The Personal Interview & the PIQ
A conversation about your real life
The personal interview is a 30–60 minute one-on-one with the Interviewing Officer (IO). It is a conversation about your actual life, built largely from the PIQ — the Personal Information Questionnaire you fill in on arrival. The IO is one of three independent assessors, and their job is to understand who you really are, not to catch you out.
The PIQ drives everything
The PIQ captures your studies, family, hobbies, activities, jobs, and achievements. The IO reads it before you walk in and builds most questions from it. Every line you write is a question waiting to be asked.
So fill it in deliberately and honestly. Don't claim a hobby you can't talk about for two minutes. Don't inflate an achievement you can't explain.
The IO cross-checks your answers against the PIQ, the psychologist's findings, and your own earlier answers. One inconsistency is immediately visible. Honesty isn't a virtue here — it's the only workable strategy.
The shape of the interview
- Rapport — easy questions to relax you (your journey, your day).
- Rapid-fire PIQ — a fast volley about studies, family, hobbies; tests clarity and composure under pace.
- Deep probing — 'Why?', 'What did you do?', 'What did you learn?'
- Situational & opinion — current affairs, ethical dilemmas, 'what would you do if…'
- Close — 'Anything you'd like to ask?' / 'Anything to add?'
The five principles of a good answer
- Be honest — always, even when the truthful answer is less flattering.
- Be specific — a real example beats a general claim every time.
- Be concise — answer the question asked, then stop.
- Be reflective — show what you learned, not just what happened.
- Be calm — it's fine to think for a moment before you speak.
When you don't know something, say so plainly and reason aloud. 'I'm not sure, but my guess would be…' beats bluffing — the IO is testing honesty and thinking, not trivia.
Build your PIQ question map
Take every line of your PIQ and write the questions an IO could ask from it. 'Captain of the cricket team' invites: How was the team selected? A tough decision you made? A defeat you handled? Prepare honest, specific answers for each branch — especially your weak spots.
Strong vs. weak — side by side
"As class representative I noticed attendance dropping in evening labs. I spoke to a few classmates, found the timing clashed with the last bus, and proposed an earlier slot to the faculty. Attendance recovered. I learned to look for the real cause before pushing a solution."
"I am a born leader and everyone always follows me because I am very confident." (no example, no reflection, sounds rehearsed)
Common mistakes to avoid
- ✗Memorising 'model answers' — they sound hollow and break under follow-up.
- ✗Padding the PIQ with hobbies and achievements you can't discuss.
- ✗Long, winding answers that never land.
- ✗Bluffing on current affairs instead of admitting a gap.
- ✗Treating it as an interrogation and getting defensive.
Now practise it — free
Reading is step one. Create a free WishWas account to practise The Personal Interview & the PIQ in a realistic simulator, get question banks and model answers, and study in your own language — all free.