With 2 years of work experience and grit to pursue Masters in Business Administration so as to strive faster towards the goal of making a career in the managerial role, I arrived at the IIM Nagpur WAT/PI location in Bangalore city.
WAT (Written Ability test)
Amidst enough nervousness yet with curiosity gripping around I was called in for my WAT. WAT was based on a business case based situation, wherein I had to take a stand, make a decision and justify the morale with a proper explanation. IIM Nagpur’s WAT is mainly focused to test your decision-making skills as a manager. There is no major requirement of any pre-knowledge on any business domain for WAT. A simple application of business sense and overall clarity of case facts given helped me in putting up a decent recommendation. Post-WAT, I had to wait for some time before my Interview turn came up.
Interview
- Questions on Statement of Purpose (SOP)
Though I was nervous during my first few questions, I developed confidence as the interview progressed. The Interview began with few questions on the SOP that we submitted while filling up the Stage 3 candidate application form. Questions on SOP were more on the rationale behind why I am planning to go for an MBA and why from IIM Nagpur.
- Questions on Work Experience
I was also questioned on why I didn’t go for an MBA right after my engineering. This gave me the lead to talk about my work experience and how work experience ensured that I had the right clarity and perfect mind before going for an MBA. After this, panellists drove deeper on to my work experience roles and responsibilities at Infosys, from the technical perspective.
- Question on interest and hobbies
After spending some 10-12 minutes discussing my work experience, panellists browsed through my application form and quizzed about my interests and hobbies. I had mentioned photography as my hobby. This was a strong zone for me to play on. Panellists asked in detail about the technical functions and working of a camera, followed by a few details about the freelance work that I have done as a photographer.
When it came to interests, I, being an avid IPL follower, was asked about the team I have been supporting and the rationale behind the same.
- Questions on Current affairs/recent happenings
After a question or two on IPL, I was questioned if I was an ardent reader and follower of the happenings around the world. This wasn’t a very strong zone for me but like many CAT aspirants, I had been following recent happenings for last few months. This ensured that I was able to answer those questions. Questions on recent happenings/current affairs mainly focused on business news, mergers & acquisitions, key happenings in politics and the stock market.
The interview went on for around 40-45 minutes. Apart from all these, one of the few suggestions to aspirants reading this article would be to reach the interview location a day beforehand in case the city is not your current location and you need to travel. This allows you to have enough rest, thereby avoiding a tired look during the interview and rather be enthusiastic. Apart from this be honest with your answers, stay confident and stand on your ground whenever you are grilled on the choice of answer you make. And the most basic practice is to be very well informed about the company you have worked for and be well prepared with your Statement of Purpose.
Hope that these pointers would be helpful for aspirants in their preparation for a B School Interview. All the best!
About the Author
Sundeep Undi is a PGP 1 candidate at IIM Nagpur. After working for 2 years at Infosys, he moved ahead with his plans for an MBA. He has opted for a General Management specialization at IIM Nagpur. A keen photographer since years, Sundeep is actively involved in the photography and video making segments across events on campus.