Calling all IIM Ahmedabad PGPX Applicants (2024 Intake, Class of 2025)

Hi Sarkar2023, some points and questions from an initial assessment (to help provide more detailed feedback):

1. School grades are undergrad pedigree are strong, while the GPA is on the lower side. If your current GMAT mock scores (great improvement btw) can be realized in the retake, this would alleviate concerns on GPA and position your profile well academically.

2. The professional journey, particularly it being a global bank and the promotions/ recognitions, add weight to the profile. The data analyst role is also a nice angle, as it can potentially highlight multiple skill-sets such as analyzing complex data, decision-making in ambiguity, communicating decisions to stakeholders, etc.: all of which B-schools value. Any particular impactful project-related/ professional achievement(s) during your tenure that are worth highlighting? Did you work with international/ diverse teams, and did you lead any teams/ projects?

3. What are your post-MBA goals? These would help prioritize the target schools, since you are considering both Indian and foreign programs.

Hope this helps some. Feel free to reach out for a detailed chat.

Regards,
Arvind
HEC Paris MBA alum, Admissions interviewer
W:https://admitstreet.com | E: [email protected]

Sarkar2023 hope you are doing great

Your academic record is solid, albeit with a low GPA. In that case, I would agree that you need to retake your GMAT to improve your score as much as possible.

Your work history, on the other hand, is not well illustrated. Perhaps the most important aspect on which you will be judged is your career progression and learning curve. 5 years is a long time to work in a company. Show how you have progressed from year to year, how you have taken on more and more responsibility through promotions, "functional" leadership roles, or cross-functional stakeholder management, and how you view the relevance of your work. If you have been an individual contributor due to the nature of your job, rather than focusing on job title changes, highlight increasing challenges in various projects, promising results and awards, and stakeholder management over the past five years. It would be beneficial to present a unique "hook" in your profile. Demonstrating a first-principles mindset and interest in understanding the business implications of your job tasks as an analyst can help you stand out during the very competitive admissions cycle.

For finance/banking professionals seeking MBA, it is also important to demonstrate a balanced right-brain mindset and a search for meaning beyond the numbers. Take time to reflect and remind yourself of impactful initiatives related to your extracurricular activities.
Think carefully about your extracurricular activities and consider whether you may have overlooked important initiatives you have taken over the years. These may include activities such as traveling, learning a new language, participating in workplace diversity initiatives (e.g., promoting gender equality or diversity in the workforce), helping those in need financially or emotionally, teaching disadvantaged children, organizing diversity conversations or activities to promote better collaboration among teams, and more. Sometimes it helps to take a moment and do some soul-searching to recognize the contributions you have made to your community.

With an improved GMAT, you can also explore some prestigious B-schools abroad. However, I recommend doing your own research to see if you are a good fit for the business school. Showing that you have done thorough research and have a well-thought-out plan by reaching out to schools, alumni, and industry experts will also help your application. Connect with alumni working in your target industries on professional platforms, make contacts, and engage in insightful discussions. In your essays and interviews, highlight what you learned from these contacts to reinforce your interest in the particular school. All factors being equal, this approach will undoubtedly increase your chances of admission.

Happy to connect further for candid advice and discussion regarding your B School strategy
Best wishes

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]

Hi sumitsarkar420 hope you are doing great

Stellar GMAT! You seem like a great fit for IIM A, B, and ISB. I've helped defense professionals get into IIM A and ISB who typically come with a higher number of years of service. With 7 years of work experience, you're in a sweet spot for applying to ISB, which typically focuses on a younger cohort of professionals.

Understanding your career trajectory better will aid schools in evaluating your growth progression compared to other defense applicants. Given your experience in handling large teams, you can highlight your leadership by showcasing successful management of goal setting, tracking, performance measurement, and succession planning, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and individual growth. Additionally, managing highly diverse defense teams from different states and languages demonstrates your ability to foster a healthy work environment and promote inclusiveness.

Though you didn't mention your goals, having a solid strategy and demonstrating how each IIM aligns with your aspirations is crucial. This shows your focus and conscientiousness about your future objectives. Your work experience positions you well for top-tier consulting firms in Strategy & Operations roles and leadership development programs in leading conglomerates. If you're interested in senior positions in startups or MNCs, roles in human resources planning, supply chain analytics, or other general management areas would suit you.

Your extracurriculars are dated, but I'm sure you took plenty of initiatives during your defense career to generate impact through your actions and activities. Reflecting on these experiences will add depth to your application.

Feel free to seek candid advice.

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]

Hi all,
I am considering to apply for IIM-C MBAEx & IIM A PGPX in Round 1. PLEASE HELP WITH YOUR INPUTS TO MAKE A STRONG APPLICATION.

Background- 31/M, Indian

10th : 89.68% ( MH state Board )
12th : 79.5% ( MH state Board )
Graduation : VNIT Nagpur - Mechanical - 6.31 / 10
GMAT : 700 (Q50, V33,IR 7, AWA 4.5)

WorkEx : 10Year 8Months ( till Mar’24 )

-- I am working with "Global Kitchen Appliance maker - Whirlpool of India Ltd" - 5Y 4M ( Factory 1 -42 months, Factory 2 - 22 Months )
-- I worked with "2 Wheelers Manufacturing giant - Honda 2 Wheelers" for initial 4Y 9M.
-- Work Profile : Supplier Base Quality Management, Supplier Quality Approvals, Supply Base Rationalization, Supply Chain Optimization, Supplier factory process audits, Cross functional teams close coordination, Quality Assurance, Scrap Reduction, etc.
-- Have worked in around 15 new models launches in last 10 years, Have worked with approx 300 different Suppliers with turnover ranging from a few crores to thousand crores.

Hobbies : Yoga, Cooking, Trekking, Reading, etc.
Very Actively managed Tech-fest events in college days ; Very actively participated in College social club ’Prayaas’ for all 4 years.

Post MBA Goal : To work with Major Indian Manufacturing players & Contribute to India’s Global Manufacturing Hub journey.

Hi thorats96

Impressive profile overall, albeit with a low GPA, but your quant score does make a strong case for your academic potential. I am optimistic about that.

I too come from the manufacturing domain in automotive auxiliary, and therefore, I feel I am in a good position to provide meaningful suggestions. The good news is that you do not belong to the typical overrepresented segment at the top B Schools, but you must select your stories very carefully to demonstrate progression in your long career and your transition from an engineer/individual contributor to a project leader during the course of 10 years. Showcase your strong leadership skills through stories where you helped resolve conflicts, expedited projects, were trusted with bigger responsibilities over and over again, motivated team members or staff on the shop floor to get the prototypes going on time, influenced senior management with your insights to take a certain stand on decisions, and saved money for the company.

I can already see great potential for going deeper into the themes of supplier quality management and scrap reduction (which is the current trending theme regarding driving sustainability).

I like your post-MBA goals. MBA essays are all about passion; they are about how ready you are to change some problem in the world or to seize an opportunity that will change the world. To answer this question well, your passion has to reflect through your goals narrative.

Feel free to connect should need professional advice for applications or interviews.

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message: +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]

Hello all
I know this is not the platform to discuss anything apart from IIMA but I am in a trouble.

I have my test booked on Aug-7 but due to conjunctivitis I wont be able to take the test. On this I had dropped a mail, logged a ticket and talked with GMAC customer helpline with all the necessary documents for a free rescheduling or free cancellation. But these actions were taken by me on 04th Aug and I was down since 03rd Aug.
to all the mails they have mentioned :we are escalating this matter to Pearson helpdesk for quicker resolution and thus we are closing now this ticket number. You will receive a direct reply.” But haven’t heard anything from the Pearson desk. Also they dont function during weekends.
Now when I tried to check if i can reschedule the exam , the GMAC system wont allow as it is within 24hrs window.

Please suggest what additional action I need to take .

Posted from my mobile device

Hi,
I’ve started my application for PGPX R1 and I’ve a query regarding the portal.
I’ve graduated with a dual degree (Integrated B.Tech+M.Tech program). However, in the portal, I don’t see an option to add scores of an integrated program, like I saw in some other college portals. Should I add the same scores under Bachelors and Masters.
Please suggest.

Thanks

thorats96, good profile overall. Please see some feedback from an initial review:

1. While GPA is a bit on the lower side, academic scores and GMAT paint a brighter picture. Given your work experience (next point), any concerns here would likely be alleviated. To be on the safe side, please also highlight any quant-heavy courses (e.g. math) in your Undergrad where you may have scored well.

2. Professional journey is interesting, particularly your association with renowned names such as Whirlpool & Honda. Highlighting your professional arc over the years i.e. role changes/ promotions, challenges you faced, the key achievements (such as the ones you noted down), learnings (both professionally and personally) is key to crafting a strong narrative. Subsequently, aim to highlight the skills transferrable to your post-MBA role (next point).

3. On the post-MBA goal, are there any specific roles/ functions within manufacturing that you are looking at? Narrowing this down can help identify the skill-sets required for your target roles, and the gaps that the MBA and specifically IIM A/C can help bridge.

4. Hobbies (yoga, cooking, trekking, etc.) offer good talking points for essays. Aim to highlight your involvement in these activities, what you learned, and how your learnings have helped you evolve as a person and can translate to your journey in/ post MBA. This is a great opportunity to bring in your "personal" angle to the application and differentiate yourself.

Hope this helps some. Feel free to reach out for a detailed 1:1 chat.

Regards,
Arvind
HEC Paris MBA alum, Admissions interviewer
W:https://admitstreet.com | E: [email protected]

https://forms.office.com/r/pcGJjXx98Y Hey! Kindly fill this form and help us (students of IIMB) in our project. Average time taken 3-4 mins. For any admission related queries, DM me. Will be happy to help

Anyone knows the PGPX intake size this year?

Hello is GRE accepted and what is the average score and cutoff for Q and V ?

GRE is accepted

Check their website for average score. You might get something

87

dhruvsharma2117

Business schools always compare your GRE or GMAT scores to your demographic average. However, as an Indian applicant from a competitive demographic (Indian male or engineer), it is to your advantage to aim for 10-20 points higher than average. To give you an example, some of the successful yet most overrepresented profiles I worked with who applied to the late rounds have GRE scores in the 330+ range (the average is perhaps between 315 and 320 for the demographic group). But even if you cannot break the 330 mark, you should try to get a solid score on the quantitative section of the GRE (168 or above would be fantastic). GRE requires much higher calculative precision on the quantitative section than the GMAT due to the nature of the exam, so a high score on the quantitative section can really help your application. Unlike the GMAT, where the verbal section also emphasizes logic, the verbal section of the GRE focuses more on vocabulary variety, which frankly B-schools do not care that much about as long as you can demonstrate your good command of conversational English).

Feel free to connect should you need more insights on the application strategy.

Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD alum, ex INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]

Hi All,
IIM Calcutta is conducting the second webinar for the 18th Batch aspirants for the MBAEx program. Below are the details of the webinar. It would be great if you guys could join the webinar as it will help you understand the application process, and many more in detail.

The theme of the webinar is *SHEASCENDS: FEMTECH AND NAVIGATING MBA INTERVIEWS*

*Date*: 13th August ’23, Sunday
*Time*: 4 PM
*Webinar Link*:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81998462496?p ... ZGUUFEUT09

Meeting ID: 819 9846 2496
Passcode: UqP2kf

so an attendee is not required to register first, Correct?

That is correct, you may join directly