CAT Admit Card Date:05 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25
Aspiring management students, who wish to make their way to the coveted Indian Institute of Management (IIM) have to undergo through personal interviews after they overcome the herculean task of clearing the Common Admission Test (CAT).
Those who are able to get admission to the IIMs, recall their interview as a memorable one, while those who are grilled and fail to make it to an IIM prefer to forget it. IIM Personal Interview Experiences by Careers360 showcase the forgettable and unforgettable experience of the students.
The personal interview round is the key stage of an IIM admission process. It is during this final round that the interview panel, at times, grills the candidate about his academic background, professional qualifications, and his general knowledge.
Vinayak Kudva, Head – PG India & Mumbai Region, IMS, on why PI is important says, “A personal interview is the last step to get to know the candidate well. Personality traits that cannot be uncovered through Entrance tests, GD or WAT are evaluated here. The selectors try to understand the candidate’s personality, his/her interests, motivation, aspirations etc.
If you are starting your preparation with the personal interview (PI) the experiences shared by the successful students of the IIMs will prove to be a boon.
The interesting PI rounds
Describing each IIM interview unique, Raghav Sehgal, on Quora, says that the interview process of each IIM varies. He opines, “Each one of my interviews was unique and different. I was asked stuff ranging from railway engines, cold war, and geopolitical issues resulting in WW3, cricket, cooking, my academics, entrepreneurship, ethics and what not. They want to know how genuine you are and whether you will be a better person with the education you get.”
Sharing an interesting experience of impressing the interviewer by unexpectedly responding to one of his questions, Anirban Mukherjee, IIM Calcutta says that at times what matters is just answering one of the random questions posed by the panel. Recalling the question, which proved to be a turning point and got him an admission in the IIM, Mukherjee says, “Panel: Name the other Republican candidates. Me: Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush. Panel: (delivers a killer burn) Well you could have supported Bush because sometimes you beat around the bush. Interview over, and IIM Calcutta seat booked.”
Another Quora user, Parth Shah, presently studying at IIM Ahmedabad, talks about the response which turned the table in his favour. He shares, “Interviewer: So you play chess. Answer these questions as fast as possible. He had a tablet in front of him. He asked me 15 questions on chess from it which included some like, what is FIDE rating, how is it defined, Against whom Anand lost recently, Anand's rating, Carlsen's rating, my chosen first move, E4-C6 is called what, Fool's mate, Queen's gambit... I answered all questions correctly. “
Forgettable PIs at IIMs:
Sometimes the interviews to IIMs are a cake walk, while on other occasions, it proves to be a nightmarish experience. Sanath Sunny, who despite being selected in IIM Indore, was on tenterhooks till the final result was out as the interview panel grilled him.
Me: Opened the door to enter. Interviewer: Just looked at me saying to come inside in angry faces.Don't you have any manners to close the door? Me: Converted the call after an hour-long grilling! |
Syed Naser, 98 percentiler in CAT, states that interviews are at times a roller coaster ride. But one must always stay confident before the interview panel.
In one of his interviews he was asked a number of questions, to which he did not know the answers. He shares, “One of the interviews went off the course at the very beginning and that roller coaster was my worst experience. I was asked how is the President of India elected? What is the difference between a republic, democratic and sovereign country,? Discussion revolved around Telangana. I was asked about similarities between Chattisgarh and Telangana. One of the questions, which came out of the blue was the National Anthem of Bangladesh(I was asked this question as I had said that I love poetry)...I was completely taken aback as I had no clue about the answer to these questions.
Another candidate who shared his ordeal on Quora was Ankur Garg, who during an interview for IIM, Lucknow was asked if he was from an “Upadravi gotr’(‘Upadravi’means an anarchist). The term was used by Kiran Bedi, when she was competing against Arvind Kejriwal during the 2015 Delhi assembly elections.
P1 (in Hindi): Upadravi gotr ke ho kya? (Translation: Are you from 'Upadravi gotr'?) Me: Sorry sir, I didn't get that. P2 (while going through my marksheets): Rehne do, isko samajh nahi aayega, 10th mein Hindi mein kam marks hain. (Translation: He won't understand as he anyways has less marks in Hindi in Class 10th) Me: Facepalm. |
Amit Singh expresses his anguish on Quora on how the interview panel at IIM Lucknow gave him a tough time about his hobby ‘Ophiology.’ Despite answering the questions to his satisfaction level and getting positive acknowledgement from the panellists, Singh was rejected.
Though it is a dream for every candidate to make it to the prestigious institute, however, a rejection should not affect his or her confidence. With the passage of time, it is the experience that you acquire while working.![]()
Also Read:
On Question asked by student community
Hello dear candidate,
Yes, you have a very good chance of getting a BPT seat with 488 out of 600 and TS EAMCET rank of 14,000 under the ST category.
As the cut off of BPT for ST category students are generally between 25,000 to 45,000 ranks, depending upon the college and you have TS EAMCET rank of 14,000.
Thank you.
If you got 802 marks in Telangana Intermediate and belong to the ST category, you have a fair chance to get admission in a BPT course in 2025, but it depends on the college and cut-off. Most BPT colleges in Telangana ask for 12th marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, and some also use the TS EAMCET rank for admission. The cut-off for ST students is usually lower than for general students, but it changes every year. It is better to check the previous year’s cut-offs of the colleges you want to apply to.
Hello, Getting shortlisted for IIM Lucknow or IIT Bombay (SJMSOM) with your profile is challenging, primarily due to your 58% in Class 10th, which significantly impacts the composite score calculation for both institutes. While your 98 percentile CAT score is excellent, and your 24 months of work experience, B.Com (Hons) background (providing academic diversity, especially for IIM-L), and KVS National player status are valuable additions, top IIMs and IITs heavily weigh consistent academic performance. Your 74% in 12th is also on the lower side. IIM Lucknow places substantial weight on 10th and 12th marks, making a call quite difficult despite your strengths. You likely have a relatively better, though still uncertain, chance at IIT Bombay, as their weighting might be slightly less penalizing for past academics compared to IIM-L, and your high CAT score is a major factor. However, the low 10th score remains a significant hurdle for both prestigious institutions.
I hope you found this information helpful and for study related queries you can ask in careers360 app, Have a great day and!
Hey,
You already have a strong profile with the score of 58% in Class 10, 74% in Class 12, and 80% in graduation, but admission in IIT Bombay, Shailesh J Mehta School of Management is quite competitive, especially if you are in general category because the cutoff for general goes to 98.5-99%. Your CAT percentage is impressive but your 10th marks might reduce your score during the shortlisting process. If you perform well in Written Ability Test and Personal Interview, and present your commerce background you still stand a fair chance. But it would also be wise if you have some backups like MDI Gurugram, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI Delhi, where your marks and profile will fit well in their selection range.
HELLO,
I am providing you the link below through which you will be able to download the previous 10 years CAT question papers
Here is the link :- CAT Previous year Question papers
Hope this Helps!
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