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Unlike other degrees, Master of Business Administration (MBA) can be obtained by students from any discipline. Not only does it steepen the learning curve but also provides an opportunity for individuals to shift their career paths. Some notable institutes including IBA DU, DU FBS, NSU, BRAC, and BUP have been constantly challenging their students and unleashing their true potential to fit into the managerial role at their workplaces. Among such notable institutions, IBA of Dhaka University is a prominent name, regarded for its gruelling admission process which filters out the top talents of the country.
The IBA MBA admission exam is a two-hour long exam, consisting of both MCQs and a descriptive section. The MCQs consist of three sections with individual cut-off marks -- English, Math and Analytical Ability. Following the written assessment, the selected candidates proceed for the final interview round on campus.
The admission format of the exam is designed to evaluate the cognitive ability of the students and hence does not include any discipline-focused questions. The English section evaluates the communication skill of the students through testing their expertise in grammar, sentence construction, reading, and vocabulary. Books such as Cliff's TOEFL and Wordsmart are popular among admission aspirants for honing their English communications skills.
Practice is the key to nailing the Math section. The difficulty level of the question differs each year, making it difficult to predict the cut-off marks. However, it has been attested by most students that Math has been the determining factor behind being selected. Practice materials of similar difficulty levels are found in Mentors' Qbank, Nova's GRE, and Official GMAT Review. As Mentors' Qbank consists of questions from past admission tests, test takers suggest this should be given prime importance. Solving the entire book at least twice equips the candidates with the pace and time management skills required in the admission test. Nova's GRE and Official GMAT Review consist of a bit more advanced materials and hence should be explored once the past questions have all been solved.
The Analytical section is comparatively easier to score marks. This consists of Puzzles, Data Sufficiency and Critical Reasoning. Apart from the Mentors' Qbank, GRE Big Book is also a valuable resource for practice materials of this section. Following the MCQ section, a further 30 minutes are provided for the descriptive writing. This is relatively easier and requires a strong grip and practice in both English and Bangla.
Though it is not uncommon to hear people cracking the admission test with zero preparation, however it is ideal to keep a time span of around three months to prepare oneself completely for the admission test. There are coaching centres to make the admission aspirants prepared. Following the course content, there are extensive mocks held regularly which challenge the candidates and provide them with a much-needed reality check. Naima Nowshin Nabani, an MBA student of IBA, stated, "Preparing for the entrance exam along with managing a full-time job was challenging for me. Hence coaching centre was a better option for me as it provided organised and specific content. It provided me with a competitive environment and made me thrive better due to peer pressure and provided me a peer group to seek help from during the entire admission phase. However, it is not at all a necessity to get into coaching centres. For those with busy schedules, there are also enormous short videos available for the examinees which proved to be substantial for many others who got in with me."
Time allocation and management is a huge challenge during the exam. However, this is exactly what sets apart the individuals who get in. It is important to first skim through the questions and start with the section that seems the least challenging. You should plan and allocate time accordingly for each section right from the beginning of the exam to avoid any time mismanagement. She further mentioned, "There is a negative marking of 0.2 marks for every wrong answer and cut-off marks for individual sections, hence after 60 per cent of the questions have been answered, it is advised to skip to the next section and answer only if confident."
After the written assessment, the selected candidates proceed to the interview round. Now this is the big day, and make sure to look the best. This does not necessarily mean going all over the top, however, make sure to dress formally. The strategy for most during the interview round is determining the flow of the conversation. The purpose of the interview round is to not test the knowledge of the interviewee but rather their skill of communicating and ability to put their point across the table. Hence there is absolutely no need to worry even if you fail to answer any knowledge-based question. Just make sure to know what you want to talk about and drive the conversation accordingly.
In contrast to IBA DU, the BBA students of Faculty of Business Studies, Dhaka University, are automatically enrolled into the MBA programme unless there has been a shift in the department. The MBA admission test is only applicable for external students seeking admission and those who shifted departments. Sanjida Islam Mim, a current MBA student from the Department of Banking and Insurance, Dhaka University, mentioned, "The admission test is fairly simple and can be easily achieved with a regular allocation of around two hours for the preparation." She further mentioned that reading newspapers and current affairs greatly help especially in the General Knowledge and Focused Writing sections. Nazmul Huda, another MBA graduate of DU FBS, further emphasised solving past papers to familiarise themselves and to get a hunch of what they might expect in the real exam.
BUP employs an aptitude test similar to that of IBA, replacing the Analytical section with General Knowledge. Arifur Rahman Riad, a current MBA student from the Department of Business Administration (General), mentions, "Usually students require around one to two months to prepare specifically for the BUP admission test. Most students seek professional help from coaching centres focused on preparing for IBA which automatically equips the students with the knowledge required to crack the BUP admission test, however, those aiming particularly for BUP mostly study themselves."
MBA graduates from private universities are also highly sought after in the corporate world. The entrance exam is similar to other aptitude tests and relatively easier compared to others. According to JS Mahboob, a former MBA student of North South University, "The entrance exam of MBA is similar to that of its undergraduate programme. It consists of four sections -- English Grammar and Vocabulary, Math, Reading Comprehension and an Essay Section which can be easily prepared within a month or so."
The key to excelling in any assessment is to remain calm and persistent. If you're finding it difficult, don't worry because there are others finding it even more difficult. Make sure to stick through the admission journey, and keep putting in efforts even if immediate outcomes are not visible because ultimately, it is your efforts and a bit of luck which take you forward.
The writer is currently studying BBA at IBA, Dhaka University.