[2015-2017] IIM Calcutta WAT and PI experiences thread

Do post your experiences guys, will be helpful for the needy.

hi

Interview date : 04/02/2015, Morning Slot

Centre : Mantra Amaltas, New Delhi

Xth: 93.3, XII: 89.2; CGPA: 8.51; QA 99.99, VA 96.53 OA 99.83

Work Ex: 18 months ; GEM


WAT Topic: The new Govt. has decided to do away with the Planning Commission. Why was it established in 1950? Did it serve its purpose? Why do you think it has been replaced with a new body?

Preparation : 2/5 , Performance 1/5


P1, P2, P3: P3 was most probably an alum. P2 did most of the questioning

P3 called me in.

P2: So, where do you belong? Where do your parents stay?

Me: Faridabad, and I have been born and brought up in Durgapur

P2: So, tell us something about Faridabad, how it came into existence and how it developed

Me: Sir, basically it was built around the NH2 (GT Road - built by Sher Shah) and the city developed around it....interrupted in between

P2: GT Road is not NH2, it is NH1!

Me: Surprised! I was damn sure it was NH2 from Kolkata to Delhi...still didn't disagree and said Sir, NH2 is the Delhi-Mathura Road.

P3: So, why is GT road called NH1?

Me: Silence for a few seconds...Sir, maybe it's due to being the most important corridor....P3 didn't seem convinced

P2: Okay, so how did Faridabad develop?

Me: Sir, it developed due to industries being built, e.g. Goodyear and also the Henna industry due to which Fbd is famous

All three silent for a moment....P2 breaks it

P2: So, you are trained in Hindustani Classical Music?

Me: Yes, Sir. Sir, should I sing a song? 😛 😛

All three laugh, P2: No, no. Tell us something else. Name some famous Hindustani classical singers in the past 100 years or so.

Me: Named three of them

P2: Name one very famous classical singer who died recently

Me: Manna De

P2: No! Manna De is not a classical singer!

Me: Sorry sir. I am not aware then

P2: What do you think? During the last 500-600 years, how did musicians run their business? From where did they earn money?

Me: If we talk about the last 100 years, they perform on stage.....

P2: Last 500-600 years I said!

Me: In that case, they used to perform in the courts of various kings

P2: Name one famous singer who did so

Me: Tansen

P2: Ok, so Tansen was one of the Navratnas in whose court?

Me: Akbar

P2 and P3 together: So, can you name any other Navratna?

Me: Couldn't recollect 😞

P2: Tell us why is Navratna being used in the current scenario

Me: Maybe related to Bharat Ratna

P1(speaks for the first time) and P2: Navratna companies, what are they?

Me: (Had no idea)Think for some time....Maybe related to agriculture

P2: You are just guessing!

Me: Sir, I am not aware then.

P2: Okay, so you work in xxxx...what all have been your responsibilities?

Me: Answered

P2: Could you draw the iron-carbon diagram?

Me: Drew. Answered another few questions related to that (one from P1).

P3 enters the discussion now

P3: So, what do you plan to do after MBA?

Me: Sir, I am passionate about F1 and would like to improve the image of the sport in India. Having been to the Indian Grand Prix two times, I have seen the enthusiasm....stopped in between

P3: So, if Tata wants to enter F1 how would your business plan be regarding making Tata reach the front of the grid?

Me:  Answered on the basis of Tata preferring to make chassis, outsourcing engines. Scouting drivers as Indians able to connect more if Indian driver at the top. Gave example of Brazil that it doesn't have any F1 team still huge fan following

P1, P2, P3 looks towards each other....

All: Thank you

P2: Would you like to ask us something?

Me: (tongue-in-cheek) If I am selected, what would you advise me to read up on before joining? 

P3: (laughing) Nothing. It's important that you study after entering the college, and not before that 😛

P2: Just diversify your reading....

P3: We are done

Me: Thank you Sir

Preparation: 2/5 , Performance 2/5

Disastrous WAT, no maths questions....hopes are dim. Let's see

Any more PI experiences ? My Interview is on 28th Feb . Too nervous ... :/

IIM C interview 12/03/15 afternoon slot

Panel 5.

WAT topic: An english literate wants English banned in India. Will banning english help in revival of regional languages? Should english be banned?

Preparation: 1/5 Performance 3.5/5

Interview P1(40's) P2(50's)

I wished them and sat when they asked me to sit.

P2: So what do you do and where are you from?

Me: I am from xyz town and I am working in this company in the big data team.

P2: What is big data?

Me: Data that as the name suggests is pretty big in size i.e. TB's and GB's and this data can't be operated by conventional data bases. To extract useful information from this data we need to use various softwares like hive and hadoop that are open source frameworks.

P2: Suppose i collect data of sales of each and every shop available in this city. Is that big data?

Me: Yes Sir it is

P1 enters: Suppose there is a big building and there are 10000 servers in that building, and each server consumes 100 watts per hour. And you have data of this building. How would you analyze this data?

Me: Sir, we will look for the servers that are sitting idle and not consuming much energy(P1 interrupts: Idle computer?)... Yes Sir, if there are 10k servers in a building and they are controlling other computers connected to it, there must be other computers which are just for backup in case there is a failure and also we can check the temperature of the computers. By doing this analysis, we can put those computers to sleep or hibernating mode which are not being used.

P1 nodded... seemed convinced.

P2: We at IIM C also have a analytics course, Would you go for that instead of MBA?

Me: Sir its just been 6 months here at this company, I am still learning about analytics. (P1 interrupts: Tell me something negative about your company)

Me:(Tricky question :P) Sir I have been here for 6 months only, till now everything has been really good.

P1: Tell me something that you would have done differently.

Me: I would have liked to work on a project in the company.

P1: why did they not put you in a project?

Me: Because number of resources available in the company are more and the projects are less so they put their best employees in the projects and freshers lose out on such opportunities.

P2: Do you think management is at fault?

Me: Maybe if they manage the resources better and the attrition rate is high because of that also as employees do not get the appraisals that are promised to them.

P2: So we should cut the wages of the lower employees.

Me: Sir at the time of recession managers are the first ones to lose their jobs because the labour is required for doing the work.

(Awkward silence)

P2: So you are a Football fan of this eng club. Why do guys like you follow English clubs only and not a single Indian Club? There are many clubs in kolkata like mohn bagan, east bengal... other teams are also joining in.

Me: I started following this club in 2005 and I was really attracted towards football as I was really keen to play it as well. Watching it on tv gave me joy, but that time there were only two channels ESPN and Star Sports. They broadcasted matches of only 4 teams (Liverpool, Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal). Had they telecasted any of the Indian team I would have definitely followed them.

P2 (seemed satisfied): So are you good at mathematics?

Me: I was good at it in the past.

P2 handed me a blank sheet with a pen.

P2: Can you write Taylor's series?

Me:(Had heard about it already that they were asking Taylor's series, so had gone through that on mobile) Wrote down Taylor's series.

P1(Surprised): Perfect!

P1: What is maclaurin's theorem?

Me: Sir, Just replace the X0 with zero.

P1 still thinking...

P2: Do you what is a set?

Me: Told.

P2: What is probability?

Me: told.

P2: Difference between set and a field.

Me: couldn't tell the difference.

P1(Shocked): You remember Taylor's series and not this?

Me: Maybe I prepared it thoroughly that time.

P2: What is De Moyer's law?

Me: I don't know sir.

P2: What is Central Limit theorem?

Me: I don't know sir.

P1 and P2 looked at each other, P1 laughed and said "kuch to chakkar hai yaar". Low moment 😞

P2: Sir do you want to ask anything?

P1: So shall we talk about current affairs?

Me: Yes sir.

P1(takes a leap forward): Which newspaper do you read?

Me: The Hindu

P2: Hindu sounds too boring, You should read Times Of India which has pictures of beautiful girls...

Me: Sir, I started reading Hindu to improve my vocabulary...

P2: What? Too improve your vocabulary you should read The Guardian, its way better.

Me: Will start reading that as well.

P1: Where is the Hindu published?

Me; I don't know sir.

P1: fir to editor ka naam bhi nahi pata hoga.

Me: 😞

P1: Where is The Telegraph published?

Me: I don't know sir...(So many I don't know's I was worried)

P1: Tell me names of 3 controversial ppl of India right now.

Me: 1. Arvind Kejriwal for removing Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the Political Affairs Committee.

2. Manmohan Singh called by the court for coal scam.

P1 interrupts again: Can you name any other former prime minister who was also called by the court?

Me: Former PM before Manmohan singh was Atal Bihari Vajpayee...I am sorry sir, i don't recall. 

P1: ok so number 2 is manmohan singh and who is next.

Me: Sir, Narendra Modi.

P1: What? How is he under controversy?

Me: I am sorry sir, I thought You are asking the PM after Manmohan Singh.

P1(smiling): No no, Ok tell me where is Narendra Modi these days?

Me: Sir he is on a tour to Mauritius Schasjkda... Sir I forgot the name.

P1: It is seychelles.

Me: yes Sir.

P1: ok the third person?

Me: Sir, It is Mufti Mohammed Syed for releasing a person from jail.

P2(Smiling): Now we are sure that you do read the newspaper!

P1: why haven't you shaved today?

Me: Sir I have 23 pimples exactly that is why.

P2: What is the name of the style of your knot of your tie?

Me: I don't know about that sir.

P1: Do you really want to do this pgp course?

Me: YES SIR

P1 to P2 (did you see the jibe? and they both started smiling)

P1: So why Mba?

Me: Sir, during my college, I had joined a start-up and while working with that I got to know the insights of a business. I also learnt that I lack in various things like Negotiation skills, communication skills(P2 interrupts in between: You have good communication skills... believe me), presentation and many other new skills that IIM C will provide me with. As I want to become an Entrepreneur in future, IIM C provides deferred placements also, it can provide me with funding required for my venture as well.

P1 stops me: Negotiation skills? Why do you think Eunuchs aka Hijras who come to your house and ask for 10k or 20k rupees and we end up giving them this much money. Why is that? from where did they get these negotiation skills?

Me: Sir transgenders do not get job anywhere, so this is the only thing they think they can do and also they grow up in such an environment that they think that this is the only thing they can do.

P1: No but we are asking where did they learn this skill from?

Me: Sir, maybe it is congenital or they go in groups, maybe that.

P1: So according to you, If you go in groups you can negotiate better...

Me( 😞 ): No sir that is not what I mean.

P1: How should an MBA college show its placement statistics? Mean with standard deviation or Ranges of salaries?

Me: Sir mean with standard deviation.

P1: Why that way? If some college got 20 students and 5 got salaries of 30 lakh each and 15 got 5 lakh, then mean will be really low. Don't you think?

Me: Yes Sir, I think Colleges should show Highest package with the mean of the median salaries!

P1 seemed not convinced. 😞

P2: So Do you have any questions for us?

Me: No Sir, But if I have any I'll mail you.

P2 laughing: Alright then thank you.

I thanked them and left the room.

Preparation: 3/5 Performance 3/5

Duration: 30-35 minutes

What do you think puys?

Hi there. Just wondering, but can one foot in the mouth comment result in a rejection in case of an otherwise good interview? 😞

Mumbai ppl !!! How has been the experience so far...any one done with their pi ?

Date - 18/03/2015

Venue - Joka Campus

OA - 99.68

Apologies for long thread.

WAT - Economic development alone can't cause growth of a country. Has to be paired with child and health schemes, and schemes for the poor.

Talked about budget and how it hadn't ignored welfare schemes for the poor or child and health.. Just that the main push of the government was in the area suiting economic development so people were not noticing the other bits. Wrote about economic capital-social capital-human capital trio as necessary for sustainable development. Gave some examples of how development of a society has in it's own way helped in pushing forward growth and further economic gains.

Excerpts from PI. Don't remember who asked what so let us call them P. I am A.

P: Aman, in my exp, being an IIM C alum almost 40 yrs ago, I see that people with a min of 2-3 yrs work ex can add a lot more value. So I would like you to have 3-5 yrs work ex and come back here. Why do MBA now?

A: Sir the strategic roles I am looking to take up need a further compliment to my engg education.

P: We understand that but why not work more for a couple of years and then do this. That way it would be easier.

A: (Fair enough question) Sir I agree that I am facing a steep learning curve but to be honest, getting this percentile is an opportunity and I would like to maximize what I have with me. There is always additional pressure in postponing tasks.

(All three panelists laugh. One says a bird in hand is better than two in the bush and appreciates honesty)

P: Do you remember factorization? (Yes) Solve a question.

A: Got the first factor. Told them easiest way to get the rest would be to divide.

P: that isn't the way we were looking for. anyway, (seeing my English awards) Why didn't you take English honors after 12th? Have you ever been advised to do so?

A: Yes my English teacher advised me for the same. I used to write really good short stories (my forte) which she used to appreciate a lot.

P: then why go through all this and come to engineering? isn't that what the rest of the world is doing?

A: Sir 2 reasons. First the scope in English honours is smaller and thus to shine, one has to be really talented. I am more of a work in development. Secondly, seeing Amish Tripathi (IIM C) and Chetan Bhagat (IIM A) going big guns after a B School education, I would call this my effort at a course correction.

Panelists look impressed. Lol even I am surprised I came up with this answer.

P: Tell me about the TCP/IP model?

A: Sir let me relate it with OSI model. Tell all layers of the OSI model. Relate it to TCP/IP. Successfully Navigated both acads and maths (phew!)

P: What is this outreach programme you were involved in?

A: Told about teaching less privileged children. Program started by my mother at home. Started with this at home. Continued by joining similar program in Deloitte (work life).

P: Do you read newspaper? (Yes) What was some of the news today?

A: Indigo IPO likely to happen.

Black money bill and considerations.

further speculations on Ranaghat nun case.

(Discussed about black money bill in short)

P: Aman, what do you think is the most significant accomplishment of your life?

A: Talked about an essay I wrote about my brother back when I was young. Topic was star of my life. at that age everyone wrote about favorite toys or gadgets, I wrote about my brother. Apart from being chosen for national competition, it made my parents and teachers really give me credit for my maturity.

P: Have you heard of EQ? (Yes Emotional Quotient but don't know exactly the criterion for measuring it) Do you think you are emotionally mature? (Yes) Great we think you are too.

P: You have said you like reading about greek/roman mythology? Can you tell me the months and the roman gods they are associated with?

A: (Clueless) but I can tell you about the planets and the gods they are related with. (Given go ahead) Told all the planets and associated Gods.

P: But you told me the names of greek gods. I asked for Roman Gods.

A: Sir they are all related. Told them the history of battle of troy and how the survivors of troy escaped to Italy. Due to death of the Troy culture, they adapted greek gods, albeit their more aggressive stances. Thus Zeus became Jupiter and at the same time more aggressive and war-like, the way the Trojans wished they were against the Greeks.

Also talked about how the Trojan war affected Greek and Roman architecture.

P: (nodding, looking impressed)

A: (seizing the opportunity) in fact sir, i think even our very own hindu mythology is highly linked with this. Talked about basic linkages (trio of Gods, devas/olympians vs titans/asuras etc.) Talked about parallels between achilles and bheeshma/krishna. 

P: Interesting. What I am intrigued by is do you pursue all this knowledge even now?

A: Yes sir. In fact recently read a book called Palace of Illusions which had Draupadi's Point of View of the Mahabharat. Described the book, key stratas of Draupadi, Kunti and Karna.

P: (All three smiling) Good Aman. Thank you we are done.

P: One last question. Which calls do you have?

A: AKIS (scared of the why C over A question)

P: you may go. Thank you. 

A: Have a great day sir.

IIM Calcutta Interview Experience

22nd March 2015 , 8.00 AM, Dadar Catering College, Mumbai

WAT Topic

Give your suggestions to improve the quality of public schools in India.

(200 words, 20 minutes)

Personal Interview

Panel number: M5, 3rd candidate to be interviewed

Time taken: 20 minutes

P, Q: Male professors, both around 50 years of age. A: alumnus. K: yours truly.

I am only mentioning the questions that were asked. I am unable to recall a few questions; will add them later.

A opened the door and asked me to come in. P took my documents.

P: So, you are in the final year of chemical engineering. Which are your favorite subjects? (P asked A to continue.)

A: Say, I have a chemical plant which produces cough syrup. Tell me all the chemical processes involved. (Answered somewhat)

Q: What do you expect from IIMC? Any specific thing you are looking for in the courses? Define ethics.(Answered)

P: What is morally acceptable? Is female infanticide ethical? Who determines what is right and what is not?(A 5 minutes discussion on morality.)

Q: So, you love to read books. Can you tell me how is Ramachandra Guha related to IIMC? What is his opinion about Nehru's policies? (Knew this)

P: Tell me a few differences between Android 4.4.2 and 5.0. How is developing an app for the former different from latter? Have you heard about Phonegap? (Answered all except Phonegap. They seemed convinced.)

A: Why IIMC? What do you want to do in the future? Which industry/role do you have in mind? This is a typical IITian answer. Give me something specific. (I said that I would like to make an informed choice later on since deciding on something right now would be limiting my options.)

P: I think that you are someone who wants to join IIMC just because he can. You come off as cooler than Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Said Thank You after this. Stupid me!) You need to have more concrete career goals.

Q: We are done. Do you have any questions for us?

How would I rate myself?

Preparation: 4/5

Performance: 2.5/5

A small interview. Was not grilled much on academics or current affairs. I fear I came off as very casual. Dim hopes. The wait for the results begins.

Verdict: CONVERT

(Also posted at http://goo.gl/rkj1Lt).

IIM Calcutta Interview Experience

22nd March 2015 , 8.00 AM, Dadar Catering College, Mumbai

WAT Topic

Give your suggestions to improve the quality of public schools in India.

(200 words, 20 minutes)

Personal Interview

Panel number: M6, 3rd candidate to be interviewed

Time taken: 20 minutes

3 panelists (P1 (young prof), P2 (old prof), P3 (alumnus))

A: yours truly

And here we go..

P2: So Akshay tell me briefly about yourself in 2 minutes

A: Sir, I am a final year Chemical Engineering Student at IIT Bombay. I am highly passionate about finance and investing. I invest regularly in the stock market and have earned outstanding returns. I am also the manager of the club in our institute

(P2 interupts)

P2: So I'm sure you must have prepared a good answer as to why should one choose IIM Calcutta over Ahmedabad and Bangalore, but here's is something else that I have thought of. Why cant we float IPOs of the three IIMs on NSE and BSE and let the market decide as to which IIM is good or bad. The higher the price of the stock of such an IIM, the better it will be. Don't you think?

P1 elaborates a bit more

A: (wtf!) Well sir, I would like to point out here that companies listed on the exchanges get their price appreciation when they make profits. The greatness of an IIM cannot be determined by the profits it is generating.

P1: No that's not the case. The fee of the IIM will be correlated to the stock price and so will the salary of the professors.

A: (Keeping in mind the WAT topic) Sir I don't think an educational institution should be so much monetarily focused. It should be a knowledge distributing machine.

P1: ok, so it is OK if the students coming in the institute earn money but it is not OK for the institute itself to earn money

A: (didn't see that coming) Haha.. (discussed for around 3-4 minutes)

P3: Ok Akshay, I see you have written you are passionate about numbers.

A: YES! 😁

P3: please expand for me: (x+y)^-4

A: (Damn! it was a simple taylor series expansion question)

P3: Ok forget that, just tell me the next number of this series

2,4,8,16,32,64,_

A: (Duh!) 128 sir, its 2^n

P3: Ok, what kind of series is it?

A: Geometric series

P3: How do you calculate the sum of an infinite geometric series with common ratio r

A: is r

P3: yes

A: a/(1+r) sir

all: ok

P2: You like maths don't you, find the inverse of this matrix:

[1, 2, 3; 4, 5, 6]

A: Sir, inverse is defined only for square matrices

P2: (smirks) really? is that a theorem? ever heard of the generalized inverse theorem?

A: (stymied) ...

P1: ok, you have written that you are a gyming enthusiast and that you follow a routine diet. Also you have lost 23 kgs. Don't you think gaining 23 kgs contradicts the fact that you followed a diet?

A: (bc) No sir, I gained those 23 kgs during my high school when I was preparing for JEE. I was a complete book worm who did not do anything in life, let alone work out. It was during these two years when I gained the maximum of my weight. And after coming to the institute, I worked really hard to lose these kgs and I am far from a book worm now. 😃

P2: What kind of diet did you follow? You know, even I want to reduce my weight.

A: Oh that's simple. Reduce fats and carbs and increase proteins and fibres in your diet. The more difficult part is to stick to this diet for the rest of your life and be regular with your exercises. 

P1: You invest in the stock market right? What have been your CAGR?

A: Sir, my realized gains, that is the gains I made on bad investments in the last 3 years is 16% and my short term unrealized gains are as much as 60%

P1: We see so many people trading on the stock market. They do not have an MBA

A: Yes sir, I know. I frankly do not think an MBA helps a person to become a better investor. At the same time, I know very few consistently successful investors. However, investing is just on small part of finance.

P3: What else is there in finance?

A: M&A, IPO, credit rating..

P3: (interrupts) no I meant trading instruments

A: oh.. bonds, derivatives, commodities etc

P2: so i guess we are done

P1,P3: yes we are. 

A: Thank you, it was a great experience talking to you 😃

How do I rate myself:

Preparation: 3.5/5

performance: 3/5

verdict: Waitlist 37

IIM Calcutta Interview Experience

19th March 2015 , 8.00 AM, Dadar Catering College, Mumbai

WAT Topic

Effect of internet on Education

(200 words, 20 minutes) 

Preperation: 1/5, Performance: 2/5

Personal Interview

Panel number: M2, 4th candidate to be interviewed (3 candidates didn't turn up!!)

Time taken: 30 minutes

2 middle aged male panelists (P1, P2)

P1: Give me a very brief introduction

Me: Told, ended with hobbies  (Added, I did mention in my form too :P)

P2: So u like Jeffrey Archer, huh?

Me: Yes, i also like John Grisham a lot (my fav!)

P2: So which all books have  u read

Me: Have read different authors at different stages of my life...have read everything from classics to (inturrepted here :|)

P2: Which classics have you read?

Me: I have read Jane Austen's Emma, Pride and Prejudice...I really liked the professor,w ritten by Charlotte Bronte, though she s not as famous as her sister, Emily Bronte...Anna Karenina (interrupted again)

P2: What's the first line of Anna Karenina?

Me: I dont know

P2: How can you not know???

Me: I read too many books, hard to remember the first line

P2: You must know some line, from some book????

Me: Gave a quote from Emma (When i shall have a house of my own, I shall be miserable , if I don't have a library)

P2: (Seemed happy!) 

P2:do you empathise with her character 

Me: (frantically trying to recollect the story) No, I dont

P1: tell us something abt the character 

Me:a very complex character, who doesn't love her second child at all(couldn't recollect much) 

P2:so u don't empathise with her? 

Me: no, I empathise with the others (it's a story on adultery). Though her situation was rather pitiful and sorrowful in the end. 

P1: okay, you mentioned  that you have lived in 12 places in India...why?

Me: Due to nature of my father's job, he's a banker

P1: Where are you working at present

Me: Mumbai

P1: before that

Me: Bangalore

P1: before that

Me:Delhi

P2: tell all the places in the reverse order

Me: told.

P2: where is Datia

Me: MP-UP border

P2: okay tell me how is the administration of Mumbai/ Bangalore different from Sagar

Me: (Clueless) The administration will be very different as Mumbai is a metro , while sagar is a small town

P1: What's a metro? how do you define it

Me: I am not sure, but i believe its defined on the basis of population

P1&P2: (exchanging looks)

Me: I believe a metro has a population > 1Cr or 10 Cr 😞

P1:  Define small town

Me: I dont know the exact definition, but i think its on the basis of population

P2: Have you heard of the census

Me: Yes, but i dont know the classifcation of towns

P1: Okay, lets get back the question

Me: As Mumbai is facing a resource crunch, in terms of allocation to the population, which sagar doesnt, they will have to focus on different things, like citizens needs

P1: if sagar doesnt face a resource crunch, why dont every1 move there

Me: As there aren't many jobs there

P1: Define citizen

Me: A Citizen of a India is someone : who is born here ( a citizen by birth), descendant of Indian citizens...(interrupted)

P2: I want to know who a citizen is, not how they become citizens..Are we all citizens here??/

Me: Yes, or i think so :P 

P1: Define citizen

Me: Anyone whom the govt is responsible to

P1& P2...laughing...so u thinks the govt. is responsible....more laughing

P1: What if i tell u sagar is a distict

Me: It is, but the headquarters of the district is a town named sagar

P2: What are the different levels of administration

Me:  village panchayats

P2: nothing between !!!

P1: list them

Me: district, talukalas, mandals and village panchayats

P1: the only reason am asking you all this is because you have loved in so many places

P2: Where are you from?

Me: Vijayawada

P1: Telangana/ Seemandhra

Me: Seemandhra

P2: why is it called Seemandhra

Me: to differentiate it from the original state

P2: what is the name of the new state

Me: Andhra Pradesh

P1: Not Seemandhra?

Me: No. The new state consists of Coastal Andhra and Rayalseema

P1: which all districts in rayalseema

Me: Kurnool, Chittoor, Tirupati (Tirupati is not a district)

P1: I will ask you few questions, no guessing

P1: In which month and year was telangana formed?

Me: 1st June 2014( its actually 2nd June 2014)

P1: What was the bill called?

Me: I dont know, but i think it was the states reorganization bill

P1: dont guess

Me: okay, I dont know 😞

P1: If i were to split up Maharashtra into Vidharbha and Rest of Maharashtra, what steps would i need to take...you can write it down or think aloud

Me: (pretty clueless) I am not sure, but i think its first passed in Lok Sabha followed by Rajya Sabha , then sent to state legislative assemblies and councils, and then sent to the president

P1: So, the states have a Veto?

Me: Mayb, think so  :(

P1: What would happen if Rajya Sabha rejects the bill

Me: I dont know, but its probably tabled after six months again in both lok sabha and rajya sabha

P2: Which country doesn't have a written constitution

Me: I dont know

P1: take a guess

Me: South Sudan mayb (they had a good laugh)

P1: one of the older countries

Me:I dont know

P2: Its Britain

Me: ohh, i never heard of that

P2: Go home, google it and mail it to me

Me: Okay

P1: Okay, now you tell me what to ask you on?

Me: Mayb baking (Looking hopefully :P)

P1: okay, if i were to make a choco chip cookies in a microwave, y wouldnt it work

Me: Microwaving retains the moisture content, while baking gives it a crispiness

P1: i disagree, when I make oats they seem to shrink

Me: ohh, they always rise for me..We need to keep it for 1:30 min

P1: but i disagree, think like an engineer, any heat would evaporate water

Me: hmm, yes..But microwaves usually retain moisture, even while cooking vegetabels

P1: (looking extremely dissatisfied) No nO

This went on and Off for a long time. He was never satisfied

Me: I dont know much abt microwaving

P1: if you were to estimate the margins of a bakery, on a cookie or a cake, do it.You can think aloud, or calculate

Me: Will calculate for a 1kg cake. Easier to estimate.

P2 & P1 laughing

Me: listed down parameters, approximated them, arrived at 400 % margins. Told them that it will be lower @ actuals because of labour cost and others

P2: Which other IIM calls do you have

Me: All except Ahmedabad

P2: Done with your interview

Me: yes, only indore is left

P2: How was Bangalore interview? What did they ask

Me: They asked from Sop..goals , csr, hobbies...It was very conventional

P2/P1: You must be thinking we are such bad interviewers!

Me : No, no...you have given me lots to google about 😃

Nd Doneee!!

PS: was offered a biscuit, told him will have it in sometime n forgot 😛

Preparation : 2/5, Performance : 3/5

Verdict: Awaited

Apologies for the late post

Date: 07/02/2015

Venue: Mantra Amaltas, New Delhi

Afternoon Slot

Profile: 10th: 92%

12th: 90%

Work ex: more than 2 years in market research and consulting.

WAT topic: Government has adopted route of ordinance to enact or modify laws. What is government justification for this and what is your opinion.

Able to produce some facts about ordinances happened in last six months and supported government in passing those ordinances. Still I found some of the points repetitive.

Overall performance: Preparation 3/5; Performance 2/5

Interview: First person to enter. (40 mins, long)

Panel was consisting of three male members.

M2: (After looking at my form) You got 92% in 10th, 90% in 12th and 62% in engg (sarcastic expression), Why ?

Me: I was studious person from childhood, but when I entered in college I found lot of things other than studies. I liked that freedom and started taking part in extracurricular activities.

M2: This means you don't like engg.

Me: No Sir, If you see my academics, the graph is consistently increasing.

M2: So you are business analyst, what you do, analysis or analytics ?

Me: Answered

M2: What is your job profile?

Me: Answered

M2: Asked some more about oil and gas industry (some technical)

Me: Answered.

Meanwhile M3 was looking at my certificates. Checking each and every details about subjects and extracurricular.

M1 was chewing something and I was not able to understand what he was speaking.

M1: Asked more about refinery?

Me: Answered

M1: Gave mathematical based case study (On ratio and percentage)

M3 told me to take pen and paper to solve this. Meanwhile M2 answered the question but M1 contradicts him and gave different answer and told me to answer who was right between them ?

Me: I got confused. Initially I picked wrong answer and then corrected myself.

M2: "Smiling is a good strategy to get over with these things" (As I was smiling throughout the interview)

M3: Asked definition of efficiency?

Me: Was not able to give exact definition but explained in layman terms by giving example.

M3 didn't like it. He was shaking his head.

M3: Asked about renewable energy and its advancements.

Me: Slight shaky on advancements but able to produce some advantages of renewable energy.

Then M3 took my interview from my chemical background to mechanical engineering background and started asking me about steam engine. Every time I was answering, he was shaking his head and every time he was not agreeing with me.

M3: If petrol engine and steam engine have same efficiency, then which is better.

Me: Sir, I have to consider different parameter to compare this which is cost.

Again M3 showed disagreement and M1 supported him.

M3: Why efficiency of LED bulb is high compared to normal bulb. Me: I answered in terms of heat radiation and all. He stopped me there, probably he must had agreed this time. 😛

M3: Asked me about oil price fall.

Me: (I though now this is my field, I have to take hold from here) Gave answered briefly in points and then started explaining each point.

(M3 stopped me, He seems to e satisfied with my initial response)

M3: (After showing one picture), How will you compress this picture?

Me: Sir, I can decrease the quality and pixels of the picture.

M3: But how?

Me: Sir, probably reducing its wavelength.

M2: Your opinion on politics in cricket (Since politics and cricket were my area of interest)

Me: I answered and he seems to be satisfied, mean while he checked my GK on state level bodies and their presidents. I answered those too.

M2: What is variable ? Me: Was confused about the term, gave example but seems he was not agreeing with me. What is random variable ?

Me: Same situation as above.

M2: What is the difference between constant and variable ?

Me: Answered

M2: Give example of dependent variable and independent variable?

Me: Answered, but M3 was not happy with it.

M3: What is dependent child and independent child?

Me: Child who is dependent on parents for his/her expenses in dependent and who is not is independent.

M3: Then what is dependent variable and independent variable?

Me: gave another example and explained it.

M2: Do you have anything question for us? Me: Sir, May I know your names?

M3: No, We can tell you about our heights but not names. (All started laughing; I joined them).

M2: We can tell you about IIM C?

Me: Sir, I know much about IIM C, I have lot of my friends there.

M1/2/3: Thank you.

Me: Thank you, Greeted then and left.

My opinion about the interview: I screwed up in maths and probability and my interview went from chemical engg/oil and gas to mechanical engg and I was not sure about the efficiency term. Further, M3 was not in a mood to agree with me.

How would I rate Myself

Preparation: 4/5; Performance: 2/5

Hope for the best. Ummed pe duniya kayam hai 😁

when will the results be out.. ny idea??

OA : 99.75

X: 93.4

XII : 88.2

Grad : 91 (BTech. Mechanical)

Workex: 0

Date : 19/3/2015 venue : IIM Calcutta (Mecca)

WAT topic: The enrollment in the education system is high but the education level is low. What according to your are the reasons for this and how would you correct this?

Three panelists LCR
L : So u are the 10th candidate. So what have u found out about the kind of questions we are asking? 
Me : sir I have not interacted with anyone. I was sitting on the first floor for most of the time.
L : but the questions are already out. U have missed an opportunity to network and find out the questions.
M : sir I did not want to find out the questions because then my thinking would have become structured. 
C : good. Good. U want a fresh perspective.
L : so u are fresher and a mechanical engineer. U want to go for finance. It is an excellent combination. Can u tell me why? 
M : sir mechanical engineering was very logical and quant intensive. I find the same with the case of finance. I agree that there are some parts in finance which are very subjective but overall I find it to be very logical. As I have done a lot of mathematics and physics in mechanical Engg. I find that I am able to relate to finance easily.
L : ok do u remember any mechanical Engg. ? 
M : sir I will try my best to answer
L : wat is your favourite topic?
M : internal combustion engine
L : do but remember anything about power plants ?
M : yes sir 
L : can u draw the PV cycle of a power plant and explain it to me as if I am class 9 student
M : pura diagram ke saath samjhaya. Maza aa gaya bata ke. 
L : u know in finance there is a concept called arbitrage? 
M : explained 
L : ok would u suggest that we invest in Russia now ?
M : sir it depends whether u are long term or short term investors. 
L : we are long term investors 
M : then I would suggest that u invest in Russia because the Russian economy is primarily based on oil as it is one of the largest exporters of oil. It is facing trouble because the prices of oil have nearly halved in the last year. But they are bound to pick up as our energy needs increase in the future and as we do not have a replacement for oil as of now.
C : so I will ask u two questions as u are from surat? Firstly what is so special about surat?
M : one is that 95% of the world's unpolished diamonds are polished in surat and secondly it has got a textile market of about 900 crores and it's trade with kolkatta is about 120 crores. 
C : u are missing something.
M : yes sir it as the highest per capita income in india of 450000
C : (satisfied) ok can u tell the changes that have come up after the plague? 
M : sir can I take a minute? 
L : sure 
M : sir I hv noted down four major changes; firstly walls of about 15 feet were erected around the entire city, better drainage system, better system for alerting people 
C : and public awareness 
M : yes sir. So I will give the example of 2013 when I was in surat and we had a flood situation because water had been released from a nearby dam. So we were made aware of this in advance and areas had been evacuated easily. Also people are told to keep the city clean about that is one of the main dangers after a flood.
R : can u tell me what is so special about the number 1729.
M : sir it is the ramanujam number. It is the sum of 10 and 9 cube.
R : wat else is it a sum of?
M : (after some thinking) 12 and 1 cube.
C : so my second question to u. The name of ur university is based on after very famous person. What is being done for him?
M : yes sir the person is sardar vallabhbhai patel and a statue is being erected in his honour. It is known as the statue of unity.
C : wat is so special about the statue?
M : sir it is about 182 m tall and I am sure that it is the tallest statue in india.
C : in the world. It is the tallest in the world. And it is being not only financed by the government but also by the people of gujarat.
M : hmm. Right 
C : so wat other calls do u have ? 
M : sir I have all the iims? 
C : so which one would u go for? A right.
M : no sir. I would go for C as this is the finance campus of the country and my interest lies in finance.
LCR : thank u.

TIme : 15 mins

Verdict : Awaited

Here comes the big one! IIM Calcutta! The interview experience was a big let down for me, as I was hardly asked what is generally perceived from an interview :-/

Date: 22.03.2015 Mumbai

WAT: Suggest ways to improve government schools (and thus the education system) in India [in short]

Prep= 2/5 Performance = 3/5

Personal Interview

Was the last one on the panel (10th)  The wait killed me, and all the four of us were exhausted till my turn came (myself, and the three interviewers).

All in 45-55 age group. L-M-R

...Just as I entered...


All 3: So you have an upper edge over others as you are the last one.
Me: (smiling) No sir. I don't think so.
R: why? Were you not inquisitive?
Me: I was sir. But the reviews that I got were that the questions were very personal on the profiles and hobbies. So I didn't get any head-start as such.
R: OK. So you've studied from XYZ university. Can you tell me about XYZ?
Me: Blah Blah (not v convincing)
R: some more history about the ancient princely state.
Me: I don't know much sir
R: Do you know what are native states?
Me: guessed.
R: ya, so Can you name 3 native states?
Me: (WTF is going on) Sir, umm.. Mysore?
R: yes. There are several in your state.
Me: sir Saurashtra?
R: I'm afraid not. The region was there, correct. But with different name?
Me: umm.. I don't know sir. 
R: OK. And 3rd?
Me: sir, in Karnataka near hampi.
R: that was long back. Have you been to hampi?
Me: Yes sir
R: What did you see there?
Me: Sir the krishnadevaraya temple. 
R: There was a diff name of it? Remember?
Me: No sir. Idk
R: When had you been there?
Me: Sir way back when I was in class 7.
R: Oh, then you won't remember. Tell me about places you visited in the past one year.
Me: Sir Akshardham temple
R: Where is it?
Me: Gandhinagar
R: OK.. And?
Me: umm.. (Wtf is gng on) sir Bikaner. Laxmi Niwas palace.
R: OK.. Do you speak Gujarati?
Me: yes sir.
R: Can you tell me what 'bhav' means?
Me: Sir 2 meanings. One is value of any commodity. And other is feelings. If I have good feelings for something I say 'saro bhav'
R: OK
M: Do you know about the textile mill strike in ahmedabad which took place some years back
Me: (Nooooooooo!!!!!) No sir, I am not aware.
L: OK so you work with ABC? How are the prospects?
Me: (time for some action) blah blah
L: so the prospects are good? Acche din are coming? So why not stay with the same?
Me: scope. Growth. Learning. Blah blah
L: Do you know Mr. U?
Me: I don't recall sir (  )
L: He was your MD 5-8 yrs back. He passed out from IIMA. Just wondered whether that's why you feel that u need an MBA for a top mgmt position
Me: Not really sir. In fact, the current MD was a trainee just like me when he joined 25 yrs back. 
L: ok. What else apart from academics?
Me: organizing events. Blah blah
L: (least interested) So you say you like Jagjit Singh?
Me: Yes sir. 
L: is chitra Singh alive.?
Me: Yes Sir
L: Sure?
Me: Yes sir.
L: Their son died.
Me: Yes sir, and after that chitra Singh stopped singing.
L: Hmm..  Which movie did you see recently?
Me: Sir, Badlapur [Really, that's all I could blurt out! Aaarrggg]
L: Who was in it? Did you like it?
Me: Explained the plot and why it was unique due to the insatiable desire for revenge shown.
L: Have you seen the movie 'The theory of everything'?
Me: No sir. Yet to watch.
L: You should watch it. Based on Stephen Hawking.
Me: Sure sir.
All: OK. Thank you so much for coming.

Preparation: 3.5/5 Performance: 2/5

Verdict: Sure-shot reject! If you doubt it, check my CAT score down here!

Still, let me know what you think.

Admissions Status page not opening up guys??? Whats happening guys?? Any guesses

By when can we expect the results?

Converted 😃

Results out....converted

Anyone pls tell more abt loans n the process time n docs required... Pls

Hi friends, congrats for those who have made it to C. In case you have made it to B as well, please fill this tracker.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lOpl6zT5VhdB8ELJEoVLbUUf60u8ZVDXp5Exh5taYio/edit?usp=sharing