FAQ's
The MBA (Master of Business Administration) is a post-graduate management degree. It is awarded to students which have mastered the study the theory and application of business and management. It is therefore, a passport to a successful corporate career. It brings together students of diverse background in as intense, rigorous academic experience in an intense, rigorous academic experience usually for two years.
However, the trend is fast changing and there are several other programmes where MBA plays the key role by allowing career flexibility, the leadership mindsets, and the acceleration to future growth.
The best time to pursue an MBA is when you are comfortable at pursuing one. There are several programs which are according to the specific needs of different groups of people.
These group of people are: like fresher, working professionals, entrepreneurs etc. In other words, one must choose a program that is according to one's career objective and can go easily with the pace.
In India, the eligibility criteria for pursuing an MBA is a minimum of 3 years of bachelor’s degree with a 50% from a recognized university/institution. B-Schools abroad look for a minimum of 2 years or 3 years of full time work experience and 16 years of education. Apart from these, a person needs to clear the entrance test, group discussion and personal interview in order to make it to a good B-School.
Similar to the timing, there is no age restriction for pursuing an MBA. Any age in which a person wants to pursue one is good.. Still one need to choose a program that is in keeping up with the requirements of the career at that particular age.
The several advantages that a working professional can draw from an MBA, are:
Skill Enhancement, to perform better at the job keeping in mind the changes in the market conditions.
Preparing yourself for a career acceleration, by holding managerial/team lead positions.
Making a career shift/change, example, from being a mechanical engineer to an investment banker or a sales person and etc. as and where your interest and excellence lies to the particular area.
An MBA for a Fresher acts as an enhancer to the graduate degree adding actual marketplace perspective and giving a launch platform to the corporate world. It brings together the economists, the humanitarians, the engineers, the accountants, the medical practitioners etc. under one roof.
It instills in them the business and management skills and makes them ready for the corporate industry. It also adds to the basic skill set and thereby enhancing it. Thus the graduate degree gives you a direction, while an MBA degree is your passport to the corporate world.
If you talk about the 2-year full time program offered by an Indian B-Schools, work experience is not mandatory. However, most of the top B-Schools are having working professionals with 2 to 3 years of experience before applying for an MBA, but, still they need to clear the cutoffs for the MBA entrance exams. Therefore, work experience is an added advantage to your profile but may not really help you to secure the final selections.
It is more or less important for a program to be recognized by the AICTE in India. The recognition ensures that the program offered by the B-School meets all the quality standards that are important for the successful delivery of the programme.
But, still you will observe that the top B-Schools in our country like the IIMs are not approved by the AICTE but by the Ministry of HRD and are accepted in India as well as worldwide. Other programs offered by the University of Mumbai through B-Schools like JBIMS, Sydenham etc. are also the exceptions to this. Yet there are others like NMIMS and Symbiosis that hold a Deemed University status.
No. In India, the concept of collaborating with universities abroad is not across institutions. Therefore, degrees/diplomas offered by foreign universities while pursuing studies with a B-School/Institution located in India is not considered valid. It would be important to check out the credibility of the institution in the market before taking the final leap. The best example here would be Indian School of Business (Hyderabad). The B-School despite international linkages and without any recognition from any authorized body in India stands tall in terms of providing the best inputs and placements to its graduating students for over many years.
No. It is believed that you are the best person to evaluate the schools and arrive at a decision. You must therefore use the parameters explained in the previous questions (What are the key factors to be kept in mind while choosing a B-School ?) rather than relying on the just B-School rankings. This is primarily because it is not really reliable how authentically these rankings have been arrived at. At the same time, different surveys offer different rankings and it becomes all the more confusing to arrive at a choice.
Both MBA/MMS/PGDM and PGDBM/PGDBA are postgraduate programs offered in management studies and are used to connote the same thing. An MBA/MMS is usually a degree program that is offered by a university, ata the same time PGDM/PGDBM/PGDBA is a postgraduate diploma offered by autonomous B-Schools/Institutes. The denomination hardly makes any difference in the program as long as the program is recognized by a competent authority like University under the Central/State Legislature, Deemed University, Institutes approved by the Ministry of HRD and the AICTE.
Most B-Schools offer specializations the fields of Marketing, Finance, Human Resources Management, System, Operations. However there are certain other sectors as well like retail, pharma, insurance, etc. these have given an impetus to industry specific specializations like Retail Management, Pharma Management, Risk and Insurance Management, MBA Biotech etc.
Let us briefly take a look at what each one stands for:
The denomination hardly makes any difference as long as the program is recognized by a competent authority like University under Central/State Legislature, Deemed University, Institutes recognized by the Ministry of HRD and the AICTE.
Keeping up the following points in mind:
Therefore, an MBA with traditional specializations in marketing, finance, human resource, systems, operations etc. from a one of the top B-Schools in the country or abroad is a much better option than playing a bet on retail or pharma management program from a not so well known school. MBA is a finishing school and one must always look at it as a final preparatory tool for a rewarding career in the long run.
The MBA aspirants treat MBA degree as a passport to a successful and rewarding career opportunity. But, MBA like any other educational qualification is just a degree and doesn't guarantee a job. However, being a professional degree the chances of securing a job after completing MBA are comparatively higher. There are several MBA colleges and institutions that offer job guarantee and placement for their students, but even after getting a job you have to still prove your worth in the company by delivering professional goals within the committed timelines.
Yes, One can join an MBA program after completing their Class 12th, directly through integrated MBA courses in 4 to 5 years and they are generally offered a combination of undergraduate+MBA courses like B.Tech or BBA with MBA.
Candidates who have secured minimum of 50% aggregate marks in their higher secondary examinations are eligible to apply for these courses.
IPMAT, it is an aptitude test conducted by IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak for the admissions at its five-year course, IPM which stands for (Integrated Programme in Management) and hence, it is a dual degree by IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak for candidates passing the class 12th standard. It is a program that allows entry to an IIM just after 12th standard. For admission in IPM the aspirants need to clear IPMAT and need to be shortlisted for the Written Ability Test (WAT) & Personal Interview (PI) round.
In addition to IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak, Nirma University and some other top B-Schools accepts IPMAT scores for admission to its BBA-MBA integrated program.
Although IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak conduct their IPMAT exams separately.
JIPMAT (Joint Integrated Programme in Management) is one more National Level Based Aptitude Test which is conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) for providing admissions to three newly launched IPM Programs by IIM Jammu, IIM Ranchi and IIM Bodhgaya at its five-year Integrated Programme in Management. One can look forward for JIPMAT exam if he/she wants to be a part of integrated programmes of these IIMs.
It is a programme of 5 years which comprises of 15 terms with each year having 3 terms of 3 months each.
• Candidate need to have a minimum of 60% aggregate in Class 10 or SSC and in Class 12 or HSC or equivalent exams for General, NC-OBC and EWS category.
• Candidate need to have a minimum of 55% aggregate in Class 10 or SSC and in Class 12 or HSC or equivalent exams for SC, ST and PWD category.
• Candidates in the final year of their Class 12 standard are also eligible to apply. These candidates will be provided admissions provisionally.
• Candidate need to be maximum 20 years of age as on July 31, 2021 for General category.
•Candidates need to be maximum 22 years of age as on July 31, 2021 for SC/ST category.
• A minimum of 60% is needed in X and XII standards or equivalent examinations
• Candidate need to be maximum 20 years of age as on July 31, 2021
• The candidates need to appear for the Aptitude Test that is the SAT for international applicants.
An applicant is considered to be an International Applicant if he/she meets the following criteria:
• The persons who are permanent citizens of a country other than India and residing outside India.
• The Non Resident Indians (NRIs) who are not in India during Aptitude Test.
The selection procedure involves the following steps
• The candidates need to appear for the Aptitude Test which is conducted by IIM-Indore (or SAT for international applicants).
• The candidates which are shortlisted and have cleared the Aptitute Test will be called for a round of Personal Interview.
The syllabus of the first three years of IPMAT includes the subjects :
Mathematics, Economics, Social Sciences, Political Science, Humanities, Language, Sports, Psychology and Sociology.
And for the final two years the subjects are based upon the IPM students who join as a PGP student and follow the PGP curriculum.
The format of the IPMAT is as follows: (For IIM INDORE)
Sections
QA (MCQ)
QA (SA)
VA (MCQ)
Number of Questions
40
20
40
Time duration for each section
40 Minutes
40 Minutes
40 Minutes
The format of the IPMAT is as follows: (For IIM ROHTAK)
Sections
QA
LR
VA
Number of Questions
40
40
40
Time duration for each section
40 Minutes
40 Minutes
40 Minutes
The format of the JIPMAT is as follows: (For IIM Jammu, IIM Ranchi and IIM Bodhgaya)
Sections
QA
DI/LR
VARC
Number of Questions
33
33
33
The total Time duration for the exam is 02:30 hours (150 minutes).
The marking scheme for IPMAT is that: For each correct answer the candidate is awarded 4 marks and for every wrong answer, it will bring a penalty of 1 mark. But, there is no negative marks for Short Answer questions (QA-SA).
The IPM pass out students are awarded with the Bachelors degree from IGNOU and a degree of Integrated Diploma in Management by IIM-Indore/IIM-Rohtak.
YES, One can do that but there are some complications which makes it, not a good thought to be practical enough.
Basically, one can leave the programme after first 3 years of IPM, but, it is a 5 year programme, therefore it won't give any certification or testimonial of 3 years of study at IIM.
Therefore, one will be left only with IGNOU degree and 3 years of IPM education that isn't even certified.
So, leaving mid-course will leave one high and dry and also since the only certification one will have is from IGNOU. Hence, it may not be advised to leave IPM after 3 years.
CLAT is an all-India entrance examination, CLAT which stands for Common Law Admission Test, it is a gateway to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) degree program (LLB and LLM) in National Law Universities (NLUS) in India.
CLAT which is conducted at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels provides a vast opportunity for Law students.
CLAT UG programme is for the admissions in its 5-year integrated law programmes of Law Universities whereas CLAT PG programme is for admissions to LLM programmes of Law Universities.
No, there is no age restriction for appearing in CLAT examination.
No, truely speaking clearing CLAT will only make you eligible for admission to National Law Universities. You will need to fulfill all the other eligibility requirements of NLUto be a part of one.
UG: Eligibility Criteria
1. There is no upper age limit for UG Programme of CLAT
2. The candidate must have secured in 10+2 or an equivalent examination.
3. The minimum of (45%) marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO /OCI categories is required.
4. The minimum of (40%) marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories is required.
PG: Eligibility Criteria
1. There is no upper age limit is prescribed for appearing in CLAT.
2. A Degree in LLB or an equivalent examination with a minimum (50%) of marks or its equivalent grade is required in case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories and (45%) of marks or its equivalent grade is required in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
Yes, if we talk about the eligiblity in CLAT, the NRI candidates are eligible. They can select their category as NRI for taking advantages of the NRI category.
Subjects for UG
English Language which contains around [28-32 questions, or roughly 20% of the paper]
Current Affairs, including General Knowledge which contains around [35-39 questions, or roughly 25% of the paper]
Legal Reasoning which contains around [35-39 questions, or roughly 25% of the paper]
Logical Reasoning which contains around [28-32 questions, or roughly 20% of the paper]
Quantitative Techniques which contains around [13-17 questions, or roughly 10% of the paper]
Subjects for PG
The paper is based on the compulsory subjects of the undergraduate program that include:
Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labor & Industrial Law.
The CLAT score, offers 2596 seats in UG law programmes and 783 seats in LLM programmes, for admission in its National Law Universities.
The CLAT will be conducted by a permanent body based at NLSIU Bangalore, namely, (The Consortium of National Law Universities).
1. NLSIU Bengaluru
2. NALSAR Hyderabad
3. NLIU Bhopal
4. WBNUJS Kolkata
5. NLU Jodhpur
6. HNLU Raipur
7. GNLU Gandhinagar
8. RMLNLU Lucknow
9. RGNUL Punjab
10. CNLU Patna
11. NUALS Kochi
12. NLUO Odisha
13. NUSRL Ranchi
14. NLUJA Assam
15. DSNLU Visakhapatnam
16. TNNLU Tiruchirappalli
17. MNLU Mumbai
18. MNLU Nagpur
19. MNLU Aurangabad
20. HPNLU Shimla
21. DNLU Jabalpur
22. DBRANLU Haryana
However, apart from these NLUs, there are many other private law schools that also accepts the CLAT score for admission purposes and one can use their score for admissions to these participating colleges.
Common Admission Test or CAT, is the most popular entrance examination of India for the field of Management and it is conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). CAT score is used by 20 IIMs and over more than 1000+ other management institutes across the country for admission. More than 2 lakh students appear for the exam each year. But, due to the crisis of covid-19 the pattern was been changed.
CAT started in the year 1950 and graduated to being an online-entrance test in 2009.
The CAT paper consists of 100 questions (MCQs) to be solved in 180 minutes.
Exam consists of 3 sections:
As per the CAT eligibility criteria is concerned, any candidate applying for CAT must have completed or would be appearing for Bachelor’s degree, final year examination with a minimum of 50% aggregate.
The degree should be granted by any University, Central/State or declared to be deemed by UGC Act 1956 or hold any equivalent qualification reorganization by Ministry of HRD, Government of India.
For reserved categories the eligibility criteria is as follows:
The person with disability include:
• low vision blindness
Any candidate of above category can apply for their respective category only if he/she suffers from any listed disabilities to the extent of less than 40%, as certified by a medical authority.
Different IIMs have different criteria for the students to be selected for admission to its PGDM programme.
Still, one needs a minimum of 90 percentile to be shortlisted for further rounds.
After writing CAT exam one have to appear for specific GD/PI/WAT rounds and perform well to be a part of one of the IIM’s.
Even the past academic records and work experience play important role for final selection to one of the IIMs.
There are some Universities and Private colleges that provide these facility based upon the academic scores or work experience.
But, realistically speaking having a CAT or any other MBA exam scores will help you to get admission easily and in one of the best institutes.
Getting a good percentile is the first step towards a good MBA college but it is not enough.
You need to be through with the GD/PI/WAT rounds to ensure the final admissions.
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