What B-schools look for in a candidate?

Top MBA institutes like Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) get

lakhs of applications every year, however fact remains that these top
B-schools offer only a couple of hundred seats for MBA aspirants.
No wonder that these coveted for B-schools set up multi-layered
selection method to pick best quality students suited to their
particular basis.
So, what they are, what are the qualities that the top B-schools
search for in a candidate? What distinguishes selected candidates
from rest remains of the candidates, etc?

The admission offices of various B-schools recommend that MBA

entrance exams like CAT and XAT are only a tool for primary
level filtration process for B-school applicants. The final selection of
a candidate majorly relies on upon the next phases of admission
process which include group discussion (GD), Personal Interview
(PI), Written Ability Test (WAT) or related tools.

According to admission officials at top B-schools, the core qualities

that a MBA must have includes an high level of confidence, great
communication abilities, some amount of value involvement and
potential to exceed expectations as expert in the management
domain. Further, Dr T J Kamalanabhan, Professor and Head
at DoMS, IIT Madras includes that a couple of different qualities
that the B-School admission boards searches for in a candidate
include attitude, business aptitude and general knowledge; and
relevant work experience.
Passion and Thought clarity:
Your passion and clarity of thought towards pursuing after a MBA
degree can take you closer to your dream MBA institution. Dr
Gautam Sinha, Director, IIM Kashipur says "Inspiration, and
Maturity" is the main variables at the final stage.
Adding to this, Mareena Mathew, Admissions Coordinator, Xavier
Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME),
says that candidates are also evaluated on the basis of their "
Attitude, Outlook, and Commitment" alongside their "Learnability
and creative thinking ability ".
Many institutes first look at the integrity and mental soundness of
the candidate and after that particularly looks for a guarantee to
learning and a passion to accomplish. The hopefuls are additionally
assessed on the basis of their vision in life. "A competitor is assessed
for his/her educational aptitude, inspiration as far as what the
applicant plans to achieve from pursuing and how he would fit into
the requirement and rigour of the program, maturity that is required
to study a post graduate program and what value addition the
student is looking for and what he could bring to the program," says
Dr Anil J Pinto, Registrar, Christ University.
Check also - Top Questions to prepare for Personal
Interview rounds

Communication & Creativity Skills

Communication skill is the way to convince the admission panel on
your ability to pursue management education and accordingly, MBA
hopefuls need to express their passion in a way that influences their
chances.
As per B-school admission officials, communication ability impacts
your admission chances to all things considered. Presentation style
and the capacity to analyze given situation are also important
qualities basis which applicants are assessed at the final selection
stage. Prof Arun Kumar Paul, Faculty, XIMB says, among other key
qualities, "The ability to think and communicate (both verbally and
non-verbally) and handle stressful situations is essential for final
selection stage."
Group Discussion and Written Ability Test are the tools which Bschools like to prefer and analyze students verbal communication,
analytical thinking pattern, and creative writing aptitudes. In this
manner, at GD-PI stage, Dr. Sanjay Dhir, Coordinator Stakeholder's Engagement, DMS, IIT Delhi, says that "The student
must have the ability to present himself in the best way he can with
suitable communication abilities and confidence."
Dr Raghu Raman, Chairman, Amrita School of Business, Coimbatore
includes that admission boards also look into reading habit and
grasping ability of students while evaluating their communication
abilities.
Also, demonstrating your abilities and achievements before the
admission committee is essential. It is similarly important to not just
brag your resume, rather reflect what you have gained from every
experience and your experience for pursuing an MBA. Unless you
can exhibit your vision for pursuing a management program you
won't get the management of the board and that lessens your
chances of getting selected.

Leadership and Team skills:

Leadership quality and ability to adjust to the group to deliver a
collective result is also the key parameter for admission
officials. Many B-schools give unique emphasis on group
discussions just to see how applicants act, impart, and show team
spirit while aligning the group towards a specific direction.
Personality traits
B-schools do also lay emphasis on the personal qualities and they
also trap candidates to come straightforward on their own character
and honesty. During personal interviews, admission panel exhorts
applicants on past academic background and work experience to
expand discussions on life. Specific emphasis is also given to extra
curricular activities that the competitor has been involved in,
indirectly related to whether or not a student will adapt to the
institute culture.
The top IIMs or B-schools can read your CV, yet what they need is to
know how you know yourself, your education, and your work
experiences. Dr. Pratima Sheorey, Director, SCMHRD says, "The
focus during a PI is on the competitor's self-awareness about his
work experience / academic background and general awareness."
"During such assessment admission boards also look for candidate's
perspectives on current events in his general vicinity of intrigue, and
check whether the perspectives are affected by facts and logic or a
position taken without relation to reality," Ravi Shankar, Training
and Development - Programs Officer at IFMR.
Extracurricular excellence
According to Dr Raghu Raman, Chairman, ASB, Amrita School of
Business, Coimbatore, extracurricular excellence is one of the
criteria for admission which brings out of knowledge on the differing
qualities of applicants' identity. Other than this, all established
business have their own unique culture. So, their take on admission
also relies on upon how you fit into their way of life and broad vision.

Read Also:IIM Indore PGP 2017-19 Shortlist Announced

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