[2010-2012] IIML Essay/GD/PI Experiences

MBA CAT 2024
1

All the best to everyone for their IIML interviews and please do post in your experinces.It would be good if we can use an earlier format. For the benefit of everyone concerned, please keep the format like this: PROFILE: Acads X …

2
All the best to everyone for their IIML interviews and please do post in your experinces.It would be good if we can use an earlier format.

For the benefit of everyone concerned, please keep the format like this:

PROFILE:

Acads
X %,Board, year
XII%, Board, year
Undergrad Stream(BA, BE etc), Specialization(CS, mech etc), Percentage, Year, Institute.

Work-Ex:
Sectors, Company - Number of months

CAT (2009-10):
DI
Quant
Verbal
Aggregate
(category if applicable)

Extra acads :

Any other special thing abt u:

Interview & Essay

Venue:
Date :

Essay :
Topic:
Number of Ppl present
Time:
Brief Snapshot of the attempt:
Time given :
Rate your preparation(0-5):
Rate your performance(0-5):

PI:
Panel Members Intro:
Questions:
Rate your preparation(0-5):
Rate your performance(0-5):
MISC.
Any other relevant detail.

VERDICT

Request:
1. Kindly do not post anything other than your experiences of IIM L Essay-GD-PI.
2. For queries, you can visit this thread http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/2010-2012-iim-lucknow-call-getters-discussion-25050927
3. For appreciating an interview post use thank button, or if you want to show more, use PM.

All in all, keep this thread for what is meant!
3
PROFILE:
Acads
X -94.5%,ICSE,2000
XII-82.6%,CBSE,2002
Undergrad -B.Tech in Mech Engg from NIT Jamshedpur,2007,CGPA -8.89/10
Work-Ex:
S/w Sector-30 months
CAT (2009-10):
Aggregate: 96.54 (NC-OBC)
Extra acads : Decent extra curriculars
Any other special thing abt u: no
Interview & Essay
Venue: Indi Smart Hotel,Kolkata
Date : March 23.2010
Essay :
Topic: Legalising doping in sports in modern times
Number of Ppl present : 7 out of 9 (2 absent)
Time:15 min
Brief Snapshot of the attempt: one page given to write on both sides...cudn't conclude well...ran out of time!
Time given : 15 min
Rate your preparation(0-5):3
Rate your performance(0-5):3
GD:
Time allotted was 15 min...but 2 pguys were absent ..so cut down to 11 min...very organised GD...no fish market...everyone was allowed to speak..no summary/conclusion asked..GD on the same topic as the essay..
PI:
Panel Members Intro : P1(jovial..arnd 45 yrs),P2 (old and serious looking)
S: me
Questions:
P1: so where do u wrk?
S: told
P1:ur desg?
S: told
P1: promotion policy of ur company? What designation are MBAs offered?
S: told
P1: so u r a mech engg..what is the diff between a mini bus and large bus frm engg pt of view?
S: told..power..cc etc...not so convinced
P1: diff between car and mini bus then..?
S: mumbled something..not convinced
(Meanwhile P2 going thru my file)
P1: what happens to fuel economy when no of cylinders are increased?
S: not sure
P1: (thankfully changes topic)..whats d role of banks in nation building?
S: told
P2: will give u a wrd..add some adjectives to it...wrd is 'growth'
S: sustainable,higher,inclusive....
P2: now tell me what are these...and how India will achieve these growths?
S: told...convinced..
P2: what is financial inclusion? What can be done for that?
S: explained well
P2: ur rank in ur deptt in college?
S: told
P1: which tech u r wrking on?
S: PL/SQL(Oracle)
P1: what is data dictionary?
S: told
P1: what happens if i drop a table and want to rollback..
S: told...drop is DDL..auto commit..no rollback possible
P1: how to manage the tables...when many ppl are handling it..how to prevent unnecessary manipulations?
S: talked about DBA activities...user roles and privileges
P1: if everyone is having privilege to do everything on tables...how to change the code to handle such things..
S: talked about triggers which will be designed to take backup/view before any such action...
P2: last yr Mr Chidambaram waved off the loans of the farmers...was it justified..or just a political gimmick..
S: talked about the financial crisis world was facing...monsoon too added to the woes...so a rational step with a bit to gain political mileage ..
P1: wat all calls?
S: IIM B,L,I,K..
P1: nice talking to u...thnx..
S: thnks..
Rate your preparation(0-5):3.5
Rate your performance(0-5): 3.5
Any other relevant detail.
Interview was chilled and relax...enjoyed..no stress at any pt of time...on an avg...15-20 min for interview...no need to carry photocopies...work ex ppl...last and first salary slips with joining letter will do..
VERDICT: Converted!
4
PROFILE:

Acads
X : 83.6%, WB Board
XII: 82.3%, WB Board
Undergrad : BE Mechanical, 82.4%, B.E.College, Shibpur, 2004 passout

Work-Ex: 66 months till date
NTPC 29 months, Thermax (present) 37 months

CAT (2009-10):
DI : 97.59
Quant : 96.95
Verbal : 87.36
Aggregate : 98.14
(category GEN)

Extra acads : University Medal for securing Highest Mark in Mechanical Engg
Got certificate of Merit in NTPC

Any other special thing abt u: nothing

Interview & Essay

Venue: Indismart Hotel, Kolkata
Date : 23.03.09

Essay :
Topic: Essential services like water, electricity should not be privatized
Number of Ppl present : 9 (2 absent)
Time: 15 mins
GD on the same topic immediately after GD was completed.
GD was quite decent. No fish market. Though my performance was not so good, chipped-in only 3 times with two decent points. Everyone spoke and no summary was asked to make. Overall ok.
My performance 4/10

PI:
I was the last in panel to be interviewed. Long wait was killing me. But had nice chit-chat with other fellows, that helped me in killing time. Thanx to Abhinav, Rajendra, Shouvik, Samson.....
Panel Members Intro: One Jolly Fellow ( say J), one serious but quite modest fellow (say S)
Questions:
Me: Good afternoon sir.
J : (nodded and asked to have seat). So you are from BEC, Shibpur ! U have two beautiful playground in your college- Lords and Oval !(these are name of the grounds. Don't get confused. God knows how on earth he came to know this!)
Me : Yes sir.
J: In which u used to play?
Me: Lords.
J : What's special about Lords? Why not Oval.
Me : Told something
J : BEC has become full fledged university from deemed university. What are the changes that followed?
Me: Told about better placements....nos of faculties....better infrustructure..inclusion of Pure science depts etc etc...
J : What do u do exactly in Thermax?
Me: Told about my profile
J: Why did u leave NTPC?
Me: Told. about changing my domain of works....in NTPC I was in Power Plant operation....but din't have any exposure on detailing/designing....in Thermax I do detailing....knowing power plant's every aspect..blah blah...

J nodded to S to take over....in between S was checking my certis...

S: Should we stop all thermal power plants as these create pollution ?
Me: a long explanation....said it's not possible right now as growth will be hampered...everything depends on electricity and coal is our major fuel....we can mitigate CO2 and other GHG by taking CDM measures...parallely we may give emphasis on renewable energy....and many things...( I'm a veteran of Power sector...so it's too easy to explain a lot)...seemed convinced.

S: What is carbon Credit?
Me: Told.
S: Elaborate more about carbon credit.
Me: Told about concept...CER...present value of Carbon credit....it's a measure of kyoto protocol....etc etc...

S: I've heard nos Tigers are coming down...what's the reason?
Me: Told about Poaching....skins are much valuable....Sunderban Zone is a vulnerable zone as we share a common border with Bangladesh...it's very difficult to safeguard completely....also local fishermen sometimes kill Tigers to safeguard themselves...etc etc...
S: How can be it prevented ?
Me: Said about more strict security and vigilance..( I forgot to tell about mass awerness )...not so convincing...but ok..had many talks about sundarban....

Suddenly J took over and gave me a GEMSCLIP...

J: Is it a machine?
Me: Yes sir.
J : Why?
Me: It increases our comfort !
(Both were laughing )
Actually it has mechanical advantage more than 1...so it's a machine
J: Prove me with help of a diagram...
Me; drawn....(hope it was ok....)..

S: U din't get thru IITs and NITs....don't u repent for that....
Me: Told something....like..I was from a remote village...didn't have any exposure of IIT prep...blah blah...regarding NITs...with my rank I could make a seat in various NITs....explained BEC was good enough...also reccommended by seniors and family etc etc....

S: What does RBI do?
Me: told about moneytry regulation....tackling inflation etc etc with the help of various tools like CRR, Repo rate, reverse repo rate etc etc...
S: What is CRR?
Me: Told.
S: What is Repo rate?
Me: Told.
S: What is Reverse Repo rate
Me: Told.
S: How does CRR regulate market?
Me: Explained very well and they were convinced.

suddenly...
J: Tell me in two mins ...why MBA?
Me: Told..
J: what do u think who should hire you in IIML?
Me: Told about my wish of continuing with energy sector. any small company with higher job responsibility as power sector is booming....also told that I might take study leave also though it's not decided yet...as thermax is also growing...blah blah...
S: Why did u study about RBI? you are a mechanical engineer...
Me: I'm very much interested about stock market sir.

Both smiled and hinted interview is over....
S: Nice talking you...thank you....
Me: Thank you sir.



Any other relevant detail.: J was always smiling...S sometimes.....
I think Int went well.....what u guys say ????

VERDICT : Awaited...


Regards,

Himadri
5

Thread made sticky

6

Essay :
Topic: Legalising doping in sports in modern times
Number of Ppl present : 7 out of 9 (2 absent)
Time:15 min



Essay :
Topic: Essential services like water, electricity should not be privatized
Number of Ppl present : 9 (2 absent)
Time: 15 mins


A Quick query.

The essay time specified by you guys is 15 mins. Does this include the time to think as well?
Because in IIM B interview, separate 5 mins were given for thinking and the writing time was separate.

15 mins to think and write down seems a touch tight to me.

Thanks,
Gagan.
7

PROFILE:

Acads
X %,Board, year : 87.4
XII%, Board, year : 82.6
Undergrad Stream(BA, BE etc), Specialization(CS, mech etc), Percentage, Year, Institute : BE(CSE), 74.7, BIT Mesra Ranchi

Work-Ex:
Sectors, Company - Number of months:
Software : 30 months
Oil & Gas Marketing: 14 months

CAT (2009-10):
DI : 91.85
Quant : 94.94
Verbal : 93.2
Aggregate : 96.91
(category if applicable) : General

Extra acads :

1. Teach India Volunteer
2. Rower
3. Quizzing
4. NSS secretary of my university
5. Badminton captain in my company
6. Debating and Extempores


Interview & Essay

Venue: Indismart Hotel, Kolkata
Date : 23.03.2010

Essay : Should essential services like electricity and water be privatised.
GD Topic: Same for Essay.

Number of Ppl present: 6 out of 8.
Time: 15 + 10 minutes
Brief Snapshot of the attempt: The GD went very well and everybody got a chance to speak. A girl in my group started the discussion but afterwards I took the charge. Always talked to everyone in the group and also we all let each one to speak and make their points. I put forth a lot many points like

a. need for quality of service.
b. timeliness and effectiveness are also important these days.
c. government should be an enabler as it is not the core competence of the govt.
d. One guy told about private companies will only make money and no subsidy to poor. I told with this UID thing we can achieve that also even if a private company runs that service.
e. also since govt has proved not so effective so we should try for some alternavies.
f. the girl in the group said we can try out for a PPP.


Rate your preparation(0-5): 3.5
Rate your performance(0-5): 4.5

PI: (around 25 minutes)
Panel Members Intro: One lady (L) and one Gentleman (G)
Me (M)

Questions:

L: Introduce yourself.
M: Told my Ramkahani.
L: So you volunteer for teach India. What work you do as a TI volunteer.
M: Told about my project in the Red Light area in Kidderpore, Kolkata.
L: So you are a CSE grad. Tell me what is a compiler?
M: Gave the Aamir Khan's version of a compiler.
L: How does it work?
M: Said about the working of the compiler.
L: What is kernel in an Operating System?
M: Said.
L: Name few Operating Systems.
M: Said.
L: How is Unix different from Windows?
M: Bata diya.
L: How is Unix different from Linux.
M: Yeh bhi bataya.
L: Why is Linux named so?
M: Told the answer.
L: Two plus points and two negative points about Unix.
M: Yeh bhi bataya.
L: So you have read Operation research. Tell me what is the purpose of OR?
M: Answered that.
L: Can you name any process or algorithm used in OR?
M: No maam this nothing is comping to my mind at this point.
L: Passed the baton to G. G sir you wanna ask something.
G: Hmm M. You have in all 3.5 years of work experience right.
M: Yes sir.
G: Do you think you company is doing fine?
M: Yes sir.
G: That means your company is perfect and needs no improvement.
M: No sir it's not like that. Ways of betterment never stops.
G: Then tell me on what two fronts your company needs improvement. (Mine is an OMC Oil Marketing Company).
M: Sir I think there are two ways which can enhance my company's performance. And they are: First More leeway in terms of deciding the pricing of products and second Improvement in internal communication and flow of responsibilities.
G: M do you thin that the government should abolish subsidy on Petro products.
M: Yes sir but in a phased wise manner. Cited some examples from the Kirit Parikh committee that how we can remove the subsidy from petrol and that will impose an extra burden of just 50-80 rs on the users. And sir for products like kerosene the real needy can get it through UID Project of Nandan Nilkeni and the rest can be sold at market driven rates.
G: But tell me M government takes heavy amount of taxes on petro products. Is it justifiable.
M: No sir. Apart from that there are many phases where government charges taxes, even for movement within states in some cases. But it provides subsidies. So why to charge at the first itself. Gradually it should lower down the tax rates on petro products.
G: Will the passing of full burden cause inflation.
M: May be in the short run but in due course of time it will balance out and things will move fine.
G: Hmm. Tell me what is you take on Women's reservation bill.
M: Sir I think we need to improve the basics and then talk about this bill.As an example most of the girls in villages do not go to schools because of lack of toilets and things like this need to be improved first.
G: No M I didn't ask that. I asked whether this bill should be passed or not.
M: Yes sir but without any divisive criteria like quota within a quota.
G: Okay Okay. Turns to L.
L: Okay M thanks a lot.
M: Thank you maan.
M: Stood up and walked a few steps.
L: Ohh M please come.
M: Yes maam.
L: What others call do you have.
M: Maam Indore and MDI.
L: Okay thats great.
G & L : Thank you and please send the next guy after 1 minute.
M: Okay sir. Thank you maam.
Rate your preparation(0-5): 4
Rate your performance(0-5): 4.5
MISC.
Any other relevant detail : Both L and G were very cool.
Later I saw G's profile on IIM L's website ans she is a prof of OR there.
So guys at Indismart read a little bit of OR (Operation Research).


FINAL VERDICT: SELECTED...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8
A Quick query.

The essay time specified by you guys is 15 mins. Does this include the time to think as well?
Because in IIM B interview, separate 5 mins were given for thinking and the writing time was separate.

15 mins to think and write down seems a touch tight to me.

Thanks,
Gagan.


15 min was the time given to both think and write...no separate time for thinking..!

cheers and ATB!
9

Particularly work ex ppl, did you take your CV along? I know it is not compulsory but pluses/minuses of carrying it along?

10
milind.adpaiker Says
Particularly work ex ppl, did you take your CV along? I know it is not compulsory but pluses/minuses of carrying it along?


Buddy the IIM L profile sheet in enough and you need not carry anything else.
Even if you carry they may not even ask for that. And if you deliberately show them, I think that wont be a right thing to do.
11

15 minutes for writing & 10 minutes for thinking I suppose correct me if I am wrong

12

Apart from the original certificates,do we need to bring attested photocopies too?? Please reply asap as i am not having photocopies attested and my interview is tomorrow

Thanks in advance 😃

13
Apart from the original certificates,do we need to bring attested photocopies too?? Please reply asap as i am not having photocopies attested and my interview is tomorrow

Thanks in advance :)


Nishu,

No need of any xerox copy even leave apart attested ones.
They will only see the originals.
14

I like to disagree with it. I have given XLRI interview and the first document in my file is my CV and it helped me a lot as I could take the interview in a nice direction.

Raghuram.

PS: I could be more confident once results are out.

Buddy the IIM L profile sheet in enough and you need not carry anything else.
Even if you carry they may not even ask for that. And if you deliberately show them, I think that wont be a right thing to do.
15

PROFILE:

Acads:
X - 82%, CBSE, 2000
XII - 84%, CBSE, 2002
B. Tech, Civil Engg., 9.14 CGPA (out of 10), 2006, NIT Jamshedpur

Work-Ex:
IT Sector, TCS - 39 months

CAT (2009-10):
DI - 92%tile
Quant - 92%tile
Verbal - 99%tile
Aggregate - 98.6%tile
(General)

Extra acads: Nothing substantial

Venue: IIML Noida campus
Date : 26-Mar-2010

Essay & GD:

Topic: In India, should minorities be given the first right to resources?
Number of Ppl present: 8
Time: 15 minutes for writing the essay and then 12 minutes for the GD.
Brief Snapshot of the attempt:
They collected our essay sheets after 15 minutes and the GD started. Everyone was given a rough sheet to jot down points.
Was a pretty cool GD. Everyone spoke well. Nobody summarized. Panel did not ask anybody to summarize either.

PI:
Panel Members Intro: Lady Prof (L), Gentleman Prof (G), Myself (M)
Questions:
G: So...where's your hometown? Is it Noida?
M: No sir....its Lko.
G: Where did you do your Xth and XIIth ?
M: Told them...(both were different places)
L: How come so many places?
M: Told them my father is in the army and gets transferred.
L: How many schools have you been to ?
M: Told...
L: Let me see you file (I passed on my file to her)
G: Why the switch from Civil to IT?
M: Funde diye..
G: (smiling..to me and to L) I wonder what will happen to construction sector...everybody's going into IT
L: Asked me about the industrial training I did in college
M: Answered...
L: What are the different techniques in surveying?
M: (totally stumped...ye toh padhna hi bhool gaya tha!!) Tried but could not give a complete answer...confessed that I did not remember.
M: Asked me about extra curricular activities I had mentioned in the form.
G: So how do you design a structure?...asked the process..
M: Told him whatever I remembered...
G: How is earthquake resistant design done...Japan is earthquake prone country but how come they manage to build tall buildings?
M: Explained as best as I could...
G: Asked L if she had any other questions.
L: I'm done
M: Thanked them and came out

Both the panel members were cool and friendly. No panic attacks during the interview!!

VERDICT
Result awaited...

16
PROFILE:
Acads
X %,Board, year 86.4%
XII%, Board, year 79%
Undergrad Stream(BA, BE etc), Specialization(CS, mech etc), Percentage, Year, Institute.
Chemical engg btech from iit delhi, cgpa 8.71 (2nd rank in deptt)
Work-Ex: 45 months as technical consultant to refineries and petrochemicals
Sectors, Company - Oil and gas
CAT (2009-10):
DI 99.53
Quant 92.75
Verbal 99.52
Aggregate 99.72
(category if applicable) general
Extra acads : 2nd ranker, won many merit awards at iit-d
Any other special thing abt u: 1 yr exp in usa, 5 months in phillipines, six sigma certified, certified internal auditor
Interview & Essay
Venue: iim L noida
Date : 26th march 2010
Essay : In India, minorities should have the first right to country's resources
Topic: same as essay topic
Number of Ppl present 10
Time: 15 min for essay and 15 min for gd
Brief Snapshot of the attempt: wrote quite a decent essay, was quite updated with respect to minorities, satisfied ; had a more than decent gd.....
Rate your preparation(0-5): 4 for gd and 0 for essay
Rate your performance(0-5): 4 for gd and 4 for essay
PI:
Panel Members Intro: p1(male proff), p2(lady proff), me
tions:
proffs were really friendly, i was extremely comfortable with them...i was smiling nearly all d time and at times laughing too at my stupid answers.....i just loved d whole exp...they were constantly trying to trap me in my responses and to their annoyance, i was able to come out of it nearly every time and they probably realized after sometime that both they and me realize wazz gng on and started smiling at evry instance.......
me: gudafternoon sir and madam
p1: gudafternoon
p2: gudafternoon, have a seat
me: thanks
p2: giv me ur file
me: handed over
p2: tell us abt urself briefly
me: well rehearsed answer
p2: so u work in refining sector and hav been to refineries
me: yes madam
p2: tell us abt ur job responsibilities there
me: explained well
p1: asked wat my parents do?
me: told
p1: asked abt crude oil
me: told
p1: asked me economic analysis abt petrol price
me: got stumbled
p1: wat r various components
me: excise duty, import duty, state tax
p1: who charge these taxes
me: answered
p1: how many litres in a barrel
me: 42 * 3.78
p1: why dont u hav ready made answers to anything? why r u so tentative
me: explained tht 1 barrel has 42 us gallons and each galon has 3.78 L
p1: again, giv me economic analysis
me: again stumbled,
p1: tell me wat part is tax out of Rs 50
me: around rs 15 - 20
p1: as a chemical engineer u shuld hav known tht
me: yes sir
p1: u talked abt sarva shiksha abhiyan during gd...wazz tht
me: explained..in b/w told objective is 100% enrollment
p1: only enrollment and both p1 nd p2 griled on tht
me: ralized the trap in b/w and corrected myself....in b/w talked abt mid day meal scheme
p1: who is called literate in india?
me: those who ahv studied upto class xii
p1: started laughing
me: corrected my self, told upto 8th class and should be able to sign
p1: dont make guesses
p2: why mba?
me: gave a structured explanation saying want to benefit society wid my initaitves
p1: pounced on it, asked me abt how will poor be affected
me: satisfied him by giving a gud expalnation and told him wat exactly i m looking for
p1: good
p1: discuss jatropha (related to my why mba answer)
me: told used in bio-diesel
p1: impact on agriculture?
me: explain ed
p1: then, wat should be done
me: i told him innovations have to me made ...gave an explanation related to why mba..was totally satisfied
p1: tell me abt global warming
me: explained
p1: which are major greenhouse gases?
me: co2, water vapor, methane, CO...main is co2
p1: is co2 released from car exhaust?
me: yes, discussed abt sox nd nox too
p1: satisfied
p2: u hav written six sigma, plzz tell ur role
me: explained abt my various initiatives
p2: wat is six sigma?
me: explained well
p1: what is its equation
me: dont knw sir, but based on normal distribution
p1: write equation for normal distribution
me: dont remember sir
p1: asked abt social problems india is facing
me: discussed about illiteracy is the root cause
p1: then kerala should not hav any problem
me: counter argued and explained abt unionism and strikes etc
p1: satisfied
p1: we are done
me: sir i hav a question
p1: started laughing
p1: then said ask
me: asked abt enterpreneurship cell in iim L in a sophistiocated manner
p1 nd p2: replied in a nice manner
Rate your preparation(0-5): 3
Rate your performance(0-5): 3.5 - 4
MISC.
was smiling thruout........felt somewhat gud
VERDICT: rejected
17
milind.adpaiker Says
Particularly work ex ppl, did you take your CV along? I know it is not compulsory but pluses/minuses of carrying it along?


in plain and simple terms..that is a document which is not desired by the panel..no pluses/minuses.. 😃
18

Guys I want to know how many pages are available for us to write the essay? Are there ruled sheets ? Also are we given any time before for thinking about the topic .i.e before the we start writing the essay ?

19
blacof Says
Guys I want to know how many pages are available for us to write the essay? Are there ruled sheets ? Also are we given any time before for thinking about the topic .i.e before the we start writing the essay ?


u will get one paper (ruled both sides) to write the essay. And you are not given any time to think over the topic. in my essay we were asked to start writing straightaway.

This is for all the puys who are yet to attend their GD/PI: please take your photo identity card (PAN,passport,driving licence,etc.) with you. though it is not mentioned in the gd/pi call letter of IIML, the panel kept asking for any photo identity proof.

SO hav somekind of proof with yourself.
20

guys do u see a pattern in the the interviews..as to what kind of questions they ask