K...k...k..k...Kozhikode Interview :-( Majja NAHI aaya

My IIMK interview on 25th Febrworry 2006…
Well friends, here is my narration of the 2nd Interview at the prestigious IIMs. This interview was for the Second Generation IIM…..IIM K yeah. The one from Kerala set in Kozhikode which is having a roKing campus…

I reached my center in Mumbai (Catering College at Dadar) and there I saw around 30 people who had been divided into 3 panels. Each consisting of 10 each. This was however much less organized than the A interview where they were on campus and had the entire infrastructure to their use. Now came the time for the GD we were told to enter the rooms and I was with Panel number 3. The GD topic was based on this statement: GDP is a valid indicator of Prosperity (but not Happiness)

It was a good discussion with little or no interrupting (my 2nd great group) we did well as a group and I jumped in quite a lot bringing good substance to the GD. Overall it lasted little over 10 minutes and we did not need to write a summary or anything. Then they asked us t o wait for our turns and I was number 3…..(yipeee!!! I wanted to be free and party as it was a Saturday)


After around 30 minutes of waiting came my turn and I walked into the room confidently but my confidence did not help me much today… I guess it was somewhat mixed and ill let you decide about the interview SO here goes..
2 panel members 1 guys in French beard kurta and jeans (KJ) and the other typical professor looking Middle aged Professor (MP)..

KJ: Pranav you have done your BMS tell me about it?

Moi : Yes sir, it’s a degree course by Mumbai University (and I was off)…Blah blah and more BLAH!!

KJ: What were your specializations

Moi: Sir Finance and Econometrics

KJ: Tell me what is econometrics?

Moi: Told very briefly to avoid using and terms that may cost me later

Do You know dirtibutions,

YES YES YESSSSSS

What is Noraml Distribution
Told well…

Draws teo normally distributed curves, one shorter height and one taller…
KJ: what is the difference between these two are both of them normal..

Moi: Yes sir, both are normal and….
Small discussion on distribution handled decently by me…

KJ: What is OLS method

Moi: Sir, don’t know

(And he actually showed me what it is !! Great learning for me cause I had not learnt it in college. Yahoooo)

KJ: Why is it called OLS method?
Moi:Don’t Know

KJ: What is hypothesis testing? Finally something I had heard abt but did not know well

Moi: gave a simple explanation

By now he realized I don’t know this subject and I think he gave up but he didn’t tell me anything though I felt this was a good opportunity to PUT SOME STRESS ON ME!!!!

KJ: Tell me what u have learnt in Finance?

Moi: Told my entire syllabus

KJ:Have you heard abt NPV?

Me Explained the concept

KJ: Gimme the formaula?

Moi: Dunno Sheepish grin and inncence flowing from face anglike expression with eyes asking for pardon mercy and next time pakka sir wala look

KJ: Derive it?
ME: Cant but I can try (shook pen on paper writing nothing significant.

KJ: Gave some variable and asked now derive?

Moi: Didn’t know how to derive but gave a good attempt

KJ Asked the other fellow to ask questions?

MP: You have pasted paper clippings in your file what are they?

Moi: Sir these are my articles from our college newsletter and blah blah explaining about the newsletter.

MP: Is it still in publication?

Moi: Yes sir by my juniors

MP: Where have u done the Vipassna course?

Sir Dhammagiri in Igatpuri

MP: Where is igatpuri?

Moi: Sir, it is along the Mumbai Nashik Highway and it comes after we go up Kasar Ghat

MP: How much do they charge for the course? (this was the trick question)

Moi: The Course and all courses are free and funding is totally from donations.

MP: What is the Art of Living?

Moi: Told and explained why I took it up

MP: What is Six Sigma?

Told abt my company which has Six Sigma as its name

Tell me the meaning of the concept?

Explained that in sufficient detail but not very well articulated


Few questions on Six Sigma and nodding of heads by both panelists..
Thank You Pranav,
Thank you Sir….

Exit Stage Right and out

Not very great and not as fulfilling as the A interview but lets see and I also feel I have 3 more attempts.. So lets hope for the best…

Friends now is break time and a trip to Pune to meet my friends is long overdue..will be back to prepare for my other 3 calls and crack them much better than these 2
Till then
CIAO..
Take care and do post your comments, suggestions, feedback, criticism to me.

MY A Experience!!

Welll finally the first (and most important) IIM call is behind me.. Yes I am referring to my tryst with IIMA @ IIMA on te 19th of February on a dreamy sunday afternoon. First things first...... the campus rocks!! rather bricks (get it DUH!!) It was wonderful and the place was very qiiet for a Bschol with 500 students on campus.

I had my session at 2 Pm and I reached there around 30 minutes before that. It seems A has callled people locationwise and thats why I saw a few familiar faces from the IMS workshop...there were in all 30 people and they were divided into 3 groups of 10 each... At 1.45 a professor came holding a list of all the students in his group and took away those 10 ( me being the 10th one)

In the room there was a slight difference in the seating arrangement as it was a perfet 360 degree cirlce with the 10 of us sitting all around it and the three panelists sitting on the oute ring behind the candidates. I had one panelist looking straight at me and the other two less than five feet behind me. ( I thought waht a perfect start this is.. showing my back to 2/3rd of my audience & judges) there were 3 sheets of papar in front of each of us. One had the case... the other was pink for rough work and the third was a ruled page for summary...We were told that you will think for 5 minutes think discuss for 15 - 20 minutes and finally wrute summary for 5 minutes...

That was the pre GD briefing and they also mentioned that we will take the interviews in the order of the serial numbers ad I was LAST.. HE told me i can have a look around the campus as I had a long tiem to go after the GD..

The Gd case was aas follows:
Dr Bhaskaran purchases a cellular connection ffrom the retailer of ICS cellular services in Chennai and he pays rs 1500 at that point of time. He is told that 1200 is towards security services and 300 towards cnnection charges. He however does not take an official receipt as it would cost him 3% more in taxes and instead agrees when the retialer tells him that the the company wil send him an acknowledgement alongwith the cotnract.. Later on receiving his first bill he finds that the bill is for 2400 and blah blah blah till they appoint a circle manager Ms. Rukmini to look into it..6 months after all this happens...

The GD was good and moderately peaceful as people interuppted others and also got interupted..Mine was good also as I came up witha few points and a decent number of entries including air time...On completion they asked us to write a summary in running hand pargraph stle no bullet points.
Did that well I guess with my prior experience of cases coming itno lay there.


Then came the wait and what a wait it was...imagine being at IIMA and waiting frim 2.25 pm to 5.45 Pm for your PI to start spoke to a lot of people... meditated....kept track of the match... relaxed by walking around....
Finally I stumbled upon a trend which I want otehrs at PG to verify.... In all the three groups made fro us 30 the last person to be interviewed was a non engineer and all the groups had other 9 engineers.. please let me know if anyone else spots such a trend in their GDPI sessions..

Then finally it dawned upon me like a hunting eagle and the panelist came out to call me into the room...
Let em introduce you to my panel:
2 Males one plump guy (PG) the other grey haired guy (GG)
1 Female prof who was very polite (FP)


They started off theinterview asking abt my company...which was very good as the comapny was one of my main selling points and we spoke for 7 mintues on all topics ranging from revenue, idea and setup, faculty, working, batch size, subjects taught, rent paid, profit margins, learning.....
Then the lady wasked me if I was happy with what I was doing?
Moi: definitely
FP: then y do u want to do an Mba
Moi: gave gyaan on how I already had a BMS (BBA) and then 2 years of business experience...future plans etc etc.
GG: tell me about your specialisattion in graduation
Moi: Sir, finance
PG (jumps on): then i will not ask you about Fiance I will ask you abt Quantitative Techniques..
Moi: (okies this is the subject I had least marks in my last semester exams) Yes sir
PG: what all have u learnt
Moi: Sir.. Linear Programming, Assignment Problem(AP),. Transportation Problem (TP)and a few other topics
PG: okies tell me what is connection between AP & TP
Moi: SIr... Gave the answerr abt what they are and the similarities betweeen them
Some more abt it and I answered satisfactorily
PG: Tell me abt Goal Prgramming
Moi: Gave a good structured reply and also talked abt the weights that can be assigned if equal priority is ot there.
Now PG was satisfiesd with this and asked me do you know statistics
Moi: Yes Sir (tentativelY)
PG: tell me what is skewness?
Moi: Sir it is a lop sided distribution...
Pg: How do you express it ?
Moi: Sir as eith right side or left side...
PG: Draw
Moi: Drew
PG: how do u know this is skewed?
Moi: Sir by looking t it...
PG: without looking
Moi: Sir if mean median and mode are same then they will besymmetric otherwies skewed
Continued little more on this till he confused me a bit and finally let go of it
GG: Ok now i shall ask you abt finance....
Moi: Sure
GG: what all have u learnt?
Moi: sir cash flow, funds flow, ratios, capital budgeting, project evaluation

GG: ok tell me what is NPV and IRR
Moi: TOld
GG: which is bbetter?
Moi: Sir depends
grilled me more on this till a dead end

Then the kind lady said I ahve only one question for you?
Shea sked me abt any event I had done adn the problem I had faced therien?
Gave her the reply and she seemsd satisfied
LAdy:You may leave. have a toffee!
Take one thank you
LAdy:Take another
thank you grinning now that I have 2..

EXIT
End of IIMA GDPI my job is done now left to gods up in the heavens and those at IIMA ;)

Overall sasfied with Gd adn cud have had a slightly better FInance section in my PI
ypou may post comments here or on PG
Sorry for the lengthy post...

the 50 Hour countdown begins!! almost

Hey everyone,
I now have 50 hours to go for my IIMA interview. I think this is the most important interview of the lot and its first.!! SO i dunno what will happen now or rather then. All I can do is prepare for the interview with a relaxed mind. I am confident and think that A deserves me. (but that is a little overconfidence i guess)
I can still take tips from anyone on anything under the sun so feel free to post your replies here.
Bye
Hoping all goes well
Will post my experience on sunday or early monday.

Love
PRanav