IIM Lucknow IPMX interview questions

IIM Lucknow IPMX Interview Experience – 6

Date of Interview: 2/21/2021 

Status: Accepted

“I had a Google Meet interview.

There was one female professor and one male professor on the panel.

First segment: Extempore

The male professor said, “You can pick a chit (containing extemporaneous topics) at random.” You can proceed if you find the subject interesting. But if you’d rather, feel free to pick something else. The next option you select will be your last. You should, however, take a stand on the issue.

I decided on one immediately. The discussion centered on the idea that platform startups’ valuations are inflated for no good reason. I immediately changed the subject. The next topic was the idea that free lunch programmes are a waste of money. I requested some note-taking time, only around a minute or two. Once I’d thought of a few things to say, I began to talk. I disagreed with the remark and argued that the school lunch programme was essential to boosting enrollment and eradicating hunger. The female professor then argued that people should be allowed to work and provide for themselves. I asked, “Is it your premise that sufficient means of earning will be created by investing the money from the midday meal money in some other way in the economy?” I contended that those at the bottom of the economic ladder are rarely in a position to take advantage of new chances. Opportunities like this are quickly seized by middle-class people. Therefore, the underprivileged require a safety net. The male professor then made a number of counterarguments. Topics such as whether or not liberalization helped people escape poverty and whether or not people voted for development were discussed at length for ten to fifteen minutes. But I held my stance and didn’t budge an inch.

2nd section: Profile-related

Faculty woman: I see that you have worked in the mining industry and managed assets. Do you have any notion why the delisting of Vedanta was unsuccessful? I made it clear that when I say I have expertise managing assets, I am referring to physical property and not money. Still, she insisted, you should be able to respond because the story appeared in the media. To clarify, I had her ask again. So, she went and did it. After admitting that I was in the dark, I guessed. To give some background, I mentioned that Vedanta attempted to delist from the Indian stock market and the London Stock Exchange. The holding structure and the inability to win over the voting of minority shareholders likely doomed the attempt to delist Indian companies. She denied that, stating, “No, there were some other asset management-related issues.”

Male academic: Can you tell me about a time in your recent work experience when you effectively addressed a client issue? I gave a thorough description of my mistake (constantly referring to 12 a.m. as 12 p.m.). That’s wrong, I was told). He questioned our proposal to the client a little bit and seemed to accept our explanation.

Faculty woman: Anil Agrawal, the CEO of Vedanta, may approach you and ask, “What do you want us to do?” Sustainable development would be my first piece of advice, followed by spending money on cutting-edge equipment and training for new employees. I mentioned how the Vedanta smelter plant in Tamil Nadu was shut down due to claims of ground water poisoning. “Talks of sustainability and ESG are exaggerated,” she claimed. In my opinion, mining always causes environmental harm. In response, I said that it was all about finding acceptable levels of risk. I used a plant I had contact with in the UK last year as an illustration. Despite the fact that the company has been operating in a city since 1908 and has used explosive hydrogen gas in its operation, no serious accidents have occurred at the facility. Then she turned to the consultants and said, “You come in here and say anything is possible.” Please explain how this is even feasible. Is there a technological solution? If you could choose one piece of technology to solve all these issues, what would it be? Technology was not the issue, I said. It’s all about making a promise. I mentioned that Indian factories boast 95%+ uptime. The efficiency of European plants is between 80% and 85%. If you require a month-long stoppage in India, you’ll only get ten days. Therefore you have to take chances in order to put production first.

Male academic: I can see that you have a comfortable income. What is the average income for a candidate we place? I estimated a range of 34–36. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” he said. “Why do you want to do it?” I mentioned that I am doing this because I intend to one day lead a business, and I don’t want to be unprepared.

Male academic: Entrepreneurs with a technical background tend to do particularly well. In response, I mentioned that most business owners face numerous setbacks before finally achieving success. The more I learn about running a business, the less likely I am to fail.