From NGO Work to MBA Dreams: How This Candidate Braved a Tough IIM Kozhikode Interview
Candidate Profile
- Background: Bachelor’s degree from a reputed university (graduated 2018)
- Work Experience: Unregistered experience at an NGO; brief stint at Amazon
- Academics:
- 10th Grade: 90%
- 12th Grade: 92%
- Undergraduate CGPA: 88.2%
- CAT Percentile: 97.73% (General category)
Interview Panel
- Number of Panelists: 2 (both male)
- Interview Mode: Online
- Duration: ~15 minutes
- Overall Tone: Interruptive, rapid-fire, but sprinkled with humor and light moments
Interview Questions & Candidate’s Approach
🔵 Panelist: Hi Manish, please introduce yourself.
🔵 Panelist: You passed out in 2018, right? Why isn’t your previous work experience registered?
🔵 Panelist: Tell me your role in Amazon.
🔵 Panelist: How is the President of India elected?
🔵 Panelist: Why not just Lok Sabha members?
🔵 Panelist: How is the Chief Justice of India selected?
🔵 Panelist: What’s the tenure of CJI?
🔵 Panelist: Name any High Court judges.
Current Affairs & Economy (Panelist 1)
🔵 Panelist: Tell me something from the budget.
🔵 Panelist: Why is the government creating its own currency?
🔵 Panelist: How will it regulate?
🔵 Panelist: Why is crypto booming?
General Knowledge & Logical Reasoning (Panelist 2)
🔵 Panelist: You studied at Loyola. Tell me famous alumni.
🔵 Panelist: Not movie stars—intellectuals?
🔵 Panelist: What’s Darwin’s theory?
🔵 Panelist: What ship did Darwin travel on?
🔵 Panelist: What’s natural selection?
🔵 Panelist: Can natural selection and survival of the fittest happen simultaneously? Example?
Finance & Math (Panelist 2)
🔵 Panelist: What’s the difference between cryptocurrency and digital currency?
🔵 Panelist: Is crypto only possible via blockchain? Could it use other tech?
🔵 Panelist: Math question: There are two envelopes—one has X money, one has 2X. You pick one. Should you swap? Answer probabilistically.
Interview Close
- Panelist: “Okay, Manish, you can log off.”
- Candidate felt “brutally murdered” but appreciated the learning experience.
Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- ✅ Be prepared for rapid topic shifts—from politics to biology to finance.
- ✅ If interrupted, stay calm and resume without fluster.
- ✅ Don’t guess wildly; it’s okay to admit gaps but show effort.
- ✅ Expect both academic and general knowledge questions.
- ✅ Humor and resilience matter—laugh with the panel, stay composed.
The above interview experience is based on real candidate interactions collected from various sources. To ensure privacy, some details such as names, locations, 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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