How was my IIM Calcutta Interview experience?

Getting started

IIM Calcutta is one of the holy trinity of B-Schools in India – Also fondly known as ABC. Naturally, the stakes are high when you get an interview here.

I’m Ruchi Aggarwal, the founder of Mentoresult – I’ve helped over 2000 students crack admissions to top B-Schools, but I’m sharing a different story today. Not as a mentor, but as a student – The story of my own IIM Calcutta interview!

Through this experience, you’ll learn more about the questions from an IIMC interview, my prep strategies, and what the results page looks like 🙂

My IIM Calcutta interview profile

Here’s a snapshot of my profile going into the interview:

CAT score: 99.99 %ile

10th Score: 96.71% (ICSE – All India Rank 9)

12th Score: 89% (Maharashtra State Board – Gold Medallist)

Undergrad Score: 6.88/7 (B.Com from Mumbai University – Perfect 7 in final year)

Chartered Accountancy: All India Rank 8 in Foundation

My Extracurriculars:

• National Parliamentary Debate Winner at IIT Bombay’s Mood Indigo
• Times of India ‘Young Editor’ Winner
• Guitar + Piano player

Positions of Responsibility:-

• Chief Editor at Young Endeavor, the official college magazine
• President of the Debating and Literary Club at College
• Basketball Captain

Interview Day

I was quite nervous for my interview

Date: Feb 7

Venue: Dadar Catering College, Mumbai

We had submitted a detailed form where we were asked for our personal details, family details, academic and extracurricular records, and some subjective long-form questions.

This form also asked for a 100 word write up on career goals, academic prizes and details on hobby – It was more extensive than the IIMA form, but shorter than the IIMB form.

My Interview Experience

My panel consisted of two male professors and one more interviewer who I could not identify on the IIMC faculty website – Could be an alum. They looked quite serious but seemed familiar with each other. I was quite nervous, though I had done a fair bit of prep for the interview.

PART 1: CA and my dad

Prof: So what have you been doing in the last year?

Me: I was preparing for Chartered Accountancy, sir.

Prof: We see from your form that your father is also a CA, are you trying to follow in his footsteps?

Me: (I smiled) I’m trying, sir, but that is difficult as he is a rank-holding CA!

P: But why are you saying that you also have a rank in foundation

Me: (I sensed this was a trap for arrogant students – No one can compare a final rank with a foundation rank) Yes, sir, but a rank in CA final is a very big feat!

(Profs smiled and seemed to be less severe now. We soon moved to a different topic)

PART 2: Interviewee’s choice

Prof: Okay, so what would you like to talk about?

Me: (hesitantly asking) I can choose anything?

P: (laughingly) Yeah, anything, choose anything.

Me: I’ve prepared for many academic questions, but if given a choice, I would love to talk about my extracurricular activities, especially my debating experience.

P: (Smiling now) Okay, so we will give you a topic, and you have to speak both for and against. The topic is – Should J&K be a part of India? You have 90 seconds for each

(I started with the against argument and made three solid points, and stopped when I sensed I reached the 90-second mark)

P: Okay! Now switch to the other side – Argue for the topic.

(I immediately switched sides and made arguments for why it should continue to be a part of India. This section was slightly more straightforward and more politically correct! I again made a 3-point argument and rounded it up in around 90 seconds)

P: (with big smiles) Very good, very good!

Me: Thank you!

(They took a small pause while I was sipping some water before we moved to the next topic)

PART 3: Quadratic equation & Why Calcutta

Prof: So, when was the last time you had pure maths in your curriculum?

Me: I studied maths and stats in the 12th, but I have studied it again for CAT.

P: (grinning) Okay, so solve this equation

They handed me a slip of paper with a quadratic equation, and two equations in alpha and beta – I had to find the roots. I read the sum and borrowed a pen to solve it.

P: (While I’m still solving) It’s very easy, there’s no trick!

I was a bit suspicious why they would say this, but I kept my head down and tried to solve it calmly and avoid a silly mistake in my haste. In around a minute or two, I solved it and said my answer.

P: (Smilingly) Yes, that’s correct! (They then followed up with a non-sequitur)

P: So you have done well in finance, why do you want to switch to management? Shouldn’t you continue on your Chartered Accountancy path?

Me: (I had already prepared for this answer, so my response was sort-of scripted.) I do feel that an MBA is a logical progression to a finance education – And IIM Calcutta seems to be the most logical choice because it is the Mecca of finance.

(Big smiles from all profs)

PART 4: A spot of fun

(Clearly, the profs had run out of serious questions, so they were reading my form and chatting)

Prof: So it says here that you like music?

Me: (I smiled) Yes, I do

P: And you play the piano?

Me: Yes, sir

P: What are your favourites to play on the piano?

Me: I love the classics like Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart. Another one of my favourites is from the french movie Amélie – It’s called Comptine d’un autre été l’après-midi, and it was my inspiration to learn the piano.

P: Oh, so western music primarily?

Me: Yes, sir.

P: Do you own a piano?

Me: No, sir, only a keyboard for now.

(Meanwhile, another professor was still reading the form and interjected with a question)

P: What was your income from your job last year?

Me: Sir, I was still studying last year, so I was not earning anything significant.

P: But here it says on the form, that your yearly income was ₹xx for the previous year?

Me: (I was taken aback for a moment, before remembering why that figure was there) Oh that is my income from investments, sir, you see, as my father is a CA….

Profs (all laughing): Say no more! We can understand why the investments are in your name. 😄

We wrapped up the interview on this funny note!

My Reflections

While the interviewers looked almost stern initially, it was a relatively friendly and chilled-out interview where they made me feel very comfortable.

I also had interviews at IIM A and IIM B, but this interview covered a lot of ground and was slightly longer than the other interviews (~25 minutes).

Prep was really important in this interview as well – I had a very structured prep process, and that helped me a lot in questions regarding the piano, debating and my long-term goals.

I’ve shared my entire MBA Interview prep strategy here.

Results!

I was quite happy with my IIM Calcutta interview, and the interviewers were very expressive in their happiness as well, so I was feeling positive about the results! I still wasn’t 100% sure, since you can never predict the results.

A few weeks later, I checked the IIM C portal and finally, I got the coveted admissions notification!

I had gotten converts from IIMA and IIMB (you can read those interview experiences here & here), so I was ecstatic about the final convert of the triumvirate.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed the little trip to memory lane!

If you’re preparing for your MBA journey, then don’t be afraid. The interview is a hurdle that you can cross easily.

IIMABC are a dream for many, and I’ve been very lucky to convert all 3 offers and study at these great institutions. I’ve also been fortunate to be a part of so many more MBA journeys as a mentor and guide, right from the start of the MBA journey to the interview stage.

You can setup a personalised 1:1 interview prep session with me here.

If you’re starting your MBA journey and want to map out your entire journey, then find me here.

Leave your questions in the comments, and join the mailing list for more MBA stories from me.