​​The Changing Landscape of MBA Admissions: Reflections from the IIM CAP Process

Last week, I was in Mumbai to interview students participating in the CAP (Common Admission Process) for IIMs. The experience was noticeably different this year. For one, the interviews were conducted physically—a welcome departure from the online format adopted over the past few years due to the pandemic. This shift back to in-person interviews felt like a positive step, but it also revealed deeper issues that I believe deserve attention.

A Throwback to 2012: Then vs. Now

When I appeared for my CAT interviews back in 2012, the process was more rigorous. It had a two-stage format—starting with a group discussion where faculty, often from older IIMs like IIM-C, assessed our ability to analyze and debate contemporary issues. Only those who performed well progressed to the personal interview stage. This structure ensured that candidates not only had strong academic knowledge but also demonstrated critical thinking and communication skills—qualities essential for thriving in the corporate world.

However, with the shift to online interviews post-COVID, interviewers have now been able to gauge some of these qualities. Students too had figured out solutions to game the system. Hence, in my opinion, this year’s return to the offline format is a step in the right direction. However, the process highlighted a few alarming trends that point to larger systemic issues.

The Root Cause: A Broken Undergraduate System

One of the most glaring concerns I noticed was how underprepared many students were. I am not saying this in the context of the CAP process, however, from the perspective of what they had spent 3-4 years of their lives studying. A significant number of candidates had a 1–2 year gap in their resumes, indicating that they spent this time in coaching centres after failing to secure placements during their undergraduate education. These centres knew exactly what was getting measured, and therefore, they optimized the learning process to focus solely on cracking the CAT or other competitive exams. The emphasis was not on building conceptual depth or fostering critical thinking but on mastering test-taking strategies, shortcuts, and tricks to outsmart the exam. As a result, while these students performed well in aptitude tests, they lacked the fundamental knowledge required to engage in meaningful discussions about their own fields. My co-panelists and I met lots of engineers who were not able to plot a function on a graph, chemistry graduates who could not explain what Haber process was, or BBA kids who were unaware of the difference between pay back period and ROI.

This points to a dangerous trade-off—where students sacrifice deep learning for short-term success in competitive exams. The coaching industry thrives by creating a system where success is measured by exam scores rather than a genuine understanding of the subject matter. As a result, students spend years perfecting techniques to crack multiple-choice questions but graduate with an education that is hollow at its core.

This suggests a deeper issue—our undergraduate education system is failing to equip students with the necessary skills to thrive in a professional setting.

The problem is similar to the concept of biomagnification in ecology, where harmful substances accumulate and intensify as they move up the food chain. In education, foundational gaps in primary and secondary schooling compound over time, resulting in poorly prepared graduates who struggle to secure jobs. This deficiency then spills over into postgraduate institutions like IIMs, where these students seek refuge, hoping that an MBA will compensate for their lack of knowledge and skills.

Why Are So Many Students Flocking to IIMs?

There are two possible explanations for this trend.

The Safe Bet: An MBA from a top IIM is seen as a surefire pathway to lucrative job opportunities. With rising fees and increasing competition, many students believe that securing an IIM degree, regardless of their background, will guarantee placement.

Lack of Viable Alternatives: The more profound insight, however, is that India’s job market offers limited opportunities for fresh undergraduates. Many of the candidates I interviewed struggled to articulate even basic concepts from their fields of study. Chemistry graduates couldn’t recall the Haber process or the molecular formula of ammonia. Economics students failed to explain how supply and demand curves shift in response to external shocks. Tasks as simple as explaining a dimensional axis where a function should be plotted left them stumped.

This knowledge gap is exacerbated by the explosion of coaching centers across the country—both offline and online. Students spend years preparing for exams like CAT, neglecting their core undergraduate education. They may succeed in cracking the exam, but they lack the depth of knowledge and analytical skills that should have been honed during their undergraduate years.

Revenge Learning: A Pandemic Side Effect

Another interesting trend emerged during the interviews—"revenge learning." Many students admitted that one of their primary motivations for pursuing an MBA was to experience the physical classroom environment they missed during the pandemic. After years of isolation and online learning, they longed to sit in a classroom, engage with peers, and have meaningful interactions.

While this desire is understandable, it highlights a problematic mindset. Postgraduate education should not be pursued as a filler activity. Students should choose an MBA because they want to develop relevant skills and gain a deeper understanding of business, not because they feel the need to make up for missed experiences.

What We Can Learn from the American System

In this context, India can take a page from the American education system, where many industry-relevant postgraduate programs require students to gain work experience before applying. This approach ensures that students enter MBA programs with a better understanding of organizational dynamics. They appreciate that organizations are larger than themselves and that success often hinges on their ability to work within complex systems.

Work experience teaches valuable lessons—how to report to someone, how to manage teams, and how to navigate real-world challenges. Without this understanding, case studies used in IIMs remain theoretical exercises that fail to translate into practical insights.

The Double-Edged Sword of AI and Social Media

A more recent concern is the impact of AI and social media on learning. Many candidates cited Instagram handles as their primary source of information. When asked about reliable news outlets or publications they followed, they struggled to name any.

This shift toward consuming bite-sized content on social media platforms has led to shortened attention spans and surface-level understanding. While digital platforms provide unprecedented access to information, they also create an illusion of knowledge. This over-reliance on easily digestible content hampers deep, analytical thinking—an essential skill for succeeding in an MBA program.

A Generation at Crossroads: More Choices, Less Clarity

Today’s students face an overwhelming array of choices—multiple entrance exams, a variety of career paths, and an abundance of online learning resources. While choice can be empowering, it can also be paralyzing. Many students end up pursuing an MBA not because they are passionate about management but because they feel directionless. This confusion often leads to misplaced expectations, with students hoping that an IIM degree will automatically translate into a high-paying job.

Where Do We Go from Here?

The challenges in India’s education system are deep-rooted and multifaceted. Fixing them requires a paradigm shift that starts with:

• Strengthening Undergraduate Education: Emphasize practical learning and critical thinking to equip students with real-world skills.
• Promoting Work Experience Before Postgraduate Study: Encourage students to gain professional exposure before pursuing advanced degrees.
• Curbing the Coaching Culture: Shift the focus from cracking exams to building subject matter expertise.
• Encouraging Media Literacy: Teach students to consume information critically and develop a habit of reading reputable sources.

Without addressing these systemic issues, we risk perpetuating a cycle where students pursue postgraduate degrees to mask gaps in their foundational education—only to find themselves ill-equipped for the real world.

The time to act is now.