[2008] IIMA PI Experiences

MBA CAT 2023
1

fellow puys, as the I-day dawns upon us, we all take another step in our endeavour to enter those hallowed portals…and here’s the thread to write down your experience with the intelligentsia of WIMWI… good luck to guys who’ll be there a…

2
fellow puys,
as the I-day dawns upon us, we all take another step in our endeavour to enter those hallowed portals...and here's the thread to write down your experience with the intelligentsia of WIMWI...
good luck to guys who'll be there at the kick-off tomorrow
------------------------
And for the benefit of everyone concerned, please keep the format like this:
PROFILE:
Acads:
X
XII
Undergrad Major - GPA/%age
Work-Ex:
NIL/Sector - Number of Years
CAT %ile:
DI
Quant
Verbal
Aggregate
Any other special thing abt u:
GD:
Topic:
Number of Ppl present
Time:
Brief Snapshot of Discussion:
Other Salient Details: As whether summary was asked to be written or not, Time given, and other stuff.
PI:
Panel Members Intro:
Questions:
MISC.
Any other relevant detail.



The Mecca of Management beckons you!
3

Whoever is posting their First Experience, please mention whether there was a case or a GD or neither (Call Letters Say only PI)

Thanks

4
Whoever is posting their First Experience, please mention whether there was a case or a GD or neither (Call Letters Say only PI)

Thanks

hey guys,
talked to a friend who had his interview today morning

we ll be having an essay..... time given: 10 mins; space: blank space at the end of the form.

interviews as usual were exhaustive and pretty chilled out...

looking frwrd to read some experiences guys... :)

regards
devang.
5
hey guys,
talked to a friend who had his interview today morning

we ll be having an essay..... time given: 10 mins; space: blank space at the end of the form.

interviews as usual were exhaustive and pretty chilled out...

looking frwrd to read some experiences guys... :)

regards
devang.


Is there any GD on the topic after writing the essay?
6
zenith2006 Says
Is there any GD on the topic after writing the essay?

nope, no GD.
7

Hi Devang, what was the topic for essay............

8
nidhesh Says
Hi Devang, what was the topic for essay............

one of the topic was concerning " the decreasing female-to-male ratio"...
i dont know the exact topic, this was what my friend told me

regards,
devang.
9

one was abt whether cricket should be made national sport

10

hello,
done with my IIMA interview
was a pathetic performance from my side.
i will miss being a part of such a hallowed insti.

essay: i do not want to be the prime minister of india because...


int:
P:tell us something about urself
M: bla bla
P: what are vectors?
M: told
P: how do u add 2 vectors?
M: told
M: wanted to mention the triangle law, but forgot.
P: how are they multiplied?
M: could not recollect.
P: what are their applications?
M: mentioned mechanics, talked about force; its horizontal and vertical components.
P: diff types of tournaments in tennis (mentioned tennis as a hobby)
M: told
P: diff between the grand-slams
M: told
P: anything diff about davis cup?
M: told
P: why did u join ur comp late (joining was in nov '07)
M: mentioned its comp policy
P: why not a core company?
M: said tht there are few core comp on campus placement, come in 8th sem, no assurance of coming (last minute cancellations occur) so did nt want to take a risk and sat for IT
P: diff between manager and leader
M: told leadership an integral skill of a manager, but only one of the many others.
P grilled on these lines, i admitted i am confused. said yes u r confused.

am from ahmedabad, and the rest of the int was on tht.
P: history of ahmedabad
M: told something on tht...
P: where is ahmedabad in gujarat?
M: central region.
P: what co ords (tropic of cancer passes nearby)
M: dont know
P: where does tropic pass thru in india?
M: dont know
P: cancer or capricorn?
M: confused
P: degree?
M: 23.5
P: north or south
M:south (know its north)
P: there are some african comm in gir forests. how did they come?
M: maybe they migrated here in the 16-17 th centuries for better trade prospects.
P: where is gir forest w.r.t. ahmedabad
M: not sure.
P: who is esther david?
M: dont know

i know, from my answers, i dont deserve a seat here. i hope i do marginally better in the remaining calls. the dream of studying at IIMA will remain just that-a dream.

anyways all is not lost yet. next stop: IIM I.

regards,
devang.


PS: i know my int wont be of much use to most of puys here. since it was personal and ahmedabad-specific. but still, had a smaller dream of writing such a post someday (IIMA int experience) so went ahead and realised that.

11
hello,
done with my IIMA interview
was a pathetic performance from my side.
i will miss being a part of such a hallowed insti.

essay: i do not want to be the prime minister of india because...


int:
P:tell us something about urself
M: bla bla
P: what are vectors?
M: told
P: how do u add 2 vectors?
M: told
M: wanted to mention the triangle law, but forgot.
P: how are they multiplied?
M: could not recollect.
P: what are their applications?
M: mentioned mechanics, talked about force; its horizontal and vertical components.
P: diff types of tournaments in tennis (mentioned tennis as a hobby)
M: told
P: diff between the grand-slams
M: told
P: anything diff about davis cup?
M: told
P: why did u join ur comp late (joining was in nov '07)
M: mentioned its comp policy
P: why not a core company?
M: said tht there are few core comp on campus placement, come in 8th sem, no assurance of coming (last minute cancellations occur) so did nt want to take a risk and sat for IT
P: diff between manager and leader
M: told leadership an integral skill of a manager, but only one of the many others.
P grilled on these lines, i admitted i am confused. said yes u r confused.

am from ahmedabad, and the rest of the int was on tht.
P: history of ahmedabad
M: told something on tht...
P: where is ahmedabad in gujarat?
M: central region.
P: what co ords (tropic of cancer passes nearby)
M: dont know
P: where does tropic pass thru in india?
M: dont know
P: cancer or capricorn?
M: confused
P: degree?
M: 23.5
P: north or south
M:south (know its north)
P: there are some african comm in gir forests. how did they come?
M: maybe they migrated here in the 16-17 th centuries for better trade prospects.
P: where is gir forest w.r.t. ahmedabad
M: not sure.
P: who is esther david?
M: dont know

i know, from my answers, i dont deserve a seat here. i hope i do marginally better in the remaining calls. the dream of studying at IIMA will remain just that-a dream.

anyways all is not lost yet. next stop: IIM I.

regards,
devang.


PS: i know my int wont be of much use to most of puys here. since it was personal and ahmedabad-specific. but still, had a smaller dream of writing such a post someday (IIMA int experience) so went ahead and realised that.

I think it was just fine dude. How you answered the questions is as important as the answers themselves. That is something people can't gauge by the description of your interview. Most people do not have a favorable opinion of their performance in such interviews. Chill out and go through rest of your interviews. I think you have a fair chance of making it
12
hello,
done with my IIMA interview
was a pathetic performance from my side.
i will miss being a part of such a hallowed insti.

........


i know, from my answers, i dont deserve a seat here. i hope i do marginally better in the remaining calls. the dream of studying at IIMA will remain just that-a dream.

anyways all is not lost yet. next stop: IIM I.

regards,
devang.


PS: i know my int wont be of much use to most of puys here. since it was personal and ahmedabad-specific. but still, had a smaller dream of writing such a post someday (IIMA int experience) so went ahead and realised that.


Couldn't understand the reason of such overhelming pessimism. There is no serious flaw as such in your interview (at least from what you have written).

And, all experiences are valuable for other applicants. It's useful to the Ahd junta at least and the qsns from Vector is another part which junta needs to care abt (at least I do ). Any specific reason for them to go into vectors buddy? anything specific in your profile or just plain acads thing?

Anirban
13

hmm... so the A-day had arrived..
all the hard work.. wishing, praying, pleading was going to be called into action... i was pretty much calm (thank God, humans cant see the future :biggrin:) but the mind knew what was at stake and the previous 24 hours were terrible..

profile:
10th 87%
12th 90%
MBBS 72%
CAT: 99.95 (all calls)

8.15 a.m. i leave home and walk down to the campus.. gee ye..walked down..:p just 2 mins) and was guided to the venue by two very helpful gentlemen..
at the center poeple kept themselves occupied with two contentious issues..what is Ref No.? Will there be a case study? PGites were not bothered with either For the record, Ref No is the Roll No. and there is no Case study.. there is however an essay writing on a general topic.. you have 10 mins to think and write at the end of which papers are mercilessly snatched :biggrin: 10 mins is a good idea.. 30 at lucknow was simply too stretched.. topic was worsening female to male ratio in india
then they categorically said 20 mins per canddate on average for the interview.. and pretty much followed it.. slightly exceeding at times but never less..

my chance came at 10.20
there were three profs who asked questions and a fourth who just observed 😲 woh char aur me adha.. bahut nainsaafi thi :-(
P1,2,3 from left to right.. P2seniormost.. most cordial, pleasant to talk to.. nodded at answers 😛 P1 who lead the operation stress on me, assisted by P3.. setup was like CBI grilling a convict.. playing on people's minds.. one is nice to you.. one is harsh... two people talk simultaneously to you demanding answers.. blurting soft abuses at you completely wrecking the psyche..

P2 took my HR (5 mins)..
P3 checked my general awareness and academics (7-8 mins)..
P1..... took me apart!! for full 15-20 minutes i tried to brave the storm and verbal volleys and whether i was succesful april will tell..
all the while when one was asking, another was reading the data form in full detail and also listening (as we'll see :biggrin: and the third prof was seeing the certificates..


P2: interview started with tell me about yourself which i took 1-2 mins to answer without being cut off.. few chitchats regarding my college, hospital where i work..
P2: what role do you see yourself playing after management..
..
P2: name some corporate hospitals
...
chief of apollo
.. read but forgot
corporate structure of apollo
..listed co.
hm..yes..so does it have a board of directors
...yes
diff between corporate and general hospitals
... 1 minute lecture
P2 satisfied and hands over to P3
P3: countries which have a better sex ratio than india (continuing frm the essay topic)
...sri lanka
why
...literacy to an extent
why
smaller country, easier for them to achieve higher literacy (crappy point)..easier to govern
P3 started askin a question and stopped..and said did you say sri lanka is well governed
...no sir..easier to govern
ever been to sri lanka?
...no sir 😲 other countries with a favourable sex ratio
... scandinavian countries..norway sweden
do norway and sweden have PNDT act (its a law in india which i'd mentioned n the essay.. the law banning prenatal sex determination by sonography etc.)
..i cant say sir
tell me about this dengue..how ds it spread.why does it come back every year
...
whts with the uk doctors right now (indian doctors in uk)
..told what i knew
something more recent..a new develoment
..sorry sir, havnt read
tell me about bombay.. raj thackeray
.. took the maximum time to answer this question.. had to choose between diplomacy and fact.. went with the fact.. said raj is wrong

signals to P1.he is all yours..
P1: so how many from your batch are thinking about alternative careers
..4 of us
why did you decide to stick your necks out
..coz i had the courage
P3 interjects: this is not the indian army ..
all laugh out and me too.. these were ominous signs of wht was coming..
..yes sir.. but to go against fixed mindsets, go against norms requires courage, i have not given any of our postgraduate entrance exams, i had to take a call and i chose cat..i have staked 2 years.. requires courage
P3: you have written here your salary is 40,000. is that annual? :biggrin:
..yes sir..its my stipend
pretty meagre..and what will a doctor earn.. 20k, 25k? and here..you'll earn lakhs..so why dont you say that
..sir thats definitely a reason, i would have mentioned it as the second or third reason
P1: I call it opportunism
..sir the opportunity was available to everyone who wanted to take it..
P1: so how did you decide for an mba
...
P1: what analgoy between an operating heart surgeon and a manager
...he has to plan well
ah..plan..define planning
.. mumbled 2-3 words and cut
define team
..group of people..
team readiness
.. preparedness to...
have you heard of contingency..define
..started something
P1: Listen..dont be a cowboy..evrytime you take out a pistol and start firing..listen to the question, let me finish, think and answer
..sorry sir, I'll do that now
does everybody in the team know wht they have to do..is it a formula
..pretty much everybody knows and went on for 15 seconds..first chance to speak..
asked few more questions and cut me when i started to speak..
havent you heard of an operational plan
..yes sir, there's a protocol
you should be knowing all this.. youre a doctor.. you should be telling me all this.. come on.. you are dsappointing me..
...gave a meek smile
...sir lets take a specific example.. a patient of myocadial infarction comes, he is taken straight to the ot..there's no time to plan there..its a prettyu much standardised procedure, all members of the team know their task and it goes pretty much smoothly until something goes amiss..then they all spring into action
P1 mimics.. so they spring in action and laughs sarcastically
.. sir if its an elective procedure, planning starts much before.. patient asked not to eat,drink overnight..morning ot should be sterilised and ready on time..
so the surgeon will do that
..no he'll delegate bt its his responsibility in the end..
grilling went on..
have you heard of diffusion
..
where in human body
..digestion,respiration
defne
... whole defn was correct..made a small mistake towards the end which he picked up.. (mentioned 'across a semipermeable membrane..which is not a must..God.. they're so sharp)
if i inject a drug into my vein is there diffusion
..first no, immediately yes
how long does it take to spread throughout the body
..2-3 mins
depends on?
..drug, volume of blood in body. cardiac output
yes.. now you are talking some sense..
..relieved
can you derive the 2-3 minutes take a paper and pen
..tried but couldnt..said difusion would likely follow some complex mathematical models (no idea what makes me blurt out such things )
ahh.. you're speaking some big things, define mathematics
..smiled
no, define it
...mathematics is the science of..
science? i say it is a language
..thought for 5 seconds..nodded said yes sir you can say its a language
so you agree with me..
..yes sir,... but its also a science
in between he'd glanced at the watch..
gives over to P2

asks me about thermometer working and said does the initial level of mercury determine final temperature
..said no, explained
you mean if first patient has temp 106 and then you give to another pt whose temp is 105 will mercury contract?
..yes sir
yes?
..yes

then there was a controversy regarding a certificate of mine.. (with P1) explained the case..finally said sir you can choose to disregard that certificate and what i ave written in the form..

thats it..thank you rohan.. nice talkin to you (P2 and P3 :p:p )

and then the ultimate blooper..
P3 held his hand forward i went forward for a handshake.. he said take a toffee.. can somebody beat that.. :biggrin::biggrin:
...took one toffee..
no no take two
... by then i was in no condition to argue..
... took two!


10.50
half an hour I wont forget.

Update on 06.05.08
CONVERTED!!!

14
Couldn't understand the reason of such overhelming pessimism. There is no serious flaw as such in your interview (at least from what you have written).

And, all experiences are valuable for other applicants. It's useful to the Ahd junta at least and the qsns from Vector is another part which junta needs to care abt (at least I do ). Any specific reason for them to go into vectors buddy? anything specific in your profile or just plain acads thing?

Anirban

hey,
the pessimism was because i messed up on basic geography.
anyways its not in my hands now.

no reason for them to ask vectors or maths for that matter.
they asked me to "tell them something about myself"; i highlighted some strengths and achievements. and they jumped on to vectors :)

regards,
devang.
15

Hey Rohan! Dude, i'm from PHSS. Ashish Kulkarni, 2004 batch if u remember.
Me too BLACKI man, read about yours in TOI when i was home.
Good interview dude, u'll get through man..

16
hmm... so the A-day had arrived..
all the hard work.. wishing, praying, pleading was going to be called into action... i was pretty much calm (thank God, humans cant see the future :biggrin:) but the mind knew what was at stake and the previous 24 hours were terrible..


10.50
half an hour I wont forget.


Well done buddy. none of us are astrologers (Thankfully), but I seriously think you can consider WIMWI in pocket


1 naive question - What kind of thermometer are we talking abt here? AFAIK, if it is a clinical thermometer then contraction is not possible (he he, I know I am talking to a doc here. it's a genuine query )

Anirban
17



1 naive question - What kind of thermometer are we talking abt here? AFAIK, if it is a clinical thermometer then contraction is not possible (he he, I know I am talking to a doc here. it's a genuine query )

Anirban


ya.. i know.. messed up big time.. and that was the last question..
i'll concentrate on B,C and I now.. dont thnk A will convert.. too many blunders and big ones.. anyways.. got to move on.. 😞
18
hmm... so the A-day had arrived..
all the hard work.. wishing, praying, pleading was going to be called into action... i was pretty much calm (thank God, humans cant see the future :biggrin:) but the mind knew what was at stake and the previous 24 hours were terrible..

profile:
10th 87%
12th 90%
MBBS 72%
CAT: 99.95 (all calls)

and then the ultimate blooper..
P3 held his hand forward i went forward for a handshake.. he said take a toffee.. can somebody beat that.. :biggrin::biggrin:
...took one toffee..
no no take two
... by then i was in no condition to argue..
... took two!


10.50
half an hour I wont forget.


hey Rohan....listen....first of all ur kind of profile....99.95 with MBBS is rarest of rare....and IIMA will love to take u unless they found something really negative abt u..period! now going by ur interview.....if u maintained ur cool ...then u dont have anything to worry abt...... and yeah regarding that hand shake thing....that happens yar..last year one of my friend was asked for his file by prof ...and he thought that the prof wants to shake hand....so its ok....and that cant be a reason for rejection.....my take is that ur in.......
19

why does iima give toffees to everyone? and kisi ko 1 kisi ko 2 milti hai.. wonder if this is some sort of signal....

20
Request.
Try not to judge your interview. One can never make out. A feeling of poor performance does not necessarliy mean that one has messed it up.
Similarly a good interview does not gaurantee a final call.