If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.
- Vince Lombardi
For 8 consecutive years, MBAGuru students have displayed their overwhelming superiority over competition. Their performance stands out majestically like a sky-scraper amidst low-rise single-storied dwellings.
2010 saw a dip in number of CAT takers for the second year running. Even as the recession was beginning to recede(!), the harrowing time that aspirants had at CAT-2009 probably ensured that only the bravest chose to repose their faith in the operational capabilities of the IIMs and Prometric. While the total number of aspirants dipped from 2.41 lakhs to 2.06 lakhs, the number of seats at the Top-6 IIMs i.e. IIM-Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode remained at around 2350, with only 50.5% of those available to general category candidates. So, the increase in seats for general category candidates over the past 3-4 years has been rather negligible.
As per the current information, all the 13 (so far :-)) IIMs contribute to a total of nearly 2750 seats, with the 7 new ones contributing only around 420. The total number of IIM calls was around 6500, with around 5000 of these coming from the top 6 IIMs. The total number of students receiving calls was approximated to be 3300, with 2500 being the corresponding number for the top 6 IIMs.
Restricting our comparison and analysis only to the top-6 IIMs as that would best indicate the performance one can see that on an average, every 100 CAT aspirants received 2.42 IIM calls from the top-6 IIMs. Comparing this average top-6 IIM performance with the performance of MBAGuru students, every 100 MBAGuru students received 14.5 IIM calls from the top-6 IIMs. This translates into 5.97 times higher success rate at CAT for MBAGuru students at CAT-2010.
This performance becomes even more remarkable when viewed cumulatively over the past 8 CAT years. While on an average the number of IIM calls per 100 CAT aspirants has been nearly 2.95, MBAGuru students have set a benchmark of 23.1 IIM Calls per 100 students. This makes the performance of MBAGuru Rooters almost 8 times (7.82 to be precise) better than average. Talk about increasing the chances of success via coaching! That’s hardly surprising though, because MBAGuru students are anything but average and the credit for this superlative performance lies, first and foremost, with the exceptional ability and commitment of MBAGuru students. Their efforts are augmented strongly by the YOUnique© framework at MBAGuru, which focuses on bringing out the best in each individual.
Naturally then, MBAGuru students also continued to rock the non-CAT exams – bettering the last year’s performance with 24.8% of MBAGuru students garnering calls from top B-Schools such as FMS, XLRI, NMIMS, IIFT, IRMA, SIBM, SCMHRD, GIM among others. The number of calls from Top B-Schools per 100 MBAGuru students still towers at 83.7 – a cumulative increase inspite of an ever increasing student base. This is an indication of the immense success of the 2-year old “A B-School for YOU” initiative under the YOUnique© framework at MBAGuru.
As CAT-2011 draws near, MBAGuru students stride ahead confidently to emulate, if not improve upon, the mind-blowing success of the MBAGuru students over the past 8 years!
CAT-2009 was a first in many ways. The CAT shed its 33-year old pencil-paper avatar and went Computer Based for the first time. Beset with the challenge of an unprecedented scale for a Compute Based Test, the IIMs, and the testing agency, were caught napping with glitches and gaffes galore! That, however, was beyond our control.
We had guessed the previous year that the number of CAT takers was due for a sensex-like correction, and it did go down from around 2.8 lakhs to an almost 15% lower figure. Still with 2.41 lakh students vying for only about 6000 IIM calls and 2800 seats at the IIMs (including the relatively new ones who have sprung up in abundance lately but actually have some distance to go before they can be spoken about in the same breath as the first 6 IIMs), the success rates for getting an interview call and for converting it were a shade under 2.5% and 1.2% respectively. Clearly it was a battle that needed much courage, ability, preparation and some luck for one to emerge victorious. But then the bountiful presence of the first three attributes is what separates MBAGuru-Rooters from the rest. MBAGuru-Rooters once again rose to the occasion – and overcame the inadequacies in the administration of the test, and the fierce competition – and emerged champions.
Looking at only the top 6 IIMs at CAT-2009, MBAGuru Rooters achieved 12.4 IIM Calls per 100 students. This translates into an extremely impressive 6.7 times better result when compared against the national average of 1.83 IIM Calls per 100 students for these 6 IIMs at CAT-2009. It becomes even more intimidating when seen cumulatively over the past 7 CAT year performances! With 26.02 IIM Calls per 100 students as against a national average of around 2.5 IIM Calls per 100 students, MBAGuru-Rooters end up with nearly 10.4 times higher success rate! This cumulative performance is obviously a better indicator as it shows that the performance is not a flash in the pan. There is a clear and sustainable method to this madness, which has adapted and stayed in tune with CAT for the past 7 years, and infact, ahead of it in many ways.
With a rapidly increasing pan-India footprint, the performance of our students at exams other than CAT also becomes increasingly important. Nearly 22.3% of MBAGuru-Rooters achieved calls from Top B-Schools including XLRI, FMS, IIFT, NMAT, IRMA, MICA among others. The number of calls from Top B-Schools per 100 MBAGuru-Rooters surprisingly remained steady at 82.7% - amazing that it has been hovering around this mark over the past 3 years inspite of a massive increase in the base of students. The number of B-Schools from where MBAGuru students received admission offers went up substantially to 170 – a clear testimony to the success of MBAGuru’s endeavour “A B-School for YOU” under its copyrighted YOUnique platform.
Here’s hoping for a smoother run at CAT-2010, given that CAT-2009 would have served as a wake-up call for the authorities conducting the CAT. That will ofcourse ensure a lesser role of luck in success at CAT, and therefore increase the probability of MBAGuru-Rooters enhancing on the glorious past performance.
From 2.1 lakhs in CAT-2007 to 2.8 lakhs in CAT-2008 - a whooping 33% increase - the numbers just keep growing. We are wondering if the CAT-aspirants market size is due for an occasional correction just like the sensex. The recession gaining momentum (ironical phrasing) across the globe surely did not reflect on the zeal of the CAT-takers across the nation. With the number of seats not really going up that drastically, the percentage success rate CAT took a major dip. An unfair reflection on the calibre of the students, which surely would have been as good as any other year.
So, around 4800 IIM calls for nearly 2.8 lakh candidates meant an average of 1.71 IIM Calls per hundred students. Compare this with the nearly 19.3 IIM calls per every 100 MBAGuru students at CAT-2008. This implies a success rate that is nearly 11.3 times higher than the average success rate at CAT. Just close your eyes and imagine a sky-scraper standing adjacent to a single story building!
A cumulative look at the CAT performance of MBAGuru-Rooters over the past few years makes things look even more impressive, and justifiably so. MBAGuru students continue to defy averages with nearly 38.6 IIM Calls per 100 enrolled students - which is nearly 22.5 times higher than the average success rate at CAT-2008. Another defining trait of MBAGuru students reflects in a healthy call conversion rate of nearly 43%. This against the typical call conversion of approximately 1 in 3 or 33%, is, mildly phrased, superlative. With odds against the selection of any individual growing by the day (with the increasing disparity in the aspirants and IIM-seats), this performance is primarily a reflection of quality of our students - their ability as well as their efforts, the personalized mentoring by IIT-IIM & Top B-School alumni and ofcourse the trademark YOUnique philosophy which lies at the heart of our delivery processes.
While IIM selections ofcourse set the benchmark, the diminishing seats to aspirants ratio makes it imperative to take a look beyond the IIMs (not in the IIPM way - pun intended J). Overall, nearly 23% MBAGuru students achieved calls from Top B-Schools - including FMS, MDI, SP Jain, XLRI, IIFT among a host of others. TeamMBAGuru began the ground-work on its YOUnique "A B-School for YOU" endeavour in line with its ingrained objective that MBAGuru our offerings have to become increasingly customised to ensure that each individual reached his/her best B-School. The number of Calls from Top B-Schools per 100 MBAGuru Students remained an impressive 83. Overall, MBAGuru students received admission calls from over 112 reputed B-Schools spanning the length and the breadth of the country.
CAT-2009 might bring in more aspirants and more surprises. It may change form too and go online. The odds against success may increase. The one thing we are rest assured of is that MBAGuru students will conquer all odds with their indomitable spirit and relentless effort!
It is not without reason that CAT is called the toughest entrance test in the world. And at CAT-2007, the toughest test only got tougher! But then the tough get going, when the going gets tougher.
Fast gaining recognition as the most successful MBA prep offering, MBAGuru faced a gigantic challenge - not only because of the erratic behaviour of CAT in terms of its unpredictability, but also because with the excellent growth in its student base and diversity thereof. So, how did the "tough" respond to the challenge?
Over 2.1 lakh candidates meant an increase of nearly 20% over the previous year's number of CAT takers, without a commensurate increase in the number of seats at the IIMs or other Top B-Schools. So, around 4500 IIM calls for nearly 2.1 lakh candidates meant an average of 2.1 IIM Calls per hundred students. Compare this with the nearly 32 IIM calls per every 100 MBAGuru students at CAT-2007. This meant a success rate that is nearly 16 times higher than the average success rate at CAT.
If you thought this was impressive, wait till you read the next bit! Seen cumulatively over the past few years, MBAGuru students continue to rule the roost with nearly 57 IIM Calls per 100 enrolled students - which is nearly 28 times higher than the average success rate at CAT. Maintaining such a superb success rate over a period of 5 years, and with an ever-increasing body of students seems quite IM-Possible - but not at MBAGuru, where the IM-Possible becomes IIM-Possible, year after year.
Overall, nearly 26% MBAGuru students achieved calls from Top B-Schools - including FMS, MDI, SP Jain, XLRI and IIFT. Initially focused upon a program for those who were aiming only for the IIMs, TeamMBAGuru realised that not even the best can be certain about their success at CAT with an increasing number of students vying for virtually the same number of seats each year. And that prompted TeamMBAGuru to work towards the objective that MBAGuru offerings became increasingly customised to ensure that each individual reached his/her best - whether that was an IIM, SPJain or an IMT. This bore tangible fruit as the number of Calls from Top B-Schools per 100 MBAGuru Students rose to a phenomenal 90. This means every 10 MBAGuru students had around 9 B-School calls on an average among them. In addition, MBAGuru students expanded the gamut of B-Schools conquered by them and received calls from over a 100 B-Schools, thereby opening up multiple options to choose from.
We are confident, without being complacent or arrogant, that our 2008 results will show once again that we know what goes into making champions at CAT - and knowing our students, we know they are champions in the making!
My expectations from MBAGuru were completely fulfilled and exceeded, both in terms of attention and enthusiasm. The classes are intensive and rigorous, along with a very relevant series of tests.
