Calling all ISB PGP Applicants: 2026 Intake Class of 2027

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Aeti You will get an interview call as long as you have put in some decent thought into your applications. ISB is one of those schools that really shows encouragement to applicants who may not have it all perfectly executed in the application but hold good potential as future MBAs, and it shows this encouragement through sending out interview invites. You have some really good things going for you, like that solid IIT K pedigree and a branded employer organization which has a feeder pipeline into top B-schools. You need not worry about the interview invite, but you must know that with ISB, getting an interview invite alone does not mean that the next decision will solely be based on your interview performance. Your career growth progression, academics, and test scores will play a contributing role in addition to the interview scores.

You are a very young applicant, so I strongly suggest you take the GMAT to improve your score significantly. You likely do not hold the same level of responsibilities at work as more senior folks who will also be applying to ISB, so a high score is expected from you. As I always tell, PGP/MBA cohorts are created on bell curves, and when you are at the extreme lower/left-hand side of the spectrum, you have less wiggle room with stats.

Feel free to book a guidance session should you have further questions

Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]­

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@ WA@kje69
I mentor many reapplicants, and this year some of them have had these discussions with ISB already in June. I would say these feedbacks are more directional and, on their own, don’t tell exactly the steps a rejected candidate must take to get through with surety. I also feel, very often, the applicants who get into these feedback discussions don’t understand (unless reminded by me) that they need to not just make up for the gaps they had in the previous cycle, but present something extra to get themselves across the finish line in the coming cycle. This is even more important for candidates who did not even get interview invites because the gap is huge. The ISB officials may tell them, "if you do this and that, you should get an interview this year", but the interview invite isn’t the sole objective here. Applicants should make good efforts to identify what improvement steps will maximise the chances of getting that coveted admit. Hope you do a thorough analysis for your case too.


Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]­

@ WA@mhx52

Happy to give you a targeted evaluation. As you may already know, you come from a crowded pool, therefore the career growth progression is as important as demonstrating a focused effort to manoeuvre your career towards an area that appeals to your interest. With your kind of profile, generic goals such as "I want to be a PM/ consultant" rarely work. So think, what is the connection between your choice to work as a PM in a fintech startup and then joining another startup so soon after that? What do you really want to achieve in your career? If your answer is "I want to be the best PM in a MAANG company", please reconsider your approach to the applications. There will be hundreds of others with the same pitch in the application process. What the adcoms want to see, on the contrary, is how critically you think about your industry and the problems that may have intrigued you. If you have not already, I highly recommend you read my write-up:

The Death of Generic Product Management Goals : ISB


Wondering how your profile stacks up? Get a free profile evaluation and discuss a tailored MBA plan that aligns with your goals.


Best wishes
Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)
Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/| Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- [email protected]­

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On the contrary it works really well. Loyalty is a rare attribute nowadays and also your commitment to build industry insight is seen in a positive light. Very very strong pitch.

Hello @WA@mhx52,

Frankly speaking, the frequent job switches will raise some questions.

At this point, all you should do is to focus on telling your story in a manner that consolidates all your experiences and links up well with your proposed goals.

Since the new PM role would have come up after your last application, explaining why you took up this role in the first place will be very important.

All the best!

@WA@mhx52 - appreciate your perseverance!

In hindsight, what could've gone better in your interview e.g. rationale for job switches, motivation for MBA, post-MBA career goals, why ISB, etc.? Also, did you seek feedback from ISB through the official route?

The GRE score sounds alright, but if you see scope to improve, please do. Other than that, make sure to have a strong CV, narrative/ essays, LoR, and interview performance. Also make sure to highlight the progress on your profile overall, in the re-applicant essay: this is key.

Feel free to reach out for a deeper chat.

Regards,
Arvind | W: admitstreet.com

@WA@isw2093 - Not at all - it can actually be a positive.

We recently mentored a candidate who worked with the same company for 4+ years with progressive responsibilities (no on-paper promotions, due to the nature of their company/ team). His success debrief is here, which you might find helpful

Regards,
Arvind | W: https://admitstreet.com/

Potentially, there seems to be a problem with either clarity or alignment of your goals with ISB’s expectations.

Or there might be a few gaps in your application.

Or Third potential reason is You have GRE instead of GMAT.

I think you need to discuss your essays withsome one who can help you find the holes in your story. Get in touch for a discussion if you want. We have had numerous reapplicant finally converting ISB.

Just curious that if your startup was profitable, why did you join the corporate back?
--
Ashish.

Anyone who recently gave GMAT a week or two back

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Hello,

Sorry to hear this but appreciate your perseverance! Hope this intake works out for you.

I honestly don’t see any issues in the base profile. The academic profile (undergrad CGPA + GRE) and professional profile (5.5 years of work experience with experiences that can depict continuous growth in responsibilities and industry exposure).

What possibly is the issue:
1. Your storyline: The way your prior experiences and future goals, alongside how ISB sits right in the middle, are probably not well aligned even though they easily could be.
2. Your interpersonal profile: When applying to a business school, your inter personal profile can make your profile stand out the most- since it’s the one that’s the most different amongst different applicants. This include community service, entrepreneurship, personal investing, research work, competitions, international exposure etc.

The key to getting in is getting the profile building right to cover each of the factors ISB looks at. Next, building a storyline that is aligned and impactful- that’s the heart of your entire application and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Next, presenting it all with the right key words and phrases.


Since you got the interview last time, introspect on what area the adcom tried to test you in the most. That’s probably the gap your last application had and for sure the area you need to cover up properly in this year’s application.

Regards,
Aanya Jain
London Business School Alumni and Interviewer

Cofounder, UniAdvise
100% of my students have gotten into their top 4 choices (2 admits with 100% scholarship to ISB for 2025 intake)