2009

Tell us bout urself(also something which is not in the app)

What caused the financial markets crash
Why mba/why isb
Guesstimate
Ques to ask in the end

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
Hi puys. Here's some update from my end. I interviewed at Hyderabad today morning. My essay topic
was 'Media activism'. Got done with it in 15 minutes and started chatting with other prospects. While,
I was socialising, an AdCom member who introduced himself as Ravi, introduced himself and ushered
me into the interview room. There were 3 panelists on my interview panel - 1 AdCom member + 2
Alums. My interview was very conversational in nature and so was the case with 4-5 other
interviewees I spoke to. My interview was primarily essay based, hence very profile specific. So, the
answers may not be very helpful, but I post all the question asked to me to give you an idea for your
preps:

AD (AdCom), AL1 (Alum 1), AL2 (Alum 2).

AL2: Tell us something about yourself.

AL2: Will you recent promotion to Sales and Biz. Devp. make you reconsider about your ISB MBA
option?
AL1: Why MBA and why ISB in specific?
AL1: You want to enter consulting and I've read your essays and understood that you have
established networks in boutique consulting firms which you intend to target. But, due to unforeseen
circumstances, if you don't get into consulting post-MBA, what would you opt for and why?
AL2: Tell us something about your Libya experiences?
AL1: What challenges you faced and how you handled them?
AD: In countries like Libya, what bureaucratic challenges did you face in addition to the leadership
challenges you mentioned?
AL2: You've been away from academics for nearly 5 years. Our program is very rigorous.
How do you see yourself coping up with and faring well in our institute?
AD: Do you have any question for us?

The interview lasted for about 30 mins. I didn't feel that any question caught me off-guard. The
questions and answers followed through very smoothly. But, did I perform up to the mark to see me
through to an admit? Time will tell

All the very best to all! In case you have any doubts on interviews, essays, preps, reaching ISB, or
anything under the sun, feel free to buzz me.

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-
had my iv today. there were 2 panels which were ivng IT folks. Mine was delayed by 40 mins due to
lunch and I was the 2nd guy to go after they came back. The essay topic was " Chalta Hai " attitude
which was distributed to guys going for IT panels. I was asked following questions -
1. Tell me something which is not there in profile. ( had rehearsed this but cudn't get it
properly )
2. Tell us something about urself ( they did not like the ans i gave for 1st q )
3. So u r writing a book, what is ur book abt ? - told them
4. What is the USP of ur book ?
5. Few more questions about the hypothesis i have presented in my book.
6. Walk us thru a day in ur work. followed by some more questions about work.
u r doing same routine work daily, dont you get bored ? Where is the use of brains and
special skills in ur work

7. What were the initiatives which i have taken in my work

8. Guesstimate - I was asked which brand of tie i was wearing. Asked about its price. Asked estimate
the no of ties which will be sold in 2010. They handed me a pen and paper and aksed write all what u
want and calculate and give a final no. -- Did blunder here as I missed out 2 imp factors and came up
with a big no. I was later told and asked do u think XX wear ties ? do u think YY wear ties ? I almost
sweat for a sec.
9. What do you do in ur leisure time ?
10. What r 2 big learnings u took from movies ( related to my interests ) - gave them the lame std
ans from lagaan and tare zamin par.
11. Any questions for us ? - I told no. they asked again " so u know everything about ISB". I told
them I had attended info session and all my doubts were solved there.

The panel was very pleasant and cudn' make out a single thing from their expressions, as while
answering, one person was closing his eyes s if he is trying to sleep or my answers sounded like
lullaby . I was confident and calm when i was in the waiting lounge, but as soon as i entered the iv
room, some nervousness hit badly and i got blanked out for some seconds when i was asked 1st
question. Overall not a good iv,cross questionings were there for every answer. This time some very
big luck is required compared to what i had when i got the call. overall time 15-18 mins i think. All the
best to who are waiting and those who got the call.
__________________________________________________________________________

I stayed at the ISB - in a Studio accommodation - the place has everything a family could need and is
about 1000 sq ft. Since it was me alone, was wondering if I should have brought my mom along, she
loves to fuss over me just before an important event

Anyhoo, my interview was scheduled at 1400hrs but we were advised to be there 30 minutes before it
commenced. So I got there at 1320hrs and took the sheet of paper on which we were to write the
essay.

Now heres the thing - the essay is a sanitiser. My discussions and logic tell me that the school uses
the essay to make sure that it is YOU who has written the essays. So what you write is not thaaaat
important as how you write.

The panel consisted of young people all around (this was a, I'm assuming, non IT panel) - totalling
three, one being a student. I can only relate the questions as some of my answers are of a personal
nature. Lets call the panelists P1, P2 & S (student)

P1: So, how did u land up in finance?

P2: Why do you want to do _______
S: Do you know any firms that do ___. Why ISB then? How does the ISB fit in.
P2: Okay, since you want to do ___, what would you do in the case of ______ company?
P1: You can take a moment if you need to
(I didn't really need the moment. I just established some basic assumptions and then proceeded
ahead)
P2 then pointed out what he perceived as a flaw in my reasoning. So I clarified that there was an
activity I assumed would be happening and that the company in question would not be sitting idle
P2: okay
p1: so, what drives you?
(I related an incident that changed my life and made me less risk-averse)
p1+p2: so what's the most risky / daring thing you've done?
P2: any questions for us?
(i asked them something that only the interviewers could answer)
(was then about to leave when...)
p2: one last thing, who's your fav stand-up comedian? (i had mentioned that i love stand-up comedy)
p2: why?
me: made a small joke at the end, thanked them and shook hands with everyone.

Was a great interview. I've seen a lot of interviews and this panel was excellent in the manner in
which they probed. I had a good time and was very comfortable during the session. They answered in
earnest and I'd done my homework about ISB (including staying there in May) to be able to ask
questions which meant something to me. (am hoping they take cognizance of that)
_____________________________________________________________________________
_

Interview date - 24th October 2009

Location - Admissions Office, ISB, Hyderabad

hey guys
I had my interview @ ISB campus yesterday. I was scheduled for the first slot in the morning.

Panel - 2 alums (one from the class of 2002, first ISB batch, dnt remember about other one) and
one adcom

Duration - approx 30 mins.

Questions :
Let me tell you, it was very much like a personal interview, based on what I had written in my
essays, especially first essay (3 distinctive points).
It sounded like they wanted to cross check if I really have the qualities that I have mentioned.
almost all questions were pretty much analytical and open ended.
e.g. I had mentioned about my work in my family business. They asked me, "If your father wants
to start a similar business around ISB campus and he has asked you to analyze the situation here
and make recommendations, what would be your steps for the same?"
I had many such questions on other qualities that I had mentioned in essays and then some
routine stuff like tell me something about yourself, why ISB, goals, etc..

Similar were the experiences of other candidates that I spoke with...

Another point to note:
majority of candidates yesterday were with a current work ex of 2-3 yrs!

Overall, I believe I could handle those questions well. I tought the adcom was a little less
convinced than the alums (atleast from the facial expressions !).
Thats all about it... waiting for the D-day (11/25) when I would know how well I did !

Interview date - 22nd October 2009

Location - Admissions Office, ISB, Hyderabad

In the midst of all the angst surrounding the wait for calls and the relief at receiving calls, I did
not see any interview debriefs. I thought I'd post mine.

My interview was on the 22nd of October at noon at the ISB campus. I had arrived the day
earlier and was staying with a friend on the ISB campus.
Before the debrief, my profile. I graduated from R V College of Engineering in 2005 and joined
a high tech company as an Applications Engineer. Over the last 4 years, I have been a Product
Specialist, then R&D Project Manager. I have good extra curricular activities, having captained
the college quiz team to University Challenge on BBC World and having been part of a two
member band that performs at Sunday brunch at a popular Bangalore restaurant.

I reached the admissions office 5 minutes before noon. I was signed in and given a piece of paper
to write a 200 word essay on whether private sector companies should be involved in
contingency efforts in light of the swine flu pandemic and other recent natural calamities.

My interview started at 12.30 p.m. The panel comprised of what looked like two alumni (given
their age, although one can never really be sure).

First question, "What exactly do you do at your company?". I started by explaining what the
company does, what my group does and then drilled down into the details of my role in the
group.this with a recent example.

Second question, "You have done a lot of things - the quizzing, the music, the different roles in
your company; what makes you tick?" I said I just liked asking a lot of questions and had an
almost compulsive urge to find answers. Also, this questioning attitude is not necessarily limited
to my field of study and work, but, anything that catches my fancy. I substantiated

Third question, "Tell us about your five strengths." I mentioned two professional and three
personal strengths.

Fourth question, "You've been on the ISB campus from yesterday evening. Have you had a
chance to explore? What all have you seen?" So, I mentioned that first, I was extremely
impressed with the facilities. I said that this made sense considering that in a one year
course, a student would not want to worry about administrative affairs and ISB does a
great job at taking care of those through it's facilities. I then mentioned all the places I had
visited on campus. I happened to sit in for a talk by a VC on "Due Diligence for Tech Startups"
the evening before the interview. I mentioned that.

Fifth question, "What did you not like about the ISB campus?" I mentioned something on the
lines of the main road linking the student villages being a one way. So, even if you had to go to
an adjacent SV in a car or a two wheeler, you would have to all the way around. I was not very
satisfied with the answer and ended by saying, "I guess I have not been around long enough to
start complaining!"

The focus then shifted to quizzing. We spoke about the Tata Crucible regional finals (where my
team was runners-up). We talked about why I thought my team lost. They asked me to ask them
a question which I thought only I could answer. I asked them a question that has elements from
Hollywood, the RF/communications domain and technology.

Next stop, music. They asked me how I happened to start my gig at this Bangalore restaurant.
After all this, we were at the end of 30 minutes. They asked me if I had any questions for them. I
asked them what steps ISB was planning to take to increase the international diversity in it's
student body and residential faculty.

Right at the end, "Oh, by the way, what do you plan to do after your MBA?" The question almost
came as an after thought. I reaffirmed what I had mentioned in essay 3 and also managed to
plug in sidewise how an ISB MBA would help me get there.

After this, we exchanged pleasantries, they told me that a decision either way would be
communicated by the 25th of November and that was that!

In summary, I think the interview started well. In the middle, I get the feeling I could have
answered some questions a little better. Also, I don't know what to make of the career goals
question coming right at the end, almost as an after thought.

I hope this debrief helps all of you prepare yourselves for your respective interviews.

2008
I had my interview today afternoon........
was not a very gud exp......it was quite interrogative,,,,,they were bent upon gng into each minor
detail........i really sucked at the interview.....
The word given was SUPERFICIAL. 100 words is way too less to write anything, still wrote
some 7-8 decent sentences....
The shocking thing was that i/v hardly went for 15 muntes.......
no questions were asked on essays......

main q:
about my company
about my work
post isb and then delved into minutest of details on this
question about hindu newspaper (i mentioned it as my fav newspaper)
what can u share wid ur peers at isb besides technical exp etc etc

tht's it.......asked me if i had any questions...i asked 2.......

horrible exp for me.........

My brief profile:
GMAT 710/6.0
btech iit-d
cgpa 8.71 (department rank 2)
work ex 2yrs 4 months till date
company: core chemical engg (engineering consultancy)

I had my interview in the morning. I believe I would have been the 2nd or 3rd candidate
interviewed today. Anyhow, as expected, was given a piece of paper and asked to write 100
words on "Superficial". just wrote somethings and seriously I dont remember [and dont want
to ] what I wrote.

The interview was more conversational than interrogative. There were two gentlemen in the
panel, both polite and friendly. Believe me they read your application very thoroughly. So make
sure you are comfortable with each and every word in there.

I have some entrepreneurial experience and most of the questions were around my venture. I am
not sure whether the questions asked would be of any help here, so let me skip it.

Some General Qs asked ;-

- Why did not you persue basketball after college ? [Basketball is one of the hobbies]
- Some questions on Zumba essay [dont remember]?
- Some Qs from my work ?
- Why MBA now ?
- How do you manage time given so many activities ?
- Any Qs for us?
In all the interview lasted around 30 odd mins and inconclusive how it went [I happen to be in
this state mostly everytime I attend an event like this ]. But still I was fun getting interviewed.

My advice - The best way to prepare would be - just be thorough with ur app and BE
YOURSELF [very important] !! Hope it helps !!
Wish all a very best of luck ... Just crack it guys 

Hello People .....

I have been a silent member of the thread till now.......had my i/v in delhi today.

As expected it was conversational rather than interrogative. It began with the standard 100 word
essay.

There two people on the panel 1 AdComm and 1 Alum. They just skimmed through the essay
and did not ask any questions related to that.

The questions:
1. What post ISB?
2. Somethings about my extra curiculars and what I learnt from them
3. If I had to select a team for my project ,how would I go about it
4. Some questions regarding work and what I have learnt from the experiences
5.If I had any questions for them.
Over all they are prepared for each candidate and have read your app in and out . They ask very
specific questions about things mentioned in the application.
My interview experience:

Venue: ITC Sheraton

Date: 14th Oct

Pre interview passage word: "Fabulous"

Two panelists, One Male(P1) one Female(P2)

P2: You have changed 4 jobs in 4 years, why?

P2: You have written so and so thing as your stength. Elaborate on this.
P1: Give me another example of your above strength
P2: What else do you do besides academics
P1: Why is Indian football not gaining popularity(I had mentioned Football as one of my
passions)
P2: How will you add value to the class as you are from IT background?
P1: What else would you like to tell us
P1: Why have you just changed your job given that you are applying to Grad school?
P2: What are your plans post ISB?

P1: any questions for us?

In all a very run of the mill peaceful interview. No surprises.

Time around 20 minutes

My interview experience:

Venue: ITC Sheraton

Date: 14th Oct

Pre interview passage word: "Fabulous"

Two panelists, One Male(P1) one Female(P2)

P2: You have changed 4 jobs in 4 years, why?

P2: You have written so and so thing as your stength. Elaborate on this.
P1: Give me another example of your above strength
P2: What else do you do besides academics
P1: Why is Indian football not gaining popularity(I had mentioned Football as one of my
passions)
P2: How will you add value to the class as you are from IT background?
P1: What else would you like to tell us
P1: Why have you just changed your job given that you are applying to Grad school?
P2: What are your plans post ISB?

P1: any questions for us?

In all a very run of the mill peaceful interview. No surprises.

Time around 20 minutes

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay. Had my IV on the 13th in Saket ITC Sheraton Panel 3.

Walked into the Hotel Lobby (Business Center), was met with a BOY(#1), he just asked for my
name and Panel #, verified that against his list, gave me a page for the essay, and directed me to
the IV Room.

Word: FACADE

Took 3 mins to finish the essay, handed over the essay to BOY(#2) in front of the IV room.
When the previous candidate walked out BOY # 2 walked in, handed the essay to the Panel.

AdCom Lady (ACL) walked out a few minutes (close to 5) later and invited me in. Just one other
person in the Room, a guy from ISB Alumni (IAG). Intros were made, good handshake & a nice
smile. Can't recollect their names though. Sorry. Maybe I was tense at that moment.

They has a Comp Chair for me, raised too high for my comfort. Asked them if I could
lower it and did.

ACL: Tell us about your Career moves for the past 11 years.
(I moved from Engg to Biz Consult to SAP Consult)
Me: Blah.. blah.. blah.. blah

Both ACL & IAG: Some off-shoot Qs about my career

IAG: It has been 11 years since you left studies, do you think you can handle the rigour of
the ISB Curr? I worked for 3 years before ISB and found it hard.
Me: Pointed out that I prepped only 3 weeks for GMAT and landed an acceptable 760.
Mentioned that I'm used for working long hrs (close to 16) without taking an off-day for
straight 3 months or more and also that I'm planning to get a list of their books and
prepping myself upfront before I attend Classes in April.

ACL: Where do you live right now?

Me: Los Angeles, CA

ACL: So why did you opt for an IV in Delhi, you could have opted for Tele IV?
Me: I think I look good. (A good misch. smile). Actually I've been doing lot of Tele IVs fro my
work, and know the problems with that. I didn't want to risk the chance of miscommunication for
such an important life changing scenario as this. And then some .. blah.. blah.. blah.

IAG: How far are you into moving to Hyderabad from LA? (I live in Los Angeles, CA)
Me: Gave them my budget estimates, and pointed out that I've already moved my funds to India,
also mentioned that I bought some property here, that I'm in the process of taking over in the
next week, so that its all set for my move here. Mentioned that my family will be staying in the
Apt while I go to school.

ACL & IAG: A few more Qs, mostly personal.

ACL: Any Qs for us?

Me: Am I going to get the acceptance letter long before Nov 20th or is it sort of fixed?
IAG & ACL: Between 18-20 Nov, neither earlier nor later.

That's all guys. I'll post another detailed one on or before the 20th Nov.

ATB to you all.

Alps

Hey guys...

Had my interview today....was pretty much cool...

the panel consisted Ms. Hema (adcom), Ashish(alum) and another alum.

the word i got was "Fabulous"

but,

SUPRISE! SURPRISE!..

No Why MBA/ISB/Now?
No Career/Post MBA goals
No Essay related questions
No EC/Hobby related queries

was all centered on my job profile, Patent, cross cultural/international experience, team working
and my korean girlfriend...

handled all above mentioned topic like a seasoned player...and i was feeling like they will offer
admission today itself...
just then came the bouncer...which i played on to my stumps...

Case study on marketing strategy for a new company entering into FPD segment in India...i
made assumptions...they cross questioned...i went blank...though i knew replies...but just couldnt
recall then...case went from 100% to 50-50 for me...

anyhow...cant change it...leaving all to almighty...

ATB to other hopefulls...and congrats to mumbai aspirants on recieving call...

Guys,

Had my interview yesterday at delhi panel 3. I am totally confused after the interview. what they
wanted to listen? How i did? no idea.....it was a cool chit chat kind.

here is my experience:
Profile: GMAT 750, 3 Years in IT, currently with SAPLabs, good acades, good extra carriculars.

Panel had 1 lady (may be professor) & 1 guy (alumni or current student).

Greetings!!!
Lady: Since we have a very compititive pool of applicants from IT, tell us 3 things about
you which differentiate you from compitition?
Me: totally nervous!!! gave 3 reasons: my past leadership experience in acads & work. good
acades. my clear career vision & plans.
Lady: so, what are these plans?
me: talked about what i want to do & why MBA. I want to be in SAP consultancy
Lady: you want to go back to SAP? ( i mentioned that)
me: yes or some other place which provide me the similar role & profile.
guy: Did you discuss this with your manager? they are willing to take you back?
me: yes
guy: what are the skills needed for the role & y can't you acquire them in your current role?
me: handled it OK OK.
ladY: asked a question from my profile on a business plan compitition i won..
me: again OK Ok....
lady: 1 cross qn...
me: i think here i messed up a little.could not tell all the details i wanted to say.
guy: another cross qn...actually he helped me with the above qn.
me: OK Ok...
guy: what do you do apart from work?
me: mentioned cricket & my social engagement.
guy: 1 cross qn...
me: answered, no further grilling.
guy: you following what happening in current global economy?
me: Ahhhhhhha...gave fundas on sub prime crisis & all..
Guy: do you thing it will impact indian economy?
me: yes....some good reasons i gave here...indirect impact but not direct...
lady: anything you thing not discussed or you think we should have asked?
me: not much but details of my extra carricular activities which i could not mention in very detail
in essays...
smile on guy's face & no rection from lady.

lady: any qns?

me: i asked 2 qn...little discussion went on here...then bye bye

overall 25-30 mins....no hint whether they were impressed or not. My overall feeling is among
the IT applicants, only the exceptional people will make it. I am not very optimistic about
myself, with such an ordinary interview i don't think i can make it to a place like ISB...par kismat
ka kya bharosa...khuda mehrban to.....****.....lets wait for the 20th Nov..

All the best to all taking their interviews in coming days...!!!

Best Regards,
Vishant

just finished my i/v. dont know what to make of it. came out feeling nice but then started
introspecting and realised that i made a few mistakes. anyways for the rest of the guys ATB. here
is what it was

pre-i/v word: enthusiasm.

panel 3 : 3 guys -1 alum and 2 adcom.
was quite generic in nature-spoke about my job and the various roles that i have donned.
a few q's about my organisation in specific.
what after mba? why mba?-they didnt ask but i managed to steer them to these 2 q's.
what if i dont make it?
any q's.
total time-30 mins.

my profile - 720/9 yrs work ex/ goverment.

my case seems to be shut. hope this helps others.

Here are the Qs asked to me during the interview

Q You are a re-applicant. When did you reapply?
Q What was the feedback received?
Q What have you done to improve your communication skills?
Q Tell us something about your first job experience? What were u doing
Q From your work experiences give us an example of a problem you faced in a team situation
and what you did to resolve it

Analytical Case study- I have a machine which produces fake paintings. Each one painting costs
10L. Estimate the market size of such paintings.
Q You have any questions for us?

From the other guy who didn’t get a chance to speak till now
Q Post ISB goals

Q Specific companies in strategy consulting you want to target

Q Do you have a plan B?

The 100 word essay was on FABULOUS

Greetings
Mr Menon:Aarti tell us something about yourself so that we can set a note for this interview
Me:I ll talk something about which I have not mentioned in my Application. Talked about my
community service endeavors..and latest Salaam baalak trust that I am a part of
Lady:So what do you do there..n wat do you teach. Tell us some names of these street children.
Me: blah blah........N Gulta Singh
Lady :smile
Mr Menon: why is your current Job paying you so less
Me : reason
Lady: why did you leave Jet
Me : Blah Blah convinced them
Alum: Plans on your venture
Me:rattled off
Alum: Cross questioned...
Me: i guess i kinda convinced them
Alum: Why Isb for an entrepreneur. Why dont you meet some VC s right away
Me: Wced n electives.......I guess convinced him
Mr menon: Current economic scenario
Me: aeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooo I hate this question...Tried telling them about the sub prime crisis....
alum: Cross questioned thrice
Mr menon: How is it effecting the Aviation Indutry
Me: thankfully had done the research this morning. All about the jet kingfisher alliance
Alum : Cross question
ME: tried to answer but dunno whether I convinced him cause Mr Menon took over
Mr menon: What about all the crew who have been laid off. What are their job prospects
Me: hospitality & Travel & tourism Industry
Mr menon: satisfied
Lady: how will you train your batchmates at ISB on soft kills?
Me:thinking....Why should I train them...but then gave some wishy washy answer. team
building exercise n i shall be apart of those role plays..
She: smiled......Wonder why
Mr menon: Anything else
Me: three Questions
panel: answered.......
Thank you

3 members in the panel, 1 lady

1.were u interviewed last time.. why were u not selected last time (i m a reapplicant)
2.how s this time different from last time .
3. questions abt work , project, my role .. why changed 3 organizations in 4.5 yrs..cross
questioning on that
4. what would u bring to isb
5. why cant u continue in present role .. why mba why now.
6 .. activities in free time .. more cross questioning on that

My Profile: GMAT 710/2+ yrs of exp in IT consulting/ Engg. (IIT), good acads/ good extra
curriculars

I don't remember the names of the people in the panel, there was one gentleman (Mr. X) and a
lady (probably alumni, Ms. Y)

Mr. X: We have gone through your application and essays, but we couldn't find why you want to
do an MBA? Could you please explain that giving a brief account of your career path till now
Me: Started with why I joined consulting and came to my goal of starting a venture of my own in
Z field (technical). told them the reason why I chose this field. I also told them that I would be
targeting the rural segment.
Mr. X: Have you done any ground work on this field?
Me: Yes, I have. Told them about the current status and the potential of the field.
Mr. X: What challenges do you see in the progress of this field?
Me: Highlighted some 3 challenges supported with certain facts (numbers, percentages). There
was cross-questioning in between. I could provide facts and answers to each except one question
in which I accepted that I don't know the answer. (I guess they were testing how passionate I was
for this field and how much of a ground work have I done)
Lady: ok, you said that XYZ (some numbers I mentioned earlier). Looking at Pan India (say
rural, Urban- tier 1, tier 2, tier 3 cities), what would be your approach? Can you highlight some
gaps in the current scenario?
Me: Ask for two minutes to pen down my approach. Could hardly pen down my approach when
Mr. X asked me to reply. Talked about % population of each area, their requirements in field Z
and then the gaps). It was not a satisfactory answer but they looked a bit convinced.
Lady: Ok, u said this this this.. How do you plan to approach your customers? are you going to
go directly to the customers or through some other channel.
Me: My focus was on rural segment, so I told them that every village has a gram panchayat, it's a
committee of 5 people who look after the administration of the village. I would be first
approaching the gram panchayat, would explain them how this is going to benefit them and why
do they need this. (Lady just nodded and said ok). (Final after 20 min, the field Z discussion
ended.)
Mr. X: You're from a consulting background, you must have led some teams. what were the
difficulties you faced while leading the teams. Give us specific examples. (A bouncer, I thought
this would have been covered in my recos and they wouldn't ask me this)
Me: I think I screwed up here, went into unnecessary details in explaining the challenge rather
than focusing on how I tackled it. (The lady was patient to listen to me, but Mr. X was not, he
was (or acted) sleeping). In the end, I just gave one example of a team lead difficulty I faced.
Lady: You have strong extra curriculars. Would you sing a song for us? (I had mentioned that I
am good at singing and was actively involved in school/college competitions)
Me: Yes, Definitely I would. What kind of a song would you like to hear?
Lady and Mr. X: Any song of your choice.
Me: Sang a ghazal.
Mr. X: Thank you Nimit, do you have any questions to ask?
Me: asked them 2 questions and got the answers.

Overall, I have a mixed feeling. I was great at some things, but screwed up at some others. Will
wait for the results.

Tips to the people preparing for I/V toms

1. Look for gaps in your application (I had not mentioned anywhere about why I wanted to do an
MBA in my essays, that's why they asked me this question and I had kind of expected it: so I dug
deep into the field Z I wanted to go in). Look for things that are unique in your application, your
extra curriculars, some venture you started. They are gonna ask you details on what strikes to
them, what initiates their curiousity to know more about it.
2. I feel that you can actually set the tone for your interview by answering the first few questions
in such a way that you direct them into asking questions that you want them to ask. It's easier
said than done but helps you take control of the situation.
3. Be calm and be yourself. Provide solid examples or facts while explaining anything.
4. The general questions (why mba? why isb? goals? leadership, team skills examples?) will be
asked if you haven't reflected these in your application. So, go through your application and ask
yourself have I reflected these in my application or not. If not then prepare these questions for
sure.
5. You still have time, go through your application, make a list of gaps (low acads, changes in
jobs, not answering the basic why mba type questions) or unique things (industry, experience,
EC) in your application and prepare accordingly.

Btw, the word I got was 'FAKE'. I had written in my app that I write poetry, so I wrote a poem
related to 'Fake'. This was a way to differentiate myself as well as to support what I had written
in the app.

Well I had my IV today at 530 PM ...must thank PG as last 3 days it really gave me lots of
insight into the whole process..thanks to all who posted their experiences..

My profile GMAT 710/5.5 WE - 13 years in Government Background IITK

Panel 2 - Ms Hema (H) and Alumni (A)

Word Fake - wrote on fake paintings, artforms and people

essay does not matter....its more to kill the time available and make u comfortable...
IV started at 6 PM....used time to chat with others - a doc, a power engr, an IT consultant and a
hospital manager from apollo - what diversity

H - Why MBA ...now?

Me - Blah Blah..Good Q to steer the interview to may career profile
H - asked how i landed up in nagaland even with 6th rank in IAS
Me - Blah Blah
H - leadership experiences in UP
Me - dwelled on communal riots and polio eradication and got a chance to share my unique
profile and exp.
H - Why IAS after IIT
Me - simple stuff..have been talking about it for ages...
Alum - Placements any choice
Me - talked of Infrastructure finance companies and multilateral agencies
Alum - Most of them dont come to ISB but it can be arranges..told me how they had arranged an
IV with Boeing for someone who was IAF pilot and someone else with UNICEF
(made me happy)
H - But still, ppl like u leaving Govt is not good
Me - explained why all IAS should undergo MBA courses to do justice to the jobs that they do
(like Air India Chairman - one of my ex bosses actually, RBI gov et al)
H - ISB does not have AICTE approval
Me - explained why it shd not matter plus how GoI is giving 25000$ for MBA course in top 200
univs (THE QS rankings)
H was interested nad took notes on it!!! Hope they pull off with GoI and I am able to access that
funding just in case I am selected 
H - Any questions
asked a couple including how tuff it is with family on the campus...she said.actually no time for
family...but added that ur family will enjoy!~!!

Dont know what it means!!! Overall more of a conversation than an interview...no stress...plain
gup shup with me sharing lots of stories...

anyways..thanks once more...and ATB to all those who have IVs in the days to come...
Hi Guys,

This is my first post on this site. I have been viewing this thread off and on for some time now
but couldn’t take out time to contribute since I was travelling. I have gained tremendously from
most of the experiences/comments recorded here and thank all of you for making my MBA
journey easier and its time for me to give back something to this group. Having said that - I feel
my ISB journey is definitely going to be cut short rather abruptly.

My profile -

10th - 85%
12th - 75%
College - Good (Top 10% of the batch) - BA (Hons) Hospitality Management. Also have a first
class BBA degree (73% aggregate)
GMAT - 660/5 (Dismal!!!)
Work Experience - 4 years in Hotel Operations with a leading hotel chain; 2 years with the
world's leading Hospitality Consulting firm.
EC - Decent (Sports, Dramatics, Debates..etc)

I got a reject the last time I applied to ISB for 2007/08 batch. Wasn’t even called for an i/v. Was
in hotel operations that time. I strengthened my profile and applied again. Gave my i/v on the
14th in Saket. Did not take another shot at GMAT though….

Word for the 100-word essay was 'Enthusiasm'...

2 people on the panel..a lady from Adcom and a gentleman (alumni)

Q. Exciting career move? How come?

Handled it relatively easily

Q. What do you prefer - The Consultant or the Operations Manager??

Q. Why MBA? What do you expect from ISB? What after ISB?

Q. Some questions about my time in operations (I was quizzed on a work achievements I had
mentioned)

Q. Whats happening in hotels in India - Going forward what do you expect...How will Mumbai
perform five years down the line??
No Problem

Q. My opinion on couple of things that one of my reco's mentioned??

Caught me off guard and I stumbled through an explanation..

Q. Questions about teamwork and working under pressure.

some cross questioning, which I didn’t handle too well.

Q. (Last question for you Kanishk!!!) How do you take feedback...no..correction...How do you
take negative feedback?
(I am thinking...What the hell is that supposed to mean??Guess they were trying to tell me
something) Felt confused and blurted out something....

Lasted about 40 mins….Frankly..I don’t expect a convert (specially with that last statement)

My advice for all i/v takers from my limited experience (this is my 1st i/v for any b school) –

1. Be yourself.
2. Know your resume in-and-out.
3. Think before you speak - Compose your train of thought rather than being eager to answer the
question.
4. I know it is easier said than done – ‘Be calm’
5. Be careful of your body language.
All The Best
Kanishk
had my interview today, 16th Oct, in Saket. The essay word was 'Faith'

There were three members in the panel (2):

1. Ms. Hema (H)
2. Alum1 (A1)
3. Alum2 (A2)

Me (M)

As I entered the room H asked me to tell something abt myself which is not there in the
applications
M: said something abt my schooling
A1: So u've studied at so many places, which one do you like the most?
M: I like xyz, I had lots of frends there. There was a bigg swimming pool and we used to party a
lot so thats my favourite.
H: So u've worked in a manufacturing firm for 4years then why did u shift to a services firm?
M: Gave few reasons
A1: I am not yet convinced
M: Explained more
H: Could u tellme howsthe manufacturing firm diff from Services in terms of team work?
( Picked this ques. from a statement of mine)
M: blah blah
H: How can u implement services culture to manufacturing?
M: blah blah
A1: Dont u think processes kill creativity? ( picked up from my answer )
M: blah blah

...will continue..
Hi frenz,
I had my interview just an hour ago. Was a terrific experience, I must say. Was very nervous till
the time I got there, but the other 2 guys who were scheduled before me were too calm which
calmed me up as well. The word I got for the write-up was "Fantasize".
INterview:
A young chap (Sachin, mustbe the alumnus) and other was a lady (Don't remember the name, but
was a part-time Professor with ISB). Lady had a negative impression about me from the picture
that I put in the application form (I had cut a pic from a group photo coz I thought it din't matter
much):
Lady: How serious are you about getting into ISB?
Me: Pretty serious and blah blah blah...
L: But your picture doesn't tell that. (Then she went on telling me that I had committed a very
big mistake and I really was sorry for that).
L: So, let's talk abat fine arts. (I mentioned it in my hobby) What have u done in FIne Arts?
Me: I was the secretary for the Music and Dramatics cmmittee in college and blah blah blah...
L: Can you sing something for us?
Me: (I sang Awarapan and they appreciated the voice. Thank God!)
L: Meditation. How did u get into that (That was another hobby that I mentioned)
M: (Told them abat the work-loads and all that and all of us went very casual about it)
Sachin: Do you say you are a Born Leader?
Me: Not exactly and blah blah...
S: What is it about leadership?
M: Decision Making
S: (Thought for a moment) What decision did Mahatma Gandhi make?
M: To serve the nation.
S: Are you impressed with your answer?
M: Yes
S: But many people take this decision.
M: But they don't take it with such firm determination.
S: How can you say your are a good team worker?
M: blah blah blah...
S: Ok, why should ISB take you?
M: (I said many things and one was my employer)
S: But a good employer doesn't make sure that you are actually that good.
M: ( Tried to convince him on my credentials and then i/v got into something abat my career
projects)
L: Evaluators have talked about your analytical skills (It means there are quite a few people who
have actually worked on ur application). So, let me ask you one last question. This hotel serves
breakfast from 6am to 10 am in the lobby in plates. Breakfast is complementary. Tell me how
many plates do they use for breakfast?
M: (I was a bit taken back coz she provided me with no data and I had to assume everything. I
assumed there were 9 floors and each floor had 50 rooms and occupancy was around 80% and all
rooms were singly occupied) Around 360-380 plates.
L: How did u come to that?
M: (I told her my thought process)
L: But u never considered the people who might come only for breakfast or the meeting being
held in Breakfast time or double occupancy rooms etc etc.
M: (I just shut my mouth up coz I cud not muster the courage up to say anything) Yes ma'm.
L: Sachin, any more question?
Sachin nodded NO.
S&L: Thanks.
L: And best of Luck.

It was just very bad. I knew somehow that I wasn't the candidate that they are actually looking
for.
But there are some things that I can tell u for sure:
1. Be very to-the-point. Read out the facts. They aren't interested in ur certificates , you don't
even need to carry them. So, tell them clearly what's there in those certificates.
2. Be patient. The lady tried to screw me up (for obvious reason) but I tried my best to maintain
my cool.
3. They don't look at ur essay that u write there. But sure enough, the essay is a part of the final
evaluation.
4. If it's true that people cannot really make out whether the interview was fine or not, then those
guys have got good luck n they r really gonna make it thru coz I know that my interview went
very bad.

My profile: 740 GMAT / 2 yrs 9 months exp in Automobile / nice acads / nice ECs

- we have not heard about your company, give some background?

- explain your typical day?
- what are your plans post mba (long and short term)?
- you have moved from individual contributor to managerial position, what did you find
different? what are the key learnings? Explain all things you did at work not directy related to
tech but business?
- what other B schools have you applied?
- why you didn't persure career in academics?
- EC details - i had written that play violin and harmonica so played harmonica and the panel was
happy..

Hi All,

Firstly i would like to thank everyone for the experiences they have shared.
I had my interview on Wednesday...Delhi...Sheraton...panel 3
Gmat:770/5
Experience:Telecom,R&D,33 months by the time i join(if i join)

I enter....

q)tell us about an experience u have had where u have performed well and beaten ur
competitiors...
dint go well...they wanted a work-ex example
q)leadership experience
went ok
q)post isb)
went well.....they said impressive

After this the panel said that u look like a pretty focused guy...tell us about ur leisure activities.

talked about tt ad making chocolates etc..

discussion on chocos...
then case study....
There was a painting on the wall ...They told me to find the market size....
Started off...went on for around 5 mins after which the lady stopped me to point out that one of
my estimations was too high....But Prof.Menon said its fine....the thought process is good...so
that ended the case study discussion.

Q)any ques from us?

Asked

then the alum asked me 2 more quest

q)why mba
q)why now

Thats it...

I think the good part of the interview was that the panel is v friendly....they take out the best in
you...

I am worried about my first question...maybe they will think not enough quality work ex....
Also they asked me wt if isb cannot place u in a telecom company post isb(had mentioned
it)...dunno wt to make of that...wt if they think they really cannot..i guess that jepordizes my
chances a bit...
Also asked me what other plans if no isb...

Thats just about it...hope it helps

hi guys...my chance to give something back to pugs:

Had my inv today at Taj,bandra 2.40pm.

The word i got was "finesse". I wrote about chidambaram and james bond and about their style
statement ....blah blah. I was questioned about chidambaram...i answered...the panel was
satisfied.

They asked me to describe my career after 12th in 1 min. I took 2-3 min...was not inturrupted. I
have a background in infrastructure (vendor development and value engineering)...a couple of
cross questions on why i left that and joined business consulting..... answered that...panel
satisfied. I was aked about post ISB and why MBA. They then moved to my reco in which my
exboss has mentioned about my nomination to a management prog...asked me about
it....satisfied...a couple of cross questions.

they moved to my background where i mentioned about having moved a lot of scholls as a
kid...asked me about by take on mumbai and my home town and which one i prefer.... blah
blah....answered...cross questioned.

They then took up my essay for questioning. I had mentioned some civil engg changes in the
zumba essay...they questioned me on it.
finally they asked me to ask them any questions.... asked one...got a long explaination....

thats it!!! nothin on market size, my work....dont know...crazy...i know!!!

dont know what to expect...
total duration: 20-25 mins
my background: 2yrs infrastructure + 1 .2 business consulting, 700/4.5, good extra curri, and
some international exp

First, my profile:

Sector: Energy
Designation: Purchasing Manager
Exp: 3.5 yrs
Job: Vendor development, Order placement, Contract Management, Conflict resolution. Last
year managed a budget of around 14M$. + + & +
GMAT: 710/ 4.5

As soon as I entered the hotel, I was handed over a paper to write an essay on FAITH. Wrote it
in ard 10 mins and waited outside the interview room (my exp says you have sufficient time to
write). In the meanwhile, the panel was reviewing my profile.
After around 20 mins. I was called in. Wished myself luck and entered. After all, as I had
convinced myself, it would be nothing more than a human meeting another set of humans.

My panel consisted of 3. One from Adcom, 2 young Alumni.

Questions:
1. How has your work exp. been till date?
2. What next?
3. Tell us more about your role?
4. Do you take decisions independently?
5. What as per you are the qualities that a consulting firm looks in a candidate?
6. What if your post MBA plans do not work out?
7. What potential do you see in the power sector in the coming years?
8. What problems would power sector face in next 10 years? What is the solution?
9. How much of the installed energy is nuclear energy? ( messed with the figures here but I
hope it does not become the only selection criteria though I thanked the alum for sharing his
knowledge and updating me …)
10. You are in sports as well. Do you play other games as well?
11. What else do you do in your spare time?
12. Anything you want to ask us?
The interview continued for around 30 mins. Later in the evening, I was leaving for Pune on a
business trip for 5 days and saw the ISB team ( including the Mr Menon ) at the Delhi airport.
Just dropped in to say hello and they were very receptive . The interviews in Delhi were over on
16th and they were heading towards Hyderabad.
Well, that’s about it from my end. I would want to thank all of you for your valuable inputs and
best of luck to all for interviews and the results. Just keep the big picture in your mind,
everything would fall in place.
Had my interview on 21st in Mumbai. Let me fill in on the details:

(Profile: B.E., 700/6.0, we ~4 yrs: 10 months in IT, rest in the game industry. Co-founded a
game development company a year ago)

Time: 4.50 pm
Panel: 5

I stay at santacruz - east. Left around 2.45 pm, took the western express highway. Hardly any
traffic. On route saw 2 burning tyres in the middle of the road and an injured guy being put onto
an ambulance, but thankfully did not encounter any rioting mob. Reached at 3.15 pm. Almost
everyone there had reported 2 hours before their scheduled time.

At 4.15, collected my essay topic: Anti-climax

Was called for interview at 5.10 pm.

3 persons on the panel, 1 adcom, 2 alumni

All the questions were related to my entrepreneurial venture. No questions about the application
or essay. Here are the questions that I was aksed:

1. What made you setup your company?

2. What platform are you targeting for your games?Why?How is the market for that platform?
3. Couple of questions related to the gaming industry (about wii and guitar hero)
4. What are the problems you are facing? What have you tried to tackle them?
5. If you are having trouble raising funds for your company then how do you justify spending 20
lakhs for an MBA?
6. What about your company and your partner if you get into ISB?
7. Short term and long term goals
8. You have such great experience, then why are you not looking at joining a gaming company
right now? (screwed up a bit on this one initially but was helped by some cross questioning and i
think i managed to give a satisfactory answer at the end...at least i hope so!)
9. How do you see the future of your company?
10. Any questions that you want to ask us?
11. Just when i was about to leave, they shot two more questions:what is the meaning of my
name and the reason behind the name of my company.

Gave them my business card, shook hands with all three and thats it. Was out by 5.40.

Overall it was a good experience. An easy flowing conversational kind of an interview, no

grilling of any sort. Don't know what to make of it at the end. Was able to tackle most of the
questions satisfactorily i think. Just keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope i was able to be of some help. All the best of luck to all for the interviews!

Had my interview today(Mumbai) at 8.30 in the morning on the 21st floor of Taj Lands End..
what a view !!!
The copies for the 100 word essay hadnt come out and I started my interview without it... was
told to finish the essay after the interview
Interview was with Mr.Ajit Rangnekar(Deputy Dean) and a certain Mr. D'souza who was
probably an Alum.
Q1: Do you like the room? (probably their way to ease me up)
Q2: Tell us about the work you currently do ( more stuff on my current profile in Valuations)
Q3: Asked to value an IPO for ISB... have no experience in pricing an IPO and they were
probably only looking for the thought process
Q4: Asked thoughts around the financial crisis and what would I have done differently
Q5: Asked on a layman perspective of the crisis...
Q6: Asked abt my shift from technology to finance and how I managed it?
Q7: From here on we went on to some good debates( have been associated with debating in
college)... asked my take on the MNS issue as well as quotas
Q8: What after MBA? ( back to career related stuff ): why a particular field and where does the
interest stem from.. ( you gotta know what motivates you to choose a particular function or
domain )

Finally asked me to ask a few questions...

Interview lasted for around 30-35 min.. and was pretty non-stressful.
My essay topic which I wrote later was "Passion".

Came out decently satisfied... can leave the extremely difficult decision making step to these
experienced guys now 
The long wait begins now...

All the best to all puys...

Profile: 720/5.5, approx 3 yrs experience at ibank(2 yrs in IT + 1 yr in finance), certified FRM,
good acads, very good extracurriculars

Just finished my interview in Mumbai. This is what it felt like:

3 ppl - Adcom member and 2 others. Very friendly.

It started off with a little bit of a discussion about Raj Thackeray. Since they weren't aware of
him having received bail. Time - approx 3 mints

Since I'm in IT, I was asked why I had not shifted jobs. I'm still with my first employer. Talked
in detail about fulfilment, satisfaction, growth and how MBA will fit into it. I was also asked if I
would go back to current employer after ISB. I said yes, if the opportunities are right. Some
detailed questions about sabbaticals, sponsorship etc. Time - approx 3 mints
Since I maintain my own blog, I was asked about recent topics. We had a rather interesting
discussion about affirmative action. Time - approx - 5 mints

Some project related information. More domain specific questions about differentiating factors
about loyalty programs. Time - approx 5 mints

Questions about extra curricular activities. Quizzing and trivia. Weakness (since I guess my
evaluator had not been clear). Approx 3 mints

Return questions from my side - Approx 5 mints. Total of around 25-30 mints.

Essay word was "ferocious", which was read thoroughly. As was the rest of the app. I would
suggest that ppl be familiar with their essays, hobbies, achievements etc.

No Why MBA, Why ISB, market size style of questions...

Fingers crossed and ATB to the remaining junta.

ISB iv exp:
22nd oct, panel 4, 18:10 hrs
Essay word: Ferocious
Panel: 2ppl - isb faculty (my guess from their apparnt age)- amale, 1 female
IV:
Q1: y didnt u join iims (had mentioned cat %ile -99.81)
A: got I n K.. but i plan to join strtgy consulting post mba n my frnd at mck n bcg told u cud take
another attmpt.
Q2: how much more do u need to get to A, B, C??
A: i missed in eng section by 1 mark.
Q3: After IIT Mech u joined IT n u said u want to go into consulting?
A: that for only for some time..i am into operation consulting.
Q: 4,5,6,7: Abt my job n what do i do..team size, who do i report to..etc.
A: handled okay
Q8: biggest achievement in career?
A: told abt 1st study in consulting role..(not very impressive)
Q9: Any crisis situation that you faced..where u had to deal with lack of information ?
A: not any that i can think of now.
Q10: Case: estimate the daily rice consumption in India..we r looking for approach..u can make
assumptions..take ur time..use pad n
pencil if you want..
A: did okay..(no. not very far from actual fig.)
Q11:mulitply by 365?
A: did
Q12: y did i ask you to multiply this?
A: to get the anual fig. so that u can relate to the actual annual consumption of which you may
have some idea.
Q13: Teel us about theatre? (my major hobby..did a professional play as well)
A: told abt my 1st play experience...n then abt direction of plays etc.
Q14: tell us abt a play u directed ?
A: told..mentioned a unique aspect of direction.
Q15: any q for us?
A (Q): how do students at isb manage with placemnts n rigrous studies at the same time as its a 1
yr compressed prog.?
Panel A: some gyan abt prep for 2-3 months...not very impressed with this question.. (i could
have asked a better question)
Q16: u mentioned "i continue my involvement in theatre as a spectator"...? (male prof commenst
sarcastically: very creatively put)
A: sir couldn't think of any better way to put it. I regularly watch plays.
Q17: Which is the best play u have seen?
A: mentioned a recent play i saw...mentined y i rated it as the best i had seen till now.
END.
i feel wnt okay but some weak points are there....will find out on nov. 20th....the panel was cool
and not trying to put stress..however
they looked for a logical and rationale approach to the case..handed over the essay post i..they
didn't even asked for it so i thot i
should give it to them.
hope this helps...please feel free to call me on 9920710737 in case anyone needs any more info.
All the best to all...
n yeah would love to have some reviews/comments on my iv 

Had my interview at 15th floor of Taj Land's end. 3 panel members one adcom other two were
alums ... 100 word essay was on "Passion" ... questions as follows in a random order ...

1. questions were application specific. just picking a random word from ur essays or
accomplishments and asking on it
2. questions related to my current job, current industry and some facts n customer preferences
3. what would i do differently if was the MD of my company
4. post ISB plans
5. With work ex of about 2 yrs will i be able to contribute to the learning of my peer group
6. Craziest thing i have done
7. stock price of my company. wud i recommend buying it?
8. statistics related to my industry
9. Market size of a Service product that my company was selling
10. Show i handle senior colleagues at work when i am leading them
11. What negative issues wud ur peer group have about you if u make it to ISB
12. reason behind choosing current job n profile; job satisfaction; why leave the company if the
going is good
13. who r the competitors to ur company? what was my competitor doing right which was giving
him an edge over us in the market
14. follow ur heart or mind ?
15. wud you take a job which gives you the desired profile but pays you just enough to pay ur
loan EMIs and live simple life
16. where do i see my company in next 10 years?
17. any questions for us?

What i cud gauge from the interview ws that they likd wanted to see if you are the same person
they figured you were in the essays. They were looking for passion, clarity of thought & a clear
goal and not hw gr8 acads u hv or how many mountains you have moved at work.

i think these r more or less what they asked. other questions were add on questions. interview
lasted about 40-45 mins. Looked good and got positive hints from the adcom member. But you
never know. Almost everyone was coming out of their interviews feeling they had aced it so
fingers crossed.

rgds
Smack
M/24/720 / 4.5/8.67 CGPA / NIT - Mechanical Engg / Dy. Manager - service / Automobile
industry
Work ex: 27 Months (till Sept'08 and counting)

Just Finished my interview. Had a panel of 3 interviewers Mr D'Souza, Madhav and Amit i
think. It lasted only 23 minutes and i spoke fast but at least i was clear.

Got the word emotive at first. Kind of said some something about Federer and how its ok to
emote on court.

1. In your recommendation it says that you can explain things in layman terms very well. So
please explain what you do in lay man terms.
This was chicken feed. Smashed it.
2. Explain about your company and what it does.
Even more easier
3. It says in your recommendation about your cultural sensitivity. Please give one incident that
you used this to achieve something.
Kind of dithered and beat around the bush to say something during my international experience.
Dunno whether this will affect my evaluation.
4. Asked about one feed back or critique from someone and what did you do about it.
Did well i think.
5. Why MBA Why Now and Why ISB
Standard q and standard answer
6. How you convinced some one about something.
Kind of screwed up here
7. Then asked something about my estimates for my 3rd essay.
Did ok i think.
8. Here came the trick Q. How much would you rate yourself in this interview. 
Rated myself 7/10. Then asked me to give a self evaluation of where i could of done better.
Gawd did i do so badly or they wanted a honest answer.
9. Anything to add
Something about how i really want to be in ISB. Hope i did not sound too desperate.
10. Any Qs to ask.
Some Qs about student pool .
Fellow pagals,

Just finished my interview in Mumbai. This is what it felt like:

3 ppl - Adcom member and 2 others. Very friendly.

It started off with a little bit of a discussion about Raj Thackeray. Since they weren't aware of
him having received bail. Time - approx 3 mints

Since I'm in IT, I was asked why I had not shifted jobs. I'm still with my first employer. Talked
in detail about fulfilment, satisfaction, growth and how MBA will fit into it. I was also asked if I
would go back to current employer after ISB. I said yes, if the opportunities are right. Some
detailed questions about sabbaticals, sponsorship etc. Time - approx 3 mints

Since I maintain my own blog, I was asked about recent topics. We had a rather interesting
discussion about affirmative action. Time - approx - 5 mints

Some project related information. More domain specific questions about differentiating factors
about loyalty programs. Time - approx 5 mints

Questions about extra curricular activities. Quizzing and trivia. Weakness (since I guess my
evaluator had not been clear). Approx 3 mints

Return questions from my side - Approx 5 mints. Total of around 25-30 mints.

Essay word was "ferocious", which was read thoroughly. As was the rest of the app. I would
suggest that ppl be familiar with their essays, hobbies, achievements etc.

No Why MBA, Why ISB, market size style of questions...

Fingers crossed and ATB to the remaining junta.

Regards

RSB

ISB iv exp:
22nd oct, panel 4, 18:10 hrs
Essay word: Ferocious
Panel: 2ppl - isb faculty (my guess from their apparnt age)- amale, 1 female
IV:
Q1: y didnt u join iims (had mentioned cat %ile -99.81)
A: got I n K.. but i plan to join strtgy consulting post mba n my frnd at mck n bcg told u cud take
another attmpt.
Q2: how much more do u need to get to A, B, C??
A: i missed in eng section by 1 mark.
Q3: After IIT Mech u joined IT n u said u want to go into consulting?
A: that for only for some time..i am into operation consulting.
Q: 4,5,6,7: Abt my job n what do i do..team size, who do i report to..etc.
A: handled okay
Q8: biggest achievement in career?
A: told abt 1st study in consulting role..(not very impressive)
Q9: Any crisis situation that you faced..where u had to deal with lack of information ?
A: not any that i can think of now.
Q10: Case: estimate the daily rice consumption in India..we r looking for approach..u can make
assumptions..take ur time..use pad n
pencil if you want..
A: did okay..(no. not very far from actual fig.)
Q11:mulitply by 365?
A: did
Q12: y did i ask you to multiply this?
A: to get the anual fig. so that u can relate to the actual annual consumption of which you may
have some idea.
Q13: Teel us about theatre? (my major hobby..did a professional play as well)
A: told abt my 1st play experience...n then abt direction of plays etc.
Q14: tell us abt a play u directed ?
A: told..mentioned a unique aspect of direction.
Q15: any q for us?
A (Q): how do students at isb manage with placemnts n rigrous studies at the same time as its a 1
yr compressed prog.?
Panel A: some gyan abt prep for 2-3 months...not very impressed with this question.. (i could
have asked a better question)
Q16: u mentioned "i continue my involvement in theatre as a spectator"...? (male prof commenst
sarcastically: very creatively put)
A: sir couldn't think of any better way to put it. I regularly watch plays.
Q17: Which is the best play u have seen?
A: mentioned a recent play i saw...mentined y i rated it as the best i had seen till now.
END.
i feel wnt okay but some weak points are there....will find out on nov. 20th....the panel was cool
and not trying to put stress..however
they looked for a logical and rationale approach to the case..handed over the essay post i..they
didn't even asked for it so i thot i
should give it to them.
hope this helps...please feel free to call me on 9920710737 in case anyone needs any more info.
All the best to all...
n yeah would love to have some reviews/comments on my iv 

I had my interview on 22nd Oct 08 at the Taj, Bandra, Mumbai

I was the last candidate to be interviewed and in my panel there was just one gentleman who did
not introduce himself. He just called me inside and asked me to sit on the hot seat. (Gentleman:G
, Moi: M)

G: So why MBA? you just have 2 years work-ex and why so early?
M: gave the reasons. cross questioned. answered (looked satisfied)

G: Tell me some challenges in your work that you've faced and how would an MBA help you
overcome.
M: Gave some. (dint seem satisfied). After some beating around the bush and his prompting, I
came to some points that he was looking for and he said - "that's what I was looking for.
shouldn't you have just said that earlier" (I already started shivering)

G: Ok, so you have written about increasing international student representation at ISB and all
the steps that you've written are pretty much the same we've tried and failed. What more would
you do?
M: (thought...thought) gave him some reasons- he said doesnt work. tried more (he dint seem
satisfied)

G: So since you've worked at a US location, you would have made friends there. How would you
convince them to join ISB?!
M: (stumped again) Said something rational according to me. but by then I guess he lost interest
and moved on

G: So what are you passionate about outside work?

M: answered (writing stories and bleh)

G: So if you were to write a story on yourself, what would it be on?

M: told him an incident (he listened intently and cross questioned. handled this well)

G: So don't you want to join your dad's business (a continuation from the story)
M: answered and slipped in my long term goals as well (looked satisfied. Smiled for the first
time in the entire interview... phew!)

G: So, I see you've got quite a few patents to your name as I see in your essays and resume, so I
was expecting some out of the box answers to my earlier questions, but that didn't seem the case
(me shivering again). So apart from the strengths in your application, tell me one strength that
you have..
M: (thought) I gave an intelligent answer (so I feel). He smiled and said - "ahaa"

G: Ok so tell me - If you were handling the campaigning of the losing party in the US elections,
how will you make him win, now that a week is left before the elections (basically an offshoot
question from my prev ans)
M: (was I about to pee in my pants?) Told some thing. Lots of cross questioning on this one. I
answered. More cross questioning. Finally he lost interest in me or gave up on me thinking I am
utterly useless and said - 'any questions for us?'
I asked him one question - he said good question and answered for about 7-8 mins. Really
detailed answer and a great one too! and based on that I asked him one more (this one was
impromptu) and he answered this one also really well. Seriously! ISB is ISB .. the way he
answered I felt "oh damn! I hope I dont lose the opportunity of making it here"

So this is my story. I've lost hope

My profile: 720/5.5... 2+ WE... Indian IT Male... Great Acads, Great EC

All the best to fellow puys. Do well!

Hi!! All,

Had my interview yesterday, lasted for around 20-25 mins

Essay word- Passion

3 panel members, They were friendly and made u comfortable

They started of with my extracirriculas & then moved on to my work.

From there on it was totally about work,

what is the term of a patent

views on process & product patents in India
how do u handle office politics 

then future plans

tell us about a leadership experience, since i donot handle a team.
how will your career move in the same industry, if u do not do a MBA
& the final question, why should ISB take u in.

I think I handled the questions well, but I noticed one thing, there wasn`t any cross questioning,

don`t know what to make out, either they were convinced with the answers I gave, or they were
not interested in the answers, god alone knows.

They wished me best of luck, don`t know what to consider this as

Anyways I am confused.

Best of luck to all the those who have their interviews

cheers!!!
My interview experience:
Location: Mumbai, Panel 2, 9 am.

At around 8.30 am, got word "ridiculous" for the 100 word essay. Since the interview started 45
mins late, technically had time of about 1.25 hours to complete the essay. I however finished it in
10-15 mins, didn't want to think much on it somehow.

My profile is: 5 years current exp, IT Services 1 year, Rest in IT product startups, 710 GMAT.

The interview:
Two people. One guy(G),perhaps an alum. One lady(L), perhaps faculty.

G: Can you describe your career after 12th and also the reasons for the decisions you took.
Me: Provided a brief summary with emphasis on work experience, which I think is strong.
G: Asked some minor follow up questions which I don't remember right now.
L: So why MBA now? You have had a good run so far?
Me: Explained the desire to add more value to the success of organizations I work for. Explained
the business challenges I experienced in the startups( My last employer had shut down India
office recently, etc)
G(well familiar with this MBA reason): But these things happen however good business
leadership is. How would MBA help?
L: So what were the innovative initiatives you took?
Me: Gave instances involving different teams in organization such as Marketing, sales, prod
mgmt. Both seem satisfied.
L: Why a sudden interest in community service? (I had joined an NGO about 5 months ago)
Me(Caught off-guard): Blabbered something about the need to address the particular problem.
They looked okay but not very impressed. 
G: Suppose you are a delagate of indian IT to Barack Obama, how would you convince him to
do outsourcing.
Me: Handled Okay. Explained in these tough financial conditions, US businesses will do well to
stream line themselves and focus on core business. Indian IT is still cost effective and has
expertise. We can help them get over these times.
G: Are you saying indian IT has solution to this meltdown?
Me: No. But we can help for sure. With our expertise, low cost. Repeated. Should have brought
in more perspectives perhaps.
G: You mentioned wireless networks sometime ago.(I worked in a WiFi company recently and
had said wireless is hot these days in India while explaining the initiatives I took). What will be
the market size in India.
Me: Handled okay. But should have prepared this one. Anyway, as usual, they looked at the
approach and seemed satisified. While I was scribbling in the scratch-pad, I saw the guy showing
something in my application/his assessment to the lady and the lady nodded. What was that-
Admitted/Ding?
G: Any questions you have?
Me: Asked an okay one. They explained.
Had some discussion. Explained my entrepreneurial inclination too.
Me: Thanked them for their time and the great effort being put up by the AdCom to handle
things, appreciated Mr Menon's effort at PG)
G: Thanks for that. I would convey to Mr Menon too.

Thats it! I felt okay after interview. But like others think I could have done better. My
takeaways:

1. Yes, they have read your apps very well. So make sure you do justice to your claims.
2. The adcom in general is very comforting and patient.
3. I feel that the interview is not a make or break thing. As most of the people are having relaxed
interviews it seems like they are just trying to see the true picture. The final decision will moslty
be made on the basis of diversity/exp level/overall profile.

Can answer more if someone wants any specific detail.

All the best!

http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/international-indian-mba-schools-accepting/29126-isb-2009-
aspirants-192.html
How would solve a market size case question like: How many pencils are sold in a year in India?

hey guys
I had my interview @ ISB campus yesterday. I was scheduled for the first slot in the morning.

Panel - 2 alums (one from the class of 2002, first ISB batch, dnt remember about other one) and
one adcom

Duration - approx 30 mins.

Questions :
Let me tell you, it was very much like a personal interview, based on what I had written in my
essays, especially first essay (3 distinctive points).
It sounded like they wanted to cross check if I really have the qualities that I have mentioned.
almost all questions were pretty much analytical and open ended.
e.g. I had mentioned about my work in my family business. They asked me, "If your father wants
to start a similar business around ISB campus and he has asked you to analyze the situation here
and make recommendations, what would be your steps for the same?"
I had many such questions on other qualities that I had mentioned in essays and then some
routine stuff like tell me something about yourself, why ISB, goals, etc..

Similar were the experiences of other candidates that I spoke with...

Another point to note:
majority of candidates yesterday were with a current work ex of 2-3 yrs!
Overall, I believe I could handle those questions well. I tought the adcom was a little less
convinced than the alums (atleast from the facial expressions !).
Thats all about it... waiting for the D-day (11/25) when I would know how well I did !