IIM Ahmedabad Interview Experience: From Chartered Accountant to Cricketer – A Balanced Knock at IIM A
Candidate Profile
- Background: Chartered Accountant (cleared in first attempt)
- Academic Qualification: B.Com (Hons)
- Professional Interests: Finance, Equities, and Derivatives
- Hobbies: Cricket (has played internationally recognized amateur tournaments)
- Interview Duration: ~25-30 minutes
- Panel Composition: 2 Male Professors
- Overall Tone: Technical and conversational with strong personalization through cricket-related questions
Interview Questions & Candidate's Approach
1. Icebreakers & General Awareness
🔵 P1: Tell me about yourself.
📌 Tip: Always have a crisp and confident pitch ready—tailor it to align with your CA background and interests.
🔵 P1: Name major railway stations in Bengaluru. What’s the official name of the main one?
📌 Tip: Be aware of basic facts related to your hometown or places you've lived in. These are easy ways for the panel to test attentiveness and general awareness.
2. Finance Concepts & Scenario-Based Probing
🔵 P1: What is Cost of Equity?
📌 Tip: Define clearly—explain expected returns from dividends and capital gains. Be ready for counter-scenarios like zero-dividend and no fundraising.
🔵 P1: If a company pays no dividend and raises no funds, is Cost of Equity zero?
📌 Tip: Explain that shareholder expectations still exist due to capital appreciation, affecting market performance and liquidity.
🔵 P1: What is Yield? What is a Credit Default Swap (CDS)?
📌 Tip: Use real-world analogies—describe CDS as an insurance-like contract and contrast the cash flows between bondholders and CDS sellers.
3. Probability & Expected Value – Conceptual Depth
🔵 P2: What is Expected Value? Why is it called that even when the value may not actually occur?
📌 Tip: Be prepared for deeper, conceptual “why” questions beyond definitions. Think about mathematical logic and interpretation in real life.
4. Cricket – The Unique Differentiator
🔵 P2: What’s happening with Shane Warne?
🔵 P2: Who died the same day? Name bowlers from Rod Marsh’s era.
📌 Tip: If your hobby is a major part of your identity (like competitive cricket here), expect detailed trivia and personal anecdotes. Stay candid and passionate.
🔵 P1: Is Mankading allowed? What's your stance?
📌 Tip: Take a stance and back it up logically. Opinions are welcome, but they must be reasoned—like distinguishing between spirit and rule of the game.
🔵 P2: You’ve played tours in England and Sri Lanka? Which teams?
📌 Tip: When discussing personal achievements, be humble but confident. Acknowledge limitations but show pride in experience.
🔵 P2: Did you beat Pakistan in Sri Lanka?
📌 Tip: Light banter adds a human touch—embrace it with humility and positivity.
Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- ✅ Prepare to dive deep into finance—even scenario-based interpretations of core concepts.
- ✅ Stay humble and real when discussing extracurriculars, especially if they’re unique like competitive sports.
- ✅ Know how to logically support your ethical stance in opinion-based discussions.
- ✅ Brush up on trivia if your interests involve sports or pop culture—you never know when it might come up!
- ✅ Keep your energy up and stay engaging throughout—especially during transitions between technical and casual topics.
Overall Interview Experience
- Tone: Friendly, yet analytically challenging.
- Balance: Strong mix of technical finance, ethics, probability theory, and cricket trivia.
- Highlights: Managed complexity in finance and nailed a personal, humorous yet respectful tone during cricket discussions.
- Duration: ~25-30 minutes
📢 Disclaimer: Real Stories, Modified for Privacy
🔍 The above interview experience is based on real candidate interactions collected from various sources. To ensure privacy, some details such as location, industry specifics, and numerical figures have been altered. However, the core questions and insights remain authentic. These stories are intended for educational purposes and do not claim to represent official views of any institution. Any resemblance to actual individuals is purely coincidental.
🔍 The above interview experience is based on real candidate interactions collected from various sources. To ensure privacy, some details such as location, industry specifics, and numerical figures have been altered. However, the core questions and insights remain authentic. These stories are intended for educational purposes and do not claim to represent official views of any institution. Any resemblance to actual individuals is purely coincidental.
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