“Don't be afraid to fail big, to dream big, but remember dreams without goals are just dreams”. This Denzel Washington quote has been my mantra throughout and helped me crack my interviews. As for my story, mid-way my engineering at NSIT, I realised that it was not something I saw myself pursuing in the long run. In college, I worked on various social projects and participated in many case competitions which ultimately led to me choosing the MBA path. With a
99.44 %ile in the IIFT exam coupled with a fairly good WAT-GD-PI performance, I eventually landed in IIFT Delhi. Here, I would like to share my experience, hoping it would play a small part in helping you convert your dream B-School!
B-School:
IIFT
Date of Process: 20th February 2020
Slot: 8:50 AM
WAT Topic: Is disruptive innovation sustainable?
No. of words: 300
Time allotted: 20 minutes
GD Topic: Which would you choose between being famous and being important?
No. of candidates in the GD: 18
No. of panelists present: 2
Duration: 45 Minutes
Initially, 1 minute was given to each candidate to put forth his/her points after which the floor was opened for discussion. At the end, a few students were asked to conclude.
Overall: The WAT and GD topics are usually asked to gauge the student’s perspective on the issue and do not have a specific answer. Analysing both sides of the topic and putting forward your thoughts balancing both perspectives is a good way to go about it. Further substantiating your stance with examples makes sure that you get those much-needed brownie points.
Interview Experience:
No. of Panelists: 3
Q1. Tell us something about yourself.
Being a fresher, my answer was focused on my time at college, the societies I was a part of, the internships I had undertaken, and my passion for sports.
Q2. Why MBA?
I told them how running various social projects in college gave me a mini experience of how an organisation functions and that I would like to delve deeper and learn more about the same. Having participated in various undergraduate finance case competitions, I told them about my interest in the domain and how MBA would help me expand my horizon and build a career in that field.
Q3. How would you handle a situation where one of your team members is not working hard enough?
I had handled a similar situation earlier in college and hence was able to relate and answer the question efficiently, clearly elaborating the steps I took.
Q4. Tell us about any 3 key news that you read over the past week and your take on it.
Being a regular newspaper reader, I faced no trouble answering this. I ensured that the news topics I chose were diverse and showcased my broad knowledge base. Further, I put forth my views regarding the issues and a healthy discussion followed.
Q5. Name the major sectors of the Indian economy and mention their contribution to the GDP.
I knew the numbers and told them confidently. The panelists just wanted to check my knowledge about the Indian economy. They further asked me how productivity in the agriculture sector could be improved to better its contribution to the GDP.
Q6. What are your views on GST and which taxes were merged under it?
GST and demonetisation are evergreen topics and one must always be prepared for it. I highlighted both the negative and positive aspects, mentioning potential areas for improvement. While I could not recall all taxes that were merged, I was able to enlist 3-4 of them.
Result - Converted
Overall: The entire process is a test of your character and application of what you have learned over time. Try linking your answers with your day-to-day experiences to make them more impactful. One cannot predict what will be asked and hence it becomes imperative to have a holistic approach to your preparation. If you prepare just for bouncers on a fast green track, you’ll find your stumps flying on a yorker. So stay focused, work hard and enjoy the process, because, at the end of the day, it will bring out the best in you!
All the Best!
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