A word of caution though. This time is to refine your basics. Do not enter new and unfamiliar terrains. You’d only end up with knowing a little about a lot of ‘somethings’ and may not be able to apply it in the twelfth hour. Identify your strengths. Polish them. Refine them. Shine them till they sparkle like diamonds and then reap the benefits on the D-day. The CAT tests you in all the areas. The good news is that you can still crack it even if you don’t know the difference between permutations and combinations. But be sure to crack the remaining topics. That should suffice.

Also, most questions in CAT are designed based on pure logic. You needn’t remember all the difficult formulae in the reference books of class 11^th & 12^th. Remember, there are two ways of solving a problem. One is by observation and a little calculation. The other is by, well, pure calculation. Read the question twice. Understand the logic. Think of it like a manager would, in a real life situation and go for the kill! These people don’t want accountants or mathematics experts. They want people with an analytical, clear and logical mind who can take decisions when the need arises.

The verbal section (one of my favourites and vice versaJ) can be mastered if you have developed a sound reading habit for a few years. Read the newspapers religiously, especially the ones like The Hindu, The Economic Times and Financial Express. Observe the styles of the authors. Notice the way sentences are constructed. Examine and take mental notes of the phrases you come across.

One of the most important things that can’t be ignored is that this is a Computer based test (CBT). Get used to sitting on the computer for 2.5 hours. We do not want red, watery eyes during the exam now, do we? Get accustomed to using the computer. No time should be lost trying to figure out the computer mannerisms on the D-day. Selecting the right radio button and calculating on a sheet of paper and shading the circles may seem not much different, but on the day of the exam, trust me, even a sneeze is enough to ruffle a few feathers. Get used to the atmosphere, the methodology of the exam.

To this end, attend the mock cats diligently. I know it is difficult getting out of bed on a lazy Sunday morning, but keep the end in sight. It is just a month more. Attempt as many mock CATs as possible. Understand the undercurrent of the questions. Analyze your answers. Examine where you went wrong. It is as important to analyze your answers as it is to write them. If you take the exam for 2.5 hrs, analyze it at least for 3-4 hours. Make a calculation of how much you score, where you could have scored. Cherry pick the questions that are walkovers. Every paper has them. Search for them. Do not leave them unattended.

That’s enough gyaan for now, I think. Wish you all the best for your final preparations. Amen!

For Jokatimes

Brijesh Unnithan

This week we bring two very detailed interview experiences for your benefit.

Kaushik Saha, 100 percentiler in CAT’06 and now a PGDM student from the 2007-09 batch had this to say:

“I had my IIM C interview on 13th April, 2007 – morning 10:00 am. My GD panel had 13 people of whom 7 were from my college, IIT Kharagpur. 6 out of those 13 made it to IIM C, with 4 accepting the offers. The panel had a noted professor of systems of IIM C and a very senior alumnus. The topic was a short case, based on poaching by rival television channels.

“The personal Interviews started at 10:40, I was the 4th person to go in, my turn came at 11:30. I later came to know almost all the interviews continued for around 10-20 minutes. I was asked for a brief introduction of myself – I mentioned my geophysics background, that I was interested in dramatics, football, sudoku etc. I was asked 4 puzzles (the 5 pirate’s one, the 100 balls and 2 bottles one, the crossing of bridge by 4 people in minimum time and a fourth I can’t recall). Then I was asked to solve a permutation problem, and then a few basic questions on geophysics like types of rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes etc. The professor of systems asked all these while the alumnus kept noting down something.
“Then the alumnus asked me about the then raging Singur controversy, what 100 percentile meant to me, why I had a low CGPA at IIT and some questions about European football.
Finally, as I was about to leave, I was asked my impression of IIM C vis-a-vis other IIMs – that was it.”

Rahul Dasgupta, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch related his experience:

Rahul has a background in Electronics Engineering from IIT Kharagpur with a CGPA of 8.22. He had a CAT percentile of 99.95 with calls from IIM C, B, L, I, K.
“It was a case based GD. A person who used to work in a company left for better pay somewhere else. Four years later, he was brought back with promotion and put in charge of his own team. His team members, colleagues turned subordinates, are now refusing to cooperate with him.
“My performance was quite good. There was this guy in the panel who kept talking all through without making much sense. The group decided to ignore him completely and carry on as if he did not exist. It was a real test for our voice! In a 15 minutes GD, I came in four times. At the end, everyone was asked to add something new that has not been discussed. There was one point I could not raise in the GD. I did it now. So it worked out well for me!”
Rahul gave us a blow-by-blow account pretty similar to the one Archish had earlier and so we bring it to you verbatim.
“I enter the interview room and found that It was a 3 member panel that was to interview me.
Me: Good Afternoon Sirs
Panel: Rahul, you are a bad student
Me: (What!) No sir, I am not a bad student.
Panel: You are from IIT, true, but your results are pathetic. 8.22, 89%, 87%, you call these scores?
Me: (Oh God!) Sir, these are pretty decent scores. In IIT, out batch average was x.xx, I was department rank x and institute rank y.
Panel: 89% in 12th boards in CBSE? Don’t tell me it’s even decent!
Me: Sir, I agree that the 12th score is a bit low. I was preparing hard for JEE and did not pay attention to English. I scored 95% in science subjects and 60s in English
Panel: So you are bad in English?
Me: No sir, its just that I was preparing for JEE
Panel: No Excuses please, you are bad in English, accept it.
Me: Okay sir, if marks are a reflection of my strength in a subject, then I am bad in English
Panel: (Happy now.) Good. So, you are a communications guy?
Me: Yes sir
Panel: What is the difference between GSM and CDMA?
Me: (Back on Home Track) blah blah (technical funda)
Panel: We are all English graduates, tell us in plain simple English!
Me: (blabbered something about clarity and speed and stuff ) You might note that GSM phones have SIM Cards, CDMA phones don’t. So, with GSM, you have the flexibility of changing operator without changing handset.
Panel: No, but I have a CDMA phone that has a SIM Card!!
Me: (!) Okay sir, then I am not probably updated.
Panel: So what do you think is the future of telecomm in India? GSM or CDMA?
Me: CDMA sir, it definitely is a much advanced technology.
Panel: What do you use?
Me: I use ………..(the GSM Operator with the dog!)
Panel: What! Being a telecomm guy, and being of the opinion that CDMA is the future of telecomm in India, you use GSM?
Me: Actually sir, this operator gave a great offer in IIT. It saves a lot of my pocket money!
Panel: Okay, so you play bridge?
Me: Yes sir, I started in IIT itself. I have represented by hostel in ……….
Panel: Tell me, when do you open a bid?
Me: Sir, with 12 point (and some more technical funda about bridge)
Panel: It’s not 12 point, its 13
Me: Sir, I play 2/1 SAYC (a convention). There, you open with 12 points.
Panel: You don’t know anything!
Me: (Again!) Sir, I think you play some other convention
Panel: Anyways, now nothing can be done. Thank you for coming Rahul.
Me: (I am so dead!) Thank you sir.”

Safe to say Rahul’s interview resulted in a final admission offer in PGDM from IIM C.
Rahul says that his was a typical example of what is commonly known as a stress interview. “Mine was stressful, I know a few of my friends who almost cried in the interview room! But then, I have met a lot of people whose interviews were absolutely cool. So, it depends.” Rahul also states that IIM C GDs are almost always case-based. He also had some advice for Group Discussions.
“Don’t fight to be the first speaker. Rather be the second speaker in the group. What happens is, the first speaker starts and then quickly jumps to putting his solution forward. It is here where you can interrupt the first speaker and say something like “let us first try to identify the key problem. In my opinion, the key problem is blah blah . We should first discuss these aspects and then move on to…” Remember, the evaluators do not want a solution, they want everything other than that.
Also, whenever you speak in a GD, have your statements structured in the proposition-logic-example format. Lastly, speak early, don’t wait for your turn because in a GD, it never comes! The GD is where you make a first impression on your panel. So, take care!”

Compiled by
Chandrima Das

We bring you this week’s episode of Interview experiences, tips and advice from the current students of IIM Calcutta. We hope this is as helpful as we hoped it would be.

Ankit Rattan Arora, who currently holds the top rank in his batch of PGDM 2008-10 had this to say:

“First of all I would like to convey my congratulations to your readers for clearing the first hurdle. I hope this section will help you get an idea of what to expect during a typical IIM-C interview.”
Ankit warns prospective candidates to not come with any preset notion of the interview being ‘Chill’, as many people like to put it. “A lot of people at a lot of coaching classes lead us to believe that IIM Cal interviews are laid back. Well, they need not always be and mine wasn’t.”
He gave out a few tips on how to tackle Group Discussions. “First, they don’t test the extent of your knowledge in GDs as they have ample time to do that during the interview. It is obvious that they check for something else. I’m sure it won’t come as a shock if I tell you that what they’re actually testing is group dynamics.” And so he listed out a few pointers.
1. Try and give structure and direction to the discussion but avoid using textbook techniques like SPELT or SWAT and the other acronyms you may have learnt. The panel can see through that stuff.
2. Don’t cut off anyone until and unless he’s going on and on about some useless point. Don’t appear cutthroat, ruthless or in IIM-C lingo “RG”.
3. Don’t engage in desperate participation. Try and think of something useful to say before jumping in. If not, just summarize or give direction.
4. If someone cuts you off, avoid cursing, screaming, yelling or showing frustration. Instead, just smile. The interviewers will like you for it.
5. Finally and most importantly, try to be different. You don’t want to be a clone of everyone else.
Ankit detailed out his interview for us.
“I had 3 interviewers in my panel, two professors and an alumnus. I was asked questions on Calcutta and what I thought about the city. I was also asked me about my college, and how I liked my experience there. I would say a bad answer would be “Sir it’s good”, an even worse answer “Sir, It’s very good”, and possibly the worst answer would be “Sir, you won’t believe how amazing it is!”
I would say the correct answer to this would approximately sound like “Sir, we have some of the best faculty in the electrical engineering department. 5 professors have PhDs from IITs. We have some of the brightest students in our batch. 15 of my batchmates have published international papers”
What I’m trying to say is have a conversation with the interviewers. Don’t give them just yes or no answers. Substantiate what you’re saying with data.”

“The panel quizzed me for a while on ethics; if I thought what my organization did was ethical.
They spent a lot of time quizzing me about ICT in rural areas (information and communication technology). We also discussed marketing in rural areas and some more questions were on credit risk, credit rating. These were asked by the head of the Finance and Control department of IIM-C.
And finally the interview closed with one question on probability, a rather simple one.”

Sreedhar Gali, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch had this to say:

“My interview mostly revolved around the logic behind choosing to pursue PGDM after a rich and long experience (in the IES), that too after attaining a good position in the organisation where I worked previously. I was probed on my future goals and whether PGDM would be of any help in achieving them.” Further Sreedhar had a few words of advice to prospective students. “Be clear about what you expect from PGDM. Your clarity of thought for the next 5 year horizon is essential.”

Deepika Raj, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch had this to say:

“My interview was taken by a panel of three. It started on a rather bad note in fact, as the professor started by asking me what I was good at among Arts, Politics, History and Geography. I made the wrong choices and could not answer the questions. But, the professor was very encouraging and smiled, so I did not get nervous at all and I kept a calm and happy exterior.”

“Later, I was asked questions related to my own discipline, Information Technology- some algorithms and problems, which I thankfully answered correctly. I was subsequently asked why I wanted to do an MBA and also what my thoughts were on the steps involved in starting of a company of my own. I did not give an amazing answer but a practical answer according to my understanding.” Deepika’s experience lies testimony to the fact that one does not need an amazing interview to get through to an IIM. Practical answers combined with a good understanding of your core domains can be a big asset in clearing the interview barrier.

Compiled by
Chandrima Das

This is an entry from Archish Srinivasan’s diary, a second year PGDM student at IIM Calcutta. We bring you his ball-by-ball account in order for you to get a more personal feel of an interview experience. Needless to say, he indeed “made it” after this interview

My IIM experience

I gave my IIM-C interview today and it was a fabulous experience. Even though I am not sure whether I’ll get selected or not, but the experience and the interview (which was really fun) was really enjoyable and I wish all my interviews in future go the same way (and I wish I do convert at least some of them).

The Group discussion started with a case study. It was about a tin company which was relatively new. It seems they got this amazing offer from a foreign client who is very strict about the quality and the delivery time of the product amidst very tough international competition. It turns out that they are not able to produce the required quantity in the stipulated time and even the quality is not good enough. So their Marketing Manager comes up with this strange idea (this is where the fun starts). It seems there was a clause in the contract that if there were some “unavoidable circumstances” or as the case study called it “an act of God”, then the company may be excused for not delivering the product on time. So the Marketing Manager comes up with this really novel and bizarre idea to artificially create such a situation. He, like, poisons the employee food, and plants a bomb near the factory (just a metaphor!) and does some other totally ridiculous stuff but more importantly gets away with it. So the company is saved from the ridicule of not making it in time. And the Marketing Manager is praised and given a raise.

Discuss the pros and cons of the Manager’s actions or suggest any other method.

I was the third or fourth person to enter the discussion. I started by defending the Manager. (I had to do it, there was no other chance to get into the discussion as the discussion started with a mild fish market). But later we all concluded that this was a very short sighted approach and I came to the conclusion that the company required a leader who could have motivated the workers to complete the backlog and in case he fails then should promptly apologize to the customer instead of doing the ridiculous things that he actually did. I must have entered the GD 4-5 times. I kept track of the time. I was maybe a bit aggressive but none of my fellow participants seemed to feel so. I would say it was overall a good performance by the group since the situation was warm and more importantly we reached a conclusion. (I also played a part in controlling the situation from getting out of hand). One major negative on my part was that I did glance at the panel more than I probably should have during the GD. I hope this doesn’t affect my chances.

Then the best part…. the interview.
There were three of them on the panel.
P1: was the friendliest and was very warm during the whole interview. More of a dreamer than an academician. Fortunately he did most of the talking. (It turns out that he was one of the most popular Profs in IIM C!)
P2 : was the academician amongst them. He was quiet initially but asked me a few questions from acads.
P3: was the quietest. He hardly spoke but when he did, we did have fun.

(Just as I entered)
P1:(smiles all around) Archish, we were really intrigued by your name. What does it mean?
Me: Sir, it is a Sanskrit word, rather a combination of two Sanskrit words “archana“+”eeshwar“..So loosely translated it is “the one who is prayed to by all” (they pondered over it for a while)…. I think a better translation is in hindi “jiski saari archana karein” (they seemed more satisfied now).
P2: And the S in the end is for?
me: Srinivasan

P1: Are you from South India?  Which part?
me: Tamil nadu but I am 2nd generation Delhite so I guess I am more of a Delhite
P1: But what is your mother tongue?
me: Tamil.

P1: Ok. What do u think of your GD?
Me (smiling, as I was expecting this): Sir, it was a very interesting topic. I started with the view that what the company did was right but after a while I realized that my friends were right. The solution provided by the manager was too short sighted and ….

P1 (smiling): Come on, I believe that an interview should be more like a discussion. Let’s have an honest discussion here. You are trying to be too diplomatic. Honestly tell me, why did you start the way you did? Don’t worry, I would make this off-the record if you want.
me: (smiling more): Yes sir. I knew that I had more chances of entering the discussion if I started with a different view from that of the group. And then after a while I decided that I would go along with the group as it was the …(All smiles)
P1: Yes, fair enough. But you know what, I liked your first stance better. I believe that what the company did was right. Would you say now that what the company did was right?
me (I realized that he probably wanted to show me that I was not steady in my decisions): No sir. I am a rational person but I also try to be honest with myself. So I did change my stance in the GD but I believe that the way the company handled the situation was just not right.

P1: Fine. Do u have any interests or hobbies?
me : Sir, I play the violin and am trained in the Carnatic style of music. ( Thus I spoke a bit about carnatic music)

A bit of a pause followed here.

me: I also watch movies (long pause)…  and I listen to old Hindi songs..
P1 (interrupting me): Did you say old Hindi songs?
me: Yes sir.
P1( all smiles): Do you realize that we are three old people here? And you want to discuss old Hindi songs with us. Remember, you are outnumbered here.
me (smiling): Sure sir. It would be my pleasure.
P1: Do you know O.P.Nayyar?

me (Do I know O.P.Nayyar? Asking me to spell my name would have been a tougher question): Yes, he started his career with Kaneez in 1956  and passed away recently. I think that would be in January this year.  His “Baabuji dheere chalna” is one of my favourite songs, but turns out it was inspired from an English song (P3 didn’t know this and was a bit surprised. A smile appeared on the corners of P1’s mouth. “Yes.” he mumbled)

P1: Name any 5 movies in which he gave music, and a song from each movie.
me (Ahhh! I was so happy.): Kashmir ki kali – yeh chand sa roshan chehra
Aar-Paar – baabuji dheere chalna
(pause ) Mere sanam- pukarta chala hoon mein…
P1: No no no,that song was from Phir tumhari yaad aayi.
me: No sir, I am 100% sure that this song is from Mere sanam. It was picturised on Biswajeet and had Asha Parekh as the leading lady. In fact “Jaaiye aap kahan jaayenge” was another song of this very movie.

P3: Yes, he is right.
P1(convinced): Yes, I may have been mistaken. Please continue.
me: I don’t remember the movie of the song “Kajra mohabbat wala”
P1 (smiling triumphantly): It was Kismet.
me (he was right this time): Yes, it was Kismet. ( pause ) And oh yes… Naya Daur, and the song from the movie was…( I tried hard to remember)
P1: Milne ki phariyaad.
me: No sir, another song, a more famous one.
P1 (probably pressuring me) : I think you are trying to say “Milne ki phariyaad“.
me: No sir. Aha! “Yeh desh hai veer jawano ka!“.(in my excitement I actually sung it)

The panel had a hearty laugh.

P1: You are right. This is the more famous song.
And thus we became pals. We discussed the bygone days when music used to be of a far superior quality. I did provide some insight into this discussion.

P1 : Ok your next test. Name 5 films of Shammi Kapoor and a song from each film.

me ( It felt like I was with my friends in hostel): Hmm. Jaanwar – Yahoo.
P1: Aha! No, come on, that was Junglee.
me (smiling sheepishly): Yes, I admit. I got a bit excited there. You are right. It is Junglee- yahoo
Prince – badan pe sitarein, Rajkumar- aaja aayi bahaar, Kashmir ki kali – yeh chaand sa roshan
and…. (I tried hard to remember)
P1: Let me give you a clue. Translate “third something” into Hindi.
me: Aha.. Teesri manzil- Oh hasina.
P1 (all smiles): Yes!
me (triumphantly): In fact, it was that rare film of Shammi Kapoor in which R.D. Burman gave music, unlike all the others in which Shankar-Jaikishen provided the music, on Shammi Kapoor’s insistence.

P1: Yes, You are right. Name the first movie in which Puncham da gave music.
me (enjoying the game very much): Wasn’t it the Teesri manzil?
P3 (who probably felt left out of the fun): No No. I think it was Aradhana.
P1(smiling): No, it was Chote nawab.

( No it was not. As I realize now, P3 was right. Aradhana was the first movie in which Puncham da worked independently of S.D.Burman who was in a coma during the filming of the movie)

P1: Ok, your next question. Which was the last film in which Geeta Dutt sang?
me: I don’t know.
P3: It must be an old song.
P1: No, it was released in 1971.

P3: Really!
P1:Yes. It was Anubhav.

me and P3 together: Ahh, Anubhav.
P1: Yes, by Basu Bhattachrya.
P1 suggested a website to me where I could find more old Hindi songs and P3 told us how we can download them illegally. We had a hearty laugh.

P1: Boy, that was fun! Okay, on to more serious stuff now. Do you have any other interests? History, geography, politics?
me: Sir, I am interested in ancient Indian history.I have recently read a book by Romila Thapar.
P1: Introduction to history -1?
me (smiling): No that’s the NCERT text book. Apart from that I have read a book by her called “Discovering India”.
P1 : Have you heard of (some obscure name)?
me: No.
P1: I thought since you have read Romila Thapar, you may have heard of him.
me: No sir I have not. I’ll try to find out more about him.
P1: How many vedas are there?
me: Four.
P1: Name them.
me: Rig, yajur, sam and athrva.
P1 (to P2 and P3): He’s right. (I felt so proud.)

Now P2 started to speak for the first time.
P2: Which branch of engineering are you in?
me: Sir, I’m in Production and Industrial engineering.
P2: Why haven’t you mentioned this in your form? (showed me the form)
me: Oh! I’m sorry sir. I probably missed it. I’ll fill it in now.
P2 (smiling): Be more careful. Okay,so production engineering. Tell me what is JIT.
me (Yes, this was my lucky day.): I told him all about JIT, where it was founded, why, and gave him an analogy of a boat on sea. (I saw from the corner of my eye that P1 really admired my analogy)
P2:You missed out maximisation of profit but its all right. Do you know about 6-sigma? Who started it?
me : Sir I don’t know the name of the person but the first company to start it was Motorola.
P2 : Its all right. Go on.
me(it’s getting better and better): I told him all about 6-sigma, how its a misconception and it is actually 4.5 sigma, 3.4 defects per million, the dabbawalas of Mumbai were probably the only organization in India with a 6-sigma, criticism etc.
P1,P2,P3 (satisfied): Yes. (nodding their heads).

P2: What is Fordism?
me: I don’t know sir. I know that Toyota was inspired by Ford.
P2 (interrupting me): No, not Toyotaism, tell me about Fordism.
me: Sir, I don’t know.
P2: All right. Try to find out about it.
me : Definitely sir.

All : You can leave now.

P1 (I had stood up) : How many calls do you have from the IIMs?
me: Just this one sir.
P1: Just IIM-C? (surprised) What was your overall percentile?
me: 99.16%. I had 94.78 in DI,99.16 in English and 96.45 in Quant.
P1: Why do you have a lower percentile in quant?
me: I started with quant, found it easy and decided to do English and come back to math.
P1 (interrupting): And you didn’t find time, right?
me(smiling): Yes sir.
P1: All right, you may leave. Thank you.

Archish S.

*edited by Chandrima Das

We at JokaTimes asked some of the current students in IIM Calcutta about their Admissions interview experiences here. And so we present before you the 2^nd episode in our series on Interview Experiences.

Jayant Sharma, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch had this to say:

“I am an Electronics Engineer from IIT Kharagpur with 8 months work experience in a leading supply chain management firm. I was interviewed by Professors from the Strategic Management Department and Management and Information System (MIS) Department. There also was a young alumni present to assist in the decision making. In the Group Discussion round we were given a short caselet of about half a page and 10 min to discuss. The case studies are usually about a business problem and not based on any current issues unlike most other IIMs. In my panel, the interview for all 10 candidates started with the “Tell me about yourself” question. I was asked several questions about my work experience as I had worked in a leading supply chain firm in the field of textiles. There also were questions like “Why MBA?” and questions on my “ short and long term goals” thrown in between. Surprisingly, there were no questions on current affairs or any theoretical questions based on my engineering.”

Jayant considers the very introductory “Tell me about yourself” question he was asked a crucial starting point. He says.”This is a very generic question. I suggest candidates to prepare the answer in advance. Some would go about giving a chronological order about their life, but I would suggest that they just put important points that would highlight their desired qualities. It is advisable to end the answer with the part which you are most comfortable answering.”

Shaurya Gupta, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch had this to say:

“Well, I did not have a good GD and hence was a bit nervous when I went for the interview. The panel was very friendly and most of the interview revolved around my work experience which was with an analytics start up initiated by an IIM C alumni and the analytics industry in general.”

“There were questions about my community (Baniyas) and we also had a discussion about the overall GD performance of the group.”

Pavitra, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch had this to say:

“My interview revolved around my reasons in choosing to pursue PGDM after a rich work experience in a good position in the organisation where I had worked. I was probed on my future goals and whether PGDM would be of any help in my pursuance of them. The Panel didn’t seem to be fully convinced back then but it seems my reasons were adequate enough.”

As we can see, one may get a different impression of whether the interview went well or not, as opposed to the panel’s actual views. It is advisable to not take home too many conclusions about the panel’s decisions after the interview. We’ll soon be back with more.

For Jokatimes
Chandrima Das

At last count we left our protagonist Mr. Lallu Panju atop the Baba’s mountain, having gathered sufficient gyaan to begin his GD-PI preparation and gear himself to climb the seemingly insurmountable Mt. GDPI. Lallu has grown smarter since the last we met him and he is now able to handle the most fundamental personal questions with a lot of panache. But is Lallu ready for the real deal yet? We think not, and Lallu himself agrees.

So once again we find Lallu trudging up the steep hill slope, his forehead steeped yet again in perspiration. At the top of Mt. CAT, as Lallu knew by now, there rested the legendary guru, Baba Knoweth-all.  The Baba was known to possess a boon which could help the aspirant cross Mt. GDPI in a snap. However the Baba believed in granting the boon episode by episode, as all good things come to those who wait.

The Baba was in his usual default state of meditation and so Lallu smartly approached him and a smile of familiarity “Good Morning Sir, I have come back.”

The Baba opened his eyes slowly in characteristic Baba-fashion and replied, “Well Lallu, its good to have you back here. So what’s the news?”

“Baba, I have come here to ask for further gyaan on how to climb Mt. GDPI. How will news from my village help in that?”

“Ahh, my son, it will help. You see, your awareness of your circumstances is projected by the fact that you keep track of what goes on around you. You don’t need to be a GK expert or know the newspaper by-heart. It is a matter of being able to show that you are interested in the world of Business and have the intelligence to have a conversation on the more widely discussed political or business-related issues of the day.”

Lallu was getting worried. He really wasn’t the kind who spent an hour reading the news everyday. How was he to cope when there was such little time left?

“Don’t worry my son, just start reading the newspaper everyday. For more help on forming an opinion on an issue, make it  a habit to read the editorials, those long opinionated discourses by various experts which are hidden away in the middle pages, regularly. Don’t worry about remembering every detail, just go through the paper as if you would a nice novel. I am sure you would agree, truth is stranger and certainly more interesting than fiction. If you feel inadequately prepared even after this, then try your luck with some of those devices of mass General Knowledge dispersion aka YearBooks.”

Lallu had hajaar questions of his own though. “Baba, I have heard rumors that they ask strange and pointed questions about things I have no idea of, like what is the capital of Belgium and who is the MP from Shillong! What am I to do Baba?”

“Well, my son, for all appearances when u hear someone else’s interview experiences, the questions may seem strange and un-related. and they are indeed un-related but only to you. One of the most common mistakes people make is to assume that the questions meant for someone else are always applicable to them as well. In a lot of interviews a few common questions related to current affairs are indeed asked and if you are a news-addict and follow the advice I gave u a few minutes ago then it will be a small matter for you to deal with them. I have an exercise for you to follow. Look at your admission form and question yourself on each and every piece of information you have filled in it. Your interviewers generally need a starting point for the conversation they are about to have with you and what better place to start than the admission form itself.”

“If they asked someone the capital of Belgium it is likely that he went traveling and if they asked another who the MP from Shillong is it is probable that he is from that place.”

Lallu’s concerns hadn’t been completely addressed yet. “Baba, does that mean that if I graduated in Geography, then they will ask me questions on geography because that would be present in my admission form?”

“Yes, Lallu, that is indeed the idea. It is a way of testing you on whatever formal learning that you have had for the last 3 years or so. So now would be good time to get those dusty books out and get a quick overview of what is in them. There is however no need to fret too much over things and burn the midnight oil mugging up every line you didn’t bother to study in the last 3 years. The idea is not to check if you are an expert in everything you did but to check if you are comfortably familiar or not. So get started on your academics.”

Lallu was indeed very distressed at this prospect of getting all his dusty and long-forgotten books out. “But Baba, I have been assisting my father in his Don-wala business for the last 2 years. I don’t think I can even spell “Geography” correctly anymore.”

“Fear not , my son. You may be asked to talk about that as well. In fact, if you have relevant work experience, the focus of the interview usually turns to that. Be thorough about your job profile, and do a lot of research on your Company as well. More often than not this is what your interview will revolve around.”

Lallu felt rather happy. He had been a dutiful son and had the skills of robbery, thuggery, threats and extortion in such profusion that they would soon be elevated to arts.

Witha  benevolent smile the Baba popped his happy bubble. “My son, be warned that in some cases a few questions on your academic background may pop up even if you have had more than 3 years of work behind you. So do be prepared for all eventualities. This is all the gyaan I can give you for now Lallu. Do keep looking at the Interview experinces that these over-zealous IIM C students keep posting in CAT Corner. It may give a you a good idea of how a real interview would progress. I wish you all the best. May the climb up the next peak result in success for you!”

Chandrima Das

We at JokaTimes asked some of the current students in IIM Calcutta about their Admissions interview experiences here. We were flooded with a whole gamut of experiences in response and so we present for the benefit of all those who have interview calls a serialized compilation of interview experiences of those who “made it” to IIM Calcutta. We hope this series benefits you as much as we anticipate.

Alok Srivastava, a PGDM student from the 2007-9 batch had this to say:

“The rather popular ‘Tell Me something About Yourself’ question started the show for me, where I came up with the positives that I had prepared for the interview. Since I had a year’s experience, they proceeded to ask me about my occupation as a Patent Analyst as well. I was subsequently asked a few specific questions about whether patents in general benefit the society and a few more expanding on similar lines. There was a plagiarism case that was doing rounds in the news at the time and I was queried about it. In general they seemed to be happy, and finally asked me my CAT percentile and my order of preference of the calls I had.”

As we can clearly see, Alok’s interview focused on his personals, his work experience and his knowledge of current affairs. Further, Alok lists a few frequently asked Questions (FAQs) for us.

“Tell me something about yourself” is one of the most frequently asked questions. My suggestion on the best way to handle this is to steer your interview to the areas you want. You may also be asked about your work. The panel genuinely listens to what you say, so be enthusiastic enough and come out with your experience.”

Divyesh Sharma, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch, who was admitted through GMAT and not CAT, had this to say:

“I was admitted through the foreign student category so it might be helpful for people from the same category to go through the experience so that they can feel comfortable about the process. One thing to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the interview and GD process for a Foreign student and Indian students. Whatever I have to say would therefore be pertinent to the general IIM C aspirant as well.

The foreign category students are paired with general students for the GD process. The interview however is scheduled last amongst the group. What would be noteworthy is that the intake in IIMC of foreign students has increased over the years while in other institute it has remained stagnant. Without getting into a debate about CAT vs GMAT and basing my judgement on the quality of students who have made it in this category I see a genuine reason behind this trend.”

As can be clearly seen from Divyesh’s experience, IIM Calcutta appreciates diversity in profiles. He also listed down for us some of the questions he faced during his interview. Divyesh had a strong background in the IT industry and was working in a much vaunted leadership role. So he was asked “You already are in a role which some people would get into post an MBA so why do you want to do an MBA. What value-add would be there?” He was also asked about his hobbies which are running and traveling. He says “Traveling is a tricky thing to say. One should be sure of their places of interests. Like I was asked about the places I had been to in Europe. I was also asked, “What is the name of the castle in Fussen? Who was the king who built it?””

In addition, Divyesh was asked questions about his preference between institutes. His advice is to be honest about any preferences and to give reasons in support of the candidates’ choices.

Compiled and Edited by
Chandrima Das

The hapless IIM aspirant trudged up the steep hill slope, his forehead steeped in perspiration. The perspiration was due to two things, the sheer effort of successfully climbing that hill called Mt. “CAT” and the fear gnawing at his heart for what lay ahead. He had conquered one mountain but another was yet to be climbed, a far higher and more treacherous peak, the acme they called Mt. “GD/PI”.

However, at the top of Mt. CAT there rested the legendary guru, Baba Knoweth-all. The hapless aspirant’s heart gladdened at the very thought, for the Baba was known to possess a boon which could help the aspirant cross Mt. GDPI in a snap. But in order to obtain the boon, he would have to please the Baba first.

The Baba rested at the top of the peak, his eyes shut in deep mediation. The aspirant inched closer and said smartly to the meditating Baba, “Good evening Sir”.

The Baba opened his eyes and replied “Well done my dear. It is a good practice to start off any interaction with a person you do not know with a greeting. During your Interview it is a good practice to either greet all the members of the interview panel individually or wish them collectively. It’s a small step, but a step that displays your sense of etiquette. I see potential in you.”

“So tell me, who are you?”

This was the ice breaker of all ice-breakers, the most direct of methods in fulfilling the diabolical objective of any interview which is, “Getting to know the candidate.” The question may also come disguised as “Tell me about yourself” or “Describe yourself in n lines”.

The aspirant replied “Myself Mr. Lallu Panju. I was born in Jhumri tallaiya beside the great lake where I had a happy childhood with my 3 brothers and 2 sisters. I went to Khitpit Vidyalaya from standard 1 to 8 and then shifted to Jhakkass High school where I studied till 10th standard, which I passed, obtaining 99% marks. My Father is the local Don and my mother is His boss…..”

The Baba stopped him. “Lallu, first of all, don’t refer to yourself as ‘myself’. There are people who start off with ‘My name is…’ . I would advise all of you to feel confident about your identity, use good grammar and say ‘I’m so and so.’ I understand that you hold your childhood and your family very close to your heart. However, I don’t see the need for the interviewer to know so much about them. Restrict that to one line. Have a structure and sequence in your introduction, for it is a common question and almost every interviewer expects you to have prepared for it. However I would caution you against losing your spontaneity, and therefore have a list of points you would like to convey in your head, but do not fret if you miss one. Some of the things you can talk about is your origin, your educational background, preferably omitting marks/division of course and your last workplace. The ice-breaker is an important question as any information you give out in your answer will lead to further questions and direct the course of the interview. The purpose of this question is not only to get to know you but also to know what to interview you on.”

Whew! There could be so much gyaan about a thing as simple as an introduction. Lallu wiped the increasing gathering sweat off his brow.

“So tell me Lallu, why have you come here?”

Here it was, the second of those eternally recurring questions that life throws up, questions on purpose and objective. These also popped up often in interviews disguised as “Why do you wish to pursue a career in management?” and “Why IIM XYZ?”

“Baba, I have come here to ask for gyaan.”

“It is a noble purpose.” replied the Baba, “The answer to this question would convey your clarity of purpose in pursuing that path you wish to follow. You must have your reasons for pursuing a career in management and that too from a particular institute, ready. Be ready to answer accompanying queries on the reasons you give, and how they clarify your priorities in life. Your answer should fit into your long term vision of where you see yourself. And this brings me to my next question, what do you wish to do with the superpowers IIM XYZ will bestow on you?”

This also came disguised as “Where do you see yourself 5/10 years from now?” and “What are your goals in life?”

“Sir I see myself as the world’s highest flying superhero-Manager!” Lallu replied with excitement.

“Lallu, if you go to IIM XyZ you will surely become a manager. You need to have introspected enough before you go for an interview of this importance as to what your purpose is in obtaining this degree. However, bear in mind the fact that the future is uncertain and hence whatever vision you have for yourself needs to incorporate flexibility into it. Your vision for yourself also needs to be such that a management degree plays an important part in helping you get there. Above all be honest with this answer and remember that no goal is too small or too big.”

Lallu looked a bit downcast after all the heavy-handed gyaan. Sensing Lallu’s unease the Baba asks him “So Lallu, tell me about your interests and hobbies.”

An innocuous question that is often used as a follow-up to the ‘Introduction’ routine, this question helps the interviewer asses if you are a regular nerd or whether you have time to pursue a normal life. It is good to have a few interests, but if you don’t know how to sing, dance, act, play an instrument, or are not the world’s best sportsman, quizzer or debater, don’t worry. An interview is after all a conversation and the interviewer is looking for a topic to talk on. If you are the kind who listens to old Hindi film music, or follows F1 on TV, go right ahead and say it. No negative marks for you if you do, but the interviewer gets ammunition for his line of questioning.

“I love taking my neighbours cows out to graze every evening. This is how I get a chance to check out the village girls as well!”

The Baba smiled benevolently “All right, so tell me in which part of the world would you find a Dwarf Lulu cattle?”

And this is the reason why an interviewer asks you about your interests in life, to check the depth of your knowledge in you claimed area of expertise, usually however to take that topic as a gun to shoot you with.

Lallu was flummoxed!

“Sir, maybe it is found in the USA. The name sounds like it is American.” He ventured.

The Baba replied “Don’t hazard a guess. There are three little words I shall tell you, which will get you out of deep and difficult holes that you may have dug for yourself and re-direct you to more familiar pastures. Use these 3 words with discretion and honesty. An incorrect answer may spoil your chances but these 3 words, if judiciously used will never earn you any minuses. The three words are “I don’t know.”"

“This is all the gyaan I can give you for now Lallu. However do look up the FAQs that I have listed below. They may be of help to you. I wish you all the best. May the climb up the next peak result in success for you!”

FAQs

What is the appropriate attire for a B-school interview?
Answer: Business Formals preferably. The whole idea of dressing up for a B-school interview is to represent your enthusiasm for the process as well as to show that you are not a shabby dresser, who is casual about even important events in life. Cleanliness of attire is more important than expensive or flashy clothes. A suit, a sober tie, a clean full-sleeved shirt and polished shoes for gentlemen, a suit, full-sleeved shirt for ladies or a sober saree/ starched salwaar suit for ladies is considered appropriate attire. One may do away with the blazer if it is very hot and the rooms are not air-conditioned.

What are some of the cardinal mistake before an interview?

Being Late: It is best to keep a buffer of 40 minutes before you reach the venue because of various exogenous reasons like traffic, strikes and the most common one, not being familiar with the location. Being late to an interview or group discussion creates a shabby first impression, and every candidate can do without the burden of that.

Chewing gum, chewing paan, and smoking: Chewing substances in an interview creates an instant negative impression. The interviewers are Professors and they expect the candidates to be their students in a short while. Obviously such behaviour is not expected out of a prospective student no matter how many years of experience he or she may have. It is also advisable to not smoke right before an interview or group discussion.

These were just three questions and FAQs. So how does such minuscule preparation help an MBA aspirant get beyond the interview barrier? It doesn’t. This is merely the first step in preparation, being thorough with personal and application form based questions. Any candidate who isn’t sure of his own motivations and identity is a surefire reject no matter how good his technical and general knowledge is, and no matter how well he fared in the Group discussion. Personal questions and a good initial impression are the first hurdle. If you trip here, you dont go further. There are many more hurdles to prepare for like General knowledge, academics, questions on Work experience. Keep watching this space for more!

Chandrima Das