The MBA course in India fascinates many aspirants, so the number of Institutes offering Masters degree and Postgraduate diploma in business administration and related areas has also swelled. The admission procedures of these institutes also differ. This article is aimed at appraising the potential candidates about the relevant issues related to getting into the right course and right school. Let us systematically look at the various steps in this decision making process.
Clearly focus on the desired goals
PGDM or MBA: accordingly choose the school(s).
Any specialization: Subjects include: marketing, finance, human resources, rural management, retail management, operations and logistics, systems, intellectual property, international trade and business and many others. Carefully examine the Institution profiles for appropriate programs, information is easily available.
Check the Eligibility
Though a few Institutions look for higher percentages in the qualifying examination and a consistently good background, the minimum requirements for almost all institutes are, either:
A Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in any discipline (those appearing final examination are eligible), with at least 50% aggregate marks (45% for reserved categories).
applicants with a post-graduate qualification having at least 50% marks (45% for reserved categories) in either their Bachelor’s or post-graduate degrees.
Select the mode
MBA in India is normally offered in the following four modes:
Full-time
Part-time
Distance Learning
Choose as per your convenience, desired outcomes and that suit your pocket.
Short list the Institutions
Courses in various modes are offered by premier Institutions like the IIMs, Management schools of IITs, S.P. Jain Mumbai, MDI, Gurgaon, NITIE Bombay, XLRI Jamshedpur, XIM Bhubaneswar, BIM Trichy, LIBA Chennai, XIME Bangalore, Goa Institute of Management, FMS Delhi and by various Universities.
It is important to shortlist the intended schools and students must plan out in advance about which exams they would like to take up seriously. Thus, preparation can be focused and one need not spend unnecessarily in application forms and admission tests.
Know the admission requirements
Admission notification from the top B Schools starts from the second week of March, related information are always available in the respective websites and published through advertisements in all leading newspapers. On receipt of duly filled application forms, hard copy or on-line, Institutions issue admit cards for the entrance test.
The Entrance Test
The main entrance examinations are, Common Admission Test (CAT), Common Entrance Test (CET), Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET), Management Aptitude Test (MAT), Xavier Admission Test (XAT) and AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA). Admission is usually offered based on the cumulative scores of written test, GD / PIs, and work experience in a few cases.
Written Test
The first phase of selection of candidates for admission into Management programs is on the basis of their performance in a written test, which tests the aptitude of the candidates in four major areas – verbal ability, reading comprehension, quantitative ability and business data interpretation.
Some institutes also ask business and general awareness questions while some may include an essay writing section.
Group Discussion & Interview
This phase mainly includes two stages, group discussion and personal interview and assesses personality attributes like, leadership abilities, grasping capability, analytical thought process, communication skills etc.
Final selection is based on marks in the written exam and the GD/PI. Work experience is given additional weightage in most of the institutes.
So decide in a cool mind after going through a SWOT (strength-weakness-opportunity-threat) analysis critically, funds are never a constraint for the determined ones, since banks offer liberal educational loans.