IIM Admission 2023: Adarsh Breaks Down IIM Bangalore PI WAT for You!

“IIM Bangalore PI process is one of its kind. Each student appears for CAT every year and more than half of the readers reading this article dreamt of appearing in the PI round of IIMB at some point of time in their lives. I got a Morning Slot (09:00 AM to 01:30 Noon). I reached the venue well before time to make me comfortable and it was one of the finest decisions I took. After verification of the documents, we all were categorised into 6 groups of 9 students each. We were given a specific timeslot of half an hour starting from 09:00 AM.

I decided to take a dynamic approach with the resources available and as I mentioned reaching the venue well before the time slot helped me a lot to decode the PI process.”

• Number of panellists: 3 (2 male, 1 female)
• Date of IIM Bangalore Interview: February 18, 2023
• Place of interview: Taj-Vivanta, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai

IIM Bangalore Interview Questions with Answers

I entered the interview room and was quite fascinated with the PI setup. There was a long table, felt like, made up of some of the finest Mahogany Woods. I was told to take a seat. 

P-2: So Adarsh right? 

Adarsh: I nodded!

P-2: Your SOP says you are a Civil Engineer. You also mentioned about a romantic fictional novella. What was it? Any Girlfriend?

Adarsh: Blushed! Sir, it is not my story. “LOVE IN THE AIR” is just an imagination that took the shape of a novella during the COVID-19 pandemic. We finally decided to publish it in collaboration with Amazon Kindle and we have already earned the Best Sellers title.

P-1: Who edited this book? Anything interesting about the novella?

Adarsh: I just met a random girl at Ratlam (M.P.) railway station from Forest Hills, USA. Her mother played an important role in its proofreading. 

(During the conversation, I just pulled out, Free Press Article, of my blazer and showed them the coverage we got. They all smiled gently and handed over the article to me again. It gave me a good start)

P-2: Tell me about your experience with Trident Group. What did you learn there. What was your role?

Adarsh: I worked as a Business Analyst at Trident and was later on given the role of Project Manager in the expansion projects. Initially, I was involved in the general operations in Yarn division and implementation and execution of different business principles. Later on, I was involved in the finalization of structural and architectural layouts, vendor negotiations and full kitting of new factory.

P-3: What were the financial figures of Trident in the last quarter? What makes Trident different from other companies? Major Competitors?

Adarsh: I answered this question by telling the exact Revenue, PAT and EBITDA margins. I quoted some major Textile companies on the basis of market-cap as the competitors.

P-1: What’s the market size of yarn and Trident’s share?

Adarsh: I mentioned about the Indian Textile Market and gave the rough figures relevant to yarn.

P-2: You also mentioned about your startup here? Who developed the application of this startup? Where did you host the same?

Adarsh: I was thoroughly involved in designing and developing of website and application. We chose AWS for hosting.

P:3: What do you understand by reverse repo rate? How the changes in repo rate affects the economy?

Adarsh: The rate at which central banks like RBI borrow money from other commercial banks with the borders. Central banks use higher repo rates to arrest inflation by limiting the money supply.

(I also used jargons like CRR, SLR in the answer)

P-3: Don’t throw words. Do you know the meanings of CRR, SLR? (with a gig)

Adarsh: I answered the question with the meaning.

P-2: Do you think MBA after work experience helps?

Adarsh: Definitely Sir! Gaining practical knowledge over the shop floor enhances the wisdom of an individual for management training. The implementation and execution become easy for her and whoever else knows this better than you. You had an experience of more than 15 years, ma’am had been a consultant for premium bodies. Practical knowledge is something we should start working upon since primary levels.

(They looked stunned with the answer. I was quite candid during the whole process)

P-3: How do you know us? How do you know that we are going to be your panellists?

Adarsh: I also did some research ma’am. (innocently)

(They all grinned)

P-2: (Laughed out aloud) You have not researched about P-1? He is the main panellist!

Adarsh: I will research about him later, please. (with a smile)

P-1: Galat Baat he Bhai!!!!!  Koi na!

P-2: Ok so we are almost done. Any questions for us?

Adarsh: No major doubts sir. As I have already resigned from my job, how can I make best of this time before joining a B School?

P-1: “Kuch Nahi. Chill Karo.”

P-2: Nothing much. We will teach you everything once you will be inside. Go for a trip.

Adarsh: I was also thinking about somewhere in North India or Thailand Sir ! (with a concluding smile)

P-3: Ok thank You, Adarsh. It was nice talking to you.

Verdict: Converted

Thoughts on IIM Bangalore PI | IIM Bangalore Interview Tips

IIM Bangalore PI was one of the best experiences. I got the results on April 25. Most of the aspirants who are right now reading this article, have already struggled a lot or some of them are still struggling with their test scores, subject understanding. The interview panel will typically ask questions about what you have done. In my case, the questions revolved around my book 'LOVE IN THE AIR' which became a Kindle's best-selling book. Some o the questions may surprise you but most of the questions would be the ones where you could take the conversation forward. Just prepare for top MBA PI questions with some general knowledge and you are good to go.

I just want to convey you that if you have not given up till now, you are already a champion. Just a little more effort and we are done. Before entering into the interview room just ask yourself one question- “What is one thing that makes you different from others for the interviewers?” If you can answer this, you are better than 99.9 per cent of the candidate pool. Also, give the sense to the panellists that you are more than you have showcased on the paper, this was the reason I left my panellists thinking how come I knew them beforehand.

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