MBA FAQs

January 1, 2008

What really is Management education all about?

• It is a Two year full time or a Three year part time course
• Gives exposure to subjects of Finance, Marketing, Operations, HR and Systems.
• Allows Specialization in one or more of these functional subjects.
• Helps develop good logical, analytical & presentation skills.
• You get to look at problems/situations from different angles with a view to arrive at an effective solution for the same.
• The course teaches one to work in a team, manage time and helps develop a good business perspective.
• On an average, you get to study 40 – 45 subjects in the course.
• Involves written exams, presentations, short projects, case studies, assignments, summer projects, winter projects and any other projects you can get… can do it all in an MBA.

Why achieve an MBA?

• MBA is a Post graduation degree valued by the Industry.
• People from diversified educational backgrounds join an MBA course.
• Involves high pressure and time-packed schedule. Really tests one’s time management skills.
• One learns through fun class room sessions, case studies, paper presentations, festivals, seminars etc.
• The focus is on Knowledge-Sharing across functions.
• Trains in Team work skills as you learn to work with different people on different assignments and projects
• Teaches you to balance curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
• Intra & Inter collegiate Case studies & paper presentation contests are common
• College Festivals, seminars, guest lectures take place frequently.
• You get industry experience through Summer Projects, winter projects, Industrial projects and any other projects you can get.
• You can participate in Project presentations and “Best Project” contests.
• Get to attend quality Management Seminars within and outside the institute.
• Orients you with Knowledge of Management functions.
• Entails better career prospects in terms of job opportunities, career growth, salaries.
• Teaches you how to manage yourself, your time, people, situations, success and failure. Specialization and other things are just a part of it.

Who can do an MBA course?

• Any graduate with a minimum 50% marks in the final year under the 10+2+3(like BA, B.COM, BCA etc.) or 10+2+4 (like BE, B.Tech etc.) system is eligible for a Management Education. Even post graduates can do an MBA.
• However, non-graduates, who have done a diploma and not a degree course, are not eligible.
• Fresh Graduates as well as Graduates with work experience can do a full time Management course.
• For part time Management , eligibility criteria is minimum 50% marks in the final year plus at least two – three years work experience after graduation.
• There is no age limit for doing a Management course both full time & part time.

I am an engineer? So why MBA?

• As an Engineer, you develop Good analytical skills, Good quantitative skills, Good decision making, the art of attacking a problem head-on and reaching its solution & Instant thinking
• But the industry these days requires you to have skills (in addition to the above mentioned namely Effective Communication, Creativity, Leadership qualities, The right Personality, The ability to work in a Team, Knowledge of all functional areas in Management, One specialization in Management
• An MBA bridges this gap most effectively.

What is the procedure for MBA Application?

A. Application to the MBA institutes
B. Appearing for various Written Tests
C. Calls for II Round – Group Discussion and Personal Interview
D. Admission to a particular MBA institute.

Best MBA Institutes and Criterion?

• All IIMs – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode
• FMS Delhi, SCMHRD Pune, SP Jain Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, NITIE Mumbai, IMT Ghaziabad, SIBM Pune, JBIMS Mumbai, NMIMS Mumbai
• The criterion should be dual
- Placements in terms of ‘Quality of Companies’ visiting Campus
- Strength of Course in terms of practical applicability to business

Why Business Schools want Work Experience?

Having good work experience gives you an edge over the competition. If you have good work experience, flaunt it. And if your work experience is about average, don’t lose heart, you can make an average work experience sound better if projected the right way.

Should my graduation background affect the choice of B-school?

To some extent, yes. For ex. Arts graduates may like to go for colleges having an HRD orientation (like TISS, XLRI, and Symbiosis etc.). Law graduates may prefer PM & IR course at XLRI. Engineers have been seen opting for a broad range of choices & colleges.

How to get the form of CAT?

Ans. The CAT forms are generally available in the month of July till September every year from the selected branches of SBI or UTI. For more details please visit the website of IIMs or check it out for the same in the leading news paper during the month of July.

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Can final year graduation students apply?

Ans. Yes, Candidates appearing for the final year degree examination in the year 2007 can also apply subject to furnishing the proof of graduation by October 1, 2007. Such candidates if selected, will have to submit a provisional certificate from their Institute/University stating that they fulfill the qualifying criteria of 50% marks latest by
30th June, 2007.

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What does the CAT judge?

The CAT is not a test of intelligence, it only indicates whether you have the necessary aptitude to do well in the course you wish to study. This test also identifies your general scholastic ability.

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When do we get our CAT Scores?

For years the CAT scores were kept secret and were available only to the management institutes affiliated in the form of percentiles. From 2002 however the CAT gives the students a scorecard allowing them to understand their section-wise and overall performance. The scorecards are sent to students in the month of February.

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How is the CAT’s Scorecard?

The CAT scorecard does not give any absolute or actual scores. The CAT being an aptitude test grades students on the relative scale. The scores are presented in two formats Percentage score (%score) and Percentile for each section and the overall test. A sample representation of the scores is given below.

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What does Percentage (%)score mean?

The % score represents normalized percentage of scores secured by the candidate. It is a relative method of representing the score. This is not the actual % score.

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What is meant by Percentile?

Percentile indicates student’s relative performance position among the total students who took the CAT. For example 98 percentile means that the student is among the top 2 percent of the population who took the CAT. For ex.

Logic & DI Quantitative Verbal Total
% Score Percentile % Score Percentile % Score Percentile % Score Percentile
75.15 99.32 60.02 99.13 64.25 96.35 66.47 99.95

What is the eligibility criteria to apply for MBA?

• The eligibility criterion is that you must be in your final year of graduation or completed your graduation with a minimum of 50 % marks in your graduation & XII.
• Institutes ask you to produce a provisional certificate indicating you have appeared for all your final year exams subjects for obtaining the bachelors degree
• There is also a deadline for submitting the final mark sheet and certificate of graduation

How is the MBA Entrance Experience?

• Pre-Written Test: You would be spending most time preparing for the various sectional areas in the written tests & applying to the various business schools
• Written Test: A tough examination setup where you have to show your speed, accuracy and sectional coverage
• Post-Written Test: You would be preparing for the Group Discussion Topics and Interview Questions. And waiting to get the GD-PI call from the Top B-Schools
• GD/PI: You meet many others like you who have cleared the written test. In the GD, you discuss topics along with over a round table. In the interview, you present your personality. At the end of the day, you are hopeful of converting your call into an admission to the institute
• Post-GD/PI: You await the final results of the business school and if you are successful, you are required to go through the admission formalities like presentation of certificates, payment of fees etc.

If I am an average student, will I be able to clear these tests?

The whole point is: How do you define “average?” The examination systems in Indian schools and colleges hardly check the students’ aptitude and logical or commonsense skills, the two most desired things in an MBA aspirant. You may be having a very strong potential as far as MBA is concerned which has been sadly left untouched so far.

What is IIM’s CAT (Common Admission Test) all about?

CAT – The Common Admission Test to the six IIMs is also the entrance test for few other top B-Schools such as SP Jain, MICA, and T A Pai. CAT tests your skills in five broad areas viz.

1. Verbal ability and reasoning
2. Reading Comprehension
3. Quantitative skills
4. Data Interpretation
5. Analytical and Logical reasoning.

Besides the IIMs, what other B-schools are considered as the best in the country?

IIMs are without a shadow of doubt India’s premier institutes. There are other institutes such as SP Jain, MDI, JBIMS, IMT Ghaziabad and TAPMI that are also considered among the country’s top few B-schools. Check out the ranking section for other relevant details.

What is the Written Test?

• The entrance tests are of multiple-choice type, where each question is followed by four or five options and the candidate has to choose the best option. All this under severe time stress.
• The test is normally 2 hours and most have negative marking for wrong answers
• The sections broadly are Quantitative Ability (QA), Data Interpretation (DI), Verbal Ability (VA), Reading Comprehension (RC), General Awareness (GA), and Logical Reasoning (LR)
• Since the MBA program is open to graduates of any discipline, to eliminate any bias arising out of a candidate’s academic background, the difficulty level of the entrance tests is pegged at Class X to Class XI standard.
• The various written tests are CAT, XAT, JMET, CET Maharashtra, FMS, IIFT, NITIE, SCMHRD, NMIMS, and IMT

What is more important, speed or accuracy?

Both are important. Try and aim for a strike of around 85-90%. Though speed and accuracy are different ideas, vis-à-vis CAT, they are mutually enhancing skills. One without the other is a good way to mess up a potentially good performance. Speed deals with the progress you make in reading, understanding, and answering a particular question or section. For example, in a typical Reading Comprehension section, you could finish reading an entire passage in half a minute flat. Or you could finish reading a math problem in half a second. Yahoo! You have cut down drastically on the time taken, but wait a minute.

What is a Group Discussion?

• Students who qualify in the entrance test are invited for a Group Discussion to be followed by a Personal Interview.
• In a Group Discussion a group of 8 to 20 candidates assemble and discuss on the topic/case given to them by the faculty. Usually, Group Discussions last for about 15 to 25 minutes.
• Some institutes like IIMA give Case studies instead of specific topics

What is a Personal Interview?

• Apart from the validation of the information provided by you in the application form, your suitability & personality for the MBA programme is assessed.
• It involves in-depth questioning techniques to get the best out of you.
• This sometimes takes the form of a group interview wherein 3 to 6 candidates are interviewed simultaneously. The interview panel usually consists of a psychoanalyst who keeps monitoring your body language.
• Weightage is given to your past academic performance as it is a reasonable indicator of your likely performance in the MBA program.
• Appropriate Weightage is given to candidates with at least 6 months of full-time work experience.

What is the criterion for final selection?

• Most of the Business Schools admit students on the basis of interest, aptitude and capacity for management study.
• Selection is made through a multi-mode, multi-criteria procedure.
• Admissions are made based on the candidate’s
- Academic performance
- Performance in Entrance Test
- Performance in Group Discussion
- Performance in Personal Interview and
- Work Experience

I have done my diploma. Can I apply for an MBA?

MBA, being a master’s degree, requires the aspirant to be a graduate. That means, you must have a Bachelor’s Degree from any university incorporated by an act of the Central or State government of India, any other educational institution established by an act of Parliament or any institution deemed as such under section 3 of the UGC Act 1956. This also includes any equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. Your Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent qualification must have covered a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling, that is a total of 10+2+3 years.

How much are Fees & Expenses?
• The total Tuition fees vary from 2 – 4 lakhs in most institutes for the general category
• While calculating the total MBA Expense include the following heads:
- MBA Coaching Classes Cost
- Application Form Fees, GD-PI Travel Expenses
- Course Fees – 4 Semesters/6 Trimesters
- Other Expenses – Travel & Boarding

Can I get my MBA financed?
• There are many Banks that finance MBA Program by offering educational loans
• The loan can be repaid over a few years period as per the applied scheme.
• Some of the banks are:
- Andhra Bank
- Bank of Baroda
- Dena Bank
- State Bank of India
- State Bank of Indore
- State Bank of Travancore
- The South Indian Bank Ltd.
- UCO Bank
- Vijaya Bank

What is the MBA Curriculum?

• The MBA course is of 2 years divided into 4 semesters or 6 trimesters
• The First year is common to all specializations and introduction to management subjects is provided
• The bridge between the 1st year and 2nd year is a summer training where students carry out specific projects.
• The Second Year emphasizes on the subjects of specialization one opts for.

How to select an institute?

The problem of selection is not for the top institutes; the choice becomes more difficult if you finally get a call from two institutes, which have equal standing in the industry. In that case you could choose the college based on the following parameters:

• Placements
• Recognition
• Reputation
• Faculty
• Specialization
• Infrastructure

Check out our B-School Ranking Section for better assistance.

How’s the MBA Experience?

• First Year:
Meeting new people, new environment and a new demanding course

• Post First Year
Doing a project in an organization – Summer Internship

• Second Year
Specializing in your stream by studying in depth specific subjects

• Placements
You will strive to get into the best companies and the best profiles

And what about the Post-MBA Experience?

• MBAs usually start their career with a training programme in an organization in a certain sector
• After this, they get into management positions implementing the basics of the business fundamentals & learning processes
• After 2-3 years, they have high value in the job markets and are actively pursued by many organizations across sectors
• Their career paths to the tops of organization are shorter and thus faster

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