From Circuits to Capital Markets: How This Engineer Aced the GIM BIFS Interview
Candidate Profile
- Background: Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering
- Work Experience: Fresher
- Academics:
- 10th Grade: 92%
- 12th Grade: 94%
- Undergraduate CGPA: 8.6
Interview Panel
- 2 Male Panelists
- Date: 12th March 2022
- Program: PGDM & Banking, Insurance and Financial Services (BIFS)
- Atmosphere: Friendly and conversational
Interview Questions & Candidate's Approach
Icebreaker & Personal Questions
🔵 Panelist: Why do you want to do an MBA before gaining any work experience?
📌 Tip: If you're a fresher, talk about how an MBA can offer structured exposure to business fundamentals, help pivot early toward your goals, and supplement your technical background.
🔵 Panelist: Tell us about your family background.
📌 Tip: Keep it concise. Emphasize values, support system, or anything that shaped your career decisions.
🔵 Panelist: Tell us something that is not in your application form.
📌 Tip: A chance to highlight unique experiences, hobbies, or achievements—go beyond academics.
🔵 Panelist: Why the switch from engineering to BIFS?
📌 Tip: Discuss your growing interest in finance, any courses or certifications you've pursued, and how your analytical background supports this shift.
General Knowledge & Awareness
🔵 Panelist: Name six Nobel laureates from India.
📌 Tip: Brush up on prominent figures like Rabindranath Tagore, C.V. Raman, Amartya Sen, Kailash Satyarthi, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, and Abhijit Banerjee. Keep a few recent ones in mind too.
🔵 Panelist: Where was Mother Teresa from and when did she become an Indian citizen?
📌 Tip: Know basic facts about global humanitarian figures. For Mother Teresa: born in Albania, became an Indian citizen in 1948.
🔵 Panelist: Tell us about Savitribai Phule, since your university is named after her.
📌 Tip: Link her role as a social reformer and educational pioneer—especially in women's education.
🔵 Panelist: What’s the engineering reason signals weaken in elevators?
📌 Tip: Talk about Faraday Cage effect—metallic enclosures block electromagnetic signals.
Economy & Finance-Related Questions
🔵 Panelist: What do you think about India’s current economic condition?
📌 Tip: Prepare a balanced view—mention GDP growth, inflation, post-COVID recovery, and reforms.
🔵 Panelist: What is the current inflation rate? How is it calculated?
📌 Tip: Learn about CPI (Consumer Price Index) and WPI (Wholesale Price Index), and their components.
🔵 Panelist: Difference between CPI and WPI?
📌 Tip: CPI reflects retail inflation (consumer level), while WPI measures inflation at the wholesale level.
🔵 Panelist: What do you know about capital markets?
📌 Tip: Define primary/secondary markets, role of SEBI, and key instruments (stocks, bonds, etc.).
🔵 Panelist: Do you prefer investing or trading?
📌 Tip: Either is fine—just explain your rationale (risk appetite, financial goals, research style).
🔵 Panelist: Explain derivatives trading in short. Which is riskier—futures or options?
📌 Tip: Keep it crisp—derivatives derive value from underlying assets. Futures are binding, options are not, making futures typically riskier.
Reflective & Preference-Based Questions
🔵 Panelist: Where did you gain your finance knowledge?
📌 Tip: Mention credible sources—courses, YouTube channels, books, internships, etc.
🔵 Panelist: What other calls do you have? What is your preference order?
📌 Tip: Be honest, but respectful—express genuine interest in GIM while ranking preferences.
🔵 Panelist: If selected, what X factor will you bring to campus?
📌 Tip: Highlight traits like teamwork, leadership, or domain-specific skills that align with B-school life.
Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- Be prepared to justify a switch from engineering to finance convincingly.
- Expect a mix of technical, current affairs, and profile-based questions.
- Refresh general awareness—especially notable personalities and Indian economy basics.
- Understand basic financial instruments, economic indicators, and their calculations.
- Don’t hesitate to show personality—share interests beyond your resume.
📢 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.
📢 Stay tuned for more real B-school interview experiences and prep strategies!
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