Interview is a very significant part of Competitive Examination for it’ll determine the occupational group (like PAS, PSP, FSP, etc.) a candidate would be allocated in.2023

I applaud everyone who passed the written portion of the CSS-2023 exam, however I would strongly advise them to take this interview seriously and come prepared.

Experiences of CSS Interviews in the Past

Over time, there have been substantial changes in the competitive examination interview format. This is especially true given the growing number of candidates who show up for and pass the written portion of the exam. Approximately 800 students passed the CSS written exam this year as well. Thus, the Commission has a large pool of bright individuals to choose from, making the competition for candidates more difficult each year.

It has been noted that the Panel Interview contributes more to overall interview marks than other components in CSS interviews performed in the past three years. The psychological examination is also very important because how a candidate performs on it leaves an impression on the examiners regarding his or her personality. Candidates are thus urged to pay attention to both factors.

The following topics were covered during panel interviews during the last couple of years: your favourite books and authors, optional subjects, current events, world issues, occupational groupings of preference, hobbies, etc. The interview questions are varied and largely subjective.

Candidates are encouraged to conduct a thorough preparation, preferably with the supervision and direction of some trustworthy sources, keeping in mind that an entire career is on the line. This essay is intended to offer you a thorough understanding of this exam and to provide you with some dos and don’ts to follow. Three additional segments—the medical examination, the psychological test, and the oral examination—would now be presented to the candidates.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION

Multiple examinations and activities make up a two-day psychological test. The main goal of psychological testing is to determine a candidate’s aptitude for Pakistan’s civil services by estimating their skills and personality attributes.

Day 1

For the candidates, the first day is a lengthy and frantic one because it is filled with several psychological, personality, and aptitude exams. These assessments are largely intended to gather data on the candidates’ interests, beliefs, personal preferences, personality types, and details about their family lives. The candidates must be mentally ready for this because these tests are administered one after another quickly. In this sense, getting a good night’s sleep the night before the exam is crucial, as is a hearty breakfast. Although a formal suit is not necessary for this day, too informal attire should be avoided.

A list of 1st day’s activities:

Document Verification

Filling of Pro forma of Candidate’s Educational and Occupational information

Aptitude Tests

Analytical Questions

Sentence Completion

Vocabulary

Personality Trait Assessment Tests

Picture Stories

Autobiography ‘it has to be written on a prescribed page within eight minutes

The candidates are recommended to continuously practise for these exams. In addition to this, candidates must mention:

Two of their favourite (current) people, along with the reasons they like them
They recently read and enjoyed two books.
You would support two of the current government’s short- and long-term policies.
Two national and international events of great significance.

In an interview with psychologists and the panel, questions about the candidates’ responses would also be raised.

Day 2

The second day’s activities are varied and involve command assignments, two group conversations on broad issues, one in Urdu and one in English, as well as an interview with a panel of psychiatrists. The candidate’s attitude and behaviour while working and interacting with the group of individuals are the main focus of the second day. The purpose of the group talks is to evaluate the applicants’ communication abilities, perspectives on society as a whole, topics pertaining to domestic and international situations, and how they behave in a group setting while expressing their ideas and thoughts.
In addition to participating in group conversations, the candidate would also be expected to complete command tasks while working with others. Each applicant would have to demonstrate his or her own difficulty throughout this exercise, while also taking on a subordinate or coordination role during the demonstrations of the other candidates. Eight minutes would be allocated to each candidate to complete their command task. The command task must be completed with proper time management. The time may be divided into three segments by the candidate:
The first portion of the time should be spent explaining the issue to others, the second part should be spent soliciting suggestions, and the third part should be spent giving the actual instructions and drawing a conclusion.
The candidates’ participation in the command duties is intended to determine whether they have the aptitude and character traits needed to join the Pakistani Civil Services. Each candidate is expected to meet with a group of psychologists for a brief interview following the completion of the group exercises in order to provide any extra information that the group may need in order to build a personality assessment of the candidate.
It should be emphasised that the panel asks questions on the candidate’s past experiences, professional background, social orientation, future plans, other options accessible to them, motivations for joining the civil service, and topics as diverse as economics, politics, and other social issues. The length and tone of the interview differ from person to person, it should be added.

Suggestions for Candidates

Come appropriately attired in a business suit. Wear the suit you have already worn a few times if possible to avoid feeling uncomfortable.
Maintain a gentlemanly demeanour and refrain from being pushy or domineering toward your colleagues.

Avoid using English words in Urdu talks if there are more appropriate Urdu words available. It reveals both your attitude toward and command of your own tongue.
Be thoughtful before you say in conversations. Choose the two most compelling arguments you have in mind, and then articulate them well. Give people their turn voluntarily after spending 40–50 seconds. Make it clear that you are a keen listener as well.
Pay attention to the candidate who is currently speaking.
Never glance at the psychiatrists’ panel. Neglect them. Refrain from speaking continuously. Avoid attempting to rule the group. Respect your fellow team members.
Give the opposing perspective when it’s your turn again.
Try to involve every subordinate in command tasks when you are acting as a leader.
If the right suggestions are not being given, provide a few of your own.
Regardless of how ridiculous a suggestion may sound, do not reject it.
Avoid attempting to act like a “good officer.” Be a “good gentleman,” please.
The Panel Interview
The candidates must appear before the FPSC panel led by the chairman FPSC, typically following a hiatus of a few days. The panel includes two or three senior members as well. The interview could last anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes. It is important to note that the length of the interview does not necessarily reflect the candidate’s performance. What counts is the interview’s actual quality.
Preparing for the Panel Interview
Keep in mind that interviews often involve a two-pronged assessment. Both parts are concerned with your knowledge, one with your personality. You ought to emphasise both of these factors.
Your Personality
Your physical appearance, body language, posture, voice quality and tone, and level of confidence all factor into your personality. You can begin focusing on it right away, but you cannot transform your personality over night. Spend some time on yourself during your busy day by starting a routine morning walk and evening sport. Additionally, it will assist you in keeping your weight within a healthy range.
Without ever saying a word, your body language conveys a lot about your personality and character. Body language is simply the way you conduct yourself. Maintaining eye contact with the panel is crucial because it conveys your confidence. A slouched posture communicates worry, uncertainty, and low self-esteem, so you should stand up straight, sit up straight, and move around. Similar to how sitting with your legs crossed shows disinterest, shaking your legs suggests uneasiness and tension.
Additionally important to nonverbal communication, hand gestures must be used sparingly.
Maintain a positive mindset and attitude throughout the interview. Avoid appearing overly serious or happy. Speak with confidence and clarity. All of these qualities require practise, and you can develop or enhance these talents by organising a group and doing mock interviews and group discussions.
Your Knowledge
The other element concerns your knowledge, which the panel will evaluate through their inquiries. Wide-ranging and all-encompassing questions would be posed to the contenders. However, you can categories them as follows for the sole purpose of thorough preparation:
Candidate Qualification Profile and its Scope
Workplace experiences and how to learn from them
A little introduction to the city of origin
Why do you want to work in the government?
motives for leaving the field (doctors)
Pro forma Questions
Information from the Day 1 Psychological Examination may be questioned. You could connect it to: favorite personality
preferred book
Governmental policies, national and international events
General Questions
These would broadly speak to Pakistani ideology, issues facing the Muslim world, current national and global issues and events, national policies, and national geography.
The inquiries would be extremely probing and stimulating. The candidates must respond in a very honest, truthful, original, independent, and well-thought-out manner, especially when it comes to contentious matters affecting our country’s policy. Candidates should express themselves with confidence and without boundaries. Any generalized response that lacks factual support, logic, or rationale would be manifestly unpersuasive and, as a result, would not be given any credit. Its substance should also be quite conventional and rhetorical.
Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that the candidates have no mental limitations. The interviewing panel never has a predetermined position on an issue, and any disagreement among the candidates is never taken into account negatively. The panel is always objective and simply considers the candidate’s response and points of view.
Finally, I’d like to counsel the applicants to remember that this is only a job interview. Not every candidate would receive a placement. So, try your hardest and leave the rest up to Allah Ta’ala. Your life would not end if you were not allocated. The most important lesson to take away from this exam is that the only way to succeed in life is via persistent hard work and carefully planned and directed efforts. Some applicants might not succeed here, but if they take away this lesson, they will succeed in their future endeavors. Allah be with you all.

FAQs

How to prepare for CSS interview?
To prepare for a CSS interview, familiarize yourself with the basics of CSS, layout techniques such as Flexbox and Grid, preprocessors like Sass and Less, frameworks like Bootstrap and Foundation, performance and optimization, browser compatibility, and be able to explain your process and reasoning. Practice building web pages and experimenting with different CSS techniques.

What are 4 good interview techniques?
Four good interview techniques are active listening, asking open-ended questions, using the STAR method, and giving specific examples.

What are the 7 most common interview questions and answers?
The 7 most common interview questions are: “Why do you want to work here?”, “What are your strengths?”, “What are your weaknesses?”, “Why should we hire you?”, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”, “Can you tell me about a time when you overcame a challenge?” and “What are your salary expectations?”.

How can I give my introduction?
To give a good introduction, start by stating your name, your current job title or position, and a brief summary of your experience and qualifications that are relevant to the job you are interviewing for. Be confident, sincere and keep it brief.

Which interview method is best?
The best interview method depends on the specific job, company and the interviewer’s preferences, but behavioral interviewing is widely considered as one of the most effective methods.