Question 1

How was your FMS, Delhi interview experience?

Accepted Answer

One of my friends appeared in the FMS interview this year and converted the call. The interview was offline and on the FMS campus. There were two panelists.

The interview started with an introduction. Next, he was given an extempore topic - Novelty. Following the extempore, there were a few questions based on his IT background and his SOP. There were general questions like - ‘Why MBA? As there are many CXOs who aren’t MBAs.’ The interview was around 15 mins. Overall, it was a pleasant experience for him.

Question 2

Does ISB have a brand value better than that of XLRI, FMS, or IIM L?

Accepted Answer

The brand value of ISB and XLRI, FMS, IIM L can’t be compared. ISB is known for its executive PGP while XLRI, FMS, and IIM L are reputed for their two-year-long MBA progran. These are some of the top-rated B-Schools in the country and have long-standing legacies.

ISB has a huge batch size of around 800. Due to the huge batch size students face problems getting decent opportunities through campus placements. The ROI isn’t that good. The total course fee for PGPM is around INR 36.3 lakhs. While the average CTC is around 34.07 LPA, according to the recent highlights of ISB placements.

Question 3

What CAT percentile do I require to get calls from IIM Blackis, FMS, SP Jain, JBIMS and MDI Gurgaon?

Accepted Answer

For GEM, the CAT percentiles required to get an interview call from IIM Blackis, FMS, SP Jain, JBIMS, and MDI Gurgaon are

ABC and FMS: Both institutes required nothing less than 99.5. Those who get admission at a lesser percentile, usually don’t belong to the GEM category. There are many who don’t even get a call with 99.3. So to stay on the safer side, go for nothing less than 99.5.
IIM Indore and Kozhikode: Both the institutes require percentiles around 97.5 for an interview call
SPJIMR: This Institute has unique selection criteria under which CAT is given less value and calls are issued on the basis of the candidate's profile. The CAT percentile required in this case is less than the normal if you have a good academic profile along with work experience,
MDI: This institute issues calls around the 96% mark.

It’s important to know that these figures are based on trends and not on actual data so you will find exceptions everywhere. Moreover, it’s better you don’t waste time analyzing the CAT cutoff and start preparing for the same.

Question 4

How one should prepare for getting admission in FMS Delhi?

Accepted Answer

FMS is a good option with the best ROI, low fees, and more seats. FMS gives a call to the candidates based on their CAT score, irrespective of their past academics score. Most IIM dropouts opt for this college.

The table below shows the criteria for admission into FMS also their respective weightage

Criteria	Weightage
CAT score	50%
Academics score	20%
SOP	10%
Personal Interview	15%
Extempore	5%

Now let’s discuss these criteria individually and also how to prepare for each of them.

CAT: The CAT score accounts for the maximum which is 50% of the marks required for admission. This means with a high percentile (99+) you can easily increase your chances of getting a call irrespective of your past academic performance. The CAT exam has three sections.

VARC (40% weightage): Reading essays and newspapers like The Hindu is a good way to enhance your verbal ability.

LRDI (30% weightage): The main key to cracking this section is to pick an easy set. This can be achieved only after constant practice. By calculating fast you can attempt more sets. If you can solve 3 sets out of 6 sets, you will touch the 99 percentile.

QUANT: Cover all the basics possible. Understand the theory and don’t just learn formulas

Academic Score: This score constitutes 20% of the total composite score required for admission. Anything above 75% in 10 and 12 will get you 20%. But above 60 and below 75 will get you 5% only.

SOP: The SOP or Statement Of Purpose clarifies your motives for your admission. It accounts for 10% of the composite score. You will have to write about your work experiences and why you are willing to pursue an MBA. Be clear in your goals and you are good to go.

Personal Interview: This constitutes 15% of the composite score. Things that you will be questioned about include your graduation subjects, current affairs, internships, and your previous courses. Answer every question confidently as this is the first interaction with your professors and the impression will last a long time.

Extempore: The weightage for this is 5%. This aims at analyzing your spontaneity, and knowledge on general topics and checks how you can organize your thoughts on the spot. Practice daily on social, and economical topics and try to know about different domains and speak on these topics for 3–4 minutes.

From the CAT center to the final round, what matters the most are your English skills. How well you comprehend in the exam, think in extempore and speak when interviewed. So enhancing your English skills will take you a long way.

Question 5

Is it a better choice for choosing FMS Delhi over IIM A or IIM B when compared to placement salary?

Accepted Answer

There is no question at all if you are optimising for salary in the short term. On average, you would earn more at IIM Ahmedabad and Bangalore than at FMS. In the long run, it will be much more dependent on you and a little bit on the profile you want to work in. However, ceteris paribus and on average IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Bangalore will earn more or as much as an FMS grad. Choose A or B if you want to maximise your placement salary.

Whether you should optimise for placement salary is a different question, and the answer depends on what you want to do with your life.

Question 6

Is it a better choice for choosing FMS, Delhi over IIM-B and IIM-C?

Accepted Answer

No, choosing FMS Delhi over IIMB or IIMC is definitely not a good decision as you will be missing out on so many opportunities. Some of them include

Student exchange programs: The top 3 IIMS have student exchange programs wherein almost 30% of the batch spends one term at a European B School. Also, IIM Calcutta is a part of CEMS. 25 students from IIMC are offered the most coveted CEMS MiM degree.

Placements: Without any doubt, the top IIMs have the best placement drives than any other B school in India. All the major companies like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and AT Kearney visit the campus and hire 50+ students every year. Even if the same companies visit FMS M, the roles offered are different. Also despite being good for marketing, the biggest giants in FMCG don’t visit the campus regularly. So top jobs are offered at IIM ABC and FMS misses out on this opportunity.

Campus Life: With no hostel facility, FMS Delhi has non-existent campus life. Meanwhile, all the other IIMs have beautiful campuses, excellent infrastructure, and hostel facilities.

Brand name: Without any doubt, IIMs have a bigger brand name than FMS.

ROI: ROI or Return on Investment is higher for IIMs than FMS in the long run. Although due to the payment of loans initially, ROI will seem less than FMS(low fees), that’s not the case. IIMs provide better opportunities, global recognition, and an alumni base that add to the ROI value.

You won’t lose anything from joining IIMS over FMS.

Question 7

Is NITIE the same level in terms of placement like FMS?

Accepted Answer

NITIE Mumbai placement is almost on the same level as FMS. Here are the 2022 placement highlights of NITIE and FMS.

Institute	NITIE Mumbai	FMS
Average CTC	INR 25.41 LPA	INR 32.4 LPA
Highest CTC	INR 49 LPA	INR 58 LPA
Major recruiters	Amazon, KPMG, Deloitte	Paytm, Boston Consulting Group, Nykaa

As per the placement statistics of both the institutes, there’s a slight difference in the major sectors participating in placement drive and the job roles offered.

Question 8

Which is better: the IIMA or the FMS?

Accepted Answer

Rather than asking which is better IIMA or FMS you should be asking what is better for you.

My friend is an IIM Ahmedabad pass out. She had got offers from IIM Calcutta, Lucknow, and FMS as well. Yet she chose IIMA because it was her dream college. One year into IIMA she realized some major shortcomings.

The case pedagogy here is overhyped and not at par with global B Schools.
The professors don’t teach you much, but rather keep you busy through assignments and quizzes.
No practical learning of concepts as the curriculum was very obsolete in today’s world of business.

The only significant feature here is its excellent placement. This is also the reason why it attracts so much crowd. But this fantasy is also short-lived. As soon as you land a job, you have to start paying back the excessive loan for years. For instance, you land a package with CTC 20 LPA. The in-hand salary would be around 1 lakh and the EMI standing at the end of every month would be 50000. After reducing EMI and personal expenses you get little for yourself for several years despite your hard work. Despite graduating you will be stuck in the same life for years.

Now considering FMS it has the following merits that make it a tad bit better than IIM Ahmedabad

Very low fees in comparison to IIM Ahmedabad
Since you don’t have to take a loan you feel a sense of freedom to take up the course of your choice.

Your batchmates from FMS will be enjoying life, and fulfilling their dreams and you will be still stuck in the same circle of paying back loans. So the brand value is just not enough. I don’t think spending 20 lakhs on any Indian B School is worth it.

Question 9

What is it like being in FMS Delhi?

Accepted Answer

Being in FMS Delhi is fun, tiring, exhausting, and thrilling all at once. The baggage of memories and emotions you will carry from here is huge. It will be a rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs.

You will feel extremely intimidated by the exceptionally talented crowd despite your work experience and 100 percentile in CAT.
The initial year is very exhausting as you have to work on your academics as well as presentations on complex subjects in Finance, strategy, capital markets, marketing, supply chain, HR & IT. If this is not enough you will also have to prepare for the summer placements alongside.
Your expectations will face a terrible downfall here as you won’t be able to be at par with the curriculum like you thought you would.
You will face tough competition while you are struggling with your mediocre academic performance. Your peers will be taking part in internships, National level case competitions, making amazing presentations, and getting scholarships while you are still struggling to adapt to the rigor.
Seeing others that are better and way ahead of you will rob you of your feeling of entitlement and humble you at once. You will stop taking things for granted and start making the most out of your 2 years.
You will receive help from faculty and seniors when you are in dire need of assistance. FMS faculty is very cooperative and friendly.

Lastly, you will have a lot of memories and nostalgia to carry with you throughout the rest of your life.

Question 10

What is the minimum percentile required to get a call from FMS, Delhi?

Accepted Answer

FMS Delhi registration will start soon and will continue till the second week of December 2022. As per the FMS Delhi 2023 admission, candidates will be shortlisted on the basis of scores obtained in CAT 2022. The CAT score required for getting a call from FMS Delhi is mostly 99 percentile. After this shortlisted candidates will have to appear for GD-PI and extempore.

If you are a GEM (General Engineer Male) you will have to face the maximum hurdles. You will need a minimum of 99.3+ percentile along with 95+ percentile in the VARC section.

If you are a GEF(General Engineer Female) then you will get an additional 3% once you are through the interview round.

But the overall target to get a call remains the same for everyone i.e.99+ percentile.