WAT-PI Recall: How I made it to IIM-A!

Sufal Roongta

Sufal Roongta doesn’t come across as a regular B-school candidate. This Ahmedabadian loves backpacking, creative blogging, writing poetry, volunteering for social causes, and maintaining a good work-life balance.

So when this creative do-gooder with a flair for numbers, decided to go for an MBA, the result was – Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).  But the road to the IIM mantle did have few blocks on the way.

Below, Sufal gives shiksha.com a complete download of what happened, right from day-dreaming to finally making it to IIM-A.

 The Beginning

Born and brought up in Ahmedabad, I was always an above average student but never the extra-ordinary kind. In my early teenage years, I came to know someone from our society had cleared the CAT and he became the talk of the town. I was told speed and accuracy in Maths (a subject I love) is crucial to crack it. And that was the start of a dream that I would one-day crack CAT and get into IIM-A (since I lived two kilometres away the campus).

Belling the CAT

So for realising the dream of "getting a seat at IIM", I had to chart a long path. Owning to my natural aptitude in mathematics, I went for AIEEE, secured a good rank (1703) and took admission in IIIT-Hyderabad.

By the end of second year, I had started preparing for CAT. I took the exam in 2009, the first time it went online. My scores were: QA: 99.9 DI: 99.4 VA: 86.1 OA: 99.72. None of the IIMs called. The only calls were from MDI-Gurgaon (converted) and SP Jain (could not convert). Meanwhile, I also got placed in Factset Systems as a software engineer. So, it was a choice between MDI and Factset.  I went for Factset Systems, and got two-years of solid work-experience. Prior work experience can be helpful in management classes.

I re-appeared for CAT in 2011. By this time, I felt really good. There was good work-life balance. I was actively involved in volunteer work (with Ashray Akruti), pursued courses in Art of Living, led a group in Hyderabad "We-the-Change", read lot of books and worked on a business plan simultaneously. With focus on life-enriching experiences, I was now much clearer on why to pursue an MBA. For preparation, I solved at least one mock paper daily.

My CAT 2011 scorecard read: Section 1 ( QA+DI) : 99.75; Section 2 ( VA +LR) : 97.3; OA: 99.78. My efforts paid off and I got calls from IIM - Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and FMS.

Personal Interview (PI) Strategy

This time, I did not want to miss the bus. I worked on academics, read-up a lot on topics related to my interests, hobbies, and current affairs. I filled up the forms diligently, drafting the answers multiple times before filing the final draft.

Before my IIM-A interview, there was IIM-Lucknow and Calcutta. Both were pretty disappointing.

In Lucknow, I forgot to carry a watch and completely mismanaged the time in essay. During the PI, I was grilled on technology and international economics, of which I had no idea. On coming out of the interview room, I knew this was a sure shot reject. But interestingly, they offered me a seat in PGP-ABM.

The IIM-C interview experience was even worse. I somehow managed to fumble in all questions related to hobbies, academics and work-ex. I was extremely tense and that affected the whole session.

The next day, it was my IIM-A interview. 

The IIM-A interview

With two bad interviews in a row, I started losing confidence. But soon realised, the only thing that matters is IIM-A. I wrote down important questions and answers in a notebook to avoid fumbling in the interview. On a friend’s advice (who is studying at IIM-B), I developed a strategy for personal questions.

The WAT

WAT topic : “Is it possible to do business with honesty and ethics?”

Time given: 10 minutes

I harped on how a trader without honesty is doomed; that it may generate short-term success but is harmful in the long run. Also, dishonest employers beget dishonest employees. I also dealt at the topic from a shareholder’s perspective and with the help of an example: ethical Birla & Tatas vs Satyam.

The PI

After the WAT, it was PI time. The panel consisted of two institute professors.

Sufal: Yes, a couple of times since my friend’s dad is a professor here.

Sure, sir. (I handed over the file and briefed them about the company and its work.)

(Spoke about the projects I have worked on and how they were crucial for the firm).

Sir, I don't get it. Why do you think it’s simple?

It’s not just data transferring but also processing it, which is where our capabilities lie. I was in the database management team where we had to manage data and automate manual work. (Further clarified my position and work for the database team.)

Sir, I want to become an entrepreneur. I am already working on this project .... (Briefly explained the business plan about 'rural camps for urban children'. Then I took permission to use paper and pencil to explain in detail all the verticals of the plan clearly using block diagrams.)

Sir, I believe, it’s not about skills but about passion. I have the passion to pursue it and I believe, skills can be learnt if one has passion.

(Confidently) Yes, sir, I do. I believe if I only have the skills and not the passion, then I will never be able to do a good job. But if I have the passion and not the skills, I can learn the skills and do a good job. So, passion is more important.

About 52% of India depends on agriculture and 68% of India lives in rural areas. (I further pursued the calculations and gave a final answer.)

(Using block diagrams, I explained three branches of my proprosed business.)

(Using block diagrams, I again explained two different sources of revenue and expenses.)

(Informed them about the regional and national players in the market and how my initiatives will be different from theirs.)

There is a growing divide between urban and rural crowd. School children have no idea about their roots and parents want them to stay connected and explore these things.

During my stay in Andhra Pradesh, I once went to Pochampally – just 40 km away from Hyderabad. Strangely, people do not know about the place. The state government actively maintains village tourism here. The trip motivated me to do something in this field. Thereafter I went to several business plan conclaves and competitions and refined my idea.

(More counter questions on the business plan, competitors, revenue model etc, went on. The panellist spoke on the topic for about 20 minutes.)

(Told them why it is used and its different forms.)

Boyce–Codd Normal Form.

(Explained in detail with examples.)

Thank you, Sir.

Results

"Congratulations! You have been selected for PGP in IIMA. " I was stunned. I just looked at the message for some time before coming back to my senses. And finally, my 12-year long dream came true.

Sufal’s take

Sufal strongly advices the use of pen and paper to explain points during PI. “The idea is to use paper-pen to explain answers. Diagrams and flow charts can be extremely helpful for both interviewer and interviewee. The use of pen and paper means it is right in front of your eyes – the interviewer knows it and you too are confident. Moreover, your thoughts ae organised,” says Sufal.

He further says, “PI is different for every person. My case does not apply for you. Also, background is very important. All the IIMs verify this in the PI. They check if you are good in what you have pursued till now. So if you write about work, be thorough; if you have a hobby, know it well.”

Sufal warns, “HR questions are the tricky part. Most people go wrong while answering, 'Tell me about yourself.' This question sets the tone of the entire interview.”

“Also don’t expect to know everything in your interview. Those who got through will always tell you, the PI is a discussion. Just know what you are good at and be ready to prove it during the interview.”