MBA College GD PI & WAT Experience
Location: CII Suresh Neotia Center for Excellence Kolkata B Mrinal Chandra
Only PI. No GD or WAT.
CAT Percentile— 95.38; XAT 2019 Percentile—-91.xx
8.30am — 01.45pm. Arrived before time. Registration took about 40 minutes starting from 8.30 am.
Student interaction session with AdCom Reps for about an hour and a half.
Second last to enter the interview panel room. Panel 3.
(I was 7th in a series of 8 candidates)
It was apparent that the two gentleman in the Panel were bored and kind of burnt out. The older one kept coughing and the younger one quizzed a lot on Computer Science. No questions from any other part of profile data form. No extra curricular. No GK. No business news.
Questions:
Tell us something about yourself.
[General background info and three hobbies {Running, Reading and playing Badminton}; quizzed upon none of the three]
You seem like a consistent performer in studies.
(Answered that I was average in grad studies) (trying to be humble)
Asked about favorite subject
(answered Computer Organization)
Asked to speak for 20 seconds on that. I did.
Asked me about my placement after engineering.
I answered that I was placed but chose not to join because their work hours did not coincide with time I had already decided to allot for preparation.
[ Later, I thought of framing it in a better way as:
1. The joining date was for the beginning of my final sem at college. Due to MBA entrance interview schedule, I could not honor that offer.
- I did not sit for TCS as I spent that weekend with my family. Moreover, TCS is a great company but simply not suited to me as an individual at that point of time. I feel I have more to learn before I can don a formal attire and enter the office workspace…. ]
IO asked me about GDP.
I defined it.
Then he persisted on whether GDP is value of all services and goods as in my definition or value added. I had no clear answer. So I accepted as much.
I wonder if wording indeed makes a difference there.
Difference between expense and expenditure. (Vague answer)
Marketing strategy of NIKE. Spoke a while on this.
Role Model Manager. Xiaomi India guy (Manu Kr. Jain) Justified with some thing about market share and quick rise to fame.
Do you know these people? (Some corporate guys SONY JAPANESE GUY CEO something something….. said No)
Asked about the culture of Bihar.
Can you name a folk dance of Bihar? (Jat Jatin)
Anything else you can tell us about the culture and heritage of Bihar.
Mentioned a lot of things
Nalanda Bodhgaya Vikramshila Buddhist circuit
GI tag given to Madhubani Paintings
Cultural exchange between Bihar and neighboring Nepal.
Know flip flop? No (Had forgotten)
Location: ITC Welcome Hotel, Delhi by Ujjwal Padha
Date: 15th March 2023; Reporting Time: 12:30 PM
GEM
Profile:
10th (CBSE) – 10 CGPA
12th (CBSE) – 94%
Graduation (MNIT Jaipur)— 8.63
24 months work-ex at Hero Motocorp.
Reached the venue just on time and the arrangements were pretty good ( I would rather say the best, if I compare with venues of all the other interviews that I’d appeared for)
Document verification was done and after that I had coffee.
Interview began at about 2:20pm.
2 panelists (both male and late 30s)
Greetings!
P1: Hi Ujjwal! How are you?
Ans: I’m great sir.
P1: Great; how did you travel. You’ve come from Jammu, haven’t you?
Ans: Indeed sir. My maasi lives in Delhi and I’d been here for the past two weeks since I had to appear for other off-campus interviews as well.
P1: What other calls do you have?
Ans: Told
P1: You had pretty good score and rank in JEE Mains and still you opted for mechanical at NIT Jaipur. Any specific reason?
Ans: ( Galti thi sir pachkaani 🥲) I liked physics (vapis jhoot) during my JEE preparation and thought mechanical would be the best option for me and NIT jaipur at that time was ranked 4th. I didn’t want to go to south and that’s why didn’t consider Suratkal and Warangal.
P1: So, was the decision to choose mechanical worth it?
Ans: Yes sir, it really helped me learn a lot. I’ve changed my steering towards management because of learnings and exposure that were granted to me by Hero MotoCorp.
P1: Okay, so which subject have you prepared?
Ans: Mathematics, sir
P1: And……
Ans: (just spat out) Thermodynamics and Fluid mechanics.
P1: What is Reynolds number?
Ans: I’m not able to recall sir.
P1: Difference between Laminar amd turbulent flow?
Answered.
P1: Is turbulent flow desirable or not?
Ans: Yes sir, in some cases turbulent flow is desirable indeed
P1: For example?
Ans: (I honestly took about 30 seconds,staring at the window in the corner of the room, thinking what to say🥲)
Sir, like you’ve blown air over your cup containing tea or maybe coffee.
P2 laughed
P1: Accha! First time heard of this!
P1:— Tell me, which one is more efficient, 2 stroke engine or 4 stroke engine?
Ans: ( Without thinking) 4 stroke engine, sir
P1: Why so?
Gave a ridiculous answer which i knew while speaking was BS😂
P1: I don’t think so, you can check it out later. You should however, know this since you looked after engine in your department as per your resume.
Me:— Definitely sir; I’m out of academic touch but I’ll revisit the concepts for sure.
P1 to P2: You may ask something.
P2:— So, Ujjwal give me some financial figures of your organization.
Ans: Told about turnover, Ebidta margins, NOPAT etc and also gave a brief peer comparison.
P2:— What do you think about Ice vs Ev?
Ans: (I used to present market watch in my department on a monthly basis, so gave the answer quite comfortably) Sales figures of EV and ICE and trend in past 5 years and consumer sentiments, government schemes, environmental factors and exigencies— cooked these ingredients well to give a brief answer.
P2: Good; you’ve a paper and pen with you, solve this-
Find the maxima of ………( i don’t remember the function but it was fairly doable)
Answered.
P2: (Gave two trigonometric equations and two Variables and told to solve for both)
Answered.
P1: Have you watched the film “Kashmir files”?
Ans: Yes sir ( I hadn’t watched complete movie though)
P1:— Take 1 minute to speak on an extempore-
Was Kashmir files a propaganda or reality buster?
I gave a mixed diplomatic answer tbh with about 80% inclination towards the film being based on atrocities ( told that my grandma tells that the film hasn’t even shown half of what the people really had gone through).
They seemed fairly satisfied and had some casual discussion as well on the Kashmir files film with me.
P2: That’s it from our side, you can have a chocolate if you want.
Grabbed two chocolate toffees and gave them parting greetings.
Verdict: Direct Convert
My IIM Calcutta interview was one of the best. This was my 4th interview after IIM Lucknow, IIM Shillong and IIM Bangalore by Shubham Dhaneria
Venue: ITC Grand, Mumbai
Class 10: 91.2% (CBSE)
Class 12: 84.4% (MP Board)
Grad: B. Tech (Aerospace Eng.) from IIT Kanpur – 62%
Work Experience: Management Trainee, Ninjacart (11 months from July’19 to May’20) and Probationary Officer, State Bank of India (2.1 years from March’21 till present)
After reaching the venue we were asked to check the panel number and serial number and wait for our turn for Document Verification (DV), WAT started just after DV.
WAT: Covid has brought out many changes in the lifestyle of people. What according to you are positive impacts on their lifestyle? (Not the exact words but along these lines)
We were given 30 mins to think and write (one sheet is provided, no extra sheets allowed)
I wrote about self-awareness, more focus on healthy lifestyle, passive income, etc and linked the same to the business opportunities it has created in the given fields like cultfit, groww, etc.
Just after the WAT serial number 1,2,3 were called to wait for their interview and others including me went for snacks.
Interview (Duration- 20 minutes) –
I was 5th one to be interviewed in my Panel. There were 3 panellists – 3 Male
P1 – Male (~ 40 years)
P2 – Male (~ 40 years – Prof of Operations management)
P3 – Male (~ 35 years – Prof of Human Resource Management) (checked institute website after the interview to check their credentials)
P1 invited me in. I greeted him at the door and the remaining panellists before sitting. (They were having a look at my biodata form. I handed over my file containing all my certificates to P2)
P1 – Tell us about yourself.
Me – Told them about my home town, medals in athletics, my role in UDGHOSH (Inter college sports fest of IITK) as Head Events, my work-ex in Ninjacart and SBI
P3 – Tell me what Ratlam (my home town) is famous for?
Me – Sir, It’s famous for the 3 S’s (Sev, Saree and Sona (gold)). Also said I am working hard to be the 4th S’s (S – Shubham). All the panellists had a good laugh including me. (icebreaker for me)
P1 – So, why are you willing to leave govt. job?
Me – Told them about slow growth and monotonicity in my current job.
P3 – But it’s a dream job for many. Don’t you think you are making a big mistake?
Me – Yes Sir, It’s a dream for many but it is all part of the plan. It’s starting point for me in the finance world. I joined SBI so as to learn about how the finance sector works and I have learnt a lot in the last 2 years and I am ready to skill myself up with MBA in Finance and move ahead in my career.
P2 was the most silent and serious one and was pointing out my marks to other panellists (It felt like they were noticing my consistency in maths)
P1 – So Shubham, Why have you joined a non-tech job after Aerospace Eng. from IITK?
Me – Sir to be frank I was not at all interested in the field that I was studying. This was because of my rank that I had to settle for this branch. But since IITK is a good brand in itself I preferred to take it for better exposure.
They all were quite surprised by my boldness in accepting this.
P3 – Means all your 4 years of Grad are a waste?
Me – I explained how I participated in sports, took various management roles in different clubs and fests, and how all this has upskilled me to grow as a manager.
Everyone seems satisfied with my response.
P2 – Since you said Aerospace was not your preference it makes no sense for us to ask you questions on it.
Me – (in my mind – This was all that I wanted)
P1 – Tell me 3 things that you like and 3 that you hate about your Job at Ninjacart?
Me – told them about
1 )how I was given a free hand to innovate and try new strategies to achieve my sales target and eventually be awarded the Best Area Sales Manager, Mumbai.
2 )how we were allowed to hire/interview to build our own team and train them.
3 )how every single second things were changing (rigorous environment) and someone was achieving something new.
told them I didn’t like only one thing which was their HR policy in which we used to fire employees frequently with a notice period of only a few days (5-6 days).
The panellist seems satisfied.
P1 – Since you want to be an investment banker (referred to my form), which firm do you want to join after your MBA?
Me – Morgan Stanley or J P Morgan.
P1 – So you might have heard recently that one of these firm (don’t remember which one) has recently laid off over 10,000 employees. Don’t you think you are joining a company with the same HR policy which you don’t like? (Clean Bowled – That was such a good question. I was never ready for this one)
Me – I told them how this could be a business strategy/cost-cutting. (I was not confident enough)
P3 – It’s not a business strategy. This is done to please investors as the stock price boosts just after the lay-off. You might be aware of this.
Me – Yes sir I am.
P1 – Tell me what will you do as a manager if the CEO of your dream company calls you and asks you to fire your 1000 executives?
Me – I told them that, I’ll not fire them as this decision conflicts with my core values.
P3 – But then they’ll fire you… (they all smiled)
Me – That I’ll accept, it’s better to lose my job instead of firing my 1000 executives, I can survive the lay-off but my executives can’t.
P3 – In that case they’ll first fire you and then eventually fire your 1000 executives also.
I smiled and then P3 explained that that’s why we encourage students to join some good small companies.
Me – I agreed
P2 took charge (he was serious of the three)
P2 – Do you know anything about statistics?
Me – I said I know normal /Gaussian distribution
P2 – That everyone knows what else?
Me – I told Possion distribution, Binomial distribution, CLT
P2 – What does ‘k’ represents in the formula of Poisson distribution?
Me – Told
P2 – What is lamda in the formula (poisson distribution)?
Me – Told but was confused
P2 then explained me the difference
P1 – We are done Shubham thank you
I thanked them and left the interview room with confidence.
Took a break and then headed again for snacks (LOL).
Verdict – CONVERTED!
Online (Sharp 10 AM) by
Profile : Female, General Category
Candidate’s Edu Score Stat : Class 10: 95% (CBSE) ; Class 12: 93.17% (CBSE)
Grad: B. Tech (ECE) from SRMIST, Chennai, 91.75%
CAT’22: 99.68%ile
Work Experience : Software Tester for 3.5 years in State Street Corporation,
Bangalore.
INTERVIEW PANEL : 1- Male, 1- Female
Panelist (F) : Tell us something about yourself not mentioned in your form.
Me: Told about my poetry writing and Instagram page.
Panelist (F) : What are your functions in State Street?
Me: shared my Job Description and the role in brief
Panelist (F) : Why have you stayed in State Street for so long?
Me: Told that as a fresher with no corporate experience, I thought it would be for my own good to stay at one company for a longer period of time to get acclimatized to the corporate environment and learn about various work processes.
Panelist (F) : Can you see any growth?
Me: Told that I have gained first hand practical knowledge of the various stages of workflow of a financial institution which would have not been possible if it wasn’t for State Street.
Panelist (M) : What is CDMA GSM?
Me: Only shared the full form , as I was not aware of their functionalities.
Panelist (M) : What is the difference between 4G and 5G?
Me: Told the prepared answer.
Panelist (M) : What are the technologies used in 5G?
Me: Answered it well (I Believe), as was prepared expecting such questions
Panelist (M) :What is Swift? Tell me the importance of Swift.
Me: (Finally something work related!) Told to my best of knowledge
Panelist (M) : What is the Swift ban on Russia?
Me: Explained how the Russian banks won’t be able to transact on SWIFT and that means their assets in the US and Europe are practically of no use. They can’t use them to finance the war.
Panelist (M) : Do you know the role of Swift in PNB bank fraud?
Me: Didn’t know 🙁
Panelist (M) :What issues were faced by telecom companies during the spectrum auction?
Me: Told the prepared answer.
Panelist (M) : What is your cat percentile and what all calls do you have?
Me: Told.
**Female prof was a little rude. Male prof was slightly better.
Interview lasted for around 15 minutes.
Verdict: Converted both PGDM and PGDM-HRM!
Profile : Xth : 95% : XII :97.1%
: B.Tech( Mechanical engineering) : 83.9%
Work Experience : 2 years in NTPC
Mode of Interview : Online
Interview Panelist : 2 ((1Male ,1 Female).Interview started at 3′0 clock sharp as mentioned in Interview form.
Panelist (F) : What should we call you since your name is long
Me: Call me girish
Panelist (F) : Why MBA ??
Me: Explained . not sure whether she was satisfied with my response
Panelist (F) : You are working in maharatna PSU ,why do you want to leave your job??
Me: I explained how MBA gives me better exit opportunities which wouldn’t be available working in PSUS (she looked satisfied) 🙂
Panelist (F) : What is G20??
Me : Explained
Panelist (F) : What is India’s role in it as a president?
Me : Explained how Indian political leadership are good at negotiations and consensus building which they can use to bring together a world which is divided today over Ukraine War
Panelist (F) : Asked me about water problems discussed during G20
Me : I don’t know 🙁
Now Male professor has taken over …..
Panelist (M) : India’s total installed power capacity??
Me: Told
Panelist (M) :Renewable capacity
Me: shared as per my knowledge
Panelist (M): Unit of power ??
Me : Told
Panelist (M): Difference between power and work
Me: Replied, response seemed satisfying to him.
Panelist (M): Second law of thermodynamics
Me: Explained
Panelist (M): Explain it in terms of entropy
Me: Explained
Panelist (M): No.of states and union territories ??
Me : Told
Panelist (M): Difference of powers between states and UT??
Me : I don’t know
Panelist (M): Final question explain Adani issue(This was the question I was waiting for. But I didn’t get a lot of time to answer this)
Date: 20th February, 2018. Place: IIFT Kolkata Campus.
Time: Afternoon slot. 10th/12th/B. Tech: 95/93/67.7
IIFT 2017 Score: 99.74 percentile
The process started with WAT. There were 12 people in my group. We were made to sit around a rectangle table with the moderating professors at the head of the table on a dias. The topic for WAT was “The merger of Flipkart and Snapdeal”. 20 minutes to think and write. Two sides of an A4 sheet. Limit was 300 words.
After WAT, a small break of five minutes, then again the same seating arrangement and GD Process began. The topic for GD was “Instagram is changing the way we portray ourselves online and is a tool for image management” Everyone was given a minute or two for their opening statements and then the discussion began. The whole process lasted for about 30 minutes. (Including opening statements)
Thereafter, Interviews began. I was 7th in my panel.
There were 3 panelists. Aged professors.
Questions from computer science
What is semphore?
What is L1 L2 cache?
What is auxiliary memory?
Some basic questions related to JAVA.
What is your choice of specialization?
Can you sell me this bottle?
(Proceeded to sell the bottle based on it being ionized and made from natural sources. Sourced with great difficulty. Essential tapped from natural pure transparent aqueous ravines in the hills. Not processed just purified. Taste is not manipulated and blah blah)
Why MBA after computer science?
Why not pursue M.Tech?
What qualities makes you suitable for an MBA?
Verdict: Waitlisted. Did not convert by 2 places.
Venue- Hotel Peerless Inn, Kolkata. Interview slot- 10:00 – 11:00AM
Reporting Time- 90 minutes before the scheduled interview time
Step_1- Document Verification
As you enter the hall booked by SPJIMR Mumbai, you will meet students there from 
their SP Jain who are taking care of the verification process and also conducting Psychometric Test and WAT.
They will give you a form to fill in your details such as grad marks and list of achievements docs you are submitting(any five).
https://campusutra.com/interview-experience-by-mrinal-chandra/
Documents you need to bring-
- Identity Proof (as uploaded)- Original
- Score Card
- Marksheet (X, XII, Grad, PG etc)- Original
- Extra- Curricular as mentioned- Their original certificates – If you want to change any extra curricular with other achievements you can bring that original plus its one xerox copy, attest it and give it to them.
- Payslip or Experience Certificate
After registration you will be divided into groups by them.
Step_2- Psychometric Test + WAT (in a span of 30 min)
Psychometric Test(10 questions in two section)
It will consist of questions like do you lie, do you think luck played a role in your life, do you show emotions etc.
On the first sheet you will have to tick marks on options like occassionaly, very often, often, never, always.
In next two sheet you will have to choose any three questions from each section and explain why you choose the answer you marked.
https://campusutra.com/spjimr-pgdm-placement-report-2022/
WAT- The topic in my case was “How do you motivate yourself to finish a task when no deadline is given?” Explain in 300 words.
After 30 mins is completed, the students conducting will take your sheets and ask you to wait.
After that you will be divided in groups of 5-6
You will be taken to another hall for #Group Interview Round-1. This is dreading as it is eliminatory in nature.
However in my experience SPJIMR faculties are best when it comes to easing your pressure out.
Group_Interview_Round_1(3 panelists- 1 male + 2 female)
This round will question you on
- Tell me very briefly in 30s who you are and what you want us to question you on.
- Why MBA in the field chosen? ( Remembering your reason should have a sound logical base.A sequence should follow as to how you arrive to finally doing an MBA)
Then you will be deeply questioned upon your answers you give.So be precise and know what you are saying. Don’t give hi-fi concepts or terminologies you yourself can’t explain after one layer.
You may be questioned on current scenario relating to your field.What is happening around.Your views.Suggestions.
#Kindly do Budget and Monetary Policy and Economic survey of that sort released recently
Know about GDP, fiscal defecit, its implications, formula if any.
My first round interview took as long as 30-45 min. Everyone in the panel was asked further on their answer. So know where you want to take the interviewer.
After Round 1 gets over you will be asked to wait. Meanwhile you can have snacks (jo ki gale ke niche utrega nahi jb tal result nahi aa jata hai)..:p
The student conducting WAT/Test will come and announce result. Pehle darayega phir sahi result batata hai maza lene ke liye.
#Group_Interview_Round_2( 2 male panelists- 1 finance + 1 HR)
The students selected after Round 1 will now go to a room where another panel of professors and most probably an HR will be there. Questions in this round will be ultra-chilled. They will ease you out.
Questions that was asked to us were-
- Tell us something not mentioned in your form
- What is the craziest thing you have done that defies societal norms and you felt thrilled?
- Why SPJIMR focus on value based education?
Questions may also come to you as an extension of what other people are answering. so listen carefully as you may be asked what is your views on what he/she said.
Tip- Go through SPJIMR site and know about the institute.
And be honest and keep a happy face.
After Round 2 is over, you will be given Pen drive and asked to leave.
(Called for both BKFS & PGDM)
CAT percentile: 91.88; XAT percentile: 85
Interview location: Kolkata (Hotel Monotel, Sector V)
Reported at 9:50 am.
PGDM Interview:
2 male faculty. Middle aged. Chilled out interview.
Greeted me. Asked to have a seat.
It was written in the instructions mailed that behavioral questions would be asked.
Tell us an incident where you refused to help a friend.
You are the only fresher scheduled for today. DOES that make you feel intimidated? How do you cope with it? Are you afraid? What benefit does that give you if any?
Tell us an incident where you found yourself in a conflict with a senior/junior.
How could you have done better in your under grad?
Why do you think you are suitable for PGDM? What qualities would you want us to focus in order to decide your suitability?
Tell us about your family.
Placement offers and some idle chit chat.
Thanked for showing interest and wished me the best of luck.
PGDM BKFS: Big Fail
Why BKFS?
Why finance?
What do you know about the economy of India?
Some interesting chit chat that led to them acknowledging that freshers are not desirable as far as BKFS is concerned and that they are instead focusing on specialized backgrounds. (Made me a bit disappointed and angry, Did not show it of course)
Thanked for showing interest and wished me the best of luck.
Hoping for the best.
