From Courtroom to Case Study: A Law Graduate’s Grilling at IIM Ahmedabad
Candidate Profile
- Background: Undergraduate in Law from a reputed Delhi-based institution
- Work Experience: Some professional exposure (details unspecified, possibly legal internships or practice)
- Academics:
- 10th Grade: 95%
- 12th Grade: 95.6%
- Undergraduate: First Class with Distinction
- CAT Percentile: 99.95
- Category: General, Non-Engineering Male
Interview Panel
- Panel Composition: 1 Male (30s), 1 Female (30s)
- Interview Date: 28 February 2022
- Duration: ~25 minutes
- Format: In-person
- Tone: Intellectually aggressive yet professional
Analytical Writing Test (AWT)
- Topic: Argument analysis (standard critical reasoning format)
- Instructions: 250–300 words | 20 minutes
📌 Tip: Focus on assumptions, logical fallacies, and evidence. Clarity of argumentation and structural coherence are key in AWTs.
Interview Questions & Candidate’s Approach
🎯 Motivation & Career Clarity
🔵 Why MBA after law?
📌 Tip: Expect to be grilled—legal backgrounds must justify their pivot clearly. Link legal reasoning, analytical skills, and interest in strategy/consulting or policy.
⚖️ Law & Philosophy of Justice
🔵 What is Burden of Proof? Discuss its relevance, exceptions, and societal implications.
📌 Tip: Know your basics, but also be ready to explore deeper questions—false accusations, gender justice, reverse burden in rape laws, and its conflict with fundamental rights.
- 📌 Follow-up topics:
- Company Law and proof burdens
- Reversible burden of proof—constitutionality
- Social impact vs legal safeguards
📌 This section was rigorous and philosophical—meant to assess depth, structure, and emotional control under pressure.
📘 Hobbies & Self-Awareness
🔵 What are your hobbies? What have they taught you?
📌 Tip: Tie hobbies to learning outcomes—teamwork, discipline, observation, stress relief, etc.
➗ Unexpected Quant Check
🔵 What is a derivative in math?
📌 Tip: Even non-engineers aren’t immune—basic calculus concepts like derivatives, slope, rate of change may come up. Prepare accordingly.
💼 Work Experience
🔵 Tell us about your professional exposure so far.
📌 Tip: Whether internships, court practice, or policy roles—show what you learned, how it shaped your decision to pursue MBA.
Key Takeaways for Non-Engineering Candidates
- ✅ Law grads are grilled heavily on legal concepts—don’t falter under cross-questioning.
- ✅ Show clarity in career shift—why law to business makes sense for you.
- ✅ Panels test emotional resilience—stay composed under argumentative pushback.
- ✅ Know basic quant—even one surprise question can throw you off if unprepared.
- ✅ Hobbies and personality-based questions often serve as breathers—make them count.
📢 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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