MBA Admission: Preparation Tips and Tricks for Cracking Personal Interview

The first step for getting into an MBA institute is to appear for an entrance exam - CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, SNAP,NMAT, GMAT or several other entrance exams available to get into an MBA institute. The next stop following the entrance exam is the GD-PI round. Though most colleges have replaced the GD round with the WAT or the Written Ability Test (WAT). But most institutes of repute conduct a personal interview session before selecting a candidate for the course. So, it is important to be ready and prepared for the interview round to get admission to your dream college. The GD-PI round is an integral part of the MBA admission process that most colleges give more weightage to the performance in the GD-PI round than the entrance exam scores. 

Interview Tips for MBA 2022 Aspirants

In the personal interview round, the candidates are evaluated on the grounds of confidence, subject knowledge, communication skills, stress management, Clarity of thoughts, clarity of goals, conceptual understanding and so on. Most interviews are conducted by a panel of two to three members. The five parameters on which interviewees are judged are as follows. 

• Communication - The style, body language, use of language 
• Subject Knowledge - Conceptual clarity and theoretical knowledge 
• Personality - Way seating, way of speaking, body composure, posture 
• General Awareness - News and Current Events 
• Clarity of Goals 

Creating the First Impression 

Often small little things are the ones that make or break first impressions. It is because of the fact that most students find it too obvious or cliched to look after. Hence, it's important to keep a check on little things to maintain a good impression in the interview. Minor things need to be considered like knocking on the door before entering, greeting the panel members before sitting down, and maintaining proper eye contact with the panellists. One of the mistakes students should avoid is to guess or bluff the answers. It is advisable to accept that you do not know the answer. 

One of the most important questions asked during the interview is 'Tell me something about yourself'. It is crucial to answer this question properly. Your answer should include your educational achievements, your interests, hobbies, any other achievements that you had. The answer should be brief and concise but it should set the base for the interview. 

Do's and Don'ts for MBA 2022 Personal Interview

Let's take a look at some of the do's and don'ts that you need to keep in mind for MBA 2022 PI

Do's for PI

Here is a list of some of the things that you should do while giving an interview

• Maintaining a cool and calm composure throughout the interview.
• Maintaining eye contact with the panellists especially the ones asking the questions. 
• Maintaining confidence throughout the process of the interview.
• Maintaining order and sequence while answering multiple questions from the panellists. 
• Maintaining the grounds for your point of view 
• Maintaining a happy smiling face that exhibits positivity. 

DON'Ts 

• Getting angry or reactive at the questions
• Showing nervousness and start mumbling 
• Exhibiting unwarranted humour 
• Showing overconfidence 
• Exhibiting self-doubt 
• Showing a rude behaviour

Commonly Asked Questions During MBA PI 

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

This is also one of the most commonly asked questions during the interview which is to be needed to be answered tactfully. Because most of the students go on answering the same way. Here is a guide for you to the most common answers given by the students. The most common strength stated by the students is being hardworking, having perseverance, being meticulous, and having team spirit.
On the other side, the most common weaknesses were overconfidence, stubbornness and setting up unrealistically high goals. 

Below provided is the list of the most common questions asked by the panellists.

• What is the meaning of habits?
• What are values?
• Why do you want to pursue an MBA?
• What are your hobbies and interests? 
• What skills do you have?
• What has been your academic record?
• Do you have any work experience and if yes where?
• What is your family like?
• What is your 5-10 year goal? 
• Why should we select you?
• What have your achievements been?
• What are your aims and objectives? 
• What are your learnings from your previous sources of employment?
• What has been your contribution to your previous company?

Dress code GD/PI for MBA PI 2022

The dress code should be formal and comfortable. Candidates should wear something that they would feel comfortable in. Male candidates can opt for formal shirts with trousers, and female candidates can go for formal dresses. Makeup and accessories should be discouraged or kept at a bare minimum.

Preparation for MBA PI 2022

The candidates should be well prepared for the interview. The candidates should look into some areas and issues which would make them do well in their interview. Some of those are listed below:

Subject Knowledge - Candidates should be well versed with the subjects in their graduation and if they had any specialisation then they should have a good understanding of the specialisation subject. Because it can be expected that they would be asked questions on that matter. Students should not be worried about completing the entire course structure but at least the basic and important concepts from their graduation. 

Work Experience and Learnings - Aspirants with work experience should be prepared with questions regarding their job role. The questions would also be on what learning did the candidate get from working in that particular organisation. 

Being aware of current events - Most interviews question students about current events in the national and international sphere. This is done to check the awareness of the candidates so they need to read a bit of news and keep themselves updated.

Hope all these tips and tricks help you crack your dream interview. Stay tuned to CollegeDekho for more such tips and tricks. Fill out the Common Application Form to stay updated or call on the toll-free number at 1800-572-9877.