Actual second stage process in 2014 and 2015 and GD/WAT topics and PI questions

PROCESS 2015 IIMB

WAT (writing ability test) i.e. essay writing (10-30 minutes-10 min. to think and 20 min. to write), about 250
words) followed by a PI of 15-20 minutes with mostly 3 Panelists.

PROCESS 2014 IIMB

WAT (10+20 minutes, about 250 words) followed by a PI with mostly three Panelists (of about 20 minutes in some
cases and up to 30 minutes in others).

Topics given for WAT were related to:

1. Entrepreneurship.
2. Cyber Security is a big issue. Should government Monitor and regulate the internet data?
3. Recently in India, the closing time of Bars from 11 PM to 1 AM. Reasons behind this and
consequences/ramifications?
4. International/ IB schools in India required by the society?
5. Do celebrities have a responsibility towards consuming and believing in the products and causes they
endorse?
6. Off late there have been many instances of child abuse in schools in Karnataka. What do you propose to
prevent any such incidents from happening in schools?
7. Economic Growth of India and the way forward.
8. The Food Security Act
9. Tapping the idealism of youth to minimize malfunctioning of public institutions
10. Though life expectancy is increasing, there is no significant improvement in the quality of health of senior
citizens. Euthanasia should be legalized in India. Present your views
11. Right to Education (RTE) promises 25% seats reservation in private schools. Will it bring some change at the
grass root level to bring equity in education? Discuss
12. Bifurcating a larger state in to two smaller ones is good or bad for their growth?
13. Media as a pillar of democracy due to its over-zeal is overstepping its boundaries.
14. What are your views on animal testing?
15. The growing popularity of the English language is a threat for vernacular Indian languages. Is English is
alienating people from their culture and traditions?
16. Of late there has been an increase in 'spiritualism' and non-denominational spiritual practices. What is its
salutary effect on the society? What is the derogatory effect of traditional religion on society? Discuss.
17. Recently there was a talk of an anti-superstition bill in Maharashtra. Opponents of the bill state that it's an
encroachment upon their personal lives. What's your opinion on this?
18. Whats your opinion about the Aadhar scheme?
19. Do you agree with the Supreme Court's decision to uphold death penalty in India for rarest of rare crimes
despite pressure from human rights organizations?
20. Which of the following two statements do you agree with? Justify.
We must look at history to shape our future Confucius
History is a set of lies the world has agreed upon Napoleon
21. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human
beings. Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution

22. Do you think that we should adopt the PPP (public-private partnership) model to deliver public amenities?
Since, we are long used to the public sector delivery mode, how is this going to affect us in the long run?
Questions asked during the PI round:
Note: IIM Bangalore requires students to submit a Statement of Purpose (SOP). A lot of the questions asked are
based on the SOP.
1. Personal:
a. Which are your favorite courses?
b. What according to you sets you apart from others?
c. What are your long term plans?
d. What would your friends say about you? Good points and bad points
e.

What are your parents doing? Explain the process of textile manufacturing firm your parents
own.

f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.

Tell us about a decision you have regretted making.

Tell us about yourself.
How are you? Are you happy?
What do your parents do?
You look tensed, relax a little. Do you think calm is the opposite of tense? Are they related?
Your long term career goal being in a position of responsibility, having ownership in an organization
and influencing the decision making process we hear it so many times from everyone! Say something
from the heart!
You've uploaded a clean shaved passport size photo, but right now you have come up with a much grown
beard. Why? Didn't you get time to shave?
Are you okay with your wife working and not you?
Why did you consider Lakshmi Nivas Mittal as your role model?
Is there any long term goal that you have not mentioned in the SOP?
Tell us something about yourself within 2 minutes.
What is the meaning of your name?
Tell me some things I should absolutely not ask you. What will waste my time?
Tell me a real weakness instead of telling me a strength camouflaged as a weakness.

l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.

2. Academic:
a. Where did you intern?
b. You went to XYZ college. What was the one thing you were doing differently than when you were at
home?
c. Tell me the names of 4 professors in IIM B.
d. I see you have got the best final year project award. What was it about?
e. Chemical engineering? So what is the basic equation of physics that governs Chemical engineering?
f. The water in the glass is not completely parallel to the ground. Why?
g. Draw a curve of y = 5, equation of a simple straight line and give the meaning of slope-intercept.
h. Have you studied statistics? Use the concepts of statistics in cooking rice.
i. Did you take CAT last year? Why were your scores less? What did you do differently this year?
j. As a management trainee did you only prepare for CAT or did you continue with your extra activities?
k. You have an A in all the subjects and a B only in sewage treatment? Why? Didn't you find it important?
l. So you have studied TQM, What is quality?
m. What is Bernoulli's equation?
n. Do you know SPC? How is it useful in quality? Name any 4 tools of SPC.
o. What is the Z distribution curve? Plot it.
p. What is the torque available to the rear tyres of a tractor?

3. Work related:
a. Anything that you used from your curriculum in college at your work place? What are the exact revenue
and sales figures of your company?
b. What are PSUs?
c. You are working on XML? Can you show me a sample Schema design for XSLT?
d. Why the job switch?
e. Tell us a good quality of XYZ. (candidates colleague)
f. What do you do in your current role as an online marketing analyst?
g. What if we at IIM-B wanted to show ads on our homepage, which one would be relevant?
h. So you work for ABC. What does it do? What are your roles and responsibilities?
i. What are the key features of your software?
j. You are a civil engineer. What are you doing as a software developer?
k. Do you know about any competitors of your company?
l. Let us say the three of us have been using a software for 12 years. You are an agent for XYZ. Sell us your
product.
m. If given a choice between testing and development, where would you go?
n. Have you heard of the tower type thermal power plant? Is it possible to build one?
o. You left RINL and joined ONGC. What are the reasons behind that?
p. One more guy with the dream of starting his own company. What do you want to do?
q. What is the difference between marketing and sales?
r. Suppose you have to sell steel and a piece of soap, how do you market them differently?
s. Which companies you would like to join?
t. Tell us about your experience at BSNL?
u. Why did you resign from your job?
v. What is the difference between a petrol & diesel engine?
w. Which client are you working with?
x. How much is Accenture spending on CSR?
y. Is BHEL a Navratna company?
z. How are global oil prices determined?
aa. Do you know any consulting companies? What do they do?
bb. Tell us about your company's position in the market failed strategies, products, successful products,
what other companies did right and so on.

4. General awareness related:

a. If Chiranjeevi becomes the C.M of A.P, will it make you happy or sad?
b. Do you know who is Kim-Jong-un?
c. Have you heard of the BurjKhalifa? Who was behind its construction?
d. In the present scenario, how can you lead a mini steel plant without facing bankruptcy?
e. What is Gandhian Engineering that you have mentioned in your SOP?
f. What is the capital of Nagaland?
g. Tell me everything about Sam Pitroda that you know.
h. Tell me about the vote bank politics of Rajasthan
i. What are the developments going on in Rajasthan?
j. What is the capital of Seemandhra?
k. A UK based company has predicted that India would be the third largest economy by 2028, after china
and USA. How do see India's growth going forward? Explain.
l. How big is John Deere in India?
m. Who is the CEO of TAFE?
n. You are from Hyderabad. So, will you be thrown out when Telangana is formed?

o. What is your view on Huawei?

p. You are from UP, tell me what is going on there? A government which is supposed to be pro-Muslim and
that too at a time when elections are coming has allowed riots to take place in Muzzafarnagar.
5. Extracurricular activities and hobbies related:
a. You are a sports person. Who is your inspiration?
b. You invest in stock market. How do you select stocks? Do you know about settlement period?
c. You like watching movies? Tell us about the most recent movie you have seen.
d. What are your hobbies?
e. What is your favourite book by Frederick Forsyth? Tell me something about it.
f. What articles and short stories did you write in your magazines?
g. What do you like to play then? (Candidate answered TT). Tell me the dimensions of a TT Board.
h. If you have to conduct IPL in TT, how will you do that?
i. Do you cook? What do you cook? Tell me how to cook rice?
j. Why did you decide to learn French? Any disadvantage of not picking up some other language but
French? Give me a very practical use of French.
k. You write cricket articles? Should IPL not be banned?
l. Why do you want to open a record label? Do you have any business plans?
m. Suppose I want to learn drums, why would I come to you, why not go to a professional music school?
n. Why did you start playing drums, why not guitar?
o. You organised MTV Stuntmania in Jaipur. Whats this?
p. Tell us the recipe of your favourite dish that you cook.
q. Tell me how many gharanas are there in Kathak. What are the differences between them?
6. Why MBA related:
a. Why MBA?
b. Let's say you got accepted into IIM A,B and C. Which one would you go to?
c. If you want to start your own company then why do you want to do MBA? Why are you wasting your 2
years?
d. Why don't you hire some people and work on your start up? It will be more beneficial than going for
MBA.
e. I don't understand why you want to do MBA? You are already at ONGC. Enjoy the government job and do
whatever you want along with that.
f. Why the shift from Engineering to MBA?
g. Why MBA to open a record label?
h. Why IIM B not ISB?
i. Why e-commerce?
j. What made you give CAT now all of a sudden after 3 years?
k. You say you are interested in teaching, then why MBA?
l. Why do you think there are so few of your profile at IIM-B, why is it critical for us to take people with an
experience of 12 -21 months?
m. Why not go for MS in MIT or Stanford? Why MBA?
7. Miscellaneous:
a. What do you think about the concept of smart cities?
b. If we offer you two job roles among working in Milk Supply chain v/s working in an electric car
development company, which one will you choose?
c. If Google is your dream company and you mention the same during your PI, prepare for the below
questions:
Google doesn't hires MBAs/ doesn't specifically asks for MBA.
d. How do you minimize costs in the healthcare industry in India using science?

e. Where it is safer to keep LPG cylinders, inside the kitchen or in the balcony? Counter questions whether
the heat from sunlight can create accident?
f. What is the recipe of Sol Kadi rice?
g. Justify your jump from EEE to IT.
h. Which is better, top load or front load washing machine?
i. You have mentioned in your SOP that you know German. Can you translate this sentence?
j. Do you know about EdX? It is an online training program, where you can get business stuff and ideas,
sitting right at home, why waste time and money coming here?
k. What do you do when you don't have any work?
l. You have mentioned about the CSR initiative you took in your company. What's the latest news you have
read about CSR? Anything about a mandate?
m. In your SOP you have mentioned about NSRCEL and further mentioned that if possible you want to
incubate your own start-up. Do you know any start-up of IIM-B which is incubated @ NSRECL?
n. Do you follow the news? Which kind of news?
o. If you get into IIM-B and your colleague does not, what will you tell him? Will you ask him to prepare for
the CAT again?
p. You know MDs of all big music companies are sons of rich families? How will you afford to have one? Tell
me any music company which was started by a middle-class man.
q. In your SOP you have written the word enticing. What is difference between enticing, fascinating,
attractive and ravishing?
r. Our netas (politicians) are so corrupt and characterless. Consider them as metals and as a metallurgist,
what would you do to enhance their qualities and make use of them?
s. How can we eradicate poverty?
t. Tell us 5 questions that we have asked from other students. You might have consulted them.
u. Have you done something for the society?
v. IIM B's logo is Tejaswi Na Vadhitamastu. Complete the sentence. We also have "Sa VidyaYaVimuktate."
Which one is the best? Which one will you choose and why?
w. Tell us about some recent places you have visited.
Special Remarks for IIM B

Requires you to submit an SOP (statement of purpose)

In the process of WAT there are 21 participants, divided into 3 groups of 7 students each. 10 mins was
given to think and 20 min given to write.
All candidates will be required to provide three confidential reference letters from their employers or
faculty and this will also be used in the personal interview evaluation.
PGP: Parameters for GD-PI shortlist: (A) CAT - overall and sectional: 20, Xth marks: 15,XIIth marks: 10,
Graduation Marks: 15, work experience, any professional degree/course(Chartered Accountancy, Cost
Accounting, and Company Secretary certifications)
PGP: Parameters of Final admission offer: All criteria mentioned in first section (A) and WAT + PI( Note
Content, Note Style and Personal Interview -the average of the scores given by the interviewers will be
considered. All candidates will be required to provide three confidential reference letters from their
employers or faculty and this will also be used in the personal interview evaluation.)
Work experience/any professional degree is given a bit more importance.