New Delhi: As hundreds of UPSC aspirants appear before the selection board for interviews, a question asked to a candidate has found its way into the online groups and is now inviting debates. It’s nothing to do with governance or policy. It’s a “riddle” that involves JP Morgan.
Ketan, who cleared UPSC in 2018 and now teaches aspirants, posted about this question on X. Many aspirants were aghast.
“A jeweller sent a diamond necktie to J.P. Morgan with a note ‘If you like this necktie, send $500. If not, send the box back.’ Morgan returned the box with a cheque for $400. The jeweller sent the cheque back. When he opened the box, he found a note inside. What did the note say?” read the post, which has since been deleted.
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Logic of UPSC interview questions
Many wondered why such riddles are being asked in UPSC interviews at all. Aspirants said the puzzle feels very different from the usual policy or governance-based prompts—it is more akin to a lateral-thinking test meant to see how a candidate reasons under pressure.
“It was a very interesting question to test the presence of mind—an important trait for a civil servant. People are criticising it on social media, but it’s not an unusual thing to ask. In a UPSC interview, they test everything in you,” Ketan told ThePrint.
It’s a practice among aspirants to share their interview questions online to help future candidates learn from them.
At first, many did not even believe the question was real. Others saw it as part of a shift in the interview board’s approach, with more focus on decision-making, interpretation, and real-time reasoning.
“It’s a common financial parlance. I’m guessing the candidate worked in an investment banking firm. I remember senior VPs at Goldman using this during orientation to check logical reasoning,” wrote Jerin Bose.
The JP Morgan anecdote is well-documented online. “It’s a famous anecdote. Morgan was using the $400 cheque to negotiate the price and check if it was fixed. The jeweller, by returning it, showed that the price was indeed fixed,” read a reply to Ketan’s post.
Some saw it as an attempt by the board to indicate the evolving needs of the services. That today’s civil servants are expected not just to know rules and procedures, but to understand human behaviour, negotiation, and the grey areas of real-world situations. For many aspirants, the viral question was a reminder that UPSC interviews are no longer about giving the “right” answer—they’re about showing how you think.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
JP Morgan or any US firm follows us regulation on gift taking . Max 100 $ is allowed
I mean it’s good if they are asking such questions. Best way to weed out incompetent people is to check their logical reasoning.
Another thing UPSC needs to focus on is hiring people who are experienced in corporate sector or they have ran businesses. Atleast 30% of the top cadre should be from such backgrounds