K J Somaiya GD/PI experience

Hi all! Had my K J Somaiya GD/PI today, 10th April Time: 1:30 pm Venue: Cathedral College, Bangalore The process began 1 hour late, despite there being just 45 candidates for morning session. For around an hour, they gave a prese…

Hi all!

Had my K J Somaiya GD/PI today, 10th April

Time: 1:30 pm
Venue: Cathedral College, Bangalore

The process began 1 hour late, despite there being just 45 candidates for morning session. For around an hour, they gave a presentation about their instt, courses offered, etc. etc. (really not necessary when we've already applied), plus a brief Q&A; session where we were supposed to get doubts clarified etc. etc. Then we had to fill in personal details on a blank sheet, in the format prescribed by them.

The main business kicked off with a "written communication test", or to put it simply, an essay. It should be around 300 words, time allotted 15 mins, a single sheet given (ruled on both sides). They have a database of around 30 topics, n we ought to come to a concensus about the number to opt for 😁 , not the topic itself. Our topic was "Communication in the Internet Age". Then we were divided in groups of around 10-13.

Then there was the GD, carried out simultaneously for all the groups. Our group had 9 guyz n 4 gals, sitting in 'U' shape. It was a case study. Each of us was provided with a sheet of the case (printed), length of the case was around half a standard A4 size sheet, and were given 2 mins to go thru the case. Then there was 13 mins of discussion. Finally, each of us had to chip in with his/her opinion about the discussion and possible conclusion in 30 seconds each. Advice/TIPS:- Carry your own rough sheets for rough work, if required. As it is a case-study, better refrain from assuming things not mentioned, or else u can even be bombed out of the debate/discussion...

Then there was PI, again simultaneously being carried out for all groups. It was largely a cool affair, with a balanced sprinkling of questions from HR-type to tech-type (i m an e&c; engg student) to current affairs to GK to even spiritualism :shock:
All said n done, the atmosphere was not all that tense n pressurising, so chillax n try n convert this one...

All the very best,
buck_was

Hi buck_was

Thanks for positing ur gd/pi experience of k j somiya.

Well, could u plz give some more details about the gd/pi process?

what were the various other written communication topics related to?
what was ur case study about?
how was the case study discussion....healthy or fish-market?
how many interviewee member panels were there?
what sort of questions were u asked about spiritualism, current affairs and GK?
what questions were u asked in ur pi?
how long did the whole process last?
etc.


Do reply in detail.
Thanks

Oceanjewel

what were the various other written communication topics related to? what was ur case study about? how was the case study discussion, healthy or fish-market? how many interviewee member panels were there? what sort of questions were u asked about spiritualism, current affairs and GK? what questions were u asked in ur pi? how long did the whole process last?
Oceanjewel


Hi jewel,

Well, well, well, it was my first take at posting my i/v xp on PG, so may be wasnt really aware of the level of details to provide. Anywayz, here you are...

All the topics werent made public, just the one we were supposed to write was announced, i.e. "Communication in the Internet Age". The case study was on an in-company dispute between a supervisor and his sub-ordinate, and we ought to discuss their points-of-view, actions and possible solution(s). The discussion was pretty cordial but later on went ballistic. More of it was hovering around wot assumption cud be made and wot not, really not the way it shud have been. Thankfully, the moderator/arbiter (just 1 person) didnt intervene at all. But towards the end, things got a li'l orderly, all by themselves.

The interview again was taken by a single person for each group (of 10-13 candidates). Questions ranged from naming the three new Indian states with their resp capitals n CMs, to naming the three 2004 beauty queens, to what is god...

Each of essay, GD n PI lasted around 15 mins. But the entire process took around 3 hours n a half for me(i was 2nd in my group to b interviewed, with 11 more to go). Any more ques/clarifications r most welcome.

All the very best,
buck_was

hello buck,

i am komal.only yesterday i had posted questions asking about the typical interview question one shud prepare.i have my KJSOM gd and pi on 19 th at mumbai.thanks a lot for sharing your experience.i am also from engg. e and c background.plz tell me,
1.what technical questions were asked?
2.what shud i prepare for technical section?
3.shud i stress more on final year subjects?
4.shud there be any particular favourite subject or shud i go thru all the subjects.
5.also tell me about the info you had to fill in the form,was it like all those3 strenghts and 3 weakness question,and why MBA or why KJ kinda questions?
6.as you are from technical field,what wud you say for question like "dont you think you are running away from technical field"?
7.apart from the documents specified, what other documents did you take with you,like any extracurricular and acads certificates?did they ask for any?


whew a whole lot of questiions for you.but plz do reply soon.i am really nervous about it all.and dont wanna loose this chance of conversion.

reply soon.
komal.

Thanx a lot buddy,
I have got interview on 15th of this month.
This will help me a lot.
Did they asked u about the specific subject u liked most or randomly in tech?

Thnx CATaract for the info..very helpful..ya me too in similar position with no callas nd stuff-got mine on 19th..wuld appreciate if anyone else whu has finished his gd/pi at KJ comes forward with their expereince

nd ya CATaract yr dads right-2 yrs down the line WAT U R is gonna matter then "which B-school" u passed out from..

so cheers...take care..hope to join u in KJ soon;)

hello buck,
i am komal. i have my KJSOM gd and pi on 19 th at mumbai. i am also from engg. e and c background.

Hi Komal,

I hope i m not too l8 in posting this as ur KJ i/v is on 19th, was awfully busy all this while as had 3 GD/PIs in 4 days...

1.what technical questions were asked?

First tech ques was describe ur final project briefly, which i handled pretty well as m currently working on it (OTP Cryptosystem using HRNG). Next she asked differences b/w Microprocessor n microcontroller, then common day-to-day applications of microcontroller, then "tech" definitions of diode, transistor, bandwidth, resistor, etc. (fumbled a li'l here)

2.what shud i prepare for technical section?

I believe, as u might also agree, there's li'l that u can do at this juncture in terms of tech knowledge. At least refrain frm going for something thats new for u, just rbrush up/revise ur basics of popular topics like microprocessor, microcontroller, fields(i.e. electric n mag.), digital, microwaves, electrical networks, communication networks (reference models, layers, protocols), or any other fav subject of urs.

3.shud i stress more on final year subjects?

As far as that panel was concerned, it seemed to concentrate more on basics, irrespective of year (no specific importance given to final yr, nothing much asked apart frm proj, protocols)

4.shud there be any particular favourite subject or shud i go thru all the subjects.

As already mentioned earlier, better go thru important n popular (frm interview point-of-view) subjects. It always helps to b queen (jack doesnt suffice prolly 😃 ) of all trades n master of one (at least). Cos u shud b prepared for a ques on such lines - "Which was ur fav subject n y?". The "y" part can get a li'l teasing, i.e. to provide with a satisfactory n convincing answer. It shud b well thought out in advance, as it can convey a lot about u.

5.also tell me about the info you had to fill in the form,was it like all those3 strenghts and 3 weakness question,and why MBA or why KJ kinda questions?

This was basic info, viz. ur name, father's name n occupation, mother's name n occupation (if working), KJ Somaiya Applicn No., CAT Reg. No., Work-ex details. No such ques as u mentioned.

6.as you are from technical field,what wud you say for question like "dont you think you are running away from technical field"?

Regarding this, need to know more about u (feel free to pm me thru pagalguy or yahoo), cos an answer might work for one, may not for other. FYI, was asked a similar question (more offensive though - I get the feeling that u r an escapist leaving tech field for MBA, prove me wrong) in my MICA i/v. I said, it is a well thought out decision, after understanding pros n cons of all options available, also said that i want to diversify...

7.apart from the documents specified, what other documents did you take with you,like any extracurricular and acads certificates?did they ask for any?

Our panel was not checking any document. Had misplaced my KJ form receipt, n told them honestly at the outset. But they didnt even check GD/PI fee counter foil, leave aside marksheets/certificates. But, as a matter of formality, do carry with u all the documents they hv specifically asked, i.e. original GD/PI fee counter foil, original CAT admit card, original work-ex certi (if applicable) with xerox, class 10th, 12th, degree marksheets' certified copies, degree certificate certified copy (if degree already completed), n any other certificate u might want to carry to further ur candidature.

i am really nervous about it all.and dont wanna loose this chance of conversion.

Being nervous is natural, but dont let it bog u down. This "dont wanna loose this chance" kinda approach can put additional pressure on u (depends on ur mindset, some people get egged on to perform better, not me). A word of advice, ur post seemed to convey high emphasis on tech. Give due weightage to general awareness n GK too, as number of such ques was more than number of tech ques.

Any further query/clarification is welcome.

All the very best,
buck_was

hi
i had gd pi on 11 apr. it usually starts 1 hour late in banglore.The written communication test is an essay to be written in 15 mins. Topic = should surrogate ads be banned during elections? then for gd we had a case study . 14 seats 12 filled u shaped. those at the sides have locational disadvantage. PI is in the same room in the GD sitting order. out of 82 -50 turned up .PI is one panel. Depends on the panel some are extremely friendly while others may not be exactly so.for me it was a friendly chit chat. If u have a fav subject or strong point u can put it up in the intro.

Hi siddhartb
I've some queries to ask u about ur K J Somiya gd/pi experience. Hope u'll answer them. Here they are:
What was the case study on?
What was the case study process like, was it similar to as of CATaract's?
What questions were u asked in ur PI?
What GK and current affairs questions were u asked?


Thanks in advance.
Oceanjewel

hello junta
this is abhi 4m patna
i think i m late but still postin my gd/pi experience
mine was on 17th at kolkata
i requested 4 merger of pgpms/pgpib gd/pi
they agreed 2 it
it all started vth an essay on "will india b superpower by 2020"
duration - 15 min
then gd of 15 min,it was a case study
panel was of 2 & the group of 15
all were asked 2 conclude 1 by 1
then interview was of 10 min
all normal stuffs
but they stressed on gk
like stock exchange of paris,editor of times of india
overall a kool 1
lets c what happens

hi,

oceanjewel, i hope i am not late. the case study was like this . there is this man called Prashant. as a student he was very studious . now he is working in a pharma comp he works for 12 hours a day and has a wife and 2 kids. he is a very efficent managerbut a workholic. When an oppurtunity arises the chairman encourages him to apply to the post senior manager. everyone is certain that he will get the job. but then in a medical examination prashant is know to have developed a tumour eventhough curable. The medical report is also handed to the chairman. it says he has to have 4 weeks bedrest and if he woeks at the current level his health will detiriorate further.

the questions are
Should the Chairman promote Pashant?
Are there any other people like him?
what can be done to combat this sort of situation?

!st 5 mins each gets 1 min to say what he grasped from the case
next 15-20 mins for discussion
last 5 mins each has to conculde?

for me there was no GK ques
If u can put ur strong point forward in the PI chances are Ques may be directed from that area


best of luck

hi evrybdy ,

i had my gd pi ystrdy at 1:30 im mumbai thgt my gd pi exp will be hlpful for delhi guys where it will be held later........

the processs strted with verification of mrksheets and cat admit crd ......then they alloted us the grps less no of ppl turned up so they clubbe the grps there were 9 ppl in my grp .........

our gd topic was a case stdy based on the narmada dam project sayin tht the heigt is to be raised and there is a lot of opp frm ppl like medha patkar and rumours abt this leadin to erthquake and ppl not getiin suitable rehabiliation ........
so wht r the issues here and wht will u do ...........

the gd was ok 2 min to thnk 15 min to discus and then all had to sumamrise in a min...........then pi strted.i was the frst fro tht panel...........the asked the menain of my name then general stuff like why mba, hobbies , then related to my fly bckgrnd ..........thnk tht one of them was frm journalism bckgrnd so he asked abt all authors and stuff..............

then soem questions abt curent affairs like cm of maharashtra then frst and scnd phase of elections and all..........then where else have u appklied i said tapmi then asked which train di utake fro tapmi then wht is tht railway called , when did ti strt adn wht is last stop and all...........

over all it was peaceful but they focus more on curent affairs and gk so brush up tht and know the names of chief ministers of known states ...
all the best to all.............

gr8gal how many turned up for the pi gd?

hi gr8gal,siddharthb

i too had my gd/pi at the same time yesterday at mumbai, around 25 ppl had turned up as the range of roll nos. was there for all interview centers,ie we could go for our gd/pi at any center!!

the gd was of same topic, pi was as usual general qns.,gk, hobbies,technical,iraq situation etc. went ok. goofed up on a couple of qns.

guess what i said the capital of italy was....milan :oops:
waiting till 8 may for final results.

guys, brush up on ur gk and acads, it helps, best of luck

hey folks

had my gd/pi yest at 1:30-didnt bump into u gr8gal:P

neways..pretty much gr8gal has covered-they gave a presentation abt KJ
turnout was very pathetic-i wuld say..only 23-25 turned out of 47 called.

essay was on "would the breed of younger politicians deliver results?" 15 mins to write on this around 250-300 words.

then the case study for all grps was same-Narmada dam thing-our grp had all boys-8 total-and was pretty decent enuf-they give u 30 secs at the end to summarise/conclude.

PI panel for me was a prof. frm Bajaj and a lady..i was the last one to b interviewed-nd the prof had all mech engineers since morning-so he was tired of engineers and asking tech questions.

so my friend whu was before me didnt get any tech questions..to me they asked abt my 10/12th marks,CAT percentile, diff. btw comp nd IT engineering, whu invented computers..both were fascnated by my watch nd starte dasking abt it-main watch cos. in India..shahrukh khan is brand ambassador of which watch co.
they grilled me into believing tat i should join my fathers business of exports-asked me abt all the various ways,troubles, countries nd everything related to it...then they came on ym work-ex nd asked questions...

basically cool-but anything nd everything under the sun..ya as ppl earlier hv pointed out-GK is important-so also r yr acads. basics and y u want to do MBA

hope it helps delhi folks

all the best

cheers

hi mihir,
good that u did fine at the gd pi .ud been to the inst for ur gd pi right??? how did u feel the inst is???? did u speak to the students at kj som to get their f/b??? was it satisfactory????too many questions i guess..pls do reply .. it seems no +ve vibes at kj..no many stud for gd pi too..what does it say??? im damn confused..

hi all who've attended gd pi at kjs.how did u feel the coll is????i attended it at blore and didnt like the manner in which the whole thing was conducted. during my interview the prof tells me that the office at kj is in a complete mess hence they cudnt give the receipts for 500..what does one make of this??? unprofessionalism??( many in my batch had the same feeling) ..is this coll worth it????? pls reply..tx in advance

hi cataspirant and others ,

i know you guys have doubts about KJS. Its natural witht the kind of arrangements you guys had gone through. But i had been to KJS and the presentation there was also juvenile at best, though conducted by the faculty. Hey but i dont think your estimation of a college should be based on the way the market their college in front of the students through presentations and other critieria. A case in point is my interaction with students of LBSIM during the presentation. The students who were conductin the whole process had trouble conversing in english. I might be being too harsh here all i want to say is that i had heard much better presentations and interaction eg-scmhrd. But that does not mean LBSIM is bad or for that matter KJS. The biggest advantage they have is they have been in this business for donkey's years and have a good faculty base. Placemnets are good, what more do you want.

I think we all(me included) fall into the trap of comparing these institutes with the top 10 institutes of india. Lets face it after the top 10 every other institute is the same. Yes there are some really bad ones, but we are not talking about them.

Another thing there have been some doubts raisesd about less students attending the interviews, what the hell yaar less competition. Ok on a serious note i read on this forum itself for some ubs interview there were just 4 people and many a times in mica you had just 5 or six. Does this mean that they are bad colleges. The only reason why there is a low turnout of people is that there are many who have already converted many of their calls. So if you have a already converted a say LBSIM then why go to KJS which is equal in almost each and every term. There might be some other reason like , you already have so many calls from equally graded institues that you dont go to one or two of them or not interested in the kind of placements being offered by them.

look i had a call from LBSIM, but found myself waitlisted, so had to go to KJS but if i had converted it then i would not have gone, not because it was a bad institute but why make the effort . And another thing, i have noticed that we have formed a habit of berating an institute and taking a stand against it. Look i understand if you really know a institute is worthless than please help a lost soul in making a decision, but if there is a comparision( a good one) then why not give some points for both the institutes and let the guy/gal decide for themselves instead of scaring the shit out of somebody who might have got the only call in hand. I dont know if i have made my point clear, but nothing agianst anybody just a request. i know even i might have done it but i know it is wrong.
so if you have gone throught such a big mail, then you got a lotta patinece friend.
cheerio

hi all,

i too had my gd and pi on 19th,1:30, at mumbai.well all has been covered by most of the people.well from my side i wanna add that the presentation was just ok considering the fact that they have been doing it for long and it was more of a formality.
the gd was pretty cool...............the topic was such was that everyone agreed to it.the narmada valley project,raising the height of the dam wud submerge so many villages and medha patkar has been opposing it. so we had to discuss how to convince the villagers and what the govt shud do.so we all had the same opinion abt it.we we were 9...5 girls and 4 boys .the written test was also quiet easy "can the younger politicians deliver better results".

as for my pi the panel was of 2 one man and a lady,they started off by asking the meaning of my name.and then they came to my acads,my final year subjects and then asked some tech questions on radar,diff. between electrical and electronics(3).then they switched to which specialisation i wud prefer considering my tech background.then my hobbies,which newspapers i read and i had to list happenings in the last 10 days.then there were question like who is najma heptulla, who is vice prez of india and where is he from.then how people get in to rajya sabha.then out of the way i was asked to list 5 foreign brands of TV's in india and which country they are from.then finally question on forex reserves and inflaton.

all in all they covered everything from tech to GK in abt 20 mins.guys my advice is that the pi is in your hand.you can take it where you want.if you have a strong hold on something then try to mention it some how even if they dont ask.its upto you to direct your iv.and plz dont try to make wild guesses if you dont know abt some thing coz you cud be asked to make a guess(i was asked too) and thats where the trap begins and they'll catch you trying to act smart before you know it.so it wud be wiser to say i dont know.they dont expect you to know everyhing.

and yes , all those who were disappointed by low turnup, i just wanna say that its just coz people have calls converted elasewhere.had KJ conducted all this before any other CATallied ,alsmost all wud have come.its not that the inti. is that bad otherwise people wouldn't have applied to it even.KJ has a good placement record.after all once you pass out with a good job in hand who cares whether your coll has a good building or crowd.


so ALL THE BEST TO THE DELHI PEOPLE.

BTW when will they declare the results?