Online interview experience is quite similar to offline experience. With the zoom link given by ISB (will be available in your portal on the day of interview), you have to log in to the chat room. After documents verification, another mail will be forwarded with link of WAT. You have to show your documents ( passport/ aadhar) and capture your face to start WAT. Once your WAT completed, you have to log in again to portal & will be diverted to Interview Chat room. For me, interview panel was very friendly and interview continued around 25-30 min. Major questions: introduce yourself Why MBA Multiple questions about my current job multiple cross questions from essays. Overall environment was quite friendly.

So my interview went like this yesterday - most of the questions were relating to my work because I work with India’s biggest telecom company so the scale is very large - ⁠questions like why mba and why isb - ⁠why not just prosper in the line you are right now and move on from there to the pivot you want - ⁠behavioural questions - ⁠talked a lot about my hobbies Time -40 mins My background - 3yrs exp(1yr at an American cyber security company and 2yr at Airtel) Post mba-prod man 3 panellists

So i had 3 panelists. -one was asking me questions related to my job, business venture, work profile, why isb -one asked scenario based questions from my resume and things distantly related to my job (I am from anti money laundering background, but asked me questions related to credit lending- not even remotely related to my job) -Third asked me questions on current affairs

Okay so I had my interview yesterday in Gurgaon. My background - 6 years of Data Analytics experience at BCG, leading a team. Post MBA goal - Consulting 2 panelists One from 2012 batch Another from 2022 Questions - 1. Tell us about yourself 2. ⁠why MBA 3. ⁠why not move to consulting internally 4. ⁠long term goal, why not move towards LT goal directly 5. ⁠why do you want to create impact only through consulting when you’re already doing it via social initiatives 6. ⁠would you work with the same team post MBA and why, why not 7. ⁠handling conflicts in your team 8. ⁠weaknesses learnt through feedback and how have you worked on them 9. ⁠why ISB (wasn’t exactly asked directly so I had to slip it into few answers here and here) I was very conversational Contrary to what I had expected, there were no questions from specific points on my resume, more around whys of MBA and the goals. Overall it was well managed, comfortable and chill. Happy to chat further about the experience. Good luck everyone 🤗

My interview went something like this (for 45-50 minutes)- 1. Introduction 2. ⁠Questions on Summer Research Fellowship at IIT Hyderabad 3. ⁠Why did I join NSS? (Dont tell us social service) 4. ⁠What’s my career path so-far? And Why do I need an MBA? 5. ⁠what leadership traits I learnt in NSS? How have I used them in my job? 6. ⁠conflict management scenarios in my job. After one instance, they asked for another. Cross question - We dont believe you did anything outside your job role here. Convince us otherwise. 7. ⁠what’ld your friends say about your weaknesses and why? Reflect on reasons your weakness. Give us a holistic answer. 8. ⁠what’s your second weakness!? And what are you doing about it? 9. ⁠what if ISB doesnt happen? Why dont you go for certificate courses in your company instead of ISB? Will we see any goal change in your application next year? 10. ⁠what’s your biggest achievement at work and walk us through it? - interruptions - dont tell us about the user and business impact. Tell us on a personal level why is it so important to you. 11. ⁠what else do you do on weekends about leadership? Mentioned trek co-ordinator. - tell us how your day looks like as a TC. (Might have missed some questions because there was persistent cross questioning) Ending remarks - we grilled you so bad, grill us back now.

35min, 3 panelists questions: 1. Tell us about yourself 2. ⁠I was an esports player so a lot of questions on that. 3. ⁠They flipped the post mba goals question. I am from a marketing background and post mba goal was in marketing too. they asked hypothetically, if i were to pursue a career in esports after isb, what would i do? 4. ⁠Transferable skills from esports to professional life and isb 5. ⁠cross questions on that. how did i showcase leadership there? 6. ⁠how do you manage pressure 7. ⁠some questions from a professional anecdote in essay 2 8. ⁠which job titles from your current company are likely at the biggest risk from ai 9. ⁠Your profile is based around marketing but what will you do if you get a consulting offer after isb 10. ⁠you have 3yoe why are you not applying elsewhere 11. ⁠for you, is mba greater than isb or vice versa 12. any questions a bit unconventional since hardly any questions on reasoning behind post mba goals and not a lot of grilling on why isb. just said like a couple of lines and they were satisfied with that. overall tone wasnt grilling for the most part, it felt conversational and they seemed curious to know more about esports as one of them was from the esports industry too.

~35 mins, 3 panellists. Questions: -Tell us about yourself -Why undergraduate degree abroad + follow ups on experience -Tell us about your work + deep dive on one project -What would you do if a teammate wasn't pulling their weight on a project -How do you manage people more senior than you -How do you manage work pressure -Explain the additional non-project initiatives at your work + follow up -Why MBA, why now, why ISB + follow up on target roles -Non-work interests + multiple follow ups -What if no ISB admit -Any questions Essay topics: -You have made an error in a business simulation exercise. The mistake may not be noticed by the reviewer, and your team needs high grades, what would you do -You need to give peer feedback to a coworker who is sensitive and takes feedback personally, how would you approach this

*Essays before the interview :* 1. Your team members are suggesting to inflate data to get better grades during an MBA project, what will you do? 2. ⁠One of your reliable team members is underperforming and is in stress. Team members are also frustrated regarding the underperformance. How will you approach the situation and ensure help to the concerned member? **Interview Panel - ** 1. A Lawyer turned Management Consultant (Co’10) 2. ⁠A Strategy Management Consultant (Co’18) Interview lasted for ~65-70 minutes. Pretty conversational and heavily Work-ex domain + goals oriented. *Interview Questions* 1. Tell us something about yourself. 2. ⁠Explain your team structure and hierarchy. 3. ⁠Tell about a project and your role in it. 4. ⁠Multiple follow ups from work ex 5. ⁠You said you consult pharma companies to reach doctors for promoting drugs. Do you think its an ethical process to do so? 6. ⁠A question pertaining to pharma industry and my POV on that process and ethics related to it. Felt like a mini case tbh, considering immense back and forth. 7. ⁠Why is Pharma advertising restricted? 8. You said you work with US counterparts as well, how are they different from your Indian team mates 9. Give few pointers on tasks you’d leverage US team members for v/s Indian team members 10. ⁠Tell us about a challenge you faced at workplace 11. ⁠We see you’re a reapplicant, what incremental things you have done? 12. These are really good progressions but choose one of them to highlight. 13. ⁠McKinsey Forward program - What is the acceptance rate? 14. ⁠Doing what you do, why do you want an MBA for that? You can learn a lot anyways. 15. ⁠Apply MECE framework and chart out a plan for your next 10 years including short term as well as long term goal. 16. ⁠What if ISB doesn’t happen this year. 17. ⁠Tell about a conflict at work 18. Why do you want to need a long route to get into Strategic consulting first and then pivoting to Entrepreneurship. You can go to Blr, spend some time with seasoned leaders there and start a venture right away. Have you thought about that? 19. Any questions for us?

ISB Interview held in Mumbai today. • What will you do if you are not selected for ISB this year? • There are a lot of people we have interviewed from your organization, ZS. How is your work different? • Why do you want to do an MBA now considering Data Science and ML are the booming sectors. • Management Consulting is poised for a massive downturn. Why do you want to touch a falling knife? • Have you considering doing a Data Science focused program instead of MBA? • You have mentioned that you want to do MBA to get knowledge of Finance, Ops, HR etc. You can take up courses on Udemy for them while still pursuing your professional career. Have you considered that? • You have mentioned that you are super excited about the intersection of GenAI and Management Consulting. Can you tell us a couple of things GenAI can’t do. • You play the guitar. Who are your favorite guitarists and why? • You have mentioned that you started a NGO for Disaster Management and Relief. Why such an initiative when there are so many Govt. schemes already existing. • How do you balance between self-growth vs team development? • Which is one course from your undergrad that you have applied in your professional career and how? • You are so passionate about building data science models. We fear that an MBA will actually digress your from this. Any thoughts? • What according to you are the Top 3 Attributes of a successful Hardware Product manager. Wishing all applicants who have their in person and virtual interviews all the very best !!

Hi guys, sharing my experience: On spot essay 1: one particular team member is slacking and others are showing discontent. what would you do? on spot essay 2: Came across competitor’s confidential business plan. Team wants to use it, what would you do? both of these topics were something I had practiced already since it had been asked to quite a few people last year and this year. Also probably pretty basic imo. Interview was a mixed bag. 3 panelists. 2M 1F, one graduated ~11 years ago and the other two are from Co’22. Started off normally, cracked a joke or two (something very interesting happened with me before my interview, so I used that to lighten the mood). Q1a. How are you today? Q1b. Tell us about yourself like you would in a street play (I had mentioned street play in my resume). Q2. Tell me more about this internal project you had taken on Q3. Why did you even initiate it? Q4. You are doing really well for yourself, what challenges have you faced along the way? Q5. How do you face disagreements with your seniors? Q6. You work a lot with partners & directors in your firm directly, is it not intimidating? (a lot of follow up questions on Q5 & 6) Q7. Personal challenges Q8. Personal interests, where does your free time go? Q9. What would you like to change about yourself? Q10. Any questions for us? There were a lot more questions in between that I don’t remember / follow ups on my work / too specific to a particular thing I had mentioned in my essay/resume. Got grilled quite a lot too. Looks like today’s panel was in the mood to grill based on other folks who have shared their experience above.

26 Oct - 12:30 slot, location - ISB campus Hyd On the spot essay topic Essay 1 - in your internship, your employer offers you high value gift after the successful delivery of the project. Your peers have already accepted the gifts What will you do in that case and how you'll maintain relation with your employer and peers Essay 2 - during presentation review, one of your teammate is raising his voice against the approach that your team is taking. Your team members are unhappy with this and expecting you to handle this situation. How you'll handle this situation Interview panel consist of 2 alums, one from 2018 batch and one from 2022 batch. Q1. How is your day going Q2. How did your switch happened to your current role Q3. What are the things that you consider while designing any course Q4. Like how you have improved your communication, similarly what you do when you see similar people during your training Q5. If you're already enjoying your work here, why you want to go for technical consulting role Q6. Since you're a reapplicant, what are the improvement or change happened in your professional experience Q7. What are the changes happened in you personally since the last time You've applied Q8. Since you said there are multiple ways to achieve a goal, why can't you learn about business from other sources like certification (why mba qus) Q9. Suppose if ISB doesn't happen this year, what are the back up plans you've? Q10. How do you propose your ideas in workplace Q11. If your colleague is not agreeing to your solution and you can't persuade him, what you'll do in that case Q12. Any qus for us Total duration was around 35 to 40 min. Alums were cool and very chill

Hello everyone just completed my interview at Hyd- Essay- 1. Your manager during your Mba internship gives you and your peers gifts on successful completion of project. What would you do? Evaluate the impact of your actions on your peers and employer. 2. One of your teammates is frequently late to office and takes leaves. Your other teammates are showing disapproval in this. What would you do? What outcome do you expect. Interview- 3 panelists- one from management consulting, one from aerospace and one from constructions. 1. They introduce themselves then asked my introduction 2. How your day looks like. 3. What intellectual learnings you got from your ngo experience 4. Questions around my 2nd essay 5. How would you handle the situation if you are given a chance to solve the same problem now( question from 2nd essay) 6. Questions on a custom gpt I created for my ngo 7. Why you want to transition to operations consulting 8. Detailed question on my 3rd essay ( I have mentioned about my training and placement exp) 9. One professional situation in which you have to hold your integrity. 10. Why should ISB select you. 11. What kind of research you did for your career goals 12. One guessestimate question( not expected as I have not mentioned it in my career goals) 13. Any questions for us. Overall the interview went for 40-45 mins. Panelists were extremely helpful and cooperative.

My Interview questions -Tell me about yourself -About role -Tell a business usecase you have solved -Tell a situation how you handled diversity -A situation or a setback and how did you handle -Why mba -Why isb -What are the skill gaps -You can bridge the gaps outside isb also so why isb -If you achieved your desired role say within 5 years of in mbb firms what would you do later on after 5 years

ISB interview question - You have moved from Mechanical Engineering to Software Development to now MBA why this shift - Whatever you are doing now you will still reach there why change the path or trajectory - Walk us through your profile - What is it that you cannot achieve from your current role - What other schools have you applied to - Why ISB - Why not a Product Management specific course if your goal is to become a Product Manager - What are your core skill sets - You have joined combat training what made you do that - Outside work how do you keep yourself engaged - If we ask you for a restaurant suggestion where would you take us - Explain reinforcement learning technique to a layman - The project deadline has been fast tracked and some team members are suggesting to cut corners what will you do.

1.⁠ ⁠You work in tech consulting(Deloitte) - Describe about your current role 2.⁠ ⁠How will an MBA help you in your future career, Future of AI. What's your opinion - Impact of AI on MBA 3.⁠ ⁠What if you don’t get into ISB this year? Are you also considering Abroad options ? 4.⁠ ⁠How did your evaluator react when you shared your MBA plans? (Spoke to few folks they were also asked this particular ques) 5.⁠ ⁠Tell us a bit about your journey. 6.⁠ ⁠What does leadership mean to you? 7.⁠ ⁠If we asked your colleagues about you what would they say? 8.⁠ ⁠What do you do outside of work? (Film-making interest. 2-3 minutes discussion) 9.⁠ ⁠What's your plan after the interview ? (Answered gonna watch United vs Liverpool game), 2-3 minutes of discussions regarding Indian Football. 10.⁠ ⁠Do you have any questions for us? These were the questions I can remember. My interview lasted for around 40 minutes, moderately chill more of discussions regarding my future goals and ofc from my Essays and CV. Hope it might help you guys. Also as i am preparing for INSEAD interviews, would love to connect if anyone has got the invite.

Since I belong to defence forces, most of my questions were centered around the experiences and challenges in my military life that I had mentioned in my essays. Also, there were expected qns such as: ->Why MBA/ISB? -> Any alternate strategy if not selected at ISB? -> Why a switch from defence to corporate ? Overall the interview environment was very conductive and smooth. It was more of the nature of a constructive discussion with the industry seniors.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the exceptional support provided by my admissions counsellor, Mrs. Shreekala from CrackVerbal, during my application and interview journey for the Indian School of Business. Her expertise, dedication, and personal guidance significantly enhanced my overall application experience. Right from our first meeting, she worked meticulously with me to align my goals and experiences with ISB's values and selection criteria. She helped me identify the most compelling elements of my profile and guided me in crafting cohesive, impactful essays that effectively highlighted my leadership potential and professional achievements. Her interview preparation was particularly invaluable. She anticipated the kinds of questions I might encounter and offered targeted strategies to showcase my strengths clearly and confidently. Each practice session was tailored to my specific needs; her constructive critiques and positive reinforcement allowed me to refine my responses and approach the actual interview with a calm, assured mindset. Beyond her technical expertise, I also appreciated her unwavering support and patience. She always made herself available to clarify doubts, provide thoughtful feedback, and keep me motivated. Her balanced blend of honest evaluation and encouragement helped me grow not only as a candidate but also as a professional. Overall, working with Mrs. Shreekala was an inspiring and enlightening experience. I am truly grateful for her guidance in navigating the nuances of the ISB application and interview process. Her personalized approach, combined with her deep knowledge of ISB’s expectations, helped me present my best self to the admissions committee. If you want help with your applications, I highly recommend CrackVerbal, do reach out at +91 9008166800

Give a brief description of who you are professionally, academically, personally. • Describe the details of the project where you mentioned that you were responsible for a turnaround • Referring to the previous question, why do you think the initial team assigned for the project was not succeeding • How will you approach the situation differently if the same scenario happens again in future • Asked about a startup I had founded and wanted to know why I didn’t pursue it full time and why I had to close it eventually. • Had mentioned about a medical condition in my application. Wanted to know the current status and how I coped with it • Asked me to explain how my leadership style has evolved as I transitioned from a software developer to a project manager

2 hours max between entering and exiting the interview location. There was a problem with my laptop during the on-the-spot essays so my entire process got delayed by at least an hour. My interview location was Mumbai, India and they had a very helpful support staff team to guide everyone through the entire process on the designated floor of the hotel. There was a dedicated room to accommodate any bags/luggage, another one with tables, chairs, and notepads dedicated for the spot essays where you'd sit and sign in using your laptop to complete the written assessment, and various other neighboring rooms on the same floor with the different interview panels. Spot Essays 1. During a case competition you come across the company's competitor's business model and your teammates urge you to use it to get an edge. What would you base your decision on and how would you navigate this situation? 2. During a group presentation project there is apparent acrimony between your whole team and a particular member who has been raising his voice to express disagreement with certain presentation strategies. Your team members expect you to lead - how would you deal with this situation and revive the team spirit? Personal Interview The panel consisted of 4 alums (3M, 1F) from the 2011, 2015, 2017, and 2020 batches. Hour-long interview, pretty decent experience. Comforted and reassured me that it's not going to be stress interview, that they just want to get to know me better, and all of them introduced themselves first. Questions revolved mostly around a startup venture that I had mentioned, a couple of achievements, my work experience, motivations for MBA, and how ISB fits into the whole story. Considerable number of follow-up questions, trying to poke holes, and digging deeper into the thought process behind all my life decisions. 1. Tell us a bit about yourself - your personal and professional journey so far. 2. What is ShopMakhana.com and how did it come to be? 3. What is your specific role in the company you founded and your startup? What is the contribution of your partners? 4. Is this venture a side project for your partners as well? 5. Can your target problem not be solved using the existing networks of your partners? What is the need for a new company or platform? 6. When and how is the platform set to launch and what is the plan after that? 7. Given the recent interest of this Impact Investment Firm in your model, if you bag major funding and your venture takes off, how will it affect your career goals and MBA aspirations? 8. Will your MBA plans not affect your contribution to this venture and the development of the platform, or the other way around? 9. What is your opinion on the Indian Budget 2025 provisions for foxnuts? 10. What is your opinion on the global market and demand for foxnuts? 11. What are your career goals? 12. Why consulting? 13. What specific gaps in your business toolkit do you want to address and how will ISB help? 14. What will you do if you don't get into consulting? 15. Why not pursue your long-term goal of entrepreneurship in the Fintech product space right away? 16. How and why trading after mechanical engineering? 17. How and when did you develop an inclination towards finance or trading? 18. Why engineering? 19. Why mechanical engineering? 20. Why did you opt for science and not a Bachelor's in commerce or finance? 21. Why not CFA or FRM? 22. What is your role and day-to-day like at your current organization? 23. Describe the shift from an individual contributor role at your previous proprietary trading firm to a multi-faceted and team-oriented role at the current one, and how has the experience been for you? 24. Why did you move from a 500-trader large company to a niche prop trading firm, from the financial hub of India to your current city? Is it a family business? 25. Tell us about a tough time during your trading journey and how did you navigate it? 26. Describe your relationship with your recommender. Why did you choose him as your recommender? 27. What kind of feedback have you gotten from your recommender (ex-manager) through your trading journey at your previous company? Has he assisted you in any way with your ISB application? 28. Which form of Karate have you learned, and do you still practice? Which level of Black Belt do you have? 29. What kind of National Spelling Bee competitions take place in India? Tell us about the various levels you qualified to achieve your national rank. 30. Any questions for us?

Virtual interview with 2 Alumni Spot essay was situation based. 2 questions were there - 1. A situation in which one of the team member is not satisfied with presentation strategy and is raising their voice. How would you handle the situation 2. A new case comptetion is coming up and the team is interested in taking part in that by compromising a little on current ongoing project. As a leader how would you handle the situation This is just the essence of the question. Actual question was a bit elaborate Interview - 1. How has been your morning? 2. TMAY 3. Why MBA? 4. About a situation where I faced a challenge in implementing a project (from my resume). What did you ACTUALLY do to tackle the situation? 5. Why MBA now when you already have an integrated MBA? 6. About my experience of working at a start-up. KPIs? Learnings? How did I end up there? 7. What do you do in your free time 8. An ethical dilemma in my workplace (picked up from essay) 9. Why Consulting? What courses/certifications you have taken to improve your skills for consulting? 10. Any questions that you have from us? Overall it was a very candid conversation with 2 Alumni and they were very supportive and relaxed. Did not grill at all.