IIM interviews are an experience of a lifetime - regardless of whether you make it to the final merit list, your IIM interview is a story worth reminiscing even years later. This held true for Rishabh Singh who, after scoring a 99.25th percentile score in CAT 2018, was shortlisted for the WAT-PI round by his dream MBA institute - IIM Kozhikode. After a series of minor shocks before the interview, Rishabh finally made it to the nerve wracking interview room. What began as a very normal, routine business school interview turned into a confounding affair for Rishabh, who was left confused about his fate by the end of the personal interview. In this video re-enactment, we take you inside the IIM Kozhikode interview room and give you a glimpse of how candidates deal with stressful situations, take risks, and finally impress the panel enough to convert their interviews! Take a look.
Every CAT test taker who has ever taken the exam has dreamed of getting the coveted IIM Kozhikode shortlist. It is amongst the top-10 management institutes in the country, and studying within the four walls of 'Gods own Kampus' alongside the creme de la creme of India's talent pool is a dream come true for many! However, to become a part of the top cream, each shortlisted candidate must undergo the grueling and intimidating interview rounds at IIM Kozhikode.
One such candidate was Rishabh Singh, an engineer from Manipal Institute of Technology and a CAT 99.25 percentiler who cracked the exam by preparing for one whole year, and for whom IIM Kozhikode was the singular IIM call. The stakes very high for him, and he had to convert this interview.
In this video re-enactment, we attempt to capture Rishabh's detailed interview experience to give you a glimpse of what an IIM interview really feels like, how you can deal with complex situations like communication gaps, and why taking risks may actually go in your favor and get you an admission offer from your dream business school!
Rishabh Singh's Academic Profile: 10th/12th/Graduation - 89.3/89.2/80.3 (Engineering)
Rishabh Singh's IIM Kozhikode Interview Experience - Transcript
The following is the transcript of Rishabh's IIM Kozhikode interview:
P1: Tell me about yourself Rishabh
Me: Starts off with the well rehearsed answer. Trying to lay lots of emphasis on my work experience in Project Management.
I swear P1 looked at me with curiosity when I mentioned Project Management. But didn’t stop me ☹
P1: Okay Rishabh, that’s enough. What did you do in your undergrad?
Oh, mechanical questions. Whoopee. NOT. I was decently prepared though.
P2: A mechanical engineer. He’s studied Mechanical
Me: *Nods in agreement*
P1: So what did you like in Mechanical?
Me: *With zero hesitation* Fluid Mechanics
P1: *laughs loudly* But I don’t know Fluid Mechanics. Do you like IC Engines? Or Automobile?
Me: *With zero hesitation* No sir.
Am I being a bit stubborn? Should I not be stubborn?
P1: With a smile, then tell me what are the branches of fluid mechanics?
Me: Are you looking for a particular classification sir or the common one will do?
P1: Whatever you feel is right.
Me: Hydrostatics and Hydrodynamics
P1: Any laws you would like to tell me?
Me: Which one do you want sir? Hydrostatics or Hydrodynamics?
P1: Any one will do?
Me: Pascals Law. It is defined as xyz.
P1: Any application?
Me: Hydraulic lift. Explains it with ease.
P1: Another law? With an application
Me: Hydrostatic Law explained. (Nailed it again)
Can visualise myself buying the tickets to Kozhikode. I’m putting the tick to get insurance for 15 bucks on Makemytrip.com.
P1: There is a thing these painters do. They dip the liquid in one side and (he proceeds to tell me a very weird application). How would you explain it?
Me: Umm. I don’t think this can be explained by my understanding of Fluid mechanics.
P1: Give it a try.
Me: I really don’t know sir.
My confidence level is pretty high at this point. Nothing has gone sideways till now. P2 had been going through my file by now.
P2: I notice that your grades dropped in the middle of your B.Tech. Why so?
Read Rishabh's complete IIM Kozhikode interview experience here.
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