Sections covered in this post:

• Topics and difficulty level: PGDBA 2021 analysis
  • PGDBA 2021 Analysis: Verbal section
    • Reading comprehension
    • Para jumbles
    • Grammer – idioms
  • Logical reasoning section
  • Data interpretation section
  • Quant section
• Incorrect Questions in PGDBA 2021 exam
• Surprises in PGDBA 2021 exam
• Was calculator allowed in PGDBA 2021 exam?
• Expected cut-off of PGDBA 2021

Topics and Difficulty level: PGDBA 2021 analysis

At the pattern level, there were no big surprises. The PGDBA 2021 exam had 50 questions split across 4 sections – verbal (15 questions), logical reasoning (5 questions), data interpretation (5 questions) and quant (25 questions). The overall pattern was in line with the previous year exam.

PGDBA 2021 Analysis: Verbal section

The verbal section had 15 questions in all split across 3 areas:

Reading comprehension

There were 2 passages with 5 questions in each in the exam. The first passage was a bit lengthy (~6 paragraphs) and had tricky questions – mainly inference-based questions. The second passage was a bit easier and shorter (~3 paragraphs). The second passage had relatively direct questions.

Para jumbles

3 para jumbles were asked in the PGDBA 2021 exam and were of easy to moderate difficulty. Any student with good practice of para jumbles should be able to solve at least 2 out of 3 without much difficulty.

Grammar – Idioms

2 questions were asked from the grammar section. There were mainly idioms using the words “par” and “emotional”. These were a bit tricky and if you haven’t practiced, it will be a bit difficult to answer these questions.

Overall, the verbal section was of medium difficulty (similar to what we have seen in the previous year’s exams).

An attempt of 12-13 questions in verbal would be considered as a good attempt.

Logical Reasoning section

The pattern for logical reasoning questions was the same – 1 set of 5 questions. However, the difficulty level of logical reasoning set was a bit higher. A lot of students also felt the same and they either had difficulty in solving the set or took significant time to solve it.

Data Interpretation section

The data interpretation section was a bit surprising in the PGDBA 2021 exam. Instead of giving a single set of 5 questions, there were 5 independent questions in the section. These questions involved calculating averages, ratios, and percent. The questions had different types of charts – line charts, bar charts, and pie charts. Neither the questions were calculation intensive nor they were very difficult. Overall, we would call the difficulty level of this section easy to moderate.

An attempt of 9/10 in the LRDI section would be considered good.

Quant section

Almost all the topics were covered in the quant section of PGDBA 2021. The algebra section (including quadratic, sequence & series, binomial theorem, and functions) had around 7-8 questions. The calculus section (including limits, continuity, differentiation, integration, and area under the curve) had around 6 questions.

There were 2 questions for each – quadratic equations, differentiation, permutations & combination, binomial theorem. Most of the other topics such as trigonometry, heights & distances, set theory, matrices, circles, conic sections (parabola), properties of triangles, geometry had one question each.

Some of the questions were directly formula-based; while a few required you to either think through the logic or carry out calculations. Overall the difficulty level of the quant section was moderate.

There were in-all 24 correct questions in the quant section with one question having incorrect text.

A correct attempt of 18-19 questions would be considered good for this section.

Incorrect questions in PGDBA 2021 exam

There was one incorrect question in the quant section. The question text was from the para jumbles question (verbal section) and the options were numerical. In such situations, usually full marks are awarded to every candidate for that question, irrespective of the attempt.

Though there are few doubts which students have raised about incorrect options or unclear question statements, we doubt those will be considered (based on our experience).

Surprises in the PGDBA 2021 exam

No major surprises looking at the overall pattern of the exam. However, three small things we saw in PGDBA 2021 exam which were not present earlier:

1. The data interpretation section did not have a single set of 5 questions. Instead 5 separate questions, each having its own chart and data, were given. This hasn’t usually happened earlier.
2. The quant section had a question on probability which is not a part of the syllabus. The question was based on rolling a fair die and was not difficult but it came as a surprise.
3. Another question in the quant section was based on the remainder/divisibility theorem – finding the highest power of 5 in 518! (on similar lines).

Was Calculator allowed in the PGDBA 2021 exam?

No calculator was allowed in the exam hall. Neither the calculator was available on-screen. So, you have to carry out all the calculations manually.

Expected Cut-off of PGDBA 2021

We would expect the cut-off of the PGDBA 2021 exam to be somewhere between 105 and 110. Given the difficulty level of the exam, competition, and other parameters, we expect the cut-off to drop slightly from 111 (for the General category) in 2020. Moreover, the cut-off was higher in 2020 because 15 marks were awarded to everyone due to an incorrect data interpretation set.

If you wish to contribute to this post, please reach out to us at info@aimonks.com.

All the best!!

Start your interview preparation with these real interview experiences from previous year interviews.

You can also check out this video and get insider details about the PGDBA program.

Disclaimer: The insights mentioned in the post are based on the memory and effort has been done to keep it as accurate. However, AI Monks does not hold any liability of information that is different from the actual.

The post PGDBA 2021 Analysis: Topic-wise details, Cut-off appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

Verbal Section:

The pattern of the questions in the verbal section of PGDBA 2020 is the same w.r.t PGDBA 2019. (Check here for past years’ question analysis on verbal section). Two Reading Comprehension passages were given with 5 questions each. The questions were a typical mix of logical and subjective type which are generally expected. Jumbled sentences (or Parajumbles) were pretty straightforward. And talking about the Incorrect Sentence section, one of the questions had unexpectedly pretty difficult options which is unusual looking at the past PGDBA papers.

Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation & Data Visualization Section:

Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation section each had 5 questions. Logical Reasoning section had one problem statement followed by a set of 5 questions. This was a typical logical problem that could be solved by grids.

About the Data Interpretation & Data Visualization section, there are couple of controversies surrounding this section. Some candidates have got data interpretation questions whereas some have got quantitative aptitude questions in this section. In some cases, the options to the questions provided are unrelated. We are still awaiting for an official word from the PGDBA Authorities regarding the mix-up.

Quantitative Aptitude Section:

The quantitative aptitude section has a similar pattern of questions as in previous years. ( Check here for past years’ question analysis on quantitative aptitude section) Algebra had questions on almost all topics – binomial theorem, geometric progression, series and sequence. There were no questions asked on Combinatorics (Permutation and Combination).

Calculus had a typical mix of questions from matrices, determinants, system of linear equations, continuity & differentiability, extremum and area under the curves.

Co-ordinate geometry had a couple of formula based and conceptual questions around circle, hyperbola and ellipse.

Trigonometry section had a deviation from previous years’ patterns. There were a total of 5 questions from trigonometry – 2 questions on triangles and 3 questions of trigonometric identities.

Apart from the above, there were the usual questions on sets and functions.

The post PGDBA 2020 Entrance Exam Analysis appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

In this post, we will talk about the career opportunities that PGDBA graduates have after completing their course.

Banking and Financial Services Institutions

In line with the industry trend, banking and financial services sector is one of biggest consumer of analytics and data science talent. This is reflected in the hiring trend of the course as well. Organizations such as D.E. Shaw, NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India), American Express, MasterCard Advisors, Yes Bank, HDFC Bank and many other been associated with the program since the beginning. The companies in this sector offer two kinds of roles – Business Analyst and Data Scientist.

Healthcare and Pharma Companies

The other prominent sector which consumes analytics in a big way is healthcare. Some of the world’s leading healthcare and pharma companies have hired from the program. Johnson & Johnson, United Health Group, Abbott and others have been active in the hiring process of students, for internship as well as final placements.

Corporate Houses

Large Indian corporate houses have also started setting up their internal analytics and data science teams. There could be separate teams for each subsidiary/function or a centralized “Center for Analytics” kind of a setup which caters to the entire group’s analytics needs. Mahindra and Mahindra, L&T and ITC are some of the key corporate houses which have visited the campus to hire talent from the program.

Consulting, Research and Analytics Service Providers

Gartner, PwC, Deloitte, McKinsey Knowledge Center, Alvarez & Marsal, EXL are some of the companies which have visited the campus in the past. These companies usually offer consulting roles wherein you have to deal with external clients and solve their analytics (and technology) related problems. Gartner could be an exception where work is done primarily to improve internal process. These roles are mostly business analyst kind of roles where you may have to work on different tools and technologies depending on the need of the project.

E-Commerce Companies

The likes of Flipkart, Myntra, Amazon, Walmart Labs and other e-commerce companies have visited the campus and recruited from the program for the roles of data scientists and business analysts. The roles offered by these companies are more of technical in nature, more inclined towards the data science side of the world.

Other Companies

There are many more companies operating in different sectors such as telecom, media and other sectors which have hired from the program. Some of the big names are Viacom, Jio, ACT (Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.), NTPC, Ittiam Systems, among others. These companies again offered both kind of roles – business analyst and data scientist.

Disclaimer: This information is based on the research through primary and secondary sources that AI Monks has done. The information in this article should be used only for indicative purposes. AI Monks is not responsible for any information that may be different from the actual scenario.

The post What are the Career Opportunities for PGDBA graduates? appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

We have broken down this entire scenario into different questions which people have asked us.

If I apply for the course, would my age be a deterrent? 

In the application process, you will score less marks in certain areas (such as work ex) as compared to aspirants with less work experience. You will have to compensate this with higher marks in written test and interview. Otherwise, there is no restriction on the work experience to apply for the course.

Would I be considered an outlier in an otherwise homogeneous group?

In a way, yes. If your work experience is over 8 years, then chances are very high that you will be only person in the batch with that high work experience. The average work experience of students entering the course is 2-3 years, with only 4-5 students having 4-5 years or more experience.

In your experience, have you seen or heard of any student admitted in PGDBA program with over 8 years of experience? 

In 2015-17 batch, there were a couple of guys with around 5-6 years of experience. They both got placed with a decent package, but their expectations were higher than what they got. Remember 2015-17 was the first batch, so the placements were not as sky-high as they have been for the subsequent batches. In the batch 2016-18, there was a guy with around 10 years of experience (mid 30s). He got a very good placement (highest domestic salary) but I would take that with a pinch of salt.

If admitted, are the students with 8 years or above experience discriminated against during internship/placement season?

Companies, in a lot of cases, don’t prefer students with that high experience. And, if their prior experience is not in data analytics/data science, then it becomes even more challenging. They can’t offer you senior role because you don’t have hands-on experience in data analytics; they can’t offer you junior role because you have high experience. That becomes a challenge.

An important point during the placements/internships will be – how will you distinguish yourself from the students who are 4-5 years younger to you? What additional value will you bring to the table?

Is my worry related to high work experience for PGDBA correct? 

It is completely okay to be worried when you have chances of becoming an outlier in a batch where you have to spend 2 years. There are a few students with 5+ years of experience in every batch but 8-9 years is a little on the higher side. It could be a little challenging but certainly, not impossible.

Read about Gautam Kumar’s experience of doing PGDBA. He joined the PGDBA 2015-17 batch with 6 years of work experience.

In conclusion, I would say:

• Be very sure that you want to do this course because it will come with its own risks of not getting desired career opportunities. You may get, you may not get. Are you ready to take that risk?
• If you want to learn analytics for your own interest, you may opt for multiple other options which are more of distance learning or mix of classroom+online courses. You may refer to these links for few courses that we have listed on our website. Weekend Classroom Courses | Online Courses | Online+Classroom Courses
• Another option is that you may talk to your current employer. If they have an option of sabbatical or something similar, you may negotiate with them that you will join them after the course completion with agreed upon hike and designation (this could act as a backup option in case you don’t get desired opportunity).

The post High Work Experience for PGDBA – Impact on Selection? appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

Our take on this –

No, we don’t think having experience in coaching industry or academics is going to be a deal breaker. The PGDBA eligibility criteria doesn’t mention the type of industry where you should have prior work experience to gain work-ex score.

Answer ‘THREE’ important questions:

Essentially, for any interview you should have clarity on below 3 questions:

1. Why did you choose the particular industry as your desired profession?
2. Why can’t you up skill (or learn the skills that you are going to learn in the course) yourself in your current industry?
3. How are you going to leverage your prior work experience in your course/post-course professional experience?

If you can justify the reasons for choosing academics/coaching as your professional industry, it’s perfectly fine. There is nothing negative about being a teacher/mentor at any coaching institute or a college or a school. I have tons of friends who used to teach at coaching institutes/schools; currently, they are either studying at one of the IIMs or graduated from there. That gives me some data as well that IIMs don’t discriminate against teachers/academicians.

Additionally, you should be clear on how your experience in education industry will be helpful to you in PGDBA course and how are you going to leverage that going forward.

You may also be interested in PGDBA Cut-Off, Number of Applicants, Wait list Movement and Everything Else You Need to Know

You may also be asked why can’t you learn analytics and data science along with your job? Since you are already into teaching industry, you can learn yourself. And, why do you even need to learn analytics at the first place? Why do you need analytics in the teaching profession? You should be prepared with answers to all these questions. We suggest you read applications of analytics and data science in the education/teaching industry. Learn how educators are using data science and analytics in improving their teaching methods? Study about applications of data science in making education more personalized and adaptive.

In conclusion, we would say that having experience in education/academics/teaching industry is not negative per se; not able to justify your decisions is the biggest negative.

“Do you know AI Monks provides exclusive test series for PGDBA entrance exam preparation? Visit here to know more.”

The post PGDBA Eligibility: Will my work-ex in teaching go against me? appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

The post PGDBA Cut-Off and Everything Else appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

For cracking entrance exam of PGDBA (Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics) by IIM Calcutta, ISI Kolkata and IIT Kharagpur, the first and most important aspect is written test. Assuming you have prepared well for the written exam (If you need any help on PGDBA 2023 written exam preparation, check out this post) and you want to develop your profile for the overall admission process, we have a four step approach for you.

Read and Think Analytics

Read and study as much as possible on analytics. You may set up Google alerts on common terms or follow/subscribe any website which posts latest news and information on analytics and data science.

The idea for this activity is to understand different aspects of analytics, learn how companies use analytics in their day to day business operations and activities, and learn about the overall evolution of the industry.

This will help you in developing your thought process and mindset to appreciate the applications and use cases of analytics.

Study and Learn Analytics

Study various analytics concepts and complete a few online courses. The topics that you can choose are as below:

• Statistics
• SQL
• R/Python
• Tableau/Qlikview

Learn the basics of statistics and understand common terminologies and concepts in statistics. In terms of programming language, you may pick up either R or Python. Though Python has recently gained more attention, you may pick up either to develop your understanding. To understand visualization, learn one of the tools – Tableau or Qlikview. This will help in building your thought process for descriptive analytics – most widely used in the industry. Moreover, this will teach you how to look at data from different angles and how to make sense of it.

These topics will help you develop a strong foundation when you enter PGDBA or any other analytics course. If you want to get a certificate, consider the courses that offer a certificate at a low cost.

Practice and Showcase Analytics

Try a few hands-on projects/problems that you can talk about during your interview. These projects will give you a good hands-on experience to talk to anyone while discussing your interest and knowledge about analytics/data science. We have listed a number of projects on our website. You may pick up any one project depending on your choice of industry (Retail / Banking and Financial Services / Operations and Supply Chain / Restaurant Analytics). If you want additional ideas on projects, do let us know. We can help you identify the right project for you. You may also share your ideas in the comments section.

You may showcase these projects on your LinkedIn/Github profile or publish them on a blog. If you wish to showcase your article on AI Monks, we would be happy to help you.

Compete and Win Analytics

Participate in competitions – If you think you have gained adequate knowledge, you may take part in competitions and test your skills. If you get a good rank, you may show that in your CV. The most popular website to participate in data science competitions is Kaggle.

Even if you don’t plan to pursue academics in analytics but learn for yourself, these are the four main areas that you should focus. Please share your analytics journey in the comments section, we would be happy to learn from your experiences.

AI Monks provides best-in-class mock test series to prepare for PGDBA 2023. Click here to know more about the test series.

The post Profile Building for PGDBA – Learn from the experts appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

The reason I am writing this post is that people have asked me this question numerous times and since I have been through this entire journey myself, I am adequately qualified to write this post.

I must say that the entire PGDBA course curriculum has been designed in a very thoughtful and meticulous manner. The entire transition of courses from pre-semester to the final semester is very smooth and structured.

The overall curriculum, which includes classroom courses, diverse projects, tools, competitions, guest lectures and of course end semester exams, offered in the program is very application based and very relevant to the current industry needs. A lot of emphases is given on projects, case studies, interaction with industry people, along with theoretical concepts that are an inevitable part of the journey.

Below are the details about the course structure, curriculum and details on how the entire course unfolds in the two years.

The program session usually starts in the third week of June with a pre-semester module at IIM Calcutta. This pre-semester module is like a crash course (4-5 weeks) wherein the focus is on building the foundation for the next 4 semesters. Subjects taught in this semester gives you a sense of analytics and other basic areas of management such as marketing, financial statements and organizational behaviour. The subjects offered throughout the course have a strong focus on case studies and/or projects, and the same is true for the pre-semester module. A lot of case studies in the area of analytics, marketing and organizational behaviour are covered in the pre-semester.

After the pre-semester, the first semester starts at ISI Kolkata. ISI Kolkata – as the institute is famous for its strong foundations in statistics – focuses on building statistical knowledge which is used in the subsequent semesters. A few of the topics that you study in the first semester are linear algebra, database management, hypothesis testing, probability, Markov chains, distribution curves, inferential analysis, regression models, random forest, missing value imputation, graphical representation of data and few aspects of computing. Courses are laden with projects, theoretical as well as coding assignments, tutorial classes, etc.

At the end of the semester, you develop a good understanding of statistical techniques, a fair bit of computing and machine learning knowledge. Students usually work on SQL, R and Python in this semester. By the time you finish the first semester, you will start appreciating the applications of analytics and data science in real-world. You will develop an understanding of the level wherein you will be able to identify (at least at a high level) how a particular data science model must have been developed.

The second semester starts at IIT Kharagpur in the month of January when preparations for Spring Fest (IIT Kgp’s Cultural Fest) are at peak. The campus has altogether a different vibe at that time – full of activities and chirping of people coming from different campuses all over India. Now, let’s get back to our main topic of discussion – PGDBA structure and curriculum. This semester offers you a plethora of electives to choose from. A few of the electives are offered by Computer Science department, a few other electives by management school of IIT Kharagpur (Vinod Gupta School of Management) and other electives by other schools and departments such Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, Mathematics department, etc. at IIT Kharagpur.

Algorithms, Machine Learning, Regression and Time series analysis, Operations modelling are some of the mandatory courses. The electives offered in this semester are supply chain analytics, optimization theory, marketing analytics, healthcare analytics, product analytics, banking and financial analytics, information retrieval, network theory, among others. Depending on how many students opt for a particular elective, professors take a call whether to float the course. Here again, students usually work on R, Python and some start with Hadoop and other things if required. Some of the students also use SPSS, Minitab (in case they are able to get the license, else learn from the trial version).

The third semester at IIM Calcutta starts in June and focuses mainly on the application part of whatever you study in the first two semesters. Though the number of courses that you cover in this semester is higher, the duration of each course is less. Major analytics courses offered in this semester are categorical data analysis, business data mining, high-frequency trading, financial risk management, customer analytics, predictive modelling, forecasting, among others. Some of the management courses offered are strategy management, business communication, project management, among others. Almost all the courses taught in this semester are either case-based or project-based or both.

Please note that the electives offered every year depending on the availability of faculty and preference of students. All electives may not be offered all the time.

During the third semester (around August-September), placements for internships take place. Companies start coming in for pre-placement talks from June last-week or July first week.

From October-November, starts the final semester. This semester is the internship period where you go to a company and intern for 5–6 months. You can also opt to go for an academic intern as per your choice. The semester ends with a presentation to a panel of 3–4 faculty members telling them about your internship projects. This usually happens in the month of May after you complete your internship. Students not offered PPO (pre-placement offer) by their interning company come back to campus for their final placements. The final placements take place in the month of February-March. These students then go back and resume their internship.

That’s how the entire journey unfolds in two years for PGDBA students.

If you are interested in the program, we suggest you go through the interview experiences of students and alumni of this program.

Hope this was helpful and gave you insights about the program and the entire journey. Please post your questions or comments in the comments section below.

The post PGDBA course curriculum: How is it structured? appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

Below is a detailed break-up of the type of questions asked in the previous years’ papers.

Check our PGDBA 2020 exam analysis. 

Every year, the quant section of the entrance exam has 25 questions out of a total of 50 questions. The topics are based out of class XI and class XII Mathematics. About 37% of questions are based on Calculus – the majority of them around continuity/differentiability, application of derivatives and integrals, limits and determinants. About 23% of questions are related to Algebra – Complex Numbers, Quadratic Equations, Permutation Combination and Series. Coordinate geometry and geometry account for 20% of questions – covering circles, locus of a point, distances, equation of conic sections, formula related to triangles. Other topics include sets, functions, relations and functions and they cover the remainder of the section.

A single question might test you on multiple topics and is necessarily not limited to just a single topic. The above categorization is only indicative of the pattern of Quant section and aims to help you prepare for the entrance accordingly in conjunction with Verbal, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation.

The top 3 categories are Calculus, Algebra and Co-ordinate geometry which together comprises almost 70-80% of the quant section every time. This should be the starting point of preparation and the remaining topics can be covered in succession. Though Numbers aren’t covered as part of NCERT syllabus, a few questions in this category can be expected as can be seen in 2019. Do watch out for PGDBA 2021 Test Series + Preparation Package for more info.

To begin your preparation for the Quant section, you can start with NCERT books. You can also view the entire list of topics in the table below.

Check out PGDBA 2021 Test Series + Preparation Package only at INR 2,499/-. The test series and package has been designed by AI Monks, a PGDBA alumni initiative.

The post What is the strategy to crack Quant section in PGDBA Written Exam? appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.

Let’s first understand the background of students entering the PGDBA program and then answer this question.

Based on our estimates and research, hardly 10-15 per cent of students, i.e., 5-8 students, out of 50-55 students, have considerable background in statistics. Does that put you at a disadvantage in the course? At prima facie, it does look so. But, in reality, it isn’t the case because the amount of statistics that is part of the course can be easily learned during the course. Professors start statistics (or any other topic, for that matter) from the very basics and then gradually build. So, if we talk about the course, you won’t be at any disadvantage when compared to other students who have a background in statistics. The only thing is that you will have to put in a little extra effort to come up to speed, nothing else.

If you were to talk about the interviews during the selection process, then our suggestion will be to spend some time and learn the basic concepts of statistics. This should not take more than a few hours to prepare.

Now, let’s talk about students who come with a coding background. The percentage of this category of students is a little higher. I would say, “they do have some advantage because they can code well, and they can code fast.” Having said that, this does not mean you won’t be able to compete with them. You can easily compete with them and maybe, beat them in their own game – all that with little extra effort.

When I joined the PGDBA program, I neither had experience in coding nor in statistics but I had the will to learn. I had to put in extra hours to learn and practice coding. Eventually, I reached a level where I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up my system and start writing a code whenever required.

I would end this post by saying that you don’t need to worry about your performance in the PGDBA program if you don’t have coding/statistics knowledge. The only thing is you should be willing to work hard, rest everything can be managed.You may also want to read Low marks in Class 10/12/Undergraduate – Should I go for PGDBA?

The post I don’t have background in Statistics/Coding – Should I go for PGDBA program by IIM Calcutta? appeared first on AI Monks | Counsel.