How to get into a top MBA college in India, check tips to secure a seat in your dream B-School!

A very large chunk of undergraduates in India goes for an MBA for their post-graduation. These students come from various backgrounds such as Arts, Commerce, Engineering, Medical, etc to pursue an MBA. Among the numerous MBA colleges in India, IIMs remain the top choice of almost every student and therefore their selection process is rigorous and demands proper planning and preparation.

The selection to the top MBA colleges in India is primarily based on CAT examination, Group discussion, Personal Interview, Writing Ability Test (The criteria may vary depending on the college). But CAT remains the first stage in all of them, the score of which plays an important role in shortlisting students for further rounds.

How to prepare for CAT?

Before starting the preparation for the CAT examination the candidates should be aware of the fact that every year approximately 2 lakh candidates appear for it but the total number of seats in the MBA colleges in India is limited. If you are targeting the top B-Schools the competition becomes even tougher so you need to ensure that your preparation strategy is such that at the end you are among the top 1-5% of the students who appear for the exam. 

Aspiring candidates should realize that admission to a top MBA college in India is not done solely on the basis of CAT percentile. In fact, a lot of other factors come into play when the candidates are shortlisted for further rounds. So the preparation doesn’t end at the CAT exam, it is just the first stage of the process.

Understanding the CAT exam pattern

Generally, CAT is a 3-hour exam but in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was conducted in 2 hours and 3 slots. The sections remained the same as every year: 

1. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
2. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
3. Quantitative Aptitude (QA)

In 2020, unlike the previous years, the candidates were given 40 minutes per section to solve a total of 76 questions.

The number of questions section-wise were:

The questions are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with four options as well as Non-MCQs. Three marks are awarded for each right question and there is a negative marking of -1 for each wrong MCQ while there is no negative marking for Non-MCQs.

What should be your preparation strategy?

There is a common perception that since the CAT exam has 2 sections which are based on analytical ability and mathematics, it is easier to crack for students from Tech and Engineering backgrounds. Though this fact is true, at the same time it is not impossible for students coming from other backgrounds to clear the exam. 

In fact, if these students adhere to a proper strategy to prepare for CAT and give numerous mock tests, they can easily clear it with a pretty good percentile score. Further, the chances of getting a seat at any of the top MBA colleges in India for these students are high because these colleges look for a diverse set of students for their batches. 

Every student should have their own preparation strategy for the CAT exam depending on their weak areas and strong areas, and manage the time accordingly. But whatever the strategy you adopt for preparation just ensure that you solve as many mock papers as possible before the exam as it allows you to assess your preparation and identify the areas you need to work upon more.

Section-wise type of questions asked

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section: In this, the maximum questions are asked based on Reading Comprehension. The rest are asked from Grammar, Verbal Reasoning, and Critical Reasoning. The only way to score well in this section is making reading your everyday habit and through this process learning as many new words as you can. Again how you improve your reading ability completely depends on you. Some students are more comfortable with reading novels and books while others prefer watching Youtube videos or English sitcoms. But developing a regular reading habit is a must. Some things should become a constant part of your day such as going through the newspaper, current affairs, etc. 

Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation section: Generally the toughness of this section is underestimated by most students but this section has remained one of the toughest sections in the CAT exam for years. When the exam was of 3-hour duration, this section had 8 sets with 4 questions each. To score around 95 percentile, the candidates had to do 3-4 sets correctly. For this section, the candidates are advised to first build a base of the topics asked in it and then move on to solving tougher questions. The variety of topics that are covered in this section are bar graphs, linear and circular seating arrangement, logical grouping, order and ranking, etc.

Quantitative Aptitude section: A section of the paper to which most students devote more than the required amount of time and miss out on properly preparing for other sections. The questions in this section are asked from topics such as Number System, Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, etc. The various sub-topics under these are: Divisibility and factors, Factor theory, Highest Common Factor and Lowest Common Multiple, Averages, Percentages, Ratio and Proportion, Simple and Compound Interest, Profit and Loss, Time Speed & Distance, Linear equations, Inequalities, Quadratic Equations, Logarithms, Functions, Trigonometry, Lines and Angles, Sequences and series, Probability, Set theory, etc

What should be your percentile to get calls from top MBA colleges in India?

In order to get calls from the top B-Schools such as IIMs and FMS, you need to score 98 percentile and above. For B-Schools after these such as MDI, IITs you need to score 95 percentile-98 percentile. For other decent B-Schools such as IMT, IMI the candidate needs to score 90 percentile-95 percentile. 

Most of the top B-Schools have sectional cut-offs as well. So apart from getting an overall good score, you also need to perform well in all sections separately.

Self-study or coaching for CAT preparation?

Again the choice to do self-study or join a coaching institute remains with the candidate. If you are more comfortable with joining coaching and preparing the way that particular institute guides you, go ahead with it. If you prefer self-study and want to devise your own preparation strategy that will also work for you if you are confident about it. 

But in the end, it is your will to study and constantly improve that will reap benefits and help you secure a good percentile score in CAT. Ensure that you solve enough previous year papers and mock tests as nothing can replace their importance. Whatever strategy you adopt, have faith in yourself and be confident about your preparation because apart from testing your skills CAT exam also tests your mental strength and you can’t let your nerves get the better of you on the day of the exam.

Parameters for selection to top MBA college in India

The CAT exam score is just one parameter on the basis on which candidates are shortlisted. The other parameters include:

1. Your score in class 10th
2. Your score in class 12th
3. Your score in graduation
4. Your stream in graduation (Engineering/B.Com/B.Sc)
5. Your work-experience
6. Your gender

All the above factors together play a role in your final selection at a top MBA college in India.

How to prepare for interview rounds after the CAT exam?

After the CAT exam, the candidates should focus on preparing for the subsequent rounds which include GD, PI, WAT (depending on the college). Candidates can refer to the following articles to get a better idea of the questions asked in these rounds and how to prepare for them:

1. How to frame answers for frequently asked MBA interview questions?
2. MBA Interview questions from global B-Schools that you need to prepare for
3. Personal interview questions every MBA aspirant should know how to answer
4. Tips to ace your MBA admission interview
5. The subtle art of not giving up in order to convert MBA interviews -By Nitesh Singh from IIFT Kolkata
6. What "a gap year on your CV" means for your MBA dreams -By Simran Somani from IIM Ahmedabad
7. IIM Ahmedabad interview questions, preparation tips and other details -By Hemanth Reddy Varakantham, 99.13 percentile, IIM Ahmedabad - Part II

All the best!