MBA Admission 2023: Know How Mohul Kishore Made His Way to MDI Gurgaon
Common Admission Test 2025 ( CAT )
Admit Card - 5 Nov '25 - 30 Nov '25
With an outstanding score of 99.08 percentile in CAT 2022, Mohul Kishore has successfully gained admission to the PGDM program in Marketing at MDI Gurgaon. In his interview with Shiksha, he shares important tips to crack the interview round of MDI Gurgaon. Read this complete interview to know the questions asked in PI.
Mohul Kishore
MBA Admission 2023: Mohul Kishore, final year student of Economics has made his way to MDI Gurgaon. He wishes to bolster his marketing skills and refine his abilities by pursuing a PGDM from MDI Gurgaon. On the basis of his CAT score (99.08 percentile) he was shortlisted for IIM Shillong, IIM Lucknow, and MDI Gurgaon. He was able to successfully convert the call from MDI Gurgaon and has been waitlisted in other B-schools. To know about Mohul’s personal experience at MDI Gurgaon’s selection process, read the full interview.
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Shiksha: Hi, please tell us about yourself.
Mohul: My name is Mohul Kishore, I'm 20 years old and a final year student of Economics at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi.
CAT is a highly competitive exam which is a must-have for admission to other top Management colleges and IIMs. A well-planned strategy along with a correct approach is essential for admission to MBA courses in India, especially in the top MBA colleges in India. A preparation strategy that will help you ace the CAT exam for admission to IIM Lucknow is as follows:
- Students must view the syllabus and exam pattern of CAT
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- Choose the correct reference book
- Solve as many CAT Mock Tests as possible. Download for FREE!
- Solve previous year's CAT question papers for thorough revision to reduce the scope of mistakes
Read more about the CAT preparation strategy.
No, Management Development Institute Gurgaon offers admission based on marks scored in the CAT exam. MDI Gurgaon does not offer admission based on management or institutional quota. After clearing CAT exam, candidates are shortlisted for the GD and PI process, which will be done on the basis of the details provided in the application form and their CAT or GMAT scores. Shortlisted candidates will be called for Group Discussions and Personal Interviews between February and April. The final selection of the candidates will be based on weightage of CAT/ valid GMAT score, PI Academic merit, academic diversity, work experience and social diversity.
Shiksha: Was MDI Gurgaon your first choice? Why?
Mohul: MDI Gurgaon is one of my preferred colleges for MBA among other top b-schools such as the IIM'S due to its reputation for its business degree in marketing. MDI also enjoys the luxury of being located in Gurgaon, a major commercial hub that also happens to be my place of residence.
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Shiksha: What was your GD topic and how did you present your argument?
Mohul: The selection process at MDI this year included only one online personal interview which was conducted through Zoom.
Shiksha: How was your PI experience? Tell us about your high points or low points during the interview.
Mohul: The entire process was very smooth and without any form of hassles. The panel members were extremely sweet and participative. The best part of the interview was the fact that it was conducted as more of a discussion relating to startups and the latest happenings in the economic world. Some of the lows or trick portions revolved around my decision to go for an MBA rather than a master's in economics given my interest in the field, but I managed to satisfy them with my answer, owing to my interest in the more "practical" form of studying at b-schools which is much different from the theoretical education we've received till now.
IIM Lucknow has a multi-step admission process which students need to follow for admission. Starting with the application, students are required to go through the course-specific entrance exam followed by other selection rounds (if applicable). After the selection rounds are over, course-wise merit lists are released on the official website after which interested candidates can submit the fee and confirm their admission. A step-by-step process is mentioned in detail:
IIM Lucknow Application Process 2024 for Admission Year 2025
The application process of IIM Lucknow PGP courses takes place via CAT. Therefore, candidates need to visit the official website of CAT to register themselves. For more details, check out CAT application process.
For other courses, check below the application fee and steps to apply for admission:
- Visit the official website of IIML.
- Select the course and 'Apply Now'.
- Read the instructions and register with the basic detail.
- Fill out the application form.
- Upload the documents and pay the application fee.
- Submit the application form.
Documents Required at the Time of Application:
- Scanned photograph and signature
- Class 10 and Class 12 marksheet
- Graduation and post-graduation marksheet (if required), etc.
The application fee is tabulated below:
Course Name | Application fee |
|---|---|
Executive MBA | INR 1,000 |
IPMX | INR 5,000 |
FPM/ Executive FPM | INR 1,000 (INR 500 for SC/ ST) |
NOTE: The above-mentioned application fee is as per past years' data. Hence, is indicative.
2. Selection Round: Candidates selected for MBA based on their Class 10, Class 12, CAT qualifying and CAT final cutoff are called for further selection rounds, such as the Written Ability Test and Personal Interview. A commutative score is then calculated based on the performance of the candidates in all the aforementioned parameters. Similarly for other courses, candidates who meet the set eligibility need to go through the institute-specific selection process and get shortlisted.
3. Merit List and Admission Confirmation: After completion of the selection rounds, a category-wise merit list is released based on the Final Composite Score. The provisional admission offers are made accordingly, adhering to the reservation norms. Students who are willing to take admission now must pay the admission fee and confirm their seats.
As per the official website, the admission criteria of IIM Shillong varies from course to course.
Admission to IIM Shillong PGP is done through CAT/GMAT. Domestic candidates seeking admission to IIM Shillong must have a valid CAT score to get shortlisted for the GD-PI round. IIM Shillong PGP Admission Process starts with the CAT Registration process. The final admission offers are made after conducting multiple selection rounds. Candidates seeking admission to IIM Shillong PGP will have to go through a multi-step admission process. For admission to IIM Shillong courses, other than PGP, candidates are required to appear for the relevant entrance exam accepted by IIM Shillong for that particular course.
Interanational candidates interested to get into IIM Shillong must have a GMAT score of not less than 640 to get shortlisted for the personal interview round.
Candidates who fulfil the eligibility requirements can fill out the application form online. Admission forms can be submitted through MDI official website. The aspirants can apply with a valid score of CAT/GMAT/XAT. The institute then shortlists candidates based on exam scores and invites them to take part in the personal interview round. Further, based on candidates' exam scores and performance in the interview, the final seat allotment is carried out.
Shiksha: Can You please Transcript your PI.
Mohul:
Panel members: Two-panel members, 1M and 1F
Date: 2nd Feb 2023
Via Zoom
Greeted them both, and the Male professor asked if I was ready to begin and then they began with their questions.
- Please introduce yourself and tell us about your hobbies
- Why do you want to study management? why not continue studying economics?
- Do you follow business news? Name some company or startup that you've followed or heard about. (Named Zomato/Blinkit since I found their advertisements interesting)
- Is it good/bad when a VC invests in a startup? What do they bring with them? Should founders chase them? (Mentioned funding, growth, contacts, and experience of VCs)
- Any instance that you know of when a founder quit after selling a stake? (Refereed to the case of Flipkart after Walmart's entry.)
*Female professor takes over at this point
- Are you aware of what is happening with Adani stocks and the report that has come out? Do you think the rebuttal provided recently was enough or satisfactory in your opinion?
- What according to you are some creative ideas or strategies used by Zomato? (Mentioned their delivery packages, gold membership, and active social media page)
- Are you aware of some criticisms that these delivery companies have faced? (Talked about rider safety, and packaging)
- What are some challenges faced by these delivery startups? (Mentioned the case of delivery partners taking bribes for "free" food (the case went viral on Twitter just a few days before the interview)
- If you were made the CEO, how would you address these challenges? (Suggested shuffling delivery locations, allowing a feature to report such behavior and photo proofs of deliveries being handed over for increased transparency.)
- This was the last question, do you have any questions for us?
Thanked both panelists and exited the Zoom call.
Also Read:
- 14 Parameters on which you are judged in WAT-GD-PI
- 13 things to do to crack GDPI
- PI Preparation
- Top GD topics for MBA
- How to Crack GD-PI/WAT Rounds of Top B-schools
Shiksha: At what point of time during the interview you thought you made it?
Mohul: Towards the end of the interview the panelists seemed to be satisfied and it was visible on their faces, even I myself felt confident about the answers that I gave and the way I managed the cross-questioning. By the time I logged out, I was pretty satisfied with the experience.
Shiksha: Was there a trick question in PI? How did you handle it?
Mohul: There were no trick questions as such but some cross-questioning pertaining to the answers I gave and this required quick and logical reasoning. I was able to provide sound logic and also backed my answers with examples which seemed to do the trick.
Shiksha: How much credit will you give to your academics and professional experience for the MDI Gurgaon selection?
Mohul: Being a fresher I knew I will not have any marks for work experience and thus would have to make up for that during my PI. Being a final-year student gave me confidence regarding my academics since I was still in touch with the subjects. Overall a good grasp of your academics/experience will go a long way in helping you show the panelists your hard work and consistency.
Shiksha: Any tips for future aspirants?
Mohul: Cracking CAT is just half the journey, do not slack off. Prepare well for the interviews and read up in detail about the visions and ideologies of the college. If you're a fresher, do revise your subjects right from the first year. Apart from this start reading the latest news from the economics/business world.
Shiksha: What is your future plan?
Mohul: I would like to complete my MBA with a specialisation in marketing and post that work in the marketing/consultancy domain.
Read More Interview Experiences
The table below mentions the links for more interview experiences for MBA Admissions 2023:
| Name of Candidate |
College Name |
Link for Interview Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Avi Shrivastava |
XLRI, Jamshedpur |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Sujit Kumar |
IIM Ahmedabad |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Pratyush Adhikary |
IIM Ahmedabad |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Saurabh Wani |
IIM Ahmedabad |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Lavisha Taneja |
XLRI, Jamshedpur |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Kushagra Dash |
IIM Ahmedabad |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Yash Kaviya |
XLRI Jamshedpur |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Saara Mehta |
IIM Ahmedabad |
Click here to read the full interview |
| Eshwar Naik |
IIM Ahmedabad | Click here to read the full interview |
| Ankan Biswas |
IIM Ahmedabad | Click here to read the full interview |
| Aditya Singh |
IIM Ahmedabad | Click here to read the full interview |
Read More:
- IIM Shortlist 2023 - 2025 OUT: Check PI Status, Final Result, Wait List, CAP, Cut Off, WAT-PI Dates
- Top 32 Questions to Prepare for Personal Interview (PI)
- 80 Group Discussion (GD) Topics for MBA
- Understand GD-PIWAT Process for MBA Admission
- MBA Interview Preparation Guide 2023
- 5 MBA PI Situations that may Stump You
- IIM Admission & Selection Criteria
- How to prepare for GD-PI
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