10 Absolutely Clever Answers To Weird IIM Interview Questions

The IIMs are the most coveted institutions in India. Many people try their best to get admission there, by giving the much touted CAT examination. After getting the required percentile, they are required to go through the GD-PI session and take mock interviews at their coaching classes to nail the interview, and consequently, get the coveted seat.

But what happens when the interviewer asks some weird questions? The questions that make a student go WTF! Maybe they just check our presence of mind, but whatever be the reason, at the end of the day, those are IIM interview questions and the student is expected to answer them with a presence of mind.

So, without much further ado, let’s have a look at these quirky Q&A sessions.

1. IIM-C Interview: When Delhi elections took a toll.

(Background: I was screaming a lot in the Group Discussion as well as the interview. Around the time of my interviews, Delhi elections were going on where Kiran Bedi had referred to Arvind Kejriwal as ‘Upadravi’ for being an anarchist).

Somewhere during the interview,

Panelist 1 (in Hindi): Upadravi gotr ke ho kya?
(Translation: Are you from ‘Upadravi gotr’?)

Student: Sorry sir, I didn’t get that.

Panelist 2 (while going through my marksheets): Rehne do, isko samajh nahi aayega, 10th mein Hindi mein kam marks hain.
(Translation: He won’t understand as he anyways has less marks in Hindi in Class 10th)

Student: Facepalm.

Result: Rejected.

Credit: Ankur Garg

 

2. IIM-L Interview: When patriotism hit high

Panelist 1: Do you know who wrote the Indian National Anthem?

Student: Yes Sir, Rabindranath Tagore

Panelist 1: Ok, sing it now.

Student: [Stood up] Jana Gana Mana…

Panelist 2: Stop, otherwise we have to stand up too.

Result: Rejected

Credit: Manoj Jaiswal

 

3. IIM-A Interview: When the question of dowry was brought to the table

Panelist 1: Why exactly do you want to come to this campus, because I feel that it has nothing to do with what we offer but just that you want to go home and brag about getting the admission here to your friends and parents and get a large dowry later on. Why do you want to get here?

Student: I am not aware of the dowry part. But if what you say is correct, I shall surely go back home and renegotiate.

(The interviewer bursts out laughing)

Student:  I really want to be here. Period.

Credit: Shashwat Siddhant

 

4. IIM-A Interview: When such intense discussion followed

Interviewer 1: Why are people poor?

Student: Not very sure, sir. Please! Any options?

Interviewer 2: Oh! But you should know. It’s because they don’t have money. It’s simple.

Student:… Apologies Sirs, but isn’t this the ‘meaning’ of being ‘poor’, and not the reason?

Interviewer 2: (zapped)

Interviewer 1 (in his excitement to go one-up): “… He’s poor because he’s not earning. Hence, no money.”

Student: “… apologies Sirs again. But is he poor because he is not earning out of laziness, or he is working and not being paid, or, is he ready to work and earn, but is not getting a job.”

Interviewer 1: Have you studied Economics in your B.Tech?

Student: “No, sir our canteen supervisor in the hostel is really poor, and he has a Master’s in Mathematics”

Result: Selected!

Credit: Sanjeeva Shukla

 

5. IIM-L Interview: When the love of Math took over

Panelist: You seem to know a lot of math. What do you like in it?

Student: I like numbers, Sir.

Panelist: Ok. So tell us, what is the absolute truth?

Student: (Wow, what? Where did that come from and how is that related to numbers.) How would I know, Sir? I’m just a human being. They say God knows the absolute truth.

Panelist: Ok then, define God mathematically.

Student: Sir, God is the One. (They smile).

Result: Selected.

Credit: Nishant Agarwal

 

6.  IIM-K Interview: Too much randomness

Panelist: Spell the word COW in thirteen letters?

Candidate: Well! Caaaaouuuuuuu.

Panelist: (laughs) It’s “SEE O DOUBLE YOU”

Credit: Ulhas Sakhare

 

7. IIM-C Interview: When Comparison between 2 B-schools took over

Panelist 1 (male): What do you know about IIM Calcutta?

Student: *Gave a standard well-versed answer mostly from the content on their website*

Panelist 2 (female): Okay, tell me what do you know about IIM Bangalore?

Student (taken by surprise): Annn.. Ma’am, it is one of the best B-schools in the country. (Clueless about what more should I add)

Panelist 2: So you know more about Calcutta than Bangalore? Didn’t you get a call from IIM Bangalore?

Student: Ma’am, I do have the call from IIM Bangalore, but its interview is two weeks later. (With a poker face)

Result: Selected.

Credit: Quora

 

8. IIM-L Interview: When Everything was kept aside and the question that lingered on was about email ids.

Panelist 1: So tell me Abhishek why do you have ‘1993’ in your email-id?

Student: Sir, I needed a bit more professional id as compared to my previous one.

Panelist2: So what was your previous id?

Student: Sir, it was [email protected] <smiling like an idiot>

<Both laughing at me>
Panelist 2: So you think you are not perfect anymore?

*Suddenly the pseudo-intellectual philosopher in me wakes up*

Student: Sir, even the air around me is not ideal, how can I be perfect.

Result: Selected.

Credit: Abhishek Rao

 

9. IIM-K Interview: When things got way too philosophical

Interviewer: Tell me anything you know whose heading will surprise me and the explanation will shock me. More the impact, more will be your chances of success. Heading and Explanation both can be independent.

Student: Let me try. First of all, tell me what are you fascinated about?

Interviewer: Ok! From my childhood, I was really fascinated about my existence. What am I made of? Why am I here? These types of stuff.

Student: Why you did not choose a career in research?

Interviewer: There are things that are beyond our explanation. Well, answer my question.

Student: Do you know that the life we live is 50% dream and 50% reality?

Interviewer: You are successful. Explain?

Student: Something else. An electron is neither revolving around the nucleus in circular path nor in elliptical paths. It is something like a bee hovering around her honey.

Result: Selected

Credit: Quora (Anonymous)

 

10. IIM-A Interview: When someone asks you to draw intersecting parallel lines

Interviewer: What is the sum of angles of a triangle?

Student: Sir, um, interior angles or exterior angles?

Interviewer: Interior.

Student: 180

Interviewer: Can there be two lines which are parallel and not intersecting?

Student: Sir, can you please repeat the question?

Interviewer: Draw and show it to me.” (Passed a paper and a pen)

Student: Again, after thinking for some time: I can’t, I need a ruler.

Result: Selected

Credit: Rishabh Baldi 

Weren’t these questions just out of the blue? I am zapped, for real! What about you?

Source: Quora

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