I’ve had quite a number of people message me, asking me to share my GDPI Experience at XIME. Personally, I don’t think reading about others’ GDPI will help in any way, but I can understand that it can be somewhat comforting. Hence, I’m making this post for everyone who has applied and been called for the GDPI process at XIME.

Disclaimer: This happened to me. But that does not mean if you imitate me or replicate my actions, you will be guaranteed admission. You may be interviewed in different centers, under different circumstances and by different faculty.

GD: The topics will be very general. If at all they are specific, they will be ones from recent news. Mine was “Socialism vs Capitalism in the Modern World”. My arguments revolved around how both of them have their downsides and how a mixed economy like in India is the best way to go. So yes, think out of the box, but stick to the theme given to you. One more crucial thing in a GD is letting others talk and listening to them. I think the most important aim of a GD is to see how well you can articulate yourself (And how you take note of key points from others’ arguments and build around it). Finally, the summary should be crisp and no points repeated.

PI: President sir himself took my interview. First tip I’d give here is, shake hands with the panel and maybe be a greeting. Seems trivial, but matters a lot in my opinion. The first question was the mandatory “What can you tell me about yourself?”, to which I was careful enough to explain things that were not in my application already. Then a few generic questions about my work experience (“What did you do in your work? How did you help your team?”), my achievements, mostly stuff from the application. Then a few technical questions like “When were banks nationalized in India? Name any 5 successful private banks in India. What is the role of a bank in society?” (Again, since I had work ex in a bank). Towards the end, I was asked “You’ve won national level prizes in poetry. But then, why take a career in MBA Finance? Don’t you think it’d be too boring comparatively?”, I replied “Sir, Finance is not boring. Modern finance has much more to offer..” Then I went on to explain the career paths in modern finance. Perhaps I should have stopped there. But I had to be a smart-ass and quip him with a response I immediately regretted: “Frankly sir, if you ask me, I’d say teaching is a boring job. But you’ve been doing it for over 50 years.” There was a brief pause. Then President sir laughed. Deal.