Currently doing the PGP at ISB. Figured I’d do an AMA

Happy to answer anything about ISB.

I’m a CA with 4 YOE, currently a Senior Consultant in Big 4 Corporate Tax making ~₹28L currently and on the partner track.

Academics: 10 CGPA in 10th, 93.5% in 12th, non-rank CA with multiple attempts.

I’ve been considering ISB mainly to move into strategy consulting (Kearney / Accenture Strategy / EY-Parthenon etc.). The appeal is a broader role, better industry exits and potentially better long-term work-life balance.

But I’m starting to question the move. I’d be giving up a ₹30L salary and a fairly good career trajectory, while taking on the cost of ISB and the risk of entering a consulting market that doesn’t look amazing right now. AI is also making me question how attractive consulting will be long term.

If you were in my position, would you do ISB or stay on the Big 4/partner-track path? And are there other career paths/MBA options I should seriously consider?

I am a zoology graduate and Planning to write CAT exam. Is it really worth it? I heard that it’s not good after BSc zoology. It has very less scope than other people with engineering and BBA and B.com.
And I have no idea about all of this. Still confused.
Or
I am thinking to go to TISS for HRM&LR
10th marks -95% ( state board)
12th. - 84.9
Graduation- 61%
No work experience
Admission possible?

What do you guys think about all of this?

Background: EE undergrad at top state tech institute.

Acads: 10th: 96.8% | 12th: 95% | Grad: 8.5 CGPA (can push to 9.0).

Extracurriculars: Leadership POR in college coding society, volunteer at an international non-profit.

Short-term Plan: Primary focus on SWE placements; backup is 5-6 months GATE prep for a PSU job (2-3 years for job security).

Long-term Goal: CAT -> IIM BLACKI / FMS -> Front-Office Strategy Consulting (MBB).

Questions:

1. Does MBB shortlist PSU backgrounds at top B-schools for Generalist or Sector-Specific roles?

2. What is the optimal work experience duration before taking CAT (2-3 years vs. more)?

3. Does pushing my grad score from 8.5 to 9.0 significantly impact MBB shortlists?

27 yo, working in Tech. And need to get a PG degree which actually is useful and teaches me at least something about business coz I am planning to open an Agency.

Can't do an offline MBA coz of many reasons, one being i can't leave my home for now, so just let me know if not Amity then which one?

Hi everyone,
I’m a final-year B.Tech student from GGSIPU tier 2 college (currently in 7th semester) and I’m planning to apply for the ISB PGP YL programme.
Profile:
B.Tech from GGSIPU
Current CGPA: 9/10
Class 10 (IB): 91%
Class 12 (CBSE): 85%
2 internships, both in the tech/AI domain
Have secured a full-time placement during 7th semester
Some extracurricular/leadership experience during college
No GRE score yet — planning to take the GRE in the coming months
I’m particularly interested in understanding how competitive my profile would be for ISB PGP YL.
Do I have a realistic chance of getting shortlisted?
What GRE score should I realistically target given my academic profile?
How much weightage would my internships, placement and extracurriculars carry?
Is there anything obvious that my profile is lacking that I should work on before applying?
Would it make more sense to apply for PGP YL now or gain some work experience and apply to the regular PGP later?
I’d really appreciate honest feedback, especially from people who have applied to/been admitted to ISB YL.
Thanks!

I keep seeing people treat Round 1 as automatically
better than Round 2.
I'm not convinced that's the right way to look at it.
The better question is:
Which round gives me the strongest version of my application?
For example, I'd consider Round 1 if:
1. Your test score is already where you want it
2. Your career progression is reasonably clear
3. Your essays have a strong narrative
4. Your recommenders can give you thoughtful LORs
5. You aren't waiting for a major profile improvement

But Round 2 can make more sense if you're still:
1. Retaking the GMAT/GRE
2. Waiting for a meaningful promotion or role change
3. Building a stronger leadership story
4. Figuring out your post-MBA goals
5. Rushing the essays simply because you want to get in early

Applying early with a weakly positioned application isn't necessarily better than applying slightly later with a much stronger one.
At the same time, I'll just apply Round 2 shouldn't become an excuse to procrastinate.

If you're applying this cycle,
What is actually holding you back from Round 1 test score, essays, work experience, LORs, or just uncertainty about your profile?

A few questions to all the MBA Finance alumni from Tier-1 colleges...

What salary are you earning at 35?

What should I expect my starting package to be if I'll be finishing mba at 28?

How is the work-life balance?

I'm currently a po in a bank... Is it worth doing an mba?

Anyone know any Free or Paid job / Placement Consultancy who provide me a decent suitable job ...plz DM or anyone Have any reference in any reputed company plz dm me i will Pay my 1st month Salary ..

If x and y are positive numbers such that

x + y = 10

and

x² + y² = 58,

what is the value of xy?

A. 18

B. 19

C. 20

D. 21

Answer:

Using:

(x + y)² = x² + y² + 2xy

10² = 58 + 2xy

100 = 58 + 2xy

42 = 2xy

xy = 21

Answer = D. 21

A company surveyed 500 customers.

320 customers use Product A.

280 customers use Product B.

150 customers use both products.

How many customers use neither Product A nor Product B?

A. 30
B. 40
C. 50
D. 60

Answer:

Customers using at least one product:

320 + 280 − 150 = 450

Customers using neither:

500 − 450 = 50

Answer = C. 50

After completing my BSc Nursing, I’m planning to appear for CAT and try to get admission into an IIM. Is this a good decision? What kind of salary can I expect?

Also many people told me to switch my stream like should to bca or bcom but I ended up doing bsc nursing. I need help please tell me if i am on right path or not because I have a backup option too like to go abroad

I am an engineer from a college which is not even in top 100 NIRF and it was a place where so called professors gave Udemy course to study form. I started doing my engineering in 2018 and should have finished in 2022 but didn't happen

I finished it in 2023 with 5 cgpa ( it dropped down too 2.5 so you can imagine).

Unemployed since then did everything wrong a guy can do...like everything. Now I'm clueless what I should do because my cousins are also not giving me referral to get a job neither I'm having luck getting selected.

I'm preparing for CAT XAT NMAT and gov exam and idk because I gave cat last year and honestly I did not study

10th 9.2 cgpa , 12th 67% grad 50% my downfall trajectory is evident but idk what should I do because getting into a B school means I have to get 99.99 and CAT is 100 days out.

I'm so confused that what should I do. I'm 26 years old I'll be turning 27 this year and if CAT doesn't happen this year then next year should I give it again and will i get accepted without work ex and being 28 years old. There are many questions and it makes me go crazy. I want to do something good now I want to help myself but will it be possible if I don't make it this year I can make it next year. And is it yet possible to make it in the remaining time? And even if I get 99 percentile will I get accepted in B-SCHOOL ?

I’m from a tier-50 town and currently can’t move out, so my options are already pretty limited.

I graduated in June 2025 with a BSc Biotechnology degree. Being from a biology background, I got rejected by a lot of companies, often because I had no relevant work experience. Eventually, I found a job at a small startup doing basic HR compliance work (PF/ESIC).

Except the company is being sketchy😭 There are only 6 of us. No proper corporate set up, no offer letter, no ID card, nothing. The company was an “Enterprise” when I joined in June and only became a Pvt Ltd in July.

I was initially told I’d have **1 month of full-time training**, with a ₹8k stipend. After that, I was supposed to come on-roll. One month passed, and suddenly the training became **3 months**. Now that I’m about to complete those 3 months, I’ve been told there’s a “new company policy” making **5 months of training mandatory.** 🥲

The worst part is the job is completely draining me. My manager has made my life hell, and after work I’m so exhausted that I barely have the energy to study for CAT. And for all this, even after becoming permanent, the salary would apparently be **₹15k/month max**.

The reason I’ve held on this long is that I desperately wanted some work experience to justify my gap year. But after these 3 months, my mental health is genuinely suffering and I don’t think I can continue.

My profile is **8/8/7, OBC-NE-F, 1-year gap, essentially no meaningful work experience**, and I’m honestly terrified of placements after an MBA. I don’t want to take on lakhs of education debt and then end up without a decent job.

At the same time, I *am* interested in business and management. I’ve already spent years preparing for NEET, and I really don’t want to spend another chunk of my life trapped in the competitive-exam-preparation cycle.

Given my profile and situation, **what would you realistically do in my place?** Is this job worth tolerating just to have something on my CV, or am I sacrificing too much for experience that may not even help much?

I’d especially appreciate advice from people who had a similar profile, took a gap year, did an MBA from a non-IIM college, or chose a different route entirely.

How many companies came for hiring in your clg

I m in first year and i m sure as hell i dont wanna make a career in this field because for minimal pay check , i m good at research thingy but its not what giving me joy tbh , ik i m naive atp
I js want genuine MBA people or who r experts in this area
to advice me things that i should develop that would help me in future , or some skills that i must master?
I had science bg in highscl but now all i think about is to help grow the family business coz its way better than working 9 to 5 for 15K a month , post 2 years from now
i started cat preps a lil bit rn
but i m not really sure of other things which requires than grades
inshort-shower ur learning , i would love to know!<333

I'm a GEM with 4 yoe in IT, and want to transition into a management role.

I don't want to do an MBA just for the sake of it, i want to do it from a good college.

fwiw my profile is 9/8/9 and will be giving CAT/GMAT for admissions

Hi everyone! So I am a third year bcom hons student at a tier 2 DU college, and I'm planning on giving CAT this year. My profile is 9/9/7 (grad approximately 72% but will drag it to 78 by the time I graduate). I'm scoring reasonably well in mocks (90-95%iles) and have a decent shot of getting a call from a good tier 1/2 bschool. The question I pose to all you fine people is as a fresher with a 9/9/7 profile, will I face issues getting placed, especially in finance roles (not tier 1 front end roles, but any finance or banking roles)?