Common Myths About MBA Entrance Exams Every Aspirant Should Ignore
Like every journey in human history, an MBA journey also comes with its own sets of myths and folklore. However, unlike the many fantastic myths in our history, the myths here can cause unnecessary stress or, worse, stop talented people from even trying to go for an MBA.
To make sure that you all don’t fall for these, we have listed out some of the most common MBA myths that are prevalent in the community.
Myth 1: "Only Engineers Can Crack the Quant Section"
This is perhaps the most common myths in our Indian B-school community. Sure, Engineers might have a slight edge when in comes to Quants, because of their longer touch with the subject than aspirants from other streams. Though, in reality, entrance exams like CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, etc. rarely go beyond the Grade 10 mathematics level.
These exams aren’t testing candidates on advanced calculus, they are testing numerical logic. Nonengineers from commerce, arts, and humanities background have time and time again scored 99+ percentiles in these exams by simply focusing on systematic concept revision.
In addition to that, many B-schools provide extra points for ‘Academic diversity’ to encourage more non-engineers to apply.
Myth 2: "Work Experience is Mandatory for Top IIMs"
A common fear among college students is that they would be rejected by top B-schools because of their lack of work experience and their tags as ‘Freshers’.
And though it is true that work ex gives an edge to candidates, it is not mandatory. Freshers bring their own flexible mindset and high energy to the classrooms. In fact, 25-30% of students in top Bschools are freshers. The admission committees at these schools look at your overall profile and see whether you would be a fit for their school or not.
A fresher can be as capable as an experienced individual and it is this holistic profile that the B-schools want.
Myth 3: "You Must Attempt Every Question to Get a High Percentile"
Being familiar with university exams where leaving a question was something most students don’t even think of, it is no wonder many people think that this approach is applicable for B-school entrance exams.
However, one must know this. While in University, an incorrect question is simply zero marks, here, an incorrect question mostly results in negative marking. Accuracy is far more important than the quantity. Most top scorers almost certainly leave 20 to 30 % of the paper untouched.
They focus on high accuracy attempts more. Success here lies in your ability to devise your own strategy and play with your strengths. Knowing what questions to skip in these exams is sometimes more important than knowing which questions to attempt.
Myth 4: "CAT is the Only Exam That Matters"
Aspirants often put all their eggs in one basket, believing that if they don’t clear CAT, their MBA dream is over.
While, it is true that CAT is pass to many top B-schools, it is only one gateway. Exams like, XAT, NMAT, SNAP, etc. lead to equally amazing institutions with potentially better ROI and specializations. A smart candidate diversifies their risks by appearing for multiple exams.
Final word of advice: Focus on the controllables.
Myths and folklore will continue to arise in your MBA journey, your job being a smart candidate is not to get swayed by them. Instead of worrying about your background or your IQ, focus on things that you can control.
- Maintain a proper study plan. Don’t go overboard. Start with something that you can do everyday and change it as you progress with your prep.
- Build your basics first. Many influencers across social media show many fancy tricks for attempting questions. Keep in mind, without basics, those tricks might fail you during the exams. Knowing the process here would be beneficial.
- Analyse your mocks properly. Knowing what you did wrong is better than knowing what you do right during your preparation phase. Learn from those mistakes and keep a track of your improvement. Seeing how far you have come from the day you started your prep will not only boost your confidence, it also builds your personalized strategy for the exam.
