Group discussions, personal interviews, and writing skills are critical parts of the MBA or PGDM admission process. Each year, lakhs of students prepare for the process and hope to get enrolled in the top MBA colleges in India of their choice.
These admission interviews are conducted by the best MBA colleges in Noida, Mumbai, Bangalore as well as other cities across the country to determine candidates’ ability, personality, skills, leadership qualities, teamwork, and thinking process.
Top management colleges look for problem-solving skills during group discussions and personal interviews as they are crucial to becoming a successful manager or leader.
Reason for Conducting Group discussions and Personal interviews:
- The purpose of a group discussion is for students to exchange opinions, views, and information about a particular topic. Discussions like these are conducted to test the students’ personalities and their ability to handle challenging situations.
- To understand the candidates’ psyche in a personal interview, an interviewer inquires about the interviewee’s background, lifestyle, skills, and experience.
The purpose of a personal interview with an applicant is to determine if s/he is capable and skilled enough to succeed in a career in management.
Group Discussion (GD)
Group discussions are intended to assess a candidate’s ability to critically analyze information and work in a group to develop a solution or develop a different perspective. As a result of this process, students reveal some of their personality characteristics, which the panel wants to examine.
Factors that help you prepare for GD:
Having a group discussion means exchanging views with a group of individuals on a common topic. It is a test for the candidates to show teamwork and communication skills. Performing well in GD can help you get noticed in front of the panel and probably get selected into one of the top management colleges in Noida or anywhere across the country.
- Knowledge:
Applicants participating in the group discussion should have accurate knowledge of a topic to present in front of a large crowd of competitors.
Keeping abreast of current affairs can be achieved by reading newspapers regularly. Candidates should be well-versed in all aspects of general knowledge including sports news, economy, politics, etc.
- Right timing:
In many cases, candidates make a mistake by not expressing their opinions at the appropriate time.
Please note that it is important to know when to speak at the right point. You should enter the discussion when others are taking a small pause. Be assertive, but remain polite. Be open to others’ opinions and express some additional perspectives related to the subject.
Ensure that your points are understandable, meaningful, persuasive, and powerful.
- A good listener:
During group discussions, everyone intends to express their opinions.
Having the ability to listen carefully to others and keeping a full focus on their contributions is essential. If you listen to them attentively, it can help you keep forward your points more clearly and distinctly.
Personal Interview (PI)
The purpose of a personal interview with a candidate is to determine whether s/he possesses the aptitude and skills necessary to succeed in management.
There are a number of questions that can be asked in a personal interview, including a brief introduction, hobbies, skills, and previous work experiences. And at times, these PI questions for MBA admissions can be completely different and off the topic.
Factors that help you prepare for PI:
- Attitude:
In order to be successful, a candidate must have the right attitude toward his/her goals. During PI you can improve the experience for both you and your prospective interviewer by displaying an optimistic attitude and outlook. Having a positive attitude is crucial characteristic employers look for in their employees. The companies look for candidates who give a positive vibe. Hence having the right attitude during PI is very important.
- Knowing yourself:
During PI, this is the point where the candidates usually get stuck or hesitate to answer this question since they’ve not given it much thought. It is the basic information about yourself that needs to be presented with flow and confidence. Basically, you need to briefly describe your name, residence, schooling, current goals, hobbies, family background, etc. You should also discuss your skills and experience if any.
How to conduct yourself for an interview
- Make sure that you’re prepared with appropriate formal clothing, shoes, personal grooming, and hygiene. Your interviewer will assess these factors as well.
- During the interview, you should put your phones, tablets, etc. on silent mode.
- Make sure you arrive in time and confirm the location a day before. Also, set the mode of travel for the day in accordance with the weather.
- Keep photocopies of documents in case of emergency and keep a file with the proper documents.
Expected questions in PI
The following are a few basic questions that you should be familiar with before the interview:
‘Tell me about yourself?’
You can make or break your interview with the way you answer this question. It is customary to speak briefly about family, education, career goals, hobbies, and interests. Do not talk too much about the past, just a brief description of education, life, and future plans is enough.
‘Why do you want to pursue an MBA?’
In addressing such questions, keep in mind the overall development you’ll receive from the MBA program, as well as the acquisition of skills that will benefit you in your personal and professional lives.
Also, keep in mind, one gets a higher paying job post an MBA, which leads to rapid career growth and high monetary rewards.
‘In 10 years, where do you see yourself?’
While answering this question, you should emphasize your skill development and increased responsibility while highlighting your goals as achievements. Make sure to keep your conversation brief, general yet unique. Describe how you are preparing yourself for a professional position.
Summing it Up
These were a few tips on how you can prepare and hopefully qualify for the interview in one go. Before anything, you must consider enrolling yourself in one of the top MBA colleges in India with the highest placements. Colleges providing more placement programs will give you more as well as better job opportunities than other students.