Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
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AccentureIndian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow Placement Interview Questions
Updated
10 Jan 2025
60 interviews found
I applied via Referral
1 Interview Round
Interview Questions
- Q1. How did the first round go?
- Q2. What went wrong in the first round?
- Q3. My greatest failure in life so far and my learning from it
- Q4. Why Accenture business consulting
- Q5. Strengths of Accenture
- Q6. Compare between Accenture and 1. IBM 2. Deloitte 3. Mckinsey and few other consulting companies
- Q7. Why Consulting and why I was fit for this position?
- Q8. CGPA related questions and what my relative position was amongst PGPI students
- Q9. Whether it was difficult for me to study after 45 months of work ex. and how I manage pressure and adjust to it.
- Q10. Why ABC?
- Q11. Why consulting?
- Q12. What are my strengths?
- Q13. Best and worst feedback received from previous work places
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: i went through four rounds in total. The first questioned asked, in the first round, was the number of shortlist on day 0 and the interviewer jumped straight into a slide in his laptop. Basically the slide had plenty of line diagrams. I had no clue what it was about. As we started interacting, I figured out the line diagrams showed number of units sold in a span of 8-9 months.
I was asked to analyse the line diagrams. On further interaction and based on my answers, I came to know the diagrams had the data about the number of units sold by various companies and total number of units sold in each month. The figures didn't show any consistent pattern and I was asked to figure out why was it so. Basically only thing I could figure out was the sales showed cyclical nature and the number showed a positive trend just before Oct-Nov and a dropping trend in Jan-Mar.
There was a clear market leader but the sales were decreasing in latest months while there was a fierce competition for the second and the third slot. A detailed discussion took place about who can take the second place and why. Then he asked some FRA question related to the graphs. The discussion boiled down to FIFO/LIFO method and he gave some data for a particular company and I was asked to show the impact of LIFO or FIFO on Profit, COGS, Taxes, and retained earnings.
After that he asked a short case on airline industry and it didn't revolved around rising oil prices (Aberration of current Market condition). According to the case, one courier company increased the freight charges though there was a decrease in oil prices. My answers revolved around higher interest rates and depreciation which decreased the operating profit of the courier company. But he was looking for something else and the case was supposed to be analysed from demand-supply side (Microeconomics!!!!). With his input we concluded that the business model of freight industry was changing. Companies who used to transport by rail/road now started using Air Freight which increased the demand suddenly and hence the price. Further because of capacity constraint, the Air Freight company bought few new aircrafts and hence wanted to break even early to make the most of current market.
Note: The interview went Ok types. Interviewer expectation was much more and I think I could not handle the Airline case upto his expectation. He wished me good luck for the next round.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: I came to know that they have scheduled my first round again as they were expecting more. The interview started with “How did the first round went”? I said “It was decent but I should have done better”. He asked “would have or should have”? I said “Should have”. “What went wrong” was his instant question. I gave my analysis and he looked satisfied by my analysis (He displayed like that). I was told that this round will have 2 parts: (i) Case and (ii) some general questions.
Case: It was about decreasing sales of Nano in Kolkata and adjoining areas.
Case analysis:
Initially we discussed if it was a normal trend in other parts of India or not. If there was any price increased by Nano or any changes with the design which might not have gone well with the consumers. We also spoke about impact of negative publicity like engine failure and instances of fire breaking out in Nano. Marketing strategies of handling negative publicity was also discussed.
But the maximum discussion happened around 2 points:
1) As Nano was mainly for people with 2 wheeler, I wanted to understand where the real issue was. Whether consumers are moving to 2.5-3 lakhs priced car like Alto and Zen (few others also) or people with 2 wheeler were not able to buy Nano. I asked about any trend whether any data regarding people willingness to buy Nano (Through Test Drives taken, visits to showrooms etc.) but not actually buying was there or not. After few minute of discussion, I was told that the main issue was people with 2 wheeler are not buying Nano. So the main issue was affordability. I recommended zero % interest rate for EMI for first 2 years of purchase and very minimal ROI after that. We also discussed about the bank Nano should partner with and then he filtered the question to 1 bank only. I opted for SBI as it has branches in adjoining remote areas of Kolkata and people there have higher trust in Govt. banks.
2) We also spoke about the Demand-Supply constraint. If there was any channel conflict. Brief interaction revealed that Nano had only 7 distributors in that part of region and this was a major problem and it should increase by 3-4.
As he was very satisfied with the case analysis, the second part of interview was not much of pain. It was more of a general discussion. As I had work ex in IT industry, I was asked how will I handle management consulting as it‟s very different from IT consulting and required very competent skills. I was also asked about the highest level of client interaction and how I managed them. He specifically asked for one of the CV point which was about interacting with the program director of the US based client and how I managed to convinced him to increase the scope of the development, issues faced and what it took to convince him to approve the increase in man hours effort from 400 to 950.
Few questions about my strengths and how I will handle the clients specifically when I am interacting with CXO level people followed. I was also asked why consulting and whether I would be comfortable travelling after marriage. Overall I had a very good interview.
Tips: -Practice some cases before interviews.
-Never think that you are out of race. Don‟t judge yourself in the interview. Interviewer might give you chance to bounce back.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: This round was taken by one of our alums. I was asked if I am nervous or excited. I said both and was asked to explain why so. (Good Ice Breaking 5 minutes). I was again asked the number of process I am running for (Other Shortlists!!!). A casual discussion followed like it must be tough running for different process in different parts of the campus.
He was constantly picking up points from my CV and it was more or less work experience related interview. I asked three questions to him and a detailed discussion took place.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: It was HR round which lasted for around 10 minutes. Questions like Why ABC, Consulting, my strengths, best and worst feedback received in my previous work ex were asked. I was asked about my expectation from ABC. Brief discussion about my POR and CGPA followed.
Tips: 1) Stay Cool because it will help you to interact freely and focus on various perspectives which is very important in the case
2) Display a lot of enthusiasm and don‟t shy away from talking. Remember Consultant need to do a lot of talking. Just ensure you talk sense on that day.
General Tips: Keep calm and cool even if you get stuck up.
Consider various perspectives while answering for a case.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Experience: i went through four rounds in total. The first questioned asked, in the first round, was the number of shortlist on day 0 and the interviewer jumped straight into a slide in his laptop. Basically the slide had plenty of line diagrams. I had no clue what it was about. As we started interacting, I figured out the line diagrams showed number of units sold in a span of 8-9 months.
I was asked to analyse the line diagrams. On further interaction and based on my answers, I came to know the diagrams had the data about the number of units sold by various companies and total number of units sold in each month. The figures didn't show any consistent pattern and I was asked to figure out why was it so. Basically only thing I could figure out was the sales showed cyclical nature and the number showed a positive trend just before Oct-Nov and a dropping trend in Jan-Mar.
There was a clear market leader but the sales were decreasing in latest months while there was a fierce competition for the second and the third slot. A detailed discussion took place about who can take the second place and why. Then he asked some FRA question related to the graphs. The discussion boiled down to FIFO/LIFO method and he gave some data for a particular company and I was asked to show the impact of LIFO or FIFO on Profit, COGS, Taxes, and retained earnings.
After that he asked a short case on airline industry and it didn't revolved around rising oil prices (Aberration of current Market condition). According to the case, one courier company increased the freight charges though there was a decrease in oil prices. My answers revolved around higher interest rates and depreciation which decreased the operating profit of the courier company. But he was looking for something else and the case was supposed to be analysed from demand-supply side (Microeconomics!!!!). With his input we concluded that the business model of freight industry was changing. Companies who used to transport by rail/road now started using Air Freight which increased the demand suddenly and hence the price. Further because of capacity constraint, the Air Freight company bought few new aircrafts and hence wanted to break even early to make the most of current market.
Note: The interview went Ok types. Interviewer expectation was much more and I think I could not handle the Airline case upto his expectation. He wished me good luck for the next round.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: I came to know that they have scheduled my first round again as they were expecting more. The interview started with “How did the first round went”? I said “It was decent but I should have done better”. He asked “would have or should have”? I said “Should have”. “What went wrong” was his instant question. I gave my analysis and he looked satisfied by my analysis (He displayed like that). I was told that this round will have 2 parts: (i) Case and (ii) some general questions.
Case: It was about decreasing sales of Nano in Kolkata and adjoining areas.
Case analysis:
Initially we discussed if it was a normal trend in other parts of India or not. If there was any price increased by Nano or any changes with the design which might not have gone well with the consumers. We also spoke about impact of negative publicity like engine failure and instances of fire breaking out in Nano. Marketing strategies of handling negative publicity was also discussed.
But the maximum discussion happened around 2 points:
1) As Nano was mainly for people with 2 wheeler, I wanted to understand where the real issue was. Whether consumers are moving to 2.5-3 lakhs priced car like Alto and Zen (few others also) or people with 2 wheeler were not able to buy Nano. I asked about any trend whether any data regarding people willingness to buy Nano (Through Test Drives taken, visits to showrooms etc.) but not actually buying was there or not. After few minute of discussion, I was told that the main issue was people with 2 wheeler are not buying Nano. So the main issue was affordability. I recommended zero % interest rate for EMI for first 2 years of purchase and very minimal ROI after that. We also discussed about the bank Nano should partner with and then he filtered the question to 1 bank only. I opted for SBI as it has branches in adjoining remote areas of Kolkata and people there have higher trust in Govt. banks.
2) We also spoke about the Demand-Supply constraint. If there was any channel conflict. Brief interaction revealed that Nano had only 7 distributors in that part of region and this was a major problem and it should increase by 3-4.
As he was very satisfied with the case analysis, the second part of interview was not much of pain. It was more of a general discussion. As I had work ex in IT industry, I was asked how will I handle management consulting as it‟s very different from IT consulting and required very competent skills. I was also asked about the highest level of client interaction and how I managed them. He specifically asked for one of the CV point which was about interacting with the program director of the US based client and how I managed to convinced him to increase the scope of the development, issues faced and what it took to convince him to approve the increase in man hours effort from 400 to 950.
Few questions about my strengths and how I will handle the clients specifically when I am interacting with CXO level people followed. I was also asked why consulting and whether I would be comfortable travelling after marriage. Overall I had a very good interview.
Tips: -Practice some cases before interviews.
-Never think that you are out of race. Don‟t judge yourself in the interview. Interviewer might give you chance to bounce back.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: This round was taken by one of our alums. I was asked if I am nervous or excited. I said both and was asked to explain why so. (Good Ice Breaking 5 minutes). I was again asked the number of process I am running for (Other Shortlists!!!). A casual discussion followed like it must be tough running for different process in different parts of the campus.
He was constantly picking up points from my CV and it was more or less work experience related interview. I asked three questions to him and a detailed discussion took place.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: It was HR round which lasted for around 10 minutes. Questions like Why ABC, Consulting, my strengths, best and worst feedback received in my previous work ex were asked. I was asked about my expectation from ABC. Brief discussion about my POR and CGPA followed.
Tips: 1) Stay Cool because it will help you to interact freely and focus on various perspectives which is very important in the case
2) Display a lot of enthusiasm and don‟t shy away from talking. Remember Consultant need to do a lot of talking. Just ensure you talk sense on that day.
General Tips: Keep calm and cool even if you get stuck up.
Consider various perspectives while answering for a case.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Referral
1 Interview Round
Interview Questions
- Q1. Personal Interview: Tell me about yourself. Examples from life to justify for whatever points you had mentioned
- Q2. Do you like travelling? Which all places have you been to?
- Q3. What do you know about Accenture and ABC? Which vertical in ABC interests you the most?
- Q4. Personal Interview: Tell me about your experience in NTPC Ltd
- Q5. Why NTPC Ltd. after engineering and why MBA now?
- Q6. Present Power Scenario in India. Difficulties faced by thermal power plants at present
- Q7. Future of Nuclear Power Plants. Pros and Cons
- Q8. Hydro-electric plants and their pros and cons
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: In the first round, apart from questions asked in the personal interview I was given a guesstimation case to solve. It didn't (that)go well . The guesstimation problem was as follows:
You are a private company who has got the contract to install street lights in Lucknow. Guesstimate the number of street lights that will be required and the expected profit you think you can earn.
Structure:
1. I assumed Lucknow‟s area to be 20km by 20km.
2. I, then, divided the city into a matrix assuming it to be criss-crossed by #60 20 km roads running horizontally and vertically each.
3. Then estimated an approximate of 30% area to be under forest cover.
4. Divided the roads in the remaining 70% area into roads present in residential and non-residential (commercial + highways) areas. Took an estimate on number of street lights present per km in both these areas.
5. Finally came to a number on the number of street lights taking into account that some places will have 2 lamps on a single post while others will have just 1.
6. After that estimated the product + set-up cost for each street light.
7. Estimated the running charges (maintenance and electricity). Electricity charges would depend on the number of operation hours and watt-rating of the lamp. Maintenance charges and profit margin was estimated.
8. In the end a total estimate of profits was calculated.
Tips: Prepare for guesstimation well.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: This round was based on my work-ex.
Tips: Know your company well and have a good hold on your sector.
General Tips: Prepare for cases and guesstimation problems well.
For a consulting job requires a lot of travelling so make sure (if you r a travel enthusiast) that you justify you love travelling.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Experience: In the first round, apart from questions asked in the personal interview I was given a guesstimation case to solve. It didn't (that)go well . The guesstimation problem was as follows:
You are a private company who has got the contract to install street lights in Lucknow. Guesstimate the number of street lights that will be required and the expected profit you think you can earn.
Structure:
1. I assumed Lucknow‟s area to be 20km by 20km.
2. I, then, divided the city into a matrix assuming it to be criss-crossed by #60 20 km roads running horizontally and vertically each.
3. Then estimated an approximate of 30% area to be under forest cover.
4. Divided the roads in the remaining 70% area into roads present in residential and non-residential (commercial + highways) areas. Took an estimate on number of street lights present per km in both these areas.
5. Finally came to a number on the number of street lights taking into account that some places will have 2 lamps on a single post while others will have just 1.
6. After that estimated the product + set-up cost for each street light.
7. Estimated the running charges (maintenance and electricity). Electricity charges would depend on the number of operation hours and watt-rating of the lamp. Maintenance charges and profit margin was estimated.
8. In the end a total estimate of profits was calculated.
Tips: Prepare for guesstimation well.
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: This round was based on my work-ex.
Tips: Know your company well and have a good hold on your sector.
General Tips: Prepare for cases and guesstimation problems well.
For a consulting job requires a lot of travelling so make sure (if you r a travel enthusiast) that you justify you love travelling.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Campus Placement
5 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
General Tips: Consulting interviews require you to be able to give a holistic picture of the case presented. Keep the interviewer involved at every step.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Campus Placement
1 Interview Round
Interview Questions
- Q1. Work related, CV related
- Q2. Industry related
- Q3. Latest Trends in Supply Chain
- Q4. Related to current energy problems in India
Interview Preparation Tips
General Tips: - Be energetic and enthusiastic
- I firmly believe that the first 2 minutes in an interview decide the outcome to a great extent
- In the case interview, even if you go wrong at some place, do not fluster and keep trying
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
- I firmly believe that the first 2 minutes in an interview decide the outcome to a great extent
- In the case interview, even if you go wrong at some place, do not fluster and keep trying
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Campus Placement
6 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Guesstimate Interview
Experience:
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: My approach was to first evaluate whether it is the right environment and time to enter and then move on to how to enter by utilizing existing capabilities or developing new ones.
General Tips: If you have core manufacturing work-ex, irrespective of the department you were in, be thoroughly prepared with operations related questions.
Also, be prepared for a few question from your undergraduate stream
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Experience:
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: My approach was to first evaluate whether it is the right environment and time to enter and then move on to how to enter by utilizing existing capabilities or developing new ones.
General Tips: If you have core manufacturing work-ex, irrespective of the department you were in, be thoroughly prepared with operations related questions.
Also, be prepared for a few question from your undergraduate stream
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Campus Placement
5 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Suggest a strategy for Olam to expand in next 2-3 years in coffee commodity business unit? Interviewer was looking for structure and logic in the approach. I walked him through the value chain in coffee business and then focussed on areas in procurement and distribution currently controlled by other parties. Then proposed for forward integration for the product and explained the rationale using some examples of other businesses of Olam. Interviewer appeared to be quite convinced at this stage and he moved on to some specific set of questions in commodities.
General Tips: Be confident, energetic and enjoy the process.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Experience: Suggest a strategy for Olam to expand in next 2-3 years in coffee commodity business unit? Interviewer was looking for structure and logic in the approach. I walked him through the value chain in coffee business and then focussed on areas in procurement and distribution currently controlled by other parties. Then proposed for forward integration for the product and explained the rationale using some examples of other businesses of Olam. Interviewer appeared to be quite convinced at this stage and he moved on to some specific set of questions in commodities.
General Tips: Be confident, energetic and enjoy the process.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Campus Placement
3 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
General Tips: Know your CV really well.
Sort things out in your mind before answering.
Ask them only relevant questions. Never beat around the bush.
Stay calm and composed.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Sort things out in your mind before answering.
Ask them only relevant questions. Never beat around the bush.
Stay calm and composed.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
3 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Walked him through the value chain and stressed on the cost and value drivers and came up with 3 solutions, to which he seemed impressed and stopped the discussion there
after case, he asked another question. Had a discussion on that for 10 minute and then he asked me if I had any questions. Asked him why Accenture is the only Consulting firm that is publicly listed while the others are privately held? He seemed impressed again and explained the whole idea behind going public. After 10 minutes of discussion, the interview was concluded.
General Tips: Preparation of HR answers, most essential
In a case, look at every aspect possible
If you don’t know how to proceed, take time out to think and involve the interviewer as much as possible
Don’t jump to conclusions
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Experience: Walked him through the value chain and stressed on the cost and value drivers and came up with 3 solutions, to which he seemed impressed and stopped the discussion there
after case, he asked another question. Had a discussion on that for 10 minute and then he asked me if I had any questions. Asked him why Accenture is the only Consulting firm that is publicly listed while the others are privately held? He seemed impressed again and explained the whole idea behind going public. After 10 minutes of discussion, the interview was concluded.
General Tips: Preparation of HR answers, most essential
In a case, look at every aspect possible
If you don’t know how to proceed, take time out to think and involve the interviewer as much as possible
Don’t jump to conclusions
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Campus Placement
3 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: The interviewer did not allow me to use a pen and paper and rather asked to orally discuss the case. I questioned the ins and outs of the business, the industry and other basic qualifiers. The issue was with the supply chain. Gave him recommendations on how to enhance the profits. After this he gave a couple of hypothetical situations pertaining to sales and distribution issues and how I would go ahead. The interview lasted for about 45 mins.
General Tips: Prepare well for HR questions, it helps
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Experience: The interviewer did not allow me to use a pen and paper and rather asked to orally discuss the case. I questioned the ins and outs of the business, the industry and other basic qualifiers. The issue was with the supply chain. Gave him recommendations on how to enhance the profits. After this he gave a couple of hypothetical situations pertaining to sales and distribution issues and how I would go ahead. The interview lasted for about 45 mins.
General Tips: Prepare well for HR questions, it helps
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
I applied via Campus Placement
6 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Boeing parts:
• I was only asked to list the broad areas I’d look at. Listed transportation, supply chain, labour relations, and legal arrangements.
• Added one or two possible problems under each issue and suggested solutions.
Round: Guesstimate Interview
Experience: Guesstimate(Diapers):
• Structured using the number of kids in India using population statistics, the family income, and cost of diaper by guessing the percentage of families who would use diapers.
• My initial estimate was $12 billion, way too high, and without him pointing it out, I tried to adjust my various estimates.
• He was fairly happy with the structure and did not try to correct the numbers too much.
General Tips: • In-depth knowledge of one or two sectors is very valuable.
• Consistency of answers across interviews and your CV makes you look sane.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
Experience: Boeing parts:
• I was only asked to list the broad areas I’d look at. Listed transportation, supply chain, labour relations, and legal arrangements.
• Added one or two possible problems under each issue and suggested solutions.
Round: Guesstimate Interview
Experience: Guesstimate(Diapers):
• Structured using the number of kids in India using population statistics, the family income, and cost of diaper by guessing the percentage of families who would use diapers.
• My initial estimate was $12 billion, way too high, and without him pointing it out, I tried to adjust my various estimates.
• He was fairly happy with the structure and did not try to correct the numbers too much.
General Tips: • In-depth knowledge of one or two sectors is very valuable.
• Consistency of answers across interviews and your CV makes you look sane.
Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow
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