GD-PI-WAT Recall: How I cracked XLRI!

To help you prepare for the upcoming GD-PI-WAT season, here’ Megha Sharma, student of XLRI Jamshedpur, discussing her experiences.

Megha is currently pursuing Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), batch 2013-15. Her XAT 2013 percentile was 99.61. She pursued Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Information Science/Studies from B. M. S. College of Engineering, Bengaluru.

Know more about XAT 2015.

Megha has around 28 months of work-experience in the IT sector, working for firms like Sapient Consulting and Netscout Systems software. She had also cracked Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and Xavier’s Institute of Management Bhubaneshwar (XIMB).

Here’s Megha, reliving her Group Exercise / Group Discussion and Personal Interview experience, with Shiksha.com:

 

 

 

Group Exercise / Group Discussion Topic: "Right to basic education is a myth!"

Number of participants: 10

Duration: Two minutes to think; 15 minutes to discuss

 

 

Brief snapshot of discussion:

The discussion was good and covered a lot of areas. Sometimes it moved towards chaos but quickly became normal as well. At the end, we were asked to give an individual summary of 30 seconds each.

No blank sheets were provided during the GE/GD activity. It is better to carry along a small notepad and a pen.

 

 

 

Personal Interview

 

Interview panel consisted of three male professors. The panel was good and tried to help me stay calm during the conversation. Overall, it was a calm discussion.

 

 

PI Questions:

I wished the panelists as soon as I entered. MP took my folder and asked me to take a seat. I was also asked to sign the attendance sheet.

 

Panelist: Tell us something about yourself with more focus on work experience and educational background.

Megha: Spoke about everything in detail. They patiently listened for about 1.5 minutes.

 

Panelist: Ok, so describe your role in Sapient.

Megha: Spoke about e-commerce platform development which I worked on in Sapient.

 

Panelist: Which technology? Did you get any special training?

Megha: Informed them about the technology and training I received at Sapient.

 

Panelist: So what are the trends in e-commerce across India? What are the challenges it is facing?

Megha: Spoke about the upcoming trends and problems such as logistics, payment problems, customer service and so on.

 

Panelist: So what are your suggestions to improve the scenario in the future?

Megha: Gave some more gyaan.

 

Panelist: Ok, what do you do in Netscout?

Megha: Explained about my UI role and how currently there's a tech shift happening in the organisation. Overall, it was a learning opportunity and good contribution in a short span of time.

 

Panelist: They started quizzing me on something I said in the GD topic, “Right to basic education is a myth!"

Megha: I defended my point of views and explained why I felt right to basic education is a myth, the loopholes in the current system.

 

Panelist: Asked me to explain the intro of my essay in XAT

Megha: In XAT exam, candidates have to write an essay during the entrance test. I wrote the essay long ago, an didn’t remember properly what I wrote. I quickly tried to recall what I wrote and explained it.

 

Panelist: Who is the current HRD minister and Lok Sabha speaker?

Megha: I blanked out. Had no answers!

 

Panelist: Ok, who’s the Rajya Sabha speaker? PM? President?

Megha: I know, all this. (Told them the correct answers)

 

Panelist: Let me give you a hint. The LS speaker is a lady.

Megha: Still couldn’t remember. Much later, I recalled it is Meira Kumar (LS speaker in 2013).

 

Panelist: So why MBA?

Megha: Pursuing an MBA is directly related to my work experience. In the past, I have done quite a few things out of my set of current roles and responsibilities. (Went on to explain why MBA is important for my career)

 

Panelist: You seem to be very HR oriented. Do you have a call for HRM?

Megha: Yes, sir.

All smiled.

 

Panelist: Ok we are done. Is there something more you want to ask or tell us about?

Megha: Sir, I'd like to talk about my hobbies.

 

Panelist: Go ahead.

Megha: (I spoke about dance). I belong to a Rajasthani family with deep cultural roots. I am a trained Rajasthani folk dance. I am also trained in Bollywood and belly dance forms. I have always performed in school and continued doing so even at work.

 

Panelist: Did you see Black Swan? Tell me about it.

Megha: The dance form in Black Swan is ballet. (Spoke about the movie)

 

Panelist: Ok, Thank you. Have a nice day.

Megha: Thank you Sirs. Have a good day too.

 

 

According to the group in the waiting room it lasted for 15 odd minutes. It definitely seemed longer to me.

 

Verdict: Converted!!!

 

 

 

Tip to future aspirants

 

Stay calm, try to analyze a question and answer. They are looking for how you approach your answers more than the correct answer.