- Location: MAPS, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu
- Type: Purely Technical Interview
- Panel: Friendly, supportive, and concept-focused
- Hospitality: Excellent – well-organized, cooperative staff, and comfortable environment
🎯 Interview Overview
The interview was completely technical with no HR questions. The panel started by asking me to list my favorite subjects, to which I responded:
- Strength of Materials (SOM)
- Heat Transfer (HT)
- Thermodynamics
- Fluid Mechanics (FM)
- Engineering Mechanics (EM)
Based on these, the questions were as follows:
🧱 Strength of Materials (SOM):
- Stress-Strain Curve at High and Low Temperatures
- Discussed how material behavior changes with temperature variation.
- What is a Column?
- Defined columns and their significance in structures.
- Real-Life Example of a Beam
- Provided daily engineering examples (e.g., bridges, balconies).
- Shear Force Diagram (SFD)
- Solved and explained an overhanging beam problem on the board.
- Torsional Rigidity vs. Flexural Rigidity
- Explained both with their definitions and practical significance.
🌊 Fluid Mechanics (FM):
- Pumping Pressure Requirement Problem:
- Scenario: A 20 m tall building with a 5 bar overhead tank.
- Asked: “What pressure is required to pump water to the tank?”
- Involved understanding of pressure head, Bernoulli’s principle, and pump efficiency.
- Scenario: A 20 m tall building with a 5 bar overhead tank.
🔥 Power Plant Engineering & Thermodynamics:
- Real-Life Example of Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger
- Gave examples from automobiles and industries.
- Efficiency of a Thermal Power Plant
- Stated typical range and discussed why it’s not 100%.
- Where Does Maximum Heat Loss Occur?
- Identified condenser as the major point of energy loss.
- Components of the Steam Cycle
- Listed and explained parts like boiler, turbine, condenser, and pump.
- Rankine Cycle Diagram
- Drew and explained the complete cycle with key parameters.
🌟 Experience & Final Thoughts:
- The panel was encouraging and provided hints wherever I got stuck, which helped me arrive at the correct answers.
- Overall, it was a positive and enriching experience, both technically and personally.
- The hospitality at MAPS was excellent — everything was smooth and professional.
🙏 Special Mention – Margdarshan:
“The free previous year question papers of BARC provided by Margdarshan were extremely helpful.
They helped me think beyond the textbook and focus on application-level understanding, which made a big difference in my preparation.”