What does the MICA GE-PI process involve after a MICAT shortlist?

MICA's post-MICAT selection process replaces the traditional GD-PI with a Group Exercise and Personal Interview designed to assess creative thinking and communication skills rather than textbook knowledge. The entire cycle runs February through April, with final results typically released by late April or early May.

The Pre-Interview Form

Once you receive your MICAT shortlist, MICA sends a detailed form asking about your personal preferences, hobbies, media consumption habits, and creative interests. This isn't a formality.

Panelists use your responses to frame interview questions, so if you mention a niche podcast or indie film, expect to discuss it in depth. The form also captures your slot preference for the Group Exercise and PI, usually conducted on the same day at the Ahmedabad campus or select metro cities.

Group Exercise Format

The GE places 7-8 candidates in a room and assigns a creative task with minimal instructions. Past exercises have included scripting a 60-second radio jingle for a social cause, designing a print ad for an imaginary product, creating a mock news broadcast, or building a poster campaign.

You get 20-30 minutes to collaborate, with no designated leader. Evaluators sit silently in the room, scoring you on ideation speed, willingness to listen, ability to build on others' ideas, and how you handle disagreement without shutting peers down.

From Reddit, we learnt that the GE rewards originality over consensus. One aspirant shared that their group spent 15 minutes debating structure and only 5 executing, which hurt everyone's scores.

Another mentioned that the quietest member, who contributed the tagline everyone adopted, received the highest marks. The exercise tests whether you can co-create under time pressure, a skill central to agency and brand roles.

Personal Interview

The PI lasts 40-50 minutes and diverges sharply from the IIM Calcutta or FMS format. Expect questions on your favourite ad campaigns, books you've read recently, opinions on controversial brand moves (like Tanishq's pulled ads or Bournvita's label controversy), and how you'd rebrand a failing product. Panels rarely ask "Why MBA?" or probe academic gaps. Instead, they test cultural awareness, empathy, and whether you think like a communicator.

One panel asked a candidate to pitch MICA to a fictional engineer parent skeptical of non-tech careers. Another was handed a print ad mid-interview and asked to critique its typography and messaging in 90 seconds.

If you've mentioned a creative hobby in your form, be ready to demonstrate or discuss it in detail.

Post-Results Formalities

After final results in late April, admitted students fill another form with miscellaneous questions (emergency contacts, dietary preferences, past work samples). MICA keeps this on file for hostel allocation and orientation planning.

The waitlist moves significantly, often clearing 50-70% of listed candidates by June, so a WL-15 or WL-20 is worth holding. You can compare colleges to weigh MICA against other April admits while waiting.