IIM Calcutta shortlist is out now. Some of you will have done really well to get the call. We thought it would be a great opportunity to meet the soon-to-be senior batch at IIM Calcutta to ask them about tips to prepare for WAT/PI and quiz them about Life at IIM Calcutta. Although this chat will initially be done LIVE for 1 hour, we plan to keep it open for further queries. However, those queries will be solved by IIM Calcutta students periodically thereafter and you won’t get responses LIVE.
Here are some excerpts from the chat:
Sonali Kapoor
Hi team, could you please give some tips for personal interview? What should a fresher prepare on for tackling PIs?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
Hi Sonali, freshers are generally expected to be asked questions related to their academics, So it would be advisable to prepare 2-3 core subjects well. You should also be aware of recent events in the economic, political, technological areas. You should prepare your introduction well as many general questions stem out from that.
Sonali Kapoor
Thanks team. What exactly are the panelists in the interview looking for in the candidate?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Sonali: In my opinion the panelists are looking for an overall personality that fits the culture at IIM C. Here every individual is treated as an adult. You are expected to think and behave like an adult. IIM C nurtures budding managers and if you have that spark and ability in you , most importantly you are able to demonstrate that ability in the interview, I think that helps big time.
Sonali Kapoor
Could you'll please tell us about life at IIM C? Is it too stressful?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Sonali: The Life at IIMC is a perfect balance of academic rigor, extra-curricular opportunities & occasional leisure time to pursue your passion.
Sonali Kapoor
How pivotal will working in an NGO be during the PI?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
What matters is how big a value add working for that NGO was for you. Did it help you gain any perspective in life or learn something new. Did you add any skills to yourself while working for that NGO. Any kind of work experience where you broaden your skillset is helpful.
Ayush Chandra
What is the break up of hr and technical questions asked from a fresher?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
Hi Ayush, there is no such fixed breakup.
Ayush Chandra
Why mba is a question which pains a lot. Some guidelines to arrive at it.??
IIM Calcutta IIMC
Hi Ayush, Why MBA does bother a big lot out there. One such helpful way is as follows. You look at what you are right now. You then look at where you want to be 10-12 years down the line. Think about the paths that will take you there. Then think if MBA can help you get there. If yes you then delve a bit deeper about how it will take you to your destination and you have your answer.
Ayush Chandra
What exactly is a candidate expected to demonstrate in wat and can you suggest some sources to prepare for the same.
IIM Calcutta IIMC
Ayush: You are expected to understand the topic of the essay first, think it through in the first few minutes, plan it out and then write it building your line of thought. Clarity in thought, ability to phrase your sentences correctly and following a logical & rational approach helps.
Ayush Chandra
How much current affairs are we expected to know?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Ayush: there is no limit to how much you know. Just be curious and take the interview preparation as a great learning opportunity.
Ayush Chandra
How common is stress interview in the case of IIM Calcutta?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Ayush: Predicting the probability of an interview type won't be wise thing to do. Different people have different interviews on different days. Just treat it as a logical conversation and enjoy the experience. Be confident and prepare well.
Sophiya Anthony
Can you please elaborate on the diversity at IIM C?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
Hi Sophiya, the batch does comprise many a good percentage of people from engineering background but we also have quite a few students from commerce,science, economics and fashion technology backgrounds. We also have a decent number of Chartered Accountants in the batch.
Sophiya Anthony
Thank you. I have heard that majoring in finance from IIM C is better. How true is it? Could you please elaborate.
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Sophiya: We are known as the finance campus but we do have a good number of people going into marketing, business consulting, operations and other roles. We have witnessed a huge variety of roles during our summer placements this time.
Sophiya Anthony
What kind of companies come on campus? Majorly what roles do they offer? (for finance)
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Sophiya: We host variety of firms ranging from FMCGs, BFSIs to E-commerce firms. All of them offer managerial level positions across many domains.
Sophiya Anthony
What is the duration of interviews in general?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Sophiya : Duration of the interviews also vary from candidate to candidate, panel to panel. But a 15-20 minute interview can be expected.
Ayush Agarwal
Does statistics matter at wat??
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Ayush: Predicting the probability of an interview type won't be wise thing to do. Different people have different interviews on different days. Just treat it as a logical conversation and enjoy the experience. Be confident and prepare well.
Manoj Jadhav
What all topics to be covered for questions related to Maths?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Manoj: Some people do face a quant/mathematics question in the interview. But do keep in mind it is an interview and not a mathematics exam. Being aware of basic mathematical concepts that helped you in CAT helps.
Manoj Jadhav
For a person with work ex, should he expect questions related to graduation?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Manoj: I would say yes. People can be quizzed upon their academics even though they have certain work-ex.
Sushant Sachan
Gap due to civil services preparation just after graduation(completed in 2015). Any issue in PI?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Sushant: It would not be an issue if you are able to justify & defend it well. Be sure of why you took that decision & what were your key learnings.
Luv Saxena
Hi I have workex in infosys and cisco both are predominantly it consulting so can i say that I want to diversify myself to a general management/consulting?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Luv: That is a very subjective question and placements are a later thing. I would advise you to focus on preparations as of now.
Luv Saxena
Yes my question is specifically related to my preparation... this is one reason why I want the degree, to diversify in consulting domain! can i say this in the interview?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Luv: That can be one of the reasons you would want to do MBA. But do try and dig deeper to come up with a better prepared answer.
Eshaan Agrawal
I have done CFA level 1 and am not sure till what extent they can ask the question in this topic? Secondly, I have lived in 4 different cities, so I am sure they can ask question on any one and grill me, what all should I prepare regarding this?
IIM Calcutta IIMC
Eshaan: As you have done CFA you ideally should be aware of the concepts. You should expect questions from that area. And knowing some bit about the places you lived is not a difficult thing to achieve. I would say that may entail an interesting conversation.
Mahanthesh Hv
Hey I am currently working in Bigdata domain, Now my interest lies in analytics does IIMC have labs or centres related to analytics.
IIM Calcutta IIMC
@Mahanthesh: We have our very own state of the art Finance Lab equipped with Bloomberg terminals. You can actually use it on live data. Only a few Bschools in the country have it.