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Integrated MBA vs Regular MBA

Integrated MBA vs Regular MBA

Edited By Tarun Bisht | Updated on Sep 05, 2024 12:35 PM IST | #CAT

Choosing between doing an MBA or an Integrated MBA can be difficult at times as both come with their significant advantages and disadvantages. Candidates can choose either one depending on their career goals, educational background, and personal preferences in terms of long-term career aspirations. The one significant thing to note about an Integrated MBA is that candidates do not have many options to choose from while candidates wanting to pursue an MBA have a lot more options. This article provides a comparative analysis of MBA and Integrated MBA for candidates to help make a more sound decision.

MBA or Integrated MBA

An Integrated MBA is a combined undergraduate and postgraduate program that typically has a duration of 5 years. Out of the total 5 years duration, the first three years are for the undergraduate part while the latter two years are for the postgraduate management part of the program. On the other hand, a regular or traditional MBA is a postgraduate management program with a duration of two years. It can be either part-time or full-time. Integrated MBA can be pursued right after school but a traditional MBA requires the candidate to finish a Bachelor’s degree first.

MBA or Integrated MBA Key Differences

The key differentiating factors between a regular MBA and an Integrated MBA are presented in the table given below.

Differentiating Factor

MBA

Integrated MBA

Duration

2 Years

5 Years

Program Structure

A standalone postgraduate program in management and business administration.

Combines an undergraduate program along with a postgraduate management program.

Eligibility Criteria

A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university.

10+2 schooling in any stream.

Focus

Focuses on advanced business concepts and specializations.

Broad business education. Specialization comes in the later part.

Cost

Varies from college to college.

Generally lower cost due to being a combined program.

Financial Aid

Scholarships and educational loans are readily available.

Have fewer scholarship options.

Work Experience

Not mandatory but often having significant work experience might prove better.

No work experience is required.

Career Path

Typically leads to advanced role leveraging prior work experience.

Entry into the workforce with an MBA directly after.

Program Examples

MBA program by IIM Bangalore.

Integrated Program in Management (IPM) by IIM Rohtak

Entrance Exams

CAT, XAT, CMAT, GMAT, and GRE

IPMAT, JIPMAT

MBA or Integrated MBA Pros and Cons

The pros and cons of each MBA and integrated MBA are given in the table below.

MBA

Pros

Cons

Offers Flexibility

Higher Cost

Gives Specialization

Ultra competitive entrance exams

Networking Opportunities

Can create a gap between the UG and PG

Practical Experience

Lower number of seats in top colleges

Work Experience

High Cutoff

Great Placements


Integrated MBA

Pros

Cons

Seamless transition from UG to PG

Limited Flexibility

Cost Efficient

Lack of Industry Experience

Early start to career

Fewer specializations

Focused Curriculum

Big lock-in period

Easier to get into

Fewer options for financial aid


Fewer college options

MBA or Integrated MBA Which one to choose

The decision to choose between an MBA or an integrated MBA will largely depend on how a candidate wants to address their respective career path. Candidates with a firm decision to build a career in the management space right after school should go for an integrated MBA as it will save them from all the hassle later on. But, candidates who are still figuring out their career stream can explore while their graduation goes on they can keep the traditional MBA as their go-to choice in case they wish to finally go into the field of management.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which is best, an MBA or an integrated MBA?

Both MBA and integrated MBA have their pros and cons. Candidates can look out for both programs and decide which suits them better as per their career goals and interests.

2. What is the salary for an integrated MBA in India?

The salary for an integrated MBA in India ranges anywhere between Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 lakhs per annum. The salary for an integrated MBA depends on factors like job role, job location, specialization, etc.

3. Which IIM offers an integrated MBA?

IIM Indore, IIM Rohtak, IIM RanchiIIM Jammu, and IIM Bodh Gaya offer an integrated program in management. Interested candidates can take the IPMAT or JIPMAT entrance test to seek admission to the IPM programs designed for candidates who have just passed the 12th standard.

4. What is the IIM 5-year course after the 12th?

The 5-year course offered by IIM after the 12th is the Integrated Program in Management (IPM). Admission to these courses is based on the JIPMAT and IPMAT exams. Both are management entrance examinations that can be given right after school.

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Questions related to CAT

Have a question related to CAT ?

It just indicates that you have a provisional allocation and that registration for the general category is now open without reservation.If you meet the prerequisites to be enrolled in that specific course at your college, you can be admitted to the designated college.

Hello,

No, you cannot select the NC-OBC (Non-Creamy Layer Other Backward Classes) section in the CAT registration form if you belong to the RBA (Reserved Backward Area) category, even if your family income is less than Rs. 8 lakhs.

The NC-OBC category in the CAT registration form is specifically for candidates who belong to the Non-Creamy Layer of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) as per the central government’s list of OBCs. The RBA category is a separate category applicable mainly in states like Jammu & Kashmir, and it does not fall under the central OBC category.

If you belong to the RBA category, you should select the appropriate category you qualify for in the CAT registration form (General, SC, ST, EWS, or any other applicable category based on state or central government recognition).

Hope it helps !

Hello there,

With a 97 percentile in CAT mocks, you have a strong chance of getting into a top MBA college, especially if you can maintain or improve this percentile in the actual exam. However, admission to top IIMs or other premier institutes (like IIM A, B, C, FMS, etc.) also considers factors like:

1. Academic Profile: Your 10th and 12th marks are somewhat below the typical benchmarks set by the top IIMs, but your B.Tech CGPA is strong.

2. Work Experience (if applicable): Relevant work experience can significantly boost your profile.

3. Diversity Factor: Some colleges give weightage to academic diversity or gender diversity, which could benefit you depending on your profile.


4. Interview and GD/PI Performance: Performing well in the group discussions, written ability test, and personal interviews is critical.

For Tier-1 MBA colleges, if your CAT score remains at or above 97 percentile, you have a fair chance, but your slightly lower 10th and 12th scores may be a minor disadvantage at top IIMs. However, you should still be competitive for other top institutes like MDI, SPJIMR, IITs (for MBA), and others. Keep focusing on your CAT preparation to secure the best percentile possible.

Hope it helps Thankyou!

If you don't get confirmation email you should check your email id once again including junk spam folder sometimes confirmation email are delayed yo may get in 24-48 hours.

Also,you can log in to your cat registration account to verify your form

Lastly,reach out cat helpline via phone and email cathelpdesk@Iimcat.ac.in.

you need to fill number of months for which you have work ex and may be domain of work ex as well in cat form.write the industry within which you are currently working or which is the closest option you have.basically Forensic science is a multidisciplinary field so you can add this also, you must have salary slip, joining letter,work experience letter if you are claiming it.

BEST OF LUCK!!!

Directions for question :

M/s Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, one of the top four audit and accounting firms in the world with headquarters at London, UK, and with an operational presence in 153 countries, hires Management Trainees (MT) from all the premier management institutes of India thrice every year, in the months of January, May and September.

Each new group of Management Trainees (MT) have to go through a four month rigorous training schedule, after which they have to pass through a test consisting of a written assessment and a case-analysis. The top hundred ranked Management Trainees (MT) based on the performance in the test are confirmed as Management Executives (ME). The rest are given the opportunity of undergoing the training for four months one more time along with the next batch of Management Trainees (MT) and then passing through the subsequent test consisting of the written assessment and case-analysis. The Management Trainee (MT) who fails to get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the second time is fired.

The scatter-graph below depicts the number of Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte taking the tests from January 2020 till May 2022, and the vis-à-vis hired Management Trainees (MT) at Deloitte who were fired :

It is also known that for the month of September 2019 at Deloitte, 96 hired Management Trainees (MT) failed to be confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) the first time, and that 36 hired Management Trainees (MT) were fired. 

Question :

In which test did the minimum number of Management Trainees (MT) get confirmed as a Management Executive (ME) in the second attempt ?

Option: 1

September 2020

 

 


Option: 2

May 2021


Option: 3

January 2021

 


Option: 4

January 2022 


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Assuming that the next customer's order could only be attended to when the previous customer's order was closed, at what time would the first customer's order be considered closed ?

 

Option: 1

6.15 pm

 

 


Option: 2

6.17 pm

 


Option: 3

6.18 pm

 


Option: 4

6.20 pm


Directions for question :

Six sticks of equal lengths were kept in the vertical position in an empty flower-vase, to be arranged at the six corners of a regular hexagon. The two ends of each of the sticks were of different colours. 

The top ends of the sticks were one of each of the following colours – Red, Cyan, Pink, Brown, Black and Green. The bottom ends were one of each of the following colours – Blue, Yellow, White, Orange, Purple and Grey. Both the sets of colours mentioned were in no particular order.

It was also known that :

a) The stick with the red colour was opposite to the stick with the blue colour

b) There were exactly two sticks whose both ends had colours whose names started with the same letter

c) The stick with the grey colour was adjacent to the stick with the white colour

d) The stick with the cyan colour was adjacent to both the sticks with the brown colour and the one with the blue colour

e) The stick with the purple colour was adjacent to both the sticks with the grey colour and the one with the green colour

f) The stick with the white colour was opposite to the stick with the green colour

Question :

What was the colour of the bottom end of the stick having brown colour at the top end ?

Option: 1

 White 

 


Option: 2

Yellow 


Option: 3

Black

 


Option: 4

Grey


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Assuming that the next customer's order could only be attended to when the previous customer's order was closed, at what time would the third customer's order be considered closed ?

 

Option: 1

6.28 pm

 


Option: 2

6.35 pm

 


Option: 3

6.38 pm


Option: 4

6.45 pm


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Suppose Moloy and Niloy had decided to process multiple orders at the same time, however strictly prioritising a first come first serve basis, when would the second customer's order be considered closed ?

Option: 1

6.20 pm

 

 


Option: 2

6.18 pm


Option: 3

6.15 pm

 


Option: 4

6.12 pm


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Suppose Moloy and Niloy had decided to process multiple orders at the same time, however strictly prioritising a first come first serve basis, when would the third customer's order be considered closed ?

 

Option: 1

6.22 pm

 


Option: 2

6.25 pm


Option: 3

6.28 pm 


Option: 4

6.30 pm


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

A fourth customer comes in and orders two plates of French Toast at 6.24 pm. Suppose Moloy and Niloy had decided to process multiple orders at the same time, however strictly prioritising a first come first serve basis. For exactly how many minutes would one of the friends be idle from 6.00 pm till serving the last customer, assuming that the four customers were the only ones to have come in within the period being discussed ?

Option: 1

9

 


Option: 2

13


Option: 3

18


Option: 4

21


Directions for question:

Two friends Moloy and Niloy passed out from the Purulia Institute of Science and Technology with B.Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering, but even after a year placement was hard to find. So they decided to take the challenge head-on, came down to Kolkata, rented a garage space on Park Street, and having an affinity towards making people enjoy good food, started their firm named 'B.Tech Bread-Omlette Wala'. 

They started with three items on the menu. One was the French Toast which could be prepared in 3 minutes. The second was the Egg Tortillas which took 15 minutes to prepare. Any one of Moloy and Niloy could prepare any one of them at a time. The third was the Egg Bhurji with French Fries. This however was prepared on an automated fryer which could prepare 3 servings at a time and took 5 minutes irrespective of the number of servings equal to or below 3. The fryer did not need anyone to attend to it, and the time to put in the raw ingredients could be neglected. So one could tend to the preparation of other items while the Egg Bhurji with French Fries were being prepared. 

They wanted to serve the orders as early as possible after the order was given. The individual items in any order were served as and when all the items were ready, and the order was then considered closed. None of the items on the menu were prepared in advance in anticipation of future orders. 

On the first day, 3 groups of customers came in and ordered at 6.00 pm, 6.10 pm, and 6.13 pm. The first order was for a plate of Egg Tortillas, two plates of French Toast, and three plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The second order was for a plate of French Toast and two plates of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. The third order was for a plate of Egg Tortilla and a plate of Egg Bhurji with French Fries. 

On the backdrop of the above information answer the questions given :

Question: 

Had Niloy been absent on that day, and assuming that the next customer's order could only be attended to when the previous customer's order was closed, at what time would the fourth customer's order (refer to the previous question) be considered closed ?

Option: 1

6:38 pm

 


Option: 2

6:42 pm

 


Option: 3

6:47 pm


Option: 4

6:49 pm


Directions for question:

The bar-graph given below shows the foreign exchange reserves of Nepal (in million Rupees) from 2014 to 2021. Answer the following questions based on the graph :

Question:

What was the percentage increase (rounded to the nearest integer, if deemed necessary) in the foreign exchange reserves in 2020 over 2016 ?

Option: 1 None

Option: 2 None

Option: 3 None

Option: 4 None

Directions for question:

The Jadavpur University’s Prince Anwar Shah Road hostel consists of two large separate buildings, one for the ladies and the other for the gents, while having a common kitchen and dining hall. It is the hostel of the CS and the EEC department of engineering students of the university.

In recognition of the growing dissatisfaction and hence complaints among the inmates of the hostel regarding the menu served for dinner, the Dean of the engineering department, Dr Aparesh Sanyal, personally decided to investigate the matter. He set about collecting information about the preference of dinner among the inmates, separately from the gents and the ladies wing of the hostel.

Dr Sanyal was able to gather the following partial information :  

 

Hostel inmates

Menu preference for dinner

Total

Egg Meal

Fish Meal

Chicken Meal

Gents

   

20

 

Ladies

     

64

Total

 

60

   

 

The Warden of the hostel was consulted, who after investigation declared that the following facts were clear :

1. Forty percent of the hostel inmates were ladies

2. One-third of the gentlemen inmates preferred an egg meal for dinner

3. Half the hostel inmates preferred either fish meal or chicken meal

Question:

What proportion of the lady hostel inmates preferred a fish meal for dinner ?

 

 

Option: 1

0.25

 

 


Option: 2

0.50

 


Option: 3

0.75

 


Option: 4

1.00 


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