FMS Delhi Interview Transcript #7
- Dhruv Badaya
- Mar 19
- 4 min read
Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi, is one of India’s premier business schools, renowned for its academic excellence, industry-oriented curriculum, and exceptional return on investment. Established in 1954 under the University of Delhi, FMS offers flagship MBA, Executive MBA, and doctoral programs. Known as the "Red Building of Dreams," it boasts a legacy of producing top corporate leaders and entrepreneurs. With a rigorous selection process, a dynamic peer group, and strong corporate connections, FMS provides a transformative learning experience that blends theoretical knowledge with real-world applications.
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Candidate Profile:
Background: General Engineering Male (GEM)
Academics: 10th – 93.50% | 12th – 84.00% | Graduation – 8.68 CGPA (Electronics Engineering, Aligarh Muslim University)
CAT Percentile: 99.70
Work Experience: 25 months (10 months as Electronics R&D Engineer at Maruti Suzuki, 15 months as QA Engineer at TCS)
Category: General
Date: 20th April 2019 | 11 AM Slot
Group Discussion (GD)
Topic: Knowledge-Based Economy is Necessary for the Economic Development of India
Experience:
There were seven people in the group.
It was a cordial discussion, not a fish market.
Since the topic was straightforward, everyone contributed with relevant points.
I started the GD by explaining the historical significance of knowledge-based economies.
Discussed why India needs to become one in the 21st century.
Later intervened with India’s advantages and challenges in achieving this goal.
Overall: A good discussion.
Extempore
Topic: "What’s in a Name?"
Started with Shakespeare’s famous quote.
Brought in the Indian context, discussing how a person’s name is a social issue in India.
Explained how names can indicate caste in India.
Concluded with the recent use of the phrase in IPL Season 12’s campaign: GameBanayegaName
Personal Interview (PI)
Panel Composition:
L1: Female Professor
M1: Senior Male Professor
M2: Senior Male Professor
M1: Tell us something about yourself.Gave a prepared answer covering my introduction, work experience, education, background, and hobbies.
L1: What is Aligarh (your hometown) famous for?Ma’am, Aligarh is primarily famous for two things:
The Aligarh Muslim University, established by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in 1875.
The lock industry—70% of locks used in India are manufactured in Aligarh.
M1: Why did the lock industry develop in Aligarh?(I had researched this thoroughly after being unable to answer it in my IIFT interview.)Told them about the British establishing a mail carriage manufacturing workshop in 1852 and how the availability of skilled labor led to the growth of the lock industry. Over 150 years, it became a ₹4000 crore industry.
M2: What do you do at Maruti Suzuki?Sir, I work on the development of IPC (Instrument Panel Cluster) software for upcoming models.
L1: The what?Ma’am, it’s the speedometer software. The speedometer is technically known as the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC).
M1: But what is there to develop in a speedometer? Isn’t it the same across all cars?No, sir. A lot of development efforts go into the speedometer. It acts as the car’s monitor—any new feature, system failure, or safety/warning alert needs to be displayed there. My team works on designing signals, byte size, telltale indicators, and functionalities.
M2: (Abruptly) What happened in your IIM Calcutta interview? (I wasn’t sure if this was a calculated guess or if he knew my result.)(A bit perplexed, but answered honestly.)Sir, I got extremely nervous before the interview, and it reflected in my performance. I wasn’t able to portray my best self. Given IIM Calcutta’s highly competitive selection ratio, even small mistakes have large repercussions.
M2: Are you nervous here as well?A little bit, sir. But I think that’s natural.
M2: Why?Sir, no matter how much I prepared for this interview, the thought of its importance still makes me slightly nervous.
L1: Tell us about your hobbies again. Ma’am, I enjoy reading books, graphic designing, and solving Rubik’s cubes.
L1: What genre do you prefer? What book are you currently reading? Why?I started with fiction, but now I prefer historical and non-fiction books. Currently reading A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich because I love learning about world history and different cultures.
M1: Tell me something about Ancient Greece.Told about Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the birth of democracy, and the Olympics.
M1: What about Ancient India?Told about the Indus Valley Civilization and its unique urban planning.
M2: If you had four hours to waste, what would you do?Sir, I would read something.
M2: That’s a hobby. I’m asking how you would waste time.Sir, I would travel and explore nearby places.
M2: That’s again a hobby. Imagine you were supposed to meet someone at Cyber Hub, but they didn’t show up. What would you do?Sir, I would enjoy a good meal by myself and then explore Cyber Hub.
M2: (A bit frustrated) Why are you such a boring person? You can’t even waste four hours! Waste them!Sir, but this is wasting time. Even if I read a bad book or wander around aimlessly, I am still wasting time. What is "wasting time" for one person might be a hobby for another.
Closing Remarks
L1: That’s it. We are done. Thank you, Tushar. You can leave now.Thank you, ma’am.
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