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Tips To Ace Personal Interview - Do you get jittery when it comes to facing the judge's panel after the CAT 2023 exam for personal interview? Although the personal interview of MBA colleges differs a bit in terms of the external job interview. Yet it is most likely for candidates to have apprehensive thoughts.
What if I couldn’t crack the CAT 2023 personal interview? What will I say if I do not know the answers to some questions? How should I ace my CAT personal interview? Are there any tips to ace it? Well yes, we at Careers360 will provide you with CAT interview preparation tips to an ace personal interview in this article. What a personal interview is? What questions can be asked? What to avoid during personal interview etc., will be there in this article along with the tips to an ace personal interview of CAT. These tips can also be used by candidates during a job interview. As the MBA admissions in India are on peak time, candidates who are to face the admission process of B-schools can also use these tips to ace personal interview rounds.
With context to CAT admission, a Personal Interview is a one on one real-time interaction between a interviewee and group of personnel called interviewer. CAT Personal Interview is a major tool used by institutes (at time of admissions) to gauge the abilities of an individual. In a personal interview not only the verbal responses are noted by the interviewer or panel, but also implied behaviour is carefully monitored.
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Interviewers are curious to know everything about the interviewee. In a personal interview, there will be questions about your personality, your work style, work experience, psychological behaviour towards things and work interest. Always remember to bring out the positive side even if the interviewer has asked a negative question. While there are some questions that do not have any right or wrong answers, make sure to be specific about them and try to answer in a dominating manner.
Do not speak wrong if you are not familiar with the topic asked by the interviewer
Speak only the actual algorithms. Do not try to bluff to look intelligent
Avoid slang/jargon
Be in a formal dress code
Show your presence of mind
Be prepared
Now that you know what a Personal Interview is and what you should not do. Let us now move onto the tips to ace Personal Interview.
Do your research
Do not be empty-handed
Know the basic etiquettes
Learn behavioural interview techniques
Dress for success
Demonstrate confidence
Be an active listener
Use illustrations
Ask questions
Stay calm and motivated
Let's look at the detailed tips to crack Personal Interview one by one carefully:
Learn about the institute or company in which you are about to give the Personal Interview. Take your time to research the institute or company. Doing good research will allow you to stay confident on this aspect and you will be ready to answer all related questions. Read the “About Us” section on the website of the institute or company. If you know people who have studied at the same institute or worked for the same company, go and ask out their opinion about the institute or company. Do not go unprepared.
Do not land up without any documents. Going empty handed may leave the interviewers thinking about exact qualification. Make sure to take the following listed documents.
For CAT 2023 Admission Personal Interview - Take class 10 and 12 certificates. In case of postgraduate admission take a Bachelor's degree as well.
For Job Personal Interview - Take certificates, a Few copies of your resume/CV, any additional educational certification.
Basic Documents - Some passport-size photographs, a pen, notepad/papers.
Due to agitated state of mind, candidates make minor blunders and end up losing points. Candidates remain unaware of the basic etiquettes. Take your time and prepare yourself to know how to face personal interview. Some of the basic etiquettes that candidates must follow are-
Be on time and don’t be late
Do not use a cell phone during the personal interview preparation
Pay attention to what the interviewer is communicating
Talk only about what is necessary. Do not over-talk
Do not badmouth any institute or organization
Maintain a proper body posture
Apart from the basic CAT interview questions, candidates need to prepare themselves for some behaviour based questions as the Personal Interview also judges what is implicit. Behavioural interviews are aimed at judging candidates on how well they have handled their past situations. The best way to prepare for this is to make a list of your strengths and weaknesses and then try thinking of situations where you think you have applied them.
Be in formal attire and look confident. It is said that a well-dressed person is half prepared. Although, there is no proper dress code defined for the interviewee, do not try to be creative with the dress code. Wear a formal dress code. Do not wear heavy perfume. Avoid doing too much makeup if you are not interviewing for a creative company or fashion institute.
Be confident in how you look, speak and behave. Never let the interviewer feel that you are losing confidence through your answers. Remember that non-verbal communication is equally important and helps you portray yourself in a good manner. To look and stay confident maintain a positive body posture. Think positive during the interview. Your mood is reflected in your voice and hence is considered a factor of how confident you are.
Do not force the interviewer to feel that you are losing interest and are being non-attentive to his questions. Listen to what he says and not hear what he says. Remember that “Listening is active” and “hearing is passive”. Hence, be attentive and an active listener.
If the interviewer asks you any questions, try giving the answer along with some examples. Make sure to showcase the positive aspects of the question. Do not exaggerate the examples as they make sound confusing and a part of storytelling. Prepare some illustrations in advance and imagine a situation. Make it sound like a real situation and above all speak it with confidence.
As already known that a Personal Interview is conducted as interpersonal communication. Henceforth, the candidates also have the option to ask question/s from the interviewer with regard to the institute or company. Do not hesitate in asking something that you think can be relevant and support your decision to join that organization or institute. Take complete advantage of the opportunity.
In the case of nervousness, try using the washroom and make yourself at ease. Remember that it all shows on its face. Hence, be confident and remain calm. Prepare yourself in advance to see the after-effects. Take some deep breaths for freshening your mind and enchant that your personal interview will be successful.
During the CAT personal interview, candidates are often asked about their academic background, work experience (if any), reasons for pursuing an MBA, strengths and weaknesses, leadership skills, problem-solving abilities, future goals, and how they can contribute to the MBA program and the business world. Interviewers may also inquire about current affairs, industry trends, and situational questions to assess the candidate's analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
Do's:
Don'ts:
Now that CAT 2023 result has been declared, candidates must prepare themselves for the CAT PI round. The best way to ace CAT Personal Interview is to follow all the personal interview tips above and be thorough with your research on CAT Personal Interview questions. Preparing for answers beforehand and being prepared for how you will react in a particular scenario will increase your confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, interviews are an integral part of the selection process for most IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) after the CAT exam, assessing candidates' suitability, motivations, skills, and potential for their MBA programs.
CAT interview questions cover a range of topics such as candidates' academic background, work experience, motivations for pursuing an MBA, strengths and weaknesses, problem-solving scenarios, industry trends, and their ability to contribute to the program and business world. Situational and behavioral questions are also common to gauge analytical and decision-making skills.
Yes, the CAT (Common Admission Test) typically does not have a traditional interview as part of its examination process. CAT scores are used primarily for shortlisting candidates for the next rounds of selection, which may include interviews, group discussions, and written ability tests conducted by individual MBA institutes.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Here are some top MBA colleges in India with fees under Rs. 2 lakh and their exam/cutoff details:
SIMSREE, Mumbai – Fee around Rs. 1.3–1.4 lakh for 2 years. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, MAT, ATMA. Cutoff is very high, usually 99+ percentile in CAT/CMAT.
PUMBA (Dept. of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University) – Fee around Rs. 1.2–1.3 lakh. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, ATMA. Cutoff approx. 75+ percentile in CAT, 90–95+ percentile in CMAT, high scores in MAH-CET.
TISS, Mumbai (MA HRM & other management-related programmes) – Fee around Rs. 1.7–1.9 lakh. Accepts CAT for some courses. Qualifying cutoff is around 60–70 percentile, but final selection cutoffs are higher.
These are the main government institutes where the full MBA/PG programme fee is within Rs. 2 lakh. Cutoffs vary slightly each year and by category, but SIMSREE and PUMBA generally need high scores, while TISS has its own process along with CAT shortlisting.
Hope it helps !
Hey! With a NEET score of 344 in the ST category, it is highly unlikely to get admission in any government BDS college in Delhi through the All India Quota. The cutoff for government BDS seats in Delhi usually falls around 400–450 for ST category, so your score is below that range.
You can consider private dental colleges, state quota seats in other states, or reattempt NEET next year to improve your chances.
Hello dear candidate,
YES, with NEET score 344in the ST category you have high chances of getting admission in a BDS College in J&K through JKBOPEE counselling.
check the seat availability and next participate in JKBOPEE Counselling with all the necessary documents.
Thank you.
Hey! With an All India Rank (AIR) of 302,821 in NEET and belonging to the BCE category, it is highly unlikely to get a BDS seat in Telangana under the state quota, as the closing ranks for BCE are usually below 50,000. You may consider applying to private colleges under management quota or explore BDS seats in other states, but the chances remain very limited with this rank.
At KIMS Amalapuram, the internship stipend for MBBS students is generally reported to be around 20,000 per month, though some students have mentioned that in certain years no stipend was provided at all, which means it can vary depending on the policies in place at the time of your internship. To get the most accurate and updated information, it is always best to confirm directly with the college administration or recent interns, but on average, you can expect a stipend in the range of 18,000-20,000 per month during the compulsory rotating internship.
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