Is it true that IIM C interviews are quant-heavy?What kind of math questions do they ask?

Question

Divakshi Arora · Accepted Answer

The &ldquo;quant-heavy&rdquo; tag for IIM C comes from the fact that even non-engineers have been asked math questions in their interviews. It&rsquo;s less about CAT-level difficulty and more about testing if you can apply basic concepts on the spot.
Some examples from recent years: &bull; &ldquo;A shopkeeper offers a 10% discount and still makes a 20% profit &mdash; what was the markup on the cost price?&rdquo; &bull; &ldquo;If a train covers 60 km in 45 minutes, what&rsquo;s the average speed in km/h?&rdquo; followed by &ldquo;If the speed drops by 20%, how much more time will it take?&rdquo; &bull; &ldquo;In a group of 10 people, each shakes hands with every other person once &mdash; how many handshakes occur?&rdquo; &bull; &ldquo;If the standard deviation of scores is zero, what does it mean?&rdquo; &bull; &ldquo;Given crude oil prices have risen 15% this quarter, how might that impact an airline&rsquo;s profit margins?&rdquo;
They sometimes slip these into unrelated questions &mdash; for example, while discussing your SOP project, they might ask for ROI calculations on the fly. Being ready with quick calculation skills and a calm approach helps more than cramming advanced formulas.

B.K Sharma · Answer

IIM Calcutta interviews do have a reputation for being quant-heavy, especially compared to some other IIMs, but the difficulty often depends on your background. If you&rsquo;re from an engineering or commerce stream, expect them to test concepts you&rsquo;ve already studied.

Recent math topics include percentages, ratios, probability, and basic statistics. For example, candidates have been asked:
&ldquo;If a product&rsquo;s price is cut by 20% and then increased by 20%, is it back to the original price?&rdquo;
&ldquo;Two dice are thrown together ,  what&rsquo;s the probability of getting a sum greater than 9?&rdquo; with a follow-up on &ldquo;What if at least one die shows an even number?&rdquo;
&ldquo;Given mean and median salary data, what does it tell you about the distribution?&rdquo;

They sometimes link quant to real-world scenarios ,  like showing a company&rsquo;s quarterly numbers and asking you to calculate growth rates or margins. Brushing up on mental math and quick data interpretation can make a big difference here.