Interviewer: Dr Rav Singh
Topper: Saylee (SIBM Pune Convert)
Dr Rav Singh: Hi guys, today we have with us Saylee. Saylee, you prepared only for the SNAP exam. Right?
Saylee: That’s right.
Dr Rav Singh: I meet very few students who focus on just one exam and convert a top college like SIBM. Most people get scared and try to focus on multiple exams. So, why did Saylee focus only on one exam?
Saylee: I had filled out the forms for multiple exams, but as I started my preparation, I realized that my mock score in SNAP was coming out really good. I was pretty confident about getting an SIBM Pune, and of course, SIBM Pune is one of the most prestigious colleges, so I decided to solely give my heart and soul to SNAP.
Dr Rav Singh: That’s a very good way to focus. It shows you gave all the mocks first and then decided where to focus more. It’s like destiny talked to you. So in this journey from August, how many months did Saylee prepare, and how many mocks did Saylee give in total?
Saylee: I prepared till the very end, giving two attempts of SNAP. My preparation was accordingly, which must have been about three to four months. I gave about 10 to 15 mocks in total.
Dr Rav Singh: When you came for the college interview, did this topic—that Saylee only prepared for SNAP—come up?
Saylee: Actually, this topic didn’t really come up.
Dr Rav Singh: Okay, so how was the GDPI experience? Tell us about the group exercise.
Saylee: The GPI experience was very smooth. It was all conducted online and it was conducted so fabulously; there was no waiting time. You were smoothly moving on from the document verification to the Group Exercise (GE) process and then onto the PI round.
Dr Rav Singh: What was the topic for the Group Exercise?
Saylee: We had a Group Exercise in which we were given a topic. I think it was EV vehicles in India. We had to basically do an analysis of the same and then give some instructions to follow.
Dr Rav Singh: Going back to the exam time, did Saylee have any fixed pattern, like Verbal first, then Logic, then Quant?
Saylee: When it comes to any exam, you will want to play to your strengths. My strategy was that I was good in Verbal, so I decided that once I start attempting Verbal, I will go along with it and try to finish it as soon as I can, because we have to consider the time parameter.
Dr Rav Singh: Did Saylee keep a specific time limit for Verbal?
Saylee: No, not really. But I would just go ahead and solve it in one go because there aren’t any lengthy questions as such in Verbal for SNAP.
Dr Rav Singh: What was the order for the rest of the paper?
Saylee: After Verbal, I would go through all the singlets that were there, be it in Logical Reasoning or Data Interpretation, and then I would keep the toughest questions for the very end. So Verbal first, and then Maths and Logic were combined, focusing on singlets first.
Dr Rav Singh: Of course, when preparing, there are times when you feel very down because mocks are not great. What did Saylee do at that time?
Saylee: I think I had a support system. I used to talk to my friends and talk to people who were also preparing for MBA exams. I think that helps to a great extent. You should just let some steam off, probably distance yourself from studies for a little bit, and then come back for it.
Dr Rav Singh: How has the journey been from Nagpur to here?
Saylee: Considering Nagpur to Pune, it was, of course, a change. I’ve grown up in a number of cities—Pune, Ranchi, Kolkata, Mumbai—but I really like the campus life here. It’s definitely the hilltop heaven, a very beautiful campus, and the weather is very nice over here.
Dr Rav Singh: Great. And hopefully, Saylee do well. All the best for your future.
Saylee: Thank you so much.
