Unlike CAT, RAT (Research Aptitude Test) is not a unified exam. Evert IIM conducts its own admission process for FPM and thus the pattern of RAT varies from IIM to IIM. One of the patterns is termed as minor RAT followed at IIMB and at a few other IIMs. The RAT consists of different types of CAT questions including questions on verbal skills, logical reasoning, quantitative etc. However, the quantity of questions is less and the questions are distributed differently. Questions are designed to determine minimum eligibility requirements and are not meant for elimination thus the overall test is not too difficult.
It's important to note that the RAT pattern for each of the IIMs changes every year. Though some preparation definitely needs to be made for these exams, I would not suggest giving more time to prepare for interviews than the written exam.
Here are a few simple tips to prepare oneself for the IIM Bangalore interview
These simple tips will pave the way for admission to IIM Bangalore.
IIM Bangalore is known for having one of the most beautiful college campuses in India. Few of the splendid amenities are single-room accommodations, almost 24-hour eating points, best sports facilities in any of the IIMs.
The average duration of lecture hours per day in the first year is 6 hours which reduces in the consecutive years depending upon the electives chosen in each term.
Students of IIM Bangalore have a 5-day working week, with quizzes and exams scheduled on weekends as well. Rarely, extra classes are scheduled on weekends in case of mid-week offs. There are more than 25 clubs promoting academics and extracurriculars. There is one club for each specialization in addition to music, dramatics, and sports clubs. These clubs are good for socializing as well as taking a break from academics. There are excellent sports facilities, both indoor and outdoor, like badminton, basketball, volleyball, football, cricket, tennis, pool table, etc. to mention a few.
IIT Bangalore has excellent accommodation facilities that promote harmony between juniors and seniors. Students of the same batch usually are made to stay within the same blocks.
Honestly speaking, your academic record is average and even a very high percentile might not necessarily be enough to get a call for admission.
IIM Bangalore especially focuses a lot on Past Academics. In the initial shortlisting, the 12th and 10th marks are given 15% weightage each which combined is quite a lot. During the final shortlisting, 10th and 12th marks are given 10% weightage each. So the only thing you can do is
You can go for other top B Schools like FMS and XLRI who give very little importance to past academics.
Here are a few interesting behind-the-scenes stories about IIM Bangalore placements that I came across from interaction with my friend who is an alumnus of IIT Bangalore.
The initial 2 days witness the heaviest crowds as the maximum number of students are placed in very little time. The students end up giving consecutive interviews until they are selected. As a result, students sometimes have no idea about what they are interviewing and just appear for the sake of it. In a very hilarious incident, a student started praising Ola in an Uber interview.
The GD day is even more hectic as students can sometimes be seen attending GDs from the morning till midnight. In these GDs, you will find people of all kinds. While some will rarely speak, some can be seen shouting and dominating others in the groups. You will see tired bodies moving around and some even crying because of poor performance.
The placement process is completely handled by students under teams called trackers. You will spot groups of trackers huddled together and discussing important issues.
Typically, IIM Bangalore requires a minimum of 3 years of work experience for candidates to be eligible for their Fellow Program in Management (FPM) in Decision Sciences. However, it’s important to note that other parameters are also given due consideration such as academic background and achievements, professional experience and achievements.
The relevant work ex required for FPM in decision sciences might be a sort of Statistician or analyst coding in any data analysis language. I know many friends who have worked as data analysts in the past while some did not have any such coding background. That is why I don’t think any relevant work ex is required given that you have an excellent overall profile.
A regular MBA is a generalized specialization in the first year while it becomes domain specific during the second year. Business Analytics, on the other hand, is specifically for those interested in analytical industries and sectors. The past few years have witnessed an increasing demand for Analytics. This industry usually is extremely domain-specific and includes lots of database analysis. It revolves around every aspect of technology and restricts your knowledge base to an extent.
A general MBA is pure management science and is much more flexible than MBA in BA. It offers flexibility in thought and work process to a certain extent in contrast to MBA in BA. Additionally, IIM Bangalore’s credibility of being one of the best B Schools across the world and a top research institution helps. A diverse inclusion of work ex and skillful fresher makes it more special like Ivy League B Schools.
In conclusion, go for MBA in BA only and only if you have a genuine passion for numbers else go for a core MBA.
Your probability to get into IIM Bangalore depends on a lot more than just your CAT percentile and work experience. IIM Bangalore gives a lot of emphasis on past academic records which you haven’t mentioned.
IIM Bangalore selection procedure comprises 2 phases. The first phase includes shortlisting the candidates for the personal interviews which is done on the basis of CAT score.The sectional CAT cut-off for OBC Category is mentioned in the table below:
VARC |
70 |
DILR |
70 |
QA |
70 |
Overall |
75 |
The candidates shortlisted for the PI process will additionally be required to take a Writing Ability Test (WAT) on a topic provided by IIMB. The shortlisting for PI is done on the basis of additional parameters
The MBA Data Analytics course is designed to study the process of collecting and analyzing and processing raw data to provide insights into the data to the required domain.
Duration: 2 years (full-time)
Fees: INR 24.70
Job Opportunities: The job opportunities one can get from this program involve roles like Data Analyst, Data Engineer, Business Analyst, Data Scientist, Data Analytics Consultant, Risk Analyst, and Healthcare Data Analyst among others.
Apart from these, you can also pursue a career as a professor or lecturer in reputed colleges or institutes.
K Placements: IIM Bangalore concluded the Placements 2022 with an Average Salary of Rs.33.82 LPA for Post Graduate Programme MBA Business Analytics. The Top Recruiters included American Express, Accenture, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, EY, Microsoft, etc
Yes, 60 LPA is indeed a pretty decent salary for someone working in the IT industry. In fact, after 12 years do people even work for a salary anymore? I think their work-life needs other factors for motivation. These include your growth in the particular field, your understanding of the recent trends, you are being able to undertake risks successfully, or the recognition of things that might be beneficial for you in the long run. What I mean is after a long period of 12 years your salary is no longer the motivating factor. So instead of looking for a higher salary, focus on your own life and personal growth.