Calling all ISB Applicants - (2016 Intake) Class of 2017

Hey invites are send in batches not in one go. So, you just need to be patient enough to wait this out.

Just relax and keep preparing. Best of luck!

hey i got the below update in my portal, but havent received the mail, what do you think i should do.

Interview Status:
Shortlisted

To accept the invitation to the interview please click on the acceptance link provided in the email sent to you with the interview details.

Interview Date: 21-Feb-2016
Time: 15:30
Panel No: 3
Location: Hyderabad
Venue: Admissons Office, ISB Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Tel No: 040 - 2318 7474/7484

Check spam folder. Check alternate email id. Lastly call ISB and ask them to send the mail again.

Got an interview call for Mumbai as well. Similar time & venue as others.

For those who are interested: CA with 5.5 yrs WE in Banking. CFA L2 Cleared as well. Geez, too many CAs with CFAs huh?

Got an interview call for Mumbai as well. Similar time & venue as others.

For those who are interested: CA with 5.5 yrs WE in Banking. CFA L2 Cleared as well. Geez, too many CAs with CFAs huh?

CA + CFA seems to have been the norm in Mumbai these days (Atleast, lots of guys I know).. Won't be able to comment about the same about other cities. That being said, this combination didn't seem to come up in the previous posts at other locations..

Interview debrief: Feb 13, 2016
Location: Hyderabad

The interview was scheduled for the afternoon. I reached with about an hour to spare and that's plenty!
My panel was running behind the schedule, thanks to some board meeting they had to attend. But this gave me a chance to interact with a bunch of other candidates (well spoken people!)
I was jittery when I arrived but we all quickly got immersed in a chat and by the time they called me in for the interview, I was feeling very at ease.
Given that the interviews are almost unpredictable, one piece of advice that would always work is to interact with the other candidates. Nothing settles you down as well as this does. And who doesn’t want to make new friends?

The interview started with a light moment, thankfully, and from there it was all business. It was a two member panel, the nicest people I have met in a while. They were very well spoken and paid great attention to everything I had to say, even when it was prolonged.


1. (As expected) Take us through your profile: I was preparing to deliver my 30 second pitch, but it somehow turned into a longer response (close to 5 minutes)
Guys so keep a longer introduction ready, just in case!
2. A long discussion ensued here about some of my career decisions. They wanted to know the reasoning behind choices I have made. They seemed to nod in agreement even when I wasn’t completely convinced with my responses (not complaining!)
3. My current work is in Business Intelligence and I am relatively new to this field, and they wanted to know if this was a deliberate shift, at this point in my career ( I have around 6 years of IT and social experience)
4. The exact nature of my current work (very exact here)
5. Post MBA career goals: This area took up the most part of the discussion. We have debated many possibilities with regard to my goals (the industry, function etc.)
It pays to have a clear understanding of what you want to do post your MBA.
There’s no escaping this discussion! No Sir!!
6. Dream Company: Be prepared to answer why that company and what your role is going to be.
7. What if your plans don’t work out: I just responded saying that I have great confidence that I could find employment in the sector I am focusing on (and some stuff about how the PGP will help me in assuring that)
8. Why not join the startup movement which gives you the necessary client exposure, knowledge and experience
9. What would you do if your focus area tanks in the future (Deep learning etc. obviating the need for analytics): I don’t quite remember what happened to this question
10. What if not an MBA
11. Why not opt for a Masters degree in Statistics or some Analytics related subject
12. ISB loves diversity in its class and how would you contribute or add value and diversity to this year’s class?
13. They asked about one of my initiatives at work and what was my part in it.
14. I spoke about my longer term goals (10 -15 years) and said that they are still a little crazy (meaning still vague) and I used that to justify why I wouldn’t opt for a masters in stats etc. and why I need a holistic view of business management.
15. If we were to give you 5 Crore rupees and ask you do as you wish, what would you do? I said I am more patient now and I would wait until I gain the needed experience in my domain before rushing into spend my capital. (I felt wussy, but they nodded somehow)
16. Oh the one word essay was on ‘Fallacy’. (I taught GMAT verbal for some time, so this was an easy one for me)

The interview lasted for about 40 minutes (+ or – 5)

For the most part, I was totally honest with my experiences, my feelings, my fears and my ambitions. I don’t know if it was the wisest thing to do. Guess I will find out! 


Hope!