Group Interview Experience- Rajarshi Mukherjee

               Group Interview Questionnaire

Name: Rajarshi Mukherjee

Entrance Exam Percentile: 95.13%

Program and Batch: PGDM 2014-16

Work experience:  35 months – Purchase Engineer – Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd.

For WAT:

1.       How was your performance in the MBA entrance exam? Also share your overall WAT experience?

I took only CAT – I found the question paper quite easy. Came to know that probably there were multiple set of questions based on different degrees of difficulty. The WAT exercise was a writing skill test which tries to understand how you can tie your thoughts together over a given topic.

2.       What was your topic for WAT and what was your Time limit?

 I don’t clearly remember what the topic was but it was something like this – How we can ensure that our next generation lives and grows in a safer world? The time limit was about 30 minutes which included the psychometric test as well.

3.       What was your approach towards WAT and how would you rate your writing?

 Those who are well versed in content or abstract writing should not find WAT as a major hurdle. I would say aspirants can practice their writing skill on different topics – I felt a structured approach towards any WAT exercise should be good (What, Why, How with clear examples or illustrations)

4.       How did you prepare for WAT, your Time Management strategy?

 I didn’t have much of a strategy at place – I thought about what I will write for about 2 minutes then started scribbling. As I wrote, more thoughts came to my mind which I attached together. I feel there is sufficient time to write 1-2 pages, so time management wasn’t an issue.

5.       How did you Structure your essay writing along with the time constraint?

 For any essay writing, I would advise to first build clarity about what you are going to write about – the essay should have a beginning, body and a conclusive end. Aspirants should not spend more time on how to start since time will be tight – the flow will come automatically once the first few lines are there.

6.       Was the topic tough for you to write? Please share the difficulty while outlining the structure for the essay and how you tackled the problem?

Difficulty of any topic is a bit subjective from individual to individual. If you face a tough topic where you have little knowledge of, try to relate it with some topic you are well aware of. Try to bring in examples from your personal experience to strengthen your case.

7.       Is there any advice for the aspirants who’d be appearing in the WAT test soon?

 Have a clear thought process when you start writing any content – it builds up the flow very rapidly. A 1-2 pages write up practice every day should help you a lot!

For GI-1:

1.       How many members were there in your interview board?

 There were 2 faculty members on the interview board.

2.       How was your interview structured?

Interview went along the following line: first, we were asked to give a brief about our work experience. For freshers, they were asked to discuss about their graduation. Following that, we had to defend our specialization – this was the toughest part for most of the students since many struggled to defend their choices. Since I have an educational background in manufacturing it was a bit simpler. Also my relevant work experience in supply chain and logistics helped me a lot.

3.       Was there any tough question for you to answer?

 I was asked to relate an experience from my work which I would like to take forward in my life. There were a lot of cross questions which I had to defend.

4.       What were the key factors which you think influenced your selection at PI stage?

 In GI-1, it is absolutely necessary that you know what you are talking about. The interviewers filter the interviewee based on 2 aspects – how well we can justify our answers and ability to explain ideas lucidly. Having a relevant work exp is a bonus but in case you don’t, prepare yourself to face a lot of questions which will try to unsettle your thoughts.

5.       How did you prepare for your PI?

 I didn’t prepare much actually; I came to know about the GI process through pagal-guy which focuses more on your wit and intellect, rather than readymade answers. Sharpen your soft skills and articulation, build a clear insight about the choice of your specialization and map it against your work experience – that’s your secret recipe to crack GI-1.

6.       Did you appear for any other PI exercise at other top B-schools? Please share a few experiences (where you went wrong)

 I appeared for VGSOM (IIT-KGP) interview which was pretty technical. Questions ranged even from my graduation topics which were a bit surprising. Also, current issues were discussed, including inflation, how to control the same etc.

7.       Any interesting moment from your PI which you would like to share with MBA aspirants

 It’s not a nerve-wracking experience – the profs are pretty chilled out.

8.      What is your advice to aspirants for Group Interview

 Groom your professional knowledge and work experience. They will come in handy and will play a major part in your selection for GI-1. For freshers, focus on your academic strengths and try to associate them with the specialization you have selected.  The first mission is to prove that you are worthy of the specialization on offer – if they are convinced, then you are through.

For GI-2:                                   

1.       How was your GI-2 experience different from GI-1?

 GI-2 was more on a personal level, rather than professional experience. It was conducted by 2 senior profs from SPJIMR. They will try to map you as an individual and whether you fit the program. GI-2 can be more grueling for a few people because it is not a technical round, but more focused on your emotional connect and personality.

2.      What according to you was different/unique in your interview (ex: over Skype, Extremely technical, completely non-technical etc.)

 We were cross-questioned on every point mentioned. Keep your current affair knowledge handy.

3.      How was your selection post GI-1 communicated to you?

 Post the GI session, as were waiting in front of the auditorium, a senior student came and informed us. 2 out of 6 students were selected from the first round.

4.      How did you overcome your nervousness (if any) during the interview?

 The first few seconds were a bit nervy, but as the moments went on, things became easier.

5.      What role did your background play during the interview process

  Since I graduated in production engineering and was working with purchasing, supply chain and logistics, my first choice was automatically operations management. I was able to guide the interview to my advantage on a few occasions. It actually helped me because I had an idea what they were looking for.

Good Luck to all aspirants!