IIM K interviews [for batch of 2005]

[pendyal]

hi everyone,

had my gd and pi on 22nd.cudnt post earlier as i also had my IIMI interview yesterday and came back just today.
my IIMK thing went well..the GD topic was something vague abt "successful ppl feel vertigo.vertigo not as in fear of falling but as in an emptiness within them.they want to returm to their original position but are not able to do so bcoz of fear.hence they defend themselves" or something thereabouts.

there were supposed to be 8 ppl but 2 iitians were absent.

the gd went well with everyone contributing.had dubey in my group.

the pi also went well.there were 2 profs on the panel.heres how it went:

p1:where are u from?
me:tell them

p1:Isee u r also doing ur ICWA.....
p2:already finished?
me:no sir....got to take my finals in june this yr....

p1:after getting into this commerce/ICWA stream dont u fell there will be a clash moving over to MBA?what is ur first pref?
me:tell them that commerce/finance is just one of the specialisations in an MBA and how i always wanted to do an MBA...

p1:have u read any books recently?
me:yes sir..

p1:any management books?
me:yes sir,jack welch and the GE way,what they dont teach u at harvard business school....

p1:why jack welch is regarded as great leader?
me:tell him...

p1:what did he do at GE?
me:tell him that as well...

p1:what was GE famous for in the 1980s?
me:tell him it was one of the first companies to implement six sigma

p1:what is 6 sigma?
me:tell him that

p1:u mean 3.4 errors in 1 million transactions.....wont that take a lot of time to happen(1 million transactions).does a company have to wait till then to get certified?
me:tell him abt 6 sigma being a statistical process and probabilities involved

p1:what errors are u familiar with as a commerce student?
me:tell him thet...

p2:have u got a call from XLRI as well? (mentioned that somewhere in the form )
me: yes sir...

p2:where will u join if u get both the final calls?
me:give him the standard answer...

p2:will a trial balance agree even if there are errors in the accounting records?
me:yes sir....and explain the same to him....

p2:u have mentioned only acad accomplishments. arent others(social accomplishments) important?
me:tell him how i was involved in fund raising for orphanages and old age homes upto my 12th and how i didnt have the time since then....

p2: thank you...
me:thank you sir....

thats it folks.

bye..

[Che Guevara]

Int in mum 24 - FEB

GD

Topic was if we look at history we find that more crimes were committed because of obedience rather than due to rebellion

Group was cool. Not a structured discussion...everybody was just giving examples from Jesus Christ to Pol Pot every eg was discussed. I was the last person to talk (had got a bit flustered by then) gave some crappy eg. )was happy to just open my mouth) Later as GD progressed got a lot more air time....spoke some sense later n made coupla good points(altho feedback was that i was a bit hyper throughout...shows the imp of having a good start)

PI

Was the 4th guy to enter...till then the feedback was int is all acads, acads n more acads spiced with some juicy tidbits like Taylor theorem , Simplex method.....

Was pretty relaxed it was going to be a cool interview since my ans wud be the same for all these Q's.-IDK

Actually i was thinking of different ways to express my feelings since "I dont know" would sound pretty monotonous n the IIMs like all other Bschools look for "diversity"

Lets cut to the chase-

Panel 2 male profs (A, B) n urs truly (S)

A: So tell me something bout urself
S: blah blah black sheep...

B: What do u mean by u like to play carrom
S: I mean that I like to play carrom (what else does it mean) n i play carrom when i just want to relax or during weekends...

A: So tell me what is the problem our country faces especially socio economic
S: blah blah

every 5 sec A used to egg me on with encouraging words like "arre what r u talking", "How can i believe this" "Cmon ur statement does not make sense"
neway i stuck to my stance...

However shud say that the discussion was not too bad

A: Ok Ok (seems pretty bored...which was how he always seemed) u tell me what r the solutions to these issues
S: The initiative taken my IIM K by emphasizing on social values n making students realize

Before i can say anymore

A: So lets take the global scenario, whats the biggest issue facing the world now
S: The polarization of the world between the haves (US n rest) n the

Before i can say anymore

A: So what is ur stance on the Iraq issue
S: I think American actions are justified....blah blah (Phew!! finally i get to complete a sentence)

Meanwhile all this while B is busy scribbling something down. On spotting a lull in the discussion comes up with an operations cum math problem that he was framing all this while(mind u notin related to my acads). shud say that this problem was pretty easy (tho i may have goofed up a lil)

B: how can this be possible pls explain wrt to this Bisleri bootle (Q was how is cost of a product related to the no. of units produced)
S: The economies of scale sir, For a market leader like Bisleri

B: Iam dont care if it is market leader or not
S: ok When u mass produce u have the leverage to procure raw material at a cheaper rate

B: So u r saying that cost of a product is not related to the market demand, profit margin etc
S: Of course it is but i was just stating that the scale at which it is produced is also a factor

B: (Not seeming at all convinced) Ok u may go now
S: Tnk u

S: wats wrong with me? is it my appearance?.... not a single acad or worl ex Q

But i dont know if this is good or bad becos till now ive heard that everyone was grilled(or atleast questioned) on his acads n work ex to some extent.
Just dont know wat to make of the interview ?

Moral: Whatever u say they will try n cut u. so if u know that u r rite, try n justify ur point. Yes n they were tryin to create a lil stress n tension in the interview (altho i wudnt call this a stress interview)


Cheers
_C-

[catiscrazy]

Hi

I am a final year student of Instrumentation engg with decent extracurrics(damn,no space in the form to write them ) and not so decent acads
I had my gd/pi today-11.30 slot.....reached there around 10.45.....gathered from the earlier group that there were 2 panels-one was hardcore technical,the other was general,well,well,well....also met this guy from my batch who started filling his form at 11.00 .....

There were 7 in my gd(1 absent).....topic was weird .....a paragraph on how it is important to have confidence,self-respect,humility,creativity......(u name the quality,u got it).,reasons for these were not given,just the statements....peaceful gd,though more examples than concrete analysis,also only positives were harped on .The gd was very,very,very short..8-10 mins.Damn,just when we were beginning to warm up.One interesting aspect was the gd started out with this dood giving edison's eg of 100 failures and everyone else wanted to start with the SAME point.....well,guess the quickest draw wins .

PI- Was grilled on some core Instrumentation subjects for abt 15 mins....was decent though the interviewer seemed to have a split personality...1 moment he was praising me 'good' the next moment he was like'what rubbish...u know nothing'.Or else 'explain in detail...assume we know nothing' and a moment later'why do you waste so much time...why cant you get to the main aspects'
.However,the prof was knowledgable....man,how do these profs manage to know so many things under the sun?!?
Some questions than on random sampling which I dint handle too well(and am still kicking myself for it) .

Thats it my interview......2 down,3 more to go.....although a longish break of nearly 3 weeks.....Oh well,need to start attending college now.

Cheers,
Kartik.

[hanoz]

IIM K Interview on 23rd Feb 11:30 in Vashi, Navi Mumbai

I reach around 10:30, see three rooms, two with closed doors CONFERENCE and RECREATION, one with an open door and folks sitting inside. Ppl were waiting for their turn in the previous batch and chaps in my batch were slowly trickling in. One fellow was describing the seating and behavioral patterns of the interviewers while another spoke at length on one's liking for BPL and C K Prahalad and current business affairs. One girl from Electronics and Comm. bkgrnd (Madhuri, a PGite methinx) comes out bubbling with enthusiasm and starts giving an account of her interview... in my opinion it was a very good one...

2 gentlemen arrive, welcome us, split us into 2 groups. In our group, 7 out of 8 are present... there are 2 panel members for the GD & PI, a lady & a gentleman

"An old and prestigious college in England, the Imperial College is going to change its policy and admit a class comprising of 50% international students for the sole reason that "International students pay full fees (w/o scholarships , subsidies, etc.) as compared to British and European students". Critics argue that such a move would devalue the worth of the country's degree/education"

The discussion was pretty cool, almost everyone got a fair chance to speak, I spoke around 4-5 times and the discussion lasted for 10 minutes precisely when we were asked to end the talk and wait for our turn. We were interviewed in the order in which we sat for the GD.

I am fourth to be called in. Ppl. warned me that the lady really stresses people out.

Interviewers : P1 (gentleman), P2 (lady)
Me : H

H : Enter, wish them, sit and hand over certificates

P1 : looks at my documents
P2 : So you are studying Engineering...

H : No ma'am, I've passed in June '04.

P2 : Oh, ok... so you're working?
H : Not working ma'am, but yes, I do have a job... and it has been deferred... I speak about my situation and the reasons behind it... also what else I did in the meanwhile... they do some cross questioning but in the end, they look satisfied.

P2 : Hmm... so you've got a job at XYZ Ltd, eh? (smiling) What's the market cap. of XYZ ?
H : I don't know the market cap but I do know that the shares are currently trading at Rs. xyz.

P2 : You've got a job in this company and you don't know its market cap?
H : (smiling) No ma'am, I'm not aware of it's market cap.

P2 : Ok... tell me something about some acquisitions by XXYYZZ (parent group of XYZ).
H : I tell one...

P2 : (almost laughing) That is ancient!
H : (smiling) Can't recall the recent ones ma'am.

P2 : You haven't heard of A and B- names two companies (never heard of these)
H : (still smiling) No ma'am, 'fraid not.

P2 : You've not heard of B??? (looks at the other interviewer, who's still reading my certificates, turns towards me) What do you know about B?
H : As I said ma'am, I've not heard about it.

P2 : And where is B located?
H : As I don't know what B is, I do not know where it is either. (smile)

P2 : And C ??? (this one I had heard recently, though it slipped my mind earlier)
H : Yes ma'am, that one's been in the news lately, I do recall reading-say something about it.

P2 : Actually the deal's a year old but yah, it's been in the news lately, whatever... In this time you must have done some reading, you know, business reading?
H : Yes ma'am, as in, I have been reading, but not specifically business related matter.

P2 : (smiling... moving in for the kill) Tell me about C K Prahalad's latest book.
H : Not read his book, ma'am (smile)

P2 : You've not read his book? (looks like she'll laugh any minute)
H : I do know who C K Prahalad is and I do know what he does and where he is, but I have not read his books.

P2 : Tell me something about CKP
H : I tell about his education ... which batch of IIMA, what medal he got, what he did later, where he teaches right now... (i also knew where he lives and a lot more about him, but felt that I've got 'da point across, so I didn't elaborate)

P2 : What is his main work on?
H : Core competency. He has not coined the term or invented the idea, but yes, he has contributed substantially to the concept.

P1 : And what do you understand by core competency?
H : Not much, because I have not studied it... but yes, I believe, and this is just my inference based on the term, that core competency means..... speak on what I think it is... (turning towards the lady) actually, as far as reading is concerned, I'm more into Feynman...

P2 : What? Flying men?? (She and I, both felt like laughing)
H : Feyman, Richard Feynman (the lady nods) and apart from that I'm also into Calvin and Hobbes... (the gentleman is now interested) I give some details about that and in the spirit of the talk, let it pass where my project has been...

P1 : You specialized in..?
H : Electronics and Communications, sir

P1 : (smiling softly) Yes, yes... (now the real tech grilling begins) Tell me your favourite subject...

H : I liked all subjects related to my project, most related to communication.

P1 : Tell me the biggest disadvantage of satellite communications
H : Lack of privacy... gyaan about it being an essentially broadcast system, etc

P1 : You mean that if I use my phone to call up somewhere, with all this encryption being used... you can listen to it?
H : I can't, but the CIA probably can. (smiles all around) What I mean to say is that with the proper equipment, it is quite possible to intercept and decipher such a conversation. And at the same time, when you'll call up with your phone, it is NOT satellite communication, it is simply cellular communication, nevertheless, in a localized manner, a wireless broadcast system, theoretically open to interception.

P1 : Yes, yes... but any other disadvantage?

H : Yes sir, It has a long propagation delay...
P1 : How much?
H : Not very sure about that, but it is long enough to discourage the use of digital interleavers, which otherwise form an essential component of coding for communications these days...
P1 : No, no, but how much, you know, in seconds...
H : Once again sir, I am not sure, it could be xyz msec. but it's just my estimate... but I do know, that in my project, concerning sat.com., the design specifications explicitly excluded the interleavers because the buffer period would significantly delay the audio, as to make the gap unacceptably long.

P1 : What is a geosynchronous satellite?
H : ... explain...
P1 : And what is a geostationary satellite?
H : umm... it should be the same thing... because a geostationary satellite would be geosynchronous... but once again, I have not studied this in detail, so I wouldn't be 100% sure on this... in my opnion, they are one and the same...
P1 : Then why have two names for them? What a waste... eh?
H : (smile) In English, we've got synonyms... (turning to P2) a field to which, an entire branch of eduction is dedicated. (both smile)

P1 : You know any other kind of satellite?
H : Yes sir, ... tell about LEOs (low earth orbiting satellites), polar satellites, those with elliptical path, etc.
P1 : What's the point of LEOs?
H : ... gyan ... mention Iridium sometime...
P1 : How many satellites did they intend to have?
H : Tell them, and tell them the logic behind the name...
P2 : So why did it fail?
H : ... gyan...

P1 : Ok, tell me something about PCM...
H : ... detaied gyan ...
P1 : So what's the quantization used in it?
H : PCM is a technique, I could use any quantization that I please, but for good quality voice 16 bits should be a good idea.
P1 : No, no... in the PCM standard, internationally, what's the number of bits used?
H : I wouldn't be able to comment accurately on that as I have not studied the standard but the technology... but as I said, I could use a sampling rate and bit resolution as per my application... eg. 16 bit... etc. etc.
P1 : Why not 8 bit?
H : 8 bit can also be used... for that matter I can even use 4 bits... or any number that I please.. but then it is a matter of how much quality you wish to sacrifice.... 4 bit resolution PCM would obviously give worse quality sound than 8 bit PCM... So it is a matter of design specifications and the quality required.

P1 : You said that you had your project at ABC ?!
H : (smiling) yes sir, I did, through my final year.

P1 : So what did you do there?
H : explain my project, general terms.... actually it was related to WCDMA-based system design and implementation...

P1 : Who standardizes WCDMA ?
H : ITU, Actually, the technical name for the WCDMA standard is IMT 2000 FDD... explain the meaning of each term...

P1 : Tell me the differences between cdma2000 and WCDMA...
H : Talk about different standards, single carrier/multi carrier, synchronous/asynchronous base stations, marginally different chip rates, backward compatibility with IS 95, dependence on GPS, proprietory Qualcomm system, etc... basically some tech gyaan

P1 : Has WCDMA actually been implemented?
H : Yes sir... i tell one actual implementation cell coverage in Japan, give the company, etc. and tell about an upcoming implementation in circles in Europe, and name the company in this case...

P2 : Ok, H, tell me, why management? ( I had been warned that this was the lady's killer question, the mega stress inducer)

H : ... tell them my reasons... opinions, specific honest stuff... no beating around the bush... I guess that pays coz the two just smiled.

P2 : (Smiling) Thank you H, you can leave.
P1 : And here are your certificates.

H : Thank them and leave....

That's it folks. All in all, go in with an open mind, without any pre-conceived notions about the interviewers. Be honest. The interviewers are great ppl. You'll have a very nice experience if you stay calm.

All the Best,
... Hanoz

[sriks]

my profile:
cat=99.85%le, b.e mech, 6months break for cat ,no work ex.




interview/gd



Gd was article based . it was about BCCI ,using funds for other sports in India etc. 8 members in the g.d . 2 minutes given to think and g.d went on for 15 minutes. No summary required.

People were decent and I made solid points regularly.



Interview

There were 3 panels handling the 3 gd groups. Moderators themselves were the interviewers.





My panel had 2 members. Interview duration 20 mins.



P1=first proff

P2= second proff.

M= me



P1: tell me about ur self?

M: I am so and so . my name means so and so. My family back ground. My childhood and how I was always interested in doing some thing new etc. 2/3 mins.


P1: still eagerly listening to me.
M: I went in to how I participated in extracurriculars in college and went on to tell a 5 min. story of the placement activity we initiated .


P2: what is this social service thing u mentioned in the form?
M: explained abt the organization, the project and what I did in that.


P2: u are talking of slum upliftment. So if u were made the incharge of the process, which member of the family would u empower??
M: definitely the women of the family.


P2: why??
M: explained about Indian family system , where in woman is more responsible, central fabric etc.



P2: don’t u think men will feel bad?/

M: if the man is irresponsible, even if he feels bad it doesn’t matter. He will at;east try to correct himself. For responsible men it shouldn’t be a prob. So there might be some ego problems but there are major benefits.


P1: what was ur percentile last year?? didnt u get any calls?
M: no sir.

P1: suppose u get through any of these 5 iims and are given a choice between 10lakh p.a. job and a 25000 p.m ngo job, which one will you take?/


M: I will definitely go for the first option. Because I am more concerned a
bout my career and financial security as of now . And also I can always support any ngo through monetary support. So its just the delegation of work.

P1k. do u have any questions for us??
M: what is the change in batch strength at iim k??

P2: press keeps writing all things . there is no change we know of.

Pi: ok thank you.

M: thank you.

[buzzeG]

Originally Posted by pendyal

hi everyone...
the gd went well with everyone contributing...
the pi also went well.there were 2 profs on the panel.heres how it went....

p1:have u read any books recently?

p1:any management books?

p1:why jack welch is regarded as great leader?

did u mention ny thing bout reading books in ur form or was it a question out of the blue?

Originally Posted by pendyal

p1:what was GE famous for in the 1980s?


p1:what is 6 sigma?
me:tell him that

p1:u mean 3.4 errors in 1 million transactions.....wont that take a lot of time to happen(1 million transactions).does a company have to wait till then to get certified?
me:tell him abt 6 sigma being a statistical process and probabilities involved

are u expected to know all this funda

overall
looks asthough these guys arent interested in guys in the higher band of cat scores

[sahithi]

My background:
B Tech Comp Sci
Work exp 15 months in TCS (software engineer)

CAT : 99.41 percentile
BLACK, MDI, NITIE

Reporting 24th Feb 11:30 batch Chennai

GD : clipping on self confidence leading to openness, flexibility , humility , …… learning from mistakes , taking other’s views ….. very vague topic and so was the gd
Average discussion by all of us , but no straining statements tho’



PI:

P1 and P2 : both of them friendly , relaxed ,not very enthu and not aloof as well …
S:Me

Mine is the first PI in our gd group … peace
But the 9:00 batch … all of them were grilled on acads … no personal questions , not much of hobbies ….. dint like to hear that

P1: take ur seat

P2:leave ur certificates here ( both of them went thru the certis during the talk)
P1:so how would u like to introduce urself
S: (very happy at the chance ) … did my best starting with my name meaning
P1: so what good did u do (my name has that meaning)
S: basically the good is I dint do anything bad …. And talked about giving back to society
P2:So Jane Austen novels…what of hers did u read
S:almost all of them sir
P2:Can you give us the names
S:named some 7 of them
P2:Which do u like best?and why?
S: told about the fav and why relating it to main character
P2: what is so great about her(the main character)
S: …… and she knows what she wants from life and what she doesn’t want sir
P2: what do u want in life?
S:….told long term career goals … also told on personal front
P2:what would u not want?
S:…….. talked some patriotic stuff … and ended with ant to escape from the excessive greed
by this time P2 completed seeing my certis and asked about some dates on TCS appointment letter and saw the score card and passed the file to P1
S:I explain the training program in TCS and clarify the dates thing
P2:how do u pronounce trivendrum?
S: said it
P2:laughs … two months in Trivendrum …?
S: donno sir and laughs …
P2:so u must have got all calls
S:missed Indore sir
P2: so if u get thru A,B and say K … and given that u r top performer in TCS training , u top the IIM too , offered a salary of say 1,50,000 US $ in an MNC , would u go for it … (bcoz I said greed and stuff in my previous question)
S: depends on the value it offers me sir
P2:In IIMs MP govt put up posters asking students to join the state govt with 25,000 rs and perks and u get to report to CM directly , would u take that up
S: that is exactly the kind of profile I’m looking for sir … given reporting to CM it must definitely be a challenging job sir
P1: what exactly u mean by challenging?and laughs
S: sir I’ll get to influence the policy …. Though final decisions are effected by all the political pressures , I can atleast try to bring some change.
P1:so ur weakness is u get impatient with delays , what is that, then will u compromise on quality for time
S: gave an example in the organization for explaining it
Then told depends on what client needs more .
P1:client may not tell but he might want , how can u take the decision all by urself?
S: only when the requirements are clear , I’ll …. In any ambiguous case , I will not take a hasty decision.
P1:so u’ll compromise?
S: depends on situation , system … talked about code , requirements and maintenance phase …
P2: asks about swimming (my current hobby) … name some famous swimmers
S: I don’t follow prof swimming sir …..just do it to keep fit (dint want to be quizzed on that) …. But still gives the Ian Thorpe name …
P2: how often do u swim?
P2:where?
P2: which strokes u know?
S:told about still learning butterfly
P2: others all u r proficient?
Here P1 asked few more questions , I’m not able to recollect ..
P2: one last question … u have been into NCC , so what three things did NCC teach that others dint ?
S: others dint teach sir?
P2: ok dint teach that strongly
S: started with me leading our scouts … and managing people
P2: interrupts … three bullet points please … and both of them see at each other and laugh … so first one is manage
S: number two is endurance sir
P2: oh physical endurance
S: both physical and mental sir
S: third is diversity … met many people

P1:so where is kozhikode?
S:north of kerala sir
P2: thank you
P1:thank you
All smiles
S: thank you sir



am ok with my performance ... what say?
sahithi

[oracle]

seems like our profs are going for a stress pattern this time around... so just be strong (very strong) on things you know and retain ur calm

should get you through

best of luck for all who have their interviews

b_s

[badboys]

guys. just maintain ur cool for IIMK GD and PI... it is just that u will be tested for ur patience and you can always expect a bit of operations fundas say six sigma and quality gurus.. dont take these words seriously btw.... just give it ur best shot

nitin

[anks4u]

hi everyone
best of luck to all who have their interviews tomm.