XLRI GDPI Experience

XLRI (Xavier School of Management) PGDM Admissions : Selection Process Overview

XLRI, as the oldest B-school in India and a top-ranking institute, conducts a rigorous selection process for its two-year full-time PGDM programs in Business Management (BM) and Human Resource Management (HRM). The selection is based on a candidate’s performance in the Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT), and GRE/GMAT scores are also considered. The final merit list is determined by a holistic assessment, including personal interviews, overall profile, work experience, and other relevant factors.

Selection Process:

1. Shortlisting:

• Based on XAT/GMAT/GRE scores.
• Candidates with exceptional academic records and relevant work experience are shortlisted for the next stages.

1. Personal Interview:

• A group of three panelists conducts interviews, focusing on personality traits, academics, specialization preferences, work experience, and hobbies.
• Some candidates may face questions related to their Statement of Purpose (SOP).
• Interviews typically last 20-25 minutes, involving cross-questioning.

Interview Experiences:

Interview 1:

• Background: Work Experience of 25 months
• XAT Percentile: 99.59
• Questions:
• Attire-related questions (wearing a black tie and formals).
• Opinions on lungi as formal wear and convincing foreign partners.
• Discussion on the fashion domain, MBA choice, and cross-questioning.
• Choice between BM and HRM, linking a quote on the wall to the chosen field.
• Case-based job scenarios discussion.

Interview 2:

• Background: B.Tech (Mechanical), Fresher
• Questions:
• General introduction and questions on the future of technology.
• Views on the role of management in problem-solving.
• Motivation behind opting for HRM and not BM.
• Exploration of favorite subjects, including mechanical and geography.
• Questions on regional disparities in India and industrial location decisions.

Interview 3:

• Background: B.Tech, Work Experience of 27 months
• Questions:
• Discussion on work experience and challenges faced by blue-collar workers.
• Motivation behind pursuing an MBA while working at Tata Projects.
• Questions on labor relations, transformers, and the candidate’s college.
• Changes brought about in the workplace.

Interview 4:

• Background: B.Com (H), Fresher
• Questions:
• Introduction and why HR.
• Qualities required for an HR professional.
• Discussion on the decline in women labor and creating a team.
• HR’s role in the employee life cycle.
• Cross-questioning based on the SOP.

Interview 5:

• Background: Economics Fresher
• Questions:
• The impact of hobbies on personal development.
• Instances of major decisions and their impact.
• Reasons for choosing HR and XLRI.
• Behavioral questions and cross-questioning related to past scenarios.

Feedback – Personal Interview:

1. Candidate 1:

• Profile: B.Com, Work Experience – 11 months
• Duration: 30-35 minutes
• Panel: 3
• Questions:
  • Reasons for not completing the CA course.
  • Details about major audit work.
  • Ethical and unethical practices in auditing.
  • Recent changes in audit and Income Tax Return (ITR).
  • Difference between Private and Public Banks.
  • Step-by-step audit process for RBI.
  • Discussion on financial ratios and portfolio considerations.
  • Additional Question: How do you think emerging technologies impact the audit process?

1. Candidate 2:

• Profile: Work Experience – 5 years 4 months
• Duration: Not specified
• Panel: Not specified
• Questions:
  • Challenges and solutions for work-from-home.
  • Specifics about Durgapur Steel Plant.
  • Software security validation and metrics quantification.
  • GDPR, privacy standards in India, and cybersecurity adaptations.
  • TCS share price and a failure in the job.
  • Brand representation and weaknesses.
  • Additional Question: Can you elaborate on a specific cybersecurity project you’ve worked on?

1. Candidate 3:

• Profile: B.Tech in Computer Engineering, Work Experience – 2 years
• Duration: Not specified
• Panel: Not specified
• Questions:
  • Impact of the pandemic and views on work-from-home.
  • Company policies for facilitating work-from-home.
  • Perks/tools for helping people with disabilities.
  • Appraisal and rating policies at HSBC.
  • Suggestions for policy flexibility and pursuing an MBA.
  • Additional Question: How do you foresee the role of technology in shaping HR policies?

1. Candidate 4:

• Profile: Bachelors in Computer Engineering, Work Experience – 2 years
• Duration: Not specified
• Panel: Not specified
• Questions:
  • Views on LGBT rights.
  • Student organizations’ role in promoting LGBT inclusion.
  • Importance of ethics and its application in the banking role.
  • Ethical considerations in data collection by companies.
  • Justification for pursuing an MBA.
  • Additional Question: Can you discuss a situation where ethical considerations conflicted with business objectives?

1. Candidate 5:

• Profile: B.Tech
• Duration: Not specified
• Panel: Not specified
• Questions:
  • Introduction and cricket-related questions.
  • Evaluation of cricket captains based on leadership qualities.
  • Steps to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
  • Negative impact of a star player on an organization.
  • Additional Question: How would you handle team dynamics if faced with dissent among team members?

1. Candidate 6:

• Profile: B.Tech in Computer Science, Work Experience – 2 years
• Duration: Not specified
• Panel: Not specified
• Questions:
  • Introduction and reasons for joining the college.
  • Adding value to the college and shifting from Data Analyst to HRM.
  • Questions on OOPs concepts, database management, and HR policies.
  • Additional Question: How do you see data analytics influencing HR decision-making processes?

XLRI MBA Admissions : Selection Process & Interview Experiences

The final selection process at XLRI for its MBA program includes an asynchronous online/video interview, Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI).

Feedback – Asynchronous Pre-Final Interview:

• Duration: 25-30 minutes
• Questions:
• Behavioral/personality/situation-based questions.
• Instances of handling pressure, teamwork, personal challenges.
• Contributions to team culture.
• Volunteer work experiences.
• Inspirational managers or teachers.
• Achieving efficiency in tasks.
• Interest in and learning from recent subjects in graduation.
• A task done efficiently when not interested.

Feedback – Group Discussion & WAT:

• Group Discussion:
• Participants: 10
• Duration: 25-30 minutes
• Topic: Same for GD and WAT.
• Topics:
  • Industrialization vs. human rights.
  • Layoffs and their impact on the economy.
  • The hindrance of powerful trade/labour unions.
  • Indian Media Circus and breaking news.
  • Hierarchy in organizations.
  • Networking vs. academics.
  • Nature as a sustainable business enterprise.
  • Preservation of culture in a growing society.
• Written Ability Test (WAT):
• Duration: 10 minutes
• Word Limit: None
• Topics:
  • Industrialization vs. human rights.
  • Companies not laying off employees are better for the economy.
  • The hindrance of powerful trade/labour unions.
  • Indian Media Circus and breaking news.
  • Hierarchy in organizations.
  • Networking vs. academics.
  • Nature as a sustainable business enterprise.
  • Preservation of culture in a growing society.

Feedback – Personal Interview:

• Average Duration: 15-25 minutes
• No. of Panelists: 3

Excerpts from Interviews:

1. Candidate 1:

• B.Tech (Mechanical Engineer), 1+ year work experience.
• Questions about being late, GD topic, and handling underperforming team members with personal issues.

1. Candidate 2:

• B.Tech (CSE), Work Experience in Financial sector.
• Questions about the investment bank division, handling losses, and detailed queries about database and data mining.

1. Candidate 3:

• B.Tech.
• Questions about family background, favorite subject in graduation, differences between AI and ML, and handling supply chain disruptions.

Interview Questions:

For Group Discussion and WAT:

1. Should there be a women’s quota for MBA programs to increase gender equality in society?
2. Do celebrities set a bad example for the young generation by flaunting their romantic relationships openly?
3. Should people from the military be given reservations in business schools?
4. Is it justifiable to ban abortion, arguing that even a mother has no right to terminate her child?

For Personal Interview (Excerpt 1):

1. What is the economic difference between the IT and Hotel Industry?
2. What are your views on reservations and the caste system?
3. Is the caste system good or bad? Which book introduced the caste system, and in which castes are Dalits included?
4. What happens in HR? Which sport are you interested in? Provide information about your current activities and the books you’ve read in the past year.

For Personal Interview (Excerpt 2):

1. Summarize the major points of your GD and link it to the topic of the LGBT Community.
2. Discuss the boundary to freedom of choice. How is it different when comparing freedom of choice for doing cocaine and freedom for the LGBT community?
3. Are you interested in politics? Provide information about Kolkata’s parliamentarians and the Rajya Sabha.
4. Share a TED Talk recommendation related to management.

For Personal Interview (Excerpt 3):

1. Do you have a twin brother? Which company do you work for? Discuss your current project and its impact on the company’s business.
2. Share your knowledge about Tirthankaras and a famous Jain Temple in Jharkhand.
3. Should kids do long fasting? Explain why you brought another perspective in your GD.

For Personal Interview (Excerpt 4):

1. What’s your view on legalizing marijuana and drugs, following your line of reasoning from the GD?
2. Until what time is it acceptable to terminate a child? Discuss the various scenarios and stakeholders involved.
3. If there is a tie of votes on abortion legalization, who should have a greater say? Specify which professionals should be part of the decision-making process.
4. Enlist the stakeholders in the entire exercise of abortion legalization, and discuss the role of Americans in this context. Address the unborn child as a stakeholder.
5. Discuss your research paper, the methodology used, its robustness, and limitations.

Group Discussion Topics:

1. The true guardian of democracy should be autocratic in nature.
2. Abortion should not be prohibited by law, and it should be at the discretion of the mother.
3. Does the ranking of business schools convey the true picture of management education in India?
4. Should the Government solely be blamed for unemployment in India?
5. Online existence is achieved at the cost of real-life achievements.

Personal Interview Questions:

Interview 1 (NIT Trichy, Fresher):

1. Why aren’t you working?
2. Why do you want to opt for MBA? Give two strong reasons.
3. What are isotones?
4. How are organic compounds different from inorganic compounds?
5. What did you do in your internship in Germany?
6. How are German work ethics different from Indian work ethics?
7. What are your hobbies?

Interview 2 (Computer Engineer, 10 months work ex as Data Engineer):

1. Tell us something about your job? What is your role?
2. How is a bubble chart better than a bar chart?
3. Visualize data of infant mortality, average life expectancy, and literacy rate in one chart.
4. Two things you don’t like about your company.
5. Tell us about your clients (industry/domain).
6. What do you do in your free time?
7. Which books have you read?
8. Tell about the last trip you had. What did you learn from the trip?

Interview 3 (B.Com, Chartered Accountant):

1. Tell us about your job in Deloitte.
2. Your views on scams like PNB. Reasons for the scams – audit issues?
3. Is not auditing properly illegal? Discuss the PNB scam.
4. What was your favorite subject during college (financial management)?
5. Explain capital budgeting and financial ratios.
6. Share an example when someone was angry at you.
7. Are you a single child?
8. Why MBA? What role are you looking for post-MBA? Other calls you have?

Interview 4 (Engineer, Fresher):

1. Location and affiliation of South Point High School.
2. Thoughts on good schools in Kolkata converting to CBSE from the West Bengal board.
3. Preparation for the interview.
4. Generic B-school interview questions.
5. Would you hire someone who had done money laundering to save his family?
6. Hobbies.
7. Favorite Bengali author.
8. Differences between Satyajit Ray and Swaradindu Bandyopadhyay’s detective novels.
9. Strengths and weaknesses.

Group Discussion Topics:

1. Globalisation is endangering culture.
2. Reservation based on economic background.
3. 5 years of service in rural India should be made compulsory post-MBA.
4. Social entrepreneurship is an oxymoron.
5. Women are most vulnerable yet very important for progress.
6. No matter what economic reasons are given, the sole aim is to gain power.
7. Is the world ready for the third world war?
8. Justice is never given; it has to be extracted every time.
9. Should higher-earning employees not get legal protection?
10. Women are better managers.

Personal Interview:

Interview 1:

• Tell us about yourself.
• Explain your job profile.
• What do you do in your pastime?
• Why did you leave your job? Were you impulsive?
• Which places did you travel to while doing your preparation?
• What’s in Himachal, and where does the Beas River originate?
• Case-study based questions.
• Questions related to plan B.
• Why did you get your slot changed?
• Which IIM calls do you have?
• What does your father do?
• What do you want to become after doing management?
• Explain your work in RIL.
• What is auto-ignition temperature?
• Explain in layman’s terms what happens when naphtha auto-ignites.
• Criticize Jio if you were a critic. What advice would you give to Jio?
• What do you think should be the profit margin of Jio?
• What is the payback period? How to calculate that?
• What are fixed and variable charges in this case?
• Why did you lose steam after starting the GD?
• If you don’t like something, do you boycott it in real life?
• How would you rate this interview vs HRM interview? Which was better and why?

Interview 2:

• How is NIT Bhopal?
• Whose portraits do you find in the main entrance?
• Is AK Singh from the military?
• Who taught you entrepreneurship?
• Have you attended the class?
• Ever been to the VIP Guesthouse in college?
• Why don’t your college students attend classes?
• You worked on CRM. How do you do segmentation?
• Do a segmentation for XLRI. Does it work?
• What were your assumptions and how did you do the segmentation in the work?
• What is electronics? Is a torchlight an electronic device?
• What is communication? Does a mobile cover come under communication?
• What is engineering?
• What is the difference between PNP and NPN?
• What is noise?
• Why don’t you think before answering?
• What is CDMA? Advantages of CDMA over others?
• What is Economics? What did you study in Industrial Economics?
• Full name of Taylor.
• Types of sampling methods.
• Who is Maulana Azad? Noble Prize?
• When is the birthday of Maulana Azad?
• Isn’t he a freedom fighter?
• Why did you change your interview slot?
• Give us a quick recap of your journey from school to college to work.
• Cross-questions on your role and the working of your startup.
• Why do you think demonetization is good?
• Can you tell us how many digital transactions are taking place currently in our country?
• You have mentioned POS in the questionnaire. What’s the full form?
• Why didn’t you choose campus placement in TCS rather than joining a startup?
• Why do you want to come to a remote place like Jamshedpur?
• What do you like to do in your free time?

Interview 3:

• Introduce yourself.
• Why MBA?
• Justify your low academic performance.
• What is GDP?
• What measures has the government taken to enhance the GDP rate?
• Academic questions.
• Discussion on strengths and weaknesses.
• What are your hobbies?
• Detailed discussion on hobbies.
• Why XLRI?
• Questions on family business.
• What are your expectations from MBA and XLRI?

Group Discussion Topics:

1. Is nuclear power a need for India?
2. Is India’s defence force prone to corruption?
3. Does crime increase with income?
4. Should military training be made compulsory for all?
5. Are women better managers than men?

Personal Interview Excerpts:

Interview 1 (BE – ECE):

• Why do you want to do a music festival (written in the questionnaire)?
• What is the revenue model for the music festival?
• How will an MBA help you with event management?
• Why MBA?
• Give one positive point about khap.
• Opinion on the assault by lawyers on Kanhaiya Kumar.
• Rapid-fire round on industry, coworkers, conflict, etc.
• Give an example of external and internal conflict.

Interview 2:

• Where are you working currently?
• Your total experience.
• Initially, you joined a mining company then an IT company and again a mining company. Why this change?
• When IT BHU was converted to an IIT, “Old college conversion to an IIT vis-à-vis New IIT development.” What are your views on this?
• Many teachers who are not Ph.Ds are teaching in colleges, which will be converted into IITs. Thus, what is your opinion about the quality of teachers?
• Tell us something about your work.
• What is the finished product of the plant you have worked in?
• Pellet is how much % of the finished product.

Interview 3 (BE – Chemical):

• Introduce yourself.
• Do you have a placement in hand? Which company and what is the package?
• Why MBA? Why not a job first and then MBA?
• Rate the chemical energy sector in India compared to other countries.
• Why are pharmaceuticals cheap in India? Give 3 reasons.
• If you become an oil and gas minister, what reforms will you bring?
• What does Rotaract do? Tell us about your part and responsibilities.
• Tell us about the college groups/activities that you were a part of.

Interview 4:

• State 4 positives of colleges.
• Why is Punjab written as Panjab in Panjab University?
• Explain GST. What reforms will it bring? Illustrate an example of the cascading effect.
• Which is your favorite subject and why?
• Name the pipeline that connects Panipat refinery.
• What is acid rain?
• What is your opinion on Odd Even?
• Have we caught the main culprit?
• Will it affect the traffic?
• What are the sources of pollution?
• What are your weaknesses, and what have you done so far to deal with them?

Group Discussion/Case Study:

• Average Duration: 30 min
• No. of Panelists: 3
• No. of Participants: 9-10

Case Study: A free hand to Ivy League colleges is the best way to shake up higher education in India.
Prioritized Points:

Case Study: Do small companies have more harmony?
Prioritized Points:

Case Study: Was AAP’s success in Delhi a mere flash in the pan?
Prioritized Points:

Case Study: Should highly paid employees enjoy protection under labor laws?
Prioritized Points:

Personal Interview Excerpts:

Interview 1 (99.30% in XAT, 9.03 CGPA, 12th – 91.83%, 10th – 92.61%, 19-month work experience):

• What do you think about the GD?
• What do you think about the upcoming budget? Be specific.
• Are you a quizzer in general?
• Why MBA? Give a unique answer.
• Tell us about your internship in Malaysia. Places visited?
• What did you do in your industrial intern? Use of Linear Programming?
• Ask a question from Biology. Difference between Binomial and Normal Distribution?
• What is a Random Variable?

Interview 2 (98.38% in XAT, 72.30% in ECE Engineering, 74.60% in 12th, 85.2% in 10th, 20-month work experience):

• Was it a part of your strategy to join an NGO for more preparation time?
• What did you learn from your NGO experience?
• Any lessons not applicable in the competitive world?
• What will people from your organization remember you for?
• Write four lines about what happened today. Reason behind many pens in the room?
• What do you do in your free time?

Interview 3 (96.45% in XAT, 90.3% in Graduation, 91.83% in 12th, 92.61% in 10th):

• Why is your engineering college named as it is?
• Programs applied to and the difference between them.
• If given a choice between distributing 34 lakhs among the poor or a global MBA, what would you choose? Why?
• Why MBA? Cross-questioned.
• What do you do in your free time?
• Things you don’t like.
• Internship mentioned multiple times. Is it a lack of variety?

Group Discussion/Case Study:

• Average Duration: 30 min
• No. of Panelists: 3
• No. of Participants: 9-10

Case Study 1: Should wealthy nations share their wealth? Prioritized Points:

Case Study 2: Is IPL commercial cricket or not? Prioritized Points:

Case Study 3 (Capital Punishment): Namo attacked toll booths of MNS in Maharashtra. 7 Options for Resolution:

Case Study 4 (Politics – XLRI BM): AAP & Arvind Kejriwal. Prioriti

Case Study 5 (Death sentence compared to life imprisonment – XLRI HRM): Prioritized Points:

Personal Interview Excerpts:

Interview 1 (94%iler in CAT, 98.75% in XAT, 94% in SNAP, 216 in NMAT with economic honors):

• Diagrams and economic theories. Supply and demand curves.

Interview 2 (96.03%iler in CAT, 97.2 in XAT, 49.25/100 in IIFT, ECE Engineering):

• Engineering Questions.
• Difference between State & U.T?
• Appointment process of President & Governor.
• Content writing and publication.
• Diode’s working. Transistor advantage over diode.
• Explanation of wireless technology.

Interview 3 (95.32%iler in CAT, 211 in NMAT, ECE):

• Telangana issue. GD as a fish market.
• Conflicts in the world. MNCs in Baddi.
• Doppler effect. 2G, 3G, 4G differences.
• Film making equipments. Choose – politics, religion.

Interview 4 (98.93%iler in CAT, 96.07 in XAT, 97 in SNAP, B.Tech in ECE):

• Application choices. Professional training for GD/PI.
• Selection over experienced people.
• CEO dislikes worker’s dress case. HR manager’s response.
• A & B conflict in writing – interfere or intervene to solve?

Interview 5 (95.8%iler in XAT, B.Tech in CSE, 9 months work experience):

• Hobby. Highest peak.
• American Express revenue generation.
• Explanation of DBMS, data structures, stacks, and heaps.

HR Questions (XLRI BM):

• Skills an HR should have.
• How to identify skills during recruitment.
• Importance of Emotional Quotient and IQ in HR role.

Personal Interview Feedback:

Interview 1 (99.90 XAT percentiler, B.Tech ECE, inclined towards finance):

• Discussion on CBI and CVC. Leadership and roles.
• Difference between product and brand. Building a brand.
• Understanding of advertisement and its connection to brand building.
• Differentiation between commercial bank and investment bank.
• Locational advantage for Dubai.

Interview 2 (99.1 XAT percentiler, B.Tech Mechanical, family’s textile business):

• Meaning of the candidate’s name.
• Discussion on Duryodhan and Lord Krishna’s role.
• Financial aspects of the family business. Turnover and profit.
• Issues in Vidharbha, Maharashtra. Origin of the textile industry.
• Name a river flowing through Maharashtra.

Interview 3 (95.9 XAT percentiler, B.Tech Mechanical):

• Self-description and justification of GD arguments.
• Explanation of torque. Differences in automobile engineering.
• Discussion on hobbies and sports played.
• Knowledge about the chairman of the planning commission and home minister.
• Information about Chandigarh and family background.

Interview 4 (94.29 XAT percentiler, B.Tech ECE, 18 months work experience as technology analyst):

• Introduction and rationale for choosing HR after Engineering.
• Discussion on values and ethics, with practical scenarios.
• Details about the candidate’s role in the current job.
• Inquiry about reading newspapers.
• Opinion on the coal gate scam. Knowledge of the coal minister and total money involved.