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What percentile do you need to get into FMS, MDI and SPJIMR in the CAT? What options can one consider other than IIM? What are their CAT cutoffs?
The placements at SPJIMR take place on the basis of the specialization taken by the students and the companies visit with the same intention. Broadly, the candidates are divided into 2 groups
Freshers: Apart from freshers, this category also includes those with up to 1.5 years of experience. They get offers from Marketing and Finance domains usually.
Experienced: This category comprises people with more than 1.5 years of experience. The roles most offered to them are Investment Banking and Operations.
Apart from work experience, there are many other major factors on which placements depend. For instance,
- Quality of Work Experience and understanding of it
- Academics
- What have you learned in MBA
- Extra Curricular
- Confidence
- Overall Personality
At SPJIMR, the roles are distributed quite equally despite the work experience gap. Like any other B School, there are toppers as well as lowest-level students. The rest receive an average income.
How good is IIFT as a college is when compared to IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, and MDI?
IIFT was established in 1963 by the Government of India as an autonomous organization to professionalize the country’s foreign trade management and increase exports by developing human resources, analyzing and disseminating data, and conducting research. Among the top 10 business schools, it is the only B-school in India that offers an International Business program. This institute is also known as the Mecca for trade.
The major pros and cons of the institute have been entailed below
Pros
- It is one of the best B-Schools in the country and one of the finest in Asia if you want to pursue a career in Trade. As per NIRF Ranking 2018, the Institute has been ranked as number 23.
- Highly recognized organizations like WTO, OECD, World Trade Centre & European Union come to India for recruitment and visit only IIFT.
- The batch size is very small thereby rendering unlimited opportunities to its students. It is literally the Mecca for Finance.
- IIFT Delhi has been winning the CFA Equity Research challenge nationally for 2 out of the last 3 years.
Cons
- IIFT Delhi campus is very small, around 6.5 acres. Rooms are triple occupancy in the 1st year and double in the 2nd.
- Big names in consulting like McKinsey, BCG, and AT Kearney, are yet to visit the IIFT Delhi campus.
What is the sufficient score in the GMAT to get into MDI Gurgaon or SPJIMR Mumbai?
MDI Gurgaon and SPJIMR are considered among the best B Schools in India and therefore have a higher cutoff. The required GMAT score to reach these B Schools is around 680-700. Apart from this, you are required to have a minimum of 97 percentile in CAT/XAT for SPJIMR and 95 percentile in CAT for MDI Gurgaon.
Other requisites include
- Good academics
- Extracurricular activities
- Achievements
- Work experience
SPJIMR eligibility criteria include an 80 percentile overall on all sections. After this shortlisting, you have to move up for GDPI rounds.
Can I get into IIMs, XLRI, FMS, SIBM, SPJIMR, IIFT, MDI? I have 70/61/77 in 10th/12th/B.Com. What CAT percentile would be required to get a call and how to improve my profile?
Based on your past academic records, you are likely to get into top IIMs only with a very high CAT score. Honestly, your academic performance is average and IIMs especially give a lot of weightage to past academics. However, you can target IIM Shillong and elite Non-IIM b-schools such as FMS and MDI.
The best part of these Non-IIM B-Schools is their less weightage given to past academics during shortlisting. They focus the most on your CAT score. So anyone with an average profile can dream of getting into these schools by preparing for CAT sincerely and acing the exam.
Institutes like XLRI and IIFT focus a lot more on the entrance exam scores (around 60%) than your past academics. The other major parameters they give relative weightage to are work experience, GD/PI, and WAT performance. So choosing a B School like FMS, MDI, IIFT, XLRI, or JBIMS is a lot better for someone with your profile.
How to improve your profile:
Past Academics are not the only determining factor during admission. In fact, many B Schools give the least weightage to it. So the question is how can someone with an average profile up their scale and improve their profile? The 3 common ways are
- Gain some valid work experience (up to 3 years max)
- Pursue a hobby or passion in your leisure time
- Learn some professional skills
The CAT percentile required for some B schools you mentioned are
|
B School |
Percentile Required |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
99.97+ |
|
IIM Calcutta |
99.99+ |
|
IIM Bangalore |
99.99+ |
|
IIM Lucknow |
99.8+ |
|
IIM Kozhikode |
99.9+ |
|
IIM Shillong |
96.80+ |
|
New IIMs |
94.00+ |
|
FMS |
99.40+ |
How do I get a package of 30 lakhs in the field of marketing, post MBA from IIMA/B/C, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, and IIFT?
While many may shed their philosophies on how getting a high package should not be your ultimate goal and stuff, I am here with a different opinion. When you are investing a huge amount of money it is only right to expect a greater monetary benefit and a better lifestyle. So I have mentioned some techniques that will help you land a package of 30 LPA specifically in the field of marketing post-MBA from IIM ABC, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, and IIFT.
- The first thing you need to do is lower your expectations as no marketing placements offer a package higher than 25 LPA. These highest offers are made by top firms like Reckitt Benckiser, HUL, P&G, and Asian Paints.
- You need to figure out what you really are after, a good marketing role or a high-paying job. If you are after the latter I suggest you go for big consulting firms like Mc Kinsey, BCG, or investment banks that offer 30+ LPA.
- But if it is the marketing role you are after, then make sure your resume reflects your marketing enthusiasm. This will further increase your chances of selection.
- Performing well in the competitions conducted by your desired company is another way to get a high-paying job.
- If the Final Placements are your last resort then make sure you have a stable and excellent CGPA. Many companies consider this factor while shortlisting.
These points will help you get your dream job but cannot necessarily guarantee it. It all ultimately depends on your efforts and obviously your luck.
What will a graduate of SPJIMR/IIM-K/MDI miss out compared to someone graduating from IIM’s A/B/C?
This question can be best answered by someone who has had a taste of both campuses. Fortunately one of my friends was lucky enough to move to IIM Ahmedabad after studying for a year at IIM Kozhikode. He shared his experience and the various things that contrasted in both the B Schools.
Faculty: Being the topmost B School, IIM Ahmedabad does attract some of the best faculties that are experts in their fields. They had too much knowledge and experience to impart making the classes a thrilling experience.
Crowd: While the crowd at almost all the good B Schools attracts only the best, IIM Ahmedabad is famous for its exceptionally good peer groups with only geniuses and masterminds in their respective fields.
Academic rigor: Normally B Schools offer a very hectic life with academic pressure combined with placements and clubs and committee activities. But at IIM Ahmedabad the topmost preference is Academics only. You are required to attend 3 lectures of 75 minutes of case study daily. These case studies are extremely lengthy and on average you are required to read 300 pages every day. Such economic rigor is lacking in the case of IIM Kozhikode.
There are several more minor differences between IIM Kozhikode and IIM Ahmedabad but these 3 are the main things an aspirant needs to consider while choosing one of the two B Schools.
How much do the top B-schools like the IIMs FMS, MDI, XLRI, SP JAIN, JBIMS, IIFT, and NITIE inflate their placement reports?
In the placement process, it is not always the B-Schools that are responsible for reporting inflated packages, but rather the companies. The figure reported by placement cells is referred to as the "Cost to Company" (CTC) and not the take-home salary. This means that simply dividing the CTC by 12 is not an accurate reflection of what you will receive in your bank account each month.
CTC consists of two main components: fixed and variable. The fixed component includes your basic salary, HRA, TA, LTA, employer's contribution to the provident fund, joining bonus, retention bonuses, and ESOPs. The variable component is based on both your performance and the company's performance and is paid out in lump sums either yearly or half-yearly.
Your take-home salary at the end of each month is calculated as basic salary + HRA + TA + other allowances - provident fund deduction - tax. The remaining amount is given to you at the end of the year. To illustrate how companies may inflate their CTC figures, here are a few examples:
- Amazon:
Fixed component: 9 lakhs
Year 1 end retention bonus: 2 lakhs
Year 2 end retention bonus: 1.5 lakhs
ESOP: 5 lakhs to be paid over 3 years
Performance bonus: separate/not reported CTC: 17.5 lakhs
Take-home salary: 65-70k
- Goldman Sachs:
Fixed component + Variable component: 14.5 lakhs
Relocation: 2,00,000 INR (one-time payment)
Supplemental Salary: 3,50,000 INR (supplemental salary is an accrued bonus paid out in monthly installments pro-rated from the date of joining, only applicable during the first year of joining)
CTC: 20 lakhs
Take-home salary: 95-98k
- RBS India Development Center (Royal Bank of Scotland back-end):
Fixed component: 9 lakhs
Variable component: 10-20% of a fixed component
CTC: 10.8 lakhs
Take-home salary: 65-68k
As seen from the examples, despite Amazon having a CTC that is double that of RBS IDC, their take-home salary is the same. This is the typical way it works. The placement teams likely do not have much control over the process.
Can someone brief me with the profiles (academics/cat percentile/work ex) of the people that made it into MDI Gurgaon?
There is no specific profile that is able to make it into MDI Gurgaon. Some are able to make it into MDI even with the 94 percentile and some are not able to get even with the 98 percentile. It’s the personal interview and GD round that comes into play here. The ones with lower percentiles usually have exceptionally good communication skills. The ones that make it into MDI with high percentile usually have decent work experience and profile.
But for MBA-IM there are many with mid-94–95 percentiles and decent profiles.
The conclusion is that you either need
- High CAT score
Or
- Excellent profile
Or
- A very good GDPI score
A rich blend of the three increases your chances of getting into MDI Gurgaon drastically.
I have an MBA from MDI, Gurgaon and a work-ex of 6 years. Should I go for an MBA from an Ivy League?
If your reason for joining the Ivy League is to launch a startup, then the main factor to be considered is how good your startup idea is and how much you are willing to achieve it. Being an MDI graduate, you can contact your alumni for funding or other assistance.
Once the seed stage is over, you might have Ivy League graduates lined up to fund you provided you really are an excellent prospective Entrepreneur. Moreover, by saving the fees of Ivy League which is around 30 Lakhs, you can use this money to build your venture’s MPV, grow, pay freelancers, buy basic fixed assets, and support your family during this lean period. If you are successful at building a great startup, the same Ivy colleges you were desperate to go to will offer you a more customized course that suits your profile perfectly. This will make you both a successful entrepreneur and a successful leader.
How are internship and placement opportunities for GEM freshers at MDI Gurgaon?
The internship opportunities for GEM freshers or any student depend on
- The organization offering internships
- And the roles offered
Most companies only consider past academics while shortlisting students. However, some companies have specialized criteria. For instance, a consulting firm prefers work experience that too in a similar domain. Top firms in the Finance sector like JPMC and Goldman Sachs prefer CAs or students with Finance backgrounds.
So we can conclude that although there is no specific distinction between GEM and other students, freshers do get an upper hand in Marketing and Sales roles. A lot of opportunities are there so don’t lose hope.
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