IIM Kashipur: Code to Culture Interview Tale

IIM Kashipur Interview: From Coding Basics to Maharashtra’s History – A Holistic Interview Experience

Candidate Profile

  • Background: Bachelor's degree in Commerce with some technical exposure
  • Work Experience: Around 2 years in a manufacturing/operations role involving predictive maintenance
  • Academics:
    • 10th Grade: 86%
    • 12th Grade: 88%
    • Undergraduate CGPA: 7.8
  • The candidate brought a blend of analytical curiosity and domain understanding, particularly from an operations perspective.

Interview Panel

  • Panel Composition: 2 Interviewers
  • Interview Mode: Online
  • Date: 17 April 2023

Interview Questions & Candidate's Approach

🟡 Icebreaker & Motivation

🔵 Panelist: Tell me about yourself (TMAY)

📌 Tip: Include a brief about your education, work experience, key skills, and link it to your interest in Business Analytics (BA).

🔵 Panelist: Why Business Analytics? Why do you think you're suited for it?

📌 Tip: Show interest in data-driven decision-making. Mention your background in operations or any use of analytics/pattern recognition at work.

🟢 Quantitative & Software Skills

🔵 Panelist: How good are you in statistics?

🔵 Panelist: Probability of getting one head when 3 coins are tossed?

🔵 Panelist: Probability of getting a number from a deck of cards?

📌 Tip: Know basic probability rules:
  • Probability of one head = 3/8
  • 52 cards, 40 cards are numbered (2–10 from each suit) → 40/52 or 10/13

🔵 Panelist: Do you know any software like C++ and Excel?

🔵 Panelist: When did you study C++ and what Excel skills do you have?

📌 Tip: Mention any school-level exposure or recent refreshers. For Excel, list functions like VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, Conditional Formatting, etc.

🔵 General Awareness & Regional Knowledge

🔵 Panelist: Maharashtra is known for sugar – what other crops are grown there?

📌 Tip: Cotton, pulses, jowar, bajra, and oilseeds are also prominent.

🔵 Panelist: Lavasa city – success or failure?

📌 Tip: Discuss issues like legal clearances, environmental violations, and funding as reasons for its stalled progress.

🔵 Panelist: How did Maharashtra contribute to the freedom struggle?

📌 Tip: Mention figures like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and events like the formation of Indian Home Rule League.

🔴 Role Experience & Career Decisions

🔵 Panelist: How was predictive maintenance implemented in your company?

📌 Tip: Highlight the use of sensors, data tracking (temperature/vibration), and dashboards for identifying equipment failure risks.

🔵 Panelist: Why did you leave your job?

📌 Tip: Be honest but positive—look for alignment with career goals, desire to upskill, or shifting interest toward analytics.

🔵 Panelist: What other B-school calls do you have?

📌 Tip: Share truthfully, focusing on how IIM Kashipur stands out for you in analytics specialization.

Key Takeaways for Aspirants

  • ✅ Revise basic statistics and probability—they're almost always asked in analytics-oriented interviews.
  • ✅ Highlight any software exposure—even high-school programming counts if articulated well.
  • ✅ Brush up on current affairs, regional insights, and socio-economic topics.
  • ✅ Be ready to discuss your work’s real-world analytics applications, however small.
  • ✅ Stay composed even when questions shift across diverse domains—from agriculture to history.
📢 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.
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