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IIM CAP 2020 Interview Experience ft. Siddhant Singhal
Updated: Jun 26, 2020
Siddhant Singhal, a B.Com Graduate and 95.76 Percentiler in CAT has come forward to share his IIM CAP 2020 Interview Experience for the benefit of the blog members. What I liked the most about his experience was how he handled questions that came from nowhere, e.g. a sudden mention of Bigg Boss.
Interview Experience
IIM CAP 2020, (WAT & PI)
19th February, Forenoon 8:30 AM
Venue: Hotel Jaypee Siddharth, New Delhi
Profile (General Candidate)
10th - 85.5
12th - 80.6
B.Com - 83.3
CAT %ile - 95.76
Work-ex – Fresher
WAT - 20 Minutes
Topic: Growth of Artificial Intelligence and Automation will lead to High Unemployment Rates.
PI – 30 Minutes
2 Panelists (P1, P2) Both Male (probably in their 40s)
P1 - So you are from Gwalior. What is it famous for?
Me – Told about famous tourist spots and old business industries in and around the city.
P1 – Tell something about Scindia Dynasty.
Me – Told about the origin & history and current political influence of Scindias.
Suggested | Hometown Based Questions
P2 - Who do you think is a better politician, Jyotiraditya or Vasundhara Raje Scindia?
Me – Tried not to pick a side and gave a neutral answer, both seemed to be convinced.
P1 - What are your views on the recent Incident between Kamal Nath and Scindia.
Me – Said that I am not aware of the incident.
P2 - Is Kamal Nath associated with any B-School?
Me – Yes Sir, IMT Ghaziabad was founded by his father Shri Mahendra Nath.
P1 – (Reading my CAP Profile Form) Your academic performance has always been average, 80-85%. Why so?
Me – I have always remained a consistent performer in academics and at the same time also been involved in other co-curricular activities since my school days like managing fests, organizing quizzes, working as an editor for the school magazine or being involved in a social activity program. I always tried to create a balance between both academics and practical learning. (I also mentioned some of my awards and achievements during school time and undergraduate course)
P2 – (Out of nowhere) Do you watch Big Boss?
Me – I watched a few seasons in the beginning but not anymore.
P1 - Why do you think everyone watches Big Boss?
Me – (I couldn’t think of a right answer so tried to answer it as a joke) I believe its because we enjoy controversial stuff, seeing celebrities fight and getting entertained after a long busy day.
(Both P1 & P2 laughed)
P2 - Do you still watch any animated series or cartoons?
Me – Said I still do enjoy watching animated movies, mentioned some of my old favorite cartoon/animated series and movies.
P1 – My daughter watches TV cartoons the whole day, do you think that cartoons can have a sort of negative influence on kids?
Me – Cited examples of few cartoons that have been banned in some countries and the influence of the plot and storyline of the cartoon series on children, both mentally and socially.
P2 - (I mentioned winning gaming tournaments in the Profile Form) Why do you think Esports should be considered as a mainstream sport?
Me – (Came prepared as I was expecting questions on this topic) Said how it requires teamwork, problem-solving skills, proper strategy, and practice like any other regular sport. I also told about huge tech companies acting as sponsors and organizing various events all over the world.
P2 - Future of Esports and business in India?
Me - Told them about the history and current financial position of the big gaming companies in India. Gave some stats about revenues per user of the industry. Also mentioned - no. of gaming companies in India increased to more than 10 times over a decade.
(P2 seemed to have pretty good knowledge about Esports)
P2 - Do computer games have any positive use or influence on Kids?
Me – Told how it helps them become more creative and improve problem-solving skills. I also gave an example of how a simulation game is being used by experts to study the behavior of primary school kids in the US.
P2 – Tell something about your family background.
Me – Told
P1 – (My father is a Govt. Employee) What will be the effect on LIC after the decisions taken in Budget 2020.
Me – (Explained future prospects and potential impact on the Organisational Structure of LIC)
P1 - What will be the effect on the LIC employees?
Me – (Explained by giving the example of my father)
I was then asked a few questions on Economics, Finance, Accounting, Statistics.
(Answered almost all correctly with confidence but was not sure about some of them)
(Make sure you revise all the topics related to your Undergraduate Course, especially if you are a fresher)
P1 - What other calls do you have?
Me- MDI, IIM Shillong, IMT and XIMB.
P2 - What are the capitals of state of all IIMs part of CAP 2020? Which IIM will you select of these 9 IIMs?
Me – (Knew State & its capital for 8 IIMs, Couldn’t Recall for Sambalpur) I have not made my final choice yet, but the New IIMs are my first preference over Baby IIMs.
(Realized I made a mistake as the panel was from a 3rd Gen IIM and they didn’t seem happy with me calling their institute a ‘Baby IIM’)
P1 – I don’t understand, why aspirants categorize IIMs as Old/New/Baby. IIM is an IIM. Whether it be Ahmedabad, Ranchi, Jammu or Sirmaur.
Me – I do agree that all the IIMs have excellent faculty members, but Sir, to be honest, there are more important factors to be considered while selecting a B-School like campus, age of the Institute and alumni base. But, I will anyway choose an IIM over any other private B-Schools to get exceptional learning and experience and be a part of the IIM family. (tried to play it safe this time)
P1 - That’s it, we are done. Do you want to ask anything?
Me – Asked about the option of deferred placements and the International Immersions Program in IIMs.
It was a 25-30 minutes long interview. It was good conversation rather than being a Q&A round. Each question they ask is based on what you speak and this could help you lead the interview in your direction and preferred interests.
Suggested | Mistakes in an IIM Interview
Verdict: (as on 16th June 2020)
Converted:
IIM Raipur
IIM Trichy
IIM Kashipur
IIM Bodhgaya
IIM Sirmaur
IIM Sambalpur
IIM Jammu
Waitlisted:
IIM Ranchi
IIM Udaipur
So, this was Siddhant Singhal's IIM CAP 2020 Interview Experience. Hope you got some insights out of it. Would like to thank Siddhant for taking out his time to share this with us.