How to Prepare for GDPI Round

A. Interview Prep

The key to interview prep is to be honest and to be prepared to handle a variety of questions from various spheres. Almost all questions can be broadly grouped into the below categories.

1.    Mathematics and logic

This is an extension to the written examination. You certainly wouldn't be asked questions pertaining to Stochastic Calculus or higher order differential equations. But the interviewers certainly expect you to have a basic logical inclination towards problem understanding and solving. Most of the time, they will not be interested in you giving them the final answer; rather they would expect and appreciate a systematic answer detailing your approach and methodology.

Resources:

a.    Heard on the Street: Quantitative Questions from Wall Street Job Interviews: Timothy Falcon (A wonderful book that includes generic quant/logic questions as well as questions pertaining to Finance interviews. Referred by almost all MBA junta to prepare for their finance interviews

b.    Books by Shakuntala Devi, the world renowned Math prodigy are also really good: Puzzles to Puzzle You: Devi Shakuntala, Mathability: Awaken the Math Genius in Your Child, Figuring the Joy of Numbers:

2.    Related to your undergrad stream/work-ex
There will be a whole bunch of questions pertaining to your core courses at undergrad (in case of freshers) and/or work-ex. Remember to be thorough with at least 2-3 subjects of your choice.

I remember that TIME had a "briefcase" of generic questions pertaining to the major disciplines like EEE, CompSci, Mechanical, Civil, Chemical etc. Ask your coaching center to provide you similar resources.

3.    Questions based on your application:

Every word written on your application should be familiar to you. I remember being asked about the books I have read, their plots, my view on the story etc. If you have mentioned that you can solve a Rubik's cube in less than 2 minutes, expect them to ask you about your technique, the logic behind it, the different techniques other people use, and in extreme cases, to solve one at the moment.

4.    General Awareness/Current Affairs
Be thorough with the most important news of the year. Read through the last 2-3 months newspapers and around 6 months worth of magazines like TIME and Competition Success Review. Have an opinion and an analysis ready.

For example, the setting up of 10 new IITs is being hotly debated right now. If the same is brought up during the interview, you would be expected to provide a stance on it (good or bad?) and also to provide your rationale and/or an honest, logical deconstruction of the same.
Resources:

a.    Offline magazines

b.    Daily newspapers

c.    Use Google Alerts to monitor various facets of news

d.    Visit r/news and r/India

e.    Use news aggregator sites like Mashable and TechCrunch  

5.    Soft/HR questions

There are generally the most dreaded questions as there is no right answer.

Questions like "Tell me something about yourself", "Why MBA?", "Why
They will generally be covered during your interview prep. Be honest. Completely honest. While that might not always work in your favor, it increases the chances of the interviewer seeing that you are making up things and for you to more confidently approach the question. 

For personalised coaching for GD/PI/GE/WAT , contact Vivek Gupta, IIMB Alumni

6.    Some ways to tackle the "Why MBA" question.

a.    For:

i.          Better clarity of thought and understanding of business

ii.          Getting the requisite exposure, networking, knowledge of people, systems and process for starting up something of your own

b.    Never for:

i.          Higher salary

ii.          Old job sucks

iii.          Old boss sucks

iv.          Sense of adventure

v.          Out of boredom

vi.          Final option in decision by elimination

7.    Tackling the "Tell me something about yourself" googly

a.    Remember to keep it short, crisp, interesting and chronological. Start off with your background, your education, work experience etc. Move on to softer aspects like hobbies and interests. Talk about the company you started, or the app you developed, or the NGO you run or volunteer at. Tell them about things that excite you. Touch upon slightly upon your aspirations.

b.    Do not make it an elevator pitch. Do not be in a hurry to say everything. Make constant eye-contact. See if they are interested. Smile. Do not bring in your political, religious or philosophical affiliations. That is dangerous territory. Do not take it as an opportunity to "sell" yourself. Make it a conversation, an ice-breaker and give them fodder to drive the interview.

Resources:

o   Tackling Why MBA question in B School interviews

o   WHY MBA?? How to answer this common MBA essay question

8.    Small talk
Small talk is sometime used by the interviewers to judge your interpersonal skills or to make you feel at ease.

8.

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B. GD Prep

A GD is similar to the WAT round as it requires certain level of knowledge, preparation and being updated on current affairs.

The strategy for GD is also similar with the following exceptions:

For a GD, ensure that you think about both sides of the debate because if you are late to the party and everyone has taken up one side of the argument, you will find that most of your points have been taken. Even if not, taking up an opposite stand will help you stand out a little from the crowd.

Pointers:

1.    Speak at least 3 times during the GD - to maintain visibility

2.    Each time, have something substantial to say

3.    Either try and start the discussion or try and wrap it up at the end.

4.    Do not hesitate to agree with the previous speaker. However, in doing so ensure that you add something to his/her argument.

5.    Do not be an asshole; even if everyone else is being one. Maintain your calm. Try and bring the situation under control.

6.    Never shout. Ever.

For personalised coaching for GD/PI/GE/WAT , contact Vivek Gupta, IIMB Alumni

C. WAT Prep

The weightage to WAT for different institutes is as follows:

·        IIMA - Undisclosed (overall 70% to WAT+PI)

·        IIMB - Undisclosed

·        IIMC - 10%

·        IIML - 10%

·        IIMK - 15% (along with GD)

Thus it is an important component that can make or break your chances of being selected.

The time limit for writing essays would vary from mere 10 mins to around 30 mins. The key is to ensure that you complete your essay within the stipulated time period. There would be no extra marks for handwriting (provided that it is legible). You need to have some concrete ideas, arguments, opinions and need to augment them with facts. There needs to be at least some basic structure to the entire piece.

The topic are mostly on current affairs or standard debates.

Strategy:

If the topic needs you to take a stand, take one in the first 10 seconds. The topics are usually such that you can defend either side with ample amount of data, facts, figures and logical arguments. Remember that you are not there to prove the other point wrong, but to prove why yours could be right.

If for example, the topic is, "Should marijuana be legalized?", you can start by:

1.    Saying YES or NO. Let us assume you said YES.

2.    Why do you say so - free market, freedom of choice, marijuana is not the same as other drugs which are addictive or harmful, no documented death due to marijuana overdose, use in medical procedures

3.    How higher taxes are more effective than bans - less Dead Weight Losses etc

4.    What would be the benefits of legalizing - new revenue source for government, curbs the prevalent black market for drugs, police resources dedicated to enforce the ban can be mobilized elsewhere etc.

Have a good closing argument or summary. Clearly state what your stand is.

GD Topics for MBA 2018
Following are the GD topics which have appeared in 2018 Group Discussion and Writing Ability Test (WAT) process at premier B-Schools.

Sr. No.	Topic	Type
1.	End of Globalization/ De-Globalization/ Nationalization	Business & Economy
2.	Climate Change/Pollution	Social Issue
3.	Retirement Homes: Do advantages of living in them outweigh the disadvantages?	Social Issue
4.	Social Media: Impact on human behavior and society	Social Issue
5.	Impact of technology on Jobs	Current Affairs
6.	#Me too campaign	Current Affairs
7.	Crypto Currency/ Bitcoin	Current Affairs
8.	Banking Scams	Current Affairs
9.	Mars Mission for India Justified?	Current Affairs
10.	Decline in open spaces and playgrounds can lead to negative tendencies in children	Social Issue
11.	Knowledge is the biggest asset you can accumulate	Abstract Topic
12.	Is India ready for cashless Economy?	Business & Economy
13.	Does Travelling help in generating ideas and experiential learning?	Abstract Topic
14.	Zero	Abstract Topic
15.	Death penalties for perpetrators of crime against women. Is it Justified?	Social Issue

For personalised coaching for GD/PI/GE/WAT , contact Vivek Gupta, IIMB Alumni

Group Discussion- Types and Topics

Business & Economy: Group Discussion Topics

·                   Ease of Doing Business Ranking of India: Will the Improvement in Position really help?

·                   RBI Autonomy: Is the Government out to Impound its Autonomous Status?

·                   Renewable Energy: Can India lead Solar Energy, Wind Energy revolution?

·                   Banking Frauds: Result is Rising NPAs; Better to Prevent now than to run after

·                   Minimum Support Price: Really helpful or a Political gimmick

·                   Agriculture Vs Manufacturing Industry in India - priorities for future

·                   Walmart and Flipkart Deal: Impact on Indian Economy

·                   Is MBA necessary to be Successful in Business?

·                   Cashless Economy: Is Society ready for transformation?

·                   Impact of Technology on Jobs: Will Automation & Artificial Intelligence reduce or increase Jobs?

·                   Globalization: An Opportunity or a Threat?

·                   Crypto Currency: A bright future or just a fad?

·                   The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2017

·                   Startup India: Boosting Entrepreneurship

·                   Merger of Public Sector Banks: How beneficial is the merger of Banks?

·                   Water Transport Tourism: A shot in the Arm for economic development

·                   Budget Cycle Change: Only a move of convenience

·                   Bank Recapitalization: NPA reduction and not bank recapitalization can cure the health of PSBs in India

·                   RERA: Will it restore the trust of home buyers?

·                   Moody’s Rating Upgrade: Will the improvement enhance economic growth of India?

·                   YONO: One Banking Digital platform for all financial solutions.

·                   Demonetisation: Success & failures

·                   Indian Economic Slowdown: A long term problem, how to come out of it?

·                   GST: Will economy grow faster with reduced rates of Goods & Services Tax?

·                   Farmers’ Income: Will India be able to double it in next 5 years?

·                   Privatization of Indian economy: Should India go ahead with the idea?

·                   High Deficit Financing V/s high interest rates: Both cannot go together

·                   Union Budget: Merging the General & Railway Budget will save exchequer from unnecessary spending

·                   India V/s China: Will India remain way behind China?

·                   Employment Generation: IT industry will create huge job opportunities in India

·                   FDI in retail: Good for India?

·                   Business Lobbying: Make it legal in India

·                   Corruption in Economy: It is the root cause for Indian Economic slowdown

·                   Make in India: The idea will make India a manufacturing hub

Current Affairs: Group Discussion Topics

·                   Statue of Unity: Symbol of Pride or Wastage of Public Money?

·                   US Trade Policy: Is Trump creating World Trade War?

·                   Media Freedom: Should there be a limit?

·                   Fake News will kill Social Fiber of India unless checked

·                   Individual’s Data Privacy: Protection is More Important than Before

·                   Mobocracy is led by Fake News resulting in Lynching

·                   TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT: Will De-Nuclearization Instill World Peace?

·                   GD Topic: Union Budget India 2018

·                   Is India ready for Electric Vehicles?

·                   Modicare: Affordable healthcare or a pipe dream?

·                   Bullet Train: Does India really need it?

·                   Sensex: Sensitivity has nothing to do with economy and society?

·                   Companies Amendment Bill: Will it be helpful in ease of doing business?

·                   Gujarat & Himachal Assembly elections: Implications at national level.

·                   IIM Bill 2017: Is it really beneficial for the students?

·                   End of subsidy regime: Step needed to propel the wheel of growth

·                   Mission to MARS: Can India afford spending a fortune on such projects?

·                   E-commerce: Discounts are harmful in long run?

·                   War Kashmir Crisis: War not dialogue will end the Crisis?

·                   Proponing the General Budget: Is proponing the presentation date a good decision?

·                   Terrorism: Is this the price we have to pay for democracy?

·                   Linking of Aadhaar: Is making Aaadhar mandatory a good idea?

Social Issues: Group Discussion Topics

·                   Swachh Bharat Mission: Success is still at Large

·                   GD topic: Retirement Homes

·                   Social Media: A boon or a bane for society and individuals

·                   Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Will it abolish the orthodox mindset?

·                   Law should be an instrument of Social Change

·                   Browsing at Workplace affects productivity

·                   Social Activism is necessary for survival of democratic society

·                   India needs a uniform civil code

·                   Difficulties in implementation of Climate Change Summit Resolutions

·                   Net Neutrality is essential to make India Digital

·                   Smart City Project will give wings to growth

·                   Gender bias in portraying Women in Advertisements

·                   India needs a uniform civil code

Abstract Topics: Group Discussion Topics

·                   Friends, Enemy or Frenemies?

·                   Hard Work Vs Smart Work

·                   Me Too Campaign: Breaking Silence to Win the War

·                   Your failures can be your stepping stones or your stumbling blocks

·                   GD Topic: Ethics or Profit?

·                   GD Topic: Zero (0)

·                   Black or Grey

·                   Work- Life Balance is a Myth

·                   FAMOUS Vs IMPORTANT

·                   Roses are red, crows are black

·                   Water or Oxygen

·                   East or West India is the best

·                   Patience: A virtue in Business and Management.

·                   Innovation Vs Invention: What is more important?

·                   Change is the only constant

·                   Freedom is a myth

·                   Fact Vs Opinion: There are no facts only opinions

·                   Leader or Follower

·                   Strategy or Execution

·                   Means or End

·                   Effective manager or Ethical Manager

·                   It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.

·                   Red is red, blue is blue and never the two shall meet

·                   Brevity is the soul of wit

·                   Gender bias in portraying Women in Advertisements

Thank You!