Ready reckoner :
Acad -> Comp. Sci -> AJAX , Remote desktop + Who created it , What is DBMS
Acad -> Principles of Managment -> Explain everything you can remember , Line and Staff
Acad -> TQM -> What is it , one person who is the father figure of TQM
Acad -> Eng. Economics -> Diff. between it and managerial economics,Demand Elasiticity
Acad -> Project -> Project basics and its usefulness
General -> PagalGuy -> Do you visit it , what use is it to you
General -> Ethics -> Is it correct to collect information about people?
General -> Out of Box -> Is it possible to collect personal info without the person knowing?
Work -> You seem to be technical out and out. There seems to be no managerial learning in your work experience. Please explain this.
(Lots of times while going thorough previous experiences , i've found it hard to read through entirely to find out the topics which were asked it PI , so i just wrote those on the top for easy access later)
Part I: The Set-Up
I'm an engineering who passed out in 2007 from SSN College of Engineering.
Computer science specialization - aggregate of 80. School aggregates of 88 and 88.
I am currently working in cognizant for the past 7 months.
Hobbies: (as mentioned in form)
Reading books , monopoly , playing games , puzzles , Mafia
Part II: The Hook
Work had been killing me for the past two weeks. After a recent transfer to a different work stream in the same project, i could find that the work load had increased loads since i also had to do the various status calls and work splitting.
This meant lesser time for prep. But i did have time to read previous year experiences and prepare from that - I prepared about State knowledge, Company , home town, interests and the various political organizations like SAARC and such. No time for acads.
I took the previous day as a holiday to get things ready for the interview. Everything went according to plan , except for the fact that the doctor i had to get attestation from didn't turn up in time. It was very late when i got the sign from him and I really had to rush to my train after that. So if there's one piece of info you take from this Experience , let it be this : Go get your attestations and make sure all your documents are in order well before time - DO NOT leave it to the last minute.
I reached Banglore on the day of the interview at 5 . Checked into the hotel - Completed the rest of the form. Had a quick light breakfast and started off.
Part III: The Tale
My interview was inside IIM B campus. Had to wait for ten minutes or so since we were the first day , first slot there and it started off. There were 8 in a batch - one person was a no show so we started the GD with 7.
U shaped table with the Panel sitting opposite the smaller end of the U.
Topic : Amar (i think) shifted from a public sector steel company to a private sector eucalyptus plant. He had better designation,pay and perks here. He really enjoyed the first few months of his new company. But a problem arose soon. He was used to placing orders of 25 lakhs in his steel company before , but now after becoming AGM here he found that he could not do the same even with the higher post without getting approval from his GM. He felt like his wings were clipped and submitted his resignation.
What should he do?
We had 5 min to think . 16 min to discuss and 5 min for summary.
It was more like 5 min to think. 8 min to discuss when we were cut short abruptly and 2 min for summary.
Spoke twice - once in the end after he said 'Mr.Siddharth , what do you think?'. After my reply , he said GD was over and for us to start writing summary.
Part IV: The Sting
2 people in the panel. One lady and one gentleman (L and G).
I was called sixth - it was in the order of seating.
L (looking over the file) : I'm very curious about this Mafia psychological game . Tell me more about it (I had written it in interest)
Me : <explained it although i have a feeling i could have done a better job>
G : So do you visit PagalGuy?
Me : <with smiles> Yes i do
G : Did you visit today morning? Yesterday?
Me : I visited the site day before yesterday
G : So why do you go there ? Is it useful?
Me : Yes it is. It helps a lot - like for example i was reading the previous year I experiences there to get a feel for the questions
L <smiling> : So you're trying to guess the possible questions?
Me : No no - i'm trying to spend my time in a more constructive manner- rather than read random things - I'm better off reading topics which have more chances of being on the actual interview.
<The interview was pretty feel good right here>
G : So you've done training in java. Can you tell me about ajax?
Me : I know its asynchronous java but i did my training in core java and we do not use this technology in our project.
G : Could you make me understand ajax?
Me : No sir. I really do not understand it myself
L : What is Database Management System?
Me : Explain about DBMS and data warehouse too.
L : So you've had a subject called Principles of Management?
Me : Yuppers
L : I know you wont remember everything but try to tell us what and all you've learnt from it
Me : Well first the subject talks about Organizational structure -line and staff ..
G : Oh ho. Whats line and staff?
Me : <me and my stupid mouth :S> Wave my hands in mid air saying hierarchy is line while advisory sort of posts is staff.
G : Is sales line or staff?
Me : Sales division in line. Sales advisor to the president is staff.
L : Hmm , you've also had TQM. What is TQM all about?
Me : TQM is about all encompassing quality in all phases of product development - from the first to the last
L : So what about processes?
Me : Oh ya. Processes and services too
L : Hmm . You've had a subject called EEFA - engineering economics and financial accounitng
What is engineering economics - how different is it from managerial economics?
Me : Well i've read books on managerial economics too and my text book on EEFA covered the same topics so i guess they are the same.
L <nodding> : Ok , so what is elasticity of demand?
Me : Gives formula . Change in price / Change in demand. Gives the example of Business class in airlines being price inelastic since business people have to travel and do not react to changes in price that much.
G : Hmm tell me about software you would use to connect from one system to work on another system
Me : Remote Desktop
G : Ok who created it?
Me : I think it is built into the OS itself
G : No no - you have to install it
Me : is it? I always thought it was inbuilt
G : Have you used it?
Me : Yes . I used it to connect to my system while giving presentations in seminar hall during work
G : Ok - it is not built into the OS
Me : Okies <sheepish smile>
L : Ok back to TQM. Who comes to your mind when we talk about quality?
Me : <Why couldn't we have spent more time in eco> The one guy who's know for quality?
L : Yes , the one guy who pioneered TQM
Me : Demming ?
L <with negative nodding> : Are you sure?
Me : No but that the main name i remember from the TQM learning.
L <semi sarcastic> : Is this the topic on which you did your project on? (I had mentioned my project in a big way in the form)
Me : No no - that was a technical project - about face detection
<insert one or two questions about face detection and its uses which i successfully answered with the help of an example>
L : Is collecting information ethical?
Me : Like?
L : Like me giving my info to hotel
Me : It is unethical if they share with some other third party without your authorization like a tourist agency
L : No no - i meant why do they need such info in the first place? is it ethical to collect info like that about me and use it?
Me : I think its unethical if they use your particular info but what they do is to club you into one demographic where you just become a statistic , so thats fair enough
L : Ok - what if I lie?
Me : Well , the number of people who will lie will be statistically lower so its still useful to collect the info.
L : Is it possible to collect info without me knowing? Like assume you are sitting in the hotel reception desk - how can you collect my details without me knowing?
Me : I'd snap a picture of you in the security camera and give it to a detective agency to find out your details . <Thinking back - this was pretty weak>
G : You seem to be technical out and out. There seems to be no managerial learning in your work experience. Please explain this.
Me : explain that even though i do technical work , i try to get managerial learning out of everything i do. I try to help my team leads out so that i can do estimation stuff and be informed of the high level work instance of just the technical aspect of it. I also tell them how i've learnt about leading people since i'm the one who actually distributes work and makes sure its done once my leads assign work to the group
L : Thank you and all the best
G : Thank you
Me : Thank ye's
My thoughts : The GD was a debacle since i did not talk at all except two points (which were well accepted though). I made up for it by talking a lot during the interviews - Usually i give a lot of tacit replies. But my own feeling is that i needed to have done a lot better in this to make up for the GD. I do not think i'll be converting this call.
Climax :
Updating this on May 1st 2008. Converted and going to IIMI
(And if you've no idea what the headings i used were about , then you should watch more films
)
...if u have ne queries regarding the process pls be more specific so that it adds value to the discussion here 
Re: [2008] IIM Indore GD/PI Experiences -
14-02-2008, 05:27 AM
who have abt 4yrs of work ex... No wonder even this is read by interviewers today.
PRAGMATIC Simian....
The Ghost Who Posts
and from then on it was a slide...was screwed big time....these are the few ques they asked
residential rule and the current states under it(could only say bout karnataka)
(I had this question in my mind)
thye would lose their lives...)said it...
)Of course but life is precious than it right!!!
yes sir.....
)
Re: [2008] IIM Indore GD/PI Experiences -
14-02-2008, 08:29 PM