exampilot.ai
Admissions & Visa InterviewsAdmission interviewsLive

Research / PG Entrance Interview

IISc and IIT MS, research and PhD admissions, and central-university PG and MPhil/PhD entrance interviews

For IISc and IIT MS, MTech by research and PhD, a bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant discipline with the minimum marks in the notification and a valid GATE, JAM, NET, CEED or equivalent score, or exemption for graduates of eligible institutes; departments shortlist on the score and record and interview, sometimes with a written test. For central-university PG and MPhil/PhD, a bachelor's or master's degree and the CUET-PG, NET or university entrance score; PhD admissions under the UGC regulations typically weigh the entrance or NET score and the interview or viva on the research proposal.

Graduates and postgraduates with GATE, JAM, NET, CUET-PG or a university entrance score 5 rounds · ≈ 14 min 2 subjects 3 languages 4-member panel or 1:1
4 AI interviewers · hand over between rounds

From our research

What this interview looks like

Most Indian institutes that interview applicants run a short panel of two to four people, usually faculty with an alumnus or external member, for ten to twenty minutes after a written test or shortlist. The panel opens from the application form and the entrance score rather than a self-introduction, asks why this programme and institute, and then probes the thing that matters most for the course: the portfolio and process at NIFT and NID, often alongside a hands-on situation or studio test; social awareness, field exposure and values at TISS; depth in the chosen subject and reading beyond the syllabus at St Stephen's, Ashoka and Christ; Class 12 concepts, numeracy and awareness at IIM IPM and BBA interviews; service attitude, grooming and industry awareness at NCHM and IHM counselling; and core undergraduate concepts, the project and research motivation at IISc, IIT and central-university research interviews. Most panels end with an ethics, teamwork or social-awareness question. The weight of the interview in the final merit varies widely: it is decisive at NID and TISS, around a third or less of the composite at NIFT and IIM IPM, and at IISc and IIT departments the interview is usually the only stage after the GATE, JAM or shortlist cut-off. The ExamPilot mock compresses this into fourteen minutes with an admissions dean who opens and closes, a programme director on motivation, a discipline faculty member on portfolio, aptitude and academics, and an alumna external member on situations, graded on fit and motivation, aptitude and depth, awareness and values, and communication.

How it is weighted

At IISc and IIT departments the interview is normally the deciding stage: the GATE, JAM or NET score sets the shortlist and the department interview, sometimes with a written test, determines selection, with each department publishing its own criteria. For central-university PhD admissions, UGC regulations have provided for the entrance test and interview to be combined, commonly around seventy percent for the test and thirty percent for the interview, while candidates with NET-JRF or equivalent fellowships may be interviewed directly; universities publish the exact split. For CUET-PG MA and MSc seats, most universities admit on the score alone and interview only for select programmes.

Who this is for

For IISc and IIT MS, MTech by research and PhD, a bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant discipline with the minimum marks in the notification and a valid GATE, JAM, NET, CEED or equivalent score, or exemption for graduates of eligible institutes; departments shortlist on the score and record and interview, sometimes with a written test. For central-university PG and MPhil/PhD, a bachelor's or master's degree and the CUET-PG, NET or university entrance score; PhD admissions under the UGC regulations typically weigh the entrance or NET score and the interview or viva on the research proposal.

The panel focuses on

  • Core concepts from your undergraduate discipline derived from first principles, three levels deep
  • Your final-year project or thesis: problem, your own contribution, method, what failed, what the result means
  • Research motivation: why research and not a job, which labs or faculty interest you and why, honest about funding and timelines
  • Mathematics and methods you must still command for your discipline
  • A recent paper or your research proposal discussed critically: claims, limitations, what you would do next
  • Career realism: MS versus MTech versus PhD, NET and JRF, fellowships, and what if the academic path does not work out

Step 1

Pick your subject

The expert on the panel probes these areas at the level of this post. Optional here; you can choose during setup.

Step 2

Choose how you want to be interviewed

What to expect

5 rounds · 14 minutes

A four-member admission panel of the kind design schools, TISS, liberal-arts universities, IIM IPM, NCHM and research departments run after the written test or shortlist. The admissions dean opens from the application form, the programme director tests motivation and fit, a discipline faculty member probes the portfolio, aptitude or academic preparation for the chosen programme, an alumna or external member poses situations on ethics, teamwork and social awareness, and the dean closes. The panel grades genuine interest and depth over polish.

  1. Round 1

    Opening from the application

    · 2:00

    Settle the applicant and open from their form, not from a rehearsed self-introduction. Learn in two questions who they are, where they studied, and what they did outside the classroom, and form a first view of composure and honesty.

    Dr. Meenakshi Raghavan    1–2 questionsup to 1 follow-up each
  2. Round 2

    Why this programme, goals

    · 3:00

    Test whether the applicant's reasons for choosing this programme and institute are their own, specific and informed, and whether their goals are realistic for what the programme actually teaches and where its graduates go.

    Prof. Arvind Kulkarni    2–3 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each
  3. Round 3

    Portfolio, aptitude and academic probing

    · 5:00

    Probe the applicant's preparation for the discipline: the portfolio and process for design, the social-science reading and field exposure for TISS, the subject depth for liberal arts and research admissions, the business and numeracy sense for IPM and BBA, and the service orientation and awareness for hotel management. Find out whether they can go one level deeper and apply what they know.

    Prof. Rohan Deshmukh    3–4 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each
  4. Round 4

    Ethics, teamwork and social awareness

    · 3:00

    Pose one or two situations an applicant will meet in the programme, in a hostel, in a group project or in the field, and see whether they reason with fairness and empathy, take a position, and hold or revise it gracefully when pushed.

    Ms. Ananya Bhattacharya    1–2 questionsup to 1 follow-up each
  5. Round 5

    Closing

    · 1:00

    Close courteously and neutrally, without feedback or any signal about the outcome.

    Dr. Meenakshi Raghavan    1–1 questions

Sample questions

Admission interviews Research / PG entrance interview questions

Questions panels commonly ask in the Admission interviews Research / PG entrance interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.

  1. Core concepts

    Choose one concept from your undergraduate degree that you understand well. Explain it from first principles, and expect us to push two levels deeper.

    What a strong answer covers

    A confident choice, a clear explanation with assumptions stated, and calm reasoning through deeper follow-ups, admitting limits where reached. Avoid choosing a topic you have only memorised, because the deeper questions will show it.

  2. Project

    In your final-year project, which part did you personally do, and what failed before it worked?

    What a strong answer covers

    Specific personal contribution such as a model, circuit, code module or experiment, a real failure and how it was diagnosed and fixed, and what the result means. Avoid describing the team's work as your own.

  3. Motivation

    You have GATE and a campus offer. Why choose research now instead of a salaried job?

    What a strong answer covers

    Genuine curiosity about a specific problem, a long-term aim that needs research training, and realistic awareness of stipends and uncertainty. Avoid prestige or fear of the job market as the main reasons.

  4. Fit

    Which two research groups in this department interest you, and what is one recent result from either of them?

    What a strong answer covers

    Names groups or faculty correctly, describes one recent paper or project accurately, and connects it to the candidate's background. Avoid generic praise of the department with no specifics.

  5. Methods

    Which mathematical tools does your chosen area rely on, and which of them are you weakest in today?

    What a strong answer covers

    Identifies tools such as linear algebra, probability, differential equations or statistics, honestly names a weak area and gives a concrete plan already under way. Avoid claiming you are comfortable with everything.

  6. Literature

    Take a paper you have read closely. What does it claim, what is the weakest part of its evidence, and what experiment would you run next?

    What a strong answer covers

    Summarises the claim fairly, identifies a real limitation such as dataset, assumptions or controls, and proposes a specific next step. Avoid superficial criticism or praising the paper without analysis.

  7. Resilience

    Suppose your research direction stalls after a year. How would you respond, and what would you discuss with your adviser?

    What a strong answer covers

    Shows resilience: analyses why the direction stalled, proposes alternative approaches or a narrower question, discusses it openly and early with the adviser, and keeps clear records of what was tried. Avoid hiding problems for months or quitting impulsively.

  8. Programme choice

    Why have you applied for MS by research rather than an MTech or a direct PhD?

    What a strong answer covers

    Clear understanding: MTech is coursework-heavy with a project, MS by research focuses on a thesis, and a direct PhD is longer and deeper. Gives a reason matched to goals. Avoid confusing the programmes.

  9. Subject interest

    For central-university PG or PhD entrance interviews, what made you choose this specific subject area, and what have you read on it beyond your syllabus?

    What a strong answer covers

    A specific interest traced to a course, text or experience, with two or three named readings and what the candidate took from them. Avoid generic interest statements without evidence.

Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI Admission interviews Research / PG entrance panel that follows up like the real one.

Practise these questions

Meet the panel

Your AI interviewers

Distinct personas, voices and questioning styles, briefed on this post.

Dr. Meenakshi Raghavan

Chair

Chairperson

Dean of Admissions and Professor of Sociology, central university; formerly chaired TISS and liberal-arts admission panels

Warm, unhurried, reads the form closely and remembers every line of it.

Female voice · 3 languages

Prof. Arvind Kulkarni

Hiring manager

Programme Director, undergraduate and postgraduate admissions; has run programmes in management, hospitality and design education

Direct, curious, allergic to generic answers, fair about backups and parental pressure.

Male voice · 3 languages

Prof. Rohan Deshmukh

Subject expert

Faculty member, design and interdisciplinary studies; portfolio reviewer and studio-test examiner, formerly research supervisor at an institute of national importance

Attentive, hands-on, interested in process and decisions, never impressed by polish alone.

Male voice · 3 languages

Ms. Ananya Bhattacharya

External member

Alumna and external member on admission panels; development-sector professional, formerly product designer and campus-placement mentor

Friendly, grounded, interested in how the applicant treats other people.

Female voice · 3 languages

Languages

Answer in the language you think in

The panel asks in your chosen language. Switch mid-answer if you like.

  • English
  • हिंदीHindi
  • Hinglish (Hindi + English)Hinglish

How scoring works

A report you can act on

  1. Every round is scored on the rubric

    Each interviewer scores only the criteria their round covers. Weights add up to your overall score out of 100.

  2. Only what you actually said counts

    Feedback quotes your own answers. Rounds you skip show as “Not assessed” rather than a zero.

  3. Communication is always measured

    Fluency, clarity, confidence and structure are tracked across the whole interview, in any language.

  4. Pass mark, then a plan

    You see the pass mark for this interview, your gaps, and the courses that close them fastest.

Scored on

  • Fit and motivation30%

    Why this programme, this institute and this field hang together with the applicant's school or college record, projects and interests; goals are specific and realistic for the programme; the applicant knows what the programme actually teaches and how it differs from the alternatives; honest about other options and backups.

  • Aptitude and depth35%

    Can talk about their own portfolio, project, reading or academic work in concrete detail, explain decisions and process, go one level deeper on a follow-up, apply a concept to a new case, and admit the edge of their knowledge rather than bluff.

  • Awareness and values20%

    Reasons through an ethics, teamwork or social situation with fairness and empathy; shows awareness of the society and industry the programme serves; takes a position and defends it without rigidity or evasion.

  • Communication15%

    Answers the question asked in one to three clear sentences before elaborating; listens; structured, natural and unrehearsed; language is clear whether English, Hindi or mixed.

Pass mark 60 / 100 · UG/PG admission interview — faculty panel with portfolio or aptitude probe

Keep exploring

Related interviews and courses

More Admission interviews interviews

Other Admissions & Visa Interviews interviews

Courses to prepare

All Admissions & Visa Interviews interviews

Free

Admission interviews Research / PG entrance