IBM Research Interview Questions and Answers for Experienced

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - have good understanding of basics and have expertise on any specific area.

General Tips: I joined HCL as a fresher and got Intervie

Round: Test
Experience: Aptitude, reasoning, logical, etc. 2 hours

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: I had sent my resume to the hiring group, Selection through telephonic interviews. I was interviewed by three different research groups  (once by each).
Tips: Factors in decreasing order of importance: CGPA each stage. Ability to explain your projects precisely. Ability to solve ''standard" logarithmic problems.  The way you think and put down your Answer is the most important. The final answer .s not so I important, and they prod you when you think out aloud anyway.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Almost- by default they ask about your previous projects/internships if they are relevant to the group. Ofher questions depend on the group you are interviewed by and your own profile, In my case it was machine learning, text mining etc. I was told about the research problem they were dealing with then and asked f or comments/suggestions/.inputs and a discussion followed.
Tips: Basically these are specialized Interviews so it's good to have sound knowledge of your domain (analytical and application skills are very much required).

Skill Tips: CGPA>9.0, 1f not (like me) relevant work done in the domain and in past internship.A recommendation from the professor is also a good add on.
College Name: IIT Madras

Round: Test
Experience: There was an apititude test basically in line with CAT pattern. It was conducted online for about 45 min duration. The questions were rather simple but each question was time bound (around 45 sec or so).
Tips: As such I did not have any structured study plan. I did refresh some of my basics in mechanics and analysis. I was more inclined to get a job in aerospace division. Read as per your interest.
Duration: 45 minutes

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: Initially, we are seated randomly in a circular manner and each one was given two minutes to describe the topic. It was followed by an tense debate where participants converged and diverged on different sets of issue. They were particularly looking for interpersonal skills and out of the box thinking.

Round: Interview
Experience: The interview was purely management type.More questions were thrown at team building, bio-data, why this company? , project, what you Can contribute for the firm?, where you see yourself in next 5 -10 years, ambitions, some amount of optimization tools and techniques, concluding remarks....Interpersonal skills and clarity in answering where mainly
IBM was a more relaxed interview, which basically dealt with management and interpersonal skills. Questions like “if one of our team mate is very stubborn, lazy, adamant, how will you tackle the situation” were asked.
Tips: College (B Tech) curricular activities, NTSC certificate, Math Olympiad certificate, all India quiz competition awards were noted and appreciated. That really was a booster. That helps in implanting an idea that you are not just blah blah blah.

Skill Tips: Be very sure about your mechanics, analysis and design. These three are the fundamentals.
I haven prepared for placements exclusively. Here were combined discussions. However, it really helps if you can revise and make your fundamentals were clear. The basic understanding should be there. An hour every day for two months will do the trick.
Be really choosy of the company you want to be in. Learn a lot more of the company and get an idea of what they are actually looking for. But still don’t freeze your mind to those realms alone.. Be open minded and cheerful. The first few questions will set the mood of the interview. If you are bale to crack that, then things will be really smooth. Really concentrate on your fundamentals, especially analysis and design.
Skills: Mechanics, Analysis , Design
College Name: IIT-Madras