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TISS / Social Sciences Interview

TISS and social-science programmes — MA Social Work, HRM and LR, development studies

A bachelor's degree in any discipline, or final year, with the institute's entrance score. TISS has in recent cycles admitted through CUET-PG for most MA programmes followed by its own second stage, which for several programmes includes an online assessment or written component and a personal interview; the exact second stage varies by programme and year. Azim Premji University, IIT humanities departments and central universities run their own written test or CUET shortlist followed by an interview.

Graduates and final-year students; TISS, Azim Premji, IIT HSS, central-university MA programmes 5 rounds · ≈ 14 min 3 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 TISS the second-stage components, including the personal interview, have typically carried a substantial share of the final merit, with the entrance score carrying the rest; the split is published each year in the admission notification. At Azim Premji University and most central-university MA and development programmes the interview is a major part of the final selection after the written test. Figures vary by programme and year; check the current notification.

Who this is for

A bachelor's degree in any discipline, or final year, with the institute's entrance score. TISS has in recent cycles admitted through CUET-PG for most MA programmes followed by its own second stage, which for several programmes includes an online assessment or written component and a personal interview; the exact second stage varies by programme and year. Azim Premji University, IIT humanities departments and central universities run their own written test or CUET shortlist followed by an interview.

The panel focuses on

  • Why social work, HR and labour relations, or development studies, and not an MBA, civil services or an NGO job
  • Field exposure you can describe honestly, with what you observed and what surprised you
  • Core concepts in plain words: social justice, structural inequality, rights-based approaches, labour codes, poverty measures
  • A social or labour issue in your own town with causes, stakeholders and what has and has not worked
  • Values and self-awareness: working with people you disagree with, privilege, burnout, fairness at work
  • Awareness of the programme's specialisations, fieldwork and where its graduates go

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 TISS / social sciences interview questions

Questions panels commonly ask in the Admission interviews TISS / social sciences interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.

  1. Motivation

    Why social work rather than an MBA or civil services, given that all three can create social impact?

    What a strong answer covers

    A clear reason tied to a field experience, an understanding of social work as professional practice with communities, and respect for other paths. Avoid sounding as though social work is a fallback or saying you want to help people without specifics.

  2. Field exposure

    Describe the most uncomfortable thing you saw during your field volunteering, and what it changed in how you think.

    What a strong answer covers

    A specific, respectfully described situation, the candidate's honest reaction, and a shift in understanding such as moving from charity to rights. Avoid sensationalising people's poverty or presenting yourself as a saviour.

  3. Core concepts

    Explain structural inequality using an example from your own town, in plain language.

    What a strong answer covers

    Shows how institutions, caste, gender or economic systems shape opportunities, with a concrete local example such as access to schools, land or jobs. Avoid blaming individuals or giving only a definition.

  4. Labour relations

    For HRM and Labour Relations, what is the difference between an employee and a contract worker in a factory, and why does it matter?

    What a strong answer covers

    Explains direct employment versus employment through a contractor, differences in job security, benefits and bargaining power, and the employer's responsibilities. Avoid giving legal details you are unsure of.

  5. Development concepts

    How would you measure poverty in a village, and why might different methods give different answers?

    What a strong answer covers

    Discusses income or consumption measures and multidimensional indicators such as health, education and housing, and why each captures different aspects. Avoid quoting official poverty figures you are unsure of.

  6. Values

    Have you ever had to cooperate closely with a person whose political or social views you found hard to accept? How did it go?

    What a strong answer covers

    A real situation, how the candidate listened and found common ground, and what was learned about working across differences. Avoid presenting yourself as always right.

  7. Programme awareness

    What do you know about the fieldwork component of this programme, and how will you handle burnout?

    What a strong answer covers

    Understands supervised fieldwork placements, the emotional demands of practice, and personal strategies such as supervision, peer support and boundaries. Avoid assuming fieldwork will be easy.

  8. Social issue

    Pick a social issue in your district. Who are the stakeholders, and what has not worked so far?

    What a strong answer covers

    A specific issue such as child marriage, migration or water, with stakeholders named and a realistic analysis of failures and possible approaches. Avoid generic national issues.

  9. Core concepts

    What does a rights-based approach mean, and how is it different from welfare?

    What a strong answer covers

    Rights-based approaches treat people as rights-holders and the state as duty-bearer, with participation and accountability, while welfare focuses on provision of benefits. Avoid presenting one as completely replacing the other.

Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI Admission interviews TISS / social sciences 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

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