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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.
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Good afternoon ,
I hope you are absolutely fine. As per your mentioned query , CAT stands for Common Admission Test examination conducts once in a year. It is a national level of exam in English language. If you want to apply for this exam the application mode is online .
As per the eligibility criteria , candidate should have bachelor's degree from recognised university. Final year of college student also eligible to give this exam.
To know more , refer this:
https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-eligibility-criteria
Revert for further query!
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.
IIFT CAT Cutoff 2024
IIFT Delhi
General: 95–98 percentile
OBC: 90+
SC: 85–95
ST/PwD: 75–93
IIFT Kolkata
General: 85–95 percentile
OBC/SC/ST: 50–95 (varies)
Note: Final selection also includes WAT, GD, PI, academics, and work experience.
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