | 6% | 3% | 0% | 1% |
| T C A Ananth (57 interviews) | 1,679 | 45% | 32% | 12% | 6% | 3% | 0% | 1% |
| Anuradha Prasad (48 interviews) | 1,489 | 45% | 32% | 13% | 4% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
| Ajay Kumar (7 interviews) | 175 | 56% | 26% | 5% | 9% | 3% | 0% | 1% |
Who asks what
Share of each panel member's questions by source.
| Asked by | Questions | DAF | Static GS / Opinion | Current Affairs | HR / Motivation | Situational | Ice-breaker / Small Talk | Ethics / Philosophy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairperson | 16,606 | 46% | 24% | 11% | 10% | 2% | 5% | 1% |
| Member 1 | 12,322 | 45% | 34% | 12% | 4% | 4% | 0% | 1% |
| Member 2 | 12,618 | 43% | 36% | 13% | 4% | 4% | 0% | 1% |
| Member 3 | 13,066 | 42% | 36% | 13% | 4% | 4% | 0% | 1% |
| Member 4 | 12,603 | 39% | 39% | 13% | 4% | 4% | 0% | 1% |
| Member 5 | 1,512 | 35% | 42% | 13% | 4% | 4% | 0% | 1% |