IIMB GD/PI : The Final Showdown

Date : 5th April
Place : Bangalore

"The Last GD/PI of the season. My only chance to enter the IIMs. "

I have been reciting these words for the last couple of weeks. Hoping for my Guardian Angel to listen to them. With a CAT percentile of just 97.25 %, I need all the blessings to convert this call.

This time my strong profile is not going to come to my rescue. It has done its part. In fact, IIMB has given its calls after careful sifting of people with good profiles. So, It's just my performance in the GD/PI that is going to matter. Pretty scary thought !!

The Venue :

I read somewhere that the first time a person enters an IIM, he/she feels humbled by the magnificence of the Institute. Very true indeed !! The serene premises of IIM Bangalore, filled me with a variety of emotions : awe, inspiration and intimidation.

I checked out my name in the list and proceeded to the allotted classroom, M-23.

The Batch :

Our batch is supposed to have 6 members, and I was the last on the list. This always happens to me. I was the last person during IITB and NITIE interviews too. The problem is that I will have to wait outside the door for my turn, like a batsman sitting in his pads, with a bat, waiting for the next wicket to fall. But then I converted both NITIE and IITB. Will the magic work one more time ? Hmmm, Getting Senti..No, I was getting nervous.

I got on to the first floor and there were three others waiting. After a brief interaction, I found that each of them has at least 2 yrs. workex. There was one BLACKI, one BLICK and the other a solitary B( Join the Club !! ). A few minutes later, the 5th person walked in and he had more or less similar profile. The 6th person didn't turn up. Apparently, he decided to skip IIMB( Thanks a ton, dude ).

The Panel :

The panel had two professors. Both looked cool. Both were wearing casuals( Believe me, T-shirts !! ). One of them was smoking pipe.

The Process :

Case Study :

10 min Preparation and 15 min discussion.

The case was a tussle between a professor at a premier Institute and a preferred recruiter of the institute. The recruiter says that 80% of the students are unemployable as they do not have the practical knowledge. The professor feels that since his students have been doing well in R&D divisions of major companies, maybe the job profiles offered by the recruiter are not good enough for his students. So, what could be done ?

Pretty good discussion. Determined to initiate, I started the GD highlighting the difference in the mindset and was cut in the middle by others. It was not a very clean start. Later, I pitched in 4-5 times and ensured that I got enough bandwidth. In fact, due the small number, there wasn't a fight for air time.

A decent performance as an Individual as well as a Group.

Summary :

15 minutes were given for the summary. Oops!! I forgot my watch :( ( Those who know me wouldn't be surprised ). Hence, I couldn't keep track of time. And the consequence, the paper was snatched away before I could complete the last line. No idea how much my forgetfulness had cost me.

Interview :

The interview started with the most irritating of the questions : Why did you leave TCS for Oracle ? And the usual blah..blah..blah

Then the other professor took charge. All the questions asked by him were on my workex.
1. What did u learn in Oracle ?
2. Tell us about your product ?
3. Challenges faced during development
4. Market potential for the product
5. Future prospects
6. Alternative designs

The problem I face with these kind of general questions, is that I tend to answer in a circumlocutory manner. Though I consciously tried to reply straight to the point, I did digress a lot of times. What can I do ? Old habits die hard.

After about 10-15 mins, the professor indicated the other to continue.

Then, the discussion moved on to my career goals. I meticulously and sincerely tried to explain my Business Plan. I don't know how much the panel was convinced. They don't show their feelings, Do they ? And they exercise great control over their body language.

And then came my hobbies. He asked me about my latest book. And I replied, " Jack Welch's Straight from the Gut." He asked me why Welch liked India. Stammered something about Outsourcing, Cost cutting etc. He wasn't convinced. Then he asked about some centre Welch had opened in Bangalore. No idea. Big Blooper :(

Then the professor explained that his role was to test me on General Stuff and continued with the following Questions :
1. About the fact that 70% of telugus flee the country once they graduate.
2. The unfulfilled promise by Congress Government, the so called free power for farmers.
3. The problem of Naxalism and the possible solutions.
4. The recent controversy over the proposed Uranium Mine near Krishna River

I had become more open by the time, and in a hurry to answer these questions, I had inadvertently shown my bias. They must have felt that I was opinionated. Again, I wore my weakness on my sleeve.

After an eerie silence, I was told that I could leave.

The Verdict :

I have no idea how it went... or the kind of impression I made on the panel. There were moments of approval, but there were a lot of bloopers too.

Well, I am keeping my fingers, hands, arms and legs crossed !!