B Schools Interview Experience. GD PI & WAT

By Vivek Shanker

Timeline : 2023 – 2024

Name    :  Vivek Shanker

Profile  :  Male, General Category

Candidate’s Edu Score Stat :  Class 10:  95% (CBSE) / 10 CGPA

Class 12: 87. 4 % (CBSE)

Grad: B Tech CSE (Computer Science and Engineering),  specialization in Cyber Security from SRM Institute of Science and Technology (KTR) Chennai (KTR) ,CGPA : 9.54 / 95.4%.

CAT’23: 82.59 %ile ; XAT’24 : 82.43 % ile ;  NMAT Score : 233 (QA – 68 , LR- 76, LS – 89) -> 98 %ile

Work Experience  : 11 Months Work Ex. in developing/expanding business in the North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa markets.

Venue : Written Assessment Test/Watson Glaser Test/PI at Mumbai Campus  Shortlisted for MBA Digital Transformation (Mumbai) & MBA (Bangalore, Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad & Indore) – One WAT-PI Process for all.

PI Timeline : 3rd week of Feb’24, Morning slot. [We can choose a date and slot from available days)

WAT -20mins, Watson Glaser -30mins, PI – 15 to 20 mins

Shortlisted for MBA Digital Transformation (Mumbai) & MBA (Bangalore, Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad & Indore) – One WAT-PI Process for all.

 PI day -> Orientation-> WAT-> Watson test-> Break-> PI

Interview Panellists :  Two panel members, one male and one female, both middle aged, Friendly questioning but probing questions based on your job experience and SOP

Written Assessment Test : Answer a question based on a case study. Opinion based.

Watson Glaser Test :Inference, Conclusion and Decision making questions.

40 questions to be answered in 30 mins.

Interview Questions : 

1. What was your role in your previous company and what was your last drawn pay check ?
2. Why did you choose to leave your company to pursue an MBA ? Couldn’t you have taken a sabbatical?
3. What responsibilities did you handle in your job?
4. Other probing questions specific to my company and job profile?
5. Was there a client who was tough to convince and if so, how did you handle him?
6. How will you keep yourself updated in the future ?
7. If you get a lesser paying job after MBA, will you accept it ?

Overall Interview Summary The WAT/WATSON Test/PI process was held at NMIMS Mumbai campus situated in Vile Parle. I was asked to report at 8:00 AM at their campus for the morning slot which I chose.

The orientation started at around 8:15 AM and went on till 8:40AM, where the whole process was explained thoroughly and each of us were divided into a specific group and guides were assigned to each group. After the orientation we were escorted to the allotted computer lab to give the WAT and WATSON test. The written assessment test (WAT) entails a case study and a question for which we have to provide an answer as well as the rationale behind it. The WAT was for 20 mins, followed by which we had WATSON test which would go on for 30 mins. WATSON test is a test based on Inference, Conclusion and Decision Making questions and consists of 40 questions to be answered in 30 mins. The link for both WAT and WATSON test would be sent to your gmail ID which you’ll have to log into in the computer assigned to you. After the completion of both tests we were again escorted by our team guide to respective waiting rooms and were provided with refreshments as well. After a short break students were called one by one into the interviewing room. I was second in the list and my interview took place around 11:20 AM. Upon entering the room there were 2 interviewers, one male faculty member and one female faculty member. The male faculty member started the questioning by enquiring about my last job, my employment status and the last pay check that I drew. After which he went on to ask why I left a good paying job for an MBA and why I couldn’t have taken a sabbatical instead. He then probed into my job responsibilities and asked instances where I found it difficult to handle a client. He quite grilled me on the specifics of the strategy that I used in marketing (job) for convincing a client. The female interviewer continued by asking what I would do if I end up with a lesser paying job after MBA & whether or not I would accept it.

I replied by saying that the salary package was never the deal breaker for me, as long as the job allows me to grow, gives me good exposure and is rewarding in other ways, I would certainly consider it. She then asked what I would do after an MBA to stay relevant and keep myself updated, for which I answered I would use academic platforms and other sources to learn about new technologies which I can put into use in daily life or can aid me indirectly in my professional life. Then the interview concluded and I thanked them for the opportunity.

 Result Timeline    :  Awaiting Final Shortlist : 10th March ‘24 [Tentative Date]

Timeline: MBA PGDM 2024-2025

Profile :

Name: Shivalika Sharma

CAT’24 : 90 Percentile 

Profile: Female, General Category

Academic Scores : Class 10: 90%;  Class 12:80%                

Grad: B Tech Food Technology from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, CGPA: 8.2

PI Timeline : Second week of  Feb, 25, Afternoon slot  (Offline) 

Result Timeline : 1st week of April

Interview Panellist: Three panel members were present, two male and one female. All of them maintained a calm composure throughout the interview.

Extempore topic : Impact of GST on the economy (1 min ) 

ALSO READ: B Schools Interview Experience

Interview questions:

1. Introduce yourself.
2. Why an MBA after doing a BTech in food technology?
3. What do you prefer to do when you have free time?
4. The difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke ?
5. Name some synthetic things which are used in making processed    food ?
6. Why international management ?

Overall Interview Summary :

So, my Personal Interview, or PI, was conducted offline. I walked into the room, and there were three panelists. I was a bit nervous, but they were incredibly friendly. They even offered me some water, which really helped me settle down. 

The initial part was quite conversational; they asked questions about me, my background, and my experiences. I felt I was able to answer them pretty thoroughly.

Then came the extempore round. They asked me to pick a chit, which had my topic written on it. I was given 30 seconds to gather my thoughts before speaking for a minute. However, there was a slight miscommunication. I had mistakenly thought I had a minute and a half, so I was really caught off guard when they told me my time was up. I felt disappointed because I was in the middle of my piece when the time ran out.

Despite that hiccup with the extempore, I’d say the overall experience was positive. It felt more like a friendly conversation than a rigid interview. I appreciated the panelists’ approach; they made me feel comfortable.

Timeline: MBA PGDM 2024-2025

Profile :

Name: Shivalika Sharma

CAT’24 : 90 Percentile 

Profile: Female, General Category

Academic Scores : Class 10: 90%;  Class 12:80%                

Grad: B Tech Food Technology from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, CGPA: 8.2

PI Timeline : 8th March, 25 afternoon slots

Interview panellist : One female panelist and she was very calm and friendly which helped me a lot.

Interview Questions :

1.   What are your hobbies ?
2.   Favourite drummer and songs that you know?
3.   Why MBA ?
4.   Which specialization will you opt for ?
5.   Why marketing ?
6.   Favourite advertisement and why ?
7.   Why do companies promote tobacco and alcohol but never   cannabis and marijuana ?
8.   Any questions for me ?
9.   Any other calls you have?

Overall Interview summary :

So, my third interview was another online one, this time in the afternoon via Zoom. I joined the link at the scheduled time, and there were two other candidates waiting in the virtual room. We ended up waiting for about an hour before a female panelist joined. She then gave us our individual time slots, and I was told I was second in queue.

When my interview finally started, she began by asking about my hobbies. I mentioned that I enjoy playing drums in my free time. And it turned out, her brother plays drums too! We actually spent the next five minutes or so chatting about that. It was a really nice, unexpected connection.

After that, the whole atmosphere of the interview just felt incredibly calm and friendly. It really helped me relax, and I think I was able to give much better answers because of it. The interview went really well. It was a very positive experience.

By Vivek Shanker

Timeline : 2023 – 2024

Name    :  Vivek Shanker

Profile  :  Male, General Category

Candidate’s Edu Score Stat :  Class 10:  95% (CBSE) / 10 CGPA

Class 12: 87. 4 % (CBSE)

Grad: B Tech CSE (Computer Science and Engineering),  specialization in Cyber Security from SRM Institute of Science and Technology (KTR) Chennai (KTR) ,CGPA : 9.54 / 95.4%.

CAT’23: 82.59 %ile ; XAT’24 : 82.43 % ile ;  NMAT Score : 233 (QA – 68 , LR- 76, LS – 89) -> 98 %ile

Work Experience  : 11 Months Work Ex. in developing/expanding business in the North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa markets.

Venue:  ONLY Personal Interview [Online]

PI Timeline : Second week of Feb’24, Morning Slot (To choose from available  dates/slots)

Result Timeline : Third week of Feb’24

Interview Panellists : 2 panel members, one experienced faculty (around late 50’s or early 60’s) and one young admin member (possibly), both male. The experienced faculty drove the interview, asked questions around MBA and work experience, the other panel member asked scenario based general questions.

Interview Questions : 

1. How do you think MBA would add value to your life, personally and professionally?
2. How has your academic and work experience so far contributed to your learning and hence the interest in MBA?
3. Why did you quit your company?
4. Did your company have provision to take sabbatical to do an MBA and join them thereafter?
5. Other specific work exp related questions
6. What is the difference between Ernakulam and Chennai (Context – I was born in Ernakulam and now I reside in Chennai)
7. What do you think are the two causes of Chennai floods 2023 ( Michaung cyclone) and how would you as a govt representative with decision making power act to mitigate the risks?

Overall Interview Summary : The PI process was online and we were given three days and two slots each per day to choose from. Upon selecting a day and slot, I was shared with the Zoom link and other instructions a few days prior to the D-day. I had chosen a morning slot and I was instructed to join at 8AM in the Zoom link. Upon joining the link they showed a quick 5 min orientation video about IFMR and we were informed of our exact time of PI, 5 min before which we had to rejoin the meet again. I was informed that my interview would be from 10:45 AM to 11:00 AM. I joined around 10:30 AM but my interview started around 11:00 AM. I greeted them as soon as I joined the meeting. There were two male interviewers, both faculty members, probably. One in his late 50’s and another quite young, around late 30’s. The former started the interview by probing into my academic history and asking for a reason to do an MBA as well as how an MBA degree would add value to my career as a professional. It then progressed based on my answers, I had mentioned I wanted to be “jack of all trades but master of one” and he asked why I wanted to be so. After which he asked around my work experience and how I managed the challenges that came around. He was quite expressive to my responses and I knew when my answers were satisfactory and when it was not.

He then passed the baton to the second interviewer who first asked where I was originally from and where I reside now and the difference between the two cities. I replied to it based on the demography difference and structural similarity of both cities. He then went on to ask about two causes of Chennai floods 2023 (Michaung cyclone) and how would I as a Govt. representative with decision making power act to mitigate the risks. I answered it to the best of my knowledge and he was impressed with my answers. He said that he had a few follow up questions in his in but my answer was quite broad and covered almost all aspects of the issue. And that was the end of the interview.

Result : Offered for MBA program at IFMR – GSB, Sri City campus.

IFMR GSB, Krea University MBA Placement 2023 Summer Placements 2024

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.

2. 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-

1. Identity Proof (as uploaded)- Original
2. Score Card
3. Marksheet (X, XII, Grad, PG etc)- Original
4. 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.
5. 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

1. Tell me very briefly in 30s who you are and what you want us to question you on.
2. 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-

1. Tell us something not mentioned in your form
2. What is the craziest thing you have done that defies societal norms and you felt thrilled?
3. 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.

*****************************************************************

Timeline: MBA PGDM 2024-2025

Profile :

Name: Shivalika Sharma

CAT’24 : 90 Percentile 

Profile: Female, General Category

Academic Scores : Class 10: 90%;  Class 12:80%                

Grad: B Tech Food Technology from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, CGPA: 8.2

PI Timeline : 5th March, 2025

Interview panellist : Two male panellists and one female panellist.

WAT Topics:  Green Buildings and Demographic dividend in India: Myth or Reality?

Interview questions:

1. Brief introduction about yourself.
2. Why do you think we should give you an admission letter?
3. What is that one quote that you live by ?
4. What are 7 Ps of marketing ?
5. Did you find the guerilla strategy of KitKat useful in terms of their sale?
6. What are the list of government regulations that one has to follow while opening a distillation plant in India?

Overall interview summary: 

When I entered the room I could see that the panellists were in a rush so they were just bombarding me with questions and not giving me a chance to complete my answers which made me quite anxious. 

But the questions were relevant to my profile so I was familiar with them. My interview only lasted for 4 minutes. That made me wonder whether I gave them the right answers or not. 

For my fourth interview, it was a pretty intense experience. As soon as I walked into the room, I could tell the panelists were really pressed for time. They were firing questions at me one after another, and I barely had a chance to finish my answers before they moved on to the next one. It was definitely a bit nerve-wracking.

On the bright side, the questions themselves were all very relevant to my profile, so I was familiar with the topics. But the whole interview was over in just four minutes! That’s it. It left me feeling a little uneasy, wondering if I’d managed to convey everything they needed to know in such a short time. Not very sure whether in such a short time it was possible to judge someone’s merit. Left me pondering .. was it just a formality ? Will I get a call ? 

******************************************************

By Vivek Shanker

Timeline : 2023 – 2024

Name    :  Vivek Shanker

Profile  :  Male, General Category

Candidate’s Edu Score Stat :  Class 10:  95% (CBSE) / 10 CGPA

Class 12: 87. 4 % (CBSE)

Grad: B Tech CSE (Computer Science and Engineering),  specialization in Cyber Security from SRM Institute of Science and Technology (KTR) Chennai (KTR) ,CGPA : 9.54 / 95.4%.

CAT’23: 82.59 %ile ; XAT’24 : 82.43 % ile ;  NMAT Score : 233 (QA – 68 , LR- 76, LS – 89) -> 98 %ile

Work Experience  : 11 Months Work Ex. in developing/expanding business in the North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa markets.

Venue:  ONLY Personal Interview [Online]

PI Timeline : Second week of Feb’24, Morning Slot (To choose from available  dates/slots)

Venue  : GD/PI/Extempore [Online]

PI Timeline : PI for 20-25 mins, stone faced panel members with very less to no response to answers, old school type interview, grilling based on your answers  

Result Timeline    :  10th April ‘24 (tentative)

Interview Panellists  :  3 member panel, all faculties, One middle aged male leading the interview, two female member, one observing the process and one asked questions in PI

GD  Group Size : Group of 5 to 9 member excluding interviewers for GD.  GD notes prep for 2 mins and discussion for 20 mins

GDPI Timeline : 3rd week of Feb’24

Group Discussion Topic : The best management lessons can be learnt outside the classroom.

Interview Questions : 

1. Explain my role in my previous company ?
2. Why leave a good paying job to pursue an MBA ? Why not take a sabbatical ?
3. What did you do after you quit your job ?
4. Risks that you took in your professional life.
5. Was there a situation where you were asked for help but could not help ?
6. Was there a situation where your ideas were not understood or appreciated by the team?
7. Achievements in your professional life.
8. How did you prepare yourself for this degree/course ?

Extempore Topic :   Pros and Cons of Working from home Extempore prep for 1 mins and presentation for 2 mins

FYI : Interview cycle for academic year ‘24  from 16th Feb’24 to 25th March ‘24.

Overall Interview Summary : The whole GD/PI process was online the date and other details would be emailed two days prior to the PI date. It will be a single process of GD/PI/Extempore. I was allotted a morning slot for which I had to join the meeting link at 8:30AM. The meeting started at around 8:45 AM. There were three interviewers, all faculty members. One a middle aged man and two female faculty members (both of them were in college/classroom together and also had the same background and were talking internally)  were in the panel and the male faculty led the GD and interview process. We were briefed on the complete process and were told that a topic for GD would be given at 9:00 AM and we will have 2 mins to jot down points and will have to start at 9:02 AM. We were given the topic ‘The best management lessons can be learnt outside the classroom’ and right after 2 mins the interviewer asked us to start the discussion. I started the discussion with some introductory statements and then opened the forum to listen to others’ perspectives and once the time was almost up I concluded the discussion by checking with others if they had any further points to contribute. After the GD we were allotted specific 20 min time intervals in which our PI and extempore would be taken. I had my slot at 9:50 AM, for which I joined at 9:40 AM and the interview started at 9:55 AM and went on till 10:15 AM. As soon as I joined the meet I greeted the panel and expressed my gratitude for giving me this opportunity. Then the male interviewer started the interview by asking about my work experience and why I quit my job to do an MBA. His line of questions were to understand my experience and my reasons to do an MBA. He had a classic poker face or a stone face, so I had no idea if my answers were satisfactory or not. He then asked me to talk about risks that I took in my professional life in particular and probed into my answers to see how genuine my answer was.

The female faculty took over from here and asked scenario based questions like was there a situation where I was asked for help but could not help and was there a situation where my ideas were not understood or appreciated by the team. She was quite friendly and was nodding to someone within their classroom (assuming it was the 3rd interview panellist) while listening to my answers. After these scenario based questions, the male interviewer gave me the topic ‘Pros and Cons of Working from home” and I was given 1 min to write down points after which I was asked to speak on i t for 2 mins. After the end of two mins I was requested to end my extempore and was asked if I had any questions for them and not ask them for feedback instead. The interview concluded there and I left the meeting.

Result :  Awaiting Final Shortlist  : April 10th 2024 [Tentative Date].

Timeline: MBA PGDM 2024-2025

Profile :

Name: Shivalika Sharma

CAT’24 : 90 Percentile 

Profile: Female, General Category

Academic Scores : Class 10: 90%;  Class 12:80%                

Grad: B Tech Food Technology from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, CGPA: 8.2

WAT timeline : 12th February,25

WAT Topic : Standup comedy as a career and Polarised world

GIM Analytics Aptitude Test (GAAT) : It’s an analytical online test for a BDA course. It was moderate; covered statistics, RC, Basic coding, Probability, DI, LR.

Interview Timeline : 24 Feb, 25 Morning slot (Opted by me)

Interview panellists: There were two panelists, one male and one female. The male faculty was asking more generic questions and the female panelist was focusing more on the technical part.

Interview questions :

1. Brief introduction about yourself?
2. Why did I choose Food Technology as my major ?
3. Why MBA ?
4. Why BDA after a technical degree with no prior experience in this field?
5. Different types of Databases?
6. What is big data ?
7. Difference between AI and ML ?
8. Do you know any programming languages ?
9. Name five labeling things which should be mentioned in a food packet ?
10. Name regulations in the Indian food body ?
11. Any other calls you have ?
12. Any questions for us ?

Overall, PI summary :

My second interview with GIM was an online one. I’d selected the morning slot, so I was scheduled to join the Zoom link at 8 AM. When I logged in, we were informed of our individual interview times and asked to join 15 minutes beforehand. Mine was set for 10:30, so I logged back in at 10. 

There were two panelists – one male and one female. When the interview started, I noticed a clear division in the panelists’ questioning. The male panelist was asking more general questions about my background and experiences, while the female panelist was definitely more focused on the technical aspects.

Then, things got a little chaotic. I ran into some really serious network issues right in the middle of the interview. They were having trouble hearing me, and at one point, they suggested I leave. But I was determined to see it through. I knew I had to complete the interview, so I kept trying to fix the connection. Thankfully, after a few attempts, it stabilized, and we were able to continue.

However, all that network trouble definitely made me even more nervous than I already was. I felt like I was scrambling to regain my composure. 

Overall, I’d say the interview went satisfactory except for the part when they asked me about any programming languages.