Note: This page will be updated regularly as and when we receive PI Experiences directly from students and trusted sources

All MBA aspirants must have heard a lot of things about IIM A’s infamous interview styles. But what is the reality? How are the actual PIs taken? Let’s get to know about this today in this article, which is written by students and their real-life experiences! So let’s get started with the Personal Interview experiences of students at IIM Ahmedabad

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IIM-A Interview Experience 2023

Date: 12th Feb, Mumbai
Program: PGP

P1(M):

1. I see that you’ve done instrumentation and control engineering from NIT Jalandhar and currently doing Software development for 3 yrs. Why this shift?

2. Have you worked on any ML projects?

3. Tell me a few models/Algorithms you worked with

4. What is K-Means Clustering?

5. Why is this process iterative? When do we stop the iteration?

6. How to make this algorithm decide on the number of clusters on its own? (I struggled with this a bit)

7. Do you Information Theory in ML? (Didn’t know)

8. Do you know what entropy is (in ML)? (Struggled a bit but he seemed satisfied with my half knowledge)

P2(F)

9. Walk me through your daily routine (work ex)

10. What is the most frustrating thing in your daily work life? (Mentioned constantly changing business requirements put a lot of pressure on us developers)

11. What measures do you take to avoid this?

12. These measures are fine for a reasonable customer but what do you do if the customer is a bit difficult to handle?

13. Are you following any news? (mentioned ChatGPT)

14. With the release of BARD, what are the challenges for ChatGPT?

15. Google also rushed to market with Android, why did it turn out to be such a great product?

16. What should be Google’s line of action considering all this?

17. What is the difference between training data for BARD and ChatGPT (I didn’t know in depth about this)

18. Let’s say, there’s a customer who you know is inclined to buy your product. How will you tailor your responses from the ChatBot to make him buy the product?

19. Any questions regarding PGP at IIMA?

IIM-A Interview Experience 2023

Date: 12th February 2023
Slot: 08:00 AM
Venue: The Orchid, Vile Parle, Mumbai

AWT (Analytical Writing Test)

• Time Duration: 20 minutes
• Word Limit: 250-300 words (approximately one page)

Social fabric is breaking down. People are becoming more and more individualistic. Shukracharya stated this a long time back. He mentioned this in a witty saying in his book Shukraniti. Boys and girls select their partners on the basis of looks, mothers look for financial status, while all others are only interested in food and festivities.

Analyze the argument, find assumptions of the author. Write points to support the author’s argument. Write points against the argument. 

Personal Interview (PI)

• Interview Duration: 30-40 minutes (approx.)
• Panelists:
  • M1 (Male, middle-aged, presumed professor)
  • F1 (Female, middle-aged, presumed professor)

M1: Please have a seat.
Me: Thank you sir.

F1: So Ishan, let’s start with your schooling. Tell us how it was for you.
Me: Ma’am, I attended school at MES Bal Shikshan Mandir in Pune. It was a very enriching experience. My parents worked hard to nurture an all-rounder personality in me, so I was able to achieve many co-curricular and extra-curricular achievements. I picked up music as my liking, and I learnt from 2nd to 12th standard, and was able to complete the Sangeet Visharad Dwitiya degree in that… (paused).

(She did not seem to be in the mood to pick on that, so I continued)
Apart from this, I was able to secure NTSE, MTSE, and also got a Gold medal in the National Children’s Science Congress in my 8th standard and presented my research to Nobel Laureate Dr. Venkatraman.
(She seemed to be anticipating this, and they were impressed by the laureate's name)

F1: Yes, so what exactly was your research for that?
Me: Explained about my project, how we suggested silt as an option for land conservation.

(F1 asked 2-3 follow-up questions on this project. I was able to answer them.)

M1: So where did you get the inspiration to do this bioconservation project?
Me: Sir, my dad has been working on land restoration and bio-conservation since I was young, so it was my natural inclination.

(Both F1 and M1 asked me a few follow-up questions on what exactly my dad did in that project. I explained them in detail, and tried to show my understanding of biology from it too while doing so.)

F1: Okay, so now tell me the usual. I can see in your marksheet that you got a 6.76 in your third year. Why so? What happened? You got 10 GPA in the last 2 semesters. Was that online, that’s why? (chuckles)
Me: No ma’am, the last semesters were internships at OYO, so I could do well in them.

F1: Okay, so why so low in the 3rd year?
Me: Ma’am, it was the year when I had core courses of both disciplines, so the coursework was heavy, plus I was involved in extracurriculars, so I could not focus on studies well. But I learnt from it and consistently got a good score in my 4th year, which helped me secure my internship…

F1: Okay, you worked at OYO, right? You have written quite a lot in your form. Explain to us in short, what was your role? What did you do?

M1: So ma’am, I worked as a Software Developer here, working on European Vacation Rental business...
(Was interrupted.)

F1: No, we know what OYO does, tell us what you are in charge of in non-technical, simple terms.

Me: So ma’am, essentially I have 30k properties in my OVH portfolio, my task is to sell them on the OTA channels like BDC, Airbnb, Expedia, Vrbo, etc...
(Interrupted)

F1: Sell? I thought you do rental business?

Me: Yes ma’am, I meant selling the inventory on these dates, for short-term stay dates.

F1: Yes, okay, got it. So what does that entail?

Me: (Explained the basic flows of OTA business)

F1: Okay, I am not able to get from your form why there is a gap in your work experience. Why two experiences if it's in the same company?

Me: No ma’am, so it was not a break. I got promoted in the middle to an SDE-2 role, so I wanted to write it separately since they involve two different responsibilities.

F1: Okay, so there is no gap in your career, understood. So tell us how you made the BDC pipeline better, as you’ve mentioned here. Give a technical answer.

Me: (Explained the looping and multithreading approach, how it made the flows better and more stable. Gave a small example of the work I did.)

P1: So why have you mentioned Bachelors 1 and Bachelors 2 when you have a Masters in Biology?
Me: (Explained about the dual degree and how it is not a master's but an integrated course.)

P1: But why Biology and Electronics? Those seem to be completely unrelated fields?
Me: Sir, even I thought so initially, but at BITS, I saw multi-disciplinary research, and bio-electronics is a growing field today.

P1: So give me an example of how both technologies are integrated?
Me: (Thinking fast.) So sir, in the case of biosensors, both are useful.

P1: What are biosensors?
Me: Sir, they can be deployed anywhere in the body to monitor bodily states. (At this point, I realized I had gone too deep into a technical explanation, and I should have been more cautious. Hence, research about things you talk about in interviews is crucial.)

P1: Oh, so you are saying it is possible to use biosensors anywhere in the body? I didn’t know that. Design a biosensor for me to track the kidney.
Me: Sir, maybe we can track uric acid and creatinine levels using nano-sensors.

P1: No, but exactly how will you convert chemical signals to electricity?

P1: No, tell me exactly how you will track these.
Me: (Takes a minute to think.) The body uses electrical signaling everywhere, so it must be creating signals in response to high or low levels of these chemicals.

P1: No, tell me exactly how you will track these.

Me: Sir, I am not very clear about it right now.

P1: Okay, what does a kidney do? How will you differentiate a healthy and unhealthy kidney?
Me: (Told as much as I knew.)

P1: (Explained to me the difference between the two and creatinine levels and other aspects.) You only said biosensors can be used anywhere in the body. Brain I can accept because of electrical signals, but what about kidneys? If you can do it, a millionaire will come to you saying, "Ishan, this is a billion-dollar business in healthcare now." Right?
Me: Yes, sir, it is an interesting perspective, I will definitely research that.

F1: Okay Ishan, so have you followed the last Tamil Nadu state elections? Why did DMK win over AIADMK?

(I was shocked! I am a vivid politics enthusiast, but that’s nowhere indicated in the form. How did she know? Also, I never tracked TN! Why TN?)

(Regaining my calm...)

Me: (Told her about Jayalalithaa's demise, party infighting in AIADMK, Amma Scheme funding being cut, and the BJP vs Dravidian ideology conflict. Everything I knew I shared.)

F1: Now, tell me exactly what the poll issues were in the TN elections.
Me: Ma’am, I am sorry, I was not able to track the TN elections, so I don’t know the exact promises.

P1: But who is in power in TN?
Me: Sir, DMK won. MK Stalin ji is the Chief Minister currently.

P1: Oh, so BJP is not in power there?
Me: No, sir, it’s a very minor power there as of now.

P1: Recently, Assam has decided to increase the age of marriage. Tell me what exactly are the reasons?
Me: (Takes a minute to recollect. Can’t really come up with anything because I had not followed it.)

F1: Also, interestingly, Rajasthan is decreasing the age of marriage. Why is it so?
P1: Haan, Assam mein BJP hai toh wo karega, Rajasthan mein ulta hai. Aise kaise?
Me: Ma’am, am I to compare these two scenarios?
F1: No, no, only answer about Rajasthan?

Me: (Tries to give an answer by logic)
Me: Ma’am, it must be due to the cultural factors of Rajasthan. Since it has child marriage…

F1: Ishan, to drive me from Delhi to Bhopal, you take me to Kanyakumari. I want a precise answer now.
Me: Okay, sorry ma’am, I will take a minute. (Kept a smiling face even when that remark added so much pressure on me. I understand there is no point beating around the bush.)

Me: Ma’am, maybe it was to reduce atrocities on women?

F1: But it is child marriage promotion right! Why would any state reduce the marriage age?
Me: (Back to thinking. I feel this was a missed opportunity of my interview in retrospect. Should have given my perspective.)

F1: No, it’s okay. This was something extra we were asking. Have a toffee! Which other calls do you have?
Me: (Told them B,C,L,K,I…)

F1: Oh, so all the calls, right. All the best!
(I take a toffee, thank both panelists, tell P1 that I will definitely research about kidney biosensor, and leave.)

IIM-A Interview Experience 25

Date: 12th February 2023
Panelists:

• P1 (Male, 50-55 years)
• P2 (Female, 30-35 years)
  Panel No.: 7
  Turn No.: 3
  Category: OBC, Engineering, Male, Food Technology (91%)
  Interview Duration: 25 minutes (approx.)

P1: What are you doing now?
P1: Why is there a gap year?
Then asked: Why is there a gap year after 12th?
P2: Why MBA?
P1: Won’t a production executive or head allow you to take decisions?
(Related to the previous question’s answer, and I couldn’t satisfy them with my answer.)
P1: Do you follow current affairs?
(I said yes.)
P2: Why did the government ban wheat exports during the Ukraine-Russia war?
(I gave the reason that surplus was depleting and related it, but they wanted more concrete reasons.)
P2: What are all the subjects you have studied in your BTech?
(I thought, "Why such a question?" but fortunately remembered most of the subjects.)
P2: Do you know about fruit processing?
(I said yes.)
P2: Choose any fruit you like and explain its processing from farm to table.
(I chose grapes.)
P2: What’s the loss percentage during processing?
(Here, I made a mistake and mentioned the wrong percentage, which I later realized.)
P1: Do you understand statistics?
(I said yes.)
P1: Explain the normal distribution curve.
P1: Do you like mathematics?
(I said yes.)
P1: Choose one of your favorite topics.
(I chose integration, and I’m good at that.)
P1: Integrate e^x, ln(x), e^(x^2).
(I solved the first two, but got stuck on the last one. Later, I told them it cannot be integrated.)
P1: Draw the graphs of these three.
(Related to the previous part.)
P1: Do you have any questions for us?
(I said no, and my face was down internally, feeling that the interview didn’t go up to the mark.)

One more thing, they forgot to ask me for a chocolate. When I was about to open the gate, they said, "Wait, have a chocolate or cookie!"

IIM-A Interview Experience 26
CAT Score: 99.74
Interview Time: 40 Minutes

Panelists: Two Male Panelists - M1, M2

After greetings:

M1: Tell me about yourself.
While I came across work ex, they started asking about work ex, what does the company do, what’s my role, and how is it different from a competitor who offers the same role? Financials?

M1: You’ve worked in Vedanta (previous company) for just 5 months, why is that and follow-up questions?

M2: It’s good that you have recovered. (I was affected by a blast inside the mine.)

M1: I don’t want to bring back those haunted memories, but tell me what is the probable reserve and proven reserve?

M1: Is probable reserve just a range of numbers that we can expect?

M1: Okay, you have 50 black & 50 blue balls and you have 2 jars. Distribute the balls in such a manner that if I pick any of the jars and choose any random ball, the probability of selecting a blue ball should be highest. How will you distribute?

M1: Okay, over to you, sir.

M2: So, Srinivas, can you tell me one of the conspiracies that happened with your previous company recently?

M2: So, why did the government actually give away Hindustan Zinc Limited to a foreign company (Vedanta)? Aren’t our government companies capable of doing this stuff?

M2: So, do you think the government should give an open bid to private companies for all types of schools we have in India? Because they have much better resources.

M2: Tell me about some of your hobbies.
(Told about gaming and going to small tournaments.)

M2: Why do we have gaming tournaments? What is the business aspect of it?

M2: What are some unique things you will bring to the campus?

M2: Tell me the thinking behind your email address.

M2: Over to M1.

M1: So, do you follow any current affairs?
(I told about ChatGPT and Adani vs. Hindenburg.)

M1: Any topic in those two which you have gone deeply into?
(Said Adani.)

M1: What are the accusations? What’s wrong with creating shell companies?

M1: What’s the problem? A retail investor is getting huge profits, then why now suddenly a hard asset combined company’s valuation is getting dragged down? Do you think it is justified that the valuation is going down due to the report?

M1: What is the float currently for Adani Green? What is the pledged share percentage for Adani Enterprise? Did it decline?

M1: If you had money now, would you invest in Adani? Because now you are getting a huge discount from the original price.
(I said no, I believe there will be a correction again, and the share price will go down, and that is when I will buy if I have to.)

M1: Any question for us?
(I asked about the college being in stones and bricks rather than fancy colors.)

M2: Explained why it is like that.

M2: Thank you, please take a toffee!

Overall: Grilled on my previous work experience, which I just worked for 5 months, but I knew the entire story of the company. They were very friendly, and it felt more like a conversation rather than a Q&A.

IIM-A Interview Experience 27
Location: Welcom ITC Hotel, Bengaluru
Profile: 9.8/82/8.8 – GEM (ECE) – 3.5 years work ex.
Panelists: M1 (In his 30s) and M2 (Early 40s)

M2: Tell us about yourself and your educational and work experience.
P: Gave them the prepared answer and told them that I work at Deloitte USI.

M2: What does USI mean?
P: Offices of the US in India.

M2: So do you live in the US?
P: No, but I work on US clients only.

M1: Tell us more about what you do.
P: Explained in detail with examples.

M1: Ok fine, now tell us what you did in your engineering and what were your favorite subjects.
P: I told them about the two subjects I had prepared, which were DLD and Computer Comm.

M1: Asked me rapid-fire questions on the types of networks, disadvantages of each, and advantages of each.
P: Answered all of them.

M1: Which one would you use?
P: Told them about how it depends on your need and the number of systems you are using in the network. Personally, I have seen the bus topology being used in my labs at college.

M1: Tell me what comes to your mind when I say the application layer.
P: Told him about the OSI model and explained the application layer. He then asked me to name all the layers, which I did (I had it prepared).

M1: Asked for an example of an application layer protocol.
P: SMTP.

M1: Full form?
P: Which I told.

M1: Asks me if I am comfortable with stats and probability distributions (I had them prepared a little, so I said yes).

M1: Asks me about all the distributions I know.
P: I told them about the normal, Bernoulli, binomial, and Poisson.

M1: How about integration and differentiation?
P: Differentiation, yes; integration, not so much.

M1: Ok, integrate |log(x)|.
P: I had completely forgotten this, so I said I did not know.

M1: Ok, how about a simple integration like ∫xdx?
P: I told them, but since he did not give me limits, in hindsight, I should have added the “+c.”

M2: Do you follow current news and events?
P: Yes, especially in the sports field since I am very interested in almost all sports.

M2: Ok, what have you been reading?
P: Tried talking about Adani but was interrupted since they had probably heard enough about it.

M2: Then asks me to explain the evolution of the Indian airline sector in the last 10-15 years.
P: I started explaining but got interrupted.

M2: Randomly asks me to name the founders of Indigo and Jet Airways, which I did not know. He took some other names that are apparently famous, but I had not heard of them, so I could not answer.

M2: Do you know any airlines in the US?
P: Delta and Southwest.

M2: Can you explain the difference in their business models?
P: I said no.

M2: Ok, how about Walmart? Do you know their business model?
P: I said I knew a little about how they are wholesalers and compete with Costco.

M2: Interjects here and says, but they have different ways to make money, right? Do you know how Costco does?
P: Luckily, I had seen a video on how Costco makes money, so I was able to talk about it and I was confident in my answer.

M2: Starts to ask me more questions on general awareness but is stopped by M1, who says he follows sports more, so let’s ask about that.

M2: Ok, tell me about all the recent Olympic silver medalists.
P: I told them about the majority of them, but I forgot Sushil Kumar’s name. (In hindsight, I guess it was a good thing I forgot, since they could have changed the topic to why he is in jail.)
I forgot the name of the 2004 skeet shooter, but I knew it started with Major, so I just said that.

M2: One medalist also joined the government; he was also in the army—Rajvardhan Singh Rathore.
P: I intervened and said, "Yes, sir, this is the name I forgot earlier. He won the silver in skeet shooting."

M1: Ok, I think we are done. Do you want to talk about anything we did not cover during the interview?
P: Talked about event management and organizing with different clubs and at Deloitte.

M1: Ok, we are done. Take a chocolate. Good luck.
P: Thank you, have a nice day and walked away.

IIM-A Interview Experience 1

Date: 4 April 2021, Morning Slot
AWT Topic: Something on the Ahmedabad Test match. The reason for the match ending in 2 days was not because of the pitch condition, but because of the dominance of pace bowling, which made arrogant batsmen used to playing on the back foot. However, spin demands playing respectfully on the front foot, which was missing in that test. So, the pitch must not be cursed.

Interview: 2 panelist (P1,P2)
Greeted and then interview starts

P1: Tell us about your educational and professional background.
Me: Mentioned about educational background and internships. Then some discussion on AWT.

P1: Okay, so you studied BCom, what subjects did you study there?
Me: Told.

P1: Since you have studied most of the subjects which we are going to teach in MBA, then why MBA?
Me: Talked about syncing of those subjects with management and getting practical exposure here along with the case study approach. He seemed satisfied.

P1: Okay, so what’s your favorite subject?
Me: Financial Management.

P1: Some questions on NPV, IRR and asked to use paper to show some calculations therein.

Then P2 takes over.

P2: You have mentioned different types of accounting which you have studied in your BCom. Can you please tell us the difference between these (Financial, Cost, Management Accounting)?
Me: Told. Seems satisfied.

P2: Are you comfortable with statistics questions? Can we ask you that?
Me: Told them that I didn’t study it after 12, so don’t know much.

P2: Okay, so are you comfortable with maths?
Me: Yes sir, I can try.

P2: Some questions on matrices, adjoint, inverse, etc.

P2: What are your hobbies?
Me: Mentioned about Cricket.

P2: What are the ways in which batsmen can get out?
Me: Told all which I could remember (Around 10).

P2: He asked, what’s obstructing the field?
Me: Told.

P2: Are you following current affairs? Any recent news that you came across?
Me: Mentioned a few.

P2: Haven’t you heard about the Suez Canal?
Me: Told that yes, I know, explained a bit about what happened there (Also mentioned its sort of obstructing the field) and how it affected the trade.

P2: Okay Harshit, you can leave. You can take toffee from the box.
P2: Thank you.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 2
Academics: 98.72/97.83/85
CAT: 99.71
Work Experience: 37 months at Qualcomm
Date: 26th Feb 2021, 1:30 PM
Location: Indiranagar, Bangalore

AWT Topic:
The pandemic has brought good outcomes for companies worldwide. A lot of companies have become more productive, and many of them have announced permanent WFH for their employees. (Something on these lines). The task was to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the given argument.

Interview:
I was the second person in my panel. The first person went in and didn’t come back for more than 30 minutes, during which two people from the other panel had already finished their interviews. I was gearing up for a long interview.

Interviews were taking place in a video conferencing room. I went into the interview room and sat at the opposite end of the screen. There were two male professors: P1 (elder, around 50 years of age) and P2 (around 35 years).

P1 (elder, around 50 years of age) and P2 (around 35 years).

P1: Vinayak, tell me about your work at Qualcomm.
V: Explained what the company does and my role in it. I connected my work to the end product (smartphones) and user experience. They seemed satisfied with the answer. P1 asked about the team structure, design and verification teams, independent design center in Bangalore, and company headquarters. Everything went smoothly.

P1: What are the skills needed in your job?
V: Mentioned several hard and soft skills. I had some difficulty hearing P1’s questions, so I had to ask for clarification a few times.

P2: You have published some papers. Was it research-based or a survey?
V: Explained the paper in detail, from basics to domain-specific content. P1 interrupted with a concern about our proposed solution. I clarified by agreeing with him and explaining the reasonable assumptions we made and how the issue could be overcome.

P2: You are good at what you do. Why do you want to leave and pursue an MBA?
V: Explained my goals, the limitations of my current job, and how an MBA would help bridge the gap. I mentioned experiences from my past that motivated me towards an MBA. P2 asked if I had any specific ideas for my future, and I shared my dream but didn't provide a concrete plan (later felt I could have answered better).

P1: What are your hobbies?
V: Mentioned reading books and why I enjoy it. We discussed the book "Animal Farm," comparing democratic and communist governments. P1 cross-questioned, and I managed to handle it well. Also mentioned cricket and explained why I enjoy it. During the conversation, the screen went off, and I had to go outside to get it fixed.

P2: Are you aware of the recent news around university education?
V: Tried to recall but couldn’t. Admitted I couldn’t remember. P1 asked if I knew about UGC and AICTE. I said I’d heard of them but didn’t know much. P1 remarked that I should know these. P2 asked me to explain how a university works, and I gave a basic answer but couldn’t grasp the bigger picture they were hinting at.

P1: We're done.
P2: Same from my side.
V: Wished them and left the room.

The interview lasted for about 20 minutes. It felt more like a conversation than an interview, with discussions around my job, the published paper, and why I want to pursue an MBA. I felt good about the interview except for the last question on current affairs and the "why MBA" response, which I think I could have elaborated on more.

Verdict: Converted.

Major Tip: Be thorough with your background. Reflect on your experiences and think about the questions you might face based on that. If you have work experience, practice explaining your work in simple terms for someone unfamiliar with your domain.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 3

Interview on 2nd Feb at IIM Ahmedabad campus.
Interview was scheduled in the afternoon slot at the PP Gupta auditorium. I was fourth in my panel. The interviewer opened the gate with a smile. I was a bit nervous but the smiling face of the interviewer made me comfortable. There were two male interviewers, both of them were looking young. Let’s call them P1 and P2. The interview went like this:

P1: Tell us something about you
I: I am an electrical engineer. I belong to Beawar, Rajasthan. I have more than 2 years of work experience at Cairn Oil and Gas, Vedanta. My job was to look after the maintenance of electrical equipment in the area allotted to me. I did B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from SVNIT, Surat. At SVNIT, I got a chance to follow my passion for sustainability and I published an international conference paper on solar energy materials. Also, I was part of various college committees and I was co-convener of the annual technocultural fest of NIT Surat. I am a sports enthusiast person, and I am a handball and badminton player. In my free time, I like to train myself for playing badminton. Also, I am practising yoga since the last 5 years.

P1: Have you ever tried triathlon?
I: No, I have not tried. I have tried long-distance running.

P1: Which sportsperson has recently joined BJP?
I: Sania Nehwal

P2: Along with her, who has also joined BJP?
I: Her Sister

P2: What do you actually mean by sustainability?
I: Sustainability means doing things in such a manner that they meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and do not harm our mother earth.

P2: Why did you leave your job?
I: I was working on a 21–21 work pattern. During my 21 off days, I was able to study well, and during my 21 days on-site, I was not getting enough time for study, and there is no proper internet connectivity in the desert region. Because of this, I used to forget the topics which I had covered in my previous field break. So, I left the job on 1 September to give a focused shot to CAT. Also, I would have not been able to attend this interview because of this 21–21 pattern as there are no leaves allowed when one is at 21 days on-site.

P1: Why was your working pattern only 21-21?
I: The pattern was continuing before I joined the company. I do not know exactly what is the reason.

P2: Do you think we can do sustainable development without harming the earth?
I: No. We have to do mining for extracting silicon for solar panels, lithium for batteries. So, we harm the earth from mining activities to extract materials for sustainable development.

P2: How do oil companies act as a roadblock in sustainable development?
I: Oil and gas companies do lobbying to block climate change policies and research activities on renewable energy. We need more bold people than these lobbyists so that their malpractices do not hinder sustainable development. For instance, Elon Musk has released all the patents of Tesla for free to fight against climate change.

P1: If someone has released their patent for free, can one directly use them and open a new business?
I: One cannot open a new business from free patents.

P2: Can existing businesses use free patents?
I: Yes, they can.

P1: Do you know which are the Dutch colonies?
I: I do not have a fair idea of this. But what I remember is Portuguese came to Goa, so might have Dutch gone to acquire some South-East Asian country.

P2: Have you heard about the country Suriname?
I: No

P1: Explain the working model of Amul.
I: I do not have an in-depth understanding of the working model of Amul but what I know is that our country was facing a huge crunch of milk supply. V. Kurien, the father of the white revolution, helped in the establishment of Amul which provided a proper platform to the nearby farmers to process their milk and solve the problem of milk crises of our country.

P2: How will humans and robots work in the future? In isolation or collaboration?
I: Collaboration

P2: Cite an example.
I: Robots can work in a toxic or harmful environment in any manufacturing process and humans can check that the final product made by the robot is fit for use or not.

P2: This happens in the present. Tell any future application.
I: At present, I am not able to think of such an application.

P1: Tell us something to inspire us.
I: I had organised a seminar to increase the awareness of solar energy in my locality. It was attended by local farmers and students of the industrial training institute. I delivered the content in such an effective manner that two of the students got admission into a solar training institute because of that. I got to know about this when they told my mother about this.

P1: We do the same thing throughout the year, how can this inspire us?
I: Sir, I agree with this but your teachings have access to only a few privileged students of our country. You can take some initiatives to spread your teachings to the students of all sections of our society.

P1: Try to solve this: You are walking by a road, there is a gate in the way. You missed entering the gate by a probability of half. You again come to the starting point and you again miss the gate by the probability of half. What is the average number of attempts required to enter the gate?
I: I tried to solve this and reached an incomplete equation of (1/2)^n = 1.

P2: Have you gone through the Nobel Prizes of this year?
I: Not in much detail.

P2: Who won the Nobel Prize this year in Mathematics?
I: I do not know this.

P2: Is there a Nobel Prize in Mathematics or not?
I: There is no Nobel Prize for Mathematics.

P1: Is there any Nobel Prize for poetry?
I: There is a Nobel Prize for literature.

P1: Who wrote our National Anthem?
I: Rabindra Nath Tagore

P2: Why did Rabindranath Tagore win the Nobel Prize?
I: He wrote some beautiful poems but I am not able to recall the name of that one.

P1: Who wrote Vande Mataram? This is the most important question of the interview. If you answer this, you will be selected.
I: I do not know this.

P2: Who is the Prime Minister of the USA?
I: (I was a bit nervous because of the previous response) I do not know.
(The interviewer keeps quiet for some time and I fall into their trap). Can I guess?
P2: Please tell what you think.
I: I do not remember the full name; he has "John" in his name.

P2: Oh, John F. Kennedy.
I: No, He was an American President.

P1: The British ruled India, and Indians copied the system of the British. Who is the President of the UK?
I: I do not know the name of the president of the UK. I know that Mr. Boris Johnson is the PM of the UK.

P2: So, you were getting confused because of John and Johnson. Now, tell us the Prime Minister and President of India?
I: PM of India – Shri Narendra Modi, President of India – Shri Ram Nath Kovind

P1: Who were the last four Presidents of the USA?
I: Mr. Donald Trump, Mr. Barack Obama, Mr. George Bush, Mr. Bill Clinton.

They offered me chocolate in the end and said, "You may leave now."

Practice from actual CAT Mocks and score 99.99%ile

IIM-A Interview Experience 4

Interview Date: 15th Feb 2020
Location: India Habitat Centre, Delhi

WAT Topic: A discussion between two persons was given related to the positive and negative effects of social media. We had to present our views on that.

Interview Experience:

We were at the center since 1 pm, and my interview was around 3:30 pm.
P: How are you, Nidhi? You look a bit nervous.
Me: I am very well, sir, thank you. Honestly, I am very nervous.
P: No need to worry. Did you have your lunch?
Me: Yes, I had my lunch.
P: How come? All candidates told us they are starving as they left for interview after breakfast.
Me: Sir, I had a heavy breakfast around 11 am, and I am counting that as lunch.
P: OK, you have a wonderful academic record. I can see in one semester you scored 9.8.
Me: smiling Yes, Sir, it was in the third semester.
P: Tell me about your work at Maruti Suzuki.
Me: Explained in detail.
P: How to validate the process?
Me: We use tools like Cp, Cpk, Pp, Ppk.
P: Please write the formulas for those and explain to me the practical meaning of those terms.
Me: Drew the curve with limits and started explaining. Got interrupted before I could finish writing the formula.
P: Can you draw a normal distribution curve and its equation?
Me: Drew and explained.
P: How will the equation look in the case of a standard normal distribution?
Me: Put the values of mean and sigma as 0 and 1 and showed them.
P: Now can you tell me what will be the value of the peak of the curve?
Me: I got confused, I thought they were asking for the general normal distribution.
Me: Sir, we would have to differentiate the equation to get that point.
P: Why do you need differentiation when you can directly put x=0?
Me: Realizing the question Right, sir.
P: Enough of work. Where are you from?
Me: I am from Indore.
P: Who was the ruler of Indore?
Me: It was ruled by the Holkar family for a long period of time.
P: Where did Ahilya Bai used to stay?
Me: Confused I didn’t know the answer to this. I think Indore only.
P: Really? Have you heard of Maheshwar?
Me: OHH, right, she was a worshipper of Shiva. There are temples in Maheshwar.
P: Yes, coming to the same topic, why is Ujjain famous?
Me: There are many religious places there, e.g., Mahakaal, Kaal Bairav, etc.
P: Why are those religious places so famous?
Me: Totally confused Blank.
P: Have you heard of Jyotirlingas? How many are there?
P2: On seeing my face You scared her.
P: OK, what are the top models of Maruti?
Me: Swift and Baleno.
P: What is Poka Yoke?
Me: Explained with example.
P: Why MBA?
Me: Told.
P: Who inspires you the most in the family and why?
Me: Told.
P: Okay, we are done here. If you have any questions, you can ask.
Me: No sir, thank you so much for your time.

Verdict: Converted in the first list.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 5

AWT Topic: Children nowadays have more screen time. Parents feel this will affect their social life. Only if a child spends more time with their classmates, they are going to develop social skills. Write down the assumptions involved and analyze the argument.

Interview Experience:

The interview was taken by two professors after the AWT.

P1: Hi, tell me about your hometown and what is it famous for?
Me: My hometown is Sivakasi. It is known for its fireworks and match industries. In fact, it has one of the second-largest printing press setups in the world, after Germany.
P1: When do you think the firework industry started in Sivakasi?
Me: I am not sure about the exact date, but I have read that once Jawaharlal Nehru remarked Sivakasi as "Little Japan." So, I guess it should have been around since the 1930s or 1940s.
P1: What are the common problems faced by firework industries in your hometown?
Me: A lot of disasters leading to fatalities, improper PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) not provided, and child labor prevalent in the industries.
P1: From my perspective, child labor should be allowed, as at the end of the day, they are earning money for the family, which helps all of the family members in buying food, clothes, and staying under a roof. There is nothing wrong with child labor. What is your perspective on that?
Me: The firework industry is quite hazardous, and it requires the workers to be alert and follow the necessary precautions, which can be difficult for children due to the complex nature of fireworks. Also, children need to understand the fire triangle and basic chemistry of how a cracker is ignited.
P1: Let us assume that the children are provided with the necessary training, covering combustion principles and proper PPE. I still think that child labor is beneficial instead of sending them to school. Now, also, we will consider that instead of fireworks, we will consider the children working in a printing press. What is your opinion?
Me: If children attend school, they can learn about a lot of things and broaden their minds. If they start working in factories from a young age, their knowledge will be limited. In the future, if the industry becomes obsolete, it will be difficult for them to find a job. For instance, with the rise of social media, there is a high possibility of the printing industry reducing its scale.

P1 takes a break from questioning, and P2 starts.

P2: So, let us talk about your work experience. What do you mean by the term "bad actors" which you had mentioned in your application?
Me: In the Oil and Gas Industry, we have maintenance records collected in a computerized maintenance management system called SAP. My job was to analyze these records and find out which instruments had been faulty with a lot of maintenance budget spent on them. The instruments that had frequent failures were categorized as "bad actors" and recommended for root cause analysis. The objective was to optimize the OPEX of a business plant by analyzing maintenance records from the SAP portal.
P2: What is preventive maintenance, and are you familiar with terms like TQM?
Me: Preventive maintenance is any maintenance performed on equipment at periodic intervals to avoid catastrophic failure. I am not familiar with the term TQM.
P2: Could you explain how the instruments are assigned criticality based on which maintenance is done?
Me: A group of people with industry experience meet at a workshop, discuss, and based on the consensus, assign criticality to the instruments.
P2: Could you talk about one of the safety incidents that happened close to the 1990s related to your company?
Me: One incident that comes to mind is the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
P2: Could you elaborate more on the learnings from the incident?
Me: The captain during the transit was in a drunken state and left inexperienced people to control the ship in Alaskan waters, known for its icebergs. The ship hit the ground, and the oil leaked from the ship, causing an environmental disaster. The learnings from the incident were to avoid alcohol consumption during transit and always consult experienced officers when in doubt.
P2: Now, let us have some questions from your undergrad subjects. Explain what impedance is and what is the unit of impedance?
Me: The unit of impedance is ohms. I was not able to explain the impedance concept clearly in layman's terms.
P2: It is shocking that you are an electrical engineer and you are not able to explain it clearly.
Me: Tried different explanations but did not succeed.
P2: OK. Now, write the equations for Fourier transform and also the inverse Fourier transform.
Me: Wrote both the FT and IFT equations.
P2: Explain Fourier transform to me in layman's terms.
Me: Tried but wasn't convincing. I struck with how I could have explained it better once I was outside. Clue to readers: Consider the example of a prism and use that to explain FT.
P2: Who is this Fourier guy? Irritating and causing so much difficulty to all of us.
Me: Sir, at this moment I am not able to explain it in a convincing manner, but Fourier and Laplace's work has helped us immensely in a lot of domains such as signal processing and control systems. Their work has pioneered a lot of innovation in technology.
Me: I gave a high-level overview of Fourier Transform with the significance of the exponential term.
P2: What is the value of e−iπe^{-i\pi}e−iπ?
Me: Asked for some time, even though I knew the answer, to substitute it in Euler's equation and verify it.
Me: Sir, the answer is -1.
P2: Why did you take a lot of time to come up with the answer? Haven't you been curious before about how an exponential, imaginary, and irrational term has come together?
Me: Sir, I just wanted to ensure the value by substituting it in Euler's form. The Euler’s form is related to a circle.
P2 nods.
P2: Why do you want to do an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad?
Me: I shared my prepared answer, mentioning industries like healthcare and space tech.
P2: What is the reasoning behind developing booster technology?
Me: Mentioned the reusability and cost reduction.
P2: How does SpaceX earn most of its money?
Me: Did not reply as I was not sure.
P2 is done with his questions and tells that he is finished. P1 starts again.

P1: What are some of the things you don’t like about your college (NIT Trichy)?
Me: Told him about the heat and lack of proper fencing, which allows people from outside to enter the campus at night without monitoring.
P1: Provide your opinion about the curfew for girls at NIT Trichy.
Me: Told about the reasoning provided by the administration and ended the conversation with my own opinion.
P1: Ok, we are done. Thank you.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 6

Garima Bharti

Hello! This is my IIM Ahmedabad Interview this year.

Profile: X- 94.6, XII – 80.8, B.Tech (Delhi College of Engineering) – 73.52, CAT percentile: 99.90, work ex: Nil

Academic writing test: case study on freedom of expression; should there be limits or not?

Interview 2 profs. Let’s call them P1 and P2. Both middle-aged.

Duration: around 15 min

So, it went like :

P1: Tell me something about yourself.

Me: Born and brought up in Delhi. The final year of graduation. NSS Volunteer – social involvement. Learning Bharatnatym for seven years. Talked about my two internships – Delhi Metro and gas power plant. (Could have said more about fests and other stuff)

P1: Ok. So which turbine is used in this power plant?

Me: combined cycle. Two gas and one steam.

P1: What are the capacities?

Me: told

P1: What is the heat ratio?

Me: I don’t know. (Never heard the term. I think it is related to mechanical)

P1: Cost of the generation of electricity?

Me: The bill charges 5 rs per unit. So must be around 3-4 rs per unit.  (Could have talked about  transmission and distribution losses and that every plant has a different cost depending on many complex factors.)

P1: Which turbine is more efficient? Gas or steam

Me: don’t know exactly but In the case of the gas turbine, the process is faster due to instant combustion. So, probably gas turbine.

P2: So, why did u choose Bharatnatyam Dance and not any other

Me: sir, initially it was closest to my home that’s why. But then I really liked it and enjoy it a lot. It is really vibrant. That why

P2: Tell me the difference between Freedom of expression, speech, and opinion.

Me: Freedom of speech is a subset of expression. It refers to only verbal expression. An expression is a broader term and can be through a variety of means like cartoons, dance, paintings. Opinions are thoughts, they may or may not be expressed.

P2: You have not taken a clear stand. If you have to take a clear stand- should there be limits on freedom of expression or not?

Me: no. there should not be limits. But people must be made aware that they should use their rights responsibly.

P2: So, the French gov. didn’t do that? That’s why Charlie hebdo happened.?

Me: we as a society learn from our mistakes. And I think this message is clear now.

P1: But French gov. did nothing new in this direction. Me:

But many important people including the Pope have criticized the misuse of freedom of expression to offend a community.

P2: So, you are from Delhi. Do u think Delhi should be given full statehood?

Me: no. it is not practical because Delhi is very small geographically and will not be financially sustainable if made a state. Moreover, a lot of central government machinery is in Delhi like the MPs and foreign dignitaries visiting. Hence, the Centre must have the power to control them. There are two main reasons why Delhi people want statehood.  One is law and order i.e the Delhi police is not answerable to Delhi CM. and land issue – state gov. needs permission from the center on land usage. DDA is not under state gov.  I think there are better ways to resolve these. Regarding the police, one department of police can be made to report to CM. and regarding land- more representation of the state in DDA and already some steps have been taken in this direction.

P2: So, is Kejriwal mad? Making it an issue?

Me: No, Sir. There are issues. But full statehood is not practical. A better and middle path solution with devolution of more power to Delhi state would be better.

P1: But, there is even a country which is smaller than Delhi. Which one?

me: Vatican city

P1: How does that work?

Me: It is extremely dependent on its neighbors.

P2: What do you think about CCTV cameras being installed?

Me: I think it is a good step. But it is the second part towards ensuring a safe city. It will help in catching criminals. But we can not always wait for crimes to happen to catch a criminal. It needs to be supplemented with more awareness and gender sensitization and similar moves should be emphasized. (Could have also talked about terrorists and related activities)

P1: So, what kind of books do you read

Me: it keeps on changing. But recently I have been reading social books about the life of people. For instance, the last book I read was  PRINCESS: THE LIFE BEHIND THE VEIL IN SAUDI ARABIA. BY JEAN SASSON. It is about a girl who is of the Al-Saud’s family and talks about her life as a woman in Saudi Arabia.  And before that NOTHING TO ENVY: ORDINARY LIVES IN NORTH KOREA BY BARBARA DEMICK It explores the life of common people of North Korea under the dictator during the 1980s and the subsequent famine of 1990s. it is a compilation of interviews of refugees from North Korea by a journalist.

P2: What is Saudi Arabia doing about oil?

Me: It has refused to cut down oil production and because of this, oil prices have fallen

P2: What is the problem in OPEC?

Me: Saudi Arabia is a rich country with abundant oil and low cost of production. So it can afford to sell at a low price for long. Other countries can’t.

P2: Should OPEC break?

Me: No. their strength lies in staying together because then they can monopolize the market.

P2: Why do u think Saudi Arabia is not cutting down production?

Me: told about the shale gas. If oil prices remain low, then exploration of shale gas in unviable and the world would continue to depend on oil as an energy resource.

P2: Any other reason

Me: market share If Saudi Arabia cuts down production, it will lose out the market share to other countries like Russia.

P2: How is Russia’s economy dependent on oil?

Me: oil forms a huge percentage of Russia’s GDP and export. And due to the low price, it is suffering a lot.

P2: Could this be the reason why the USA is asking  Saudi Arabia to not cut production?

Me: Yes, especially because of the Ukraine – Russia conflict. A lot of other sanctions have also been imposed on Russia.

P1: So, since you have read about North Korea, tell me something about the Korean War.

Me: the communist powers mainly USSR was supporting North Korea whereas the USA was supporting South Korea.

P1: Year?

Me: 1970s, I think.

P1: Sure?

Me: I am not sure sir. Sorry

P2: Who is the dictator now?

Me: KIM JONG UN since 2011 after the death of his father. 94-2011 was KIM JONG IL.

P2: So what are the firsts about MOM

Me: three firsts-

1.      First time in maiden attempt

2.      First time in the least cost

3.      First Asian country

And overall it is a very good step

1.      Firstly, this allied tech can be used in a lot of Page on places.eg. Communication

2.      Then, PSLV is ISROs expertise, and we get a lot of international assignments for the same. It is great.

3.      It inspires young kids to take up science   Hence, it is a great achievement for the country

P2: What is the full form?

Me: Mars orbital mission

P2: Think of some first related to that

Me : (thinking aloud) Earth’s orbit to Mars orbit. But that would be done by every rocket. So, I don’t know

P1: Okay, thank you. Take something. Take all three( there were three things).

Me: Thank you, Sir. This one is fine ( picked a toffee and went )

VERDICT: CONVERTED!!

Also converted C, L, K, S  Joining A!!  Super excited That is it. Hope it helps  All the best to everyone. My conclusion: IIMs look for positive people who show a willingness to learn and the basic ability to comprehend any situation. It is not necessary to be a master of everything- stellar academics and extracurriculars to get through. (though Grades do matter a lot!). You just have to show the interviewer your ability to think.

Also read: How to get through GDPI Process 

IIM-A Interview Experience 7
Parth Shah
CAT: 99.89 percentile

Before I start with the Interview experience, let me introduce myself. I am a computer engineer, got 99.89 percentile in CAT. This was my second attempt for CAT (In the first one, I scored 99.32 percentile). I am interested in chess, coding, puzzles, and essays. My Written Assessment was on Hughes’ death due to bouncers, whether bouncers should be banned in cricket or not.

Interview:

Two Faculties of IIM Ahmedabad. P1 and P2. Both Male, aged around 45-50 years.

P1: Good morning! Have a seat. Can you please introduce yourself?
Me: I told them about my school, college, my hobbies, and achievements. (The moment I said that I am interested in Logic Puzzles, P2 started writing something down on paper.)

P1: So, you are a computer engineer. What subjects did you study during the BTech?
Me: I told them six subjects. They needed more names. I had one subject in mind but didn’t want them to go into it. But with their forcing of more names, I added this name with two other subjects and presented the list. And they picked up the one I didn’t want them to pick—Data Mining and Warehouse.

P1 asked some questions on it, which I was able to answer apprehensively. As my father is in LIC, he asked me about the ways in which data mining can be useful in an insurance company. I answered. Till then, P2 was ready with a smile on his face and a weapon in his hands. He handed me that paper, which had this written on it:

a = b
a² = ab
a² - b² = ab - b²
(a - b)(a + b) = b(a - b)
a + b = b
b + b = b
2b = b
2 = 1

P2: So, what is wrong with it?
As everything written was logical but with a very big mistake in it. Since 2 can’t be equal to 1. This is a logical fallacy. I was able to draw his attention to the mistake present in this puzzle. And he was happy.

He told me to ask one of my favorite puzzles. I asked this:
There are two ways in which one way is leading to the destination. You don’t know which one. There are two persons present there: Of whom, one always speaks the truth and one always lies. You have to ask one and the same question to both of us and have to determine the right way towards your destination. What question will that be, and what will they answer?

They couldn’t answer it (or didn’t want to) and asked me to explain the solution. When I explained the answer, they seemed happy. I guessed that if I don’t goof up big time, I may fulfill my long-standing dream of getting into IIMA.

P1: So, you play chess. Answer these questions as fast as possible.
He had a tablet in front of him. He asked me 15 questions on chess from it, which included some like:

• What is FIDE rating?
• How is it defined?
• Against whom Anand lost recently?
• Anand’s rating?
• Carlsen’s rating?
• My chosen first move?
• E4-C6 is called what?
• Fool’s mate?
• Queen’s gambit?

I answered all of the questions correctly. (After all, passion says something.)

P2: Any recent news which we may not be aware of.
As my Written Assessment was on Phil Hughes, the day before the interview, another incident happened. Daniel Hughes was hit by a bouncer in nearly the same way, and his neck part got swollen and he became unconscious. I told them about this incident.

P1: So, you have won two state-level essay competitions. Are you interested in essay writing? Which essay did you write recently?
Me: My conversation with God.

P2: Tell three things that you want to ask God if s/he exists.
Me: I will first ask him to prove his existence to all people around the world. Because people around here are taking him for granted, and are getting advantages out of the blind faith some people are putting in.

Second, I will want him to give me the courage to fulfill my dreams. I want to build a business empire that can create enough employment opportunities and, in the end, I want to be active in social awareness.

Third, as Amish Tripathi has written in his books Shiva Trilogy, in the end, ultimate good turns itself into ultimate evil. This was what happened in the case of Somras (read the books for better knowledge about this).

So, I want him to create another parameter apart from money, for which people can aspire. Because right now, though money is good, it has started to turn itself into evil. People have started killing one another for the sake of money, which will lead money to the ultimate evil and the world will end while fighting for and against it. So, we can have another parameter so that people change their focus, and money stays good for a longer duration.

I know the answer is lengthy. But the experience was a lifetime.

VERDICT: CONVERTED!

Now I am going to study in one of the most reputed B-schools, IIM Ahmedabad.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 8
Abhishek Raj

Here’s my IIM A interview in a nutshell:

Background:

• Class X: 96.4%
• Class XII: 96.6%
• Undergrad: IIT Bombay CGPA (in IITB): 9.27 (out of 10)
• CAT Percentile: 99.95
• Work-ex: 0 (fresh graduate)
• Other things of note: I enjoy public speaking and creative writing. Dabble in stand-up comedy and football journalism.

Interview: Two professors, both of whom I have gotten to know quite well now.

P1: “So Abhishek.. good day so far?”
Me: “More or less, though I think the next 20 minutes might have something to say.”
both of them chuckle meekly
I chuckle meekly

P2: “Football blogger who has written for ESPN? You think you’re a football expert eh?”
Me: “Everything except playing the actual game sir.”

P2: “You don’t play?”
Me: “I do, as long as the word ‘play’ has an extremely broad definition.”
both chuckle again
this time I don’t chuckle
mixing things up

P1: “So you don’t play?”
Me: “No sir. I write. I’m a vicarious exploiter of the joy of the beautiful game.”

P2: “Where are Swansea City in the Premier League Table?”
Me (slightly stunned): “Umm.. 8th?”
P2: “Umm? You’re not sure?”
Me: “8th. Definitely 8th.”
P2: “Definitely 8th?”
Me: “Definitely.”
P2: “6th.. here see.” shows me laptop
Me: “I’d like to go back to talking about how well I play the game if that’s alright?”
both laugh

P1: “Abhishek, why do you want to do management? You have excellent grades—just do research no?”
Me: “I can’t be a football presenter if I do research.”

P1: “Football presenter? That’s your life goal?”
Me: “Yes sir.”

P2: “But we don’t produce sports presenters. We produce managers.”
Me: “I have no doubt. But that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t be a football presenter by doing research.”
both smile

P1: “Tell me about Biosynth (Project I worked for in IITB).”
Me: insert gyan about Biosynth
some more questioning about that
some more answers (it got technical here, hence glossing over details)

Finally,

P2: “Abhishek, I love math. I’m going to give you a math problem. If the volume of a cylinder is fixed, derive the radius and height that will maximize the surface area.”
Me: do the problem
make calculation mistake (realized later)
prof doesn’t notice or care about answer (phew!)

P1: “Okay. Thanks, Abhishek. Have a toffee.”
Me: “Thank you for your time.”
takes an abnormally large amount of time to pick the toffee

P1: “We have other candidates Abhishek.”
we all laugh

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IIM-A Interview Experience 9
7th March 2021

P1: Role in current job?
Me: Told.

P1: Draw a graph on the number of bugs against time in a software till deployment.
Me: Drew.

P1: Write an equation for the graph.
Me: Wrote.

P1: Write some other equation similar and more appropriate.
Me: Wrote.

P2: Hobbies?
Me: Told.

P2: Who’s the current world champion and which country?
Me: Told.

P2: Any current affairs in recent times?
Me: Told 5 state elections.

P2: CM of each of 5 states and respective party?
Me: Told.

P2: Any other recent affairs?
Me: Told vehicle scrappage policy.

P2: Is it implemented in any other countries and why is it required?
Me: Told.

P1: Okay, we are done. Take a toffee if you like.
Me: Took.

P1: We are done. Thank you.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 10
Date: 21/02/2021
Profile: Electrical Engineering
Work Experience: 2.5 years in Real Estate

AWT Topic:
As per a recent report by Indian Express, toppers from boards are going abroad. Those who choose engineering and stay back are switching to management because of higher salaries. Everyone thinks of money first and puts the country second. Only military people think of the country.

Personal Interview:

Panel: Two gentlemen.

P1: Introduce yourself.
Me: Gave my introduction.

P2: What are your views on the AWT topic?
Me: Explained and mentioned that the sample space taken for the conclusion was too small.

P2: But suppose it’s only for engineering students.
Me: Defended my previous answer and explained further points, mentioning that the nation needs a global perspective.

P2: But the nation doesn’t want you to study MBA as they have already subsidized your engineering education.
Me: I explained that I need both technical and managerial skills to become an entrepreneur and contribute to the nation.

P2: How many entrepreneurs are there without an MBA? Why do you want to do it?
Me: Explained why I need to pursue an MBA.

P1: What are your views on demonetization?
Me: Said that the intentions were good but the implementation was flawed.

P2: What was good about it?
Me: Talked about reducing black money.

P2: What was the underlying assumption?
Me: Explained that the assumption was people had black money in physical form, and the government aimed to capture that.

P1: But according to the RBI, 100% of printed money was recovered. Then where is the rest of the money?
Me: Tried to defend my answer but couldn't.

P1: What was the negative impact?
Me: Explained.

P1: Then why did you say it was a good move?
Me: Tried to clarify that I was referring to the good intentions behind the move.

P2: You worked in the real estate sector. What is RERA?
Me: Explained RERA.

P2: Why is there a need for RERA?
Me: Explained the importance of RERA regulations.

P2: Are you doing any frauds in the real estate sector?
Me: Emphasized the importance of regulations to prevent fraud.

P2: How do transactions happen in real estate?
Me: Explained about contracts in real estate transactions.

P2: How do laborers get paid?
Me: Mentioned payment through bank accounts or cash.

P2: Who keeps track of that money? Isn’t it black? How did demonetization affect this? Do you think digital payments are necessary?
Me: Talked about the ledger system but couldn’t make a strong point.

P1: What are your hobbies?
Me: Said classical music and trekking.

P1: What are the dimensions and weight of a harmonium?
Me: Provided the dimensions.

P2: Which school do you follow? Name some ragas and their specialties.
Me: Answered.

P2: Tell me about a situation at work where you handled something special that was given to you.
Me: Shared a scenario from my work experience.

P1: (Asked several electrical engineering questions)

• What’s the difference between voltage and current?
• What is a resistor?
• How do you measure these quantities? What are their units?
• Can we change resistance?
  Me: Explained everything in detail.

P2: That’s it. You can leave.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 11

My interview was essentially a class discussion rather than a typical Q&A session. I wasn't asked about subject matter knowledge, but the focus was more on my thought process and how well I could back up my opinions.

1. Basic greetings and haalchaal (casual conversation)

2. Why did you quit your job?
   Follow-up questions based on my answer.

3. View on journalism and marketing as propaganda mechanisms.

4. What excites you about marketing?
   This led to lots of follow-up questions, but it felt more like a conversation. The panel was trying to see how well I could defend my opinions with logic.

5. Questions based on my AWT (Written Test) answer.
   We discussed various scenarios related to my AWT topic.

6. Your view on dumping all major disputed issues on the Supreme Court.

7. What do you think are the benefits of privatization?

8. Since you're not from a mathematical background, how will you deal with our quant-oriented curriculum?

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IIM-A Interview Experience 12

AWT Topic: The topic was about the Work From Home scenario. We had to provide arguments both in support of and against it. (20 minutes)

I was the second last candidate in my panel.

Interview Details: Panel consisted of two members – F (~35 years) and M (White-haired, ~50 years).
Both were in different locations, so I faced some network issues during the interview, which caused some delay. Eventually, they connected via a laptop, leading to some audio and video quality problems.

Interview Start:

M: "You’ve been waiting for quite a long, how are you doing?"
Me: "It's okay, no problem. The interview center had network issues, so there was a delay. They connected through a laptop, so the video and audio might not be very clear."

M: "Where are you working right now?"
Me: Answered.

M: "What do you do in your job?"
Me: "I’m an Android Developer and I work on my client’s app, designing and maintaining it."
We discussed how Play Store only provides the platform and doesn’t maintain the apps.

F: "So what exactly do you do?"
Me: "I code to maintain the Android applications for my clients."

M: "So your clients have their apps on Play Store and you maintain them?"
Me: "Yes, exactly."

M: "What did you do last year?"
Me: "I utilized the lockdown to start my own venture." I explained the working model of my startup and mentioned that I served 55 clients from August to December.

F: "Which sector do you want to join?"
Me: "I attended an FMCG bootcamp and learned a lot about product and service launch, STP, etc., which piqued my interest."

F: "What do you want to do after an MBA and why?"
Me: "During my startup, I faced difficulties in implementation, especially when launching products or services. I want to use the theoretical learning from an MBA and apply it practically to lead teams and make decisions that impact the organization and society."

F: "But everyone wants to lead, do you have any specific position in mind?"
Me: "I haven’t thought that far, but I definitely see myself in leadership positions where I can create significant impact."

M: "So, you’ve closed your startup?"
Me: "Yes, after the lockdown ended, supply decreased, and people preferred original services."

M: "So what do you do apart from work?"
Me: "I’m dedicated to bodybuilding and fitness. I go to the gym regularly, follow the fitness industry news, and in my free time, I teach my cousin."

M: "Which class is your cousin in and what do you teach?"
Me: "She’s in 7th grade, and I help her with all the subjects in which she faces difficulties."

M: "What achievements have you mentioned in your workplace form?"
Me: "I come from an Electronics background with no prior coding experience. I was hired because of my analytical skills. I learned coding on my own and built my first Android app from scratch, completing it ahead of schedule. This led to early opportunities for important projects."

F: "Do you read anything these days?"
Me: "Yes, I read about different diets. I discussed the ketogenic diet and explained how it works, emphasizing that carbs, not fats, are the culprits in weight gain."

M: "Anything in February that caught your attention?"
Me: "The extradition of Nirav Modi for defrauding India of ₹6498 Cr. He has two months to challenge the UK court’s decision, but it’ll only happen after the UK Home Minister's order."

M: "Why did this news catch your attention?"
Me: "It’s important because it sets an example for others who think they can escape by going to other countries. The Indian government has been working hard to bring back fraudsters, and this case could send a strong message."

F: "Can you tell me about marathon runners and the muscles they use?"
Me: "Marathon runners primarily use slow-twitch muscle fibers (Type 1) for endurance. Type 2 fibers are used for tasks requiring explosive power."

After this, they thanked me and concluded the interview.

Duration: 23 minutes

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IIM-A Interview Experience 13

Profile: General, Male, Electrical Engineer
Experience: 42 months in the Railways sector
Panel: SP (Senior Male Professor) and YP (Younger Male Professor/Alumni)

AWT Topic:
Support & opposition for Work From Home.
I was caught off guard since I was expecting to type my response but had to write it on paper.

Interview Details:

YP: "Tell me about your job role."
Me: Gave a standard, prepared answer, but I felt he was expecting a more relatable and layman-oriented explanation.

SP: "Why are diesel vehicles used for public transport and petrol engines for personal vehicles?"
Me: Explained the differences in performance and price, and he seemed convinced.

SP: "What are hybrid vehicles?"
Me: Gave the definition and explanation without any follow-up questions.

SP: "Solve these two basic circuit theory questions."
Me: Solved the questions.

SP then passed me to YP for the next round of questions.

YP: "Do you read the news?"
Me: "Yes, I follow Economic Times and Moneycontrol."

YP: "What is Sensex?"
Me: Gave the full form and definition, explaining it based on free-floating capitalization. Then, YP asked me to explain it in layman's terms, which I did without any issues.

YP: "Are there any other stock exchanges?"
Me: Mentioned Nifty.

YP: "A study by S&P was done in the AWT supporting the rise in productivity due to Work From Home. If you were with S&P, how would you approach the survey?"
Me: I discussed how the study only considered the perspectives of tech companies and company management. I suggested including all stakeholders at different levels and tailoring the approach to specific industries.

SP: "Do you know about the water dispute between Nepal and India?"
Me: I tried answering in a general manner by bringing up the history of floods in Bihar but wasn’t able to give a precise answer. I admitted that I wasn’t sure about the specific details of the issue.

End of Interview:
They informed me the interview was over and asked me to leave. As I was about to leave, S2 stopped me and offered me a chocolate. I was excited, but in hindsight, I feel the interview went decently, though it could have been better.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 14

Panelist: 50’s Male, 30’s Female

1. Panelist: So, you are from Nagpur. What do you like most about it?
   Me: Answered.

2. Panelist: Tell me something about Nagpur.
   Me: Answered.

3. Panelist: How many years were you in Hyderabad?
   Me: Answered.

4. Panelist: Why Narayana, not Chaitanya?
   Me: Answered.

5. Panelist: Tell me something about Aurangabad.
   Me: Answered.

6. Panelist: What is your favorite subject?
   Me: Fluid Mechanics.

7. Panelist: Application of Fluid Mechanics in real life?
   Me: Answered.

8. Panelist: What are the principles used in a pump?
   Me: Answered, but they were not satisfied. I explained the types of pumps, but still not convinced.

9. Panelist: What is Bernoulli’s equation?
   Me: Answered.

10. Panelist: Application of Bernoulli’s equation?
    Me: Answered.

11. Panelist: Why MBA?
    Me: Answered.

12. Panelist: Why MBA without work experience?
    Me: Answered.

13. Panelist: What did you learn from Mechanical Engineering that will help in MBA?
    Me: Managed to explain.

14. Panelist: Difference between a History graduate and Mechanical Engineering?
    Me: Answered.

15. Panelist: Will a Mechanical Engineer be a better fit for this program?
    Me: Answered.

16. Panelist: Famous engineer from Maharashtra?
    Me: Couldn’t recall any at first, but then they suggested Kirloskar. I spoke about Kirloskar.

17. Panelist: Tell me something about IIM-A?
    Me: Answered.

18. Panelist: Hobbies and famous artists?
    Me: Answered.

19. Panelist: Who is the US president?
    Me: Answered.

20. Panelist: Wife of Joe Biden and her profession?
    Me: Couldn’t recall her profession.

21. Panelist: Who is Kamala Harris and her profession before politics?
    Me: Didn’t know her profession.

22. Panelist: What are the various subjects at IIM-A?
    Me: Could answer only two.

Also read: More Topics for Group Discussion

IIM-A Interview Experience 15

Panelists: 1 Male (early 30s), 1 Female (early 40s)

1. Female Panelist: Hello, How are you?
   Me: Fine Mam, Thank you.

2. Female Panelist: So, you are a Mechanical Engineer, which subject are you comfortable with?
   Me: Mam, Fluid Mechanics.

3. Female Panelist: Ok, do you know Pascal’s law?
   Me: Yes Mam, it states that pressure is distributed evenly through all surfaces in a static fluid. It's written as P = ρ * g * h. (Had to repeat it twice, possibly due to mic issues.)

4. Female Panelist: Ok, what is Bernoulli’s equation?
   Me: Mam, in Bernoulli’s equation, we talk about conservation of energy. The sum of pressure energy, potential energy, and kinetic energy remains constant.

5. Female Panelist: Ok, what is entropy?
   Me: Mam, it’s a term in thermodynamics that can’t be measured exactly. It deals with systems at a microscopic level and tells us about the degree of randomness of a particle.

6. Male Panelist: Can we measure the entropy of a particle by knowing its position?
   Me: Sir, as far as I recall, we can measure the movement of a particle either by knowing its position or its momentum, but not both at the same time.

7. Male Panelist: How can we measure the constant of gravity? Tell me a way.
   Me: (After thinking for a while) Sir, if a body falls from a cliff, knowing the height of the cliff and the final velocity of the body before hitting the ground, we can calculate gravity from that.

8. Male Panelist: How?
   Me: Sir, energy is conserved, and potential energy converts to kinetic energy. (I wrote the equation to explain.)

9. Male Panelist: How does the height of the cliff show potential energy?
   Me: Sir, potential energy is considered from a base level and is calculated based on the height from that level.

10. Male Panelist: If we rotate a stone with a rope along a vertical axis, can we calculate gravity from there?
    Me: Sir, there would be no component of gravity as it is perpendicular to the tension in the rope. However, if it rotates along a horizontal axis, the tension can be equated to the tension in the string.

11. Male Panelist: How about if it rotates along a vertical axis and the string breaks?
    Me: Sir, in that case, the stone will move tangentially and follow a projectile motion. We can calculate gravity from that.

12. Male Panelist: You might have seen today’s AWT topic? What is your take on it?
    Me: Sir, it’s a very old caricature from 2014 where NY Times mocked India’s space endeavor. It pointed out the huge budget allocation for the Mars mission, suggesting the money should have been spent on the development of poor people. However, we have come a long way since then and have launched Chandrayaan 1 & 2, MOM, and now trying to send humans. In addition, we’ve also developed farm production. We’ve been able to maintain a good balance.

13. Male Panelist: Don’t you think 500 crore is a huge amount and spending on the Mars mission rather than people welfare is a good idea? I favor satellite missions because they predict floods and cyclones, but why Mars mission?
    Me: Sir, twenty to thirty years ago, people might have thought the same about satellite missions. But now we can see how they have benefited human welfare. Similarly, we will surely get something valuable from the Mars mission as well.

14. Male Panelist: So, you will go to your company and say, "I want 1 crore," but you do not know what to do with that, will the company give it to you?
    Me: Sir, I would not go directly. I would make proper plans and present a well-prepared portfolio before requesting money.

15. Male Panelist: But here, ISRO doesn’t know what it will get out of Mars. There is no planning.
    Me: Sir, ISRO has a great track record, so we trust it will achieve something significant.

16. Male Panelist: So, you are saying this huge money allocation is only because of ISRO’s name. But your company doesn’t believe in you, and that's why you need a portfolio to ask for 1 crore.
    Me: Sir, my company believes in me, but even then, I would approach them with full preparation. ISRO, too, has its objectives. They say Mars had life previously, and by studying its soil and formation, we can gain more information about Earth’s past and how to use it.

17. Male Panelist: We can ask for that information from other countries. Why spend so much?
    Me: Sir, we can ask others, but why depend on them when we can do it ourselves?

18. Male Panelist: That’s not a reason. If you want to study Earth’s soil, why go out? Let’s leave this topic for now. Tell me, what is optimization?
    Me: Sir, I think optimization is…

19. Male Panelist: Don’t guess, if you don’t know, it’s okay. It’s a mathematical term.
    Me: Sorry, Sir. I don’t know about it.

20. Female Panelist: What do you like to do in your free time? Any interests in economics or politics?
    Me: Mam, I love to cook, watch movies, and read something in my free time. I watch some news to remain updated.

21. Female Panelist: Okay, tell me some main points of the Budget 2021.
    Me: Mam, first is that the budget allocation for medical services has increased due to the COVID effect. Second, the allocation for MGNREGA has decreased and is being condemned since people have lost their jobs, and MGNREGA is their only hope in rural areas. Third, the allocation toward the defense sector has increased.

22. Female Panelist: Do you know about the Vehicle Scrapping policy mentioned in the Budget?
    Me: Sorry, Mam, I can’t recall it.

23. Female Panelist: Okay, can I ask you a question on probability?
    Me: Mam, it’s been a while since I worked with Math, but I will try.

24. Female Panelist: (She gave a big question with many constraints which I couldn’t recall exactly and gave me time to answer.)
    Me: (Took my time but couldn’t deduce anything, said 1/15.)

25. Female Panelist: 1/15, okay, leave it then. So, do you know about the India-China clash right now? What compelled China to backtrack?
    Me: Mam, I would mention two points. First, China’s escalation was a byproduct of the US-China cold war. China wanted to showcase its power by escalating toward India but didn’t anticipate such a strong reply from India. Second, India gained some strategic locations near Pangong Tso Lake, which compelled China to de-escalate.

26. Female Panelist: Your first point is okay, but the second point is after the effect of de-escalation. Tell me the reason for de-escalation. The stand was for six months; why didn’t they de-escalate earlier?
    Me: Mam, India was trying to grab those strategic locations near the lake in these six months, which compelled China to de-escalate.

27. Female Panelist: Okay, I got your point. It was nice talking to you. You may take a toffee and leave.
    Me: Thank you, Sir and Mam. It was a pleasure.

Overall Experience:
The interview was serious. Neither of the panelists smiled throughout the process, except while greeting at the end. The male panelist interrupted me many times while answering and even smirked a few times. Later, when the female panelist was asking questions, he left the interview for a while and was eating pineapple. I tried my best to remain calm and composed. The VC Now center is nice and has very accommodating staff.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 16

Date: 20/02/22
Time: 12:10 PM
Candidate: Civil Engineer, MTech 2nd year
Panel: 2 male interviewers

1. Q: Tell me about yourself along with what motivates you to be here.
   A: [Response]

2. Q: Asked about internships and what did I learn from it.
   A: I couldn’t explain much as I did them in 2018.

3. Q: Why MBA (because of my technical internships)?
   A: [Response]

4. Q: What is your project? Explain in layman language.
   A: Explained them nicely, and we had a deep conversation over it for about 10 minutes. They asked physics concepts and requested me to draw a diagram related to the project.

5. Q: What are your hobbies? (Some cross questions)
   A: [Response]

6. Q: What are your views on naming conventions? (AWT topic)
   A: [Response with some cross questions]

7. Q: What do you know about current news?
   A: I told about the hijab protest, Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the freedom convoy in Canada. They ignored hijab and freedom convoy news and asked specifically about the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

8. Q: Do you follow election news?
   A: I said I don’t know.

Notes:

• No stress interview, more like a conversation.
• They gave 100% attention to me and nodded to my answers.
• It’s important to know what you are currently doing and explain it clearly.
• Also, stay updated on election news.

All the best, everyone!

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IIM-A Interview Experience 17

Date: 22/02/2022
Candidate: BSc Hort, MSc Ag Econ, 4 months AP Ex

AWT Topic: Related to capitalism

P1:

1. Tell us about your academic journey.
2. Work experience as AP.
3. You have cleared UGC NET, then why not PhD?
4. Why MBA?

P2:

1. Why do we see fluctuations in onion prices?
2. Onion export and import.
3. What did you learn in UG and how did you apply it in the field?
4. Onion seasons?
5. MSc thesis? Discussion on the topic.
6. How good is your math?
7. How do you calculate maxima and minima?
8. In which industry would you like to work after MBA?
9. Commodity exchange platforms in India and one international.
10. Are you married?

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IIM-A Interview Experience 18

Date: 24 Feb 2022
Candidate: Engineer - Computer
Panel: 4
P1: Male (50)
P2: Female (30-35) - Possibly alumni
P3: Observer

P1:

1. Tell me about your work.
2. Can you tell the difference between RDBMS and Object-Oriented DBMS?
3. Types of NoSQL.
4. Explain Mapping with an example.
5. Can you give an example where a key-value pair can be used?
6. What’s the difference between an RDBMS table and a NoSQL table?
7. Why do you use Python and not Java?
8. What is the document type of NoSQL?
9. Give an example with code (code discussion for the next 5 minutes).
10. If x = 2 and y = 3, can we assign x = 3 and y = 2 without a third variable? If yes, how?
    (Explained with an algorithm)
    Satisfied
    I will hand you over to Mam.

P2:

1. Tell me something about your work experience?
   So you work on data handling…
2. How will the Russia-Ukraine war impact the world economically?
   (Explained with oil prices, Nord 2, and stock prices of NYSE, BSE, and Shanghai stock exchange)
3. So, what do you think about the Donald-Putin relationship?
   (Explained and gave references of accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 election)
4. Why are Russia-USA relations not good?
   (Explained in detail from the outcomes of WW2, Stalin-Roosevelt, breakdown of USSR, Nixon-Brezhnev, Gorbachev Nobel prize, and finally Putin's era)
5. So what is the reason behind the war?
   (Talked about the European Union and NATO; Russia doesn't want NATO forces near its borders, and Ukraine wants to be part of the EU; discussed Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk situations, and reasons behind the Russian attack; also talked about double standards of USA and EU)
6. So, who do you think will win the Manipur election?
   (I said BJP+NPP alliance and gave reasons)
7. You have good knowledge of politics. Why engineering and now MBA?
   (I said I like to keep myself updated, though I’m not interested in politics; also mentioned I read about sports and technology. Then gave the typical answer of why MBA after engineering)
   She was smiling all the time.

P1:

1. Tell me about your hobbies.
   (Sudoku, logical puzzles, trekking, and bike rides on weekends)
   Informal talk about hobbies.
2. Okay, we are done. Please take a chocolate.
   (I said I had already taken one after my AWT. He insisted 2-3 times. I finally said that I’m working from home and don’t get time to exercise.)
   Okay, then you can leave.

Both panelists were chill and cool. Happy with the conversation!

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IIM-A Interview Experience 19

Date: 28.02.2022
Profile: General, Non-Engineer (Lawyer), Male
CAT Score: 98.95 percentile
Previous Academics: 95 (10th), 95.6 (12th), First Class (UG)

Analytical Writing Test (AWT):

• Assignment: A line of argument was presented to us for analysis.
• Word limit: 250-300 words.
• Time limit: 20 minutes.

Personal Interview (PI)

• Panel Composition: 1M (30s), 1F (30s)
• The panelists alternated between asking questions, with both being active throughout the interview.

The Questions:

1. Why MBA?
   (Some grilling here)
2. What is Burden of Proof?
   (In-depth discussion about why it exists, exceptions to it, including Company Law and Rape cases, false rape cases, whether it does more good than bad, and the reversibility of the burden of proof in relation to fundamental rights.)
3. What are your hobbies? What did you learn from them?
4. What is a derivative (in maths)?
5. Tell us about your work.

Duration: The interview lasted about 25 minutes.

Overall Impression:
The panel was tough and willing to argue. They seemed more focused on seeing if you would get easily flustered rather than the content of your answers. The key was staying calm and composed throughout the discussion.

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IIM-A Interview Experience 20

Date: 28.02.2022
Panel:

• P1 (Female)
• P2 (Male)

Duration: 30-35 minutes

AWT Topic: Make patriotic movies tax-free in all states: pros and cons

Questions:

P1:

1. Tell about work
2. Why MBA?
3. What is MPC?
4. Asked about current bank rates

P2:

1. Difference between Supervised learning and statistics regression
   • Follow-up questions based on it
2. Pros/cons about metaverse
3. Asked about Hobby
   • Told about chess
4. Tell me about recent chess news
   • (Pragg beating Magnus)
5. How chess can help you in other domains
6. Tell what fascinated you while working in Amazon

P1:

1. Any burning issues you would want to improve in India
   • Said about farmers (give more provisions)
2. Asked if it is good if more people become farmers instead of doctors

Overall Impression:
A good conversation. The panelists seemed happy and satisfied!

IIM-A Interview Experience 21

Profile:

• Degree: BA & MA English
• Academics: 9.31 (10th), 87.6 (12th), 8.58 (Undergrad), 93.1 (Postgrad)
• Percentile: 97.74

AWT
A passage with the idea that Gen Z is more confident about relationships and dating, and that they give importance to being themselves in such cases. The questions were –

1. What were the author’s assumptions?
2. What will you say to support the claim?
3. What will you say to oppose it?

PI
Total Time: 50 minutes

M1, M2

• Started off with a little bit of chitchat: Did you have lunch? When did you reach Ahmedabad? Where are you staying?
• Work Experience Questions:
  1. Tell us more about the company?
  2. What is your role in the company?
  3. What is the process you follow while preparing visuals?
  4. What is a recent social media campaign you ran?
  5. Where do you find new clients?
  6. How do you prepare a shortlist of them? Is there a criteria?

Academics

1. You did your MA in Literature at NIT Trichy. What is such a degree/department doing in an engineering institute?
2. How were you enriched by/did you enrich the diverse student group on campus?
3. Did you do any co-projects with the other departments?
4. You had a course called Research Methodology, what did you study there?
5. What kind of methodologies have you studied about?
6. Asking out of curiosity, what kind of methodologies are used in a subject like Literature?
7. What have you used for your research paper?
   • Questions followed on performance studies, which is what my paper is based on.
8. You talked about different perspectives. What if there’s a problem that needs a proper, objective solution?
9. What if biases come into play here in the name of subjectivity?
10. Because you mentioned postmodernism for subjectivity and objectivity, do you know about ontology and epistemology?
    • (Knew about ontology well)
11. How does ontology come into play in an objective world view? Elaborate with an example.

English Knowledge Test

• I’ll say a sentence, please write it down. (This was to check the knowledge in English. The sentence was ‘I thank my parents, the Pope, and Vivekananda’. The objective was to check if I’d add the Oxford comma, the one before ‘and’. Without that, the meaning of the sentence will change. It seemed like a question they asked others as well because M1 mentioned everyone got this wrong.)

Basic Math Questions

• Related to time-speed-distance, geometry.
• I got there on a flight, so they asked the height at which the aircraft flew and how much that is in km.

General

1. What excites you?
   • (Since I answered music) Name a few people you follow. Name 2 of their creations each.
2. A musician passed away recently, who was it?
3. Don’t you listen to new English bands? (Since I mentioned The Beatles)
4. What is another thing that excites you?
   • (Creative writing)
5. Since you write poetry, who is your favourite poet?
6. You’ve lived a good part of your life in Kerala. Name a few Malayalam poets and their works.
7. Where is Ireland? To which side does it lie wrt to the UK?
8. What is the difference between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland?
9. What are the constituents of the UK?
10. What is Brexit?
11. Did the UK leave or Great Britain?
12. What is the Commonwealth?
13. Is India part of it?
14. What happened in 1950?

Final Question:

• Do you have any questions for us?

IIM-A Interview Experience 22

Panel Composition:

• P1: M (45)
• P2: M (30)

Interview Start

• P1: How are you? Are you comfortable? Let’s begin the interview.

Questions

P1:

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What makes you unique?
3. What specialization are you interested in?
4. What are your opinions on media transparency?
5. What do you think about ChatGPT?

P2:

1. Why MBA? (He started using Hindi)
2. Why as a fresher, why after BTech, why marketing?
3. Case Study: There is a restaurant in your area with good food but rarely any customers. What will you do?
   • (We had a conversation in Hindi about this as he suggested, "Mai bhi to bol raha hoon, bolo Hindi mein hi batao.")
4. Any questions?

Overview

• It was a chill panel, and I had a good conversation with them. Of course, there were areas to improve, but overall, I felt it was a good interview.

IIM-A Interview Experience 23

Venue: IIMA New campus
Date: 5th Feb
Time: 13:15
Interview Panel: 7

AWT Topic:

• Since teenagers today use little lies in relationships to impress their date, relationships are not the same for them as they were before. Contrarily, Gen Z considers honesty and confidence more important and believes it’s better to be rejected than lie. (Concept was along these lines but not entirely remembered.)
• Tasks: Give the assumptions made by the author and arguments supporting and countering the idea.

Interview Duration: 28-30 minutes
Panelists:

• P1: Male
• P2: Female

Questions:

P1:

1. Tell me something about yourself. Were you able to manage the transition of language from 12th to graduation?
2. As you are a mechanical engineer, have you studied fluid mechanics? Questions about Bernoulli’s equation, Reynold’s transpose theorem, Euler’s equation.
3. Favorite subjects in UG: Thermodynamics and heat transfer.
4. Why do you like heat transfer?
5. What is the second law of thermodynamics?
6. What is entropy, and what is its significance?
7. What are some of your learnings from your work at both technical and personal levels?
8. Why do you want to do an MBA?
9. Who are the competitors of your company? Why does your company hold such a large share? Is it quality or something else? What is your company doing to grow?
10. Price comparison of products of your company and similar products of competitors.
11. What kind of inventory management models did you use?
12. Why did you change the organization?
13. What is your role in your current work? What kind of tools do you use for project monitoring?
14. Apart from regular work, how do you stay updated with the new trends in your field?
15. Suppose I and my colleague want health insurance. What factors would you consider for deciding the premium? (I gave 3 factors, and she asked me to write 4 more.)
16. Where have you traveled outside South Gujarat? (I’ve been studying and working in the nearby area for the last 7.5 years.)

Overview:

• Overall a mixed experience. No questions about current affairs, hobbies, or strengths/weaknesses. A lot of emphasis on academic knowledge despite having 3.5 years of work experience.

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