Top Executive MBA entrance exams and admission process

Top Executive MBA entrance exams and admission process

Updated on Feb 14, 2020 11:46 AM IST | #MBA

After taking the decision to pursue Executive MBA the working professionals have to walk down the tough and competitive path of the admission process conducted by the B-schools. Unlike the two year regular MBA admission, the multiple stages of the admission process of the top Executive MBA programmes are designed to check how much value they can add to the programme through their merit and quality of experience they possess. Although work experience is the primary eligibility criteria for the candidates, entrance exams act as the bridge between the working executives and the application to the coveted programmes. Entrance exam is the primary step for the Executive MBA application after which the other admission criteria such as SOP, Essay, GD or Interview are considered. If you are planning to apply to one of the top B-schools in India offering Executive MBA programmes or management programmes meant for working executives, the primary task for you is to zero down on the B-schools you want to apply for and take the entrance exam whose scores are accepted by them. In this article from the Executive MBA series, Careers360 brings you the top Executive MBA entrance exams and the other selection processes and criteria followed by the top B-schools offering Executive MBA programmes.

Top Executive MBA entrance exams and admission process
Top Executive MBA entrance exams and admission process

The following table brings to you the top B-schools offering Executive MBA programmes and the entrance exam and the admission process.

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Top Executive MBA Programmes and Admission Process

B-School

Programme

Mode

Entrance Exam

Final Selection Process & Criteria

IIM Ahmedabad

PGPX

Full Time

GMAT

Personal Interview

Essay Writing (2)

IIM Bangalore

EPGP

Full Time

GMAT or GRE

Statement of Purpose (SOP)

Two Reference letter

Written Ability Test and Interview


IIM Calcutta

PGPEX

Full Time

GMAT

Statement of Purpose

Letters of Recommendation from 2 senior managers

Personal Interview

IIM Lucknow

IPMX

Full Time

GMAT

Statement of Purpose

2 Letters of Recommendation

Personal Interview


WMP

Part Time

Written Test conducted by IIM Lucknow

Group Discussion

Personal Interview

IIM Indore

EPGP

Full time

GMAT or CAT

Personal Interview

IIM Kozhikode

EPGP

Part Time

CAT or GMAT or EMAT (conducted by IIM Kozhikode)

Personal Interview

IIM Shillong

PGPEx

Full Time

CAT or GMAT

NA

IIM Trichy

PGPBM

Full Time

CAT or GMAT or Written Test

Personal Interview

IIM Ranchi

PGEXP

Part Time

Written Test

Personal Interview

IIM Rohtak

ePGP

Part Time

IIM R-MAT or CAT or GMAT or GRE

Personal Interview

IIM Raipur

PGPWE

Part Time

CAT or GMAT or BAT

Personal Interview, Academic Qualification and Relevant Working Experience

IIM Udaipur

PGPX

Part Time

TOEFL or IELTS or PTE and GMAT

Personal Interview

ISB

PGP

Full Time

GMAT and TOEFL or IELTS or PTE

Video application

Personal Interview

Essay Writing

Case Discussion

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

PGPM

Full Time

CAT or XAT or GMAT

Essay Writing

Group Discussion

Personal Interview

MDI Gurgaon

NMP

PGPEM

Full Time

CAT or MDI entrance test

Personal Interview

IMT Ghaziabad

PGDM (Executive)

Full Time

CAT or XAT or GMAT

Personal Academic Discussion

FMS Delhi

MBA Executive

MBA Executive (Health Care Administration)

Part Time

NA

Writing Ability Test

Personal Interview

NMIMS Mumbai

Executive MBA

Full Time

Written Test

Personal Interview

SPJIMR Mumbai

PGEMP

Part Time

NA

Group Discussion

Personal Interview

IQ and Psychometric Test


XLRI Jamshedpur

PGDM – GM

PGDM – BM

Full Time

Part Time

GMAT or XAT

Group Discussion

Personal Interview

Note: The B-schools are arranged in random order

Executive MBA Entrance Exams

Taking admission to most of the executive MBA programmes in India is based on MBA entrance exam scores. Check the below table which consists the name of top executive MBA entrance exams.

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GITAM University | MBA Admissions 2025

NAAC A++ Accredited | AMBA & AACSB Member | Highest CTC 16.22 LPA | Merit-based Scholarships | Last Date: 5th Jun’25

As you can observe in the table above, GMAT is the most commonly accepted exams for the B-schools, especially IIMs. That does not mean the Executive MBA entrance exams do not include any other test. The validity of CAT scores range from 3 to 5 years for B-schools like IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong, IIM Rohtak etc.


Some of the B-schools conduct their own entrance exam such as IIM Lucknow (for WMP), IIM Kozhikode, IIM Ranchi, IIM Rohtak, IIM Raipur, IIM Trichy and MDI Gurgaon. Apart from IIM Ranchi, these institutes also accept the scores of other entrance exams like GMAT or CAT. For instance, IIM Trichy mentions in its admission process that candidates who have valid scores of either CAT or GMAT will be exempted from taking the entrance exam conducted by the institute.

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Language Test

The entrance exams or the admission criteria also reflect the programme design or curriculum. As many as 3 programmes mentioned in the above table accept scores of language aptitude tests like GRE or IELTS or PTE. IIM Bangalore’s EPGP, IIM Udaipur’s PGPX and ISB’s flagship programme PGP curriculum includes international immersion.

In IIM Bangalore’s EPGP third term, students are given opportunity to visit emerging economies like China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa or a developed one in the Asian region like Singapore or South Korea. “The module provides insights into the country’s economic, social, political and cultural life,” mentions IIM Bangalore. The international immersion programme carries 3 credits.


IIM Udaipur’s PGPX is a Dual Degree programme in Supply Chain Management in association with Purdue University, USA. According to the institute, the students spend the Fall module of the programme in Purdue University.


Indian School of Business or ISB’s flagship programme, PGP offers inbound and outbound exchange programmes. The institute has partnered with 42 B-schools across countries like the USA, France, South Africa, Israel, Germany, China, Pakistan, South Korea, Singapore and the U.K, Canada, Italy, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Netherlands, Germany and Taiwan.


Although there are other Executive MBA programmes which offer international exposure such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Shillong and IMT Ghaziabad, the admission criteria do not include language tests like GRE or IELTS or PLT.

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Factors taken into consideration apart from entrance test scores


Taking admission to the Executive MBA programmes is not a cakewalk. The candidates not only have to come up with the requisite cutoff scores or percentiles of the above stated entrance exams but also need to focus on their profile to stand out from the crowd and convince the admission panel why they deserve a seat in the coveted programme. IIM Bangalore EPGP admission panel states, “The selection process is highly personalized, as the committee seeks to learn about each applicant’s goals and potential for success in management.”

Work Experience and candidate profile – The primary eligibility criteria for the Executive MBA aspirants is the work experience. The admission committee not only checks the number of years of work experience but the quality of the experience as well, in terms of the contributions made towards the company and its people at large. Nishant Goyal, PGPM 2017 student of Great Lakes Institute of Management says, “Work experience and your nature of work, accolades or recognitions, external certifications and references are considered at the time of admission.”


Statement of Purpose - To start with, let us talk about Statement of Purpose, commonly known as SOP. Along with the application, the candidates have to submit the SOP to state their goals and objective behind pursuing the programme. Prakula Uniyal, ISB PGP student of 2017 batch shares her experience on preparing for the application process at the B-School, “ISB application was an important milestone for me not just professionally, but also personally, as it helped me introspect and understand myself and my life goals better.”


Letters of Reference/Recommendation - B-schools like IIM Bangalore, Calcutta and Lucknow asks for at least 2 Letters of Recommendation from the previous employers. This enables the admission committee to know about the applicants’ contribution to the company and how much value they can add to the programme. Saranya, a student of IIM Calcutta PGPEX programme shares, “Candidates have to submit a statement of purpose and recommendations from two referees holding senior managerial positions. These are also taken into consideration in the final selection.”


Writing Ability Test or Essay Writing – This is another important criterion for the selection of the Executive MBA students. Along with the SOP, the applicants have to submit essays on the given topics. IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Great Lakes Institute of Management, ISB and FMS Delhi are some of the institutes where Essay or Writing Ability Test (WAT) form an integral part of the application and admission process. While talking about the important of essays, Sanchay Maity, ISB student pursuing PGP 2016-17 says, “The essays carry a lot of weight for that matter because that is where the school gets to know a lot more about the candidates, their experiences so far, their ambition and the value they bring to the table.”


Personal Interview – The final round of the selection procedure followed at the B-schools is the Personal Interview round. This is one of the most crucial rounds and the admission panel looks for the distinct personality traits of the candidates and decide whether he/she would add value to the programme or not. Nishant Goyal mentions, “The interview is a rigorous process. They probe you to understand whether you will fit into this one year program. Also, Great Lakes Institute of Management looks at the personality traits and attitude of the candidates apart from their credentials.”


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Questions related to MBA

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It is unlikely that you will be admitted to one of the top IPU MBA colleges, like University School of Management Studies (USMS), which normally close at much lower ranks (below 200 for outside Delhi), if you scored 333 on the Common Rank List (CRL) in the General Category as an outside Delhi candidate for the IPU CET MBA 2025.  You could, however, have opportunities at some associated or lower-ranked universities where the final rankings are greater, but not at the most prestigious institutions.  Since admission requirements change every year, take advantage of counseling to learn about all of your alternatives.

Hey !

Here are some MBA/PGDM colleges in Telangana :

  1. Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad

  2. Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), Hyderabad

  3. Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Osmania University, Hyderabad

  4. ICFAI Business School (IBS), Hyderabad

  5. Management Development Institute (MDI), Hyderabad

  6. Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Hyderabad

  7. National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad

  8. Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management, Hyderabad

  9. Maturi Venkata Subba Rao (MVSR) Engineering College, Hyderabad

  10. Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT), Hyderabad

These colleges offer a variety of MBA/PGDM programs.

Hope it helps !

With a 60 percentile in CAT, your son may have limited options for top-tier MBA programs, but there are still several good colleges offering residential MBA programs. Some institutes that may accept this percentile range include UPES Dehradun, IBS Hyderabad, Woxsen University, ITM Business School, and Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management. These colleges may offer opportunities with a focus on industry-oriented learning. It’s also worth exploring state universities and institutions that accept other entrance exams like MAT or XAT.



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