SPJIMR Mumbai – From Operations to MBA: A GEM's Journey to Cracking the SPJIMR Interview
Candidate Profile
- Background: Engineer with a specialization in mechanical engineering
- Work Experience: 18 months in operations and supply chain (as of Jan 2024)
- Academics:
- 10th Grade: 93.5%
- 12th Grade: 86.5%
- Undergraduate CGPA: 8.9
- Category: GEM (General Engineer Male)
- CAT Percentile: 99.24
Written Ability Test (WAT) Round
- Topic: Medical professionals should be allowed to market pharmaceuticals – Do you support or not and why?
- Time: 20 minutes
- Word Limit: 300 words
📌 Tip: In WAT rounds, balance your arguments. Back your stance with ethical, economic, and societal implications. Structure matters—use an intro-body-conclusion format.
Group Interview 1 (GI-1): Domain Expertise & Career Goals
- Duration: 40–45 minutes
- Panel: All interviewers had operations backgrounds
🔵 Panelist: What is the difference between sourcing and procurement?
📌 Tip: Clarify technical terms. Sourcing refers to identifying suppliers; procurement involves the actual purchasing process.
🔵 Panelist: Discuss the semiconductor supply chain crisis.
📌 Tip: Be ready with recent industry examples. Talk about geopolitical dependencies, COVID-19 disruptions, and how companies are mitigating risks.
🔵 Panelist: Dharavi Urban Development Project – What is the government doing?
📌 Tip: Stay updated on major government initiatives. Focus on objectives, stakeholders, and challenges.
🔵 Panelist: What new and innovative things have you learned by yourself at work?
📌 Tip: Highlight initiative-taking behavior. Think tools, techniques, or cross-functional learning.
🔵 Panelist: Why MBA? Why SPJIMR?
📌 Tip: Show clarity of goals. Link SPJIMR’s values (like value-based leadership, social sensitivity) to your aspirations.
Group Interview 2 (GI-2): Personality & Ethical Dilemmas
- Duration: 40–45 minutes
🔵 Panelist: If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
📌 Tip: Choose something honest but growth-oriented. Reflect on lessons learned.
🔵 Panelist: What would you tell a stranger about yourself, excluding your resume highlights?
📌 Tip: Reveal personal values, unique interests, or life philosophies. Authenticity matters.
🔵 Panelist: If given ₹2 lakh to spend on yourself right now, what would you do?
📌 Tip: This gauges your priorities. Whether you say "travel," "education," or "invest," justify it thoughtfully.
🔵 Panelist: Work culture vs. experience – what’s more important?
📌 Tip: Balance your answer. Discuss long-term career growth vs. short-term learning curves, especially in volatile job markets.
Key Takeaways for SPJIMR Aspirants
- ✅ Expect deep dives into your domain knowledge in GI-1
- ✅ Prepare current affairs and industry insights, especially around operations
- ✅ Be reflective and genuine in personality-based questions
- ✅ Demonstrate alignment with SPJIMR’s mission-driven approach
- ✅ Balance logic and empathy in ethics-oriented discussions
📢 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.
📢 Stay tuned for more real MBA interview journeys and insights!
🔍 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.
📢 Stay tuned for more real MBA interview journeys and insights!
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