By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent

THE perception that the public service does not tolerate views that contradict government policies is one reason 18-year-olds give politically correct answers at the interviews for civil service scholarships.

Other reasons are their superficial knowledge of a subject and a culture of deference to authority, said young people who spoke to The Straits Times.

They were commenting on a main criticism Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Eddie Teo made about would-be scholars who give pro-government answers because they think that is what the interview panel wants to hear.

Preparing for the big day

PSC chairman Eddie Teo had these tips for scholarship candidates:

Know what you want

The PSC does not set out to make life difficult for you. We ask questions which are related to what you seem to be interested in.

Expect tough questions

The better candidates must expect harder questions. We are less interested in ascertaining what you know than in finding out how you think and what kind of person you are. It is not so much the facts you know, but how nimble and astute a mind you have.

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