Hi guys… Starting this thread for initiating the GD PI prep. Its been a week since we posted our applications… The calls will be out by next week. I have a few things on the agenda: 1)Discuss some of the case studies that have com…
Hi guys...
Starting this thread for initiating the GD PI prep.
Its been a week since we posted our applications...
The calls will be out by next week.
I have a few things on the agenda:
1)Discuss some of the case studies that have come bfr
2)Discuss some specific questions that have been and most prob will be asked again..
3)Share the resources which we might have collected for ourselves
Hope for active participation.....
GUYS:
Please concentrate only on the GD and PI process here.. For all the other queries either PM shekhar/Floyd/LastActonHero or Post it on the admissions thread
This is necessary otherwise the purpose of this thread wud be lose
Thanks
I THOT THE CALLS WE ll be out this week as told by a senior from SOM.......n 2-5 march r the dates ....n the venue s just IIT bomby tough fr guys who live far like me....
As for the GD PI ...i think Pi s a lot more technical .....focusses a ton too much on ur acads even if u have a 5 yr wrk ex....
i have a question ..this myth tht surrounds tht IIT B panel s suppsd to b very tough n stimes codescending ...is tht correct ?
Quoting from the other thread:The calls will be out by early next week.
Here's an *Update* regarding the GD/PI process dates:
There may be a tentative change in the dates due to the *H**OLI* festival. The process may be postponed by a couple of weeks.
Will confirm in a couple of days.
Thanks
SHEKHAR
Hi guys...
Starting this thread for initiating the GD PI prep.
Its been a week since we poated our applications...
The calls will be out by next week.
I have a few things on the agenda:
1)Discuss some of the case studies that have come bfr
2)Discuss some specific questions that have been and most prob will be asked again..
3)Share the resources which we might have collecte for ourselves
Hope for active participation.....
hey frnd nice initiative.....hope to c sum participation
Qn from me......
to be followed sooner.
I THOT THE CALLS WE ll be out this week as told by a senior from SOM.......n 2-5 march r the dates ....n the venue s just IIT bomby tough fr guys who live far like me....
As for the GD PI ...i think Pi s a lot more technical .....focusses a ton too much on ur acads even if u have a 5 yr wrk ex....
i have a question ..this myth tht surrounds tht IIT B panel s suppsd to b very tough n stimes codescending ...is tht correct ?
1st post and hope to carry on!!
see it's simple:
The calls would be out by early next week.
1. if the work-ex is in the area of your engg. then obviously there's logic in going back to basics and the panel questioning on those basics.
2. it is but obvious that you'll be questioned on your work-exp too. the job content, your responsibilities, providing some examples etc.
3. i had 2 yrs. work-exp. my pi wasn't all that technical.
for your own benefit only, I request you not to bulid any pre conceived notions about the process as this will only hamper your preparation and prolly could reflect in your body language, confidence levels, way of answering in the PI.
Thanks
SHEKHAR
1st post and hope to carry on!!
see it's simple:
Thanks
SHEKHAR
deleted post
hey frnd nice initiative.....hope to c sum participation
Qn from me......
- what dis/ advantages of mba @ IITs (if specific then sjmsom) have over other b schools.
panky - the thread is for gd/pi prep. cool head - just think, is this the question which is expected to be asked in the PI? I think No!
For the specific answer to your question, you see the homepage article on theinterview of the admissions director. here
The second question specifically asks this and the answer is there to see.
And then obviously you know, the b-school comparisons aren't allowed on the forum.
For any personal queries, you are always welcome to PM me!
cheers!!
SHEKHAR
p.s. edit: as for the link in my signature, its opening both in IE and mozilla for me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by shekhar View Post
The calls will be out by early next week.
Here's an Update regarding the GD/PI process dates:
There may be a tentative change in the dates due to the HOLI festival. The process may be postponed by a couple of weeks.
Will confirm in a couple of days.
Thanks
SHEKHAR
Seniors this very important n very critical atleast for me.....i ws told tht the interview dates were 2-5 mrch ....ws goin to book my ticket for 2nd( m assumin ll get a call) ...but now a sudden posponement tht tooo by couple of weeks......plzzz give the detailed info asap .....atleast confirm this tht now its not gonna be 2-5 mrch.....is tht definite?
its very crucil for me as i ve to apply fr leave n stuff.....d asked for it for 2-5 th...now this.....plzz update
panky - the thread is for gd/pi prep. cool head - just think, is this the question which is expected to be asked in the PI? I think No!
For the specific answer to your question, you see the homepage article on theinterview of the admissions director. here
The second question specifically asks this and the answer is there to see.
And then obviously you know, the b-school comparisons aren't allowed on the forum.
For any personal queries, you are always welcome to PM me!
cheers!!
SHEKHAR
maaf kar do bhai.......i think i quoted the Qn in wrong way...
it wont b asked directly as a Qn.....obviously.:|.
but when asked specifically 'Given the calls you have, which college would you choose if you get a final call. (always asked Qn.) ' ......then in that case it might be needed to know the diff. .....thats why .....may b wrong ples.....

and specially with regards to work ex .. if you have a decent work ex .. this is the best place to be .. The average work ex of the 2008 batch is 2 years. Infact we have only 6 freshers in this batch ..
We have a separate round of lateral placements in Dec end .. So .. many companies are coming specially to recruit ppl with experience
Last year's placement report: SOM>Summary of 2006
No reco kind of thing is required from ur manager but yes, a proof of the work experience is required while taking the admission, as in any other b-school.
Proof of work-exp: Release letter, Work-exp certificate, first and last salary slips.
Here at SJMSOM: Batch of 2007 - 8/59 (13.56%) and Batch of 2008 - 5/54 (9.26%) . Work-exp is highly rewarded here but in no means this means that there some kind of -ve bias against freshers. The avg. work-exp of our batch is 24 months.
Telephonic interview is a very specific case and the question arises once you have filled up the form and got your call for the interview.
In my personal opinion, it is pretty difficult to get a telephonic interview. But you can and you should inquire about it directly from the admission committee(e-mail &/or telephonic conversation), after the interview date has been given to you.
Get back to us here, if you get the call and really want telephonic thing and nothing works out. We can inquire directly but again as i said chances are slim and no, we won't be getting any special status while inquringBut still that possibility can be explored once a person receives the call.
GREAT NEWS![]()
The intake in SJMSOM has increased. We have got the following information from the office.
Intake for Admissions 2007, SJMSOM are:
General : 64
SC : 14
ST : 07
OBC : 08
Total = 93
Last time around 380 calls were given for 60 seats. Assuming that the calls may also increase, we may assume that atleast 500 calls will be given this time !!!
You may not realize this now, but Statistics is a subject which you use in every discipline of management. We have two courses dedicated to Stats in the first semester itself. Being an engineer, basic knowledge of Stats (like Mode, median, standard deviation, type of distributions, normal distribution, probability function etc) is expected from you. Hence, quite a few interviews here at SJMSOM involve these elementary stats type questions. You dont need to spend too much time on this. Just brush up the basics of Stats and know you areas of strength well
Originally Posted by maxwriter
1. I have a JMET rank of 140 and 1.5 years of work experience. I have an IT degree and an electronics background. I work in semiconductor engineering. So, as far as acads are concerned, can I be asked virtually anything or more related to the core areas I work in.
2. Are SJMSOM GDs completely case-based or are they mixture of generic topics and case-based?
3. This is a little far-fetched query. But, would appreciate if you could comment a little. I am a little inclined towards finance as my specialization. I looked through the placement report and the impressive lists of companies. But, is that people with hardcore technical profiles find it difficult to shift? What types of finance
Answer to this was
1) Know the basics of engineering. Maybe you can prepare 1-2 of your so called favourite subjects. Be well versed with your job respnosibilities and the industry you are working in.
2) Yes, they are completely case based.
3) No!! not at all. If you have a keen interest in Finance, it is not a problem at all. You ofcourse will have to put in some extra effort. A few certifications once you join SOM will help you even more. The faculty of finance here is excellent. I am saying that after just finishing off my Financial Management class half an hour back. This is just the second class, and at this stage itself, I can confidently say that my Fin Fundas are going to become excellent at the end of this course. The faculty follows a complete case based approach coupled with live analysis of industry financial reports. Hence, good faculty, good placements combined with good effort from your side will bring you at par with any non technical student.
Originally Posted by santiago View Post
Some more qns...
1. What is asked in the SOP? When are we supposed to fill it?
2. How are the placements this year? ie Jan 2007?
3. Is it true that cos coming for the BTech prog at IITB make a stopover at SJMSOM?
Answer to this was:
1) Your SOP is asked in the SOP

2) The placements have been awesome !!! Wait for a week or so. The official report will be out.
3) Not many, but a few of them certainly do!
ringsofsaturn SaysGuys I am.....
Qn: Mr. Murthy/ Dhirubhai didn't do MBA?Why you?
Qn:frm statistics: what is mean/ mode/ median. what are the practical applications of t'm? what is distribution?
Qn:frm statistics: what is mean/ mode/ median. what are the practical applications of t'm? what is distribution?
Mean:
In statistics, mean has two related meanings:
- the average in everyday English, which is also called the arithmetic mean (and is distinguished from the geometric mean or harmonic mean). The average is also called sample mean.
- the expected value of a random variable, which is also called the population mean.
Sample mean is often used as an estimator of the central tendency such as the population mean. However, other estimators are also used.
For a real-valued random variable X, the mean is the expectation of X. If the expectation does not exist, then the random variable has no mean.
For a data set, the mean is just the sum of all the observations divided by the number of observations. Once we have chosen this method of describing the communality of a data set, we usually use the standard deviation to describe how the observations differ. The standard deviation is the square root of the average of squared deviations from the mean.
The mean is the unique value about which the sum of squared deviations is a minimum.
The mean is the arithmetic average of a set of values, or distribution; however, for skewed distributions, the mean is not necessarily the same as the middle value (median), or most likely (mode). For example, mean income is skewed upwards by a small number of people with very large incomes, so that the majority have an income lower than the mean
Median:
median is a number dividing the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to highest value and picking the middle one. If there are an even number of observations, one often takes the mean of the two middle values.
At most, half the population have values less than the median and at most half have values greater than the median. If both groups contain less than half the population, then some of the population is exactly equal to the median.
Mode:
In statistics, mode means the most frequent value assumed by a random variable, or occurring in a sampling of a random variable. The term is applied both to probability distributions and to collections of experimental data.
Like the statistical mean and the median, the mode is a way of capturing important information about a random variable or a population in a single quantity. The mode is in general different from mean and median, and may be very different for strongly skewed distributions.
The mode is not necessarily unique, since the same maximum frequency may be attained at different values. The worst case is given by so-called uniform distributions, in which all values are equally likely.
An example:
The difference between the median and mean is illustrated in a simple example. Suppose 19 paupers and 1 billionaire are in a room. Everyone removes all money from their pockets and puts it on a table. Each pauper puts $5 on the table; the billionaire puts $1 billion (that is, $109) there. The total is then $1,000,000,095. If that money is divided equally among the 20 persons, each gets $50,000,004.75. That amount is the mean (or "average") amount of money that the 20 persons brought into the room. But the median amount is $5, since one may divide the group into two groups of 10 persons each, and say that everyone in the first group brought in no more than $5, and each person in the second group brought in no less than $5. In a sense, the median is the amount that the typical person brought in. By contrast, the mean (or "average") is not at all typical, since no one present-pauper or billionaire-brought in an amount approximating $50,000,004.75.
OK... Here go some more..Phew...
Originally Posted by Shivinder
I also wanted to ask if there is any possibility of questions on +2 level physics and chem....
Its highly unlikely that you will be quizzed on these !
Unfortunately even I am a average student with an average profile. What exactly did you mean by saying that you created something interesting. What exactly does the panel expect, and in what areas should I be strong so as to impress the panel. Since I am a fresher even I know the reality and I really want to convert that call that I would be getting(hopefully).
Answer to this. Read carefully
hey don't get me wrong, by creating something interesting, i did not mean that you fudge or state something which you don't do/are not involved in. It'll show up as its going to lack in conviction.
What i mean is, state your extra-currics...in my case, i play many games but don't have any certificates to show as i play them as hobby or lost out in semis. i simply love music but don't play any instrument :satisfie: or sing(except in bathrooms...!!!).
what will you do/&do; when given free time......thats what you like..!!, getting my point. See, it all boils down to the conviction,passion in your voice,body language.
One can be good at current affairs as he/she reads the newspapers well (& not only at the prep time for GD/PI).
In short prepare acads well(which i have stated well)
one strategy could be : prepare one subject proper masst waalaa which can be your reply to 'which is your fav. subject' & thus you can blast away most of the questions(most coz if you go right the panel will go progressively tougher...don't worry on that ). & then revise a few important subjects also.
Well as far as chances of Fresher being selected ;It is as good as that of the person with experience. SJMSOM only selects people on the basis of their ability and There are no two ways about it.
Infact in my GD/PI Process(i am a Fresher) ;panel did treat me diferently from that of the experienced guys. My interview revolved around some basic engineering concepts,latest happenings & developments in my field of engineering,basic interests,co_curriculars,a bit about my background, +2 maths & basics of stats.
So dont feel worried about your chances(things might reverse this time ).
Stick to basics,Prepare well and
Above all be natural.
1. While completing the application form of SJSOM, I could not find the SOP which has been much talked about and discussed. When are we supposed to write the SOP? Since it is not there right now, I am assuming it will be needed to be written only at the time of GD/Pi, if the call comes. Present students can please elaborate on this.
2. The increase in number of seats has been the talk of the town. i just wanted to know, also for the benefit of others, whether the breakup of the seats as mentioned in the previous post is final or the fortcoming quota scenario will make the number of general seats remain the same.
1.I have done my Btech(electricals) in Vellore Inst of tech and passed out with a CGPA of 9.02. But as a matter of fact m not strong in Technicals,confidence really low. so worried tht the interviewers would grill me on my ACADS because of my high CGPA.isse kaise bachu kuch boliye.
2. As i said i did my Btech in Electricals,now working in Cognizant for the past 5 months,i.e a Software firm! again i want to go for an MBA Degree.Everything looks so unplanned.i mean how do i justify my background and my future plans.how to correlate them.Bcoz they can ask me y IT co. after BTech Electricals and then Y suddenly MBA?
3. i have a number of hobbies but dont know anything inside out.For eg i play mouth organ but have not learnt it from anywhere so no technical knowledge.Have performed in westtern dancing many a times and won prizes also but again have not learnt dancing.The same is the case for singing.So not confident about any of my interests.
Answer to this:
5 months acads:wow: . dood , start revising your acads. start now!! please don't ask me which subjects, i have engg. only in one field. Discuss among peers. Relax, you'll do it!! but then do not ignore coz you're just 5 months into the job and you're expected to know your acads well.
Introspection!! thats why this whole MBA process is so much enriching. Believe me, think about it, discuss among peers, write some stuff(anyways you've to write an SOP)-trash it n no. of times, keep coming up with improved versions and you'll surely come out with great ideas about yourself!
key is to HAVE CONFIDENCE and be calm!!
Know now na!! whats the problem, it'll only enrich your knowledge. As i said this whole process makes you aware of so many things-explicit & implicit.
You've learnt dancing and you've performed and won prizes...you're a champ d00d!! now reflect why do you like dancing,why do you play the mouth organ,what pleasure do you seek by indulging in your hobbies. One, in most cases, doesn't know the technical stuff on one's hobbies but whats the harm in going to wiki,google searching for these now when you've have high stakes. I play TT and i searched out the technical details like table size,ball's diameter,current champion, past legends for the interview. Interviewers also know that who knows all these stuff but then on being questioned if you know some, it gives you good brownie points and puts up your interests/hobbies well.
I mean i can give you all the psychological fundae here but it won't suffice. It is YOU who has to come up with the answers. May be this is the time when you're able to define the variables of your life. Start questioning yourself and you'll surely come up with answers.
Baaki kal aa kar post karta hun..... will post them all by saturday
maaf kar do bhai.......i think i quoted the Qn in wrong way...
it wont b asked directly as a Qn.....obviously.:|.
but when asked specifically 'Given the calls you have, which college would you choose if you get a final call. (always asked Qn.) ' ......then in that case it might be needed to know the diff. .....thats why .....may b wrong ples.....
Yeah .. you will find the answers to both questions - 1) Why IIT B over other IITs and 2) Why IITB over other non IIT B school here ( The IIT Bombay - SJMSOM Admissions Director interview)
One important thing - Better not say good placements (atleast not in an IIT) when asked such questions. Here the profs dont give a damn about placements. The learning and other similar advantages sound much better.
Thanks
Ramesh
guys lets start with some specific case studies: Here's one of the last year:
A law frim has branches in delhi and bangalore.Top most in the country.Good profits,Recently they have witnessed that attrition among young people has been more.When they asked four senior managers in Bangalore the senior managers cited four reasons as
1)No HR department
2)Training was outdated
3)even though proper apprisal was based people left as they felt they are not recognised properly (smnthg.....)
Encorporation of hr Departmnet proposal from Bangalore centre had been rejected once by delhi mgmt.
After the above paragraph 3 questions were followed which we had to discuss..
1)Is there a need of HR department?if so what should be its role.
2)How would you sell the idea of starting a HR depart to dehi mgmt
3)what should be the hierarchial struct of the Organisation.
Give in detail all ur opinions and solutions for this.
PS:the next one will be a case study on finance. Am trying to search for it....Pour in ur views
guys lets start with some specific case studies: Here's one of the last year:
A law frim has branches in delhi and bangalore.Top most in the country.Good profits,Recently they have witnessed that attrition among young people has been more.When they asked four senior managers in Bangalore the senior managers cited four reasons as
1)No HR department
2)Training was outdated
3)even though proper apprisal was based people left as they felt they are not recognised properly (smnthg.....)
Encorporation of hr Departmnet proposal from Bangalore centre had been rejected once by delhi mgmt.
After the above paragraph 3 questions were followed which we had to discuss..
1)Is there a need of HR department?if so what should be its role.
2)How would you sell the idea of starting a HR depart to dehi mgmt
3)what should be the hierarchial struct of the Organisation.
Give in detail all ur opinions and solutions for this.
PS:the next one will be a case study on finance. Am trying to search for it....Pour in ur views
1) Dude, first point to be noted here is that since it is a LAW firm its biggest asset is its employees. So the company cannot ignore that attrition ll be its greatest obstacles for future success. Importance of a HR Department in such a scenario can not be overemphasised. I think the Role of HR here ll not only limited to retaining the employees but also to look after the specific requirement of its employees. In short making the workplace a funplace.
2) To convince the Delhi management abt the advantages of a hew HR department we need to do a cost benefit analysis. We need to show them that the cost of hiring a new recruit n then training him/her is a very costly affair. We can show them that the extra cost that we r putting in for setting up the HR department ll be more then recovered thru decreased cost of hiring new recruits as we ll be able to retain our employees and hence reducing the attrition.
3)The hierarchial structural of HR could be like we can have a HR head n then different HR managers looking after various HR functions like renumerations, recruits, performance analysis etc etc. we can have some HR profesionals working under these HR finctions.
Apart from this a new HR depatment ll help improve the productivity of our employees hence increasing the revenues by putting in place a new award or recognisition type of thing n other HR policies.
1) Dude, first point to be noted here is that since it is a LAW firm its biggest asset is its employees. So the company cannot ignore that attrition ll be its greatest obstacles for future success. Importance of a HR Department in such a scenario can not be overemphasised. I think the Role of HR here ll not only limited to retaining the employees but also to look after the specific requirement of its employees. In short making the workplace a funplace.
2) To convince the Delhi management abt the advantages of a hew HR department we need to do a cost benefit analysis. We need to show them that the cost of hiring a new recruit n then training him/her is a very costly affair. We can show them that the extra cost that we r putting in for setting up the HR department ll be more then recovered thru decreased cost of hiring new recruits as we ll be able to retain our employees and hence reducing the attrition.
3)The hierarchial structural of HR could be like we can have a HR head n then different HR managers looking after various HR functions like renumerations, recruits, performance analysis etc etc. we can have some HR profesionals working under these HR finctions.
Apart from this a new HR depatment ll help improve the productivity of our employees hence increasing the revenues by putting in place a new award or recognisition type of thing n other HR policies.
Ok,,but now just suppose tht we can have a structure where in the existing managers can be givn a training in HR and they can be given the additional responsibility for HR along with other incentives and the Delhi mgmt suggests this alternative to the suggestion of the new HR dept. How will we counter this?
guys lets start with some specific case studies: Here's one of the last year:
A law frim has branches in delhi and bangalore.Top most in the country.Good profits,Recently they have witnessed that attrition among young people has been more.When they asked four senior managers in Bangalore the senior managers cited four reasons as
1)No HR department
2)Training was outdated
3)even though proper apprisal was based people left as they felt they are not recognised properly (smnthg.....)
Encorporation of hr Departmnet proposal from Bangalore centre had been rejected once by delhi mgmt.
After the above paragraph 3 questions were followed which we had to discuss..
1)Is there a need of HR department?if so what should be its role.
2)How would you sell the idea of starting a HR depart to dehi mgmt
3)what should be the hierarchial struct of the Organisation.
Give in detail all ur opinions and solutions for this.
PS:the next one will be a case study on finance. Am trying to search for it....Pour in ur views
my case.....
1. Attrition mainly points to low morale among employees (because of various reasons) or better opportunities outside. An HR dept. would play instrumental role in addressing the concerned issues. Be it by conducting surveys amongst employees or taking timely feedbacks or one on one basis, the dept. would try to gauge the level of employee satisfaction. And based on that it would plan to improve employee morale thru various means. Be it rewards, incentives or improved work culture.
2. To convince Delhi office, we need to present our case as how HR dept would be beneficial for the firm in all respects, be it financial or non financial. First we would do a cost based analysis of the situation. In event of a person leaving the firm, it needs to recruit a new person with matching skillsets and aptitude. The cost of recruiting is high leave alone the time spent on whole recruitment process. Once employee is recruited, it needs to give him appropriate training. Still he may not be a perfect fit to bear the whole bunch of responsibilities the previous person was carrying. He would need some time atleast few days to come to that comfort level. So the overall costs amounts to very high figure. If we have HR dept. then it would not be much burden on compnays pockets. Besides it would not only help reduce attrition but also would improve employees morale by creating better work culture thereby improving employees productivity.
3. Along with current org structure, there would be additional dept for HR. It can have HR head at the firm level. He/she would have 2 people reporting, one each from Delhi and Banglore office respective HR heads. Under these HR heads at the individual location level, there can be HR managers who would report to HR heads and manage different depts of the firm. At dept level again there can be dept HR heads (in case dept is large else, one dept head can head more no. of depts.). The lowest in the hierarchy would be HR people who directly deal with people. Who would be resonsible for carrying out all the surveys and all activities thereby needed.
ringsofsaturn SaysOk,,but now just suppose tht we can have a structure where in the existing managers can be givn a training in HR and they can be given the additional responsibility for HR along with other incentives and the Delhi mgmt suggests this alternative to the suggestion of the new HR dept. How will we counter this?
This may be countered in the following way/arguement-
HR is a fully-functional area in any organisation which requires Specialised knowledge of People Management. So forming a HR Dept. is imperative because once that is done, the department will have clear goals and means to adress the attrition problem.
No doubt, the responsibilities can also be given to the existing managers. However, this may have the following problems:
1. Lack of Specialized knowledge (a training program given by the company can not be comparable to Knowledge imparted during 2year HR specialised course.)
2. Overburden for managers created by this added responsibility. (They already have a lot of things to handle regarding operations/Finance)
3. Adaptability problems for manager causing a sense of dilemma in them. (As a crude example, a Finance-specialised manager may always have a tendency to cut wages to increase profitability. however, this bias which may have grown over a long period may make it difficult for him to consider OPENLY all options while trying to lower attrition 😉 )
4. An ad hoc solution to the problem it may seem which may not be good for the internal image of the Company. (The employees may perceive the lack of a fully functional HR dept as a sign for Neglecting Employee Concerns by the Management! )
hope these arguements have some food for thought for the Management

P.S: I am an hardcore HR Freak...sorry if u noticed any bias
