Indian School of Business (ISB) is one of the most sought-after business schools in India. Consequently, the process of securing a place in this business school is also very competitive. ISB looks for crème de la crème while selecting its class. However, like any other business school, the Indian School of Business or ISB also tries to put together a diverse class of accomplished individuals. Hence, how would you convince the ISB Admissions Committee that you are an accomplished individual?
In this article, we lay down 8 steps to get into the Indian School of Business (ISB) in line with the ISB eligibility criteria for 2023. Also, it will help you gain insights on the questions- how to get into Indian school of Business?
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Here we’re listing all 8 steps on how to get into Indian School of Business:
Starting early is the key to preparing yourself for the ISB admission process. Consider this a psychological hack, and you will feel less pressured as you will have ample time to prepare. Planning it in a methodical way will ensure that you do not miss important aspects of your application because of the time crunch. Having ample time will let you work on refining your application as many times as possible without feeling pressured for time.
Starting early, starting strong!!
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When it comes to research there are 2 aspects to it:
To get into Indian School of Business (ISB) PGP applicant for the Class of 2023, you should have:
Early Entry Option (PGP deferred) – ISB
To be eligible for the Early Entry Option for a deferred admission, you will need to have:
YLP (PGP deferred) – ISB
To be eligible for the Young Leaders Program for a deferred admission, you will need to have:
Go to the ISB class of 2023 profile webpage and take a look at how the class is constituted. For your convenience, we have put the data in the below table.
ISB Class of 2023 Profile | Stats |
Enrolled | 843 |
Gender | |
Female | 37% |
Male | 63% |
Age (in Years) | |
22 to 26 years | 41% |
26 to 30 years | 48% |
Above 30 years | 11% |
GMAT Score | |
Range (Mid 80%) | 690 – 760 |
Median | 710 |
Work Experience (in Years) | |
upto 3 years | 211 |
3 to 5 years | 358 |
5 to 8 years | 224 |
Above 8 years | 50 |
Academic background | |
Engineers | 57% |
Non-Engineers | 43% |
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This table will give you an idea about the uniqueness of your profile. For instance, ISB’s 2022 class will give you a clear picture about:
Most importantly, this class profile represents the actual expectations of the ISB Admissions Committee. All selected applicants did fulfill the expectations of the ISB admission officers. But knowing the class composition of ISB is just scratching the surface when it comes to research. Proper research would require more digging, which brings us to the next step.
Are you an Indian engineer, planning to join ISB? Here are ISB application tips for you:
If other top business schools are also on your list, here are two articles on how to get into Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB
When it comes to ISB it really gives you access to information about their students. ISB has a webpage called ‘Connect with an ISB PGP Brand Ambassador.’ This page lets you connect with students who match your profile so that you can get genuine advice from someone who was in a similar situation last year. Hence, connecting on LinkedIn is not the only option.
For example, if you have been working in consulting for less than 5 years, you can refine your search and find current students matching that profile. You can then connect with them and get first-hand advice.
Below screenshot has been taken from the ISB website.
Once you have thoroughly understood the class composition of ISB and connected with few students with similar profiles as yours, you’ll have ample insights into the dos and don’ts of impressing the Admission Officers. Now, the next step is getting answers from the ISB Admissions Officers directly.
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Firstly, take a look at the official selection criteria of ISB. ISB looks for 3 things
They include the grades you earned for senior secondary school, Bachelor’s degree, post-graduation degree (if any), and certification courses (if any) along with GMAT scores.
ISB like every top business school aims to groom future leaders. What they need to see is the potential in you. Let me give you an example of Stanford MBA’s definition on the topic. It says, “Past actions usually are the best predictor of future behavior.” Therefore, it looks for examples of leadership qualities in your personal or professional life. Your resume and letters of recommendation are the best indicators of leadership potential.
Apart from how well you have done in the professional arena, ISB wants to know what makes you ‘tick’. Who are you when you are not working? What perspectives do you have about the world? The purpose is to know you personally and decide the uniqueness of your perspectives.
So, what do these 3 expectations of ISB actually mean? The best people to answer these are the admissions officers themselves. The best way to have a conversation with them is to attend the information sessions conducted by ISB.
ISB is conducting regional digital info sessions. You can register for the same by clicking on the link provided here.
Once you know what the MBA gatekeepers of ISB expect, you are now ready to assess yourself and accordingly fill the gaps in your profile.
At this point, there will be changeable and unchangeable aspects of your application. It is really important to focus on changeable factors. Taking the GMAT is one of them. From the class profile, you know that the average GMAT score of ISB’s class is 713. As a rule of thumb, a good GMAT score is at least 20 points more than the average. Therefore, a score of 730 and above would be a good score for ISB. However, identifying a good GMAT score also depends on your overall profile.
Once you have aced the GMAT and understood the gaps in your application, it’s time to prepare your essays. Essays are the best way to convey who you are, what you have accomplished, where you want to be in the future, and how ISB will help you accomplish your career goals.
For this year’s admission there are 2 essays that you have to write:
ISB Essay 1: Peer Learning is a major building block of PGP at ISB. Help us in understanding how will you be able to add value to the PGP peer group through your personal and professional qualities/capabilities? (400 words max)
To get the most out of this essay, introspection is important. Connect the dots of what major learnings you have had in your life and explain the best stories to the Admissions Committee. Make sure you do not exceed the word limit.
ISB Essay 2: What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How will Post Graduate Program at ISB assist you in achieving your goals? (400 words max)
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In short, this essay means, ‘Why ISB?’ The low word limit makes this essay quite challenging. What you need to explain to the admissions committee here are your career goals and how management education from ISB will help you achieve them. So, make sure that achieving the career goals you highlight must require business education. Take a look at this article which highlights how to write an essay highlighting your career goals.
ISB has re-introduced an essay for re-applicants. If you are re-applying to ISB, you’ll need to focus on how your profile has improved since applying to ISB the last time. You can highlight the experiences which made you a stronger candidate this year. Since the theme for the first essay is ‘diversity’, you can highlight this aspect in your essay.
ISB states the following for reapplicants:
Received the interview call? You’re one step closer to your goal. This means that ISB already sees potential in you. All they want now is to assure themselves that you are a worthy candidate by having a conversation with you. ‘Interview’ is the common word used for this conversation. It goes without saying that be authentic during the interview. Authenticity and preparation will give you confidence.
Watch this video where ex-ISB admissions officer shares tips to crack the ISB interview in 2023:
Here are 10 tips to ace your ISB PGP interview:
I am sure you would want a similar communication from the admissions committee of ISB.
Therefore, to get into the Indian School of Business (ISB) make sure that you:
If you are planning to take the GMAT, we can give you access to quality online content to prepare. We are the most reviewed GMAT prep company on gmatclub with more than 2500+ reviews and have delivered 10x 700+ scores than the average GMATClub partner. Why don’t you take a free trial and judge it for yourself? Write to us at acethegmat@e-gmat.com in case of any queries.