From JBIMS to Consulting: what does it take to be a Management Consultant? How can one convert JBIMS? Careers360 interviewed to MAH CET topper to find out answers to these questions. Shubham Karne is a MAH CET topper who scored 99.39 percentile in MAH CET and 99.88 percentile in CAT, He talks about his CAT and MAH CET preparation journey, JBIMS campus life, and his experience as a consultant at Deloitte.
Careers360 - Tell us a little bit about yourself and your profile.
Shubham - I am currently living in Mumbai and working as a consultant in Deloitte. Although I am originally from Aurangabad. I did my mechanical engineering from COEP Technological University. After that I joined JBIMS for studying MBA in the batch of 2021 to 2023.
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Check out | MAH MBA CET College Predictor
Careers360 - How does a day look like in the life of a consultant
Shubham - The day depends on what project you are working on. We don't have daily check-ins and all of that. We work in our team specifically. I think this varies team-wise in every company. Some days are hectic the others are not. A consultant has to wear different hats in a single day. Sometimes I am a sales associate and other times I am a marketing researcher. So the roles and responsibilities keep changing.
Check out | How to become a management consultant
Also, read | When and how to start CAT exam preparation?
Careers360 - If someone wants to become a consultant, is it necessary for them to learn tools like Python, Power BI, or SQL?
Shubham - The primary job of a consultant is to work on data and analyze it. Therefore these tools become important. However, as I mentioned before It depends on the project you are working on. Yes, I do financial modeling sometimes, but it majorly depends on Excel itself. Now we have AI but we do the majority of the index a lot on Excel itself. What is expected of you is to have basic business acumen and problem-solving skills.
Careers360 - Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?
Shubham - I was doing my engineering, and I was working on an AI startup called AI Adventures. While I was working there, I decided that I would do an MBA in the distant future. During my job at AI Adventures, I was able to work with a lot of people. I was leading teams I enjoyed working with people. I wanted to explore more fields and become a more skilled individual with a good network. Hence I decided to pursue an MBA.
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Careers360 - What MBA entrance exams did you give?
Shubham - I gave MAH CET and I also appeared for CAT in 2021. I scored 99.88%tile in MAH CET and I scored 99.39%tile in CAT.
Check out | When and how to start CAT exam preparation?
Careers360 - How did you manage CAT preparation along with MAH CET Preparation?
Shubham - I prepared for CET for six months initially, and that preparation helped me a lot. It has created a base for CAT preparation. I would say there is around 40% to 50% overlap in topics and questions.
Careers360 - When did you start giving CAT Mocks and MAH CET Mocks?
Shubham - I gave a mock the very first day of my preparation, trying to understand where I stand. I got the idea that I was decent in English and weak in LR. I understood which section of MAH MBA CET was an opportunity for me and which section was a threat. So for the next month, I didn't give any mocks. I decided to complete the MAH MBA CET syllabus from A to Z. After completing the syllabus I started giving mocks again.
Check out | Download MAH MBA CET Past Year Papers
Careers360 - When you were preparing for CAT and MBA CET, which colleges were on your list that you wanted to get into?
Shubham - Definitely, IIM Ahmedabad, JBIMS, and FMS were on my list.
Check out | Top MBA Colleges accepting MAH MBA CET score in India
Careers360 - Did you get calls from any other top B-schools of the country?
Shubham - I got calls from all the IIMs. I had converted all the IIMs except IIM A and IIM B. Apart from these, I also got an admission in JBIMS through merit.
Full version of CAT Topper’s Interview: From MAH CET Topper to JBIMS | Shubham | CAT 99.4%tile
Check out this video to watch the complete conversation.
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On Question asked by student community
With a 91.16 percentile in MAH MBA CET 2025, you have a good chance of securing admission in decent MBA colleges in Maharashtra. While top institutes like JBIMS or Sydenham may be out of reach, colleges such as PUMBA, SIES, Chetana’s, MET, and DY Patil are realistic options. Among these, PUMBA offers the best return on investment with a low fee structure and an average package of around 6–6.5 LPA. Other colleges typically offer packages in the 3.5–5.5 LPA range. Since you plan to take a loan, choosing a college with low fees and strong placement support is important. Make sure to register and participate in all CAP rounds and prioritize your college options carefully. With the right choice and consistent effort during your MBA, placements are definitely possible.
With 91.16 percentile, you can target top-tier MBA colleges like PUMBA (Pune University), MET Mumbai, SIESCOMS Navi Mumbai, and NL Dalmia. Welingkar and K J Somaiya may be slightly out of reach but possible under lower cutoffs or spot round.
With 42 percentile in MAH MBA CET, it is very difficult to get admission in good or top MBA colleges through CAP rounds. Most of the well-known colleges in Maharashtra like JBIMS, SIMSREE, Welingkar, and PUMBA usually take students who score more than 90 or 99 percentile. Even average colleges ask for at least 60 to 70 percentile.
With 42 percentile, you may get a seat in a very low-tier or less popular private college, but the chances are low in government or semi-government colleges. You should still attend the CAP rounds and fill as many options as possible. Also, use a college predictor tool to check which colleges you might get based on your percentile.
Dear Aspirant,
If you have scored 80 out of 200 in the MAH MBA CET 2025, your expected percentile is likely to be in the range of 60 to 70, depending on the overall performance of candidates and the difficulty level of the exam this year. Based on previous years’ trends, a score of around 120+ usually corresponds to a 95+ percentile, while scores between 100 and 110 typically fall in the 85 to 90 percentile range. Therefore, with 80 marks, you may not qualify for top colleges like JBIMS, SIMSREE, or PUMBA, but you can still explore admission opportunities in mid-level management institutes in Maharashtra. Some of the colleges you could consider include SIES College of Management Studies, Indira Institute of Management Pune, MET Mumbai, Chetana’s Institute of Management and Research, and IES Management College. Your chances may also vary based on your category and whether you are applying under the Home University (HU), Other University (OHU), or All India (AI) quota.
Congratulations on your score! To estimate your percentile for the MAH MBA CET 2025, it depends on the overall difficulty of the exam, the number of students appearing, and how others perform in the exam.
However, based on trends from previous years, here is a rough estimate:
94 marks in the MAH MBA CET typically corresponds to a percentile range of approximately 95-98 percentile , assuming the exam's difficulty level is consistent with previous years.
The exact percentile can vary depending on the specific performance of all candidates in your slot and the total number of candidates. It is always better to wait for the official result release to get an accurate percentile.
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