IIM MBA Interview Tips

In an attempt to help you prepare for your GD and Personal Interview, CAT 2009 topper and a student of IIM-Calcutta Ankit Garg reveals tips to succeed in GD and Interview-:

1) Personal Interview: If you want to succeed in this round, you must know how to sell yourself. You should know how to market yourself and should be compatible with your interviewer. It is not that questions asked in the interview are tough, but it is what and how you answer is what will fetch you a seat in IIM MBA. Also remember each institute checks different things in a candidate. They are looking for different traits and it is advisable to find out what each IIM is looking for in their candidates. In my case, I did research and got to know that IIM - Calcutta checks on how a student deals in pressure situation. As we all know life in B-school is very hectic and demanding, IIM - C will gauge if you can handle all this pressure. Hence, best thing is to talk to seniors or go through institute`s website to know what the interview panel is looking for while interviewing candidates. Also, you should be able to express yourself well and you must have soft skills to develop a rapport with your interviewers.

2) Group Discussion: There is one misconception which I would like to clear for B- school aspirants and that is that it is not necessary that you have to speak too much to make a mark in GD. It is not how much you talk but how much you contribute to the discussion that sets you apart. A GD checks how you conduct yourself in a Boardroom. It checks how you conduct yourself, how you handle everyone present in the room. You should give others a chance to speak and never try to be imposing. Be soft spoken yet assertive.

3) Essay writing: Though IIM - Calcutta does not ask candidates to write an essay, there are a few IIMs that check how an aspirant can structure his thoughts. Like I was asked to write an essay on Tiger Conservation when I went for my selection process in IIM - Bangalore. Each institute has different ways of judging students based on essay writing. The time is limited and can vary between 10 to 30 minutes and it checks how well you can structure your thoughts.

4) What to wear during Interview: When you're going for a B-school interview, you must be properly dressed. The B-school interviews still follow the conservative standard. You should wear formal suit or at least pant and shirt and have polished shoes, ironed shirt, cut hair and nails. You must look neat, serious and should make an impact.