CSE Interview - 1

Here's Vinay's (College junior, First mains) inerview in his own words. I found the write up to be comprehensive, but a little long for a blog post. However, I feel many candidtes are interested in knowing the answers as well, in addition to the nature of questions being asked. That's why I have not censored anything. Hope you don't mind the size of this post. I hope this is useful for those candidates.

Don't worry I'll keep the post on my interview crisp.

*****

28th March 2009. 

3:20 PM ( for about 30min)
Chairman: Dr.K.K.Paul

(I opened the door partially)May I come in sir? Yes. Thank you sir. ( walked in. stood beside the vacant chair. Slightly bowing my head....I wished ) Good afternoon madam. Good afternoon sirs. GOOD AFTERNOON. TAKE YOUR SEAT. Thank you sir. ( sat down. I felt that the chair was slightly far from the table. So, slightly got up and shifted the chair closer to the table ).

WHAT'S YOUR NAME ? **DATE OF BIRTH? **NATIVE PLACE? My native place is Kunavaram, sir. It is in Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh. ROLL NUMBER? **SO, U R AN ECONOMIST....& SAID SOMETHING..... sir, I beg to differ with you.......... I beg your pardon. I am not an economist sir. I am just a student of economics. DON'T U WANT TO BE AN ECONOMIST ? Yes sir. But, I did an integrated dual degree program of 5 years with EEE as the major focus area. Even my 2.5 years of job was also based on electronics itself sir. WHERE DID YOU DO WORK? I worked in Pune sir. WHAT DID U DO IN UR JOB? Sir, I was into chip designing....semiconductor design. (then came the immediate bouncer)...WHAT'S QUANTUM COMPUTING? I was taken by surprise.... I started something but struggled..Just a moment sir....paused....Sir, at atomic levels, energy exists at quantum levels. By assigning information signs to these, we try to process data. This is the process used in quantum computing. WHAT IS A QUANTUM LEVEL...Sir energy exits in fixed amounts at atomic levels. These form different levels called quantum levels. CAN WE PIN POINT THE POSITION OF ELECTRONS? No sir. According to deBrogle's principle, the position & mass of ....... IS IT HEISENBERG'S UNCERTAINTY ? Yes sir, thank you for correcting me......the position & mass of an electron.... IS IT POSITION & VELOCITY? Sorry sir. Yes sir. It is velocity...not mass. Position & velocity of an electron can't be located simultaneously. BETWEEN UV RAYS & IR RAYS, WHICH HAVE HIGHER ENERGY ? It is UV rays sir,...... because they have higher frequency. WHY? Sir, energy is directly proportional to frequency. Energy = Plank's constant x frequency. So, UV rays have higher energy. WHAT ABOUT WAVELENGTH ? Sir E = hc/λ. Where h=Plank's constant. C=velocity of light and λ=wavelength. Hence, it is inversely proportional.WHAT IS DUALITY PRINCIPLE? It talks about energy having mass & wavy nature. For example, photon can be treated as a particle as well as a wave form having energy.

Member 1:
Mr.Vinay, YOU DID MSc IN ECONOMICS. TELL ME WHAT IS GAME THEORY.Sir, it is application of mathematics in economics.....infact in many humanities studies.
(he started disapproving...by nodding his head sideways..... I raised my tone some what higher & answered fast ) Sir, it helps in decision making when our decisions are influenced by others' decision....(TO THE CHAIRMAN)....I DON'T THINK SO..... To my knowledge, this is what I know sir. OK THEN, WHAT IS NASH EQUILIBRIUM? It is an equilibrium condition in which the players have taken their optimum decisions & they don't need to change them. I DON'T THINK SO..... YOU MUST HAVE STUDIED ABOUT THE WELL KNOWN ECONOMIST THOMAS FRIEDMAN WHO IS A STRONG VOTARY OF FREE MARKET ECONOMY. WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THE PRESENT FAILURE OF FREEMARKETS? (CHAIRMAN STARTED SAYING): DO YOU AGREE THAT LIBERALIZATION IS A FAILURE? Sir, I don't think it is a failure of liberalization & free market economy. It is actually a failure of Regulators. It is due to lack of transparency. Sir, infact, in the name of liberation......sorry, liberalization, they misused the freedom given. So, I don't think it is a failure of freemarket economy. DID YOU READ THE BOOK "XYZ" (SOME ECONOMICS BOOK). No sir. WHY HDI IS GAINING IMPORTANCE NOW A DAYS ? HOW IS IT BETTER THAN PCI? (I was about to start) DO YOU REALLY THINK HIGHER PCI INDICATES DEVELOPMENT ? (I was about to start) SHOULD WE USE HDI MORE THAN PCI? Sir, higher PCI does not necessarily mean better development.Actually, it is the welfare & satisfaction of people that matters. For example sir, Middle East has higher PCI due to petro-dollars. But, they are poor on many social indicators. I feel satisfaction of people is important. As HDI includes longevity, literacy, decent standard of living, it is a better indicator than PCI. Even if a country has higher PCI, it may have disparities. Infact, precisely, because of this the 11th Five Year Plan talks about 'inclusive growth'. WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT HDI DIFFERENCES IN INDIAN STATES. FOR EXAMPLE STATES LIKE GUJARAT ETC. Sir, in India, states have HDI disparities. For example, Kerala has lower PCI but has the highest HDI due to focus on welfare sectors. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTION OF PAUL KRUGMAN? Yes sir, he got Nobel prize in 2008 for his New Trade Theory. WHAT IS IT? It talks about international trade. Unlike the "old" trade theory of Ricardo..... (He frowned....)Sorry, it is actually the original trade theory of Ricardo which talks about a country acquiring comparative advantage in particular goods. Krugman says that over a period of time, different countries may acquire comparative advantage with respect to a particular variety of a good. This improves the choice available to customers in different countries. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT HIS THEORY ? Sorry sir, I know only this much. Pause. Sir, may I add one more point. He also says that over a period of time, the costs also come down because of economies of scale and this helps in international trade. NO, THIS IS NOT WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. (he leaned back into his chair.....as if he got disinterested with me & my answers) OK VINAY, TELL ME THIS..... WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE PROBLEMS WITH INDIAN PLANNING ? DO YOU REALLY THINK THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS WITH OUR PLANNING ? Sir, our 60 years of planning has been a learning experience sir. We have been experimenting, learning & improving as per the times. I feel more than the problems with planning, the problems with implementation are the major problems. As such our planning has been good. Infact, we moved from centralized planning to decentralized planning & bottom-up planning. WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS WITH IMPLEMENTATION ? Administrative inefficiency, corruption, lack of monitoring, lack of proper feedback mechanisms. For example, lot of attention is given to Budget but hardly any attention is given to the outcomes out of the spending.

Member 2:
YOU ARE FROM ANDHRA PRADESH. WHAT ARE THE POVERTY ALLEVIATION SCHEMES OF YOUR STATE ? Sir, INDIRAMMA is a major program. It is for the improvement of infrastructure in rural areas. Also in towns sir. It stands for Integrated Novel Development of Rural Areas & Model Municipal Areas. IS IT COMPLETELY FUNDED BY YOUR STATE? Sir, it is actually funded using Bharat Nirman funds plus state govt funds. Sir continuing with the poverty alleviation schemes, there are schemes like Rajiv Grihakalpa etc...... Jalayagnam is for creation of water potential.....then there is a program called Telugu. WHAT ABOUT RURAL EMPLOYMENT SCHEME. Yes sir, thank you for reminding me about NREGS. Infact, it is implemented very well in Andhra Pradesh because of people's awareness & participation in social audit. The people's awareness is very high due competitive politics & media sir. WHAT DOES NREGS PROVIDE ? Sir, it assures 100days of employment to one adult member of a family to do manual work. WHAT IS THE STATUS OF NAXAL PROBLEM IN YOUR STATE? DO YOU THINK IT HAS BEEN EFFECTIVELY TACKLED? Sir, I feel naxal problem has been well tackled in AP. First of all there was political will sir. Infact this is what that is precisely lacking in other states. A special police force called Grey Hounds was set up. They were given special training, latest equipments and good incentives. And most importantly sir, as the Naxals were pushed back, development schemes started moving towards remote areas. Government teachers & doctors started going to villages. Government employees are now daring to go & work in remote areas so that Naxals don't reclaim those areas. And this way they handled it in long-term & short term perspectives sir. That is by tackling it as a law & order problem as well as a development issue.

Member 3:
YOU STUDIED IN A JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA SCHOOL. WHY WERE JNVS SET UP? Madam, they were set up by Mr.Rajiv Gandhi....Late Prime Minister Mr.Rajiv Gandhi. He studied in Doon school. He wanted to provide similar quality education to rural & poor people...poor students at affordable rates....infact almost free of cost. They focus on all round development of students. They also emphasize on national integration. We have a migration program in 9th class for 2 years. South Indian students have to stay in North India & vice versa. JNVs focus on all round development of students. HOW STUDYING IN JNV HELPED YOU? Madam, first of all, getting selected into JNV in 6th class at district level itself gave me confidence. It helped me to realize that I have the potential & raw material and all that is required is performance. Education is not the only thing that I learnt at JNV madam. It helped me to face life challenges better. JNV gave me opportunities to develop good social & communication skills. We had to shift to English medium NCERT syllabus in 9th class. I studied in Telugu medium till 8th class. This transformation was a challenge to me & faced it well. JNV also helped me to broaden my horizon. DO YOU THINK JNV SCHOOLS ARE A SUCCESS ? Yes madam. Largely, they are a success.  

Member 4:
YOU ARE A PRODUCT OF PILANI. HOW DID YOU GET IN? WAS IT BASED ON ENTRANCE EXAM OR BASED ON NORMALIZATION OF BOARD MARKS ? Sir, during my time, the admission was based on normalized scores of Board marks at 12th class level. Now, they have shifted to entrance exam. THERE WAS SOME CONTROVERSY RAISED IN PARLIAMENT REGARDING THIS ENTRANCE EXAM. ARE YOU AWARE OF IT. IT WAS ALLEGED THAT ENTRANCE EXAM REDUCES THE CHANCES OF AP STUDENTS. Sir, I am not aware of it. But, I feel that because of the good coaching facilities available at class 11-12th levels in AP and the kind of factory type of education the students go through, they are securing the highest number of admissions based on entrance exams. So, I don't feel the apprehension is valid sir. HE EXPLAINED ME THE PARLIAMENT ISSUE. Thank you for telling me this sir. WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON ENGINEERS ? Sir, globalization gave lot of opportunities. There was flow of FDI, capital, technology. So, many got employed. It helped us to tap our potential. It increased the craze for professional education .....especially IT education. HOW MANY ENGINEERING COLLEGES ARE IN AP ? Sir, I think about 250.ARE YOU SURE? I am not sure sir. I know for sure that there are about 150 colleges in & around Hyderabad itself sir. So I feel it could be about 250-300. but, I am not sure sir. HOW MANY ENGINEERING STUDENTS PASS OUT EACH YEAR IN INDIA ? Sir, I think about 5 lakhs. ARE YOU SURE. I am not sure sir. HOW MANY IN AP ? Sir, it is about 90,000.WHICH STATE PRODUCES LARGEST NUMBER OF ENGINEERS ? Sir, it is AP sir. NO, IT IS TAMIL NADU. Thank you for telling me this information sir. DO YOU KNOW WHO PROPOSED "XYZ" ? ( SOME CONCEPT...SOME JARGON ). No sir. IT IS "MR.ABC DEF" ( SOME NAME)Mr.ABC DEF.....Ok sir ( I repeated the name, while nodding my head ). YOU STUDIED IN LITTLE BUDS SCHOOL. WHERE IS IT ? Sir, it is in a place called Kothagudem. ITS IT A TOWN ? Yes sir, it is a small town. It is a coal mining centre. The famous Singareni Collieries mines are there.

Chairman took over again:
WHAT IS NANO TECHNOLOGY ? Nano tech operates at 10 power -9 meters level. At this level, we try to harness the material properties for applications. We tap the energy, increased surface area etc for applications. For example,carbon nano tubules have higher tensile strength and light weight. They can replace many of the existing materials. WHAT ARE THE APPLICATIONS OF NANO TECH? Sir, nano tech is used in manufacturing sector, aero space industry, in semiconductors and electronics. Etc. WHAT IS THE NAME OF CARBON AT NANO LEVEL ? IT IS NOT CALLED SIMPLE CARBON. CARBON IS FOUND IN MANY DAILY USE GOODS. FOR EXAMPLE GRAPHITE CONTAINS CARBON... TELL ME THE TERM USED FOR CARBON AT NANO LEVEL. Sir, I am not able to recollect it. I can try it if you can give me some hints. "ABC DEF" ( SOME SCIENTIST NAME) No sir, I am sorry. "LMN XYZ" ( ANOTHER SCIENTIST ) No sir, I am sorry. I am not able to get it. WHAT IS AI ? Sir, it stands for Artificial Intelligence. It is a branch of computer science and it deals with taking decisions in a dynamic manner. Unlike the normal ways of calculating logic using '1' or '0', yes or no, or black or white, it deals with intermediate logic levels sir. It also deals with learning dynamically from past experience like humans & animals and facing novel situations and challenges. (SUDDENLY) WHAT IS KASHMIR ISSUE ? (I was baffled.....firstly, for the sudden change of topic. Secondly, as to where to start, where to end..... this is like compressing a 60Marker into a  2Marker !! I started speaking something in a haphazard manner. Then stopped. Took a pause ) Sir, I will explain it in historical perspective. Pakistan lays claim to Kashmir saying that it is a Muslim majority area. India stresses on the accession done by the king of Kashmir. The 1948 UN Resolution proposes for a plebiscite but only when POK is evacuated by Pakistan. Now, India is making efforts at making the LOC itself irrelevant by increasing people to people contacts, trade, transport etc. India says that Kashmir is only one of the issues to be settled. The other issues are also there like Siachen, Sir Creek etc. but, Pakistan insists on solving Kashmir issue as the most important one. (No reaction / lead question !!) DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE LITHIUM BATTERIES USED IN THE CELL PHONES. THEY ARE SMALL & EFFICIENT AND HAVE LONG LIFE. THEY HAVE OTHER SUCH MANY BENEFITS. ( HE WAS OBSERVING ME WHILE TELLING THIS LONG....LONG QUESTION) DO YOU KNOW WHICH COUNTRY PRODUCES THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF LITHIUM? No sir. I am not aware of it. WHICH ARE THE RARE MINERALS OF RAJASTHAN ? Rare minerals of Rajasthan, sir ? ( I asked back, stressing on the word 'Rajasthan'). YES. Sir, I am aware of rare minerals of India in general but not Rajasthan in particular sir. YOU HAVE GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL. Sorry sir, I am not aware. ANY ONE WANTS TO ASK ANYTHING? 

The 2nd Member took over (Who asked me on Andhra programmes) YOU WROTE YOUR EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY AS TREKKING...... Yes sir, trekking & jungle excursion are some of my hobbies. WHERE DID YOU TREK? Sir, around my native place. It lies in the fringe area of Dandakaranya forest region. I used to trek on small hills. While working in Pune, I used to go to the hills of Western Ghats around Pune. During monsoon season, it is very pleasant and nice to trek there sir. THERE IS A PROGRAMME MEANT FOR DANDAKARANYA REGION. WHAT IS IT? I am not sure sir. I am aware of the Backward Regions Grant Fund scheme meant for the backward & naxal affected Districts. NO, NO. ITS NOT THIS. Sir, is it Salva Judum ? NO, NO. (CHAIRMAN JOINED): IT WAS DURING 60S. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT ? No sir. I am not aware of it. 4th Member took over:( Who asked me on Pilani. Engg. ) BITS, PILANI GIVES LOT OF SCOPE TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS. WAS IT SO IN YOUR CASE ALSO? Yes Sir to a large extent. But, in my case, my schooling at JNV helped me greatly at the initial level. IN WHAT WAYS BITS GIVES OPPORTUNITIES? Sir, we have many activities that are conducted by students. There are many clubs, departments, associations. Even there are student elections to choose office bearers. WHAT ABOUT THE "LANGUAGE LAB" IN BITS CAMPUS ? Sir, I feel it is meant for higher end literary activities. To a large extent, student activities help us in improving social skills. DO YOU THINK AP PEOPLE ARE NOT SO GOOD AT COMMUNICATING IN ENGLISH ? Yes sir, unfortunately, many people are not good at it. ( blunder ???? prejudice or slip of tongue ??? ) WHAT WILL YOU DO AS AN OFFICER TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS ? Sir, I want to answer this question from my personal experience. I studied in Telugu medium upto 8th class and then shifted to English medium. Sir, I feel language depends on the sub-conscious mind. If one is good at Telugu.... I mean one's mother tongue, interms of being expressive, creative, spontaneous and confident, he can be good at any other language. For example sir, vendors selling in Goa beach speak 4-5 languages. May be struggle for existence makes one learn what is necessary. ( I was in full josh & momentum.....but, abruptly, he said ) OK STOP. (INDICATED HIS HAND TO THE CHAIRMAN)

Chairman: OK. YOU CAN LEAVE.
Thank you sir. ( I got up from the chair, stepped aside. But didn't push the chair forward) (slightly bowing my head): thank you madam. Thank you sirs. (then moved out ).

*****

Thanks Vinay!! Good Luck!!

winaykumark at gmail dot com