IIM Group Discussion Round: Do IIMs Still Hold a GD?

The IIM group discussion round no longer appears in the admission policies we hold: none of the IIM admission policies in this site's records lists a GD. Most IIMs shortlist on CAT and profile and then hold a personal interview, and several also name a written test (WAT or AWT). Several other institutes, such as IIFT, XIMB and TAPMI, still use a GD and PI.

Formats are cycle-specific. The rows below come from each college's own admission page for the cycle shown, and a call letter can change them, so confirm yours before you build a plan around a format.

Is the IIM group discussion round gone? Why there is no permanent answer

A format is set for one cycle in a policy or brochure, and it can change the next year. It can also differ by programme at the same college, and the wording is sometimes open. XLRI's 2027 prospectus lists 'performance in the personal interview and/or group discussion' among the final-list inputs, and says applicants to several programmes may be called to multiple interviews and group discussions. The BM and HRM interviews run between mid-February and March 2027, so the safe reading is that a GD may or may not be held for your programme. The call letter states the format.

What are the round formats by college?

Read across the table. The IIMs in it use a written test plus an interview, while the institutes that add a GD or a group exercise are mostly outside the IIM system. Programme-level differences also exist, so a row for one programme does not cover another at the same college.

WAT-PI versus GD-PI: what does each test?

At SIBM Bengaluru the 2027-29 final merit list gives SNAP 50 (scaled from a score out of 60), the group exercise 10 and the personal interaction 40, out of 100. SIBM Pune's page in our records names the same GE-PI stage but lists no weights.

How should you prepare when the call letter has not arrived?

1. Prepare both formats. Practise a WAT structure and a GD structure in the same week.
2. Build a topic bank of ten issues with one fact, two sides and one example each.
3. Prepare your profile answers, which every format ends with.
4. Track updates in one place. The MBA deadline tracker lists dates for shortlists and applications.
5. When the letter arrives, drop what it does not mention and add what it does.

The timeline is short. CAT results are expected in the first week of January 2027. IIM Ahmedabad's tentative shortlist for the written test and interview is January 2027, and XLRI's BM and HRM interviews run between mid-February and March 2027.

GD topics: how do you find current ones, and what do you do with them?

Topic lists from old cycles go stale. Past GD topics fall into three kinds: current affairs and business, case-based, and abstract. Prepare themes instead of titles: the economy, technology and work, business ethics, and society and policy.

For each theme, keep one recent fact, two sides of the debate and one example. Read a business newspaper for the last three months before the discussion, and update the bank weekly.

Which GD skills transfer to the PI?

• Structure: frame the answer in two or three parts before you speak.
• Listening: refer to the earlier point before adding yours.
• Evidence: use one number or example per point.
• Brevity: a 30-second contribution is easier to follow than a three-minute one.
• Composure: finish your sentence calmly if you are interrupted.

What does our GD-PI note cover?

The GD and PI preparation note gives a four-phase GD structure (entry, build, bridge, summarise), a 30-second opening drill, a PI map with a 90-second resume walk-through, work-experience stories and 20 questions with approaches. It states no weights, because formats and weights change by institute and year.

How can you track formats by college?

Keep one row per college, with the source and the date you checked it.

Use the IIM call predictor to see where your CAT score lands before you decide which formats to prioritise.