Suresh and Naresh are two friends that had always dreamt of joining an IIM. For Suresh this dream became a reality as se secured an admission into IIM Ahmedabad but Naresh was not as fortunate. But he was not disheartened and decided to take a second crack at it in a year. He never had much problem with CAT exam, but the IIM interview questions were the stuff his nightmares were made of.
Before the IIM interviews of the following year, Suresh decided to help out his friend by sharing not only his experience but experiences of some his classmates and friends as well. This was a huge help to Naresh because of which he was able to secure an IIM admission.
IIM Interview
To preface this, yes we do understand the obvious fact that not everyone has the same experiences and yes we also know that not everyone handles a situation in the same manner. But learning about how others were successful in a similar, if not exact, situation would be immensely helpful. Learning from other’s experiences with IIM interview question would help you in developing a baseline regarding the MBA interview questions & answers, so that you prepare accordingly.
Success Stories
We will tell you about the experiences of 5 people that achieved success with IIM interview questions. We would not be disclosing names and other confidential information (similar to witness protection). Only relevant information including some of the question and responses will be included. These experiences will definitely help you with your own IIM interview.
Story #1
A current student at IIM Ahmedabad revealed that the interviewers ascertain whether the candidates can comprehend and adapt to a
situation and their ability of thinking on their feet. She was asked on a variety of topics. A general theme, however, was asking questions on current affairs related to her field of interest.
Highlight of the interview: Since the applicant was from Delhi, the interviewers asked her whether Delhi should be given statehood or not. The reply of the candidate was that the presence of central government in Delhi would make it difficult but she did recommend transferring more authority to the Delhi government.
Story #2
A funny anecdotal story is relayed by a friend of the selected candidate. The interviewers gave the candidate a task, before asking any of the conventional IIM interview questions,
The candidate was asked during the interview by one of the interviewers to sell the interviewer’s laptop which had a market price of 70,000 Rs. at a very high price than the market price. The candidate was thrown off at first but then wrote his phone number and gave it to the panellist. After that he took the laptop and left the room. The interviewer worriedly called the candidate after a few hours. The candidate picked up the call and answered “Sir sorry for the inconvenience caused. But if you want your laptop back please pay Rs 1,00,000”. The candidate was selected.
Story #3
Rohan Jain, eventually an IIM A student, had also appeared for an interview for IIM Kozhikode. He was asked to explain the relation between his size of shoe and CAT scores. The student was stumped by the question (obviously) but then recovered enough to answer the IIM interview question by pointing out that coefficient can be used to prove no correlation between the two.
Highlight of the interview– the interviewers sometimes do not look for prepared answers instead pose random question to throw candidates off and ascertain who are best suited for IIM.
Story #4
This anecdote pertains to a student who cleared the IIM interview questions to get into IIM Calcutta. The student was clear about the areas he was comfortable with and areas that he needed to avoid. He found that even though one of the interviewer had a strict demeanour but still laughed at a faux pas that made everyone, including the student himself, in the room laugh. But the interviewer did come back to gauge his technical prowess.
Highlight of the interview: The applicant’s family owns a business in the tourism sector. This led the interviewers to have a debate with the applicant on the ethics of tourism. This particular strategy was to examine the experience of the student and gather their ability to adapt under pressure.
Story #5
The last success story we have is of a boy with excellent academic record. His experience with IIM questions was also pleasant. Looking at his grades one might think that the questions would revolve around academics. But it wasn’t the case as they did not dwell on it too much. The candidate was instead asked more about his hobbies and life experiences in general. We can say that as the academic prowess of the student was obvious, the panellists were keener on knowing about the other aspects of his personality.
Highlight of the Interview: The interview was routine and so were the questions but at the end of the interview the interviewers displayed their jovial side by asking the applicant to take a cashew despite his hand being full of toffee and cookie.
Analysis of IIM Interviews
One can expect the pattern of interview to keep changing with candidates. The interviewers get a lot of cues from the resume, profile and the candidate’s behaviour in person. They would usually try to learn more about the candidate by probing them in different ways.
Here are some of the areas which might be touched upon during IIM interview:
Forget VAT remember WAT (Writing Ability Test)
Your WAT should not only be up to the mark but you should also remember what you wrote. More often than not the IIM interview questions revolve around the topic. Hence, you must be able to justify your opinion.
Interests matter
Don’t mention interests just because it sounds impressive. Even if you have read up on it, it could backfire. The interviewers could ask questions that are not general but a corollary of a theme or a philosophical aspect. Be genuine and the process would be a lot easier for you.
We know that you can’t help feel overwhelmed but there is no need to be nervous. Stick to your opinion (not unfounded ones) and back it up with concrete facts and irrefutable logic.
What are your biggest concerns about facing the MBA admission interview? The experts at Praqtise would be glad to suggest solutions. Please let us know in the comments.
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