DAF Counseling and Interview Guidance Programme

“Your days of homework and hard work will be judged in approx. 20-30 mins of interview’’

When you have conquered 2 stages of ESE examination, it’s the time to hit the third. To go ahead for the third one, prerequisite is your DAF – Detailed Application Form.

 

What is DAF in UPSC exam?

DAF form is a crucial part of the process of enrolling in the UPSC exam. Candidates who have successfully qualified for the Civil Service (CS) exam are required to fill out this form. The online Detailed Application Form is available on the website www.upsc.gov.in. Candidates must visit the website and follow the specified guidelines to complete the application process.

 

How to fill the DAF for UPSC main?

Before understanding the steps followed to fill the Detailed Application Form, let’s know the two segments involved in the counseling interview round. This mainly includes DAF-based questions and non-DAF-based questions. DAF segment mainly includes the information that forms the base of the interview. Non-DAF segment mainly includes an application that involves filling up information related to technical subjects and the candidate’s job profile. Usually, 20-30 questions are included in the DAF segment and 60-70 questions are included in the non-DAF segment. This can vary from one point in time to another.

One of the salient points that candidates need to remember is that UPSC DAF includes six modules, such as personal details, educational information, parental details, employment information, uploading the required documents, and final submission of the Detailed Application Form. Now that we know the background of the interview process, let’s check out the guidelines related to the UPSC DAF filling process.

 

Here are the guidelines that must be followed at the time of filling up the DAF form.

• Candidates must check if they have qualified for the written part of the examination. Qualifying in this round makes the candidate eligible to fill the form for the interview round.
• To get started, candidates must click on the link present below the ‘login’ button. This will take the candidate to the registration page.
• Candidates must fill in the required information at the time of registration. This includes Name, Roll Number, Date of Birth, and e-mail address.
• All the specified fields must be properly filled with the correct information as no changes are possible after the form is submitted.
• Candidates need to fill an active email address in the respective area as login credentials will be shared to the same email address after successful completion of registration via the Detailed Application Form.
• Next, candidates need to login into their login module with the credentials received over the registered email.
• It is important to note that candidates must fill all the modules properly while filling up the application form. The DAF form has the option of where candidates can make changes in the modules if required before the final submission.
• In case of any genuine errors occur, the candidate gets the opportunity to represent the Commission with the required documents. The Commission will make the final decision based on merit. This completes the UPSC DAF registration process.

 

DAF Counseling Session

Almost everyone who fills DAF has certain common questions popping up in their minds – How to make it more impressive?? What will be the order of preference for the departments? What to fill in the hobbies column??

As it is said first impression matters a lot – so

Before you appear on the seat in front of the interviewer’s desk,

They have your DAF on their desks, and

This DAF will create an impression of the person coming next.

Two simple words to follow when you fill these interrogating areas in your DAF is “Don’t Lie’’. This is the document, which will be the basis of your interview, so if you don’t know or you don’t have better is to leave blank.

The main areas which create confusion are Service preference, Prizes/ medals/scholarships, Team games/Sports, Position of Distinction leadership, Hobbies, and Interests.

• In order to fill up the Department preference, you must know basic information regarding different departments, nature of work, and job locations, and then accordingly you must decide your service preference. To lessen your task of research about all departments, MADE EASY is organizing exclusive DAF sessions to help you out in framing your preference order.
• The rest 5 areas are those areas which you cannot copy from anybody; these are the areas that are unique to an individual personality like Prizes/ medals/scholarships, Team games/Sports, Position of Distinction leadership, Hobbies, and Interests. These are the areas that obviously will not lead to your rejection but if you have them then surely it will become a distinguishing factor between you and the person sitting next to you in the waiting section.

These are the areas where, when you write something, you should be extra cautious because questions will be put up in the interview. This has to be your profile, your prizes, and your areas of interest and you must have basic knowledge about everything you mention on your DAF. For all the above-stated points DAF session will play a crucial role to guide you on what to fill.

 

Grooming for Personality Test

The interview should not be taken lightly; many students who are top scorers in the Main exam are left far behind in the interview race.

UPSC interview panel consists of experts of various fields having a wide experience in the technical section – maybe somewhere around 20-25 years. You may think you are technically strong as you have cleared Main, whatever you have learned until now is bookish knowledge they will grill you on practical application. They don’t want engineer students, rather they are searching for Corporate Engineers to fit into the system of practical approach.

So to connect your learned book concepts with the practical application you need guidance from experts who can train you well.  Needless to say, MADE EASY has unmatchable expertise to mentor every Main qualified candidate to handle this sensitive area.

Usually the technical part of your current job (if you are employed) related questions will account for 70%-80% weightage in your interview. The rest may comprise of Current Affairs and HR part. However, there are no such fixed criteria for weightage.

For the Current Affairs and HR part, they may ask you why you want to join IES? Why is this department on the top of the list of preference orders? Why did you leave your previous job?? Such questions can only be answered when you get proper training.

Remember, this is not the conventional paper where one of your answers goes wrong that can be covered in other questions. Every word counts in an interview and one unsuitable word will take your interview in another direction. Then recovery during the entire interview time is not possible. Hence, if you don’t give suitable answers your overall rank goes down irrespective of your Main performance. This point makes it a must need to have proper interview handling guidance and that too from the best mentors.

MADE EASY has analyzed the UPSC pattern which shows the track- where they emphasize and what type of questions they can ask and what answers they expect. Therefore, we offer an exclusive Interview Guidance programme for ESE Main qualified candidates where the team guides candidates in the best possible manner.

Interview Guidance Course not only gives you strength in Current Affairs, HR and technical areas but also focuses on improving your overall personality for the interview; the point when you greet them till you say thank you, all eyes are on you and you will be judged on your every action. You obviously cannot slouch or lean back in front of the interviewer. The ideal way to sit, the best dress for the day, the best way to greet the panel, the best way to introduce yourself – such areas are also equally taken care of in the Interview Guidance Program.

To face this interview, apart from learning “HOW”, every engineer needs rigorous practice to implement the tips. Regular “MOCK INTERVIEWS” are useful in this aspect. MADE EASY organizes mock interviews simulating the UPSC environment with renowned and experienced panel members who are retired civil servants, professors, and personality grooming experts with wide experience. You can give mock interviews, implement the learned tips, get rid of the fear of interviews, and make your UPSC interview the best interview ever.

 

 

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