Ashoka Agency Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Test
Experience: Verbal-correction of sentences, 2 passages,antonyms,synonyms logical reasoning - all models are in r.s agarwal
Total Questions: 75

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Regular hr questions like tell about ur self,hobbies,strengths,any team activities, about paper presented and questions on that, questions on leadership qualities, asked to talk about 'conservation of energy' for few minutes, asked abouts functions or events organised.

College Name: NIT WARANGAL

Round: Interview
Experience: Duration of interview - 40 minutesInterview panel: 6 scientist from DRDO and one professor from my departmentOnly technical questions were asked except my name (:P)
Question types can be divided into following categories:
1. Process
2. Theory behind the process (mechanism)
3. Practical application4. Alteration in parameters and their effect on process
Tips: if you are answering correctly then they will take you even deeper until you yield (cross questioning) :O but dont worry, speak only if you know the correct answer. be confident and honest (they will help you).

General Tips: Shortlisting on the basis of CGPA
College Name: IIT Roorkee

Round: Test
Experience: Very basic(class 7 level) english, quant and DI from CAT preparation will do. I was asked to estimate the number of newspapers I would buy if I am a supplier for the campus. Then slightly complicated the problem four or five times.
Tips: Try to answer as many questions as possible--the test is the one major criterion for selection.
Total Questions: 65

Round: Guesstimate Interview
Experience: One-on-one interview.Basic guess estimation and details about your projects. Try to show you have some knowledge in mathematics.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: HR interview--A panel of 4 or 5 people(who have taken the individual interviews in round I).
Tips: Be confident and try not to tell something which you can’t defend.

General Tips: As is the case for most companies, CAT preparation will definitely help. I don’t think much focus was was given on the essay but the other sections of the test are really important.
Skill Tips: A decent CGPA(mine was exactly 8) will help. HR interview--A panel of 4 or 5 people(who have taken the individual interviews in round I). Should be able to speak about your own projects and internships.
College Name: IIT KHARAGPUR

Round: Test
Experience: There were two parts : Aptitude and English.
The Aptitude part consisted of questions related to Maths which were quite easy.
The English section consisted of reading comprehensions.
Tips: Read the questions carefully because some of them might be lengthy.
Apply quick formulas so that you save time on each question.
Duration: 90 minutes

Round: Group Activity
Experience: We were asked to write an essay on a topic.
My topic was "Global Warming".
This was not an elimination round.
Tips: Writing essay requires a good fair of English and also thinking capability.
Divide your essay into paragraphs and don't forget to assign a title to your essay.

Round: Interview
Experience: The technical round was quite simple for me as the interviewer asked me few simple questions related to basic programming. I am not well versed with programming but then I managed because I did study the previous day.
I was not nervous since I knew I would be able to crack the interview in one go. After waiting for hours and hours, my turn came and finally I went up to the interviewer.
Tips: Be confident and communicate well.
The interviewers are more interested in how you communicate to them.
Learn the basics and revise a little before you go to the interview .

Round: Interview
Experience: This was the most simple and funniest round for me as the interviewer asked me only a single question .
The question goes like " Which place are you from?"
Tips: When you get selected for the HR round, just relax.
This is not an elimination round .
The HR's won't ask questions related to your subjects or any academics.
They would only ask some basic information regarding your life experiences and or will you be able to work in a corporate environment.

General Tips: 1. You need to be confident.
2. Drink lots of water.
3. Dont discuss anything with your neighbours during the interview process.
4. Dont overthink.
5. Be positive.
Skill Tips: You should well versed with english and try to communicate well with the interviewer.
Skills: COMMUNCATION SKILLS, PROGRAMMING SKILLS, TECHNICAL SKILLS, WRITING SKILLS
College Name: SRM UNIVERSITY
Motivation: A highly-motivated, productive and customer-focused team player with strong communication, interpersonal,organizational, time management, analytical and problem solving skills. Reliable and dedicated with the ability to grasp and apply new procedures quickly; organize and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines and adapt readily to new challenges.

Round: Test
Experience: CAT type questions on maths and English. Speed matters. Preparation for CAT helps, I did not sit for CAT but I went through is DI material before the test to increase my speed. Questions in general are easy. Conduct yourself professionally. Deloitte decides to allot you a profile depending on your score in this test most probably. So make sure you do well in this test. I think the highest scoring candidates are shortlisted for the S&O profile, though I am not sure about it.
Tips: If you are up for a career in management consulting and can't possibly be shortlisted by Mckinsey or BCG, this is your golden opportunity. You have to do well in the test for it. Deloitte is one of the best places in the world for management consulting after MBB firms and I believe some people might have gotten selected for this profile just because they did well in this test (by fair or unfair means!!)

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: You are given a case. Your group of 10 has to find a solution for a client. The process lasts for about 30 minutes. The key is staying calm and composed and not disputing and challenging others violently! At the end you are supposed to give a presentation on the problem and it solution, 5 minutes for each member.
Tips: Speak less rather than speaking trash. Introduce yourself first when asked to give your part of the presentation and behave professionally, they check more on your professional behavior than the effectiveness of your solution. 50 % of the students passing this round generally make it to the offer. Hence this is the most important round. If you have done very well in this round you will probably do well in the PI.

Round: Behavorial Interview
Experience: Behavioral questions base on your resume.
I had networked a bit with my interviewer before the interview because both of us were waiting to enter the interview room and it felt awkward not talking to him. I think that might have helped.

Dont go for a technology profile hoping you will get to enter the management consulting space some day. Technology consulting is a good career choice only if you are passionate about it, or else it is a disaster, since the only exit route is an MBA application.
Dont go without reading about the company, it was a big source of worry for me
Tips: Answer the questions diplomatically. Appearing confident helps. I kept a smiling face no matter how tensed I was, that might help.
Know all the points in your resume and prepare to answer all behavioral questions you can possibly think of.
Have some questions to ask at the end of the interview.

General Tips: Its good if you have some extra academic involvement to have some discussion points during your PI. Or when you are asked about an achievement you are very proud of.
Skill Tips: I felt the company loves to hire calm and professional people who can articulate themselves properly. And do well in the written test if you want a profile of your choice.
Deloitte is probably the only company to be able to compete with the likes of Mckinsey in management consulting and IBM in technology, at the same time. No doubt, it is a great brand name to work with. It is highly rated in both the fields.
Strategy and Operations is a very good career if you are looking for management consulting, they have a program to train and sponsor you for the best B-Schools in the world.
The technology profiles are good if you are passionate about technology and its integration.
So be careful about your choices.
College Name: IIT Kharagpur

Round: Test
Experience: 4 modules :
1. Computer Programing :- Code is given,we need to find output, basic questions in Java, C, Data Structures, DBMS.
2. Quantitative Aptitude :- Easy, Basics in Simple Interest, Profit&Loss, Numbers, Logs, Time and Work, Time Speed Distance, Prob, Perm&Comb.
3. Logical Reasoning :- Blood relations, Directions, Data sufficiency, Puzzle, Arrangements (circular & linear).
4. English :- Fill in appropriate meaning, Antonyms, Synonyms, Arrange the sentences, and 2 huge paragraphs (4+4=8 questions).

Out of 2000 members 400 were selected. I'm one among them.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: After 2 days I received mail from HCL (offer letter and letter of intent).
Tips: HR round is to test our communication only..

College Name: NA

Round: Test
Experience: The written test was quite similar to the typical CAT pattern. It contained sections on Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Mathematics.

Round: Interview
Experience: There were 3 interview rounds:
There were 2 interviewers in the first interview, one was a technical guy and the other was from HR. They asked me a few
very simple puzzles, a few basic programming questions (swapping the value of two variables etc.), questions related to the development cycle of software products.  The HR guy asked stuff like what do you want to achieve in life? Strengths, weaknesses etc.
The second interview was resume based. He asked me about my thesis, internship, various projects, positions of responsibility etc. The third interview was the most important one (and I guess that was the deciding interview). The interviewer started with questions like why finance? Which companies are you sitting for? Then he gave me a case study: “As a banking organization, you have given house loans to a lot of customers. Given the current scenario, you have to profile the customers to which loans have been given based on the chances that they would pay back.” He started with this scenario and as I gradually started analyzing things and proposing models he kept on increasing the complexity saying you don’t have this data, you can’t make that assumption etc. Ultimately he narrowed down it down to a problem which was almost unsolvable. When I got stuck at that he told me that his idea was to just give me a taste of the toughness of problems they encounter in day-to-day business.

General Tips: After spending three or four years enjoying the IITK adventure, one suddenly feels a jolt when he/she arrives in the final year. You find yourself wondering at times, asking yourself the pertinent question, what next? And seriously, the best way to start preparing for placements, GRE, CAT or any other exam for that matter is answering this question honestly. Take a few minutes of your precious time and think what you want to do with your life? Where does your heart truly lie? I know it’s not that easy to decide on this but at least give this a good thought and prioritize your options. Make a list of them on paper if that helps. Once you are done with this, the real planning starts. Take each option one by one and do a truthful analysis of yourself from the perspective of that option. For e.g., say you have CAT as your first priority, and then analyze your strengths and weaknesses from CAT’s perspective. What all areas you need to improve on? How much time and effort would it take? How much time you have got left? By doing this exercise you will really get to know the work that needs to be done and will help you plan for the remaining time.


Resume:
I am sure you would have heard it umpteen times but still I will repeat it to stress the point, take resume making seriously! A good resume would drive your interview in the direction you want it to go, a bad resume on the other hand might end the chances of you even getting interviewed! Start by trying to remember each and every achievement of your life and write it down. Spend a few days on this part till you are sure you have got almost everything. Now write it down properly in formal language in the form of a master resume. This would serve
as a repository of information for all your subsequent resumes. And on top of that, having a fresh memory of your achievements would help you in answering the questions in interviews (especially HR questions). Ideally you should have a separate resume for every company you sit for. The way to do this is make sector specific resumes and edit them accordingly for the different companies of that sector. For example, make a single resume for all the core CSE companies and then you can probably change the list of projects (or their order of appearance) targeting individual companies.

PPTs:
If you are serious about getting job in a company, you cannot afford to miss its pre placement talk. PPT is not only an opportunity to know about the company, but it also gives you the chance to know what the company is looking for. This will give you the basic idea around which you should structure your resume and preparation for that company.
Preparation:
Core Computer Science Companies: All the core CS companies first take a written test which contains questions on C/C++, may have JAVA, UNIX, Algorithms, Data Structures, basics of Operating Systems and Compilers, some questions on basic networking in case the company works in that field. Almost all the companies have a couple of questions in which you are required to write code on paper. Some companies also have a few questions on aptitude, simple maths or data interpretations. You can find the company specific details in the placement feedback guide. This is the major
shortlisting step for core companies, so you cannot take it lightly. You can start preparing by revising the relevant courses you did (like Data Structures, Algorithms, Operating Systems, and Compilers). Practice a few questions available in the various placement preparation guides on LAN. Most importantly, practice writing code on paper. This is something we are not used to and requires some practice. This not only will do you good in the written test, but also help you in the interviews.
Non Core Companies (Finance, Consulting, and Analytics):
The written tests of most of these companies are quite similar to CAT. So if you are not preparing for CAT, get hold of some CAT preparation material for practice. These tests are more speed based than knowledge, so practice is absolutely essential. Revising some basic mathematics (like probability, progressions etc.) would also do you good. Apart from that, you need to have some basic knowledge and understanding of the field the company works in. For example, if you are appearing for a finance company, learn the basic concepts and common terminologies of finance. The least it would do is show that you are sincerely interested in the field the company works in.
College Name: IIT KANPUR

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: Shortlisted on CGPA>8

Round: Test
Experience: Only one test was conducted on data interpretations and then shortlisting based on test scores was done.

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: Group discussion was conducted and mostly related to their sector topics were given.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Interview was of only one round and in it both HR and technical were completed in 15 minutes.

Skill Tips: Quantifying most of things in your resume and also in interview would give a good impression.Internships also does matter and questions on AVOVA in statistical courses are also focused.For chemical dept, Statistical design and analysis of experiments course gives the edge over others.Questions related to logistic regress were also asked.
College Name: IIT MADRAS

Round: Test
Experience: Online written test, consisting of quantitative and verbal ability.

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: General topic group discussion.

Round: Interview
Experience: Two-on-one interview. I was asked about projects and internships. Nothing particularly challenging. (They were planning on mass recruitment. Selected 26 students out of the ~40 students shortlisted for GD).

Skill Tips: CGPA above 7 is required.
Skills: Quantitative skills, Verbal skills
College Name: IIT KHARAGPUR