Interviewer: Dr Rav Singh
Topper: Saloni Goyal (SIBM Pune)

Dr Rav Singh: Hi guys, today we have with us Saloni Goyal in SIBM College. So first of all on your beautiful campus.

Saloni Goyal: Thank you.

Dr Rav Singh: And especially this evening time, you feel the vibes of the cool air and everything coming along. So today I want to know about your journey so that we can follow the journey and end up in SIBM or other good college. So first thing first, where are you from?

Saloni Goyal: So I am basically from Mumbai and I completed my studies there. As I completed my studies, I started focusing more about what I do with my future, and the first thing that I wanted to do was prepare for my MBA. So I basically started in June keeping a focus of CAT in mind. But as I progressed, I saw that there are brilliant other colleges in the country which are as apt as IIMs. So as I progressed towards November, I started focusing on other exams such as NMAT, SNAP.

Dr Rav Singh: I like to stop you because the moment you said November, you started studying with the mock. Was it before CAT was going far away, becoming more difficult or you wanted to keep other options as a backup? That is one question everyone has: Should I focus on CAT or should I leave CAT and move to other exams? Were you able to manage both the things finally?

Saloni Goyal: So I basically created a timeline of all the exams that were going on from November till January and I saw that it was important to focus on other exams as well. If I only focus on CAT till November end, I wouldn’t have a lot of time to prepare for other exams. So I kept all the exams together and that is why I prepared in sync for them.

Dr Rav Singh: So number one, you started November onwards to studying with the mock. If I start giving the mocks now, obviously I have done somewhat about the CAT exam, I have done my basic preparation and all. Can I survive? Can I clear the SIBM SIMB exam? Is it possible?

Saloni Goyal: I have seen people who have cracked this exam within a matter of 10 days preparation and people who have given about a year of energy to this exam have also not cleared. So I think it is completely dependent on the student. But I think if you have the focus in this exam and the trust in the process, you will be able to crack it, easily crack it.

Dr Rav Singh: Correct, correct. It’s like you have the paper in front of you. A CAT Topper may not top in this exam because they are totally different.

Saloni Goyal: And also the preparation of CAT might be a little different from what SNAP is because it’s basically a speed test. CAT is a test match and this is a T20 match. You have to crack 60 questions within a matter of 60 minutes. So it’s a time of giving answers accurately as well as you should not show that you are giving negative answers. So yeah, that is where your preparation differs from CAT.

Dr Rav Singh: True, true, true. So then you got a call from SIBM. What was the interview look like? Because what I have heard or what I have seen, SIBM interview is the most difficult to crack. So what was the interview topic and interview phase?

Saloni Goyal: So the SIBM process is completely different from other exams that I have seen. I got a call and I think within a matter of 15 days, they give only 15 days time to prepare. So basically they don’t want you to prepare. My process was very different. It was a group exercise leading to my PI. It was all online because I was going through the COVID period.

Dr Rav Singh: So for Saloni Goyal, the process was online.

Saloni Goyal: Yes. The online process was as fun as the offline one. My process was very different. It was a group exercise where it was all through pictures and I had twelve other members in my panel and it was very fun. The panel and the faculty were amazing. They were very calm and composed throughout. It was not a grilling session for me and they just want to learn more about you.

Dr Rav Singh: What should be the focus for the students?

Saloni Goyal: Just keep your CV points very crisp and keep a pointer that why do you want to do an MBA. Also revolve around why MBA and also focus more on specializations, because we choose our specializations early in the first year. It is important that what specialization do you want to be a part of should be in your mind.

Dr Rav Singh: So the interview was more of a typical interview, a stress interview, or was it what they are trying to learn more about you?

Saloni Goyal: It was the third option that they want to learn more about you and they are interested in you as a candidate.

Dr Rav Singh: And that’s why they don’t give time to prepare for that because they want to be as natural as possible. How much time ratio is a normal interview?

Saloni Goyal: My interview lasted about 30 minutes or so because I think they were more interested in knowing me and what I had done beforehand and how was I thorough with my current affairs and my GK and my subject knowledge as well.

Dr Rav Singh: You had any work experience before you joined?

Saloni Goyal: No, no, I am a fresher. Maybe that’s why they asked me more question on towards general knowledge and this, because people with work experience they can be asked about that. I think with freshers it is what you had done in your undergrad college, what clubs and committees you are a part of. If you don’t have a work experience, they focus more on extracurriculars.

Dr Rav Singh: Once you joined the college, you got a very good summer internship. How was the experience for the preparation for summer internship?

Saloni Goyal: I think the summer internship preparation is one of the hardest periods that one can go through in the college. SIBM is a place where you can grow. My experience with Mondelez International, where my summer internship was, was very amazing. It is one of the companies that go into the top, top B-schools in the country and they have a very, very selective hiring process.

Dr Rav Singh: And you met students who have left IIM’s and joined this college?

Saloni Goyal: Yes. I was working alongside the people who have been into IIM’s ABC. And being there in the same position as them working on the dynamic projects gave me a hope that yes, if you get into SIBM, it’s the place to be.

Dr Rav Singh: So we have the same similar placements as the top colleges. How many mocks, if you remember, would Saloni Goyal have taken in that journey?

Saloni Goyal: Ohh I gave about 20 mocks for SNAP specifically and I started out about getting 30 or 32 around marks in my mocks leading to up to a 48 or a 49 per mock. I also gave two attempts in my SNAP, believing that if I don’t do well, I want to get familiarised with what the concept is and then the second one would be better than the first.

Dr Rav Singh: Great. Thank you.

Saloni Goyal: Thank you.