Beyond Mock Interviews
Mock interviews help students understand their deficiencies in performance. However, beyond this point, mock interviews generally do not aid much in the preparation.
Mock interviews help students understand their deficiencies in performance. However, beyond this point, mock interviews generally do not aid much in the preparation.
To understand the limitations of mocks, we must clarify the distinction between performance and training. Mock tests and training are not the same thing. The aim of mock tests is to perform. The aim of learning/training is to develop the mental schemas that will allow you to perform. This can take very different forms.
In UPSC preparation, mock tests are avenues that test your performance. They do not necessarily build the skill sets that will allow you to perform better next time.
Therefore, a student needs to find intermediary training methods that will equip themselves for the next performance. Unless a person takes these methods seriously, attending numerous mock interviews will become a mindless exercise. Here are a few suggestions:
Firstly, write down the questions asked in a mock interview in a note on the same day itself. Make sure that you prepare a voice note for questions that you did not answer really well. In this way, you can stretch your preparation level.
Secondly, make sure that you receive the feedback in the same spirit and substance. A panel may give many pieces of feedback. From that feedback, one must be able to discern and prioritize the improvement suggestions that will have higher impacts on performance. A cost-benefit analysis is necessary here. Let me elaborate with this example:
You are getting four main feedbacks from the interview:
You have to talk passionately.
You have to prepare your grad subject well.
You need to engage in a conversation instead of making the interview into a viva-mode.
You need to smile more.
You find all suggestions relevant to you. However, some of these suggestions are easy to implement and have a higher impact factor in terms of increasing your marks. You need to prioritize those suggestions instead of allowing yourself to get carried away with suggestions that may be less relevant.
This cost-benefit calculation may differ for each individual. For example, preparing a grad subject may take more time for someone. For some others, smiling more may have to be forced. On the other hand, talking passionately may be something that can be implemented easily and will elevate the performance.
Therefore, understanding one's strengths and weaknesses, and having a calibrated calculation of improvements is important. One needs to consider the paucity of time as well.
Thirdly, you must deploy a wide variety of training methods such as one-on-one, peer mocks, group discussions, brainstorming, speaking aloud, etc., to make yourself prepared for the performance.
In Lead IAS, we were able to find the limitations of the mock-centric approach in UPSC preparation quite early on. Therefore, we have thoughtfully introduced group discussions as a strong pedagogical practice for interview candidates over and above mock interviews. Group Discussions have helped many underperforming candidates to outsmart their more fluent and eloquent peers through deliberate practice. Getting committed to an ecosystem and allowing yourself to get nourished within an ecosystem will help the candidates to bring out the best in them.
Lead IAS's vision to create a complete learning ecosystem now permeates all its academic initiatives, including PRIME, Prelims Killer, Mains Killer, and it animates our course design for the interview bootcamp as well.
(Written by Anuroop Sunny, Senior Academic Consultant)
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