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Most commonly searched question by MBA aspirants is 'How to make a good impression in MBA interview?' Here's an MBA interview preparation puide to answer this and all related queries.
CAT or any MBA entrance exam is only the stepping stone for admission to an MBA/PGDM programme at any management institute. The real test begins after the result of CAT has been declared. To be able to secure a seat in the desired B-school as its student, the aspirants have to not only score well in CAT or other MBA entrance exams; but have to also clear the hurdle of Group Discussion, Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (GD-WAT-PI).
Admission process for an MBA/PGDM programme includes three stages:
- Screening of candidates on the basis of MBA entrance exam
- Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD-PI) round
- Final selection of candidates for admission
For final selection, each candidate’s performance in CAT or other MBA entrance exam, GD-WAT-PI and academics is taken into accounts. And in most of the top MBA colleges in India, including the IIMs, GD-WAT-PI is given more weight that entrance exam score.
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The GD--WAT-PI is essentially a personality assessment activity, conducted by the institutes to choose the best of the lot. In this article, you will get MBA interview tips and group discussion guidelines.
- MBA Interview Tips for Aspirants
- How to make first impression in an MBA PI?
- MBA Interview Dos and Don’ts:
- Most commonly asked questions in MBA interviews
- Dress Code for MBA GD/PI
- Group Discussion Tips for MBA Aspirants
- What is a Group Discussion?
- GD evaluation parameters
- Important tips for Group Discussion
- Parameters on which a candidate is judged in GD
- GD/PI experience shared by IIM students
MBA Interview Tips for Aspirants
In the personal interview round, candidates are tested on communication skills, confidence, stress management, presence of mind, clarity of thoughts, leadership qualities, willingness to learn, task orientation, team skills, goal clarity, etc.
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The interview panel consists of two to three panelists who are usually the faculty members. Most of the interviews last 10-20 minutes and the candidate is evaluated on the following parameters:
- Personality – walk, style of sitting, mannerism
- Communication skills and body language
- Subject knowledge
- General awareness
- Clarity of goals
How to make first impression in an MBA PI?
You must take care of minor things like knocking the door before entering, not taking the chair until told to do so or interrupting the panelist. Greet the panelists and say thank you. Maintain eye contact, be confident and humble at the same time. If you don’t know the answer to a question don’t guess or bluff. Tell them honestly that you don’t know.
The question – 'Tell us about yourself '– is the most often asked question, because it sets up the tone of entire interview session. A proper answer to this allows panelists a peep into your background, abilities and thought process to begin the conversation. Give a clear and concise answer. Keep your introduction brief but it must include your achievements so far.
MBA Interview Dos and Don’ts:
| Dos |
Don’ts |
|---|---|
| Maintain your cool |
Get agitated |
| Maintain eye contact |
Nervousness, mumbling |
| Exude confidence in your answers |
Be overconfident |
| When in crossfire, answer one question at a time |
Unnecessary humour |
| Maintain a smile |
Show trepidation |
| Appreciate the panelist’s point of view, but stay firm on your own point of view |
Argue loudly or be rude |
Most commonly asked questions in MBA interviews
What are your strengths and weaknesses; is yet another most common question asked in a personal interview round of MBA admission. Given below are some of the most commonly stated strengths and weaknesses.
| Most stated strengths |
Most stated weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Hardworking, meticulous, value, team skills, initiative, leadership, perseverance |
Over confidence, set very high goals, stubbornness |
Below listed are some of the most common topics of PI questions:
| Most common PI questions |
|
|---|---|
| Tell us about yourself |
Strengths/weaknesses |
| Meaning of your name |
Hobby/interest |
| Academics job |
Extra-curricular activities |
| Skills |
Work experience |
| Your values |
Why MBA |
| Family |
5-10 years goal |
| achievements |
Why should we select you |
| Aim/objective |
Learnings from the previous job |
| Job profile and responsibilities |
Contribution to the company |
| Company turnover |
Company history |
| About industry |
About competitors |
Also Read: MBA PI Questions: How to Answer Why MBA Question? With Example
Dress Code for MBA GD/PI
For a personal interview for MBA admission, wear a comfortable outfit. Something in which you feel confident. For male candidates formal shirt and trousers with formal shoes are advisable. For women, outfit (formal/semi-formal) of solid colours is recommended. Keep makeup and accessories minimal.
Group Discussion Tips for MBA Aspirants
Group discussion is organized to test the candidate’s presence of mind, knowledge, social awareness, communication skills and ability to have a logical and structured debate. The evaluators notices, how and what the person speaks, his/her confidence, listening abilities, persuasion and interpersonal skills.
What is a Group Discussion?
- Usually, candidates are grouped into 7-12 and given a topic to discuss for 15-25 minutes. No instructions are passed on regarding the conduct. Once the topic is on the table, the evaluators sit back and observe each candidate.
- A Topic of discussion is given to the group. Sometimes even a case study is given to discuss. This case study is usually related to real life situations.
- Five minutes is given for preparation. Each group member gets roughly 1 or 1:30 minutes to speak. The challenge of group discussion lies here, in communicating one’s thought in a coherent and logical manner within such a short time.
Also read:
GD evaluation parameters
The evaluators score candidates on the following parameters in a Group Discussion:
- Strength of point
- Introduction of a new point or building/rephrasing upon existing point
- Quality of examples given to back an argument
- Body language of the candidate which includes, style of sitting, eye contact, movement of hands and listening style
- Communication skills including command over language/wit & humour, clarity of voice/voice modulation
Important tips for Group Discussion
- Starting the GD gives advantage but only if you start on a clear and logical note. Do not panic if you cannot start it.
- While speaking 3-4 times is good, speak once sensibly is better than trying to make a point 3-4 times and failing at that.
- Do not take side in the discussion until you have a very strong argument to back it. Raise a few relevant points before making a statement.
- Remember, while content is of utmost importance, good manner helps one in gaining points for civility and presentation
- Don’t jump in to the discussion. Keep an eye on the speaker, listen to him/her carefully, take notes, once a person completes their point, you can start by adding to their point or start with ‘I agree/disagree with so and so….
- You can also enter the conversation by bringing it back to the topic by saying, we have spent much time beating around the bush or can we get back to the main issue…?
Take a look at some article below having lists of MBA colleges accepting CAT score in various ranges.
Parameters on which a candidate is judged in GD
- Communication abilities: Effective communication means clarity of thoughts, coherency and succinctness. Keep it simple and short to win over the evaluators.
- Team skills: Fairness, appreciation and confidence building make a valuable team player.
- Analytical Skill: Decisiveness is a must have quality to be a good manager. In a GD, you are judged on how quickly and clearly analyse a situation.
- General Awareness: A thorough knowledge of what’s happening around you, especially in the world of economy and business which can impact social and political environment.
Also read: Scored low in CAT? Don't fret. You can still get a good college
MBA Group Discussion Dos and Don’ts:
| GD Dos |
GD Don’ts |
|---|---|
| Be clear about your points |
Be too funny |
| Put your point firmly and clearly |
Speak for long but fail to make a point |
| Be concise in speaking, give data to back up your viewpoint |
Deviate from the topic and bluff statistics |
| Read editorials, watch news to prepare for GD |
Shout, interrupt others in between |
GD/PI experience shared by IIM students
Read GD/PI experience of students who converted IIM interview calls, pursuing MBA or have passed out from various IIMs.
| Student Name |
IIM |
Interview |
|---|---|---|
| Somansh Chordia |
IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta |
|
| Kislay Jha |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Ahsaas Sharma |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Devesh Bansal |
IIM Kozhikode |
|
| Isha Nisar |
IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore |
|
| Akshay Mehendiratta |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Anchal Taatya |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Ananya Mishra |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Pratham Mani |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Omkar Mukherjee |
IIM Calcutta |
|
| Vaibhav Jatin Shah |
||
| Parth Agarwal |
||
| Anshul Aggarwal |
IIM Kozhikode |
|
| Ankur Parmar |
IIM Kozhikode |
|
| Priyanjit Biswas |
||
| Ruchika Bhartiya |
||
| Parth Agarwal |
IIM Bangalore |
|
| Ankit Anand |
IIM Bangalore |
|
| Pratham Mani |
||
| Aditi Agarwal |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Gursimran Ahuja |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Biswanath Chakraborty |
||
| Nishant Shah |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Biswanath Chakraborty |
IIM Bangalore |
|
| Achintya Bhattacharya |
IIM Bangalore |
|
| Biswanath Chakraborty |
||
| Shubham Varshney |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
| Shubham Ranka |
IIM Calcutta |
|
| Dhiraj Bedi |
IIM Calcutta |
|
| Wasim Khan Pathan |
IIM Calcutta |
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