ISB Hydrabad Selection and Eligiblity Criteria
The Indian School of Business is amongst the top business schools in India and also holds its own on the global stage. Prospective students often wonder about the criteria for ISB Admission 2024. But what kind of students actually make it to ISB? What are the average GMAT and GRE scores for recent batches, how old is the average student, what is the engineers / non-engineer skew, and how much pre-MBA work experience does the majority of the batch have? Here’s a breakdown of ISB’s batch profiles over the past three years that answers (most of) these questions based on publicly available data.
ISB Admission 2024: Average GMAT at 716, average GRE at 330 at ISB
Note: All GMAT and GRE score figures are for the mid-80% of the batch, and not for the entire MBA batch. This means the lowest and highest GMAT / GRE scores have not been included in this assessment. All data was obtained from the institute’s official website.
- The average GMAT, which was 720 up till last year, has come down to 716, which is about an 87th percentile score.
- The median GMAT has remained consistent at 710, which is about an 87th percentile score.
- The average GRE is the highest over three years, at 330. QA and VA breakup is currently not available.
- The median GRE for the batch of 2024 is 329. QA and VA breakup is currently not available.
Majority of the batch with 3-5 years of work experience at ISB
- The majority of ISB’s batch has about zero to five years of work experience. In fact, over the past three years, there’s been a gradual increase in the percentage of students with less than three years of experience (including via the YLP and EEO admission routes).
- Folks with 8+ years of experience are a relative minority at ISB. However, in absolute numbers, this means there’ve about 50+ such students at ISB in any given batch over the past three years, which is a significant number.
- Over the past three years, ISB appears to have maintained a steady intake of applicants with 5-8 years of work experience, who make up about a quarter of the total batch.
ISB Admission 2024: Average work experience at 4.40 years at ISB
- Over three years, the average work experience for ISB’s PGP batch is about 4 to 4.5 years. In three years, the batch of 2024 has the highest average work experience of 4.4 years, compared to about 4.10 years in previous years.
- Diversity at ISB is gradually growing, with the %age of women in the batch going from 38% for the batch of 2022 to 41% for the batch of 2024. Generally, over the past five years or so, the percentage of women at ISB has hovered around 40%.
- ISB’s Class of 2024 has a 1:1 ratio of engineers to non-engineers, with non-engineers actually making up the majority of the batch. This is up significantly from two years ago, when the batch profile skew was towards engineers (making up 57% of the batch).
- The average age for the batch hovers around 27 years.
ISB Hydrabad Ranking
Financial Times Ranking
ISB Hyderabad MBA ranking by Financial Times is 31 out of 100 colleges in International in 2024 and it was 39 out of 100 colleges in International in 2023.
ISB Hydrabad Placement Trends
Career Advancement Services (CAS) at ISB gives the students necessary wherewithal to accomplish their career aspirations. It works in unison throughout the year to enable the students to make informed decisions about their careers.
At the start of the first term, the Learning and Development (L&D) team organises one-on-one interaction sessions with alums from various industries and functions. Detailed resume review workshops are lined up in the subsequent terms.
As the placement season nears, exhaustive mock interviews are conducted by alums, including industry specialists, for the roles students aspire to take up.
Throughout the year, the school organises and facilitates various sessions and workshops such as career pathways, functional overview sessions, industry deep-dive workshops, social media use, and others. These sessions provide intricate industry insights to the students.
Year-on-Year Trends
Get an insight into the details of our placement seasons regarding the kinds of offers made, which tell you about the placement progression over the last 5 years.
Placement Process
The ISB placement process takes about four months. Through a series of on-campus presentations and hundreds of job postings, you get the opportunity to learn about recruiting companies with national and global presence. Placements commence with a series of pre-placement talks (PPT) by recruiters to the student body.
The talks pertain to the organisations’ philosophies and expectations. Students respond by submitting ‘expressions of interest (EOI)’ to them. Recruiters select suitable candidates, draw up a shortlist, and inform the Career Advancement Services (CAS) team, who get in touch with the students.
On-campus interviews form the next stage, and then companies make offers. Recruiters may also conduct off-campus interviews with students.
The bulk of the placement process occurs within a 10-day window. However, the final interviews and placements continue for several months.
Profile of Co’ 23
Comparison (2022-2023)
Partial List of Recruiters:
Past 2 Years
AB InBev
Absolute Foods
Accenture Services
Acuvon Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
Adani Enterprises Ltd.
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail
Aditya Birla Management Corporation
Pvt. Ltd.
ADP Pvt. Ltd.
Adventure Tripr Inc.
Affi nity Global Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Alkemi Growth Capital
Alvarez and Marsal
Amazon
Ambit Pvt. Ltd.
American Express
Analysys Mason Ltd.
Apollo 247
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Ltd.
Arcesium
Arthur D. Little
Atlassian LLP
Auctus Advisors Pvt. Ltd.
Avaada Energy Pvt. Ltd.
Avataar Ventures Partners
Axis Bank Ltd.
B9 beverages Pvt. Ltd.
Bain & Company
Bain Capability Network
Bajaj Finserv
Barclays India
BeatO (Health Arx Technologies Pvt. Ltd.)
Bharti Airtel Ltd.
Biocon Ltd.
BluSapphire Cyber Systems
Boston Consulting Group India Pvt. Ltd.
Brane Enterprises(NSL Hub)
Brillio Technologies
BrowserStack
Capitel Partners
Cargill Asia Pacifi c Holdings Ltd.
Cashfree Payments India Pvt. Ltd.
Chargebee Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Cisco India Pvt. Ltd.
Climate Policy Initiative India Pvt. Ltd.
Coforge Ltd.
Cognizant
Cogoport
Credit Suisse
Curefi t Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
Daiwa Corporate Advisory India Pvt. Ltd.
Dalberg Advisors Pvt. Ltd.
Dallas Venture Partners India LLP
Decimal Technologies
Delhivery Ltd.
Delightful Gourmet Pvt. Ltd. (Licious)
Deloitte Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. (USI)
Deloitte India
DevRev Cloud India Pvt. Ltd.
DHR Holding Pvt. Ltd.
Disney – Star
DP World
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.
Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace
University
Dream11
ISB Hyderabad Seat Distribution
As of my last update, the Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad offers various programs with specific seat distributions. For the flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), the seat distribution is typically around 900-1,000 seats each year. This number can fluctuate slightly depending on the specific year and program adjustments.
ISB Hyderabad also offers other programs, such as the Post Graduate Programme in Management for Working Professionals (PGPpro), the Post Graduate Programme in Management for Senior Executives (PGPMAX), and the Fellow Programme in Management (FPM). Each of these programs has its own set of seat allocations:
- PGPpro: Usually has around 120-150 seats.
- PGPMAX: Generally offers around 50-60 seats.
- FPM: The number of seats is typically smaller and varies each year, but it’s usually in the range of 10-20.
For the most accurate and updated information, including any changes in seat distribution or new programs, it’s best to check directly with ISB Hyderabad or visit their official website.
ISB Hyderabad GD-PI Experiences
1 – Profile: Mechanical Engineer with 7.5 years of experience in Automobile sector.
GMAT Score: 730
Interview Location: Hyderabad Campus
Interview Date: 29th September 2019
The ISB interview experience played a really important part in my life, not just because it was an interview for ISB, but because it taught me how to face the interviews of other B Schools. Not a single answer was up to my satisfaction, and in the barrage of counter questions, I barely got the chance to finish my answers. I would say it was one of the toughest interviews that I have faced till date. That day I left the campus with full confidence that I wouldn’t be selected.
Key things to keep in mind for the interview:
- Prepare well about your own industry. They basically check two things, relevant awareness and logical reasoning.
- Be calm. Make yourself comfortable. Your state of mind is the most important thing for this so do everything it takes to be focused. I personally find checking data at the last moment to be distracting. Just relax in the moments before the interview.
- Expect a lot of cross questions and pressure (may depend from candidate to candidate). Hold your ground if you feel you are logically correct. Don’t sway with the panel’s line of questioning or their remarks.
- Expect guesstimates. Prepare for them. Especially if you say you want to get into consulting.
The day before the ISB interview, I had the IIM B interview at Bangalore. I was staying at Hyderabad back then so in all the travelling that was involved, I didn’t get much last minute prep time for the ISB interview. The IIM B interview experience left me confused regarding whether I did well or not, and I guess the panelists felt the same way as I was “wait-listed” for IIM B.
I reached Hyderabad from Bangalore well after midnight and next morning by 11:00 AM I was at the ISB campus, waiting for the interview. I was tired and a bit distracted. I had to wait for about 2 hours before getting called in and it was all the more frustrating because the people who were listed after me were being called ahead of me.
Feedback from the people who were coming out of the interviews (almost 100% from IT sector):
- Questions about daily work life·
- Hobbies·
- What are you passionate about? (pretty open ended)·
- Organizational Structure·
- Biggest challenges faced in job.
- Questions about different technologies (they used jargon that I did not understand)
My interview Experience:
There were three members in the panel. They started with a bit of small-talk, like if I was waiting long, if I had interacted with the other candidates etc. One of them asked if I was intimidated by the other candidates. I said ‘No’, and felt that it didn’t sit well with the panelist who asked the question. He replied, “Oh really!”, as if expecting otherwise. Then the interview started. Some of the major topics that were discussed are listed below.
1. Whether I want to continue in the automotive sector after completing my MBA:
I did not give a yes/no answer to this. I explained that I was open to other avenues as well, although I wasn’t going to throw away my 7 years of experience if I got a profile that I liked in the automobile sector. All three of the panelists were unhappy with that answer and they kept questioning me, making it clear that I would have to give a clear yes / no answer, which I didn’t. The overall mood of the room became uncomfortable.
2. Why MBA:
The generic answers were not going to work so I didn’t even try with them. I told them about my current career path and where I want to reach and how that would take a long time. We discussed the roles and responsibilities of my manager, his manager and even his manager. The entire panel was clear about one thing: they were unimpressed with my answers. There was a lot of cross questioning. I could hardly finish a sentence.
3. The future of Automobile (Electric Vehicles):
This discussion was full of possibilities and challenges in the E-V industry in India. I started to gain back my confidence while discussing this topic but, to my surprise, they were also well informed about the current E-V scenario in India and overseas and hence the cross questions did not cease.
4. The case – “How many Electric Vehicle Charging Stations would we need in Hyderabad, 3 years from now?”
Now this is something that I hadn’t practiced because I never came across anything like this in the numerous interview experiences that I read while preparing for the interview. I struggled and almost gave up. I was probably even ridiculed in the sense that one of the panelists said that after 7 years of working in the automotive sector, I ought to be an industry expert. That felt bad. I was tensed, anxious, nervous, panicking inside. The math was poor and I was struggling even with small multiplications and divisions. I tried to steer away the discussion towards other topics but they quickly brought me back to point. I somehow managed to come out with a number but instantly felt that the answer was incorrect (because my mind was clearly not working anymore) and told them that the answer was wrong.
One of the panelists took that cue and promptly said
“That’s alright, we are done.”
But then another panelist said, “Why do you think it is incorrect?”
I recomposed myself, and said “Give me a while”.
I somehow went over the math again and said “OK, this is actually a very good estimate, I’m sorry I got confused for a bit”.
I looked at the panelist who said we were done, he was clearly not interested to even look at the number anymore, he was just nodding his head and saying, “That’s alright”.
The third panelist asked me if I could think of an alternate approach to this problem. I thought for a second and I gave him an alternate approach (while wondering why I didn’t think of this approach in the first place). He seemed satisfied. But I wasn’t. I felt like I wasn’t able to show the best of me. But clearly they were ready to end the interview now. One of them asked whether I had any questions for them. I don’t even remember what I had asked. But I do remember all three of the panelists took turns answering, that too, quite elaborately. This seemed a little strange to me as by now I was convinced that I was going to be rejected.
And that was it. They stood up and so did I. They thanked me for my time, and one of them opened and held the door for me as I walked out after thanking them.
Result: Offered admission.
2 – I had applied to ISB through the Early Entry Option (EEO) in R1 (Sep ‘22)
Profile: Media grad from the University of Mumbai | <2 years of experience in Marketing (I was working in an InsurTech Unicorn then | 710 GMAT score
2 Male panelists. One is a PM and the other is an Entrepreneur. Both with ~ 10 years of experience. It was delayed by an hour or so. Went for about 50 mins.
They started with saying we want you to feel comfortable and relaxed so that you perform better. I do not remember the exact order of questions but here are a few ones that I can recall clearly:
- Why do you want to do Marketing?
Well, I was well prepared for the answers to Why MBA and why ISB but I did not formally prepare for such an answer. But, the feedback from my mock interviews was that “Always structure your answers” so I asked them for a few seconds to think about the answer to this question.
I thought about 3 reasons why I liked Marketing but essentially it all came down to a Marketing role in a Consumer Products (FMCG/CPG) industry.
I said, there are 3 reasons why I want to pursue a career in Marketing:
a. Personal Reason: I’m native to a very remote Naxalite affected region of Odisha and I’ve seen the real world impact that industries like FMCG, etc. have brought to our communities (direct & indirect employment, access to better lifestyle, ease of living, etc.). A Marketing role in such an industry will empower me to bring about such impact in other parts of India.
b. Professional Reason: I mentioned two facts: Close to 15% of Fortune 500 CEOs have been ABMs(Assistant Brand Managers) at Procter & Gamble and HUL is popularly known as “CEO Factory” with its Sales & Marketing trainees contributing majorly to the title. I concluded that the learnings that come from such roles are not comparable to anything else when it comes to leadership development and core business management skills.
c. Learned Reason: “FMCG companies are like MBBs of Marketing.” – We exchanged a long laugh at this statement. I explained that the pace of learning and assignment of responsibilities in FMCG Marketing roles is at par with MBBs in Consulting. I mean no other Marketing role gives you the opportunity to manage ~100 people within the first couple of years post-MBA, P&L responsibility of ~100s of Crores of business, etc. They seemed very much satisfied with my answer.
- This was followed by questions about my hometown and around the socio economic status of that. One of them was from a nearby state. (Basic GK)
- You’ve been involved in so many ad films during your college graduation. It’s a tough industry to go into. How did you enter and Why didn’t you continue there? You studied Advertising, do you want to work in that? Why not?
I simply explained how I started to make ad-films for college fests to gain popularity in college(very important for a small town boy), enjoyed it as a hobby at first, monetised it by working in the industry. Started with Casting then into Production, etc. I established a small production house, got Politicians, resorts in Goa, and many other clients on-board and created ads for them but I think I enjoyed the Sales part more than the Production part. Eventually I figured out that I’m a better Marketer than I am a filmmaker. - Tell us the cultural differences between the first organisation where you worked and the current one and why did you leave in just 6 months. I mentioned 2 differences and also stated my reason of moving out of the company sooner(according to people). They had a lot of cross questions around the differences, essentially I think they were testing my understanding of People and Culture as I come from a Humanities background.
- Tell us what did you do in the first company.
It was about MBA schools’ advertising so they wanted to know the process in detail. - You want to work in FMCG, have you talked to ISB alumni about this? Who all? Anyone beyond ISB?
I talked about a project that I’ve been doing with one from IIMC & FMCG. Questions around that. - Tell us about your current projects. Why did you move from CRM communications to Go-To-Market? How many people work with you?
I had a long discussion about one of my market research trips to Gujarat and how was the experience. They also asked in detail about my process of mining insights through the qualitative interviews, etc.
I think they clearly wanted to do a deepdive into my work as a Marketer till now.
Then they gave me the opportunity to ask them questions.
I don’t remember the exact questions that I asked but I think I asked them:
What are the things that they couldn’t do during their time at ISB and would love to do again, given a chance?
From my experience and after analysing ~100+ interview debriefs, ISB’s interview process revolves around “Employability Prospects of the candidate”.
“Does this candidate know what they want to do after ISB & can ISB help them to achieve their goals?”
I mean this is very logical. PGP at ISB is a 1 year program where your placement process starts right after you enter the campus and there is very little time to spare. Unlike in 2 year MBA programs, you can’t do a Summer Internship in Sales & Marketing and end up joining a Consulting firm in Finals. My advice to everyone aiming at ISB is to be very clear on your post-MBA goals and prepare for questions around it.
For Consulting aspirants, they might ask you to solve basic Guesstimates.
For Finance aspirants, they might ask you about Investment Strategies, make you their hypothetical Fund Manager, etc.
For PM aspirants, they may ask you about some frameworks, or say how can you make the ISB Application Process, a product, better?
Keep in mind that you HAVE to prepare other important probable questions like Why ISB, Why MBA, etc. This is a no-brainer.
Verdict: Accepted. I’m joining ISB’s Class of 2025 in April next year.
3 – I appeared for the ISB interview way back in 2010, at Hyderabad campus. That was the only campus then. I had 12 years of experience in the armed forces and a GMAT score of 720.
I reached the campus well in time for the interview, dressed up in formals. I was guided well, right from the main gate till I reached the designated areas where interviews were held.
As I walked you the stairs and entered the first floor, there was a bunch of other candidates sitting there, some waiting, some chatting, some sitting quite, but all dressed up professionally, formally in suit and tie.
As I approached the reception, with my interview letter, they checked the details, handed me a sheet of paper and asked me to write as essay. I don’t exactly remember the topic, but I wrote about hockey, how it has been neglected as a sport. I think they do this to validate your essays submitted online. There are candidates who pay and get the essay written for the online application.
You get about 10–15 mins to write the essay and submit it. Then they’ll tell you to wait, for your slot. It doesn’t take much time. Your panel and time slot is already decided. Just that, there’s a candidate in the interview while you arrive. So in another 15–20 mins, you’d go in.
The panel consists of 3 members. It’d be a mix of admission team, faculty, alumni etc. For the next 30–45 mins, they’ll grill you on various things, professional, personal, your clarity of thought etc.
Some common questions are
- Why MBA
- How would it benifit you
- What after MBA
- Professional knowledge, they can grill you on this
- Your achievements
- Your failure
- Your learnings
- Why should they select you over other candidates
- Your hobbies
- Extra curricular activities
- Any social causes
Mind you, a lot of questions would not be asked straight forward. For example, they didn’t ask me my hobbies. They asked me, what do I do in my free time. Instead of answering this, I asked them what is free time, how much free time? They did not clarify it, and asked me to answer as per my understanding.
So I gave them different scenarios.. if I have some time in the evening after work, if the weekend is free, if there’s a long weekend coming up or I am taking a holiday. I kind of covered the sports I play, my travel, photography etc. as different scenarios.
They’d also want to know how much clarity you have about things. They asked me why do I want to do MBA after armed forces… armed forces people struggle to get good jobs etc. My response was, Yes I am aware it’s difficult. Compared to an IT professional, or an engineer, it’d be difficult, but I come with different skills and experience which is also valued.
I followed up with examples of armed forces personnel who graduated from ISB and have got good jobs. I told them I’ve spoken with x, y, z persons (veterans and ISB grads) who have conveyed the challenges faced and what to focus on during the MBA. One of the panelist was an alumni, and one of the names I mentioned was her batchmate, as she revealed to the panel.
They do check if you are coming for the right reasons, you know the reality and struggles or are just blinded by the brand and placement figures. If you’ve done any first hand research or believing what you hear.
Anyways, I kept answering their questions, but at the end of it, I really wasn’t sure how I did. They don’t really show it in their expressions, if you are trying to read it. Luckily, I was selected and got the admission offer soon after.
Few tips.
- Prepare well
- Research first hand
- Have clarity of thought
- Keep calm
- Be truthful
- Don’t live in the fantasy world
Good luck.
4 – Date : October XY , 2020
Panel size : 3 (male: 1 , female: 2)
Interview duration : 30 mins
Interview type : Non stress , super chill alums
Personal background:
Engineer..Male..IT… aspiring Prod Manager ..gmat 710…work ex.- 4 yrs 3 m
Annotations used :
Interviewer 1 – super senior alum,male,friendly ( M),
Interviewer 2 – 2015 batch alum,female, cold expression throughout(F1),
Interviewer 3 – 2018 batch alum, female, supportive (F2)
Interview questions:
M : What is Ranchi famous for, apart from Dhoni? This was followed by discussion on Jharkhand being a mineral rich state and what Madhu koda did to Jharkhand. Madhu koda came into the discussion because I talked about his 5000 cr scam first. Overall, this discussion went for a minute.
M : Any instance of your formative year where you showed leadership skill.
Talked about an instance from my professional career. M wanted some other example. Talked about me being the school house captain.
M : Why ISB and also, mention the biggest achievement of your life.
Talked about my interest in product management and how ISB provides a good platform. Talked about ISB’s strong prod management community. Talked about the kind of diversity that I have at my work place and related it to ISB. Talked about strong ISB alum network. Also mentioned how my experience fits well with ISB’s batch average experience.
F1 : Tell me more about the Cricket example that you have mentioned in your leadership essay.
Explained it. Follow the STAR method. I had it my mind but while speaking, STAR ka band baj jata hai interview me so practice it.
F2 : Tell me about the projects that you have been working on.
Elaborated the projects. Told about the developemt and customer focus experience.
F2 : Is it a direct interaction with the customer or is it an interaction with your extended support team which further coordinates with the customer?
Explained about the kind of interaction. She was convinced.
F1 : Tell me more about the customer escalation example that you have mentioned in your leadership essay.
Explained.
F1: Was there any appreciation for the work ?
Told about the award that I had received. Had forgot to end my previous answer with the appreciation that I had received. So, try to include the achievements in your answers.
M : In your LOR , your prod manager has mentioned that there was an instance when he gave you a feedback to holistically view a project before starting it. What was this instance about?
Tried to explain why was the feedback given and how I took it in a constructive manner without being bogged down by it.
M : Also, in your LOR, there has been a mention of you co-ordinating the tasks well. So, what kind of interaction do you have with your product manager. Do you guys discuss about product management roles or are these just coffee corner discussions.
Explained my work related dependencies on my prod manager. Also discussed about how he helps me with my customer related escalations.
F2 : I do see you have really good exposure on development and customer enablement fronts. You already interact with your prod manager and work with him. Don’t you think working in the same role will lead to your short term goal of being a prod manager. Why is an MBA required.
Started with how my current role has provided me the required progression in terms of engineering driven perspectives. Talked about the limitations of my role in terms of opportunities to develop business acumen. Told her that even if I continue in this role, I might get an entry level prod management role after 4-5 years but my knowledge of functional know how of things will still be very limited. So, instead of waiting for 4–5 years to develop this knowledge, would like to go ahead with formal business education and that is why an MBA and would prefer to use the post MBA 3-4 years to hone the business skills gained through MBA.
She said that it does make a lot of sense.
M: Since we do have some more time left. Let me put you in a situation. Imagine you are a product manager at Amazon and you have to come up with an app that elderly people can use to take their thoughts away from corona. What will you think of.
I took some time to think and did a lot of cross questions. Then came up with an idea of selling virtual experience on Amazon. The experience can be of Selling a subscription for live Ganga Aarti for the religious people.
M: How will you ensure that elderly use this application without any help.
Took some time and told them that may be a simple UI can help..he himself suggested that let us drop this. Seems a difficult one.
F2 : What are some life lessons learned from cricket. How have you used these lessons in your personal and professional life.
Answered ..
M : Any question for us….
Did ask one and always do ask atleast one. If nothing comes into your mind, ask about their experience or learning that they feel remained till date even after so many years of graduating from ISB.
And the interview ended.
5 – Panel: You seem to be timid and submissive. Do people take you seriously?
Candidate (Male): They don’t, till the time I open my mouth. Once I do that, things change.
(Result – Admitted)
Panel: Did you take feedback on your previous application?
Candidate (Heavy Bengali Accent): Yes – they said my communication skills were not up to the mark.
Panel: And what do you feel?
Candidate: Given my background, I cannot speak the Queen’s English. I want to build a career in Engineering. I may not sound impressive, but I can explain drawings better than anyone else.
(Result – Admitted)
Panel: Money or ethics?
Candidate (Female): Money.
Panel: Elaborate.
Candidate: There is no absolute black or perfect white – all I see around me are different shades of gray. I am not unethical, but I don’t see any saints around me. To move ahead, I need to be smart, and play my cards well.
(Result – Admitted)
These are actual ISB interviews. For every such success story, I have at least one more of a candidate who was rejected. And after having conducted hundreds of actual interviews, I can assure you that winning candidates have attributes in common. The MBA interview is not designed to be rough, and the above questions aren’t the typical questions, but keep in mind that the panel can ask you anything. Also, don’t mislead yourself into believing that these candidates displayed brilliance – they did, but more than that, they displayed authenticity.
The ISB interview will be a panel interview – you will have two to three members who could either be alums or senior staff. Personally, I am not very fond of 3-member panels. I don’t find the process very efficient; there is pressure on candidates and a large panel makes the environment intimidating. Moreover, members could have a tendency to struggle for airtime, which could make the process unproductive. Foreign B-Schools will have one member – a senior staff or an alumnus. In India, most foreign schools will have alum interviews or ‘discussions.’ Harvard interviews, as some of you know, will be conducted by staff.
No matter whom you interview with, the nature of the interview remains fairly common. For most schools, including the ISB, the interview will remain within the realms of your own profile. For the most part, there will be no ‘trick’ questions, and if there are any, they will be from your own function or industry, and will only facilitate a validation of your claims. Alums are instructed to check whether (a) they would want you in their study group and (b) they would want you in their alumni network. This thought has merits. Alums have interest in their school’s reputation. Given that they have been through the journey, they will want to associate with candidates who display potential. Amongst the many strategies out there, here are a few that work.
Approach the interview as a conversation. The interview is not about right or wrong answers. It’s about how you answer and how you substantiate your claim. Be careful while using statistics – they cannot be argued with. Don’t be the smart alec. Alums generally do not like arrogance. Try to gauge the evaluator’s body language, and respond to it. If they want to change course, or ask another question, they will give you signals. Follow their lead!
Answer the question and don’t beat around the bush – request the panel for a minute in case you need to bring structure. Don’t memorize and don’t try and cover everything. The panel can gauge how desperate you are for the MBA, and believe it or not, trying too hard can lead them into believing that you are needy. Confident and high potential candidates come across as deserving but not needy. Often a time displaying interest in a program comes across as neediness. I once interviewed a candidate who went on and on about clubs she wanted to be a part of, the classes she wanted to take, and alums she was in touch with. She didn’t get in. The panel doesn’t want to know how well you researched the program; they want to see whether you are serious about your career, and whether you have taken measures to learn and progress.
While you prepare for your interview, think about examples from your life that left an impression on you, and then try to apply them to various questions. For example, a project you worked on in China or Africa could be relevant to various behavioral questions on handling people, challenging situations or diversity. Stick to examples from your professional life, unless you are committed on a curricular interest. B-Schools are interested in your career, and they know you are not going to throw ball for a living! As an informal rule, 80% of your answers should be from your professional career.
All schools will evaluate you on communication. Communication does not mean fluent English; it means clear thinking and getting the meaning across. Be honest about your shortcomings and do not appear defensive. If you can, position your weaknesses as strengths, or try to display measures you have taken to improve upon them. I once interviewed a candidate who was laid off. He tried to mask his unemployment by talking about how he had become richer as a result of his travels, which his work was not allowing. Again, he went on and on. Ultimately, I had to tell him that an evaluation was only possible if he answered the questions. He didn’t get through, and this was not because he was unemployed. It was because of his judgment – he doubted the panel’s intelligence. If he was honest about his situation and elaborated on his struggles, he would have had a shot.
Read the newspaper. ISB is unlikely to ask you questions around current affairs, but they can ask you deeper questions about your industry or function. You are expected to talk intelligently about matters you have claimed in you application. Having a grip on current matters pertaining to your industry will give you an advantage.
I know some alums and staff who ask puzzles and trick questions. I am not fond of such questions, and they are not the norm, but you may still get them. Take a minute or two, but if you cannot solve the puzzle, don’t waste time. Walk the panel through your thought process and respectfully surrender!
The firm handshake and the ‘thank-you’ note – give me a break! I never found anyone who made an impression with a handshake, let alone get an offer. Staunchness comes across as simulated. I’m not saying don’t shake hands – gauge the environment. If you evaluator asks you to sit, and the table is large, you don’t have to walk all the way around only to greet the panel. Similar is case with the ‘thank you’ note – ditch it, because nobody reads it!
ISB Hyderabad Fee Structure
ISB’ PGPMAX offers invaluable lessons in management, both from outstanding faculty and experienced peer group, providing you with a unique opportunity to gain business and leadership skills, expand your professional network, and prepare you to achieve your career aspirations.
PGPMAX programme fee for the academic year 2024-25 is INR 41,78,000 plus taxes. The fee includes admissions & tuition fees, course material, and boarding & lodging for most days.
To gain a better understanding of the programme benefits and ROI, we advise you to attend one of our information sessions or reach out to the Admissions Team.
The programme focuses on managing the business in a fast-evolving environment. The School works with its Associate Schools to create a curriculum that reflects best global practices that provide conceptual knowledge which helps in improving and broadening existing skills.
The programme fee for the academic year 2024-25 is ₹ 41,78,000 plus taxes. The fee includes admission fee, tuition fee, course material, and boarding & lodging for most days.
some additional expenses
Security Deposit
A refundable security deposit of ₹20,000 has to be paid in addition to the programme fee. This amount is refundable after deduction of any dues payable to the School.
Alumni Fund Contribution
An alumni membership of ₹25,000 + GST is payable by all participants of the programme. The alumni membership is non-refundable for participants who successfully graduate from the programme. This fee will be fully refundable for participants who do not graduate from the programme either due to withdrawal or failure to clear the examinations.
Expenses not included in the programme fee are:
- Travel for classes at ISB-Hyderabad/Mohali.
- Travel (airfare/local conveyance) for the international immersion.
- Purchase of laptops and other electronic aids recommended by the Programme Office.
- Other miscellaneous expenses like mini bar, laundry, beverages, meals outside campus etc
Notes:
- ISB reserves the right to revise the programme fee.
- The school realises its fee in Indian rupees. Participants who want to remit the fees in foreign currency can do so by remitting the foreign currency equivalent to INR, based on the prevailing exchange rate.
- The refund of any fee is subject to the refund policy prevailing at the time of seeking a refund.
- It is mandatory to live in accommodation provided by the school during the days of classes.
- All participants are required to have a personal laptop, the minimum specifications of which will be sent before the start of the programme. Official laptops are not allowed.
ISB Hyderabad Scholarships
Scholarships
PGPMAX offers a limited number of merit-based scholarships aimed at assisting deserving candidates to enroll in the programme. Competition for the scholarship awards is high. The Scholarship Committee considers applications from candidates who demonstrate the below criteria:
- Community-minded and socially responsible
- Strong academic and professional profile with a track record of professional achievements
- Demonstrate leadership skills
- Potential for exceptional performance and impact
- Potential to become an excellent ambassador for ISB as a student and as an alumni
- Spouse of a PGPMAX alumni
- Women leaders and professionals, especially those working in the Public / Social Sector enterprises.
Scholarship awards are for a partial amount of the overall fee and usually range between 20% and 25% of the tuition fees.
