Extempore topics for IIM-A interviews

Question

Compilation of extempore topics for IIMA Updated Jan 2024

* Indian startups are often criticized for replicating Western products without much innovation. Comments.
* Given the significance of mental health, is it advisable to consider discontinuing closed-book exams?
* Do you believe that MBA professors with limited corporate experience should be teaching students who come with significant industry experience?
* Women’s reservation bill not a success, will lead to nepotism and proxy representation
* The attrition rate has been increasing. Should managers focus on retaining employees?
* US should hire only US citizens and all immigration should be stopped
* Globalisation is overrated, countries should focus on local manufacturing
* Since government employers are overworked, It is justified to take bribes.
* Midday meal schemes are an unnecessary expensive freebie and should be stopped.
* The topic was that platform startups are overhyped, and their valuations are unjustified.
* Should Large firms allow their talented employees to have a spin-off and start their own companies with buy-back options?
* Are Delivery guys being exploited by Delivery Partners such as Swiggy, Zomato, and Zepto? Should they be paid a fixed component?
* Fast Fashion Industry is responsible for Environmental Damage, Should we levy heavy taxes on FFI to curb climate damage issues?
* Work from home leads to moonlighting, so Work from Home should be stopped?
* should media houses be owned by industrialists as it may lead to the furtherance of corporate agendas
* Managers should not arrange training of employees in startups because employees leave companies quickly
* In the next 10 years the demand for digital education for post-graduates will be more than the traditional form of learning.
* should companies focus on diversity or focus only on meritocracy
* Should 10th, and 12th marks be considered for admissions in post-graduate programmes or not
* Is the pen mightier than the sword?
* Should newspapers be tightly regulated?
* People with little to no experience are teaching people with lot of industrial experience and charging a ton of money for it. Isn't it ironic?
* Platform Businesses currently have insane valuations. Investors should be wary of them.
* Should airports be named after cities only?
* the world in an Oyster. Banning export/ import does not help so much. Not exact words but on the same line. My interview was online as I am living Overseas.
* Should airports be named after local freedom fighters rather than local politicians
* What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet
* There is a recent trend of naming airports after famous politicians. This should be stopped. Airports should be named after freedom fighters instead".
* Online platforms have very high valuations. Should investors be weary of it?
* Large firms should allow their talented employees to have a spin-off and start their own companies with buyback options.
* Should road travel be made free!? (No tolls)
* Should government hospitals be privatized given their abysmal state?
* Midday meal schemes are an unnecessary freebie?
* Platform startups are overhyped and their valuations are unjustified.
* Should the usage of cannabis be legalized in India?
* Startup valuations are too high to justify their potential. VCs need to take a hard look at their investments.
* Should online content be censored?
* Globalization is overrated, countries should focus on local manufacturing.
* Is corruption amongst low-earning government servants acceptable?
* Politicians should be banned from contesting elections in India if they have pending criminal cases against them.
* Changing city names is wrong and it should be banned.
* Can leadership skills be taught in class?
* was Adani's group right in taking down their ads after Saurab Ganguly’s heart attack?
* Should families earn income above a certain level support a family earning below a certain threshold in a COVID-19-like situation?
* Standardized tests GMAT/GRE does not play much of a role in assessment for B-school.
* Do you think IIM Ahmedabad should open campuses in the USA to study emerging markets?
* Do you think Atma Nirbhar Bharat is a political gimmick and Chinese imports can’t be replaced in near future?
* India should support big firms to enter the global marketplace. If Companies within India compete within themselves will lose the global game.
* A business education degree doesn’t matter to grow on the corporate ladder.
* The shortage of food grains in India can be solved only by improving storage facilities.
* Border skirmishes are common with India’s neighbours. Should India cut off all ties with them or start a new method of building relationships? (Vaguely it was this) The rest was about work ex (analytics) and why pgpx and why now. A lot of grilling and cross-questioning happened throughout. Not sure how to judge the experience.
* if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
* can leadership skills be taught in class
* standardized tests like Gmat/gre add no value in determining the potential of a student.
* should IIM A(the campus and the apartments) preserve its heritage or make changes and introduce new safety standards?
* Changing city names is wrong and it should be banned. 
* for global electronics brands, should an international warranty be mandated?
* Should families earning income above a certain level support a family earning below a certain threshold in a COVID-19-like situation?
* beauty pageants objectify women in a certain light (missing the exact words here). do we need to ban these beauty pageants?
* Should politics be left to the politicians
* Politicians should be banned from contesting elections in India if they have pending criminal cases against them.

BankerBro · Answer

The extempore topics seem to be hand-picked from a diverse set of contemporary issues. Is there any thread on how candidates tackled them in the past?

Nikhil · Answer

BankerBro I guess you can read some responses to the extempore topics in some of the IIM A interview debris at the following link https://gmatclub.com/forum/iim-group-di ... brief.html Posted from my mobile device

RajdeepG · Answer

Adding the extempore topic I had for my interview today:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet
There is a recent trend of naming airports after famous politicians. This should be stopped. Airports should be named after freedom fighters instead".

SushmaJagannath · Answer

My topic was "Is the pen mightier than the sword?"

Nikhil · Answer

Thank you  RajdeepG  and  SushmaJagannath  I have updated the main post with your extempore topics.

panda_power · Answer

Platform Businesses currently have insane valuations. Investors should be wary of them.

Rajendranb17 · Answer

My topic was

"People with little to no experience are teaching people with lot of industrial experience and charging a ton of money for it. Isn't it ironic ?"

prashant247 · Answer

My topic :"Should newspapers be tightly regulated?"
Don't exactly remember the exact words but the next sentence was somewhat like: "If unregulated, newspapers could lead to disuptions in the country"

Posted from my mobile device

manish3687 · Answer

My topic was : world in an Oyster. Banning export/ import does not help so much.

Not exact words but on the same line. My interview was online as I am living in Overseas.

bACCHAN · Answer

Any tips on what should be the right strategy for extempore ? And can you share any source to follow for extempore?

Posted from my mobile device

Anirban_iimisb · Answer

Is this list updated for 2024 also ? 
Or is there a new thread .

Nkathiyawadi · Answer

Are these topics the ones which were asked to interviewees in the past ?

Extempore topics for IIM-A interviews

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