Morning (at 8.00 a.m.)had WAT:Topic was what should the government do to improve sports and eventually lead to more olympic medals at the grassroot level. Time given was half an hr. Evening (4.00 p.m.) Interview : Asked me about my role. My aspirational role was product manager. They asked my what new product can be introduced in the industry. I spoke specifically w.r.t my org what new prod they can introduce. Then the interview steered toward an entrepreneurial venture I have. about ten mins for that. Overall interview lasted around 30 mins. Final Decision : Selected.

Started with Extempore: Should online content be censored. I spoke for the topic. They countered with a bunch of points. I believe they were not convinced. Why MBA at this stage of my career (9yrs exp). What would I bring to the classroom. Decision : Rejected

Interview started with questions regarding my profile and role in the org. Q1. Why my org hires a lot of freshers. Justification for the same. Q2. Vaccination availability in India. Q3. What can the govt do to improve vaccination in India Q4. Calculus questions. I didnt know the ans to a few and told the adcom the same. Tone of the interview was very relaxed. Result: Selected

Interviewed for IIM A on 19th. Stress interview by 2 professors with lots of cross questioning 1. Extempore: Is corruption amongst low earning government servants acceptable 2. Questions and cross questions on how my organisation makes money No questions on motivations for an MBA, why IIM etc. Lasted for around 20 mins

Debrief for Gurgaon The interview was scheduled for 3 pm, eventually took place at 4:40 pm Extempore: globalisation is overrated, countries should focus on local manufacturing (had to take a stand, either for or against this statement) I took a stand against this statement and said globalisation is not at all overrated. Cross questing around this for the next 5-10 mins. They tried to wind me up and get me in a hole by giving examples, I stood on my stand with examples of my own. Then questions related to the work I did for my last client. Then some questions regarding my current firm and their pricing model. Then one question regarding a hypothetical scenario. The overall interview lasted around 20-22 mins. No chance to ask questions of my own and no questions regarding why MBA or goals. Don't really know what to make of that. Good luck to everyone.

My interview happened over google meet. There were two professors in the panel- One lady prof and One male prof. Since I am an entrepreneur , they asked me to introduce myself in the local language to have an idea how well can I interact with the customers. Then they moved to asking some questions about the industry and the market I operate in and also asked me to point out some unique traits of my market. Then they asked me the usual Why MBA and my future goals. They also asked a lot questions to know why was I looking forward to move away from a successful business and pursue MBA They also asked me about a certification course I had pursued and how did it help me in my venture. In the middle there were a lot of cross questions but strictly related to my domain and industry. It was more of a conversation than an interview Lasted for about 25 mins. Good luck to everyone who is reading this. May you all get into the college of your dreams. Cheers !!

Although my EPGP interview was scheduled at 9:30 A.M., it got delayed by over 25 minutes due to technical issues. The panellists were two professors from the institute – one senior lady professor (P1) and one younger male professor (P2). P1 apologized to me for the delay and jumped right into my profile by asking me to introduce myself, the company I work for and the role that I am in. She was curious to know how much of my role involved interacting directly with the client and how much of it was actual development oriented. She went onto ask about my company’s employee strength, revenue and about our competitors. Upon hearing my answer, she posted a counter question on why I don’t consider companies like Infosys, Cognizant as my company’s competitors as they also make similar systems. My answer to this was that the difference between a product and a custom developed system is its larger roadmap, the evolution of its capabilities and its potential for growth given its generic nature. She seemed satisfied with the answer. P2 picked up the line in my job responsibilities where I had mentioned that I am a part of the firm’s Internal Complaints Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) team and started quizzing me on the POSH process in my firm. He gave me a few scenarios and asked me how the firm would handle it. There were quite a few instances where he seemed to disagree or seemed disappointed with my answer or cross questioned me, but I knew my firm’s policies well and was able to justify my stand. He later went onto ask me if I was aware of the Vishakha Guidelines to which I responded in the negative. I mentioned that I had only attended internal trainings on this subject matter. In many parts of this conversation, P2 cross-questioned me aggressively, but I kept my cool and voiced my opinion while acknowledging and sympathizing with his concerns. P1 did interrupt in between to ask for certain clarifications. I felt that I had put up a good case overall and this was the end of the Q & A with P2. P1 then asked me about my post MBA plans which I was able to put forward very clearly. Post this they asked me if I had any questions for them and I took this opportunity to ask them about the new developments around EPGP accommodations on campus. They were happy to correct my understanding and provide their opinion on the same and the session ended with me thanking them for their time and the usual greetings.

Interview panel of 2 teachers Duration - 15 mins We discussed the following: 1. Extempore topic - US should hire only US citizens and all immigration should be stopped 2. Questions on IND-AS (finance subject related, was on my resume) 3. Questions on GST (something again on my resume), explain it to grandmother (cross-questions) 4. Short term goals 5. Why MBA now Overall the panel did a lot of cross-questioning but it was good to hold the ground. Hope this helps.... All the best!

Although my PGPX interview was scheduled at 5 P.M., it got preponed to 2:30 P.M. on the same day. It finally started at 2:55 P.M. The panellists were two senior professors from the institute – P1, P2. After sharing greetings, P2 gave me a brief overview of how the extempore will work and proceeded to withdraw a chit from the basket for me. I was asked to gather my thoughts and start speaking whenever I was ready. Taking 1.5 minutes to prepare my stand, I tried to start my extempore by directly diving into the Pros and Cons of the situation that I was tasked to resolve. However, I was interrupted by P1 and asked to present my stand/summary up-front before diving into the details. I politely mentioned that I am neither for nor against the topic since I believed that there was more to this than a black and white approach. While I was trying to put across my points, multiple questions were thrown at me and I answered them all to the best of my understanding. This discussion went on for around 10-12 minutes. Post this, P2 switched to questions specific to my work experience (Alternative Asset Management Industry) and ‘Why PGPX?’. I used around 2-3 minutes to answer these in details. We had some fun as well with a few jokes being cracked by both P1 and P2. The last question asked to me was ‘What kind of recruiters/companies are you planning to target post MBA?’. Post this they asked me if I had any questions for them and since they had banned me from asking any questions related to Covid-19 and the Internal Immersion programme, I asked them a question around the teaching methodology at PGPX. They happily answered this question and the session ended with me thanking them for their time and the usual greetings.

Just finished my interview. Very nice interview panel. Extempore topic: Politicians should be banned from contesting elections in India if they have pending criminal cases against them. Asked questions about my achievements during my job; automotive sector and marketing related questions; farmer protests. Lasted for about 20 min. Did not experience any grilling, both panellists were very pleasant.

Started one hour late. It got over in 25 minutes. The topic was "Changing city names is wrong and it should be banned". They asked me some questions from my professional experience. Then they asked, "why our generation switches jobs so frequently". Since it was my third job in 5 years. It was an intimidating interview. But I kept myself calm and smiling.

My extempore was : Changing city names is wrong and it should be banned. Almost 25+ mins asking everything from hobbies to industry situation to post mba goals to what you will bring to campus. Very professional setup. Professors did allow sufficient time to speak

I got panel no.1, interview was very short (15 mins I guess), extempore was - can leadership skills be taught in class (i answered with no, it requires work experience and outside interactions more, it would need both class and work exp) Not too happy with my extempore response This led to asking about why Pgpx/IIM-A in case leadership cannot be taught Next 2-3 questions were industry related followed by my short/long term goals post Pgpx

Done with the interview Extempore: was Adani group right in taking down their ads after Saurab Ganguly’s heart attack. Questions relating to my industry. Why PGPX

Started 50 mins late :( 2 professors - 1 male and 1 female Started with an extempore - "Should families earning income above a certain level support a family earning below a certain threshold in COVID-19 like situation?" talked against the topic for around 2-3 min. not a lot of cross-questioning on the topic though. Then Why PGPX. I have my startup - so who will take care of the startup? I patented one of the products in my startup - Asked a couple questions around that. What do you bring to the table. Asked a few questions related to my industry and the work I have done in my career. Extracurriculars - Football - Who is your fav player - Why and then Messi vs Ronaldo.

IIM Calcutta MBAEx | GMAT 690 | Industry: Information Services, Research and Consulting My interview was conducted by two panelists; I guess one was an alum and the other one was a Professor of Economics Q1: Walk us through your career trajectory. A: Talked about my economics education, work experience, job roles and that currently I am working as an Economist at the EIU Q2-6: Profile-cased questions. What is Omitted Variable Bias? Q3: If you have high R2, but insignificant t-values for independent variables, what does this point at? Q4: How do you build an econometric model? What's the process that you undertake? Q5: The Indian economy is in a slump whereas stock markets are rising. What do you have to say, being an economist? Q6: Have you read Poor Economics? Do you agree/ disagree with the theory? Q7: Do you think there is corruption and moral compromises in politics? How was your experience working for the state government? Ans: I was able to answer the questions confidently because I had revised basic and advance economics concepts, thoroughly reviewed my resume and thought through some examples of the projects for talking points. Q8-9:Standard Questions: Why MBA? What are your aspirations and goals post-MBA? Do you know of companies that hire for such roles? Personal Comments: IIM Cal's interview was quite conversational. Panelists were ken to hear my opinions and story. Do revise some concepts is you are working in a technical role. Secondly, it is always better to relate the questions to your life projects, experiences, and work. I was able to do that for this interview and I really feel that worked in my favour. People tend to remember stories rather than standard responses.

The interview was seemingly taken by 2 professors P1(Young) & P2 (Experienced) and started well within time @ 2:30 PM. In the waiting room, I could see a chat message from the coordinator saying "Average time to be allocated per candidate is 15-20 mins". The interview lasted for about 25-30 mins as I recall and followed 4 parts: Profile/Work related discussion, General Knowledge (I killed this one!), Mathematics (Typical IIMC style) followed by post MBA target companies etc. Part 1: The interview opened with a quick document verification process as it was in an online mode. P1 asked me to share screen and show my GMAT score card. I scored a 720 but in my 3rd attempt and had cancelled my sub 700 scores earlier which were very evident in the report. He asked me about my previous scores too which I shared. The ice was broken with a brief intro about myself. I delivered a well crafted elevator pitch to set the initial tone. The pitch went well and I feel they liked my delivery - concise, easy to comprehend yet exhaustive. He showcased interest and asked my opinions about a few suggestions he had for the product. This went on for a short while and I managed to answer all questions genuinely. Part 2: P2 entered the conversation and asked my if I read newspapers. (Now, I screwed this part last year in all IIMs and hence spent 5-6 months this year to prepare for GK, Current Affairs, Macro Economics and World Affairs from a UPSC preparation channel. I was very well prepared this time with all this stuff) Coming back, I confidently said yes and he asked me the 3 key topics which are in highlight this year. I mentioned "Farmers Protest", "QUAD Defence Pact" and "US Elections". He picked up the last one and started asking my views on Biden's presidency and its impact on Indians. I gave a very zoomed out view and covered associated repercussions. This discussion went further on "Conservationist versus Protectionist" mindset of the 2 contending presidency candidates in US. I backed my answer citing an analogy with the LPG reforms taken by Manmohan Singh government back in 1992 and how it opened up the economy, trade etc. They seem impressed by the answers and gave a nod. Some answers also went to Iran oil sanctions and CATSAA act as I spoke much on China and he said that there are other countries too which will be affected by US elections. In short, I attempted to go above and beyond the direct answers and backed my opinions with relevant facts. This part went bang on and my investment during those 5-6 months flourished. Part 3: P2 told me that they believe I am good at my work but I have not demonstrated academic excellence (63.67%tage in B.Tech). I politely said "Yes Sir, I agree". Miraculously, he was not interested in knowing the why and all and choose not to grill/insult me further on that (unlike other IIM interviews). He asked me how confident was I on my mathematics. Here, I was both excited and nervous thinking it might go anywhere. I gathered my confidence and replied in affirmative mentioning my GMAT (720) and 12th Maths (95%) to back the confident 'YES'. He asked me the Pythagorus Theorem, which, needless to say is a cakewalk for anyone. The catch was in the follow up question when I was asked to derive it in an online interview ! It took me 2-3 seconds to figure out and I answered by explaining the similar triangles concept and associated properties. Bang On! No further questions on Maths. Part 4: P1 got back and asked me about the target industries/roles post MBA etc. He also asked me that I have predominantly worked in startups and am inclined towards them so why not an MNC job etc. I did not gave a 1 line direct answer and explained to them my motivation and thought process behind choosing a particular role. I believe the answer was very genuine and gained their credibility. Some other related questions which I don't recall. Greetings etc. were exchange before signing off... And Voila ! A dream got converted to reality ! MBAEx 2021-22

1. Tell me about yourself. (prepared answer with elevator pitch) 2. Post MBA goals. (Prepared answer with Qs on why strategy) 3. Industry related questions on Oilfield and energy sector. (Since I belong to the fracking industry which is always under the radar for its environmental impact. I was also asked about my views on the US fracking ban and How did oil prices go negative during the pandemic which I had a good hold of.) 4. Philosophical question on the future of the energy industry and what is my outlook. (I answered that by introducing my goals of pursuing my career in renewables. This was a two-way discussion with panel members countering renewables with nuclear energy and other clean energy sources. I accepted some points and countered some). They were partly convinced though. 5. Last Q was directed at convincing one of the panel members to adopt AI learning instead of classroom learning. (I took a few seconds to gather my thought and put in some pointers on the advantages of AI over physical interactions).

2 panelists, both very polite. P1 Started of with why MBA - halfway through my answer he interrupted and countered with 'can you validate the skills you claim to have'. While I was validating P1 countered a couple of times, trying to pressurize a bit. Next P2 asked about an incident of conflict that I have faced within my team. Few counter arguments here regarding explaining my role in the situation. Thereafter asked about my target industry, why supply chain. Finally my target role and target company. Altogether, a conversational interview, less stressful than IIMA. I felt it was a relatively short interview-15 mins.

Scheduled time : 8.30 am Start time : 9.10 am Extempore topic : Standardized test GMAT/GRE don't play much of a role in assessment for B-school Was given 1-2 mins for preparation (taking notes allowed). I disagreed with the topic. 4-5 counter questions, I was able to defend myself and he was satisfied. It was a typical combination of interviewers- one a little soft spoken and compassionate and the other a little strong and unimpressed. Both of them contributed equally. Thereafter, they asked 'Why You'. Lot of counter arguments here too, the strong guy was not easily convinced. Next, one question from my interest area ' Energy sector' - How is energy sector evolving in India. Finally, what are your post MBA goals. Altogether a good conversational experience The interview lasted around 35 mins.