[2009-2011] IIMC PGDM GD/PI Experiences

All the best to everyone for their C interviews and please do post in your experinces.It would be good if we can use an earlier format. For the benefit of everyone concerned, please keep the format like this: *PROFILE: *Acads: X…

All the best to everyone for their C interviews and please do post in your experinces.It would be good if we can use an earlier format.

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.

Request:
1. Kindly do not post anything other than your experiences of IIM C GD-PI.
2. For queries, you can visit this thread http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/2009-2011iimc-pgdcm-gd-pi-call-getters-profile-admissions-queries-25036527
3. For appreciating an interview post use thank button, or if you want to show more, use PM.

All in all, keep this thread for what is meant!

Hey Guys,

IIM-C interviews starting from today.
All the best to everyone for your C interviews and please post your GD/PI experiences.It would be good if we can use an earlier format.

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:
Time:
Any Other Details:

PI:
Panel Members Intro:
Questions:

MISC.
Any other relevant detail.

Request:
1. Kindly do not post anything other than your experiences of IIM C GD-PI.
2. For queries, you can visit this thread http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/2009-2011iimc-pgdm-gd-pi-call-getters-profile-admissions-queries-25036526
3. For appreciating an interview post use thank button, or if you want to show more, use PM.

All in all, keep this thread for what is meant!

PROFILE:

Acads:
X : 82.4
XII : 88.4
Undergrad - Mechanical Engineerings - 66.4

Venue : Hotel Monarch Luxor, Bangalore
Date : 09/03/2009 9:30am


GD:

Topic: "Only poor people are responsible for their poverty"
Number of Ppl present : 10 (round table so position not an issue)
Time: 20 mins
Brief Snapshot of Discussion: Went well, not a fish market with everyone allowing others to complete, it went on for over 14-15 mins i suppose.

Other Salient Details: 2 mins to prepare, 10 mins discussion, individual monologue

MISC: (my company deals with manufacturing and marketing of automotive speed governor, i was involved in developing the product as part of my grad project)

PI:

Panel Members Intro: 3 panelists, 2 professors 1 alumni (not disclosed to us), here on referred to as P1, P2, P3 and Me

P1 : so u come from cochin, cochin is a beautiful place, i've been there on a visit for 4days.
Me : 😃
P1 : So you work for xyz, tell us what you do in it
Me : told about the product, how i was involved in the development phase and what exactly was my contribution in the development of it.
P2 : once you complete your mba how will u view your product differently?
Me : told him as an engineer i would be focussed on making best quality product, but as a manager i would also consider the market, the pricing and the customer trends in that region.
P1 : ok, i'm a tourist to cochin, and your my host where all would u take me?
Me : told
P3 : whats the form of martial arts that originated from kerala?
Me : (somehow kalari slipped my mind he told me it starts with K and the i told)
P1 : which all states borders kerala
Me : told
P1 : northern most district in kerala
Me : told
P1 : recently an MP from Kannur was involved what was the reason?
Me : told him about Abdul Wahab calling the pilot a "glorified driver"
P1 : you interested in politics?
Me: yes sir very much :)
P2 : what do u think would be the outcome of the coming lok sabha elections in kerala state?
Me : told the LDF wouldn't dominate like they did last time
P3 : how many seats did they win last time?
Me : Sir 18 out of 20, Congress got only a single seat.
P1 : asked me to take him from cochin to calcutta by road?
Me : told TN,Kar,AP, Orissa, WB
P1 : ok, from calcutta to nagaland?
Me : Sir can i cross bangladesh, (No), sir probably through sikkim assam
P2 : you'll reach china if u cross sikkim but its ok we din't expect u to answer that.
Me : phew :)
P2 : from calcutta to delhi?
Me : told jharkand, up, delhi.
P3 : ur missing one state.
Me : sorry sir i'm not able to place it.

P1 to P2, P3 : i think we are done, thank you.
Me : thank you sirs...




Things to be noted :

>>all data was verified and photocopy's attached so carry a copy for all acad,work ex and extra curric activity....
>>no acads or math was asked to me, (thankfully for me despite having a dip of 29% from XIIth to Btech)
>>panelists were friendly and nice
>>for reservation students i think photocopy should be attested even though it isn't mentioned.
>> for work-ex proof, joining letter and salary slips will suffice. (i had got a letter as asked for IIM-K, he asked me if i have a salary slip, i hadn't taken it, he told its ok)

>> Enjoy the process :)

All the best everyone.....

VERDICT: CONVERT

Sorry fr spamming guys........

i just called one of my frnd , he had very funny topic of discussion ' Should there be international mens day'....... jai ho IIMC n his interview was all abt Dev D ( last movie he watched) n photography his passion......

no acads , not much GK............

Venue: IMI Delhi

PROFILE:

Acads:
X -- 81% UP Board
XII-- 81% UP Board
Undergrad Major - Computer Science
GPA/%age - 6.35

Work-Ex: 54 months in C-Dot, Microsoft, Stryker

Any other special thing abt u: nothing


GD:
Topic: 33% Reservation for woman in jobs. shoud it be there or not.
Number of Ppl present: 10
Time: 10 min, 2 min to think
Brief Snapshot of Discussion: Discussion was good, no fish market, entered four five times with good points that introduce in Education not in job and if in job then the percetage should be less so that they do nto become complacent. Also i gave the point that there should be a separate committee to remove reservation once it achieves its purpose to keep the political influence out. That committee should have equal number of male and female members... blah blah

Other Salient Details: After GD, they asked everyone in random order to give their opinion.

PI:
Panel Members Intro:
Old Prof(OP), Young Person (YP) may be Alum. I was the fifth person to be interviewed.

Questions:

YP: What do you know about the process today?
Moi: Sir this personal interview
YP: Yes
Moi: Sir, other candiates told
YP: (Cuts) Did they tell or you asked :detective: (when he came out to call the person before me, he saw me talking to the girl who was just interviewed. He went inside then again peeked out to look at me )
Moi: Sir i asked.. (they give a smile like :new_bat_angel: ) candidates told me that maths and general stuff is being stuff
YP: What general stuff? :detective:
Moi: Work ex, acads, extracurriculars


YP: Why did you leave a brand like microsoft and join Stryker(something like stryker, no reputation and you have committed a sin )?
Moi: Sir, Stryker is also a fortune 500 company but i left Microsoft for Personal Reasons, had to come near to home .. blah blah
YP: Sorry to hear that

OP: Draw the graph of Y = 1 / (x-1)
Moi: :crazyeye: Anyways tried drawing drew straight line y=-x
OP: This is wrong
Moi: drew some crap again
OP: You are from IIT we don't expect this from you
Moi: (ab to brand value bachani hai ) Sir give me one minute. within 30 seconds drew the hyperbolic graph.. aha

OP: What is ANN?
Moi: (i heard NAN , this easy). Sir not a number

OP: Where did this NAN come from? We asked ANN- artificial neural network
Moi: sorry sir my mistake i heard NAN as we were on a maths problem before this. Anyways, its interconnected neourons which are processing elements and take decisions based on learning etc .blah blah

OP: I am layman. Sahi se samajhao
Moi: ok, Lets take the previous maths example. I did it wrong initially but then you gave me chance, a computer program will say either i am disqualified or give me a second chance and hardcode my probability of success as 50% and i am successfull in second time. Its basically yes or no. But you might think that because of anxiety i did it wrong initially and give me an unbiased chance. Thats intelligence. This intelligence is to be put in machines and more like perception , common sense. And learning could be many types... So neurons are expected to perform the similar functionality.

YP: You said common Sense. Is it common?
Moi: No sir its not common.
YP: Its not "Very" Common
Moi: yes sir
YP: To machine mein daalne se ho jayega
Moi: I don't know sir.. They are still trying :tellme:

YP: You did something in NTU Singapore
Moi: yer sir, that was my summer internship. Total 10 students were selected, 4 from IIT Roorkee, 4 from IIT X, 2 from IIT Y.
YP: Tell me more, what did you do?
Moi: Sir it was a matrix of processing elements, some could be faulty so we needed to design and implement some algorithms to optimize traversing.
YP: (looks with suspicion as to i am speaking fraud and did not write any algorithm and just bluffing)
Moi: (koi nahi i understood his face expression) so blurted out 3 of the five different algorithms I implemented
YP Seems satisfied
YP: What do you mentor juniors? (Picked from Job responsibilities)
Moi: blah blah

YP(again): In career goal you have written "With my high-spirited motivation for an MBA and the right mindset to pursue and realize determined goals, I foresee a great future ahead, in Entrepreneurship." (He actually repeated the whole sentence Sarcastically.)
Moi: Yes sir
YP: (He assumed i would say that in first year i will study different courses which would give me knowledge about different subject) So you would fail after one year drop out and open you company because you have studied all the subjects in first year
Moi: :crazyeye: (Wondering where did this come from) Sir, if i fail after first year then it essentially means that i have learned nothing
YP: (Looks shockingly at me as if he was not expecting this as answer)
(I felt good ...)
Moi: Moreover i feel second year is also important as you get to specialize in your chosen field. Right now i have a good career and i am doing good, i am also interested in finance so i would probably do a major/ minor is finance/ systems.. But i would be able to take a more firm decision after my first year
YP: You have very less marks in verbal (shows me my scorecard in the file)
OP: Didn't you get time to prepare
Moi: No sir, i did not get time to prepare. I joined Time mock test just 4 weeks before CAT. I also took 1 year off from office ... sorry sir 1 month off :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: sorry sir 1 week off from office but then there were some personal obligations because of which i was not able to study.

YP&OP;: ok we are done... you can go

MOI: sir i have a question?
YP: What is it?
Moi: Sir i have got 81% in 10th and 12th in up board.
YP: We understand that
Moi: so in UP Board the highest is around 84, 85..
YP: (cuts) We understand that don't worry. Best of luck
MOI: Thank you sirs

MISC.

It was a feel good interview. No stress. I was allowed to say whatever i wanted excepted my last question :-P .. Anyways interview season over for me... Fingers crossed...


Note:
carry photocopies of extracurricular, work ex proof.
One of the admin person even asked my friend who showed first and last payslip that how do we know you have not left in between and joined back.
Be careful what you write in the form. Admin persons are verifying all the achievements, extracurricular's. And if you don't have photocopies they will make you get one or your form will not be verified.

--------------------
Verdict: Converted
--------------------

Thread Made Sticky & title too edited...

Please use this place to post your interview experiences only..Any appreciations/criticism about the interview, use the PM facility..Also if you feel that a particular question observed from one's interview and a clarification on that can help everyone, kindly go on posting here...

All the Best.

PROFILE:
Acads:
X 64% UP board
XII 74 % UP board
Undergrad Major - CGPA- 9.78/10.0

Work-Ex: 6 months as research engineer, R&D; in Networking

Any other special thing abt u: published research papers, national and international recognition through awards.
GD:
IMI Delhi
Topic: Should student recruit the faculty
Number of Ppl present 9/10 ( one person got late in GD so shifted to afternoon session)
Time:9:30 AM
Brief Snapshot of Discussion:

(in morning our panel members were told to go another building. we were thinking that our documents would be verified there, but that was the venue of GD/PI for our panel. GD was done before documents verification.)
10 minutes for GD.
GD was good enough. i give valuable points 3-4 times. no fish market. everyone participated. those who participated least were given chance for summery on priority. everyone has to give summery and time for 1 min.
i was last in summery so i just repeated the points that has already been told. chance for summery is given on random basis.:crazyeye:( be prepare at any instance to give summery)


PI: panel is very nice and supportive. no stress...good sharing of thoughts.
Panel Members Intro:three members. i named them P1: very cool
P2: great observer, attacks when you are about to conquer.
Y: youngest one ( i was told he made ppl crazy with acads question)
Me: Victim

i entered the room on the call of P2. ( P2 came out to call me and take me in)
P2: sit down please
Me: good morning everyone( its 12:10, doesn't matter), thank you.
Y: so why u r here?
Me: :bigear: ( what!)..sir to give interview.
Y: so getting into IIMC is not important..
Me: if i do well in interview then definitely i will be selected.
Y: so your prime job right now is Interview..
Me: yeas sir to give my best shot:p
Y: ok..you are here to give your best shot...let see..
smiles everywhere...
Y: you are from NIT Allahabad(my hometown)?
Me: yes sir......
Y: why so many people from Allahabad this time...
Me: ( smiling)may be a coincidence....or the talent..
Y: you have very high CPI in graduation...while moderate level in 10th and 12th..
Me: told about UP board constraints...
Y: but people having more than 90% also..
Me: no sir not in UP board...highest is about 83.6 in my time.....
P1: (take the charge)....are you working right now...
Me: yes sir, in XXX as research engineer in XXX project
P1: (Best Question i suppose) have you heard about YYY( founder of our company) in 1983.....has he got the place he deserves?
Me: told about the controversy and its political reasons...( he seems satisfied with the answer):-P
P1: you have done great stuffs till now better to continue to do PhD...
Me: told about my career goals.....
P1: so are you going to be in the same field after two years doing MBA?
Me: sure!!..told about my career goals and perspective in long term.

Y: you are from Allahabad....why in the past some notorious politicians came from Allahabad?
Me: ( cant figure out at that instance, but i also don't want a political discussion anymore) sir...i was in Allahabad since 2002...Dad is in transferable job so i have to travel alot....dont know about the political situation about Allahabad..
Y: do you like Allahabad? Why?
Me: ( from my heart) very much sir....told about the culture comparision between any metro city to Allahabad..with example of generousity shown by people at the time of Kumbh Mela..etc..
P2: you said that people of Allahabad make accessable the open area of their house to village people came for Mela?
Me: yes sir...even my house...( told that i live very near town to Sangam place..and every year we used to do that)
P2: is that for commercial use?
Me: no sir....
P2: free of cost.....but they allow only their relatives only from village..
Me: no sir not the case....area is made accessable to every mela person...
P2: your mean to say everyone is allowed? may be we are also when we came to your place....( smiles everywhere)
Me: sure sir...unless you do so...because urban people dont want to live in another house during mela time...( everyone smiles...lite moments)
Y: so what is your branch??( indication that he's going to start the acads):infinity:
Me: Electronics and Communication.
Y: what is difference between Electronics and Communication?
( here are the rapid fires question one after another...but he never cuts me in between...he alows me to complete every answer)
Me: told about core and specialization with examples...
Y: do you know about spectrum policy and regulation?
Me: yeas sir...TRAI is the regulating authority..telecommunication regulatory authority of India.
Y: do we need that?Why?
Me: yes sir.....told about the time when private sector comes in picture of telecommunciation, a regulatory body is must..
Y: why spectrum policy exist?
Me: told about different service provider and their needs...also told about my current project for unification with sharing of spectrum, with examples of GSM and CDMA....:p
Y: what is CDMA?
Me: Told..an easy one..
Y: compare which one is best and why between GSM and CDMA..
Me: told with simple technical jargons...( he shake his head even on hearing jargons....he must be having so much of knowledge in same field)
Y: what is 2G, 2.5G,and 3G?
Me: all is related to my project work....told with proper explanation ...why upgradation is required.
Y: what is WiMAX?
Me: told about its higher capability of data rates and machine to machine interraction in nect 4G challenges...also told him about their launch just after 3G auctions :p.
( i think Y is done and looks satisfied with my answers..no cross question)

now the great observer P2 took the charge...
P2: i think you are doing good in research ...and not getting anything from your career goal of strategic management ( i discussed to P1 earlier)...will you explain again??
Me: told with examples about my company...
P2: somehow he came out with the point " the way you are taking the problem gives a message to all R&D; firms to go with your solution".
Me: explained him the difference in research work in University ( name of MIT also came up so i have to generalize) and industry research...how their goals are different with solid research and product developments from derived technology.
( when Y and P1 looks me..i think i poses them with loosing energy with the discussion)

suddenly Y came up and make the consensus by putting my thoughts in his words during the discussion.( seems strange then it was the first time when anyone poses from his side convincing with my answer)

each panelist looks each other and say
without any delay i shake my head :angel:"yes sir"
..
each panelist looks each other and say
we think we are done......thank you..

Me: thank you.......
Me: should i send the next person in?
P2: yes please..

MISC.
from my side i answered techies question well......don't know about my why MBA seems to be convincing ot not...but i give best whtever i can do...letsee...what happened X (finger crossed) :p.........please post or mail your comments (+ve or -ve whatever)..@[email protected]
Venue - The Monarch Luxor, Bangalore
Date : 09/03/2009, Time: 2:00pm


PROFILE:

Acads:
X - 86.4
XII - 91.4
Undergrad Major - 7.98, BTech, EEE, NIT Calicut

CAT '08
OA - 99.68; BLACKI

Work-Ex:
20 months - Tech Division, I-bank in Blore


Any other special thing abt you : decent extra-currics, district level football, upcoming guitar player :)


GD: "Year 2025"
Time - 2 mins to think, 10 to discuss.

Decent discussion; The prof asked us to stay calm and avoid fish-market like situations so that they could mark us better.The GD, thus, was really peaceful with everyone chipping in.

Started; came in 3-4 times.

1 min for everyone to speak; order chosen randomly; you can summarise,conclude, add points, give feedback, whatever you deem possible in a minute.


The (Hilarious) PI - Easily the most friendly/jovial panel I have ever seen,

Funny Prof - FP
Funny Alumnus - FA
Funny Alumnus2 - FA2

and Me.

These people found everything I said, really funny. Stress tactic, but effective at times.

FP - Welcome Gregory Ipe...Ipe is your Father's name ?
Me - Sir,
FP - so your friends call you Gregory ? Greg ? Gregorian ?:bigear:
Me - Greg, sir.
FP - hmm.....so 20 months at $$$$.....hAHahahah...you'd rather do your MBA now. ( background - FA laughter) (FP writes down 20, in a column against my name)
Me - Yes Sir, I'd rather. :)

FP - So, all the people I've interviewed have 15, 16, months of WorkEx, whom should we pick ?
Me - Sir, maybe you should look at what they want to do and their clarity of goal and why they're doing the MBA. Also what they can give to the institute.

FA2 - rather than what they take from the IIM, eh ? (FA and FA2 join in the guffaws) So what would you bring in ?

Me - Corporate Culture, international exposure, I have been trained at ....

FA2 - Stop Stop Stop....So what is the corporate culture?
Me - Sir, we have there, the culture of excellence... :biggrin:

(all 3 panelists laugh out Loud )

FA (smiling)- So you think the others dont have the "Culture of Excellence" ?
Me - No Sir, but here there is a lot of focus on effieciency, diligence , overcommunication (draws hahahas again)

Sir, which means we are advised not to reinvent the wheel, we talk to team-mates a lot and learn from their experiences.

FA - ok, you'd mentioned Wall St., don't you think you'd rather hide it ? ..since they are the cause of the recession.
Me - (verbose discussion on how experience makes us wiser and how that was memorable blah blah)

FA2 - ok ill offer you 3 job profiles -

1) a ceo of a sick company - like Satyam.
2) in charge of a village like Handipur, in rural Bengal.
3) investment research (I'd stated this) at ####.

which one would you pick and why?

Me - Sir No 1) first, because that is the challenge that'll really put into practise the skills Ive learnt at IIM C. If I can do blah blah and turn it around...

FA - Waah ! what do you expect from IIM C ?
Me - blah blah, like minded, focussed Individuals...best minds....excellent...blah !

FA - what have your friends told you about IIMC ?
Me - idyllic campus, student friendly atmosphere, extremely helpful profs.

All the Funny people go Hhaahahahaha, and ask me the source's name,they even write it down.

Me - Sir then no 2...though its an IAS officers role, I believe it is management afterall.....blah....because service to man is service to god...

(F* go hoopla with laughter at the use of such rhetoric)

and finally no 3, as, maybe ill make a lot of money but that satisfaction that we get when someone comes up and thanks us genuinely is missing (the panel listens to me seriously now)...blah blah...satisfaction that I cannot put down in words.


FP recovers after the soul stirring melee, first and asks - So whats happening in politics now ?
Me - Elections are...

FP - ah yes ! tell me about Jai Ho.
Me - Congress has bought the rights to use this....blah
(major discussion on whether this is right)
(major discussion on whether people can 'book' a song
(why Jai Ho; So should the NDA come up with "India Shining" ? )

FA - ok, you have written Investment research is lucrative...what is remotely lucrative about it ?
Me - Sir, I didnt use it in that context, not monetary, but since Im interested in it...blah.

(The actual line I'd written in the form was "basic exposure to finance combined with my recent interest in recession-countering-economics engenders...)

FA - recession-countering-economics (lol) (all join the merrymaking)but why would ppl invest now...?

Me - (all is jovial about the moment, i remember using the phrase "The night is darkest before the dawn" "light at the end of the tunnel" which elictis more giggles) :new_bat_angel:

FA (serious now) - but what is this "recession-coutering-economics"?

FP - wait, wait, what is the date on the form....? heheh...he ha actually written it today morning...these youngsters just write whatever comes to their minds....HahhahHHahah. :bigear:

Me - Sir, what I meant obviously is Keynesian economics;coupled with bailout policies....blah

FA - what is the basic tenet of Keynesian Economics ?
Me Told

FA - so what is the flaw with it ?
Me - told - people may actually save their cash -
and so, sir, this is just my analysis, the govt. should actually combine keynesian policies with cuts in the interest rates. So that people would be discouraged from saving.

FA ( looks impressed ) and so that would also help with increasing the cash flow in the markets too.

Me- yes sir !

FA2 (looks around)- so we can call this Gregonomics ?:p

FA - no no, maybe we can call it Gregorian Economics ! Hahha !!

me - (ahem...throat clearing galore)

(some more discussion on NREGS and more laughs later)

FP looks at FA and FA2 and says - Thanks Greg...good luck !

Good day and smiles !


LOOKING BACK -
There is very little time in the gd...so make sure you do well in the one minute solo pitch...
Overall it was a feel good PI...the people before me had such a friendly chat on probability. But the panel is really helpful and cheerful. It felt like old friends meeting up and having a nice lil chat.

So, put on your charming best and hope that you have a breezy day ! Good Luck !
Venue - Mumbai
Date : 09/03/2009, Time: 9:30 am


PROFILE:

Acads:
X - 86.6
XII - 88.0
Undergrad Major - 6.29, BTech, CSE, IIT Bombay

CAT '08
OA - 99.97; LACKI

Work-Ex:
6 months in an internet company



Any other special thing abt you : decent extra-currics

GD: "There should be an international men's day"
Time - 2 mins to think, 10 to discuss.

Very bad GD, people when just reiterating the same points. No structure, after the gd, the Mod said that it was a bad gd :sad:

We were given around 45 seconds to summarize and voice our points at the end of the discussion



PI - Had a very very bad PI and dont have any enthu to write it down as a conversation.

They asked to tell them about myself, but did not pick on any of the hobbies or extra currics that I prepared for discussion.

Was asked what I thought about the current financial recession and I messed it up big big time. They tried to confuse me and it worked :sad:

My advice to people is to read about the US-Indo nuclear Deal, Obama and of course the recession and form an opinion on it.

After that major setback, had an idle chatter for about 2-3 minutes before the interview ended.

I had the PGDM GD PI on 9th March 09

Venue : Hotel Monarch Luxur, Bangalore
Time : 2 pm

PROFILE:

Acads:
X 87
XII 89.2
Undergrad Major - GPA/%age 63.8

Work-Ex: 0

CAT %ile:
DI 98.5
Quant 99.9
Verbal 96.1
Aggregate 99.86


Any other special thing abt u: Nothing much


GD:
Topic: "The Year 2025"
Number of Ppl present 11
Time: 2 mins to think. 10 mins to discuss

Brief Snapshot of Discussion:
Was very loud.
3-4 people were very aggressive.
They were hardly cordial.
I guess it had to do with the limited time.

Other Salient Details: every1 asked to summarize in the end. for 1 min. we could add our own points. lots of ppl took it as an extempore tho


There were 3 people.
2 watching from opposite sides
1 writing down things.

Another GD topic i heard was " Poor have only themselves to blame for being poor" . you get the general drift right..


PI:
Panel Members Intro:
3 people.
seemed like profs.

Questions:

The interview for me was very much based on the form.
In fact they didn't even ask for my certificates.

Started off with cochin(where im from) and stuff 2-3 on this.

Went on to acads. And why theyre bad.
Why I want an MBA..
A good 4-5 mins on this..mayb more.

A very random qn.
What is Pin in the pincode.

Then asked me to pick any subject(gave me the liberty to even choose outside b.tech)
I chose digital elec though
3-4 qns on this

But in general there was very little acad qns among everyone.

No economics qns.

IMO they were just trying to get a conversation going with me and try to figure me out. Abs no stress.

Asked my opinion about the GD in the end.


I think one of the guys in the interview was just evaluating my reactions and responses. Asked few qns. the same guy who was writing for the GD.

MISC.
Any other relevant detail.

PROFILE:

Acads:
X - 88.4%
XII - 88.67%
Undergrad Major - IITB, B.Tech. Chem Engg, 8.97/10

Work-Ex:
NIL/Sector - 2.5+ yrs / Oil & Gas, Engg Consultancy in Abu Dhabi, UAE

CAT %ile: m an overseas candidate who was shortlisted based on GMAT. Am posting my experience here.

Quant - 50 / 94%ile
Verbal - 40 / 89%ile
Total - 750 / 98%ile
AWA - 5.5 / 80%ile


Any other special thing abt u:

GD & PI Location, Date, Time & Panel: Mumbai, 9th March @ 9:30 am, PANEL 11

I think Maruti and me were in the same group for GD. Also, from his interview experience, it looks like he got grilled along similar lines. I was first to be interviewed by Panel 11 and Maruti, I guess, was 3rd to be interviewed.

GD:
Topic: "Should there be an International Men's Day"

Number of Ppl present: 12, The co-ordinator called me last and I had to jog alongwith him to the GD room :new_bat_angel:

Time: 3 min to think, 12 min to discuss
Brief Snapshot of Discussion: Fish market, random points about female supression, manusmriti, literacy etc.

Other Salient Details: 1 min to summarise

PI:
Panel Members Intro:3 panelists, P1,P2,P3
Questions:

Panelists asked me for my application. I told them that I am an overseas candidate. They asked me for my file (which contained my application) but unfortunately it was not handed over to me by the co-ordinator by then presuming that my interview would be the last in my panel!! :snipersm:

I then took out all my originals and handed it over to them :angel:. Only later I realised that the file contained my letters of recommendation which the panelists wud not see!! :banghead:

P1: So you work for the ADNOC?
Moi: :biggrin: (Impressed with P1's knowledge abt UAE) No Sir, I work for an engg firm offering services to ADNOC group of companies

P1: You work for TECHNIP? It's a French Company, right?
Moi: :crazyeye: (Boy, this guy seems to know a lot about my company) Yes, Sir

P1: Why do you wish to move from engg to mgmt esp when thr's a need for engnrs in core engg sector? You can continue in proces engg...
Moi: Wish to get into proj mgmt, MBA will give background in ops mgmt, risk mgmt..Long term, work as a mgmt consultant..

P3: Did u apply to US?
Moi: No sir, feedback from colleagues abt my profile, external factors like recession, referred to H1B visa non-issuance to bailout companies.

P1: So tell us some thing about recession in UAE
Moi: Contruction, Real Estate, Financial institutions, Job losses in Dubai, Oil & gas projects shelved ....

P3: What is meant by "Buy American"?
Moi: Use of american products, goods manufactured by US

P3: Is it an educated guess or what?
Moi: Yes

P3: Tell us something about OPEC
Moi: Blah Blah

P3: Tell us how oil market price is determined
Moi: Blah Blah

P3: How does OPEC control price?
Moi: Blah Blah

P3: Is it purely based on demand and supply?
Moi: Confused but nevertheless confident..:new_ukliam2: so more blah blah...
P3: Tell me what is oil production cost?
Moi: Blah Blah

P3: So do you agree that OPEC does control supply by cutting production and it's not a pure supply and demand model?
Moi: Gosh, this is going into economics , not my cup of tea...Shook my head in agreement!!

P3: So tell us would there be any difference in the pricing strategy for selling a renewable energy resource and a non renewable energy source
Moi: May the good LORD save me...blah blah...Finally, agreed with P1 that reserves play an important role in pricing!!

P2: Is there any future market for wind energy?
Moi: blah blah...

P2: Name one Indian company in wind energy sector?
Moi: (Reluctantly as I was not sure if it was INDIAN) SUZLON though I am not sure if it's Indian

P3: (smiling at P2) Ofcourse, it's an Indian Company

Discussion moves onto nuclear energy and then, bingo, the nuclear deal!!

P2 & P3: smile
P1: So tell us about the Indo-US nuclear deal? I am sure you would have prepared for this as well
Moi: :crazyeye:..(What the heck, Looks like I have called the shots so far :2gunfire:)
Blah Blah..

P1: Tell us about the HYDE Act?
Moi: Blah Blah..

P1 & P3: What were the major opposition to the nuclear deal?
Moi: Told one reason..Could not not figure the other major reason despite enough prodding by P1 & P3. Provided additional irrelevant info abt the deal


P3: No, this is not what P1 is asking. Actually the main reason for the opposition is.....
Moi: Oh Yes!! :banghead:

P1: Do you any questions for us?
Moi: Asked abt the effect on placements due to the current downturn, Read in the news that ppl taking up jobs in PSUs!!

P3: (Interrupts) Oh, so this means tht if u r given an admit in IIMC, you will not ready to join PSU (& Hence, you shud not join IIMC)
Moi: Not at all!!

P1: Blah Blah...(in reply to my question)

P1: So how do you think did the interview go?
Moi: (Smile) Sir, it went well

Moi: Shook hands with all 3 panelists

Overall, a good experience. As the interview progressed, the panelists became more comfortable with me..Hope for the best now.

I am looking forward to posting my PGDCM experience as well. Is there any separate link for this?

MISC.
I think I focussed a lot on stats both in GD & PI. That's why the grilling. 25% women in workforce, 49% women in population,

ATB to all candidates. DO well.

Profile :
Xth : 84.33
XIIth : 89.66
Engg : 77%
CAT : 98.19 (OBC)

Work ex : 17 months

GD Topic : Social Networking is a menace
2 mins to think, gd duration was about 15 mins (there is no fixed time...they stop it when things start getting dragged on)

Decent GD...a bit of a fish market now and then...overall cool, everyone spoke some more than the others.

1 mins summary time, not necessary to summarize...you can state some points of your own too if you so wish...(personally i think its better to just summarize nicely)

Interview:
3 panelists P1 : male proff, P2 : elderly female proff, P3 : young female proff

P1: lets start with you telling us about yourself?
M : blah blah blah
P2: wow! maharashtra to goa to jharkhand...that mustve been nice...
M: talked for about 5 mins...spoke well i think...they seemed to enjoy it and listened with enthu
P1 : tell me about your job
M: blah blah
P1 : So telecom huh? what is unbilled revenue
M : talked (bill not yet prepared-Post paid)
P1:unearned revenue?
M:no clue sir
P1: think a little...what does the name suggest?
M:thought...i give up sir...
P1: it is related to prepaid
M:ok i get it...prepaid balance is the unearned revenue since untill the services are not used it cannot be 'earned'
P1:do you know anything about economics?
M:fumbled a little...kind off sir...i follow whats in the newspapers
P1:asked some crap about finance commision,planning commission, ministry of finance
M:really screwed up this part (guys ye sab funde CLEAR rakho... 😞 )
P1 : who is the governor of RBI
M:subba reddy...oh!! sorry sorry...subba rao
(smiles all around)
P1:what happened?
M: i mixed up the old governor yv reddy with d subba rao
P1:thats ok...it happens (smiling)...turns to P2
P2: why iim?
M : hawa paani
P2: A or C?
M:acknowledged i will go to A...gave logical reasons...also said i have seen A campus and it was a awe-inspiring experience
P2: (seemed satisfied)...ok...but calcutta is good place too!
M:yes ofcourse i have been there...its really beautiful...been to park street as well...its a happening place
P3: no wonder!!...where else would a guy from goa go!!
(at this point i felt i had converted the initial dissapointment to satisfaction...now P3 started asking questions and things took a real twist)
P3: you mentioned you have an elder brother...tell us about him
M: :crazyeye: told
P3: he is 3 years elder to you?
M:thats right ma'am
P3: so did he hit you when you were small?
M:said yes...quite a bit...
P3: how did you manage that situation
M:answered honestly...told that it was me who used to pick fights...and related it to competitive spirit, talked about wanting to prove myself against visibly stronger opposition...(i really surpassed myself while answering this)
(everyone seemed to be enjoying my constant chatter)
P3: very honest answer saurabh...that is actually the way it usually is among siblings...
all three: well thats it...thanks...

P2(while i was going) : Saurabh, do consider IIM C over A if you convert both calls ok? Cal is a great place!

M: yes ofcourse, thank you.

Now, that last bit is nothing to be excited about...i think they say it to all guys who have calls from A.

Overall good interview i think...C is probably my best chance...but going by last year cant say really....fingers crossed...only Indore left now...

Had my IIMC Interview at Mumbai today.

PROFILE:

Acads:
X 85%
XII 86%
Undergrad Major - GPA 7.72

Work-Ex:
Sector IT - Number of Years 1.5




GD:
Topic:Social networking is menace
Time:2min to gather thoughts(no sheets provided)...10 min to discuss
45 sec individually to summarize...
Any Other Details: Panel instructed not to create fish market...otherwise will b given 'negative marks' ....:The GD was not good in content...pointed by panelists as well.On retrospection 10 min...11 person waitin to chip in...nobody cutting each other(obvious)...and havin started with orkut ...it was bound to be a one dimensional discussion...however the group did decently in summarization part(which was changed to expressing views:) .
Hope the group is not penalized heavily....
After GD had a nice chat with a guy who gave GMAT. He was rather amused seeing the aspiring mangers tensed :-P

PI:
3 interviewers . P1: alumnus(guess) P2: Pleasant Prof
P3:Stern lookin Prof(Thankfully he entered once....was going through form throughout PI)
struggler(moi)
Quetions:


P1 : tell me about yourself.
moi:- mentioned in detail..

P1:Compare the cities where u hv been...
moi:-compared.

P1:workex...
moi:-gave job desc.

P2:why MBA.
moi: explained....could not capitalize.

P1:hobbies
moi: mentioned tennis and trekking.

P2: why the point system is not symmetrical in tennis...15,30,40??
moi:no idea

P2:never felt curious??
moi : i know the rules but don't know why are they deviced like that:baaa:

P1:why 0-0 is mentioned as love-all?guesses?
moi:tried givin fundae( i don't know this as well ..gosh)

P2:do u know about sports culture at IIMC?
moi: not much sir...but i know about adventure club which has trekking as its activity and one person has got his name in guinnes book of world record for scaling different summits
p2-we were thrashed by IIMB..(to p1) They have sports quota in place.so quiet tough for our guys to beat them.

gud that i did not answer:biggrin:

p2:tell me will u be able to defeat these IIMB guys?
me:I will try sir..

P2:don't be diplomatic..
me: i will give my level best sir

p1: ok u can go

P3 interrupted once mentioning discrepancy in form.



Overall an avg performance. Every person had the same sort of feel-gud interview.

Comments and feedback welcome...

Date: 9 Mar 09, 2 pm
Venue: Hotel Monarch Luxur, Bangalore

PROFILE:
Acads:
X - 87.33%
XII - 91.2%
Undergrad Major - 76% (B.tech ECE)

Work-Ex:
NIL/Sector - 42 months in Airbag/Crash sensing division of an auto components company

CAT %ile:
DI - 96.9 %
Quant - 96.02 %
Verbal - 98.5 %
Aggregate - 99.47 %


Any other special thing abt u:
Town 1st in Xth, a paper presentation in BE, Natioanl level project plan submission, 3 awards at work.


GD: "Year 2025"
as explained in the previous post, 3 - mins for thinking and scribbling, 10-12 mins for discussion and 1- min each (random) for providing final thoughts ( not necessarily summary)

Ok GD, with too many points and too little time to discuss as the topic is too broad.
Make sure you utilize that one min. time properly.

PI:
A panel of 3 , Not sure if there is any alumni - no introductions given.
So the protagonists are P1,P2, P3 and Me [:)] Total interview can be divided into 3 parts.

P1- the one who called me in.[ sat on the left side]
P2 -the one at the centre [ he did the most of the talking]
P3 - the silent observer[ silent for the first half of the discussion]

After the initial greetings...

Part#1
P1 & P2 together: You have 42 months of work ex, what do u do?
Me: Sir, I am working at xxx, an atomotive company in crash sensing divison and I work on frontal and side crash sensing aloritms.

P2: you work for xxx, your company filed for bankruptcy right?
Me: yes sir..
P2: what are the reasons?
Me: high legacy costs, slump in automotive markets
P2: what is the affect on you here in India because of that?
Me: was a positive affect initially ..transfer of work from US to India ... not so good now, as the company is facing severe crash crunch?
P2: what is the situation of US Big 3 [GM, FORD, Chrysler]?
Me: US market down by 40%, recession effect, cost issues... not so good
P2: How about India, how is it the market here?
Me: Told...
P1: How many people work for your company in India?
Me: Don't know sir, We are around 500 in Bangalore.
P1: You are in the company from 3 and half years and you don't how many people your company employs in india?
Me: No sir, I know that company employs around 1,50,000 globally.
P1: I am asking about India, you don't about it?
Me: No sir ...:sad:
P2: whats the future of automotive industry.. when will it come back strongly?
Me: will take another couple of years, efforts by obama, stimulus package , moving towards green energy sources ...
P2: hmm... do you know what is carbon footprint?
Me: amount of carbon di oxide emitted into the environment..
P2 looks impressed.. :-P

P2: I am done., P3 takes over

Part#2
P3: As we are talking about recision, what do u think about the proposal of 25% pay cut to CEOs?
Me: Sir, obviously, they have to go for pay cuts, when the employees are loosing jobs.

P3: What shall they do, if the company is doing good, and if there is no rescission?
Me: I think, if the company is doing good business and market is OK there is no need for pay cuts.

P3: Sure? you want the CEOs to take as much pay as they want if the company is doing good, you think performance of the company is the only thing that has to be considered?

Me: that is the main factor sir, their contribution to the company ..

P3: No considerations of market?
Me: You have to consider the market and the social conditions of the country, may be instead of forcing them to take a pay cut, we need to ask them to donate some part of their salaries to the poor ..

part#3

P2: where do you come from, AP right, recently a great leader of your state.. was caught read-handed... committing a huge crime.

I was wondering ... I dont remember any political leader being caught recently ...

P2: Not a political leader, Ramalinga Raju. what do you have to say about him?

Me: I think he is a stupid [ God Knows ... why I said that, was about to say selfish and greed and din't say wat I wanted to say ...)

P1: No, I dont think he is a stupid, he committed a well planned crime.. he is not a stupid..
Me: yes sir ... I mean, he has to be a stupid to think about this kind of crime ... out of selfish ness....
P1: Greed?
Me: Yes sir.. out of greed, influence by others, political nexus..

I think, I din't handle the last part very well.. could hav been much better if not for my stupidity...:sad:

P1&P2;: OK... and thats it...

Misc:
I think, it went for around 15 mins or so ....lots of cross questioning....I was not very clear in my explanations...
I remember "SOMNAME" saying in one of the posts in IIM-C queries thread... that "it matters to have opinions in IIM-C". Yes guys it does... I experienced it today.


Hoping for the best ...Good Luck Guys ... Hope you all convert the calls..

and please do PM your comments/opinions...

Verdict: Converted :):)

Sorry .. double post

I had my IIM-C GD/PI on March-9,2009. Morning 9.30am slot.. One of the first batches to attend the process 30 CAT candidates and a few NRI candidates were split into 3 panels (9,10 and 11) . Panel -9 was full of OBCs.. Panels-10,11 were full of candidates who got the PGDM call under open quota Panel -12 was for PGDCM students and here too their respective quota was mentioned..
For ex, I was under open quota for PGDM and under OBC quota for PGDCM.. ppl like me with both the calls, had to finish PGDM first and then attend the PGDCM interview..
The verification process started at around 8.30am.. every number/detail entered in the form was put thru rigorous checking .. so pls be very accurate.. do not forget to bring a Xerox copy of each and every certificate who have .

PROFILE:
Acads:
X - 85 CBSE
XII - 88.59 TN state
Undergrad Major - B.E(ECE) 6.7/10, CEG, AU, Chennai.
Work-Ex: 21 months in Infosys
CAT %ile:
DI 98.11
Quant 97.48
Verbal 98.84
Aggregate 99.7 (OBC)
Any other special thing abt u: J
ESSAY:
Topic:
There needs to be a men's day.
GD:
Weird topic.. we were given 2 mins to collect our thoughts and approx 15-20 mins to discuss..
It was a very bad gd.. 2 or 3 guys were too rude .. less said the better abt their points.. fish market will be an under statement.. I did giggle a bit when it was going haywire..
I did give 2 or 3 points when I got a chance to speak without indecent interruptions.
At the end, everyone was given a min to summarize or give their points.. it was claimed to be done in random order.. but I felt that those who spoke the least, got the earliest chance

PI:
We were made to wait under the trees until it was time for our turn to face the music..
I was the 3rd to be called in.. we were called in the same order as of that of the seating arrangement in the gd..
L - Ultra cool, young lady
M - Middle aged gentleman.
O - a typical prof.

K - may I come in sir..
M - please close the door and take ur seat.
Wished all the panelists.
M - Karthikeyan, Pls tell us abt urself starting from what u do now.. in the reverse order..
K - told abt work, college, schooling from diff places across TN, family background, interests etc..
M - tell us something that differentiates u from the others.. why do u think we shud select u?
K - sir, I am a confident guy, can do well under pressure, cool nature and also willing to accept my failures to improve myself as an individual ..
L - u didn't speak much in the gd for a confident guy ..
K - mam, I did putforth a few of my points. Frankly I dint have more than 3 points.. hence decided to listen to what others say.. but, I felt that some were desperate to talk.. hence it turned out to be a fish market.. its just my opinion on the gd.. I hope that I had more opportunities to speak..
L - so u didn't get those opportunities?
K - I was waiting for others to finish their sentences.. dint feel the necessity to cut thru others abruptly.. that will be rude..
O -ok.. so, did u take Cat last year?
K - yes, sir .. I did.. I failed .. though I got a final Indore call.. I dint join..
O - what do u mean by a failure? Why didn't u join?
K - sir, by a failure, I mean a performance which is very much below my potential I got only 97.15%ile last year.. I knew that I am much more capable than what my score suggestedI wanted to a get atleast a decent score and calls from the better IIMs... Also, I had just finished my training from infy, mysore.. it is an awesome campus.. for the first time in my life, I spent some quality time in sports.. and I also wanted to learn more abt the work atmosphere in a top notch IT company like infosys..
M - so have u applied under the OBC quota, whats ur %ile?
K - sir, yes.. my %ile is 99.7 overall
M - karthik, I see that u don't like ur ECE subjects much..
K - sir, I have to accept that I lacked the commitment towards exams in college.. I was a reserved , reticent guy in my school days.. became more friendly during coll days.. spent the majority of the time having fun with my friends.. but I wasn't spoilt.. I did learn a lot of things from other wonderful ppl I met during my coll life.. I know that getting low marks is a mistake.. I wont repeat it again.. J I will give my very best in IIM C ..
M -, so If I take u back to ur 12th.. will u take engg again??
K - no sir.. usually in TN, parents force their kids to take either engg or medical blindly.. there wasn't much freedom at that time.. once I entered coll, I did get some freedom.. but, If given a chance again, I will study mathematics..
O - oh.. maths.. !! tell me whats (a+b)-squared..
K - a-sq + b-sq + 2ab ( is it for real??.. such a sitter !! J )
O - ok.. now represent it pictorially.. or prove it geometrically..
K - gave a representation ..did it as a sq of side a+b, then inside this square , 2 smaller squares of side a and b and the remaining area will b 2 rectangles of dimension a*b,(using ljv's words here.. ), it was simple and correct..
O - ok.. (looks satisfied ..)
M - karthik, u have written that u want to get into marketing see now the job market is not good due to this recession.. infy is a gud company.. why don't u try for a marketing profile in infy..??
K - sir, there are no opportunities for me to get into a marketing profile in infy.. I have done my UG in engg.. so it desnt help me either.. I think that a PGDM from a top notch inst like IIMC will help me a lot in this regard..
O - do u know, what is inflation?
K - sir, it's the increase in cost of living index with the same index during the corresponding week last year taken as the base ( dint complete this..)
M - see, give us a layman's explaination.. no tech terms pls..
K - sir, its basically the % rise in the prices of basic essential commodities..

O - last week, the inflation was 5%.. this week it came down to 4%.. what happened to the price??
K - we cannot determine it, bcos it is calculated against the base of the index of the corresponding week last year..
O - just choose among the 3 options price up.. price down.. price same..
K - sir in most cases, the price wud have gone down.. but it can go up too .. I cant be sure sir..
O - ok.. whats a monopoly in a market?
K - sir, any market with only one player..
O - player??
K - sir.. say only BSNL provides internet all over the country, then it's a monopoly..
O - so how many buyers and sellers?
K - 1 seller and many buyers..
O - ok.. what is the name for condition where there are many buyers and only one seller..??
K - I do not know sir..
O - its called @@$%@%@#%.. now, give me one ex for it..
K - sir. Electronic voting machines can be a example sir.. I think only the EC will buy them..
O - no.. there is one such product in the market for a long time.. its still there.. its from the utility sector.. thats the clue..
K - sir, I am not getting the answer now.. J
L - ok.. Tell me a marketing model peculiar to TN..
K - mam, we have saravana stores.. their model was used by kishore biyani to develop big bazaar..
L - what is it about?
K - all products at discounted rates.. even nike shoes.. low profit margins.. but huge turn over.. targeting the middle class and lower class ppl.. they usually advertise using cinema stars, not models ..
L - why no models?
K - mam, models are usually up-market.. they can be used for marketing diamonds.. mass ppl usually connect themselves with the cine stars with boy/girl next door image.. it's a cinema crazy crowd in TN
L - compare a TN market with a Mumbai market..
K - mam, can I take any examples?
L - yes.. u can.. u have 2 mins J
K - lets take the cinema halls in Chennai and Mumbai.. explained abt the reasons for the absence of many multiplexes in Chennai as in Mumbai.. due to the cap on the ticket rates and the lesser population as a whole means lesser metro crowd.. etc etc
L - (looks satisfied ..) J
M - yes karthik, u can go .. ask for the next person to wait..
K - wished everyone individually..

MISC:
Really, IIMC rocks.. no acads, no stupid data based Qs.. really nice testing questions that doesn't require hours of mugging as prep. .. a concrete reason for "why MBA" really helps..

What ya ppl think?? Please let me know.. PMs are very much welcome.. J

oh no.. apologies.. mods merged the PGDCM thread with the PGDM thread.. anyway thats ok.. bcos generally there is not much a diff between the two interviews..


-------------------------------------------------------
All the best to everyone for their C interviews and please do post in your experiences.It would be good if we can use an earlier format. This thread is exclusively for IIMC PGDCM

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.

Request:
1. Kindly do not post anything other than your experiences of IIM C GD-PI.
2. For queries, you can visit this thread http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/cat-an...-pgdcm-gd.html (IIMC PGDCM GD/PI Call Getters Profile-Admissions Queries)
3. For appreciating an interview post use thank button, or if you want to show more, use PM.

All in all, keep this thread for what is meant!

Let the party begin !

I had my IIM-C GD/PI on March-9,2009. Morning 9.30am slot.. One of the first batches to attend the process 30 CAT candidates and a few NRI candidates were split into 3 panels (9,10 and 11) . Panel -9 was full of OBCs.. Panels-10,11 were full of candidates who got the PGDM call under open quota Panel -12 was for PGDCM students and here too their respective quota was mentioned..
For ex, I was under open quota for PGDM and under OBC quota for PGDCM.. ppl like me with both the calls, had to finish PGDM first and then attend the PGDCM interview..
The verification process started at around 8.30am.. every number/detail entered in the form was put thru rigorous checking .. so pls be very accurate.. do not forget to bring a Xerox copy of each and every certificate who have .

PROFILE:

Acads:
X - 85 CBSE
XII - 88.59 TN state
Undergrad Major - B.E(ECE) 6.7/10, CEG, AU, Chennai.

Work-Ex: 21 months in Infosys

CAT %ile:
DI 98.11
Quant 97.48
Verbal 98.84
Aggregate 99.7 (OBC)

Any other special thing abt u:
J
ESSAY:
Topic:
There needs to be a men's day.
GD:
Weird topic.. we were given 2 mins to collect our thoughts and approx 15-20 mins to discuss..
It was a very bad gd.. 2 or 3 guys were too rude .. less said the better abt their points.. fish market will be an under statement.. I did giggle a bit when it was going haywire..
I did give 2 or 3 points when I got a chance to speak without indecent interruptions.
At the end, everyone was given a min to summarize or give their points.. it was claimed to be done in random order.. but I felt that those who spoke the least, got the earliest chance

PI:
After finishing our PGDM interviews, we were supposed to enter the PGDCM panel room voluntarily if we find the panel to be free..
G - grilling prof..
S - stressing prof..

G - yes come in please.. (sees me waiting outside thru the glass pane in the door )
K - may I come in sir?
S - ya pls. whts ur name?
K - Karthikeyan sir..
G - come pls take ur seat..
K - wished them individually..
G- ur 12th marks are so poor just 59%.
K - sir, its 88.59..
G - oh yea sorry.. I mistook this as 59..
K - J
G - so u have 21 months work ex in infy !! hmm.. where are u posted now?? Since when?
K - yes sir.. I am currently in pune.. had 4.5 months of training in mysore.. from nov-07, I am in pune.. J
G - so, did u take Cat last year?
K - yes, sir .. I did.. though I got a final Indore call.. I dint join..
O -Why didn't u join?
K - sir, I got only 97.15%ile last year.. I knew that I am much more capable than what my score suggestedI wanted to a get atleast a decent score and calls from the better IIMs... I had enough confidence to give another shot at the exam.. I wasn't too serious abt it last year.. though, I was interested in management
G - see this paper.. (shows me a paper.. it has two cases.. s1 and s2. ) u have to recruit either s1 or s2.. s1 gives a return of 200 per year.. s2 gives a return of either 500 or -100 per year. With p=0.5 for both the cases..
K -can I use pencil?
G - its strange that u need to write.. its simple man.. just see and answer..
K - sir, I will choose s1..
G - why sir?
K- s1 gives me a minimum guarantee of 200..
G - then whats the expectation of s2?
K - sir, it's the same 200.. but s2 can fail.. I don't want to take risk here, as I am recruiting for not my own company.. I will risk my own money, but not others..
G - say if u were to recruit them for a period of 35 yrs.. what will u do?
K- sir, in that case, I wud recruit s2..
G - why sudden change of mind?
K - sir, if its for 35 yrs, then its like a league.. I can afford to lose a game or two.. but the first case was like a final match.. I wont take risks in knockout situations..
G - I never told any condition for the first case..
K - sir, I did assume it that way..
G - ok.. see this.. ( shows me a graph with 3 lines.. wage vs productivity.. ) which one wud u choose?
A - constant wage..
C - slightly variable based on productivity.. fixed component much higher than that of B and slightly lower than A's
B - very low fixed component and high variable component.. high salary for high productivity..
K - sir, I wud choose B
G - why ?
K - sir, it gives me the highest return for high prod.. I believe in my ability to excel.. I was in a similar situation when I didn't join indore last year..
G - hmm.. see lets take ur cat itself.. say it's a function of 3 variables.. what will those variables be?
K - 1. ability. 2. concentration..
G - say its 1. ability. 2.effort.. what abt this 3rd one?? Say some external factor.. u mug up, but the Q doesn't turnup in the exam..
K - its luck sir..
G - oh yea.. !! its luck .. so now what will u choose among ABC..?
K - if the influence of luck is high, I will choose C ..
G - why?? to impress us??
K - no sir.. I think a constant wage might make me lethargic.. a variable component will motivate myself to push the limit..
G - ok..
S - u have written " I want to have a +ve influence on the reach of a quality product among the public .." its something bombastic what do u mean??
K - sir.. I want to market a product that's useful for the common public..
G - ya.. what do u mean by that?
S - say HLL hires u.. what will u do ? will u sell their soap?
K - I wud prefer to seel a soap like dettol..
S - but, HLL doesn't produce dettol ..
K - sir I mean, I wish to market products that I use . lets take a product like coke.. I don't like it much.. I think its harmful to our health in the long run.. I wudnt wish to market such a product..
S - but then , that wud nt give u any money acc to ur wage-plan..
K - yes sir, it wudnt..
G - then.. if coca cola hires u, will u sell coke or not?
K - sir, I wud prefer to sell pulpy orange for them..
G - no, I want u to sell coke to villagers..
K - sir, that wud put me in a fix.. I think I am yet to get matured to make such a decision..
S - hmm ok.. how long did u take to fill this form?? Its not at all neat.. some strike overs here and there..
K - sir, I took around 30 mins..
G - whats that empty space sir??
S - its his academic awards and achievements..!! nothing at all.. ppl have filled loads of it.. do u think we will just push u into IIMC? How dare u to keep this space empty??
K - sir, frankly, thus far I don't have any academic achievement to distinguish myself from other candidates.. almost everyone attending an IIMC interview will have good acads in school/ college and a high cat score.. so, I don't think I will be proud to say my acads as my achievements.. if given a chance in IIMC, I will great good grades and will later put that as my achievements in my futures interview forms..

(G & S become silent )
G - hmm .. u have written that u have won some entertainment quiz.. whats that?
K - sir, a quiz on English/tamil movies..
G - did u follow the Oscars this time?
K - hmm yes..
G - who won the awards?
K - category sir?
G - best actor/actress.. best supporting actor/actress
K -kate winslet for "the reader" , sean penn for ..
G - milk..
K - yes, milk.. then, amy adams for best supporting actress.. ( L ).. heath ledger for dark knight..
G - did u watch SDM?
K - yes sir..
G - hindi or English?
K - English sir..
G - did u like it?
K - yes sir.. J
G - ok, do u have any Qs for us?
K - no sir..
S - you can leave.. we will have the form with us..
K - thank u sir.. thank u sir..

MISC :
Hmmmmm.. not as good as PGDM for sure.. cud have done better.. what do u ppl think?? Pls let me know.. :)

Venue: IMI Delhi
PROFILE:

Acads:
X -- 81% UP Board
XII-- 81% UP Board
Undergrad Major - Computer Science
GPA/%age - 6.35

Work-Ex: 54 months in C-Dot, Microsoft, Stryker

Any other special thing abt u: nothing


GD:
Topic: 33% Reservation for woman in jobs. shoud it be there or not.
Number of Ppl present: 10
Time: 10 min, 2 min to think
Brief Snapshot of Discussion: Discussion was good, no fish market, entered four five times with good points that introduce in Education not in job and if in job then the percetage should be less so that they do nto become complacent. Also i gave the point that there should be a separate committee to remove reservation once it achieves its purpose to keep the political influence out. That committee should have equal number of male and female members... blah blah

Other Salient Details: After GD, they asked everyone in random order to give their opinion.

PI:
Panel Members Intro:
Old Prof(OP), Young Person (YP) may be Alum. I was the fifth person to be interviewed.

Questions:

YP: What do you know about the process today?
Moi: Sir this personal interview (when he came out to call the person before me, he saw me talking to the girl who was just interviewed. He went inside then again peeked out to look at me )
YP: Yes
Moi: Sir, other candiates told
YP: (Cuts) Did they tell or you asked):detective:
Moi: Sir i asked.. they give a smile like :new_bat_angel: then i again utter out that candidates told me that maths and general stuff is being stuff
YP: What general stuff? :detective:
Moi: Work ex, acads, extracurriculars


YP: Why did you leave microsoft and join Stryker(something like stryker, no reputation and you have committed a sin )?
Moi: Sir Personal Reasons, had to come near to home .. blah blah
YP: Sorry to hear that

OP: Draw the graph of Y = 1 / (x-1)
Moi: :crazyeye: Anyways tried drawing drew straight line y=-x
OP: This is wrong
Moi: drew some crap again
OP: You are from IIT we don't expect this from you
Moi: (Je baat, ab to brand value bachani hai :rockon:) Sir give me one minute. within 30 seconds drew the hyperbolic graph.. aha

OP: What is ANN?
Moi: (i heard NAN , this easy). Sir not a number

OP: Where did this NAN come from? We asked ANN- artificial neural network
Moi: sorry sir my mistake i heard NAN as we were on a maths problem before this. Anyways, its interconnected neourons which are processing elements and take decisions based on learning etc .blah blah

OP: I am layman. Sahi se samajhao
Moi: ok, Lets take the previous maths example. I did it wrong initially but then you gave me chance, a computer program will say either i am disqualified or give me a second chance and hardcode my probability of success as 50% and i am successfull in second time. Its basically yes or no. But you might think that because of anxiety i did it wrong initially and give me an unbiased chance. Thats intelligence. This intelligence is to be put in machines and more like perception , common sense. And learning could be many types... So neurons are expected to perform the similar functionality.

YP: You said common Sense. Is it common?
Moi: No sir its not common.
YP: Its not "Very" Common
Moi: yes sir
YP: To machine mein daalne se ho jayega
Moi: I don't know sir.. They are still trying :tellme:

YP: You did something in NTU Singapore
Moi: yer sir, that was my summer internship. Total 10 students were selected, 4 from IIT Roorkee, 4 from IIT X, 2 from IIT Y.
YP: Tell me more, what did you do?
Moi: Sir it was a matrix of processing elements, some could be faulty so we needed to design and implement some algorithms to optimize traversing.
YP: (looks with suspicion as to i am speaking fraud and did not write any algorithm and just bluffing)
Moi: (koi nahi i understood his face expression) so blurted out 3 of the five different algorithms I implemented
YP Seems satisfied
YP: What do you mentor juniors? (Picked from Job responsibilities)
Moi: blah blah

YP(again): In career goal you have written "With my high-spirited motivation for an MBA and the right mindset to pursue and realize determined goals, I foresee a great future ahead, in Entrepreneurship." (He actually repeated the whole sentence Sarcastically.)
Moi: Yes sir
YP: (He assumed i would say that in first year i will study different courses which would give me knowledge about different subject) So you would fail after one year drop out and open you company because you have studied all the subjects in first year
Moi: :crazyeye: (Wondering where did this come from) Sir, if i fail after first year then it essentially means that i have learned nothing
YP: (Looks at me like i have tasted amrit)
(I felt good wao what did i just say)
Moi: Moreover i feel second year is also important as you get to specialize in your chosen field. Right now i have a good career and i am doing good, i am also interested in finance so i would probably do a major/ minor is finance/ systems.. But i would be able to take a more firm decision after my first year ( thak gaya bolte bolte)

YP&OP;: ok we are done... you can go

MOI: sir i have a question?
YP: What is it?
Moi: Sir i have got 81% in 10th and 12th in up board.
YP: We understand that
Moi: so in UP Board the highest is around 84, 85..
YP: (cuts) We understand that don't worry. Best of luck
MOI: Thank you sirs

MISC.

It was a feel good interview. No stress. I was llowed to say whatever i wanted excepted my last question :-P .. Anyways interview season over for me... Fingers crossed... Bhagwas bas IIMC convert dila do


Note:
carry photocopies of extracurricular, work ex proof.
One of the admin person even asked my friend who showed first and last payslip that how do we know you have not left in between and joined back.
Be careful what you srite in the form. Admin persons are verifying all the achivements, extracurriculars. And if you don't have photocopies they will make you get one or your form will nto be verified.


Congrats for the calls....
what was UR score & %ile in CAT-08 ?
Do you think they'll be considering your past acads, UR workex & the fact that U R from IIT...?