“What do you understand by spirit of service and commitment?”
Civil services aspirants will face questions like this that will test their attitude to issues like probity in public life and problem-solving approach in the paper on ‘ethics, integrity and aptitude’, introduced in the Mains examination from this year.
A sample paper has now been put up on the UPSC website to give a fair idea to the candidates for the examination.
It has questions like — “What do you understand by ’Ethical Human Conduct’?” and “What do you understand by intellectual integrity, empathy, perseverance, spirit of service and commitment?”
There will also be case studies in the paper to check one’s problem-solving skills on situations involving instances of harassment, cheating and corruption at workplaces among others.
While making public the sample paper, the UPSC has told candidates that range and depth of questions that would be asked may differ.
In order to overhaul civil service examinations, a new pattern giving more emphasis on assessing general studies and aptitude skills of aspirants was notified in March 2013.
