MBA degrees span a year or two; however, the making of an MBA Aspirant is a journey that starts way before. If you’re an MBA aspirant confused beyond your wits as to how your journey will pan out, worry not. Every year, lacs of students appear for MBA entrance exams in the hope of taking off on their corporate careers. While it’s not sunshine and roses for everyone, there are a few phases all of them go through.

To provide you with some clarity, here’s a brief rundown on these phases.

June – January: Prep Phase
Right from MAT, NMAT, GMAT, to CAT 2019, XAT, and CMAT, most exams are conducted within this time frame. Students find themselves immersed in books and the stress of cracking the exam prevails.

CAT Preparation

October – February: Exams
An array of exams held by different institutions across India take place within this period – some in batches and some at one go. When the D-day arrives, students put their best foot forward.

January – March: Exam Results
The moment of truth knocks on the door. Students meet their fate and proceed with either the latter stages of the cycle or move back to phase one.

January – April: Form Deadline
Colleges open their doors for new entrants by making the application forms available to the aspirants. Students are required to fill the form within the stipulated time to stay in line for the steps to come.

February – March: GD/PI Shortlisting
The process to shortlist potential candidates and evaluate them even further commences around this time. Students who have filled the form receive calls for GD, i.e. Group discussion and PI, i.e. Personal Interview (provided they meet the institution’s requirement).

March – April: GD/PI
Students who receive the call choose to either attend a college’s GD/PI or move forward with another college of their choice. Some students meet with the dilemma of prioritising an institution over another if their schedules clash. For most others, this phase remains relatively smooth.

April: Final Call Letter
Students who ace the GD/PI receive a call letter from the institutions they had interviewed for. At this point, the students block their seats by paying a defined percentage of the total fee. In this phase, students either make the critical decision of investing their money to secure a seat at these institutes or wait until the college of their choice gives them a call.

May – June: Waitlist and Refund
Colleges create a waitlist comprising of the students they may enrol depending on the availability of seats. Students are assigned a specific number denoting their position on this list. This number may move up the ladder if a student higher up on the list decides to not contend for the offered seat anymore.

It may so happen that a student who has already blocked a seat at another institute is in the waitlist of their goal institute and gets placed there. In such cases, the student applies for a refund at the institute they may have blocked a seat at.

July: The official academic year begins

Voila, the dream now starts turning into reality.

Note: *Months are subject to changes depending on the schedule of various exams and colleges*

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With love and luck,
PaGaLGuY