Set I

1. Tell me about yourself

(Hint: Write about the major sectors in your CV in a conversational format. Keep it

simple while covering all topics. Also, include what differentiates you from others and

touch a bit about significant events of your life.)

Answer) My name is Abhinav Srijan and I am an MBA student at the Faculty of Management Studies
(FMS), Delhi. I did my undergraduate from the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore in Mathematics. I
wanted to apply the theoretical knowledge I had gained in that course in practical situations, so I
decided to pursue an MBA. My major interests are in the Finance and Investment sectors.

I like problem-solving very much. In my school time, I spent years preparing for Math Olympiads. I
qualified the PRMO/IOQM (first stage of the Indian Olympiad program) 4 times consecutively. In my
last attempt in 12th standard, I also qualified for the second stage and took the prestigious INMO
(Indian National Mathematica Olympiad) exam.

I have always seen problem-solving as an art rather than an exercise. I love applying what I have
learned in day-to-day situations and am always ready to do whatever it takes when the situation
demands it.

2. Mention THREE of your strengths. Tell us about incidents in your past that bring forth

each of these strengths.

My 3 core strengths are-

1) Analytical Thinking- Rather than performing actions based on intuition or impulsiveness, I

always try to logically analyze the situation inside my mind before deciding on the
appropriate course of action. This comes naturally to me, being an avid mathematics learner
since childhood. The reason why I loved mathematics so much was also that everything in
the subject is based on logical reasoning and is easily understandable if you follow the
correct approach.
2) Coping with pressure- I thrive in situations that exert a lot of pressure on me. The adrenaline
rush that comes when you are doing a task on an impossible deadline or reading a whole
new book for an exam that is due tomorrow. I always use logic to decide how to effectively
use whatever time I have and do what is expected of me. I always believe that the best
comes out of anyone under a pressure situation only.
3) Creativity- I am always on the lookout for out-of-box solutions to any problem. Sometimes
they make the task at hand easier and sometimes they provide a new way or open up a
whole new approach to a particular set of problems. I have always put this skill of mine in
day-to-day activities, be it designing a new circuit for the lighting arrangments in my hostel or
finding a way to accommodate different dishes as per demand into the mess menu as a
member of mess cultural and mess committee respectively. Surely, knowing about
optimization techniques (theoretically) also makes this task easier now.
3. Mention THREE of your areas of improvement. What have you done/plan on doing to

improve upon each of these areas?

3 areas where I would like to improve are-

1) Delaying- I often delay tasks until the deadline is near and even though the work might be
completed in the end, it is not a professional approach to any kind of work. Doing things in
the end also risks degrading the quality of the work substantially. I try to fix this by starting as
early as possible to avoid this risk. We all are well aware of the phrase “Well begun is half
done”, I always keep this in mind whenever doing a task.
2) Frustration- I often get frustrated when doing a big or boring/repetitive task. This sometimes
forces me to take a long break from the work which, in effect, can cause other problems like
the one mentioned above. I try to get rid of this problem by taking small frequent breaks to
keep myself focused. Also, when working on a laptop or a computer, I make sure to wash my
eyes regularly to avoid any strain.
3) Coding Skills – This is the age of technology, and learning to code is a very central part of it.
I have always had problems learning coding specifically because you have to remember a lot
of structures and commands which I keep forgetting over time. Although I don’t have any
problem with designing complex algorithms using pseudo code. I am trying to improve on
this by constantly practicing to code at least for a short time every day, it is only through
repetition that one can truly master the art of coding.

Set II

1. What is your single largest achievement so far? Why do you consider it to be your

most significant achievement? How did you go about achieving it?

(In no less than 500 words)

The single largest achievement in my life is qualifying for INMO (Indian

National Mathematics Olympiad), the 3 stage of the Indian Math Olympiad
rd

Programme. It had always been my dream to qualify for this stage. I was finally
able to achieve this in my 4 attempt in 12 standard (in that year, the first two
th th

rounds were merged into a single round called IOQM (Indian Olympiad
Qualifiers in Mathematics) due to COVID, and 2 cutoffs were declared for
qualifying into the 2 and 3 round respectively).
nd rd

This was a really big confidence booster for me in life.

(I qualified in the first round four times consecutively from 9 to 12 grades but th th

was never able to ace the next round before the last attempt)

Since I was a kid, I had hated maths and always wanted to have a career in
Literature or History, but once I was introduced to the hidden jewels (which is
nothing else but the pure class of logic behind the mathematical theories) I
was instantly attracted to it. I would read my elder sister's Math textbooks as a
way of passing time and practicing the theorems I already knew when she was
not at home. The attraction soon became a kind of infatuation and once I
tasted the thrill behind Math Olympiads, my future became very clear to me. I
did not get much support from my teachers (who used to teach in a very
conservative way) in my school, but my teachers in the coaching were very
helpful. One of them even went to the extent of organizing daily extra classes
for this very purpose and trained us to face those daunting problems.

I had really put so much effort into this mission of mine that when the results
came, I was almost in tears, and at the same time I was sad that I could have
maybe done it much before if I had got some more support from the teachers,
and most importantly, access to high-quality resources. I used to solve
advanced textbooks to make up for that lack of material, although later in my
life I realized that there is no alternative to Olympiad-focused preparation
done under the guidance of a good instructor. In my undergraduate college
(ISI), I met professor B. Sury (Who used to be the national coordinator of the
math Olympiads in India) who taught me how problem-solving is less about
talent and more about understanding the core concepts and solving tons of
problems related to that.

Now that I have much more experience of the concepts and the type of
problems asked, I can’t agree more with him.

Still, given the conditions I was in (being a very dumb student until the 6 th

standard), I think I did a pretty good job. And most importantly, I spent my
time doing something I was really passionate about. And the fact that I did it
without much help from others is also a source of great pride for me.

2. What is your biggest failure to date and why? What would you have done differently if

given a second chance? What have you learned from it? (In no less than 500 words)

The biggest failure in my life has been my inability to make good friends. My
time in school can be divided into roughly two equal phases- the “dumb kid”
phase and the “nerd kid” phase. I initially used to be very scared and quiet in
school, teachers often mistook it as a sign of being a disciplined model student
but in reality, I was scared of the teachers themselves and the bullies in my
class (One of whom would sometimes eat my lunch or steal my things), that’s
why I would speak very less to avoid being noticed by anyone. In the second
phase of life, I became very interested in Mathematics, and once I started
studying seriously, I became good in almost all the subjects that were there.
But this focus on studies always comes with a price, I was never able to foster
friendships with the best fun-loving people in my class. Since I never really
went out with them or spent time knowing them, the connection eventually
died once I left school. But that is surely not all my fault, I simply didn’t know
better.

At home too, I was always told about the importance of moral values and
discipline and these sorts of things. But I was never really asked to go out and
play at some friend's house or to go to a party with others. I don’t blame
anyone for this, my parents always did what they thought was best for me, but
raising a child is very tricky, you focus too much on some things, and you end
up messing up the other things.

Later on in my life, I realized the importance of cultivating friendships, enjoying

your best moments with them, and sharing your joys and sorrows. I would
often lie down at the rooftop of my college and stare at people passing below
(it was a slanted rooftop, and quite a big one) and see them happily laughing
together and enjoying moments. These were times I would get really sad about
how I had lived my life so far. Once during a visit to the college counsellor, I
told her that I don’t understand the meaning of friendships, maybe because I
have never really felt what it is like having a best friend or a partner to share
your time with.

But time is something that can't be reversed, however much you want it to.
This is something I think about almost every day, I still struggle to make friends
or open up to them, because I never learned how to do it.

If there was a way I could go back in time and offer a word of advice to him, I
would just ask that innocent kid to focus on his studies but also to enjoy life to
the fullest, without worrying about what others will say or think about you. I
would ask him to be unafraid of anyone and find time for the people who do
the same for him.

3. Describe a challenging project or a seemingly impossible task which you have

undertaken. What was the outcome? Also, list your major learnings.

The most impossible task that I did and finished it was preparing for a whole
course end semester in just 12 hours.
It was a day before the end sem exam in my 5 semester in December last
th

year. The subject was “analysis of graphs” taught to us by the famous scientist
Professor Raja. (The course basically involved solving problems related to
graph theory using algebraic techniques (like converting the graph into its
matrix analog and performing operating on that matrix to solve the problem)).

We had no gaps between the two exams, so it was only after the evening that
you could start preparing for the next one.

The only problem was that the day in question was the most awaited day of
the year in sports, It was the biggest rivalry in the cricket world, the India vs
Pakistan T20 World Cup match. The entire campus seemed to have an
electrifying aura that day, everyone was waiting for the match to start. People
were discussing stats and placing bets on their favorite player at the entrance
of the main hostel.

I had decided to watch the event on my laptop in my single room and study
everything along with watching the match.

But just an hour before, I received a notification through the WhatsApp group
of the college that the match would be streamed in the Platinum Jubilee
Auditorium (which we fondly called the PJA, it was actually inaugurated by the
then President Dr. Pranab Mukherjee). I simply couldn’t resist the temptation
of watching the match with my peers and went there. It was truly an amazing
match, we cheered for every 4 or 6 our batters hit and angrily shouted
whenever a wicket would fall down. Thankfully enough, India avoided a scare
and emerged victorious in the match. But it was only after 1 am that I would
return to my room after all the celebrations. Frankly. No one seemed worried
about the exams tomorrow, and everyone was in a joyous mode.

After coming back, I started revising for the exam tomorrow and realized that I
had not even read the stuff that was taught after the mid-semester
examinations as I had been sick for the most part of the second half of the
semester (I got my leave sanctioned by the head office for 2 weeks after
producing the doctors prescription to them, but there was no relief granted for
the exams).

But I bravely spent the entire night learning and revising theorem and polishing
my understanding by writing the concepts on the blackboard outside on the
wall. I took several short walks outside to keep myself asleep and drank a
whole jug of coffee for the same purpose. But by 9 am I had finally finished all
my revision and confidently gave the exam. The exam went well (not that good
but decent enough to score 34/50 marks). But I decided not to ever repeat the
same mistake in the future and always be well prepared for the exams.

Set III

1. Why MBA? How does it fit in now, in the grand scheme of things you have planned

for yourself?

2. Why should we hire you?

(Hint: Do not mention your strengths here. Talk about what sets you apart from a

crowd of equally qualified people, just as brilliant as you.

The answer should encompass behavioural aspects (more so, if you are a fresher),

in addition to your professional qualifications and experiences)

3. Tell me about a time when you stepped up and demonstrated leadership skills, and

inspired people to work towards the achievement of certain goals.

Set IV

1. Why SIG 1? (Mention your interest and your traits which you think are suitable for

this particular domain)

2. Why SIG 2? (Mention your interest and your traits which you think are suitable for

this particular domain)

3. What is your dream company and why? (For both SIG1 & SIG2)

Set V

1. Mention 3 important things you look for in a potential employer.

(Potential employers can learn a lot about you and whether you’re a good fit from your answer

to this question. Keep your answer positive and highlight your skills. Connect them to how the

employer will help you hone them, or improve upon them.)

Answer: The ideal workplace for me would be quiet, inclusive, and where learning from mistakes is
valued. It should also be a place where instead of shouting, there is more scope for constructive
criticism and subsequent reporting of the improvements made. These are the aspects that make an
employee feel valued while also motivating them to continuously do better.

Ideal Qualities I look for in an employer:

i) A place where learning is a priority: If learning is valued, this will motivate employees to acquire
new skills and use innovative methods to do their work. It is also important that there is a proper
space to continuously pitch-in new ideas and a well-formed framework where the idea is assessed
and, if deemed worthy, implemented.
The business landscape is constantly changing, and companies that invest in their employees'
development will be better equipped to adapt to changes and stay competitive in the market.
Employees who have access to ongoing learning opportunities are more likely to stay determined
and motivated, as they can see a clear path for career advancement.

ii) Inclusive workplace: Being exposed to an inclusive workspace is important as it imparts a sense of
collective belonging and can help bring in new ideas. People from different backgrounds have their
own way of interpreting the same situation, this will ensure a steady stream of creative ideas and
designs. Also, each employee would bring in their own experience to the table which can help in
making a well-informed and optimized decision. Coordination is also very important given that the
employees might need to interact with people from different backgrounds throughout their
employment, so it would be very beneficial for them to have interactions with people coming from
varied backgrounds in their primary workspace too.

iii) Collaborative environment- Collaboration is crucial in any workplace because it brings together
people with diverse backgrounds and expertise to tackle challenges creatively. When teams
collaborate, they mix their unique perspectives and ideas, which often leads to innovative solutions
that wouldn't emerge from individual efforts. Collaboration is also a skill that needs to be developed
over time, and if done correctly, will maximize the output.

2. Give an example of a time when you led your team through a difficult situation.

3. Describe a situation where you needed to persuade someone to accept your point of

view or convince them to change something. How did you go about it?

4. Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with a difficult colleague. How did

you tackle the situation?

5. Describe a mistake you've made professionally and your learnings from it?

(We're all human, and candidates should be able to admit that they've made mistakes at

certain times. This situational question is really more about finding out how a candidate

learns, reflects upon mistakes, and takes lessons learned into the future.)

6. Tell us about a time you faced an ethical dilemma?

(The interviewer is looking for evidence of your high ethical standards and honesty. You might

want to say you haven't had any ethical challenges, but we all have our ethics tested at some

point. Describe the situation and how you dealt with it. )