From our research
What this interview looks like
After the CAT, XAT, IIFT, SNAP, NMAT or IPMAT shortlist, most B-schools call candidates for a written ability test or group discussion followed by a personal interview. The real PI is taken by two or three panelists, usually faculty members with an alumnus or industry member, and runs fifteen to thirty minutes. It opens from the candidate's form rather than a self-introduction: the panel asks about Class 12 and graduation marks, picks a concept from the candidate's own degree and asks them to explain it, and probes work experience or internships for genuine ownership. It then tests why MBA, why now and goals for consistency with the profile, moves to current affairs and business awareness linked to the candidate's background and often argues the opposite side, and frequently ends with one stress or ethics question. The weight of the PI in the final composite varies by institute and year; at most IIMs it is the single largest component after the entrance score, combined with WAT, academics, work experience and diversity per the institute's admission policy. The ExamPilot mock compresses this into fifteen minutes with a three-member panel: a finance professor as chairperson, an alumna industry member and an economics professor, graded on academic depth, clarity of goals, awareness, communication and composure.
How it is weighted
IIFT typically runs a writing test, a group discussion and a PI, with weights for the entrance exam and the second stage published in its admission notice. NMIMS runs a case discussion and PI alongside NMAT score and academic profile. Where JBIMS or other Maharashtra institutes admit through the centralised CET process, the interview component may not apply; use this track for institutes in the group that do interview. Weights for the second stage are per the institute's admission policy.
Who this is for
Bachelor's degree or final year. IIFT shortlists on its own entrance exam (conducted by the NTA) for the MBA in International Business; NMIMS Mumbai shortlists on NMAT; JBIMS admits mainly through the Maharashtra MBA-CET centralised process, where selection is largely merit-based, with CAT and other scores also accepted for some seats, so check whether an interview applies to your category. Other university and private B-schools in this tier run a PI after CAT, XAT, CMAT or their own test.
The panel focuses on
- Graduation concepts and the academic record
- International trade and business awareness for IIFT: exports, trade agreements, the rupee, logistics
- Why this programme and specialisation, and realism about the first role
- Work experience or internships with measurable contribution
- Business and economic current affairs, defended against a counter-view
- Composure on a stress or ethics question
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
1:1 interview
One interviewer runs every round and adapts the focus as you go. Lower pressure; ideal for a first attempt.
Prof. Raghunath Krishnamurthy
Chairperson
Panel interview · 3 members
Most realisticEach member leads their own round and hands over to the next. They hear each other, so a weak answer will be revisited.
Prof. Raghunath Krishnamurthy
Chairperson
Ms. Aparna Venkataraman
Hiring manager
Prof. Debashis Sengupta
External member
What to expect
5 rounds · 15 minutes
A three-member faculty and alumni panel of the kind IIMs and leading B-schools run after the WAT or GD. The chairperson opens from the candidate's form and tests academic depth with a concept from their graduation, an industry member probes work experience, the why-MBA story and goal consistency, an economics professor tests current affairs and business awareness and argues the other side, the chairperson poses one stress or ethics question, and the panel closes. The panel grades depth and honesty, not polish.
- Round 1
Academics & profile
· 4:00Open the interview the way an IIM chairperson does: from the candidate's form, not from a rehearsed self-introduction. Establish academic depth by having them explain a concept from their graduation or Class 12 and go one level deeper, and form a first view of honesty and composure.
Prof. Raghunath Krishnamurthy2–3 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 2
Work experience, why MBA & goals
· 4:00Probe the candidate's work experience or internships for genuine learning and ownership, and test whether the why-MBA, why-now and goals story is specific, consistent with the profile and realistic about what an MBA can and cannot do.
Ms. Aparna Venkataraman3–4 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 3
Current affairs & business awareness
· 4:00Test awareness of the economy, business and the candidate's own industry or academic field, and whether they can take a view, support it with a mechanism or example, and respond to the strongest counter-argument.
Prof. Debashis Sengupta2–3 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 4
Stress or ethics question
· 2:00Pose one stress or ethics situation and see whether the candidate stays calm, reasons honestly about the trade-off, and holds or concedes a position gracefully rather than getting defensive or evasive.
Prof. Raghunath Krishnamurthy1–1 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 5
Closing
· 1:00Close courteously and neutrally, as an IIM panel does, without feedback or any hint about the outcome.
Prof. Raghunath Krishnamurthy1–1 questions
Sample questions
IIM PI IIFT / JBIMS / NMIMS interview questions
Questions panels commonly ask in the IIM PI IIFT / JBIMS / NMIMS interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.
- International trade
IIFT focuses on international business. Explain to us how a weaker rupee affects an Indian garment exporter in Tiruppur who imports some of its fabric.
What a strong answer covers
Shows that export earnings in rupees rise while imported inputs cost more, the net depends on import content and hedging, and buyers may push for price cuts. Avoid saying a weak rupee is simply good for exporters.
- International trade
What is a free trade agreement, and why do some Indian industries oppose them even when exporters support them?
What a strong answer covers
Explains tariff reductions between partner countries, rules of origin, and the fear of cheaper imports in sensitive sectors such as dairy or small manufacturing, balanced against export market access. Avoid naming specific agreements and clauses unless you are sure of them.
- Group exercise
NMIMS runs a case discussion before the interview. In your case group, what did you say that changed the direction of the discussion?
What a strong answer covers
A specific point the candidate raised, why it mattered and how the group responded, plus an honest note if the contribution was smaller than hoped. Avoid claiming credit for the group conclusion or criticising others.
- Specialisation
You want to specialise in marketing. Pick a brand you use daily and tell us one thing it is doing wrong in India.
What a strong answer covers
A real brand with a clear observation on pricing, distribution, positioning or communication, backed by personal experience and a realistic fix. Avoid praising the brand or giving a criticism that a five-minute search would disprove.
- Business awareness
Explain logistics cost as a share of the price of a product, using a packet of biscuits that travels from a factory in Pune to a kirana store in Nagpur.
What a strong answer covers
Walks through transport, warehousing, distributor and retailer margins and losses, explaining which parts are logistics and how better roads or GST-era warehousing changed them. Avoid quoting national logistics-cost percentages you cannot source.
- Career realism
Your first job after the MBA may be in sales in a small town, not strategy in Mumbai. How do you feel about that?
What a strong answer covers
A realistic, positive view of field roles as a foundation, an understanding of what a sales management trainee actually does, and genuine willingness. Avoid pretending you expect consulting or treating field roles as beneath you.
- Graduation subject
You studied economics. If the government cuts import duty on gold, what happens to the current account deficit and to smuggling?
What a strong answer covers
Reasons that lower duty may raise official imports and widen the deficit while reducing the incentive to smuggle, and discusses the trade-off policymakers face. Avoid stating exact duty rates or deficit numbers unless certain.
- Internship
During your internship at a shipping company, what exactly did you do on a normal Tuesday?
What a strong answer covers
A concrete daily routine: documents handled, systems used, people dealt with and one problem solved, showing genuine involvement. Avoid listing department functions you only observed.
- Ethics
Imagine you are a junior manager and a customs agent suggests a small payment will clear your consignment two days faster. What do you do?
What a strong answer covers
Declines clearly, uses legitimate routes such as escalation within the company and official grievance channels, and accepts the delay while informing the client honestly. Avoid hedging with it depends on the circumstances.
Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI IIM PI IIFT / JBIMS / NMIMS panel that follows up like the real one.
Practise these questionsMeet the panel
Your AI interviewers
Distinct personas, voices and questioning styles, briefed on this post.
Prof. Raghunath Krishnamurthy
ChairChairperson
Professor of Finance and Admissions Chairperson, Indian Institute of Management
Courteous, precise, allergic to recitation.
Male voice · 3 languages
Ms. Aparna Venkataraman
Hiring manager
IIM alumna; Vice President, Strategy at a consumer-goods company; alumni panel member
Warm, practical, tests substance behind the story.
Female voice · 3 languages
Prof. Debashis Sengupta
External member
Professor of Economics, Indian Institute of Management; external panel member
Sharp, argumentative in a friendly way, wants mechanisms not headlines.
Male 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
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.
Only what you actually said counts
Feedback quotes your own answers. Rounds you skip show as “Not assessed” rather than a zero.
Communication is always measured
Fluency, clarity, confidence and structure are tracked across the whole interview, in any language.
Pass mark, then a plan
You see the pass mark for this interview, your gaps, and the courses that close them fastest.
Scored on
- Academic depth25%
Can explain a core concept from their own graduation or Class 12 clearly and correctly, go one level deeper on a follow-up, connect it to a real use, and admit the edge of their knowledge instead of bluffing.
- Clarity of goals & profile consistency25%
Why MBA, why now and why this institute hang together with the candidate's academics, work and interests; short-term and long-term goals are specific and realistic; work-experience learnings are concrete, with numbers and ownership rather than a job description.
- Current affairs & business awareness20%
Knows what is happening in the economy, business and the candidate's own industry or state; can take a view, support it with a mechanism or example, and respond to the strongest counter-argument without collapsing or becoming rigid.
- Communication20%
Answers the question asked, in one to three crisp sentences before elaborating; structured, listens, does not ramble or recite; language is clear whether English or mixed.
- Composure under pressure10%
Stays calm and honest when challenged or stressed, holds a reasoned position or concedes gracefully, does not get defensive, argumentative or evasive on the ethics question.
Pass mark 60 / 100 · B-school personal interview — IIM-style faculty panel
Keep exploring
More IIM PI interviews
- IIM PI IIM A/B/C/L interviewGraduates and final-year students, CAT shortlist
- IIM PI New IIMs CAP interviewGraduates and final-year students, CAT shortlist
- IIM PI FMS / XLRI / SPJIMR / MDI interviewGraduates and final-year students, CAT or XAT shortlist
- IIM PI IIM IPM interviewClass 12 pass or appearing, generally 20 years or under
- IIM PI Symbiosis GE-PI-WAT interviewGraduates and final-year students, SNAP shortlist
- IIM PI ISB / one-year MBA interviewWorking professionals, typically 2 to 12 years of experience