CET 2008 Experiences

[ViralVora]

Hi All

As the CET-2008 GD-PIs have kick-started, let me wish all the best to one and all!

For people who have already not appeared, they can download the official profile sheet you will be asked to fill from http://www.dte.org.in/mba2008/Office_Order_ARC2008-2009.pdf

From what I read on other websites, the PI questions are mostly around your inputs in this sheet and some GK questions.

Let's use this thread to discuss our experiences for the benifit of all.

All the best to all once a again..Break a leg!:)

[VikasKappe]

I could find the list of some gdpi topics of this yr:

1] Flexibility in specialisation in Indian Education System"
2] "Legalise the coaching classes and close down the regular college classes".
3]Rural development alone will reseult in removing unemployment.
4]knowledge without integrity causes destruction 1. Why you want to do this course?
5] with internet & cable TV, classrooms would become redundant in our educational system
6]The best teacher is the one who teaches the least but inspires
7) Siblings rivalry of business Tycoons- Does it helps the investor.
8) Coalition govt can neither be strong nor last long.
9]Couriers -should they be given to hande postal department [bout privatisation] n
10]Advertisment -is is really necessary
11] The true value of a man is not by the number of servants he has but by the number of people
he serves..
12]Businessmen discuss the most bad business practices on the most expensive dinner
tables....

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

Here is GD experience of one of our student Siddhesh Jaykar.

Date:15th May, 2008
Venue: Neville Wadia Institute of Management (Pune)

There were three panelist, one lady who did the talking and two gentlemen.

Topics:

1. Only thing man needs is Bread
2. Free medical Aid should be introduced for all by the Government of India

We choose the second topic.

My entries:

Well friends, I feel that the second topic seems more relevant to us as it is an issue which India as a country has to address..so I personally am for the second topic. Is everyone in agreement with the same? (all had by then raised their fingers for the second topic)

GD Starts….Without giving time to think.

#1: Well friends, before we get into the details of the topic, I wish to draw attention to the fact that why are we discussing this topic. India as a country has nearly 22% of people below the Indian poverty line of Rs 350 per month. This makes the issue of addressing their medical needs very important. Given this backdrop, lets look at various advantages associated with such a medical aid, various disadvantages before deciding on the solution for the same

#2: One practical problem associated with implementing the medical aid only for the poor, is how does one define the poor? Where could the government draw the line as to who are the deserving people and who are the ones who could fend for themselves…

#3: While infrastructure remains an issue, given the success of the private sectors in India, the government could look at entering a PPP (public Private Partnership) for the rural areas so that the infrastructural problem could be addressed.

#4: (This is in response to someone saying that what could be the benefit for the privates)

Just to counter your point about the interest of the private sector, I would like to say that when a hospital has to import a medical equipment from outside, a significant amount is spent towards payment of the import duties. Probably the government could look at providing certain waivers in the import duty so that the cost of the equipment and in general , the total medical cost could come down.

#5: I think as a group we all agree to the fact that the government steps to introduce free vaccination for Polio and other such dreaded diseases are right, only thing is that it needs to be addressing the issue of extending it to other diseases. Maybe doing the same in a phased manner, say two diseases – three diseases at a time could be a possible solution.

#6: I think there was another point which my friend had made regarding free diagnosis being made available. Could we as a group discuss that aspect also?

#7: Just an earlier point which my friend here had made regarding the emphasis on developing the medical infrastructure, I feel that rather than a short term approach of giving medical aid to the poor, maybe keeping long term perspective into consideration, funds should be allocated towards research and development of these medical equipments at home.

#8: (A point was made regarding rural internship being made mandatory. This would lead to change of heart in the case of some doctors and might lead to them taking up activities in the rural areas)

Just a flip side to what you just said, maybe some doctors might have a change in heart but at the same time there might some doctors who are kind of forced to undergo the internship and it might so happen that they do not treat their patients well. In fact there were a lot of protests when the issue of mandatory rural internship was made. I fell, rather than forcing the doctors to work in rural areas, they should be incentivized to work there. Maybe some kind of grants, property tax waiver for them could be thought of rather than forcing them to work in rural areas

Summary:

As a group we had a healthy discussion on the given topic.

We discussed the various problems associated with the implementation of the scheme such as the infrastructural issues, the question on identifying the poor

We also looked at various solutions to overcome the problem like Public-Private Partnerships, incentivizing the doctors, implementation of the programe in a phased manner.


My review:

I would give it 2 stars. The worse thing was the moderator intervened (say in the 15 min or so) saying that group is moving away from the topic and I suggest you stick to the topic. She also stopped the GD (say in the 18th min) saying that since no new points are coming out, I am stopping the GD and I request each one of you to summarize.

In retrospect I feel I could have done much better. Mid GD summary, which was conspicuously missing should have been done. Also, when the moderator mentioned about the group moving away from the topic, I could have checked as to why she said so. What really happened that the group started discussing on how the free aid could be made available before actually deciding whether or not it should be made available in the first place! After all that was the basic question which the topic presented.

The start was not all that great but I hope I score some points there.

Even in the summary which I presented, I did not actually address the question put forth in the topic.

All in all, a bad GD meant that there was all the more pressure on the interview!!!

Regards,

Manish sir

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

Here is the PI experience of Siddhesh.

Date:15th May, 2008

Time: 11 am-12 noon

Venue: Neville Wadia Institute of Management

There were two panelist, roughly 45-50 years old, one who of the serious type and the other who although smiling, was trying to take up my case. Let me refer them as P1 and P2 respectively:

Following is my interview transcript based on my memory:

Me: Could I come in sir?

P2: Yes, please….. (me walked in) Take your seat…..

Me: Thank u sir (sitting down)

P2: So what is your name?

Me: Siddhesh…Siddhesh Jayakar sir

P2: (Looking at the sheet filled)….Hmm..so you have done your Engg….from where?

Me: D.J Sanghvi College of Engg., Mumbai

P2: Where in Mumbai?

Me: Vile Parle sir

P1: What stream?

Me: Biomedical Engg…

P2: What is that?

Me: Well Sir, if Instrumentation engineering is familiar to u….. (both nod), Biomedical Engineering can be considered as a specialization of Instrumentation Engineering where we specifically deal with instruments related to doctors, like CT scanners, MRI, pacemakers

P2: Okie..But that is a very good line.Why did you not go in that line?

Me: Well Sir, at that point (after my BE), I had the option of entering hardcore biomedical line or taking up the offer with Infosys Tech. Ltd. I consulted my mentors then who suggested that taking up Infosys would help you broaden your scope and not restrict yourself to Biomedical Software alone.

P1: So what do you want to become?

Me: Pardon me sir..

P1: What is your goal?

Me: Maybe sir, 3-5 years down the line, after completing my management degree, I would like to be a part of a reputed firm in a consulting position wherein using my skills and learning acquired in the course, I help my clients/organization in their growth. Then maybe 8-10 years down the line, depending on my interest then, I would like to start a venture by myself where I can innovate and develop that area of interest much better

P1: But that is generic answer….what specific area?

Me: At this point sir, I have kept my options open..

P1: But if you know MBA has a specialization to select?

Me: Yes Sir, While at this stage although my inclination is towards IT (systems), I would again like to keep my options open and after going through the first year of Management, which is common to all streams and in due consultation with my faculty, I would select the specialization

P2: But if you take IT, you would end up in the same place?

Me: Sir even if I do take Systems, I would be undergoing the first year which has Marketing, finance related subjects. And seeing my seniors and mentors work at Infosys, I have observed that although they have to take IT related decisions, they do so considering all the aspects like market factors associated with the client, the financial aspect and so on. So that way a systems degree would also help me in the future.

P1: What do you think is one weakness you observed in Infosys?

Me: Sir, one weakness which was pointed out by my seniors in Infosys was being a ‘Perfectionist to a fault’. While they lauded me for the perfection should in my work, they also commented that I should not go over board in attempting perfection. What used to happen that in a bid to achieve 100% perfection I failed to realize that the actual work is only 95% and the rest 5% is only aesthetic…If I could stop and 95%, then it would help me take up the additional responsibilities..

P1: What I meant was what is the weakness in the Infosys System which you observed?

Me: In a huge organization like Infosys, there is bound to be some discontent amongst some employees over some aspect or other. I feel there is no emphasis given on the background of the employee while allocating the project. Suppose a person is from a biomedical background, he would be put in a non-biomedical project

P2: But that is Infosys requirement, how can you question that? There is bound to be a conflict of interest between the employee and organization?

Me: Very true sir, I am not questioning the model for allocation. As such that model is perfect. But it requires little bit of fine tuning. There are cases where person from Biomedical background is put on a non-biomedical project, while a person from Non-biomed background is put on a biomedical project. It is cases where the placement model requires slight amount of fine tuning.

P2: (looks at P1….Looks back at the form) So you have quit Infosys?

Me: Yes Sir

P2: When?

Me: In October Sir.

P2: Why?

ME: Sir I wanted to concentrate on all the MBA entrance examinations?

P1: So you have given CAT and other exams?

Me: Yes Sir…

P2: So you are sure you want to do MBA this year?

Me: Yes Sir…

P2:You have written Pokhran II as the most significant event…..

Me: Yes Sir

P2: Can u tell me who was the brain behind Pokhran?

Me: Eh…..sir….While Mr. Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India gave the orders, the technical team consisted of…….MR.A Kalam, Mr. Chidambaram who was the head of DRDO, and Mr Atul Kakodkar

P2: (Smiles) Anil Kakodkar

Me: Opps….Sorry Sir, Mr. A Kakodkar who was the head of the BARC

P1: Why do you think it was a significant event?

Me: Eh…Sir, on various fronts….

On the Global front where India was telling the world that it could take key strategic decisions even it meant at the cost of certain economic sanctions from the developed nations……..

From the personal Security perspective, where an average citizen of India would feel very assured that the for the nation, his security is of Prime importance

On the Technical front, the fact that the Indian nuclear program has been developed indigenously without the help of any developed nations speaks volumes about the capability of the team of scientists..

P2: Interrupts..But don’t u think it was a foolish decision? Economic sanctions could have affected the country?

Me: Well sir, given the backdrop of the 1997 budget, I think it was diffucult to slow down the Indian economy and there was no dip in the GDP as such post detonations?

P2: There was no slowdown….but there could have been..don’t you think it was foolishness?

Me: Well Sir, If you personally ask me I do not consider it as foolishness, and I am sure Mr. Vajpayee would have also given due thought to this aspect. But one thing which probably would have favored India is its Policy on the nuclear weapons….wherein a moratorium on further testing was announced and no ‘First use Policy’ was taken. It is probably this responsible approach, which would have given the world the assurance that the nuclear program is not for destructive use …Such a responsible approach would have prompted Mr. Bush to initiate the 123 deal with India

P2: Okie then…Thank you very much….

Me: Thank u sir…

P1: Wishing you all the very best for your future.. (smiles and extends his hand)

Me: Thank u sir (shaking hand)

P2: All the best (Extending his hand)

Me: Thank u sir (shaking hand)



My review:

I would rate the interview by giving it 4 stars. The answer to the ‘Infosys weakness’ question could have been better. Rather than focusing on the employee aspect, I should have brought to light the over-dependence on US based clients. Other than that, I don’t think there was any answer which, in retrospect, I would have liked to change.

A notable absence of the typical questions on Introduce yourself, why MBA, was seen but these were asked in some other form. I could not bring to light though, my academic achievements, my SCMHRD convert and my CET score.

Further, the Indian measures to become a global super power were not discussed at all.

The end of the interview was also surprising since I had cued the earlier answer in such a way that the panelist would ask me about the 123 deal. Instead, they chose to say tata, Bye Bye all the best!

My hopes for a good GDPI score lie heavily on the interview since the GD was not all that great.

Regards,

Manish sir

[Manish Salian]

Hi,

Here is the GD-PI experience of one of our students Harshil Suvarnkar

My GD & PI was there in K.J.Somaiya – 5 to 6 Batch(15/05/08)

GD Instructions given by Panelist 1-

U will be given 2 topics, decision for the same would be done by show of Hands. After that 2 Minutes to think and 15 Minutes for GD.

Topics:-

1. Lincoln was not famous because he was born in a _____ but because he came out of it.
2. Corruption is a link between Business & Politics.

Bell Rings..Time to Start (We choose second topic by show of hands)

Discussion (10 People, 1 Absent):-

Girl 1- Corruption of Dhirubhai

Person 2 – There is corruption all over India

Me – We should understand that corruption exists in India not only in the Public sector but also in the Private sector.

Person – Yes I completely agree…….

……The GD went by like the same in between I spoke the following points:-

1. We should understand as to Corruption in India is at the Grass root level unlike countries like US.
2. Corruption in India is there bcoz of a close-knit society whereas in other areas..Cut by someone
3. Sixth – pay commission (point noted by panelist) has raised the salaries but what about the lower grade officers whose salaries are not enough bcoz of rising inflation and CLI…Pt Accepted & Repeated two times
4. In India it takes a lot of time to start a business unlike other countries so we should have a single window clearance system
5. We are the youth population should take steps forward in curbing cvorruptiuon told abt education and youth is the highest population……..

The main problem was a girl who was acting like a leader, she said that let us speak one by one from anti-clockwise..everybody accepted.. i tried to differ but in vain…

The first person was from Bihar.. could not speak fluent English………….made repetitive point about youth…

After that I said that we should discuss the link part rather than speaking on only corruption(was going to speak about PPP, CSR), but that girl said that you are not going by order(What!!!!)

The second person fumbled and only spoke… if we if we IF WE…………

The third person was a girl she repeated and was wasting time…..she spoke two good points(Sarcastic)..In india about 50% of the population thrives on less than Re.1/- per day…and India is a poor country and still thrives on aid from IMF…I said I beg to disagree but India is growing the forex reserves are growing talked about growth rates…cut…somebody else spoke … one by one bolne ka….

Other two persons spoke and then when my turn came the bell rang……BADLUCK!!

Panelist asked to summarise..the Leader girl started concluding and went on for 1.5 min saying her points….then other girl asked if she could also add-in(she only knew what she spoke she again added her points)….the panelist rang the bell this time with more anger and asked to leave….

PI… (Two Panelist – One Girl(G) – 30ish (Criminal Lawyer , Commissioner of Police) & One oldie(M) 55-60 Operations Research Professor in KJSOMAIYA)

G - Come In…..M is reading the Halll ticket

G – Have a seat

Me – Thank You

G – After reading form asks…so u left your job.

Me – Yes I did, bcoz I had to prepare for CAT & CET

M- But only 6 months?

Me – I had talked with the director before joining only…..and he being from IIM only encouraged me.

G – What does your father do?

Me – Business – G&J

G – U want to join dads business?

Me – No..I talked with my dad regarding my ambitions of setting up an Microfinance Institution and he was quite OK with it.

G – What is Microfinance?

Me – Lending to the people who are not valid for institutional credit, basically the poor BPL.

G – What if they do not repay?

Me – There are models which have worked, and the poor have proved better repayment rates than the others…

M Takes over – So what is this NPO?

Me – Told about my organization that I have founded and how it works…

M – Is it working?

Me – Yes

M – Says to G, he thinks that Turnaround of Indian railways is what I think is significant, then asked me…..U give credit to lalloo and all?

Me – Explained how turnaround…rakesh mohan committee report how railways would become a white elephant and how it has turned around…and started to contribute to government ex-chequer………

M – So u were the editor of Newsletter in college?

Me – Yes (Arey bhai deep toh jao)

M – So what is Fundamental Analysis?

Me – Analyzing a companies basics, profitability ratio analysis….

M – What is the other type of analysis?

Me – Technical Analysis

M – What is it?

Me – About reading charts and all..

M – What charts?

Me – Sir, I do not know much about technical analysis.

G – How does Impatience (Strength) and Quick Learner (Weakness) go together?

Me – Explained that Quick Learner is bcoz I tend to learn faster than peers.. impatience …tends to hamper decision making...

M – What about Attention to detail how is that a weakness?

Me – Takes time for decision…. sometimes strength but sometimes a weakness..

M – What do u mean by social infrastructure?

Me – Education, Health and Social homes….

M- What needs to be done in education?

Me – 95% enrollment in SSA, student teacher ration talked about cuba...how it has 100% literacy rate.

M – How is literacy rate calculated?

Me- Thought…Not sure but no. of people who have passed their tenth standard.

M aks G if she wants to ask anything…G says no…

Both say ok done and I said thank you and left…

Lets Hope for the Best…Best of Luck for Your GD & PI.

Regards,

Manish sir