🎓 IIM Calcutta Interview Experience: How a Tech Professional Tackled Business & Stats Questions
Candidate Profile
- Background: B.Tech in Computer Science from a reputed NIT
- Work Experience: 1.5 years as a software engineer in a leading online travel platform
- Academics:
- 10th Grade: 94%
- 12th Grade: 95.6%
- Undergraduate CGPA: 8.1
Interview Panel
- Panel Composition: 2 Male interviewers
- Interview Date: 22nd March 2022
- Duration: 22 minutes
- Mode: Online
Interview Questions & Candidate’s Approach
🔹 Icebreaker & Profile-Based Questions
🔵 P1: “Tell us briefly about yourself.”
📌 Tip: Keep it structured—start with education, move to work experience, end with your motivation for an MBA.
🔵 P1: “Where are you currently working?”
📌 Tip: Answer factually but highlight the company’s industry position or any notable achievements.
🔵 P1: “How is your company different from other similar websites?”
📌 Tip: Focus on unique selling propositions (USPs)—whether it’s technology, pricing models, customer experience, or partnerships.
🔵 P1: “Is it full stack?”
📌 Tip: Be ready to explain technical concepts for a non-technical audience. Clarify your role in the stack.
🔹 General Awareness & Tech Questions
🔵 P1: “Tell me about Bitcoin.”
📌 Tip: Include both the tech mechanism (blockchain, mining) and economic perspective (limited supply, volatility).
🔵 P1: “Who started it?”
📌 Tip: Know key figures or pseudonyms behind major innovations—even if they’re mysterious!
🔹 Business & Analytical Questions
🔵 P2: “How is dynamic pricing decided in your company?”
📌 Tip: Tie your answer to data science, machine learning, and customer behavior insights.
🔵 P2: “How is it different from airline companies?”
📌 Tip: Emphasize differences in price sensitivity, booking windows, perishability of inventory, and peak-hour variations.
🔵 P2: “Draw the demand and supply graph.”
📌 Tip: Be quick and neat if using a pen & paper or virtual board. Point out equilibrium, shifts in curves, and interpretation.
🔹 Statistics & Quantitative Reasoning
🔵 P2: “What are the central tendencies?”
📌 Tip: Go beyond listing—mention when each is most useful (e.g., median for skewed data).
🔵 P2: “Which one is most important?”
📌 Tip: Context matters—state that choice depends on data distribution and objective of analysis.
🔵 P2: “What is a discrete distribution? Can you name one?”
📌 Tip: Also mention others (Poisson, geometric) and their use-cases.
🔵 P2: “What are its parameters?”
📌 Tip: Be prepared to define parameters, formulae, and simple application scenarios.
✨ Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- ✅ Expect a blend of domain-specific, business, and stats-based questions.
- ✅ For engineers, brush up on core statistics and economic graphs.
- ✅ Relate work experience to business impact—not just technical tasks.
- ✅ Be ready to explain technical terms in simple language.
- ✅ Use examples to ground abstract concepts like pricing strategies.
📢 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 names, locations, and numerical figures have been altered. However, the core interview 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 names, locations, and numerical figures have been altered. However, the core interview 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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