SPJIMR Interview Experience – Cracking the Finance & BM Panel with Poise and Precision
Candidate Profile
- Background: Commerce graduate with a specialization in finance
- Work Experience: Approximately 2 years in the banking and financial services sector
- Academics:
- 10th Grade: 91%
- 12th Grade: 94%
- Undergraduate CGPA: 8.3
- Specializations Applied For: Finance and Business Management (BM)
WAT (Written Ability Test) Prompt
📝 "You've been asked to work with someone you do not get along with. Write 5 measures you'll take."
Group Interview 1 (GI1)
Group Composition
- 3 Candidates for Finance + BM
- 1 Candidate for BM
- 1 Candidate for Information Management (IM)
🧊 Icebreaker & Introductory Questions
🔵 Panelist: Tell us about yourself.
🔵 Panelist: Why MBA?
📊 Technical & Finance Questions
🔵 Panelist: What is operating income?
🔵 Panelist: If a company has great revenue and profits, why might it still go bankrupt?
🔵 Panelist: Explain DCF and IRR.
🔵 Panelist: If interest becomes non-deductible (hypothetical Trump policy), what happens to a company’s cost of debt and valuation?
🔵 Panelist: You are a bank manager. What would you assess in a company before giving it a loan?
🔵 Panelist: Between two companies with 3% and 5% IRR respectively, which one would you choose and why?
🧠 Panel Observation Task
The panel asked another candidate about BOT vs PPP models (infrastructure). The interviewee was then asked to summarize the difference based on that answer.
Group Interview 2 (GI2)
🧊 Introduction & Social Awareness
Candidate shared advocacy work with sex workers and LGBTQ+ rights.
💬 Opinion-Based & Ethical Reasoning Questions
🔵 Panelist: Should same-sex marriage be legalized in India, even if it contradicts cultural norms? Defend your stance.
🔵 Panelist: Which is better: Work From Home or Work From Office? Justify.
🔵 Panelist: Leadership scenarios and behavioral questions linked to Form B submissions.
Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- ✅ Know your specializations inside out—Finance questions were deeply technical.
- ✅ Be extremely clear on your MBA goals and post-MBA roles.
- ✅ Stay mentally present throughout the group process; cross-questions can come from any direction.
- ✅ Smile and stay composed, even when challenged—it makes a positive impact.
- ✅ Don't fake opinions—authenticity wins over theatrics in high-stakes interviews.
🔍 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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