A high score in an MBA entrance exam like SNAP is required for admission to a competitive business school. Once you have got success in this first stage, it will lead to your participation in future rounds. Getting called by the reputed Symbiosis Centre for Management & Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune, is a feat. And now you are going to face competition from other MBA applicants who, despite coming from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds, are just as smart as you are.
To boost your odds of getting admitted into an MBA programme, you should provide the admissions committee with the best version of yourself. The basic goal of each business school's selection process is to find individuals whose intellectual and professional backgrounds are a good fit for an MBA degree. The admissions board considers the applicant’s overall profile and how they cope with pressure while making choices.
The Symbiosis Centre for Management & Human Resource Development (SCMHRD) is a leading educational establishment dedicated to developing exceptional business executives and entrepreneurs. SCMHRD's MBA programme, which began in 1993, is widely considered to be among the best in all of India. It is the first business school in Pune to receive the highly regarded AACSB accreditation, one of only 14 management colleges in India.
SCMHRD is well-known for its in the sectors of human resources, marketing, finance, operations, infrastructure development and management, and business analytics. Besides its flagship MBA programme, SCMHRD offers MBA in Business Analytics and MBA in Infrastructure Development and Management.
As a first step in the application process, SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test) scores serve as a basis for evaluating potential candidates. Thereon, a selected set of candidates are invited for the next phase, which comprises written ability test (WAT), group exercise (GE), and personal interview (PI). A candidate's acceptance into the MBA programme will depend on their SNAP scores and how well they perform in each of the above-mentioned stages.
The purpose of the essay-writing test is to evaluate the candidates' ability to communicate effectively in words. Each participant is assigned two different writing prompts for the WAT. One is centred on an ongoing problem or theme, whereas the other is based on pictures. Each candidate is given 30 minutes to write an essay. Here are some of the topics given for WAT during previous admissions:
● Goals shift!
● Industrial Revolution 4.0
● Picture 1: A speaker addressing an audience
Picture 2: A chess pawn, with a monarch reflected in its shadow.
● Should philosophy be taught to kids?
● Is creativity being stifled by technology?
In this round, the candidates are split into three groups of six. Each group activity lasts between 15-20 minutes. All the groups are given either visual or written materials to study. Each person has about a minute to prepare their response and then a minute to speak, and then the group is given 5-7 minutes to have a free-flowing conversation and come to a decision. In the final two minutes, one of the group members has to sum things up. The topics covered in GE rounds of past admissions are as follows:
● Picture: Four women sowing paddy in a flooded area on a paddy farm.
● Picture: Asian parents caring for their child, all of them concealed under masks.
● Do we need to get rid of nuclear weapons?
● Case study on an Ad campaign for a fairness lotion in South Africa. Many viewers of the advertisement believed it was racist because it showed the model’s skin lightening after applying the cream. Give your opinion on how you think the corporation could have handled the situation and the advertising campaign.
The candidates are evaluated by two panellists, based on their characteristics, aspirations, and experiences. Candidates are also questioned about the details they included in their applications. On average, an interview lasts between 20-25 minutes. Here are the questions shared by interviewees from previous years:
● What is your goal of learning?
● As a graduate of SCMHRD, what suggestions do you have to improve the programme?
● In what field would you like to work?
● Why not enrol in a course on entrepreneurship?
● Can you describe the leader's duties and responsibilities? Please put these in the sequence I've specified.
● What challenges did you encounter in your managerial role?
● Why not pursue a career in data science, given your familiarity with python and tableau?
● In your capacity as a Digital Marketer, what would you recommend for a BJP member who wants to defeat the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi?
● Are you aware of the current power outages in the United States?
● Show the national certificates you got after graduating high school.