IPMAT Preparation Strategy – this used to be simple and straightforward when there were only two IIMs (IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak) offering the Integrated Program in Management (IPM), until recently. But this year, things have reached a new paradigm – a ‘new normal’, if I may, ahem – with three other IIMs – IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Ranchi and IIM Jammu – jumping into the IPM horizon.
There are more IIMs offering IPM. Good thing, right?
Of course. But we are not talking about whether it is good or not. We are thinking about whether the new IPM forays complicate the IPMAT preparation strategy for the aspirants.
What do you mean?
Let me explain. Earlier, IIM Indore and IIM Rohtak conducted their own IPMAT examinations and the aspirants had to appears for both separately, if they wanted to be considered for candidature in these campuses.
Now, it does look like the three IIMs who have arrived with their own IPM programs would also be conducting their own examinations. While IIM Ranchi has stated clearly that SAT will be the qualifying examination for their IPM, and IIM Jammu has announced that their qualifying examination – JIPMAT (Joint Integrated Program in Management Admission Test) – to be conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency), there is not as much clarity when it comes to IIM Bodh Gaya’s process.
What is the confusion?
The ‘Admissions’ tab under the IPM page of IIM Bodh Gaya reads as follows: “The admission to IIM BG-IPM would be through a common entrance test and personal Interview. Marks obtained in entrance test and personal interview would be computed for preparing the final merit list in the following ratio: Entrance Test: 70%; Personal Interview: 30%. The details of examination would be shared in due course of time.”
Okay, I can see that. Why does it become important?
Notice some of the words there? “Common entrance test” and “Details of examination would be shared in due course of time.”
Now, read the name of the examination that is going to be conducted by the NTA for IIM Jammu IPM – JIPMAT.
Does it mean that there is a chance IIM Bodh Gaya would take the scores of JIPMAT, too? We cannot be sure at this point.
Anyway, coming back to the point!
We can now be clear that there are at least four different entrance examinations – IIM Indore IPMAT, IIM Rohtak IPMAT, SAT for IIM Ranchi, and JIPMAT for IIM Jammu.
Do these different examinations complicate things?
Yes, they do. But the complicatios arises merely on grounds that the aspirants have to appear for so many different examinations. That is just about it.
Okay, let us get more specific. Does these different examinations complicate the IPMAT preparation strategy?
NO, they do not. Obviously, there are going to be certain tiny adjustments and tweaks that an aspirant should make for each and every examination. This was necessary even earlier when there were only two IPMATs. For example, IIM Rohtak IPMAT contained a bit of Logical Reasoning (LR), while IIM Indore IPMAT comprised only Verbal and Quant.
But apart from that, there are no major changes to the IPMAT preparation strategy even if there comes a point when all the 20 IIMs begin to offer their own IPMs that require separate examinations.
Why does the IPMAT preparation strategy not change much?
There are enough and more reasons to say this.
1) The components of any examination for IPM
Any entrance examination to a B-school tests three of four broad areas of competence – Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation and Quantitative Aptitude. Be it IPMAT, SAT, JIPMAT or whatever else, these components are going to remain the same.
This means the existing preparation strategies – reading a lot for Verbal (and following Bharath’s Reading List for the same, as an extension), and getting the fundamentals right and practising a lot for the other sections – remain more or less the same.
2) The new examinations and the uncertainty
While an IPM aspirant can go through the official SAT pages to understand how it would be slightly different from the IPMAT, and attune oneself accordingly, there is no proper information yet about how the other examinations – such as JIPMAT – are going to be.
This means that, as much as possible, the aspirants should get their fundamentals right and perfect their conceptual understanding in the areas they are investing their time in.
In a nutshell…
Do not panic and worry too much about the new examinations. Start preparing TODAY. For there is no better time than NOW.
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Stay safe and best wishes for your preparation!
Written by Giridharan Raghuraman
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