Admission Process
A typical MBA selection process entails multiple-stages. The 1st stage is the written test in which an aspirant’s competence in Verbal Ability& Reading comprehension,Quantitative Aptitude, and Data Interpretation areas is tested. In addition, certain b-schools also include general awareness as a part of the written test. The written test is primarily used as an elimination process to filter the truly serious aspirants with the necessary credentials from the rest. While some b-schools require the aspirant to demonstrate adequate competence in each of the sections, others relax the sectional performance criteria and focus only on the overall performance. The criteria for shortlisting varies from one b-school to another, is often complex and factors in one’s past academic performance (starting from the 10th standard), work experience, subject to attaining a mandatory score in the written test. The weightage given to each of these parameters varies from one institute to another.
Once the results of the shortlist are declared, the next state involves one or more of a group discussion, case-study, group task, and a personal interview. Based on one’s performance in this stage, a cumulative score is arrived at taking into account the performance in the written test, past academic record and performance in 2nd stage. Format of the Qualifying exam The qualifying exam or the written test of almost all major entrance examinations, such as the CAT, XAT, FMS, IIFT, SNAP,measures the aspirant’s competency in primarily three areas- 1.Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, 2.Quantitative Aptitude, and 3.Logical Ability and Data Interpretation. There are certain exams,however, such as the SNAP, IIFT, and IRMA, which also include a separate section on General Awareness/knowledge. A brief insight into each section is provided below.
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension:Given that lingua franca of the corporate world is English, it is of paramount importance for those aspiring to be a part of the corporate world to be well versed in basic communication skills-verbal and written. In addition, the Bschool curriculum is rigorous and often, a student is required to read multiple case studies which are voluminous and prepare for the next day’s class by making a presentation/ report. Hence, a candidate is expected to demonstrate his/her competence in the English section, comprising two sub-sections- verbal ability and reading comprehension.
Verbal Ability is essentially the ability to understand and apply the rules of grammar,knowledge of a reasonable vocabulary of commonly occurring words, ability to logically arrange sentences in a meaningful manner, and so on. Reading comprehension is a test of one’s ability to read a given passage and comprehend the implicit meaning/theme/argument/perspective of the author. The proportion of questions from verbal ability and reading comprehension varies from one exam to another as also from one year to the next.
As with any language, improving one’s English skills is a gradual process and takes longer duration compared to improving one’s skill in other areas, say, mathematics. Therefore, aspirants who are habitual readers, especially those with good reading habits from their school days, have a definite edge over those who are not, in the verbal section. It is through months of constant reading that one can read and comprehend articles from diverse areas, faster.It is therefore essential that students inculcate the habit of reading books from an early age.
Quantitative Aptitude A common misnomer among aspirants is that engineers have an inherent advantage over those from arts background in this section, which far from true. A student’s performance in this section is solely dependent on his passion for the subject, desire to excel, and enjoy solving problems. It is certainly possible for a student without a strong mathematics background to start preparation and perform well with dedicated practice and seeking help from experts in the field. In this section, a student’s ability to apply fundamental concepts of mathematics learnt in high school is tested.
The key to excelling in this section is to practice as many problems as possible, from various areas and difficulty levels. Logical Ability and Data Interpretation This is a section where one’s ability to reason and arrive at a conclusion based on the given information is tested. This section typically involves caselets which comprise data sets in the form of tables, pie-charts, bar-charts, etc, followed by questions relating to the information presented. Constant practice in the form of mock tests is the best way of preparing for this section.
Role of Work Experience
In most top b-schools, there is a weightage allotted to work experience while shortlisting for the interview stage as well as compiling the final list of selected candidates. Based on the trends so far, the so-called ‘advantage’ is not as significant as it is made out to be. In fact, the incremental score with each additional year of work experience plateaus after certain years of work experience.The real advantage to the experienced students is in terms of the maturity and ability to relate and appreciate the concepts taught in the classroom to their own experiences and learn
in the process.While not all MBA programs require mandatory work experience, there are exclusive MBA programs for people with experience. Typically, those with at least 5 years of experience prefer an executive MBA, which is slightly different when compared to the regular MBA, which has a diverse student composition.
Issues to ponder
Clarity of purpose: One needs to have a clarity on the purpose for which he/she wants to pursue an MBA. This clarity comes from setting long term goals and understanding how an MBA can help one achieve those goals.Length and program structure: It is important to choose the length of the program based on the work experience one possesses and the objective of pursuing MBA. A mid-level manager,with work- experience of five years, who sees MBA as an embellishment to his resume might prefer a one-year executive program while an aspirant with work experience in the range 0-3 years might prefer the regular two-year MBA program.
Placements: This is perhaps the most important parameter considered by students when evaluating their choice of b-school. However, one must remain cautious and not get excited by glancing at the placements reports.Unfortunately, most b-schools, including some of the most prestigious institutes in the country present misleading figures in their annual placement report. None of the top b-school is transparent when it comes to disclosing the process of calculating and arriving at the average or median salaries. Often, the computation of the average salary includes converting foreign currency into domestic currency, including 100% of variable pay, etc. The figures are inflated in this manner in order to ensure their standing among the other bschools and thus rarely reveal the true picture. All said and done, an MBA from a top b-school is an experience of a lifetime and one to cherish.
In fact, a fair proportion of people also find their life partners from campus! Keeping in mind what an MBA is and what it is not, the aspirants are advised to focus on building their careers and not get paranoid about their placements.Wishing you all the very best!