Finance, Consulting & Curves: How This Engineer Navigated a Quirky IIM Indore Interview

Candidate Profile

• Background: Female Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering graduate with a Minor in Finance from a top private university.
• Work Experience: 8 months as a Business Associate at a global consulting firm (ZS Associates equivalent).
• Academics:
  • 10th Grade: 94%
  • 12th Grade: 95.5%
  • Graduation CGPA: 8.6
• CAT Percentile: ~98%ile (implied)
• Category: General

Interview Panel

• 2 Female panelists
• Mode: In-person
• The candidate was the last to be interviewed that day (Reporting: 1 PM, Interview: 5 PM)

Interview Questions & Insights

1️⃣ Icebreaker & Profile Questions

🔵 P1: Good evening!

🔵 P1: When did you arrive today? Must be exhausting. We’ll wrap this quickly. Tell me about yourself (TMAY).

🔵 P1 (follow-up): Explain your role at work in more detail.

🔵 P1: You like Finance, but you’re working in consulting and have an engineering background. Why this mix?

👉 Candidate’s approach: Explained enjoying science early on, choosing a flexible university to explore both engineering and finance, and how consulting allows broad exposure—panel seemed convinced.

2️⃣ Technical & Analytical Questions

🔵 P1: Do you like Math? What are two pre-requisites for a probability distribution function?

🔵 P1: Do you remember the normal distribution equation?

🔵 P1: Can you sketch it for mean = 0? Where is the derivative negative?

🔵 P1: Given y = ax, can this be a valid probability density function (pdf)?

👉 Candidate’s approach: Sketched graph, reasoned through conditions (positivity, bounded area), calculated termination at x = √(2/a) for area = 1.

3️⃣ General Awareness & Extempore

🔵 P2: Who was India’s oldest industrialist?

✅ Answer: “Possibly Jamshedji Tata.”

🔵 P2: What was his first business?

✅ Initially said “Steel,” corrected by panel to “Textile.”

🔵 P2: When was Navi Mumbai planned?

✅ Guessed early 1990s → correct (1992). Added context about overpopulation and integration challenges.

🔵 P2: Apart from being the financial capital and Bollywood, what is Mumbai famous for?

✅ Answered: “Dabbawalas—their logistics system with 97% accuracy without GPS.”

🔵 P2: Final question: Give an extempore on ‘Urbanization: Pros and Cons’.

✅ Covered multiple pros, and one strong con: loss of social fabric and work-life balance, especially in Mumbai.

✅ Key Takeaways for Future Aspirants

• Be ready to explain unconventional academic and career combinations.
• Know basic mathematical and statistical concepts beyond formulas—intuition matters.
• Local and cultural awareness can help in general awareness questions.
• Expect curveball or quirky questions toward the end (like extempores).
• Stay calm despite long wait times; maintain energy and composure.