"Is my profile good enough?" This is a question which a majority of CAT aspirants think about every year. If you have a perfect 9/9/9 profile, that's amazing! If not, self-doubt does begin to creep in every now and then. Will a good percentile be enough?
Most Q/A forums which are popular amongst aspirants rarely ever have experiences beyond those of an engineer or a commerce student. Despite the fact that an Arts major would get full marks for academic diversity, they are a rare breed in the top IIMs. Although I got a good CAT score, my profile was close to the worst possible for a top IIM:
8.6 CGPA Xth Class | 60.40 (Arts from NIOS in XII) | Final Year B.A. (Hons.) Political Science, Ashoka University (64% so far) | Extra-curriculars - Badminton (National), Swimming (State) | Work Experience - Fresher | 99.47 %ile CAT ‘20
The following are my interview experiences for IIM Calcutta and Lucknow. I shall update my Indore and Bangalore experiences as well as the results as soon as they're available!
IIM Calcutta
Afternoon session 12th February 2021 (Panel 3), I’m the second candidate on the panel, 2 panelists, M and F, both 40+. I gave the interview from my college dorm.
Exchange of initial pleasantries and ID verification.
M - So your application form mentions pretty impressive sports achievements. Tell us a little about it.
A - (Happy as I’d hoped for this) Talks about how it went and why I had to stop due to a labrum tear in July ‘20 (shoulder cartilage tear).
M - So you want to do an MBA now? Why?
A - (Happier now as I was ready for this) Delivers well-prepped answer with a basic outline of career goals and why an MBA would be of great help.
M - Alright. So you’ve majored in Political Science. You know what federalism is right?
A - Gives the textbook definition with a few examples.
M - What’s populism and why are some parties criticized for being ‘populist’?
A - Answers again with relevant examples.
M - Alright fair enough. Ma’am any questions from your side?
F - Yes. So you don’t have a mathematics background….you know that an MBA requires it right?
A - Yes ma’am.
F - Can you do double integration?
A - (Single toh hota nahi) Umm… no ma’am I’m not well versed with calculus.
F - Ah. Alright, no worries. What about quadratic equations? Can you solve one for me on a sheet of paper?
A - (praying for it to be easy) Sure!
F - Chalo write it down. 2x^2 - 9x - 18 = 0
A - (Thankful for the easy question) Starts scribbling away furiously.
F - Show me the sheet, please.
A - (Raises the sheet to the camera)
F - Okay okay. Let’s talk about something else.
M - Why not just invest in your business plan?
A - Talks about the skills required to implement it and why an MBA would be perfect for me right now.
F - What’s the financial model of the plan?
A - (Little nervously) It’s still in the works but we need approximately (figure). We are trying to pitch to investors next month.
F - Okay. What do you plan to do about your mathematics? (Steely glint in her eyes)
A - I’ve enrolled myself in an online mathematics and statistics refresher course. It’ll start in March and end in May. I feel that would prepare me well for an MBA program.
F - Alright alright. Where else have you gotten calls from?
A - B, C, L, and I.
M - What if you don’t get selected? What then?
A - (thinks for a moment) I’ll work on my business model and try again next year.
M - Why not go abroad? Your startup idea would need a lot of international involvement. Go to a good university abroad!
A - I thought about it sir but since I want to launch in India I feel it would be best to study here as I would gain all the relevant knowledge about the market here. In any case, an MBA from your college would grant me all the skills I need to establish a business anywhere, even outside India.
M - Okay. Ma’am do you have any questions?
F - No I’m done. You may leave. Best of luck.
I thanked them and cut the call. I feel the overall vibe of the interview was positive. But then again, you never know.
IIM Lucknow
Afternoon session 17th February 2021 (Panel 7), We weren't informed about the order of the candidates being interviewed, 2 panelists, Both Male (M1, M2), both late 30s to early 40s. I gave the interview from my college dorm.
Exchange of initial pleasantries and ID verification. Both the panelists had an extremely friendly demeanour. (Made me a dash suspicious)
M1– Anindya why are your undergrad marks so poor? (They're 64% till now)
A — explained how most courses in Ashoka University don't have a uniform examination policy and we're graded primarily on attendance, assignments, and class participation. I then explained why I almost never attended classes due to badminton and that impacted my grades.
M2 — Accha so you're saying tu reality mei topper hai but your grades don't reflect it?
(we all laugh)
M1 — Ok so tell us about your badminton achievements yaar.
A — Goes on to outline my career.
M2 — Why leave badminton then?
A — Gave details on shoulder injury.
M2 — Oh that's terrible. Why an MBA though?
A — Begins to talk about the broader vision I have for my life and career goals. (Got cut off in 5 seconds)
M1 — (cutting me off) oho let's forget all that yaar Ashoka University is a liberal arts University right? I've been there once! The students there are all so interesting and expressive! Tell us your life philosophy!
A — Talks about how I have a keen desire to excel in whatever field I approach and to try a variety of things before I can't do so anymore (got cut off)
M2 — Anindya you're answering this question like an IITian yaar. Excel in fields, explore… ye nahi sunn na yaar. We expect more from a student of Ashoka University!
(5-second pause where I smile at them like a creep)
A — Alright then. (libtard mode on)
A — starts talking about my belief in libertarianism, individualism over collectivism and championing individual freedom. (Doesn't get cut off)
M1 — so how would you run the country if you had all the power?
A — give an answer based on my beliefs.
M2 — You know basic maths right?
A — I do have a hold over basic concepts, yes. To solidify my hold over mathematics and statistics I'm enrolling in a refresher course from March to May. It should prepare me well for an MBA program.
M2 — Vo sab thik hai par probability aur stats thoda toh aata hoga?
A — Yes sir of course!
(Important Note — meri chuki hai fatt aur paseena aana ho chuka hai chaalu. Online interviews allow you to see your ugly face on the laptop which is why I quickly changed my “maar khayi hui shakal" to confident and cheerful)
M1 — (after scrutinizing my face for a good, long 5 seconds) (Maximal suspense achieved)
Mean, median, mode batao.
A — (taken aback by how simple the question was) Answered it.
M1 — So why do we need median and mode? Isn't mean enough?
A — Explained how a mean can be misguiding and can misrepresent a dataset. Gave the example of placement reports published by colleges and how if there are a few super high placements and the rest are low ones, the average gets boosted up by the high values and that's not an accurate way to present the data which is why median and mode are needed.
M1 — What is the specific term for these super high values? There's a specific statistical term.
A — (like the dumbass that I am) I don't remember sir.
M1 — Okay is “outlier" the term?
A — Yes sir that's it.
M1 — (smiling) Oh you remember now?
A — I didn't remember it suddenly, it's just that outlier fits. Out — lier. The word itself is suggestive.
(Both M1, M2 start laughing)
M2 — Yaar aapne toh English mei sandhi vichhed kar diya. (We laugh heartily)
M1 — What other calls did you get?
A — B, C, I.
M2 — Why attend this interview then?? Focus on B and C man!
A — IIM L is the marketing hub of India. That is the field I want to get into and I feel this would be the best place for me.
M1 — Aha! Full research haan?
(We laugh a little)
M1 — Alright then Anindya! We're done! Have a nice day!
A — Thank you! Have a nice day!
(Cuts call)
I really liked the online experience because I could always see my own face on the screen and that reminded me to keep smiling. My face had fallen for a split second at the integration question in IIM-C's interview but I immediately rectified it once I saw how miserable I looked on screen haha. I was a little surprised they didn’t ask me anything about current affairs. Maybe the others will. I’ll update the results of this as well as other interviews as soon as they happen. Till then,
BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE CANDIDATES OUT THERE!
***
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