In a developing country such as India, need for B- Schools is highly vital as four out of five (80 percent) companies planned to hire an MBA graduate in 2014, up from 73 percent in 2013 and 50 percent in 2009. When asked about their reasons for hiring business school graduates, employers say that these candidates bring the ability to think outside the box, have the leadership potential needed, and provide a strategic focus, acumen, and proven ability to perform.
Aspirants have to be more alert while making a choice as it plays a significant role. The beginning of their professional learning must be well accrued with upgraded curriculum and latest technology. Following are few criteria that an aspirant should keep in mind while selecting a B-School.
While selecting an institute, a candidate must recount his worth and trainable capacity. It is essential to approach the B-School as per the derived count. Top colleges already get top scorers and who develop themselves. There are mediocre colleges who train raw candidates and make them employable. It is easy to convert a 95 percent guy to 98percent. That is what these top notch B-Schools do. But elevating a 70 percent person to 90 percent is challenging. That's what some of the premier institutions do. Here the percentage refers to the caliber and the not the secured score.
After picking out the B-Schools, it is important for a candidate to ace the interview process at the institute. Keep in mind that getting good percentile only improves chances of getting a call from good B-schools. Secured percentile carries only a fraction of weight-age & there are more steps like GD & interview followed for the selection. Work experience also gives candidates a good chance for selection in premier B-schools.
Candidate selection process at B-Schools is not the same as it used to be. Apart from traditional methods � GD/PI few new levels have been added to the selection gun. Elimination rounds such as Case-lets, Aptitude / Psychometric Test and two rounds of interaction instead of one are such new expansions which an aspirant should not leave unattended.
For Topics related to GD and Case-lets, focus on all important things happening around � The Stable Government, the Modi's Magic, the latest scam, the coming elections, the FDI, the Food Security Bill, India's military achievements, Mangalyaan, Women's plight and empowerment, Supreme Court and judicial activism, Goa mining ban, RPA act controversies, etc. In short, all interesting things that media publishes and talks about. Rest of the topics will be abstract and general, for which no content preparation other than above is needed but yes - a lot of articulation practice is required.
A candidate must practice the aptitude lessons before appearing as it is all about timing and accuracy. Psychometric tests aren't about luck; prior preparation will improve scores and make it easier to focus on what is being sought in the testing process. Psychometric tests focus on certain aspects of knowledge, such as verbal and numerical reasoning, personality traits, and other abilities assessment, such as stamina and spontaneity. Psychometric tests can be written (pen and paper), on a computer, or a combination of both.
Apart from this a good understanding of oneself is very important. The PI panel, consisting of three or more senior faculties, expects candidates to have a good grasp on academics at the graduation level. There might be one more round of interaction with the Director / Dean of the institute to check the final yes or no. Best way to cross this hurdle is to become an interviewer yourself and see what you would want to ask.
Fees are not a constraint for the right candidate, as most institutes provides assistance and they do have a tie-up with leading banks. Life in a B-School is too fast in comparison to other graduate courses. During those 20 -22 months, learning the actual meaning of professionalism is not an easy task. Only way out is to be attentive and participative during that so called last class-room teachings. Also students should not loosen themselves from the preparatory schedule which they used to follow before getting selected. That cooked knowledge of GD/Aptitude and PI will be more rigorously required at the time of both the interviews (Summer Internship selection and Final Placement).
Dr. Urvashi Makkar
She started her career as Director & Founding Faculty Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management & Technology, nurturing the foundation of institute for more than 4 years. She participated in UGC sponsored ToT from March 18-23, 2013 & accorded as Trainer Associate and Local Coordinator for the future programmes sponsored by UGC scheme of Capacity Building of Women Managers in Higher Education where she volunteered in many programmes and events. Dr. Urvashi Makkar has received Confederation of Education Excellence Teacher's Award 2014 in the Category of Higher Education. Presently she is working as Director of Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad.
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