Guide to cracking Interviews at SPJIMR

Attempting the Common Admission Test (CAT) is just the beginning step in the arduous journey of B-school aspirants. It is followed by a series of personal interviews, group discussions and written aptitude tests of various B-schools in the country. While having personal interviews and group discussions for MBA admissions is a common phenomenon across B-schools, SPJIMR evaluates the potential candidates in the form of group interviews, which makes it one of the most intriguing processes and sets it apart from the rest of the B-schools in the country.

Interview calls for SPJIMR are rolled out in two phases. Participants with stellar profiles across the sections ranging from work experience, education, and extracurricular achievements are awarded Profile-based calls in the month of December, interviews of which happen during the month of January. Factoring in the CAT/ GMAT scores, another trench of participants are awarded profile cum score-based calls in the month of January, interviews of which will be held during January and February.

In both the above-said cases, the interview process consists of 1 round of WAT (Written ability test) and 2 rounds of group interviews. The topic for WAT will be announced on the spot. Participants are given a fixed duration of about 15 minutes to gather their thoughts, compile and deliver a compact article depicting their viewpoint on the specified topics. WAT is not an elimination round. It is important to practice the art of writing concise articles regularly on a wide array of topics.

Upon the completion of WAT, the process of group interviews begins. Each panel consists of 2-3 panelists and 4-6 participants. The process starts with a brief introduction of the candidates to help the panel get to know the participants better along with the justification of the chosen specialization. Going further, questions will be based on work experience, key concepts related to their domain of expertise and hypothetical situations. At the outset, the group interview might be no different from individual interviews that happen at other B-schools. The fact that you are sitting in a group is what makes it unique. Imagine a situation where, you cannot answer a question, but your fellow candidate answers it convincingly. Questions bouncing from one candidate to the other is quite a common phenomenon during these interviews, wherein a candidate is asked to pitch in his/ her opinion on the responses of fellow candidates. Every candidate is thus expected to not panic and maintain his composure in front of the panel. Candidates are also evaluated on their team playing skills as they are expected to agree or disagree with the answers of their compatriots with courtesy. Hence, a group interview is more of a test of your patience, group dynamics and critical thinking on the spot than a test of your academic and domain expertise.

Questions in the 2^nd group interview are mostly centered around the personality of the candidate, candidate-college fitment, adaptability and presence of mind. Answers to the questions in this round are subjective, with no right or wrong answers. The panelists may add more layers to the same question and observe the stance of the candidates alongside their logic. Instead of taking a shot in the dark, it helps to be abreast of the latest happenings around the world, to back your opinions in this round with reasoning.

Last but not the least, there is no better preparation than having the right attitude, being confident, and presenting yourself with a smile. Interviewers at SPJIMR do not judge the candidates but try to understand them better and hence, approach the interview as a conversation.

Note: The views expressed in this article are that of SPJIMR and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha