At this juncture, it doesn’t take a magician to see what kind of anxieties aspirants might be going through. A small fraction of you have got the calls you want and are excited and nervous about the impending interviews or the results of the same, others have GD-PI calls but are not sure whether the b-schools that have given them the calls are really worth it, and still others knowing that this year is done have hit snooze-mode till June.
This post will primarily deal with the dilemma of those in between — to re-take or not to re-take the CAT. It is not an easy call to take but your task will become easy if you ask yourself the right questions and give the most honest answers you can to them. Read More
As most of my students would know, I have been with IMS for close to two decades now.
But I started teaching for aptitude tests way back in the past, right after my graduation, while preparing for the CAT a second time around.
At the time, I felt that the teaching stint had a great role to play in my cracking the CAT: it made my thought process very clear when faced with a problem since one has to have the utmost clarity of thought to explain a problem in such a way as many students understand the solution right away. Also, one is always looking to find better, cleaner or, to put it simply, more elegant solutions to problems.
Over the past year, I have interacted with a lot of students across the country who are readers of the blog, so I was wondering if any of you might be interested in working in the Learning Technology Department that works with me. Not only me you will have access to Amit Sir, Parameshwar Sir, Kumud Ma’am and other senior mentors (IMS students will be aware of the mentors I have mentioned from the webinars and Masterclasses we conducted over the year). The intern will be working directly with me.
Openings on offer
Job Title
Salary
Experience
Intern, Product Development – Learning Management
Rs.25000-50000per month
Fresher with exceptional coding skills and who has done projects involving AI and ML.
Testing Lead, Quality Assurance
Rs. 9,00,000–12,00,000
Minimum 5 years in software testing (web and mobile), 3 years automating testing using Selenium (Java).
Mobile App Developer
Rs. 10,00,000–15,00,000
2-4 years in mobile application development (Flutter). Working experience on publicly available mobile applications.
Software QA Intern
₹15,000 (Stipend)
Passionate about software testing, eager to develop hands-on QA experience.
Project Management Intern
₹15,000 (Stipend)
Passionate about project management, eager to develop hands-on project management experience.
Full Stack Developer
Rs. 10,00,000–15,00,000
Minimum 2 years of hands-on experience building and deploying web applications.
Role — Intern Product Development
Responsibilities: I am looking for an intern to work with me and a small team of two to work on further integrating AI into our projects.
Refine AI use cases across the students’ learning and admissions journey
Develop AI-based tools to assist students in a successful MBA campaign
Profile: Freshers with exceptional coding skills. Interesting projects that will showcase comfort with working AI and ML tools.
Requirements: You will need to
have excellent critical thinking, problem-solving, and multitasking abilities.
exhibit good communication skills, both written and verbal
have taken the CAT and secured the 99th percentile in one of QA or DI-LR and the 95th percentile or above in the other two sections.
Education:
B.E./B. Tech or any other Math/Science Degree
Stipend: Rs. 25,000–50000 per month based on profile
Location: Mumbai/Bangalore/Remote
Who Should Apply: This job is ideal for freshers from good state-level (or national) colleges with super high aptitude who want to work on developing new products.
The duration of the internship will be in increments of 3 months, depending on the performance and the progress of the project.
Role — Testing Lead, Quality Assurance
Responsibilities: We are looking for a Testing Lead to work on multiple software testing projects.
Develop test plans, define quality metrics, and establish effective testing strategies.
Oversee testing processes, ensure quality standards, and manage defect identification and resolution.
Providing feedback to improve team performance, planning projects, coordinating issue fixes with technical teams, and fostering a positive work environment.
Identify opportunities for test automation to enhance efficiency
Ensure timely project progress reporting to stakeholders.
Profile: Experienced professionals with a minimum of 5 years in software testing (web and mobile applications) and at least 3 years of experience in automation testing using Selenium (Java) are preferred.
Requirements: You will need to:
Possess strong leadership and team management skills.
Have excellent critical thinking, problem-solving, and multitasking abilities.
Demonstrate a deep understanding of cross-platform and cross-browser responsive web architecture and mobile applications.
Have hands-on experience with automated testing tools and frameworks.
Exhibit exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal
have taken one of the management entrance exams — CAT, XAT, SNAP, CET, IIFT and/or others — and secured the 95th percentile or above in one of the sections.
Education:
MCA, B.E./B. Tech., BSc (IT)/BSc (CS), or equivalent.
Relevant testing certifications will be an added advantage.
Salary: Rs. 9,00,000–12,00,000
Location: Mumbai/Bangalore/Remote
Who Should Apply: This job is ideal for:
Professionals passionate about leading testing teams and enhancing quality assurance processes.
Experienced software testers who wish to take on leadership roles in managing test strategies and automation initiatives.
Those eager to work on cutting-edge web and mobile applications with a focus on quality and efficiency.
Role — Mobile App Developer
Responsibilities:
We are looking for a Mobile App Developer to maintain and develop high-quality mobile applications using the Flutter framework. You will analyze and resolve technical issues and implementing new features. The roll will include proactively identifying concerns that could impact schedule or quality, and work flexibly under critical deadlines.
Profile:
Experienced professionals with 2-4 years of experience in mobile application development (with Flutter framework). Candidates should have working experience on publicly available mobile applications.
Requirements:
You will need to:
Possess strong logical and analytical skills.
Have a good grasp of mobile app technologies.
Demonstrate an understanding of cross-platform and cross-device mobile app development.
Have a desire to discover, evaluate, and implement new technologies.
Experience with RESTful APIs, third-party library integration, and Firebase or other backend services is also required.
have taken one of the management entrance exams — CAT, XAT, SNAP, CET, IIFT and/or others — and secured the 95th percentile or above in one of the sections.
Education:
MCA, B.E./B. Tech., BSc (IT)/BSc (CS), or equivalent.
Salary: Rs. 10,00,000–15,00,000
Location:Bangalore/Mumbai/Remote
Who Should Apply:
This job is ideal for:
Experienced mobile app developers who wish to work on publicly available applications.
Those eager to work on cutting-edge mobile applications with a focus on quality and efficiency.
Role — Software QA Intern
Responsibilities:
We are looking for a Software QA Intern to assist in developing test plans, executing test cases, and identifying defects. You will work closely with the tech team to ensure software quality by conducting manual and automated testing for web and mobile applications. Your responsibilities will include:
Assisting in test case creation, execution, and documentation.
Identifying, reporting, and tracking defects to ensure timely resolution.
Supporting functional, regression, and usability testing efforts.
Collaborating with developers to understand features and potential issues.
Learning and applying automation testing techniques to improve efficiency.
Gaining hands-on experience with debugging tools and testing frameworks.
Participating in quality assurance reviews and team discussions.
Profile:
This role is ideal for candidates passionate about software testing and eager to develop hands-on experience in quality assurance.
Requirements:
You will need to:
Have a strong understanding of software development and testing concepts.
Be familiar with manual testing techniques and basic test automation (Selenium or similar tools is a plus).
Possess good analytical and problem-solving skills.
Be detail-oriented and capable of documenting test cases and defects effectively.
Have knowledge of web and mobile application frameworks.
Be eager to learn debugging tools like Chrome DevTools or Postman for API testing.
Exhibit good written and verbal communication skills.
Education:
Currently pursuing or recently completed B.E./B.Tech, BSc (CS/IT), MCA, or equivalent.
ISTQB certification (if any) will be an added advantage.
Stipend & Duration:
Stipend: ₹15,000
Internship Duration: 3 to 6 months
Location: Mumbai/Bangalore/Remote
Who Should Apply?
Candidates eager to start a career in Software Testing and Quality Assurance.
Fresh graduates or final-year students looking for hands-on QA experience.
Those interested in learning manual and automation testing in a real-world environment.
Role — Project Management Intern
Responsibilities:
We are looking for a Project Manager Intern to assist in evaluating project requirements, support development activities, and monitor project progress. You will work closely with the technology team and vendors to ensure project timelines and quality. Your responsibilities will include:
Assisting in evaluating and documenting project requirements, scope, and objectives.
Supporting planning and coordination of development activities with the IMS technology team.
Helping monitor development schedules and preparing reports to track project progress.
Identifying and escalating potential issues that could impact project timelines or quality.
Assisting in communicating project status and challenges to stakeholders.
Supporting in creating and maintaining business documentation for the project.
Profile:
This role is ideal for candidates passionate about project management and eager to develop hands-on experience in a dynamic environment.
Requirements:
You will need to:
Have a basic understanding of project management principles.
Possess strong organizational, planning, and communication skills.
Be proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Spreadsheet software.
Be able to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
Be detail-oriented and able to multitask effectively.
Education:
Pursuing or completed MBA / MCA / B.E. / B.Tech or equivalent.
Stipend & Duration:
Stipend: ₹15,000
Internship Duration: 3 to 6 months
Location: Mumbai/Bangalore/Remote
Who Should Apply?
Candidates eager to start a career in Project Management.
Fresh graduates or final-year students looking for hands-on project management experience.
Those interested in learning project management in a real-world environment.
Role — Full Stack Developer
Responsibilities:
We are seeking a skilled and passionate Full Stack Developer to join our dynamic team. You will be involved in all development lifecycle stages, from designing and implementing user interfaces to developing and maintaining server-side logic and databases. You will be expected to write clean, efficient, and well-documented code, participate in code reviews, and troubleshoot and resolve technical issues.
Design and develop robust and scalable web applications using React, Node.js and/or Python, & TypeScript.
Develop and maintain efficient APIs and server-side logic using Node.js and Python frameworks.
Build user-friendly and responsive front-end interfaces using React and TypeScript.
Work with databases (both relational and NoSQL) and ensure data integrity and performance.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams including designers, software testers, product managers, and other engineers to deliver high-quality software.
Write unit and integration tests to ensure code quality and application stability.
Participate in code reviews to maintain code quality and share knowledge.
Troubleshoot, debug and resolve technical issues across the full stack
Profile:
Experienced full stack developer with a minimum of 2 years of hands-on experience in building and deploying web applications. Candidates should have a strong understanding of both front-end and back-end technologies and a proven track record of delivering high-quality software.
Requirements:
You will need to:
Possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills to tackle complex technical challenges.
Have a solid understanding of front-end technologies including React, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Have strong proficiency in back-end development using Node.js and/or Python, including relevant frameworks (e.g., Express, Flask, Django).
Demonstrate experience with database systems (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB).
Have hands-on experience with cloud platforms, preferably AWS (e.g., EC2, S3, Lambda, API Gateway).
Exhibit proficiency in version control systems, particularly Git.
Have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, to effectively collaborate with team members
Salary: Rs. 10,00,000–15,00,000
Location: Bangalore/Mumbai/Remote
Education:
Completed MCA, B.E./B. Tech., BSc (IT)/BSc (CS), or equivalent.
How to apply
Those who wish to apply for any of the above roles may drop an email to tony@imsindia.com with the following details before 28-Feb.
A resume/CV and scorecards
A short answer to the following question: Why do you feel you have the skill sets to take up this role? Feel free to include anything that you feel will let us know why you feel you have the potential to take up the role — exam/test scores, professional expertise, fit with career plans, communication skills — anything that you feel captures your suitability.
It goes without saying that the biggest perks of this job will be that you have direct everyday access to the best mentors in case you are taking another shot at the CAT.
This is what a couple of our past recruits have to say about working with us.
RUTUJA PATIL
My introduction to CAT
After completing my engineering, I was working in manufacturing at an automobile MNC. I didn’t had any plans of MBA at that point of time. However, I appeared for CAT, as I had filled out the form on recommendation from a friend who was preparing for the same. But, unlike the experiences I have read, I didn’t score in the higher 90’s after going unprepared.
During the 2 years of work-ex in operations, I was more inclined towards management and wanted to take up those kind of roles instead of tech ones, in the future. I quit my job around September 2020 and started my “serious” CAT prep. I had joined IMS earlier and had completed the classroom sessions. In CAT 2020, I did score well above 90, but it was not enough for the best calls.
I decided to give CAT another chance.
CAT Prep
Before starting the prep again, I was looking to take up a job, preferably related to management. I found the role of Project Lead with IMS on Tony sir’s blog. This was a fantastic opportunity; the role was in project management, I was to be mentored by Tony Sir, and the team was aware that I will be studying for CAT.
Enjoying the CAT prep and approaching it with a practical mind will save you from the pain of finding a daily dose of motivation. All of us have those best scores as well as the rock bottom ones. However, as percentiles depend on a lot of things, they are bound to vary. So, analyzing the mocks closely, identifying and closing the gaps with each passing mock are the wise things to do.
I used to note down my mistakes in mocks and stick them on the wall; most of them were behavioral changes. They acted as painful reminders to my silly mistakes. Tony Sir helped me a lot to remove the mental hurdles in solving Quant and approaching the overall exam. A mentor can see exactly what is missing.
We most often forget to focus on small things like solving problems on a similar notepad as the official CAT, giving mocks in the same time slot, and looking out for triggers while giving the test.
Also, know what you don’t know. Examples, PnC- If it goes one notch above the basic or is not from the templates I have seen, I will leave it. Locating and solving what you know in less than 2 minutes is the most important thing.
Experimenting and finding the best ‘set of strategies’ according to the situation and stabilizing them with mocks will give a lot more confidence.
Keeping the focus in place
Go off the grid! I went, not because it becomes addictive and time-wasting, but mainly because the content unknowingly occupies headspace.
Along with having a schedule, the code that worked for me during the prep was,
“TALK LESS throughout the day.”
“MEDITATE before studying.”
“Invest TIME JUDICIOUSLY”
“Take a DEEP BREATH”—this one was even on my lock screen!
A week before CAT, RELAX (period). I read a book, watched my favorite movies, and did meditation. At this time, I kept the practice light and went through some methods of solving DILR sets or quant questions that I liked or those that need revision.
No heavy lifting or adventures; keep the waters calm and take it slow.
Before the day of CAT, in my mind, I went through each and every detail of the activity I would be doing the next day. Imagined every possible scenario and the reaction to it. At the same time, was ready for surprises.
My CAT day experience was a lot better than what I had went through in previous CAT attempts. However, I messed up things during Quant. I knew IIM ABC was not happening; I cried, took some time to recover, and quickly geared up for IIFT, which was 5 days away.
The GDPI phase
The interview season will be another roller coaster ride. During the prep phase, it is only you who will be forming opinions about yourself. But during this phase, the interviewers will also join the party!
I had calls from all IIM’s except ABC (as expected), XLRI, SPJIRM, IIFT, MDI, IIT’s and NITIE.
An introduction is the most important part of your interview. And that is why I remember spending nearly 2 weeks and 3-4 iterations with Tony sir, to finalize it. Keep the focus on the spotlight areas of your life so far. For me, it was my work ex. Compile experiences and explanations for YOUR past, present, and future. And don’t forget to keep a close eye on everything that is happening from your city to the centre of our galaxy!
For some reason (no one knows it yet!), even though you have a good 36 months of work-ex and sometimes not in the domain of graduation, interviewers will grill you on grad subjects. So, prepare well for that.
Another thing which helps while attending an interview of a particular institute is going through the interview transcript. True, you will most likely receive a variety of questions, but knowing which direction to focus more, on a broad level, is beneficial.
The rest, follow Tony Sir’s blog and all the sessions of IMS.
In some of the interviews you will be proud of yourself; in some there will be a constructive conversation between you and the panelist; and there will be those interviews which will make you question if you are really fit to do an MBA. Just remember to not let any of it get from your heart to your head. Take what you’ve learned and apply it to the next one. You just need that one good interview and you are through.
A week back I received mail from IIM Lucknow that I have converted the flagship PGP as well as PGP-ABM program. I will be joining the IIM L PGP 2022-24 program amongst other calls that I converted.
All the very best!!!
ROHIT SINGH
Background before joining IMS
I had worked for a year and a half in a leading IT company when I got the opportunity to join IMS. I had taken CAT twice before (with decent scores) but realized that I needed to work harder if I wanted to create a genuine chance for me to join one of the old IIMs.
Experience working with IMS
1) I had mentors all around. I could go to anyone and ask for guidance and all of them were among the best in the business. (when we used to go to office in pre-covid era). Most of them have experience of 15+ years in the field and are alumni of old IIMs.
2) I got to interact with some of the smartest people I had ever seen in my life. We had a lot of people from the top colleges in the office and personally for me, it was a huge confidence booster.
Interacting with them on a daily basis helped me a lot in transforming myself.
So, I became a better person and cracked CAT as well. In CAT 2020, I got 99.37 and 99.58 in VARC and QA respectively.
What’s up with me these days
I am expecting interview calls from XLRI, FMS and some of the old IIMs.
Again, the presence of mentors all around is helping me getting that required confidence before the final stage. I am getting the right guidance and all this is helping me to prepare for GDPI more effectively.
Since, most people here are alumni of top business schools; every now and then, I get to know a clearer picture of the college life. This helps me know what to expect from MBA and to prepare myself in advance for the campus life. I believe this will help me make the most of my 2 years in MBA.
Now that we are done with the Achievers Workshops, there is more breathing space to do some writing that captures the essence of the sessions at the NAW.
The IIM interview season has already started, and aspirants will be trying to get as many insights as they can right from how to dress for the interview to how to reduce India’s fiscal deficit without affecting our growth!
Amidst all of this clutter, how does one go in with the right perspective? What is the state of mind with which one should approach an interview? How you approach an interview will make all the difference. Read More
The IIM-A process involves an AWT as opposed to the WAT. The best way to understand the difference is to view the two as the two essays that the GMAT had earlier – Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. Read More
One of the things about preparing for a b-school personal interview, especially that of an old IIM, is that one struggles to find a structure to prepare for what can potentially be the most random 20 minutes of one’s life. I am sure my previous post, despite my intentions, would have scared readers rather than reassured them. So, let us see how you can bring some structure into your PI Prep. Read More
In the previous post, we discussed how to start your prep for WATs and GDs. In this post, we will tackle the big fish — The B-School Personal Interview. The Indian b-school interview is maybe the most random of all interview processes that you will ever face in your life. Going by student testimonials and transcripts over the last few years, barring IIM-B, none of the schools seems to have a fixed yardstick for asking questions.
If panels have one thing in common it seems to be their mistrust of candidates and the claims they make. Most panels start with the premise that the only thing the candidate wants is to make more money, and hence, it might be useless to start asking them The Big 5 Standard Questions —
Tell us something about yourself
Describe your work experience
Why do you want to do an MBA
What are your long-term and short-term goals
List your strengths and weaknesses
They would instead test out your mettle by grilling you on the things you mention in the form or on current affairs. They will use the standard questions as a surprise element when you are least prepared for it, or they might not use it at all.
So, how do you go about preparing for this randomness apart from the Current Affairs prep outlined in the last post?
Draw the largest circle with yourself as the centre
The PI is primarily a test of the stuff you are made of. So right at the centre of it — a lamb to the slaughter or a gladiator in the Colosseum (though it is best you don’t think of yourself as either the latter or the former) — is you.
So, draw a circle with you as the centre and divide it into four quadrants.
Quadrant 1 — Your Personal Background
This quadrant contains all the information that is relevant to you as a person
the meaning of your name,
the number of districts, rivers, Lok Sabha Seats, recent events, future elections, famous personalities, anything and everything to do with the state you are from or the state you were born and raised in
your parent’s profession in case there are questions there; for example, a defence kid might get asked about the services
Quadrant 2 — Your Educational Background
This quadrant, as the name suggests, deals with all questions that can be relevant to your educational background — yes, your engineering subjects will haunt you for one last time.
Usually, the questions can fall into two types.
Lowest Hanging Theoretical Concepts in your discipline — The panellists might not be from your discipline. Still, they will have enough top-level knowledge about many subjects to ask you basic questions from any area. For example, students with a commerce background might be asked the difference between single-entry and double-entry accounting, a mechanical engineer might be asked questions on thermodynamics, and an electrical engineer might be asked about Kirchoff’s laws. So you must revise the basic concepts across the most critical subjects in your graduation.
Practical applications of your discipline — This applies more to engineering and science graduates. Panellists may ask an electronics and telecommunications engineer the difference between 3G, 4G & 5G or how Bluetooth works or what IoT is, a mechanical engineer about how CVT or automatic transmission works etc. IMS students will get an e-book with all the previous year’s questions; scouring through that is the best way to find out the kind of questions that have been asked in the past.
Quadrant 3 — Your Professional Background
Working professionals will be expected to know more than the projects they are working on. So everything ranging from the turnover of your firm to those of your major competitors, the CEOs of the big firms in your industry, the recent controversies or happenings in your field (for example, if you work in banking, then you might be asked whether you have heard of Sam Bankman-Fried, if you work in the auto sector, you might be asked about electric cars; and Tesla and Musk) and the major trends shaping your industry.
Quadrant 4 — Your Hobbies and Interests
Whatever you mention as your hobbies and interests you need to have an in-depth idea about the same. What do I mean by in-depth?
If you say you love football, then you need to know everything from the weight of the football, the circumference of the football, the dimensions of a football field, the dimensions of the goalpost and everything about your favourite team.
If you say you love trekking, then you need to know what the highest mountains in the world are, what the highest motorable road in the world is etc.
This would technically be the largest circle you can draw around yourself that you need to fill with every GK or CA question that can be asked within this circle.
It goes without saying that you might not be able to learn everything about football. For example, a panellist might ask you, do you remember Zidane’s Champions League volley? You might say yes, very much, it is one of the great goals in football; the panellist might say, which team was Real playing against in that Final. Some of you might know, and some of you might not. So do not freak out thinking about the most random things that can be asked.
On any topic, there is a circle that denotes your knowledge and a circle that denotes the panellists’ knowledge. Your job is to maximize the chances of overlap.
And remember, the harder you work, the luckier you will get.
Now that the XAT is over, the time to dive fully into WAT-GD-PI prep has come. But how does one go about it? It all seems like a vast sea with no beginning and no end. A single post covering all three — WAT, GD & PI — will be unwieldy, to say the least, so I will do a series of posts that will help you kick-start your prep for the second stage.
I have always preferred a test without sectional time limits since it tests a crucial quality required for management — optimizing resources to achieve maximum return on investment. In this case, the resources are your own skills, and the investment is your time.
So, how does one go about using the 170 minutes on the XAT?
For close to a decade, aspirants have been reading this blog every year for guidance beyond just Quant, Verbal, and DI-LR.
How different is it from the blog? It has a few extra articles at the beginning and the end to make it more rounded. But the main advantage of the book is that the content is organised in the order it is supposed to be read so that your CAT and MBA campaign is set up to succeed and that you can easily find the content you want to go over. The Table of Contents below will give you all the details.
This piece on Decision Making has really expanded and I hope as I begin to write this post that this will be the closing piece that concludes this and this.Read More
The CAT Writer 