When you take the toughest government exams list, the IAS examination is considered one of the top 10 toughest exams in India. When you ask students who attended their exams about the feedback regarding the questions asked by UPSC Panel in the IAS interview, the most frequent answer candidates say that questions are very tricky as most of the questions get prepared by the experts. Without making the proper practice, you cannot get the job in hand.
Here we bring you the top 30 tricky IAS interview questions asked by UPSC Panel to test the candidate’s ability in answering them. I am not going to say, reading these questions will help you crack the exam but these IAS interview questions and answers will give you the idea about how to think and answer in front of the officials when a tough question is raised in front of you during the IAS interview.
Top Tricky IAS Interview Questions with Answers [ Updated List 2024]
List of Books for UPSC Interview Preparation followed By IAS Toppers
- Best Books One Should Read For UPSC Interview Preparation
- Must-Read Books for IAS Interview Preparation
Here are the 30 most interesting questions asked in the IAS Interview Sessions:
Question 1: What is the difference between vision, mission aims, and objectives?
Answer- vision is at the top of the broad overarching destination. The mission can be used in terms of technology. Aims and Objectives have to do with long-term and short-term goals or outcomes of the mission.
Here the panel wants to see your ability to answer the question with a calm mind.
Question 2: Jamie looked at his reflection in the window mirror of the 45th floor. Driven by an irrational impulse, he made a leap through the window on the other side. Yet Jamie did not encounter even a single bruise.
How can this be possible if he neither landed on a soft surface nor used a parachute?
Answer- Jamie is a window cleaner who was tired after cleaning the windows on the 45th floor and thus leaped inside the building.
It’s a tricky IAS question itself. Candidates need the presence of mind to understand the question.
Question 3:- What is the difference between “here” and “there”?
Answer- The difference between here and there is ’’ T’’.
The candidate may be confused by the question. They will try to explain the difference but take your time to understand the question before answering.
Question 4:- Can you make seven an even number?
Answer – Yes, by removing ‘S’ from it.
Candidates may relate the question to mathematics but it’s a tricky IAS question and needs to be understood.
Question 5:- What ended in the year 1999?
Answer- 1998. As the new year begins in 1999 and ends in 1998.
Interviewers wanted to test your presence of mind and ability to answer. They wanted to test IQ levels also.
Question 6: What will happen if you throw a red stone into a blue sea?
Answer- it will become wet.
This question looks difficult and candidates make the mistake of not understanding the concept behind it. Take your time then answer the question.
Question 7: If a red house is made from red bricks, a pink house is made from pink bricks, a blue house is made from blue bricks, and a black house is made from black bricks, then what is a greenhouse made from?
Answer- Glass.
They wanted to test your brain. Most of the candidates answer green without thinking. So use your brain before answering.
Question 8: What is the center of gravity?
Answer- The letter ‘V’. GRAVITY.
Again the tricky question and the answer is in the question itself. Don’t go deeply into science. It’s a logical one.
Question 9: What goes up when the rain comes down?
Answer- An Umbrella.
Most of the tricky IAS questions need the presence of mind. Don’t be nervous if you find a question tricky.
Question 30: What happened when the wheel was invented?
Answer- It caused a revolution.
The panel expects a logical answer. Candidates don’t need to go in deep.
Question 11:- One day if you found your sister nude on the bed, what would you do?
Answer: I will cover my little sister with the towel because a small kid gets affected by cold easily.
Here, you shouldn’t lose your temper because a brilliant candidate will always stay patient and give the best answer to the questions raised in front of him/her.
Question 12:- A cat has three children, the name of their children are January, February, and March. What is the name of that cat?
Answer: The answer is available in the question asked. The Cat name is ‘What.’
You should take much time to give the answer to these questions because you are a future IAS officer so your presence of mind should respond back quickly.
Question 13: If 2 is the company and 3 is the crowd, next what will be the 4 and 5?
Answer: 4 and 5 there is always 9.
Your brilliance will get tested here, so instead of overthinking a lot, you should think without getting confused to answer these questions.
Question 14:- What looks like half an apple?
Answer: The second half APPLE.
If the candidate was feeling pressure inside the interview hall, he/she cannot answer these types of tricky questions. Never put down your confidence level.
Question 15:- A killer was condemned to death. Shown three rooms, and room number one is on fire, the second rifle with the killer in the third Tiger, who had not eaten for three years. What should he choose?
Answers -> room number three because three years will have died by now hungry, lion.
These questions will be asked to test the decision-making ability of the IAS interview candidate.
Question 16: The interviewer bought a cup of coffee for the applicant. Coffee came; kept it in front of the candidate, and then he asked what is before you?
Answer-> Candidates answer was “Tea”
The question was what is before you ( u – alphabetic letter), so he replied Tea(t). These IAS interview questions will be asked to test your accuracy.
Question 17: If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?
Answer: Very large Hands.
Interviewers always look forward to selecting candidates who think out of the box, so for an IAS interview, you also need to give a brilliant and intelligent answer.
Question 18:- How to drop a raw egg onto a concrete or cement floor without cracking it?
Answer: Concrete floors are very difficult to crack.
Here you should not think out of the box, think in a unique way for these types of questions.
Question 19: Can you tell, in which STATE is the Bay of Bengal is?
Answer: In the liquid STATE.
This is a hypothetical question so without confusion candidates should give the answer for these types of questions.
Question 20: If someone throws a red stone into the blue sea what will happen?
Answer -> The stone will be wet and sink.
This question is also a type of logical question that deals with your common sense a lot. You need to be very alert when answering these kinds of questions.
Question 21:- How will you lift an elephant with one hand?
Answer -> Elephants with one hand cannot be found anywhere so no need to lift that.
IAS candidates should think out of the box to answer this question.
Question 22: What can you never eat for your dinner?
Answer -> Lunch and Breakfast.
IAS interview questions will be mostly asked to test your brain, so think twice before you give the answer.
Question 23: How can a man go eight days without sleep?
Answer -> He sleeps at night time.
These are brain twisters. When these types of questions are asked, recall the question again so that you will be able to answer in the right way.
Question 24: What will you do if I go with your own sister?
Answer -> I cannot find a better life partner for my sister than you.
Rather than losing the temperament, answer the question politely without overthinking the situation.
Question 25: What looks like Half Apple?
Answer: The other half.
Don’t imagine here other fruits because the question itself gives you the clue to find the answer, so always try to find the answer from the question asked.
Question 26: Two twins Adarsh and Anupam were born in May, but their birth date is in June. How is that possible?
Answer: Because May is a Place Name.
Once again here the answer is already available in the question asked, so listening to the question deeply will help IAS interview attendees easily answer this question.
Question 27: When you got up in the morning and found that you are pregnant then what will you do first?
Answer: I’ll be so excited and run towards my husband to share this happy news.
Questions like these will be asked to check your positive mindset, so the answer should also be given in a positive way like this.
Question 28: Peacock is a bird that doesn’t lay eggs. Then, how peacock’s children are born?
Answer: The female peacock eggs and not the male ones.
You should have some general knowledge before approaching the IAS interview hall otherwise it’s hard to answer these types of questions.
Question 29: Eight people took 10 hours to build a wall, then how many days will it take for the four people to build?
Answer: The wall has already been built by eight people, so no need to build it now.
If you have the ability to think out of the box, you can answer this type of question easily.
Question 30: The James Bond without a parachute after jumping from an airplane, is alive, how?
Answer: Because James Bond jumped when the airplane was on the runway.
Think about the possibilities first and then leave your reply to these questions.
Many IAS Interview Questions like these will help candidates give the right answer to the question asked in the interview section. More than referring to the previous year’s questions, smart work also plays a major role in cracking these exams. Do not think it’s a difficult exam to pass, always believe in yourself and give out your full potential. Positive results will strike your door soon. All the best for your interview!
Useful Articles:
- Pradeep Singh IAS – Top Rank Holder In UPSC CSE 2019
- Ganesh Kumar Baskar IAS – UPSC CSE 2019 All India Rank 7th
- Vishakha Yadav IAS – UPSC CSE 2019 All India Rank 6th
- Jeydev C S IAS – UPSC CSE 2019 All India Rank 5th
- Abhishek Saraf IAS – UPSC CSE 2019 All India Rank 8th
- Himanshu Jain IAS – UPSC Topper 2019 Rank 4th
- IAS Interview Preparation Strategy & Tips by UPSC Toppers
Search Tags:
IAS interview questions 2019, IAS interview questions and answers pdf, IAS interview questions 2018, funny IAS interview questions, IAS interview questions and answers 2015, UPSC interview questions of toppers, UPSC interview questions 2020, IAS tricky questions 2021