Cracking the code of winning B-School competitions -With Ameer from IIM B, Ayushmn from NMIMS, Sambit from IIM I and Ankit Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Dare2Compete

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B-School competitions are formative moments of a students’ life. Through these, important life lessons are learnt, bonds are forged, and history is made. These competitions not only mould a B-Schoolers professional front but also dictates the course of their personal lives.

With the current crisis, the fresh batch is missing out on peer interaction and the senior batch lost the crucial few post-placement months with the outgoing batch. To fill the gap, D2C Chronicles went live with Ameer Iqubal from IIM Bangalore who has been placed at Amazon and has winning titles in prestigious corporate competitions such as Bajaj Finserv Atom, Mahindra War Room, and 10 others. This led him to being crowned as D2C Most Competitive Leader 2020. Also on call was Ayushmn Sikka from NMIMS Mumbai who has been placed at Bain &Co. He has winning titles in noteworthy corporate competitions such as HUL L.I.M.E XI, Asian Paints CANVAS, to name a few. We were also joined by Sambit Haldar from IIM Indore who has been placed at PwC. He has outdone his peers in corporate competitions like HUL L.I.M.E XI, Bajaj Finserv Atom to name a few. Leading the talk was, Ankit Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Dare2Compete.

All 3 have put in consistent effort to ensure that they shine the brightest in a pool of bright minds. A task this mammoth requires a well thought out strategy. Here are the commandments one must follow to maximise their output for B-School competitions.

Spoilt for choices when it comes to B-School competitions

The conversation began by exploring the myriad of B-School competitions and Corporate competitions that one can choose from through their student journey. In 2019 alone 150 corporate competitions were conducted. With such large numbers, it becomes essential to choose the right competition that aligns with your aspirations.

Which B-School competition is the right one for you?

Ameer from IIM Bangalore, having outperformed in 13 competitions has participated in his fair share. He shares his opinions along with Ayushmn and Sambit. Here is a list of factors they considered while narrowing down on competitions they participated in:

1. Play to your strengths - Choose competitions that are in line with your strengths. It could be strategy, operations, supply chain etc.


2. The corporate organiser - These competitions can also lead to PPIs or PPOs. One way to shortlist a competition could be if you see yourself growing and working in that organisation.


3. Domain plays a huge role - A good way to further your cause and select a befitting competition is to see its functional domain.


4. Schedule - Your regular time table plays a key role. While registering for a competition ensure that you and your team will be able to dedicate the time needed to give it a fair shot.


5. Scale of the competition - Basis the grandeur and scale of the competition you can make the decision. A large scale competition like HUL LIME means that winning it will require extra effort and the victory will mean that much more.


6. Rewards - All three concurred on the fact that the prize money does matter.

To summarise, if you are eyeing a competition you should primarily be looking at three key factors, growth opportunities, PPIs and PPOs and the prize money.

Another viewpoint that was explored was from the perspective of someone who is looking at making a career in Consulting. Participate and excel in B-School competitions in varied domains to showcase your dexterity to your future employer.

How to choose the dream team?

Most Corporate competitions and B-School competitions are a team endeavour. And the right team can make or break your chances of winning the competition. Here is what Ameer, Ayushmn and Sambit had to say on selecting the right team:

1. Individual member expertise - Every member on the team should bring a specific skill to the table. Depending on the ask of the competition, the set of desired skills could range from finance to marketing to as basic as ppt skills. Have at least one member on the team with great communication skills. Most competitions end with a Finale where the team has to present. Communication skills come in play and can steer the situation in your favour.


2. Synergy - It is essential for any efficient machinery to have well-oiled parts that complement and supplement each other. For a team even more so, it is necessary that all members understand each other and are empathetic.


3. Motivation - The key to pointed effort is a common motivation to perform to win. All members of the team have to be equally invested in the end goal.


4. Gender diversity - A few competitions prefer a gender diverse team. Refer to the rules and speak to the previous years' participants on your campus to gain insight.


5. Experience - Having members with past experience of competing will be an added bonus. They will come with learnings and insights that can prove beneficial.


6. Work experience - Having team members with work experience in the given domain helps in gaining an understanding of the problem and in turn, helps in building on the solution. Although not a deal-breaker, it can certainly make things easier.

In the current scenario peer to peer interaction will be missing. Ameer and Ayushmn say that this should not deter you. Locking down on the perfect team is a hit and trial journey. Actively networking and interacting with batch mates for project reports can serve as a good starting point.

What format of competition is conducive to your overall growth?

Competitions can have different formats and some even combine multiple formats. You can choose from case study competitions, situation games, business plan competition, quizzes and many more. For instance, Reliance conducts Reliance TUP which is a B-Plan competition, Aditya Birla Group’s Stratos is a combination of a Simulation Game and a case study, while Optum Stratethon is a pure-play case study competition.

Bonus tip - Understand the expectation of the company. Consult campus winners from the previous year to get deeper insight into the need of the hour.

A case study format, one of the most common and beloved formats of competition exposes you to the nuances of the particular domain. However, ensure that you maintain a healthy mix of various formats so that you are well equipped to handle a multitude of situations.

What does it take to win a B-School competition?

While registering for a corporate competition or a B-School competition it is key to understand what is being asked of you. Ameer, Ayushmn and Sambit shed light on how they approached the research phase of their solution building.

Talking about case study competitions, Ameer breaks down the various steps that he and his team followed to crack multiple competitions.

1. Primary research - Speak to consumers, industry experts to identify the pain points.


2. Secondary research


3. Competitive Analysis


4. Devising a solution


5. Adoption of the proposed solution - Consider financial viability, technical implementation and feasibility

Bonus tip - Ameer recommends using the 4Ps and the 2 by 2 matrix to guide your solution framing. The use of core frameworks in B-School competitions stresses on the fact that these competitions are an excellent way to test your understanding of what is being taught in classes.

Elaborating on the research phase Ayushmn, says that during the primary research phase, the number of responses doesn’t matter as much as the quality of genuineness does. Ensure that the questions posed during this phase are targeted to give you deep insights. He also goes onto say that a unilateral survey tends to be biased as opposed to a free flow conversation that gets more candid and will reveal insights that might not come out in say a simple google form.

Bonus tip - While framing your solutions ensure that the recommendations are in line with the current portfolio and realm of possibilities for the organisation. Your solution should seamlessly fit into the current supply chain.

Surviving the Question & Answer round with the Jury

Ayushmn began exploring the various strategies his teams had in place to tackle the most crucial part of any B-School competition. He said that it helps to predict any and every question that can be posed by the jury and to prepare for them beforehand. It helps to give time to this aspect as much as the research and the solution building. Ayushmn has tried and tested a strategy that worked for his team. He says that it helps to leave a trail of bread crumbs for the jury in your presentation itself. These loopholes will help you guide the Q & A round in your favour.

Ameer, speaking on this aspect said that it is important to tie your answers back to the solution you have built and presented. The jury may try to test you by posing a question that you already addressed in your presentation. It is important for the team to have in-depth knowledge of all the points that were mentioned in your presentation.

Ayushmn has in the past used the strategy of building a prototype to help their cause in B-School competitions. He says that a prototype or any supporting material like flyers etc are in addition to a robust solution that you will present. A well thought out and executed prototype is not necessarily a winning mantra but it does help in showcasing the solution better. Ameer and Ayushmn agreed to the fact that the actual content of the proposed solution is the star of the show but add-ons like a prototype help to grab the attention of the jury.

How to use setbacks to propel further in the world of B-School competitions?

Ameer is of the opinion that the more you participate the more you will learn on where you are lagging. Multiple or repeated failures should not deter you but give you the fuel to feed the fire in your belly to keep up your efforts.

B-School competitions expose you to ideas and solutions to the same problem, from the sharpest minds of top B-Schools. This acts as a mirror which highlights where you fell short. Seeing what the other team thought of you and you didn’t, is a lesson that you possibly cannot learn in any other setting.

Time management is key to get the most of your 2 years of MBA

Ameer admits that it is indeed difficult to manage all the moving parts of your student life while participating in competitions. He also reflects on the current scenario and postulates that activities that require in-person interaction, like live projects, exchange programs etc., will see a slump and will free up a lot of the fresh batchs' time. He also stresses that this will lead to missed opportunities that can be made up for by participating in B-School competitions.

He also says that choosing subjects skilfully can help you free up time for competitions and can also aid in winning them.

Ayushmn gets candid here and shares that it is the motivation of the team that helps you in going on with the fervour it takes to ace both curricula and B-School competitions.

Resources that can help you ace B-School competitions

• Euromonitor


• Statista


• IBEF


• WARC research papers


• Reports issued by consultancies

Ameer and Ayushmn both vehemently agreed that it is important to keep abreast with reports being issued like the marketing analysis of the FMCG sector. This will help you stay on top of the game and when you are actually tackling a case study you will have a clear direction.

Ameer and Ayushmn both closed the discussion with a common word of advice, “Keep the fire in the belly alive”. They say that milestones in competitions serve as a huge motivation. And fails an excellent learning opportunity.

And, remember to ignite the spirit of competitiveness!

• Winner stories for competitions like, HUL LIME, Reliance TUP, AB InBev The BUD Challenge, Flipkart Wired and others


• Competitions that you can participate in