The most crucial stages for MBA admission includes Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) round. Here are 32 most commonly asked questions in the PI round.
Personal Interview Questions: For MBA admission, candidates must appear in the Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD/PI) rounds of B-Schools. Preparing for top MBA entrance exams is not as difficult as preparing for GD/PI because every exam has a syllabus from which questions are asked. One only needs to devote a good number of months to cover the MBA exam syllabus. However, for GD/PI, there is no predefined syllabus or pattern. Candidates may be given any topic in GD and asked any question during the PI round.
It takes a lot of effort to clear these rounds as one doesn't know what will be asked and what will be the most appropriate answer. While preparing for MBA admission, candidates often wonder what the top questions to prepare for clearing the PI round are.
Explore colleges based on CAT
As it is now time to work on PI rounds for IIMs and MBA admission 2024, aspirants must be searching for the types of questions asked in PI and their perfect answers. Questions in PI round of MBA colleges are mostly connected to the candidate's academics or job/internship that they mention in their resume.
Q: What is the structure of CAT question paper?
Q: Which CAT slot has the toughest question paper?
Q: What are the benefits of solving CAT question papers?
Chances of facing questions based on hobbies, past jobs, projects and areas of interest are very high in the personal interview round for MBA admission. However, it is not easy to guess what questions will be asked in a PI round of a B-School. But there are a few very common questions that are asked at almost all kinds of interviews. Candidates preparing for MBA admission must prepare these common PI questions well.
Top 32 Personal Interview Questions for MBA Admissions
A personal interview round for MBA admission is a personality assessment test in which the admission panel has a good opportunity to know a candidate and the candidate has a good opportunity to present their best aspects. It is more of an interpersonal interaction which includes professional as well as personal questions. Here are the most commonly asked questions in MBA personal interview round for admission:
- Tell us something about yourself.
- Why do you think should we give you admission in our college?
- What are your key skills/ greatest strengths?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- What is your greatest achievement?
- Where do you see yourself five years down the line?
- What are your career goals?
- What are your short-term goals?
- What are your long-term goals?
- Why do you want to join this College/B-school?
- Why MBA?
- Why marketing/ finance/ etc. specialisation?
- Why this particular programme?
- What are your hobbies and interests?
- Who is your role model?
- Who inspires you?
- What is the difference between a good manager and a good leader?
- Why should we admit you?
- What are some reasons to reject your application?
- Walk me through your resume/profile.
- What is your biggest failure or challenge?
- How will you contribute to the class if we choose you?
- How will you contribute to the campus if we choose you?
- How will you add value to the campus if chosen?
- What is your expectation from this MBA programme?
- How do you deal with failures?
- How do you deal with criticism?
- What have you learnt from your failures?
- Discuss a situation when you were a leader.
- Where else have you applied? What other calls have you received?
- What are the newspaper headings that grabbed your attention?
- Do you want to ask or know anything (about the college)?
Also Read: Personal Interviews: 5 Situations That May Stump You
GD/PI Experience of IIM Students
Check out the articles below to know how these students converted IIM Interview calls.
Student Name |
IIM |
Personal Interview Link |
---|---|---|
Akshay Mehendiratta |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Anchal Taatya |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Ananya Mishra |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Pratham Mani |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Omkar Mukherjee |
IIM Calcutta |
|
Vaibhav Jatin Shah |
||
Parth Agarwal |
||
Anshul Aggarwal |
IIM Kozhikode |
|
Ankur Parmar |
IIM Kozhikode |
|
Priyanjit Biswas |
||
Ruchika Bhartiya |
||
Parth Agarwal |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Ankit Anand |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Pratham Mani |
||
Aditi Agarwal |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Gursimran Ahuja |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Biswanath Chakraborty |
||
Nishant Shah |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Biswanath Chakraborty |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Achintya Bhattacharya |
IIM Bangalore |
|
Biswanath Chakraborty |
||
Shubham Varshney |
IIM Ahmedabad |
|
Shubham Ranka |
IIM Calcutta |
|
Dhiraj Bedi |
IIM Calcutta |
|
Wasim Khan Pathan |
IIM Calcutta |
Read More:
Q: From where can I download CAT question papers?
Q: How many RC questions does CAT have?
The CAT VARC section is dominated by RC questions. Out of 24 questions about 14-16 are based on Reading Comprehension passages and the rest of them are based on parajumbles, para completion, etc.
CAT has about 12-16 RC question. In CAT 2022, there were four RC passages each having four questions. The ideal attempt was estimated at 13. Since, it is not mandatory to solve all the questions, candidates can maximize their scores by leaving out the questions related to the passage they find the toughest. There is negative marking in CAT so candidates must ensure that they mark only the correct options or do not mark any option at all.
- MBA PI Questions: How to Answer 'Why MBA' Question? With Example
- IIM Admission & Selection Criteria 2024
- Personal Interview FAQs for Post-COVID Times
- How to prepare for GD-PI
- 13 must-do things to crack GD-PI-WAT
- How to crack GD-PI-WAT rounds of Top B-Schools
- How you dress might affect your GD-PI score
- Top 80 Group Discussion topics for MBA admission 2024
- Dos & Don’ts of Group Discussion
- Tips to Appear for Virtual GD/PI
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Personal Interview
Q: How should I answer the ‘tell us about yourself’ question?
Q: How to answer ‘Why MBA’?
Q: How to answer the ‘Why should we give admission to you’ question?
Q: Is it necessary to wear formals to the interviews?
Q: Should I carry my resume to the interview?
Q: I have two years of professional experience. What should I carry to my Personal Interview for MBA?
Q: How to answer, ‘What are your weaknesses’ question?
Q: What are the must-haves before an MBA interview?
Q: How to tackle a tough question in an interview?
Q: How to close an interview?
Q: How to answer, ‘Where do you see yourself in five years’ question in a PI round of MBA admission?
With a creative soul, Abhishek is inclined towards anything in the creative space be it drawing, painting, craft, or writing. He has been working in the ed-tech industry since he started his career. Besides creative... Read Full Bio
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Jan '25 | XAT 2025 response sheet releas... |
Jan '25 | XAT 2025 result |
8 Jan '25 | SNAP 2024 result announcement |
21 Dec '24 | SNAP 2024 session 3 |
5 Jan '25 - 10 Jan '25 | NMAT 2024 Scheduling Window (s... |
5 Jan '25 - 10 Jan '25 | NMAT 2024 Registration Window ... |
17 Oct '24 - 5 Dec '24 | IIFT 2025 registration and app... |
24 Dec '24 - 2 Mar '25 | MAT 2024 Registration Process ... |
24 Dec '24 - 9 Mar '25 | MAT 2024 Registration Process ... |
Feb '25 | IBSAT 2024 Selection Process (... |
28 Dec '24 - 29 Dec '24 | IBSAT 2024 Exam |
17 Jan '25 | CMAT 2025 city intimation slip |
20 Jan '25 | CMAT 2025 admit card download |
25 Dec '24 - 25 Jan '25 | MAH CET 20245 registration pro... |
Mar '25 | MAH MBA CET 2025 |
19 Jan '25 | Publication of TANCET Notifica... |
Jan '25 | TANCET Registration Dates |
Jan '25 | IRMASAT 2025 Last Date of Appl... |
Feb '25 | IRMASAT Personal Interviews |
Student Forum
Answered an hour ago
No, SKILL-CAT exam is not compulsory to get into MBA at Symbiosis Skills and Professional University. Candidates can also apply with a valid score of national-level examinations. The accepted entrance exams are CAT/MAT/SNAP/GMAT, etc. After shortlisting candidates based on exam scores, the universit
S
Beginner-Level 5
Answered Yesterday
GIBS Bangalore offers a PGDM program, often considered equivalent to an MBA. It's designed to be industry-focused, with an emphasis on practical learning and entrepreneurial skills. The curriculum includes case studies, industry projects, and a focus on developing soft skills alongside core manageme
G
Contributor-Level 9
Answered Yesterday
LEAD college og management ofers admissions based on entrance and merit. The institute offers courses such as MBA AND MCA for duration 2 year full timemode.
Candidates must have minimum marks of 50% in graduation from a recognised university or college. Apart from this, candidates must obtained vali
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 days ago
Hi Sanjana,
MDI Gurgaon primarily accepts CAT scores for admission to its PGDM programs. For Indian students, a valid CAT score is required. However, for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Foreign Nationals, and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), a GMAT score is accepted.
The last date to apply for the PGDM,
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 days ago
Dear Sayandip,
Achieving a 60 percentile in the CAT exam may not meet the typical cutoff requirements for admission to the KIIT School of Management (KSOM). Based on available information, KSOM generally considers candidates with higher CAT percentiles for admission.
Typical Cutoff Percentiles for KS
A
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, Mangalmay Institute of Management and Technology accepts the CAT exam for admission to MBA and MBA+. Further, the college accepts other entrance exam for admission to MBA, such as MAT, XAT, CAT, CMAT Additionally, the college has some basic eligibility criteria that differ from course to course
D
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 days ago
No, CAT score is not required to secure MBA admission at The Neotia University. The university provides merit-based admissions to eligible applicants. Candidates who fulfil the course-specific eligibility criteria can visit the university's official website to apply. They must upload all the require
H
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Manipal University offers admission to several MBA courses via its affiliated college called TAPMI Manipal. The institute accepts several national-level entrance exams, such as CAT/ XAT/ CMAT, and NMAT, for admission to the MBA/PGDM courses. During the TAPMI Manipal MBA cutoff 2023, the CAT cutoff p
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, freshers can apply for the MBA program at the National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM). For admission, NIFM considers scores from various entrance exams, including CAT, CMAT, XAT, MAT, and GMAT.
With a CAT percentile of 76.41, you have a good chance of securing admission at NIFM, as th
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, Mody University of Science and Technology accepts the CAT exam for admission to MBA. Further, university also accepts various other entrance exam for admission, such as XAT/NMAT/CMAT/MAT/ATMA/GMAT. Additionally, the university has some basic eligibility criteria that differ from course to cours
S
Contributor-Level 6
Is SKILL-CAT compulsory for MBA at Symbiosis Skills and Professional University?