You need a perfect score in the Common Admissions Test (CAT) if you want to join an elite business school.
Assuming you make it over this first hurdle, you will need to face some more selection rounds before you are
admitted. And if it is one of the high-profile B-schools like the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore,
you are expecting to get shortlisted for, fortify yourself for the next challenge! At this stage, you are going
to compete with a diverse pool of applicants with varied backgrounds yet similar levels of skills.
The admissions process for an MBA programme is designed to ascertain if the applicant's background and goals
are compatible with the demands of the B-school curriculum. The selection panel critically observe the
candidates based on their knowledge, behaviour, expertise, and other significant parameters needed for the
linked professions.
About IIM Indore
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore, is widely recognised as one of the top academic institutions.
Having opened its doors to future business leaders and public sector employees alike in 1996, IIM-I has since
established itself as a national and international leader in the field of management education and training. In
2017, it received the status of ‘institute of national importance’ by GoI. IIM-I offers two-year
full-time PGP and PGP-HRM, as well as a host of executive, fellowship, and integrated programmes.
Selection Process at IIM Indore
In the preliminary stage, IIM Indore shortlists candidates based on their composite scores, which are estimated
as per the CAT scores, past academic grades, and diversity. These candidates are then required to attend the
personal interview round at designated centres in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata
or Mumbai. Finally, the admission list is created considering the candidates’ composite scores and
interview performance.
Before the time of covid, the institute also held a written ability test (WAT), as a part of the process.
IIM Indore - Extempore Topics
Each candidate has 30 seconds to ponder and 1 minute to talk on a certain topic during the interview. The
interviewees are also allowed to request a change in their extempore topic. Most of these topics centre on
current events or broader cultural trends. In the past few years, candidates have been given the following
topics to speak on:
What are your thoughts on electric automobiles in India?
The culture of work-from-home
Global Warming
Influence of young people on democratic processes
Scope of Smart Cities in future
What if Mumbai served as the country's capital?
IIM Indore - Interview Experiences
IIM Indore - Interview Questions
Two panellists conducted the interviews of candidates. Most of the candidates are tested on their knowledge of
recent events, general knowledge, and academic subjects. Those with relevant work experience are also asked
role-specific questions and given scenario-based situations to solve. It takes about 25-30 minutes for each
interview. Here are some questions that candidates for PGP admissions were asked in the past few years:
Personality Traits & Goals
- You could have opted for PGP, but why did you choose PGP-HRM?
- According to you, what should be the traits of a political leader?
Academics & Work Experience
- Create the graphs for sin x and sin 2x.
- Can you name all the subjects you studied in Engineering?
- When it comes to economics, what do you find most interesting?
- In what ways are bridges classified?
- When did you start working?
- Describe your job profile.
- What is calculus?
- How much money do banks have to hold in reserve with the Reserve Bank of India, and what is the rate by
which that amount is determined?
- In which year did you complete high school?
- When comparing the Bernoulli distribution to the Poisson distribution, what are the key differences?
- Give an explanation of De Morgan's Theorem with an Example.
- Elucidate the concept of conditional probability.
Current Events & General Awareness
- To what extent do state elections influence those at the Centre?
- Where was the origin of Coronavirus?
- Which city in India has the best sanitation? Which is the second cleanest?
- Are you familiar with the highway that links Pakistan and China?
- Which was the last active volcano?
Hobbies & Extra-Curriculars
- You have interest in mythology, then tell me what part did Squirrel play in the Ramayana?