IIM Calcutta GD/PI experience on 9th March 2009

Had the IIM Calcutta interview and group discussion today. Was shortlisted only for the PGDCM program. Most present were in both or only for PGDM, I along with one other were the only ones for the exclusively PGDCM program.

The people shortlisted for both needed to give two personal interviews and only one GD. My centre was at IIM Calcutta. Was in the morning session, starting 9:30 am. No girls at all! Since the center was at IIM Calcutta, it seemed too familiar territory for them. The profs were completely in their informals. There were 3 profs in our panel.

We were asked to submit our originals and the form for verification. Did that, since I was the first in our group. It seemed to be great to have it done and then leave soon. People were strangely silent and there didn't seem to be a lot of interaction, contrary to the case of IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode interview.

The GD process:

Started with the GD for all the PGDCM shortlisted candidates. There were 9 in our group. We were called in one at a time from the list. I was the first one, so sat in the corner. Now this GD was different in that it wasn't in a hotel room, so the chairs were all arranged in a semi-circle and the three profs were sitting quite away. We were first told the "process" of the GD. We would be given a topic for discussion and a couple of minutes to think about it. Then there would be a 10 minute discussion. Then they said they would call out names in a random order and that person would have to speak for 1 minute everything that he hasn't spoken or a GD summary or anything. They didn't seem to look for anything in specific, coz they said initially about points you didn't get a chance to speak and later said you could also summarize.

The topic of the GD was "MBAs do not make good business leaders". Initial reaction was obviously that of shock! They didn't give us any paper to write on; then one person asked for a piece of paper and we were all given a leaf out of a notepad. No desk to write upon though!

Anyway, they said 'now you may st...' and one fellow began already. Typical coaching center brainwashing :D - start the GD and you are halfway through mentality. Anyway he said something. I was the fourth or fifth speaker.

One good thing for me in the GD was that I wasn't cut in between by anyone, and my voice seemed to be loud enough, a big improvement personally from the IIM Bangalore interview. I did come in a few times when everyone began speaking, but after a couple of seconds it was just me ... did feel good :P

Anyway, the discussion went on, not very good on the basis of the points proposed, which is similar to the IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozikode GDs as well. My performance seemed decently fine in terms of points as well as the total time for discussion.

One person had done this 'OK wait you don't speak, let him speak' thing once, but seemed almost legitimate as that guy had really not spoken once!

I didn't notice the time as usual, they said stop sometime soon. Then they said they would be calling out the names for them to speak for 1 minute. They started with the guy who hardly spoke, and they remarked that as well when they asked him to speak. For the next 4, it seemed to follow the order of going about those who spoke the least to those who were more active. This changed for the 5th person whom I thought must have been considered the best. No idea though.

I was the second last. Did give my viewpoint as well as a summary in the direction that I was talking about. No idea whether I spoke for 1 minute, but was fluent enough. They were cutting short people who exceeded their time, but they didn't do that for me, so I guess it would have been less than a minute.

The PI experience:

The three profs were sitting at the same place; a chair was placed about 10 feet from them! I didn't know whether to sit there or drag it front, so I just stood there. They signalled me to sit. I had to deliberately increase my volume so they could hear me. They did get whatever I was trying to say, though I didn't understand them a couple of times!

The three of them seemed to ask questions randomly in a random order on random topics. So I wouldn't remember them as questions from P1, P2 or P3. Also, since the questions were random mostly, I might err on the order in which they were asked.

So here it goes ...
(SK is me, P is a prof)

SK: Wishes them. Is signalled to sit on a chair 10 feet away from his interviewers. Fears it might be a stress interview.
P: So tell me something about yourself.
SK: tells about background, family, hobbies.

P: So you are coming from Guwahati.
SK: Yes sir.
P: So tell me why is the north east technologically backward.
SK: blah blah about their reluctance to adapt to new technologies and them feeling threatened by the change.
P: So you think it is all in the mindset?
SK: Yes sir.
P: How should the situation be improved?
SK: blah blah about how the government should employ more people in the local industries like oil.
P: So is it the government's prime responsibility to take care of industrialization?
SK: It is one of the main responsibilities of the government.
P: But that's where the concept of private firms comes in. Look at Gujrat, most of the industries are privately run.
SK: Sir private firms have their restrictions, like they cannot be socially inclusive etc etc and some blah blah.
P: Ok

P: So you play chess?
SK: Yes sir
P: Have you played at any level
SK: Just at the hostel level :P (should have said at the insti level at least!)
P: So tell me there was this thing about Deep Blue, the chess computer. But there haven't been many thereafter. Why is it so difficult to make one?
SK: The number of combinations of moves get increasingly large.
P: Do you know how large? A number?
SK: Not sure sir, but in billions. In addition, it is not just the next move, but a whole strategy that needs to be thought over, which may go well beyond the next move.
P: So how many opening moves are possible?
SK: (thinks) 12
P: Are you sure?
SK: (realizes he is grossly mistaken! Takes a few seconds more and says) 20, for the first move of white.
P: How did you arrive at that?
SK: 8 pawns, either one or two steps ahead = 16, two positions for each knight = 4, so total 20.
P: Ok

P: Do you follow sports?
SK: Not that much sir!!
P: So are you aware of everything happening around?
SK: I am reasonably well aware sir
P: So what do you understand by globalization? What comes to your mind when I say globalization?
SK: (thinks about Appadurai's handout in HSS :P decides its a bad idea!!) Sir it is the opening up of markets and an influx of the Western capitalist economies to the rest of the world; and try to explain and elaborate on it.
P: (Doesn't look very convinced) Can you tell me in a sentence
SK: Sir it the exchange of social, cultural and economic ties across the countries (or something like that!)
P: So it is not just about the economy?
SK: No sir.
P: (looks convinced) Ok

P: So do you follow the economic news? Do you read the Economic Times
SK: Sir I am reasonably well aware of events.
P: So what is ERP?
SK: No idea sir :D
P: Have you ever heard the term ERP(it was ERP or EPR, not sure :P )?
SK: Never sir
P: Not even when you are browsing through the news?
SK: NO sir!!
P: Didn't you read it in mechanical engineering?
SK: No sir
P: Didn't you have any courses on the use of information technology in industries, supply chain management etc.?
SK: No sir!
P: So what did you read in mechanical engineering?
SK: Fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, materials, thermodynamics etc :P
P: So you know about various turbines? What are the types?
SK: Sir basically two types - axial and radial!
P: No there are the ones with low head, medium head and large head right?
SK: (pretends to think!) I am not aware of their names sir!
P: Ok
P: Have you worked on a CNC?
SK: Yes sir, we had an assignment on it.
P: So what are its advantages over conventional lathe?
SK: blah blah about precision, accuracy and mass production.
P: So why do they still use conventional lathes?
SK: blah blah about ease of modification and cost.
P: So do they still use manual lathes in foreign countries?
SK: Yes sir.
(should have diverted the discussion towards Finland intern, like I did in the IIM Bangalore interview, but didn't!)

P: So you are one of the few candidates who have applied only to the PGDCM program. Why is that?
SK: I wasn't shortlisted for the PGDM program.
P: (Some talk among themselves) Ok.
P: So do you know about the PGDCM program? Have you gone through the course structure?
SK: I have seen the outline sir.
P: So are you at all interested in it?
SK: Yes sir very much :D In fact I am good in programming, won the google programming contest and also a game programming event. I am good at the logic part of it.
P: So you have to find whether a number is prime or not. How will you do it.
SK: Check till root (N)
P: Why root N?
SK: Because any factor above root (N) will have a lesser factor too.
P: Ok fine, but still it is a lot of work for big numbers. Can you think of something more efficient.
SK: (thinks) Talk about Fermat's little theorem. This guy doesn't know it!
P: So what is it? a power what? what is a? will this work? some nonsense blabbar.
SK: This was an alternative when multiplication is cheap, I cannot think of anything else.
P: Ok.

P: So you like mathematics?
SK: Yes sir.
P: Which area?
SK: Number theory!
P: What is a rational number?
SK: Which can be expressed as p/q where p,q are integers. (Didn't say about q being positive! )
P: So can you tell me a number that isn't rational?
SK: pi
P: Something simpler?!
SK: root 2! :D
P: So can you prove that root 2 isn't rational?
SK: (thinks for a couple of seconds) Yes sir, I think I can.
P: Take the pen, directs me to the board, and asks me to use it.
SK: Take a minute and prove it.
P: (Convinced) OK

P: What is this course on Critical Thinking that you have taken?
SK: It is a philosophy course sir.
P: You have taken another course as well on philosophy right?
SK: Yes sir I like it very much :D
P: So can you tell me some differences between oriental and western philosophies??
SK: blah blah about soul, karma etc. (Should have talked about how religion and philosophy are so mixed and integral in eastern philosophies but completely the opposite for western philosophies. )
P: Can you name any 3 western philosophers?
SK: (sudden mind blank!) Descartes, Sartre (?!) ... ... (thinks) Plato, Aristotle!
P: Ok.

P: So you have heard this term "Meltdown" recently?
SK: Yes sir.
P: What does it mean?
SK: some blah blah about breakdown of financial institutions and the current economic system as we know it.
P: How did it start?
SK: Started with the US sub-prime mortgage crisis.
P: What is sub prime?
SK: Those customers who do not have adequate means to pay back.
P: Is that what is sub-prime?
SK: Sir banks have a credit history of customers, and those that do not have good credit history are sub-prime.
P: (not very convinced) Hmm ok.


P: (to others asking them if they had anything else to ask. None had) Ok so you may go.
SK: Thank you sirs.
P: (while I was collecting my file) So what other IIM calls do you have?
SK: IIM Kozikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad. (didn't tell him Bangalore, don't know why!)
P: Is this your first interview?
SK: No sir, I am already done with Kozikode
P: Ok
SK: Thank you sir !