The first step on the path to a top-ranked B-school is demonstrating your capability by acing the CAT exam. Your next step, after you have been called for further consideration by the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bangalore, is to begin preparing yourself for the final selection rounds. At this point, you will need to compete for admission to MBA programmes against applicants with nearly equivalent intellect and skills.
The goal of a B-school’s admission rounds is to decide whether or not the candidate's extent of knowledge and expertise are adequate for the demands of the coursework and the training necessary for careers in management fields. The interviewers and related evaluators tend to investigate the candidate’s personality, values, mental strength, and related requisites.
About IIM Bangalore
The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, is among the top three IIMs, and designated as an ‘Institute of National Importance’. It followed IIM Calcutta and IIM Ahmedabad in becoming the third such B-school to be set up in 1973. IIM-B also ranks among the top 50 B-schools in Global Rankings. Its popular programmes include PGP (Post Graduate Programme in Management), PGP-BA (Post Graduate Programme in Management – Business Analytics), EPGP (Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management), and PGPEM (Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management). Besides, the institute offers certificate and doctoral courses.
IIM Bangalore - Selection Process
IIM-B consider the candidate’s profile and score in CAT/GMAT for PGP/MBA admissions. Those who get shortlisted participate in a written ability test (WAT) and a personal interview (PI). The candidates may also have to provide two letters of reference from people familiar with their academic or professional achievements. Eventually, the candidate’s performance in CAT/GMAT, academic records, work experience, WAT, and the interview are assessed for final admissions.
Topics Given in IIM-B’s WAT
In WAT round, the candidates write an essay on the provided topic within a specified time duration, which is usually 30 minutes. Around 250-300 words can be penned down in the given time. The prompts for WAT are based on contemporary events and issues in the business, economic, and societal spheres. Some of these topics are abstract concepts. Here are some of the WAT topics given during IIM-B admissions of the last few years:
- The start-up ecosystem in India is the third largest in the world. Discuss the reasons and implications of India's rise to prominence as a global start-up hub.
- To combat issues like gender inequality, the government raised the legal marriage age for women from 18 to 21. Will this aid the government in accomplishing its goals?
- How can working adults benefit from online learning in order to advance their careers?
- In recent years, e-commerce behemoths have adopted a pricing strategy in which they initially price their products at a premium before offering highly discounted prices. What are your thoughts on it?
- Does India have the infrastructure to go completely cashless?
- McKinsey predicts that by 2025, 44% of India's population will be considered middle-class, up from 29% in 2015. Discuss its economic and social effects.
- Zero-body-shape models have been widely promoted in the media and advertising. The health of young women is negatively affected as a result of this. What are your suggestions on it?
IIM Bangalore - Interview Experiences
Questions Asked in IIM-B Interviews
A panel of three members quiz the candidates on their beliefs, previous work experiences, internships, education, interests, and more. Around 25-40 minutes are taken for each interview. In some cases, the interviewers skip the introductory phase and dive right into asking questions about the interviewee's academic and professional background. In the past few years, the candidates have come across the following questions in IIM-B’s interviews:
Personality Traits & Goals
- Why pursue an MBA if there are so many well-paying opportunities in the field of software engineering?
- If you have an MBA, could you give us some idea of what you hope to do with it?
- Exactly what are you hoping to accomplish by deciding to use business analytics? To what extent have you worked in this area before?
Academics & Work Experience
- How does the electrical grid operate?
- You clearly know a lot about induction motors; can you describe their internal workings?
- Why did you decide to leave your previous employer? Please provide specific details of the methods you employed to solve a problem.
- To compare and contrast monetary policy and fiscal policy, what are the key differences?
- How do joblessness and price increases relate to one another?
- What sets an investment bank apart from a regular bank? Define the term "hostile takeover" for me. Is India a country where hostile takeovers are common?
Current Events & General Awareness
- Is it morally acceptable for celebrities to endorse soft drinks?
- Share your thoughts on the one pressing issue facing the country today.
Hobbies & Extra-Curriculars
- Tell me about some of the things you enjoy doing in your spare time. What sort of competitions have you entered? In that powerlifting competition, what place did you finish?
- Which authors do you find yourself returning to again and again? Do you have a preferred genre? Provide a one-sentence summary of Sapiens for me.
- Can you give me tips for taking a clear picture when the lighting is poor?
- Which soccer player do you root for? And why?
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