🎓 From IIT to IIM: How a Math & Computing Grad Aced the IIM Calcutta Interview
Candidate Profile
- Background: Undergraduate in Mathematics and Computing from a premier institute (IIT-equivalent)
- Work Experience: Fresher (directly post-graduation)
- Academics:
- 10th: 95%
- 12th: 97%
- Undergraduate CGPA: 8.7
📝 Interview Panel
- Panel Number: 29
- Slot: Morning (8:30 AM)
- Waiting Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Panel Composition:
- Male (approx. 50+ years)
- Female (approx. 35+ years)
💬 Interview Questions & Candidate’s Approach
🔹 Icebreaker & General Awareness
🔵 Female Panelist: “Introduce yourself.”
🔵 Female Panelist: “So you’ve done engineering or science?”
🔵 Female Panelist: “Do you keep up with news?”
🔵 Female Panelist: “Which state has a female CM?”
🔵 Female Panelist: “Which states had elections recently?”
🔵 Female Panelist: “Anything about panchayat elections?”
🔵 Female Panelist: “And why did Yogi Adityanath make history?”
🔵 Female Panelist: “Not a good performance in grad?”
🔵 Female Panelist: “Tell me about Russia-Ukraine.”
🔵 Female Panelist: “Hobbies?”
🔹 Technical & Analytical Questions
🔵 Male Panelist: “I see you’ve done courses in computer science.”
🔵 Male Panelist: “Tell me about Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Binary Trees.”
🔵 Male Panelist: “Graphs and least distance algorithm?”
🔵 Male Panelist: “Tell me about differential equations.”
🔵 Male Panelist: “Find the particular solution of y' = 3x³ passing through (1,4.75).”
🙋 Candidate’s Turn – Asking the Right Questions
No explicit questions were asked by the candidate, but it's always recommended to prepare thoughtful ones.
⭐ Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- ✅ Be prepared for a mix of technical, general awareness, and personal questions.
- ✅ Clarify any perceived academic weaknesses confidently without being defensive.
- ✅ Expect interviewers to explore both your academic and extracurricular sides.
- ✅ Maintain a warm, engaged demeanor—it builds rapport.
- ✅ Prepare core concepts from your undergraduate degree, even if they aren’t directly related to MBA coursework.
The above interview experience is based on real candidate interactions collected from various sources. To ensure privacy, some details such as location, institute 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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