All MBA aspirants dream of studying in a premier business school like IIM A, B or C. But only a few hundred amongst 2 lakh applicants can turn this dream into reality every year. Like CAT, the Personal Interview round holds a place of immense importance in the selection or rejection of a candidate.

In top management institutes like IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta, the interview round holds the maximum weightage component of all parameters.

Now that we have established how significant the PI round is, let’s look at the ways one can ace this stage. The candidates who are going to attend the CAT interview for the first time might find this article useful. Find out the best books and other helpful sources for the CAT interview preparation.

Books for CAT Interview Preparation

1. Conquering CAT(MBA) Interview

Author- NS Uppal

Most aspirants found this book very useful while preparing for their CAT MBA interviews. The book consists of a detailed analysis on how to ace your CAT interview round. The book can be very useful for both freshers and experienced candidates who are going to appear for the CAT 2019 Interview stage.

1. How to Get Into Your Dream B-School

Author- Chayan Mukhopadhyay Publisher- Disha Publication

The book is perceived as a very useful book by many MBA aspirants. The book is written in simple language and is very easy to understand. The book can help you prepare for the interview round and GD/WAT.

The best part is that this book does not limit itself for CAT but also provides tips to crack XAT, IIFT, SNAP and NMAT. Whether you are a fresher or have already appeared for CAT interviews, this book can be useful for all candidates.

Price- Rs. 150

1. I’M Not Afraid of GDPI

Author- Varshney Tuhina Anukul Publisher-Pearson Education India

The book by Tuhina Varshney thoroughly discusses the GD-PI stages. This book will be beneficial to all candidates who are not feeling very confident about the forthcoming CAT GD-PI rounds. I’m Not Afraid of GDPI is written in an uncomplicated language which makes the book very easy to read.

This book is unique because it covers many aspects of GD and interviews for various exams like CAT. A book like this can be very useful for beginner aspirants of other exams XAT, SNAP, NMAT, banking exams, etc.

Price- Rs.199

Stay connected with fellow students on PaGaLGuY for CAT Exam 2019 Preparation

Other Helpful Sources for CAT Interview Preparation

The Personal Interview round is the last stage of the admission process of MBA colleges. The PI stage for most MBA colleges will begin in the month of February 2020. Candidates aiming to crack the Personal Interview round must also look at other helpful sources like:

• Newspapers: Reading one newspaper daily will help the candidates to have a decent knowledge of what is happening around the world at present. The PI round is pretty unpredictable and can go in any direction. Thus, it is best to be planned for all the possible questions that the panellists can shoot towards you. Newspapers like The Hindu and The Economic Times can be useful for the CAT interview preparation.
• Current Affairs Magazines: As mentioned earlier, you can be asked questions from everywhere. Many top MBA colleges ask General Knowledge questions during the PI round. Though it is not possible to know everything that is happening around you, one can always prepare to face everything. If you don’t have the time to read newspapers, you can supplement them with current affairs magazines. The current affairs magazines are monthly compilations that contain the summaries of all important news of the month.
• Business Magazines: Reading business magazines can be very helpful for candidates as they are the prime source of information like innovations, strategic business and marketing awareness, regional and global trends and knowledge about recent discoveries. Frontline, The Economist, Business Insider, etc are regarded as very useful for CAT interview preparation.
• Knowledge related to your Hobbies: Candidates can always expect a question on their hobbies. Try to gather more knowledge about your hobbies as the panellists will expect you to have the basic and latest information about your hobbies.
• Re-read Undergrad books: Panellists of all MBA colleges select questions based on a candidate’s profile. All candidates are asked questions related to their undergrad background. It is thus in the best interest of all applicants to re-read the important topics of their undergraduate background.