From the Interviewer’s Chair: Top 10 IIM Questions, Tips & Strategies to Ace It
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Here are top IIM Interview questions that are asked to MBA aspirants during the PI round. As you prepare for your IIM journey, prepare these top interview questions.
IIM interview questions
Students can be a little scared to face interview panel. Mostly they feel a mix of anxiety, pressure and anticipation before interviews. Self-doubt and nervousness are normal. The interview not only tests you skills but also character, clarity and confidence.
Preparation for IIM's PI round should start much earlier than the schedule. Therefore, we reached out to top IIM professors and seasoned interviewers to get their insights on what really makes a candidate stand out. We have shared below, top 10 IIM interview questions, what interviewers look for as well ad powerful tips and strategies to help aspirants face the IIM interview with confidence. What we uncovered goes far beyond standard preparation material. Whether you are first time applicant or giving it another shot, this guide is your advantage.
- Top 10 IIM Interview Questions: Check Tips, Expert Insights and Winning Strategies
- Pro Tips: Types of Questions Asked During IIM Interviews
- Cracking the Code: IIM PI-WAT Experiences
Top 10 IIM Interview Questions: Check Tips, Expert Insights and Winning Strategies
Listed below are some of interview questions, IIM aspirants should prepare:
Question 1: Tell me about yourself, highlighting your academic background and how you stay informed about what’s happening in the world?
Question 2: By 2030, one in every five persons in the world will be an Indian. What would be its implications?
Question 3: What does feminism mean to you, and do you think it is still relevant in today’s society?
Question 4 Let's assume that you are the next Governor of RBI, if inflation is increasing/ decreasing, what measures can be taken?
Question 5: Can you share a recent news event or global development and explain how it might impact the business world or Indian economy?
Question 6: Tell us something interesting or unique about your hometown. How has growing up there shaped your perspective or personality?
Question 7: What was the economic logic behind Trump’s tariffs on countries like China, and how effective do you think these tariffs were in protecting American industries?
Question 8: What is the Gig Economy, and how is it changing the nature of work in India?
Question 9: The US has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods citing national interest. If you were the Prime Minister of Canada, how would you approach negotiating with the US to protect your country’s economic interests?
Question 10: What are your views on the current startup ecosystem in India?
Also read:
Pro Tips: Types of Questions Asked During IIM Interviews
IIM interview questions can range from personal interests, academics, current affairs to your overall personality. Based on exclusive insights shared by IIM professors and interview panelists, mentioned below are topics around which they ask questions:
1. General Awareness
Interviewers expect students to have varied knowledge and awareness of how the world is evolving, specially in a business context. Some of the common topics of discussion during the personal interview round are:
- Recent happenings in business world (e.g., mergers, layoffs, IPOs)
- Role of RBI in the Indian economy
- Farmers protest and its economic/ political implications
- Stock market trends and key indices or recent market movements
- Budget-related questions (specially around Feb, post-Union Budget)
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2. Quantitative and Academic Questions
Academic background is crucial when it comes to appearing for an IIM interview. Questions related to candidate’s scores in Class 10, 12 and graduation might be asked in the interview, specifically if the aspirant is a fresher. Some of the common questions may be asked around the following:
- Probability, Permutations & Combinations
- Statistics and Hypothesis Testing
- Economics fundamentals
- Course-specific concepts (specially if you are from Commerce, Engineering or Economics backgrounds)
3. Resume and Work Experience Related Questions
Students must be ready to explain the following:
- Projects, internships, or jobs you have listed
- Career breaks (if any) and how you used that time productively
- Your role, impact, and learnings at work
4. Industry & Leadership Awareness
Aspirants must be well-equipped with the corporate and entrepreneurial world. IIM interview questions can also be around the following:
- Top 5 entrepreneurs or CEOs you admire
- Their business philosophy or contributions to their industry
- Insights into Indian startups or unicorns
5. Hobby & Interest-Based Questions
Aspirants usually do not lay emphasis on this part of their resumes. However, interviewers pay attention to the hobbies you have mentioned in your resume and gauge your personality beyond academics. IIM interview questions can also be around:
- Football or cricket news - top current tournaments, players, or controversies.
- Names of top cricketers or footballers and recent performances.
6. Bonus Tip: Questions Can Be Quirky Too!
Sometimes, a panelist with a background in Arts, Music, or Sports might throw in an unexpected question to see how you handle spontaneity. For example:
- “Recite a few lines of your favorite poem”
- “Sing something if you have mentioned music as a hobby”
Read: 13 Must Do Things to Crack GD-PI-WAT
Cracking the Code: IIM PI-WAT Experiences
Aspirants can check the top IIM students interview experience with tips and tricks and how they aced the interview below:
| Student Name |
IIM |
IIM Interview Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Akash Mohapatra |
||
| Shreshth Khare |
||
| Satya Gopal |
||
| Lakshay Kumar |
||
| Nishant Pandey |
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CAT syllabus is vast. It has numerous topics from Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. Covering the CAT syllabus also includes practicing a variety of sample questions on the topics included. Thus, it requires a lot of time. Candidates must given themselves atleast 3-4 months to cover CAT syllabus and keep in mind the following:
· Check the previous years' CAT papers to know topics which carry more weightage so that you can focus on those topics more.
· List down topicsin order of easy, moderate and tough and allot time to them accordingly.
· Make sure to study about 6-8 hours per day to complete the syllabus 2-3 months before the exam.
· After studying every topic, practice sample questions. Balance theory with practical.
For admission to MBA courses at IIMs and other top Management colleges in India, candidates have to crack one of the toughest entrance exams conducted for Management courses, i.e., CAT. Only a well-planned strategy can work in the favour of candidates to ace this exam, especially for admission to the top MBA colleges in India. To qualify CAT exam a good prep strategy is required. A prep strategy that will help you ace the CAT exam for admission to IIM Kozhikode is as follows:
- Solve previous year's CAT question papers for thorough revision to reduce the scope of mistakes
- Read books, editorials, newspapers, and journals to improve your vocabulary and reading skills.
- Solve as many CAT Mock Tests as possible. Download FREE practice questions & answers!
- Check the CAT syllabus and exam pattern
- Choose the right reference book
Read more about the CAT preparation strategy.
No, IIM Calcutta admission to most of the courses is entrance-based. The application process of IIM Calcutta for PG courses takes place via CAT. Therefore, candidates need to visit the official website of CAT to get admission. The institute will further shortlist the candidates based on the CAT score. Moreover, for the Executive MBA course, GMAT score is accepted and for DPM, candidates without CAT score can apply with GMAT/GRE/GATE/UGC-JRF or another accepted exam score. Read more on IIM Kolkata admission.
The best way to prepare for DILR section is through practice. Before starting the preparation, aspirants should check previous years’ question papers. Since there is not much conceptual understanding required in this section, practice is important.
Some of the most popular books on DILR section that you can refer are How to Prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit Sinha, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Pearson, to name a few.
Yes, CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of the candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 8 hours ago
No, CAT scores are not important for admission to the MBA course at the School of Business, Sushant University. As per the info. taken from the website of the university, it conducts its own entrance exam for enrollment into the MBA course.
C
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 9 hours ago
RGIPT allows admission without CAT/XAT/GMAT/CMAT/MAT/CUET-PG score under two circumstances. First, you should be a company-sponsored candidate. Second, if you belong to part time registration category. You will still have to fulfil the remaining eligibility criteria.
J
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Candidates with a valid score of CAT/ GMAT/ GRE score are exempted from the written test. These candidates still need to complete the form by paying the application fees. However, these aspirants may get called for the IIM Trichy - Chennai campus PGPBM interview round.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
CAT is one of the accepting exams for admission to PGDM at IPE Hyderabad. Candidates with a good score in CAT can also get a scholarship. However, CAT is not mandatory. Aspirants with a score in MAT, XAT, ATMA, GMAT or CMAT exams can also get admission in the PGDM course.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 3 days ago
No, candidates who wish to apply for the Global MBA course at Lexicon MILE are required to clear the LAT conducted by Lexicon MILE. The CAT exam score at Lexicon MILE is only used for deciding the PGDM admissions along with several other entrance exams.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
CAT is one of the accepting exams for MBA admission at Karunya School of Management. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also apply through XAT, MAT or KMAT scores. Candidates must also complete graduation to apply for MBA at KSM Coimbatore.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 3 days ago
CAT is one of the accepting exams for admission to MBA programme at Amity University Bengaluru. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also get admission in MBA via MAT, GRE or CMAT scores. Candidates with scores in these entrance exams can also get scholarship provided they meet the criteria.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 3 days ago
No, CAT exam is not mandatory for VIT-AP MBA admissions. Candidates who are interested in the MBA course offered by the institute can also apply through the scores in the XAT and MAT as well.
VIT-AP also accepts the scores obtained in the VITBEE for the MBA admissions. However, candidates with a high
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
No, CAT scores are not compulsory for enrollement into MBA course at IIS Jaipur. As per the info. available on the website of the institute, the institute give prefrences to those students who have secured scored in the management entrance exams, such as CAT/ XAT/ CUET PG/ MAT. Thus, CAT scores can
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, Manipur Institute of Management Studies, Manipur University does accept CAT scores for admission to its MBA course. Students can also submit scores of other national-level exams, such as MAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ GMAT/ ATMA etc.
V
Contributor-Level 10
The answer to this question of whether an average student can get into IIM can be both yes and no depending on the definition of an average student.
Based on the above factors, it can be considered that while getting into top Management institutes, such as IIM is extremely tough, the past performance, CAT performance, student category and a lot of factors can be the reasons for a student to receive that final call.