Prof.Dhananjay Keskar, Director of IBS, Pune in a candid chat with us, speaks about IBS’s admission process and how their post exam selection process is different from other B-schools.

Q. What is ICFAI and IBS? Is there a difference?

A: IBS was promoted by ICFAI. It was established in 1994. There are 18 centers across India at present.


Q. What is IBS's Admission procedure?

A: We have our own entrance test – "IBSAT ". It is conducted in December every year. Based on the IBSAT score the students receive a final interview call which takes place in February. IBSAT has different sections like Aptitude, English, composition etc.

Q. How old is IBS in Pune and what kind of faculty do you have?

A: IBS Pune has been in existence for 10 years. We try to maintain a ratio of 10 students for each faculty. Our focus is on maintaining the core faculty unlike many institutes who believe in having visiting faculty more than core faculty. The faculty has a very healthy mix. Some are just academicians and some are with extensive industrial experience. Most of them are Post Graduates in Management and a good number of them are also PHD holders.


Q. Lets talk more about the Admission process.

A: Based on the IBSAT Scores, the students are invited for an interview and delivering a Micro Presentation. We don't have a Group discussion round. The candidate has a choice from a pre decided list of 30 topics to prepare and deliver a presentation in front of about 10-12 other candidates and faculty members. It is a very different pattern. So each student gets a chance to present and also ask questions from the other participants of the group. The candidate is evaluated on the basis of both his presentation and his involvement during the presentation of the other candidates.


Q. Does IBS provide any benefit to candidates having work experience during the admission?

A:  We have noticed that candidates with experience generally perform better during the admission process. There is not hard and fast rule but a candidate with prior work experience does stand out. Also his receptivity during the 2 year program is better.

There are various parameters on which a candidate is evaluated during an admission process. Prior work experience can make an influence as it has some weightage attached to it.


Q. What are the other qualities IBS is looking for in a candidate?

A: His Academic performance, personality, communication skills, presentation and his IBSAT score. The presentation is for 10 minutes and the interview could be about 10 to 20 minutes. This is a good time for us to evaluate the student.


Q. Lot of colleges promote themselves by saying they have a big campus and lots of land and infrastructure. IBS is right in the heart of the city and doesn't have a large campus. Is that a hindrance to attract good talent?

A: No, that has not been any hindrance. If you look at the numbers in the last 10 years, the numbers have been consistently growing. We are also in the process of shifting to a larger campus with hostel facilities for the students.

 Q. What are the core strengths of IBS as a B- school?

A: IBS' biggest asset has been excellent curriculum. It goes through regular upgrade and is made contemporary to the market requirements. Feedback from the recruiters and industry experts is taken into account when the curriculum is drawn.  Specializations like Marketing, Finance, HR are offered. Electives in the areas of Operations, IT, Systems are also available. Specific courses in Wealth management were offered after discussions with banks like ICICI. After inputs from HDFC bank, we have recently started a course in relationship management.

The second strength IBS has is the faculty. Each member of the faculty undergoes a well laid out induction program. They go through a faculty development program every year. We employ the case method to teach the students. Some of these cases are developed by us. We have a very strong research and development activity. Within the group we have about 16 monthly magazines devoted to management. There are about 48 quarterly journals which are edited by and contributed to by the IBS faculty.

One more place where we stand out is a very strong interface with the corporate world. For a period of 14 weeks, our students undergo an internship program. They undertake projects across industries and across India. They can undertake a project anywhere where an IBS center exists. So even if they are not in Pune, they can do their internship in Hyderabad or Delhi or Bangalore & such designated places and a faculty from the said place will monitor this student's progress. The student reports to the industry guide on a daily basis and there are different reports he has to produce about his assignment and its execution.

The faculty has a close interaction with the company offering the internship and hence there is good exposure to the faculty. The evaluation is done jointly by the industry guide and the faculty.


Q. Are there any other initiatives that the faculty conducts to keep the students apprised of what's going on in the global business world?

A: The evaluation of the students is continuous in nature. They get involved into research work & field work. Every week there is a guest lecture. Students get to interact with these industry people.

We do lots of events, management festivals where they get to interact with the corporate world. And of course not to mention they are always connected with their laptops and WI- FI internet that enables them to access information from every corner of the globe.