Civil servant going to Kellogg.

I’ve worked for the Indian Revenue Service (India’s Tax Department) for about 4 years now and am currently Deputy Director of Income Tax for the city of Hyderabad.

Some background about me:

My father was a Police Officer in the Central Industrial Security Force. I’ve always aspired to give the Civil Services exam because not being able to clear it is one of his big regrets. My parents encouraged me to study engineering to keep my options open because the CS exam is so difficult to crack.

I got a B. Tech. in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering from IIT-Kharagpur and once I passed out, I cracked the CS exam after a year’s full-time preparation, and I became an IRS officer.

During COVID, working with pharma companies developing generic drugs made me realize I could have a greater impact in the private sector. Also, I didn’t want to work for the IRS for the rest of my life.

I’d taken the CAT exam while preparing for the CS exam and gotten into IIM-A, IIM-B & IIM-C so I could have taken the CAT again but I wanted the exposure to an international MBA as I had worked in India all my life.

MBA Applications:

I gave the GMAT and got 740. After getting no admit offers in R1, I went to work with Admissions Gateway after many recommendations.

Rajdeep Chimni was always available, on Sundays and at odd hours, during the admissions process, vital because of how busy I am with my day-job. He guided and pushed me over many iterations to choose the best stories, put them into context, and perfect them. Rajdeep is a ruthless editor.

My Learnings:

After R1, I retook the GMAT and got 770 but I don’t think it added much value to my application. It did give me a confidence boost but to anyone considering improving an already decent score, I would recommend spending the time and energy to build your essays rather than retaking the GMAT.
I think GMAT scores are not as important as they are made out to be.
Also, my timing was wrong for R1. I started too late and with my job, I don’t think I gave myself enough time to prepare.
My last piece of advice is, don’t be afraid to ask for external perspectives on your applications from seniors, friends, and colleagues, even if you are working with a consultant. External perspectives are very valuable during the process because you tend to develop blind spots because of the pressure.

Finally, try not to stress and don’t take rejections personally.