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IIM Admission Interview 2022-24 - It is a prominent saying that- success comes to those, who are busy looking for it. Deepanshu Yadav is one of those for whom this is fairly applicable. Deepanshu, an MBA aspirant, not only worked hard to become a CAT 2021 topper but also made it to one of the elite management schools of India, IIM Ahmedabad.
He got MBA admission interview calls from top MBA colleges in India such as IIM Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Shillong, FMS & NITIE. Deepanshu shares his IIM interview experience, skills required to land up in India's best MBA college, questions asked in IIM admission personal interviews, CAT exam preparation, and more with Careers360 for their IIM admission interview series.
Careers360- Congratulations on getting admission at IIM Ahmedabad! How do you feel?
Deepanshu- Thank you. I’m elated and excited for the upcoming 2 years of learning in an environment that I believe is very unique, in terms of being a crazy mix of challenging and fun.
Careers360- What is the selection procedure at IIM Ahmedabad?
Deepanshu- IIM Ahmedabad shortlists students for AWT (Analytical Writing Test) and Personal Interviews on the basis of a composite score they calculate by combining CAT score, 10th/12th/grad score/work-ex, and points for diversity.
The shortlisted candidates have to fill and send the application form to IIMA, post which we get the schedule for AWT & PI.
In AWTs, we are provided an argument/case to analyze and write an essay based on our analysis detailing answers to the questions they provide.
After AWTs is the Personal Interview.
Careers360- Please elaborate your overall IIM admission interview experience at IIM Ahmedabad?
Deepanshu- It was a smooth process overall, quite different than other B-schools. I was called in for AWT and the online Interview which was to happen from a video conferencing center. So, it wasn’t entirely an online process, however, I did not face any difficulties throughout.
Careers360- Which other B-Schools’ selection procedure did you appear for? How was your MBA admission experience in other institutes vis a vis the institute you have converted to?
Deepanshu- I had calls from IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong, CAP, FMS & NITIE. I appeared for all of the interviews apart from CAP, due to clashing dates. Apart from FMS, all of the other colleges went for online Interviews.
I was able to convert all the calls. Comparing other interviews to the one with IIM A, my interview with other colleges was short (10-15 mins) while the IIMA interview went on for close to 45 mins.
Careers360- What was your AWT and IIM PI topic, and how did you prepare? Did you find it easy or difficult to write/ think about it?
Deepanshu- My AWT topic was fairly interesting. It was a cartoon by RK Laxman themed around censorship at homes.
I structured my analysis around the questions asked. I started by detailing what the cartoon portrayed and then mentioned the argument it posed. I continued with the analysis of the argument’s assumptions and concluded with what more data would help to strengthen the argument. I did face a little difficulty as the analysis of a cartoon/ picture wasn’t the one that I had prepared for.
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Careers360- Did you get external help or join a coaching school to prepare for IIM admission interview and AWT? When did you start your preparations for it?
Deepanshu- Yes, I joined Career Launcher’s PDP Personalised program. It started around January right after the results came and was focused on PI mostly. During that time I was working towards improving my awareness of the GK, work domain, personal domain, etc.
I delved into the preparation of AWTs after I got a call from IIM Ahmedabad.
Careers360- Do you think that AWT and PI require some separate preparation apart from what you mentioned?
Deepanshu- I believe both AWTs and PIs require a bit of practice, so as to refine the thought process and build confidence. Mock Interviews for PI helped me a lot in terms of getting used to the process and AWT practice gave a structure to my essays.
In terms of knowledge, I believe it’s more or less the same.
Careers360- Please share the AWT and PI topics that you were asked during the IIM admission interview rounds?
Deepanshu- My AWT topic was a cartoon drawn by RK Laxman which posed an argument that Censorship begins at home, but the censor himself is excluded.
In PI I was asked questions based on my profile. Some of them were on sustainability, climate change, dramatics, poetry, my work experience, future goals, and mathematical problem on functions & differentiation.
Careers360- Are there ways to handle a situation when one has no answer to a question during an IIM interview?
Deepanshu- Yes, there is, and it’s fairly common to not know the answer to a fact-based question that isn’t related to one’s field, or maybe they read it but couldn’t recall.
In such a case one can say that they don’t know the answer or they can politely ask the interviewer if they would like them to guess the answer to the question.
Careers360- How must one approach an AWT and PI topic? Could you share some Dos and Don’ts for the same?
Deepanshu- For AWTs, it’s essential to understand the process of analyzing an argument. So, one can start by reading arguments and develop an understanding of the facts, assumptions, inferences, and causal relations it has. After that, it’s mostly the practice of strengthening and weakening an argument and assessing ways to improve the argument.
For PIs, the topics are mostly around what you mention in the form so it’s important to be thorough with them and the fields they might be related to. For eg: I mentioned that I was into dramatics and in my IIMA interview I was questioned about the National School of Dramatics, my favorite dramatists, their recent work, etc.
For AWTs, I’d say the practice is essential, and don’t take it casually.
For PI, Do read the daily news, it helps a lot, and Don’t feel that you must know answers to all the questions. It’s really okay to not know an answer, keep your composure and smile.
Careers360- Is there a particular kind of time management strategy that should be added to the candidate’s skillset? Will it help in writing a complete structured AWT and Personal Interview?
Deepanshu- I believe there’s enough time to write a 300 words essay, most people even finished it before time.
So, it’s more about practicing it so that you’re familiar with the process and have a well-defined approach or a well-prepared answer to the questions asked.
Careers360- How did you feel when you faced the interviewers during the PI? Please share a few details like the size of your panel and your overall IIM MBA experience.
Deepanshu- I was told that IIMA interviews are a bit cryptic, in a way that you will not be able to gauge your performance. Mine wasn’t any different.
I was a bit nervous as I entered the conference room. It was a panel of 2 professors and the interview was more of a conversation rather than a set of question answers.
I wasn’t able to answer a few questions based on current affairs and was grilled a bit on my approach to problem-solving. Overall, it was a fairly pleasant experience, I was allowed to put my case and take guesses at questions I didn’t know the answer to.
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Careers360- Which MBA admission interview turned out to be the best one? Enlighten us about the finest one according to you.
Deepanshu- In my opinion, it was at the FMS. It was an offline Interview, with 2 female panelists. FMS has short interviews of around 10 mins, mine lasted around 13 mins. It had an extempore (Topic: Farm laws) and questions on Why MBA, my work ex, hobbies.
I was given multiple scenarios and was asked how an organization would solve the problems; how would I take decisions if posed with a dilemma.
As almost all the questions were woven around my profile, I was able to answer all of them confidently.
Careers360- What about the MBA interview questions which you found difficult to answer? How did you reply to those?
Deepanshu- The questions to which I was absolutely clueless I would tell the panel that I’m sorry I don’t know the answer to the question.
If I felt that I do know something or that I can logically arrive at an answer I asked the faculty if they would allow me to take time and take a guess.
Careers360- So, in those situations, was the panel easy or harsh on you? What should one do when s/he has no answer?
Deepanshu- Most panels would move on to a different question or allow me to take a guess. It happened only once that a panelist told me to not take a guess and said I should’ve known this.
As an interviewee one can maintain composure and let it go with a smile and succumb to the pressure.
Careers360: What were the most fascinating questions you were asked? Please share your answers too.
Deepanshu: In all of the interviews I believe there were one or two unexpected questions.
In IIMA, I was asked about my interests to which I replied dramatics. Based on it I was asked the following questions-
P1: So you’re interested in dramatics, who is the director of NSD.
Me: I’m sorry sir, I don’t know who is the director currently. I do know that Mr. Paresh Rawal is the current chairperson, I’ll definitely look this up after the interview.
P1: Who is your favorite product of NSD
Me: Sir I do like performances by Mr. Naseeruddin Shah
P1: What was the last movie of his you watched?
Me: Sir, I recently got the chance to watch Bazar.
P1: That’s an old film, in which year was it released?
Me: Yes Sir, I don’t exactly remember the year but it was in the 80s.
P1: It’s the same one in which the actress sells a washing powder?
Me: No sir, I guess that’s Chashme Baddoor of Farooq sheik.
P1: Yes! Yes!
Both the panelist smiled a bit and moved on to another topic.
Careers360- How different is an IIM interview from a non-IIM yet top B-School interview? Are there major differences? (If you have appeared for IIMs)
Deepanshu- I did not find much difference in the interviews. In both cases, questions are largely based on the application form and details we provide. A few on the current happenings and background. One such difference if at all could be that in IIM interviews I was asked maths questions, while in non-IIM interviews I wasn’t. Rest I didn’t feel much difference in any way.
Careers360- How did you go about the preparations for IIM admission PI? Did you search or look up some questions or practice mock PIs?
Deepanshu: I enrolled in the PDP program and prepared accordingly. I made sure to write down answers to common profile-based questions and practiced them.
Also, I made sure to read the news daily and be well versed in current affairs. I used to talk to my friends and would ask them about their interview experiences, and possible interview questions and would prepare answers for the same.
I read the excerpts of interviews shared in telegram groups so as to get insight into the kind of questions being asked. One of the most important pillars of my prep was the mock PI. They provided me with a lot of confidence and put me to ease before actual interviews.
Careers360- And finally, what are the aspects or qualities that the interview board looks for in a candidate?
Deepanshu- I cannot say for sure that I know what exactly the panel is looking for but I’m sure of a few aspects that are tested. Ability to logically structure your thoughts and articulate them, your ability to hold your composure in a pressure situation, your knowledge and curiosity about things that are related to you, and your conduct during the interview.
Hi aspirant,
You can refer to the link attached above for more information on the same.
All the best!
Hi aspirant,
You can refer to the link given above for more information on the same.
All the best!
Hello dear,
The CAT exam requires a significant amount of time for preparation, including brushing up on basic concepts and practicing advanced problem-solving. Starting too early can feel overwhelming and may not be sustainable with other academic commitments.
The CAT exam requires a level of focus and maturity that is not always present in class 9. Starting preparation at this stage can be challenging to maintain. At class 9, you're primarily focused on learning foundational concepts. So you just need to boost your fundamentals by practicing more and more at class 9 because the Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT syllabus includes all the topics of Mathematics from Class 9 to 10 such as Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry and Mensuration.
Start Preparation 12 Months Prior:
Identify Weak Sections:
I hope you got your answer, That's all Thank you.
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