Had my gdpi at chennai - 9.00 am on 26th feb....
I reached the venue at about 8.20 am. Couldn't meet any PGites... though i think there should have been some of them (Pardeep was there - from the post above). Our names were called and we were taken to 3 different classes - all the groups had the same GD topic. Each group = 7-8 members.
Abt me:
99.62%, fresher frm IITM (Mech).
Acads - 10th - 87, 12th - 92.7, IIT CGPA - 8.25
GD
The arrangement was predetermined and we were guided to our seats. It was a semi-circular arrangement.
Topic:
NGOs do a lot of work and help the society. But these days, runing an NGO has become a lucrative business and has ceased to be a completely social venture.
The GD was quite peaceful. Everyone got a chance to air his views, no airtime hogging. There was one guy whose voice was very soft. Even he got considerable airtime. No female all the 3 groups (about 21-22 males).
We were given 2 mins to think and 10 to discuss. I must accept that the discussion was shallow, with everyone coming up with only examples of NGOs and their work.
No summary was required.
Interview:
I was the last one to be interviewed. Had to wait for about an hour and a half. From the feedback that I got from those who had their interview before me, they were varying the type of questions - one guy had a complete acads based interview, other had a pure HR interview... so I think they didnt want people coming in later to have any sort of advantage.
Panel of 2. The moderators were the interviewers. One of them came into the waiting room and called out my name and accompanied me to the iview room.
two profs - A and B and me V.
A: Sit. Your eye is Red..
V: Infection sir.
A: why did you not wear glasses then?
V: caught it Day before sir. Have been to an opthalmologist.
A; Ok.
B: so you are from IIT eh? Give me your file.
A: You have been placed in X- such a good company with good salary... why not join it. Why go for an MBA?
V: blah... blah...
A: (dismissive) You mean to say that you can't learn about management in X. That these people dont know management?
V: blah..blah..
A: (again dismissive) You are interested in management, you are a mech. engineer and you want to join X which is a software co.... You are contradicting yourself!!
V: No sir. You have got a wrong idea about what I said. I meant ...blah...blah...I wish to learn about ERP if I ever join X.
A: Ok.. you have your own logic which I am not satisfied with... and you don't seem to listen to good advice...anyway...What do you understand by ERP?
V: blah..blah...
A: what is MRP?
V: blah...blah....
A: They both sound the same ... what is the difference?
V: (so do they to me) tried to expain ...though unconvincing...
A: Ok Leave it... You must have heard of SCM... what is it?
V: Supply chain management.... blah...blah...
A: What is the difference between SCM and ERP?
V: (caught on the wrong foot) again tried to make up something...didn't work..he seemed very unconvinced...
B: Oh! you had taken Stats and probability...
V: (Didn't expect that they would go into my maths cources - saved them for C iview

)yes sir..
B: what is a probability distribution?
V: blah..blah..
B: Can you give me an example?
V: normal distribution.
B: take this paper and write the equation.
V: writes
B: what sort of distribution is this?
V: continuous.
B: good. Give me a discrete distribution.
V: do not recollect sir.
B: Give me another continuous distribution..
V: Binomial, geometric.
A,B start laughing aloud.
I realise that they are discrete. My biggest faux pas...
V: Sir they are discrete...
A: and what about normal... discrete or continuous?
V: continuous.
A: Ok, you can go.
B: wait .. You have taken special functions and partial differential equations...I have asked this question to several IITians and none have answered it so far...let me see you answer... give me a special function.
V: Gamma function

but I dont recollect the equation sir.
B: (guess he didn't listen to me) good. write the equation of the gamma function.
V: I do not recollect sir. But I vaguely remember that it involved integration of e to the power something.
A: Can you relate it to normal distribution?
V: (Do you suffer from an auditory malfunction?

) I don't know sir.
A: Ok you can go.
B: Wait! What did you do in computer simulation?

(last semester course in Industrial engineering minor)
V: (I didn't attend the classes as the prof doesn't take attendance)Give him some globe about being introduced to C language(should have been GPSS) and then about Genetic algorithms.
A: Directly to GA??I don't get it??
V: (so what can I do?) Sir, this is a course in the minor stream - Industrial Engineering.
A: Ok tell me what is a GA?
V: some gyan...
A: you have got some idea but that is not complete...anyway you may go now.
V: I get up
B: what other calls have you got? all six?
V: no sir...only A,C and L
B; best of luck for the others...(laughs)
Thats it folks. I had prepared for OR throughly and mentioned it twice in the interview, but I guess they made out that I was prepared for OR. So not a single question on OR.

I guess that was not the best of the lot... So, next up IIMA!! Here I come!!
Learnings:
1. Do not expect anything. go with an open mind.
2. Prepare all your undergrad subjects well. They can ask on any subject. Especially those in the first two years. Stress on Operations and Mathematics.
3. In GD, dont get into any argument with anyone - happen in our GD. Two guys got into an argument. Just let people say what they want. The mods will decide whether it is relevant or not.
Comments, suggestions are welcome.
Vaibhav.