What is PGDBA?
PGDBA (PGD in Business Administration) is designed to incorporate an organized, structured, reduced and compact module on business administration. The program covers the fundamentals of General Management, Finance, HR, Operations and Marketing Management. The program aims at developing administrative abilities in enrolled students, training them in the application of contemporary administration, business-related learning, and encouraging an interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship.
- B School Names: IIM Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur and ISI Kolkata.
- Program(s) Name: Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA).
- Number of Seats: 63.
- Program Fee: Rs. 24 lakhs.
- Test Accepted: PGDBA (Own Test)
- Test Mode: Online
- Placement Statistics:
Domestic:- Average Salary: Rs. 25.05 LPA
- Highest Salary: Rs. 40.97 LPA
International:
- Highest Salary: Rs. 47.02 Lakhs
A brief overview of PGDBA 2020
- Jointly offered by IIM Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur and ISI Kolkata.
- The PGDBA Program was launched in 2015
- Ideal for aspirants with inclination towards mathematic and looking for career in the field of business analytics
- The PGDBA exam comprises of 4 sections: Verbal Ability, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation, and Quantitative Aptitude
- The PGDBA Paper is conducted in the online mode on 16th February 2020 between 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM.
- The PGDBA Paper consists of 50 questions to be solved in 3 hours.
PGDBA Entrance Exam 2020 Important Dates
- Online application begins: December 03, 2019
- Last date of submission of online application: January 19, 2020
- Online issuance of admit cards: January 31, 2020 Onwards
- Written Test: February 16, 2020 (10:30 AM – 1:30 PM)
- Announcement of short-listed candidates and sending out call letter for personal interview : March 6th, 2020
- Personal interview of short-listed candidates: March 28th and 29th 2020
- Announcement of final offer: On or before 15th April 2020
- Closure of admission process: 8th June 2020
- Commencement of Programme: June 15th 2020
Syllabus for PGDBA 2020 written exam
- Verbal ability: Reading & Comprehension; Grammar/correction of sentences.
- Logical reasoning: Logical connectives, Statements and Conclusions, Matching and sequences.
- Data interpretation and data visualization: Data driven questions (pie charts, graphs, trends).
- Quantitative aptitude: Sets, combinatorics, Algebra (solutions of quadratic equations, inequalities, simultaneous linear equations, binomial theorem, series, AP, GP, HP, matrices), Euclidean geometry, Coordinate geometry (lines, circles, conic sections), Trigonometry (triangles, trigonometric identities, heights and distances), Calculus (functions, limits, continuity, derivative, maxima & minima, methods of integration, evaluation of areas using integration).
Duration of PGDBA
- Students will visit the 3 institutions for a semester (6 months).
- Each of the 3 institutes will focus on a separate area of business analytics, in accordance with its expertise and competence:
- IIM Calcutta – focus on the application of analytics in functional areas.
- ISI Kolkata – expertise in statistical and machine learning theories for an
- IIT Kharagpur – technology aspects of analytics.
- Internship of 6 months’ duration on an analytics project in a business organization.
- Students successfully graduating from the programme will be expected to join organizations working in the area of analytics.
Those interested in higher studies may pursue doctoral or other advanced studies in areas related to analytics.
Partnering Institutes For PGDBA Course
The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is a globally reputed institution devoted to the research, teaching and application of statistics, natural sciences and social sciences. Founded by Professor P.C. Mahalanobis in Kolkata on 17th December 1931, the institute gained the status of an Institute of National Importance by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1959. The Headquarters of ISI is located in the northern fringe of Kolkata. Additionally, there are four centres located in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Tezpur. While teaching and research in statistics and related disciplines are the primary activities of the institute, it is also involved in projects and consultancy in such areas as Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research.
For more information about the Institution please visit www.isical.ac.in
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur was established by the government of India in 1951. The first of the IITs to be established, it was recognized as an Institute of National Importance in 1956. From a modest start with 224 students and 42 teachers, IIT Kharagpur has become one of the top educational hubs in the country with 18 academic departments, five centres of excellence and about 550 faculties. IIT Kharagpur is widely recognized for spearheading new standards in engineering education. The institute has also made significant contributions towards various spheres of national development from the strategic sectors of Defence, Space and Atomic energy to the Economic, Public and Development sectors that directly or indirectly touch the lives of all the citizens of India.
For more information about the Institution please visit www.iitkgp.ac.in
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta was established as the first national institute for Post-Graduate studies and Research in Management by the Government of India in November 1961. Over the years, IIM Calcutta has grown into a mature institution with global reputation, imparting high quality management education. It has been playing a pioneering role in professionalizing Indian management through its Post Graduate and Doctoral level programmes, Executive Training Programmes, Research and Consulting Activities. Its continued focus on excellence, eminent faculty, strong alumni base and ties to the business community have made IIM Calcutta one of the best business schools in Asia.
For more information about the Institution please visit www.iimcal.ac.in
How does PGDBA work?
The Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA) – jointly offered by IIM Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur, and ISI – Notification is out! The Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA) aims to help shape the emerging profession of business analytics by delivering a cutting edge inter disciplinary educational experience to graduate applicants with an aspiration of building a career in this field.
PGDBA is a two-year full time residential diploma programme aimed at creating business analytics professionals employable by leading Indian and foreign firms. This programme is designed for those who have an analytical mind-set, are interested in tackling challenging business problems, and possess an inclination towards mathematics. Some of the salient features of the programme include courses taught by reputed faculty members at the campuses of three globally renowned institutes, hands- on business analytics training at a related company, continuous interaction with industry leaders throughout the course of the diploma programme, and the availability of placement opportunities at all the three institutes jointly offering this programme.
Students will visit the three institutions – IIM Calcutta, ISI and IIT Kharagpur. Each of the three institutes will focus on a separate area of business analytics, in accordance with its expertise and competence. While coursework at IIM Calcutta will focus on the application of analytics in functional areas, ISI will bring to the table its expertise in statistical and machine learning theories for analytics, and faculty at IIT Kharagpur will engage with the technology aspects of analytics. In addition, the students will be required to do an internship of six months’ duration on an analytics project in a business organization. The programme being residential, each institute will make suitable arrangements for hostel accommodation for the students.
Students successfully graduating from the programme will be expected to join organizations working in the area of analytics. Those interested in higher studies may pursue doctoral or other advanced studies in areas related to analytics.
The PGDBA 2020 Entrance Test will be held in online mode.
Eligibility criteria for PGDBA (2022)
► A candidate must hold a graduate/post graduate degree with any of the following: 10+2+4/10+2+5/10+2+3+2 with a Minimum of 60% marks or CGPA 6.5 on a 10-point scale in the Qualifying Degree (i.e. B. Tech./ B.E./ M.Sc./ M. Com or equivalent).
► For SC/ ST and Person with Disabilities (PwD) category candidates, the qualifying marks for eligibility shall be 55% or CGPA 6.0 on a 10-point scale.
► The CGPA will not be converted into percentage marks, even if the degree awarding Institute provides marks in CGPA system. Their admission will be based on the CGPA awarded in the transcript. If the CGPA is on a different scale other than 10, the eligibility of a candidate will be based on the equivalence of the CGPA on a 10-point scale.
► Candidates, who are in the final year, are also eligible to apply provided they appear in the final examination and complete other academic requirements as specified above by May 31, 2020. For such cases, admission will be provisional subject to submission of final mark sheet by October 31, 2020.
Criteria for final selection to PGDBA 2020-22
A candidate’s final score for selection is calculated on the basis of Table1, which indicates the criteria and their weights to be used for the final selection to PGDBA for the batch 2020-22.
| Criterion | Weights |
|---|---|
| Written Test | 40 |
| Personal interview (PI) | 40 |
| Points for Class X marks (Details shown in Table 2) | 07 |
| Points for Class XII marks (Details shown in Table 2) | 07 |
| Work experience (Details shown in Table 3) | 06 |
| Total | 100 |
The method of allotting points for Class X and Class XII percentage based on aggregate marks is given in Table 2 below:
| Class X Marks (x in %) | Points | Class XII Marks (y in %) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| X >90 | 7 | Y >90 | 7 |
| 85<x<=90 | 6 | 85<y<=90 | 6 |
| 80<x<=85 | 5 | 80<y<=85 | 5 |
| 75<x<=80 | 4 | 75<y<=80 | 4 |
| 70<x<=75 | 3 | 70<y<=75 | 3 |
| 65<x<=70 | 2 | 65<y<=70 | 2 |
| 60<=x<=65 | 1 | 60<=y<=65 | 1 |
| X <60 | 0 | Y<60 | 0 |
*For computing the percentage of marks obtained in Class X and Class XII, the aggregate marks of all subjects that appear in the mark sheet or grade sheet would be considered irrespective of whether the Board considers them for calculation of percentage.
For work experience, a maximum of six points will be awarded depending on the length of service as on January 31, 2020 (Please refer to Table 3). Only formal work experience after graduation will be considered. Training/project work/work done as an integral part of curricular requirement will not be considered.
| Work experience (x in Months) | Points |
|---|---|
| X >60 | 4 |
| 24 <x<=60 | 6 |
| 0 <x<=24 | 3 |
| X =0 | 0 |
The Joint Admissions Committee of PGDBA will consider all the above performance indicators in order to come up with the final merit list. Minimum qualification in accordance with the above-mentioned criteria would not automatically qualify the candidate for admission into PGDBA. Any suppression of fact or false information will lead to rejection of candidature at any stage of the selection process.
Reservation Policy
As per the Government of India stipulations for SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS and Person with Disabilities (PwD) candidates. In case of NC-OBC & EWS, the certificate must be issued on or after 01 April 2019.
Any dispute concerning Admissions to the PGDBA Batch 2020-22 would be subject to jurisdiction of the competent courts within the territorial jurisdiction of city of Kolkata only.
Future Scope (PGDBA)
One of the most significant factors that candidates consider when deciding on a college is the placements that the college offers. This is an area of strength for the PGDBA Course since it is backed by 3 of the most prestigious colleges in India, namely: IIM Calcutta, ISI Kolkata and IIT Kharagpur. Despite being a new program, the PGDBA Course has been able to show strong growth in their placement figures which makes it an attractive prospect for any candidate who is looking to enter the business analytics domain.
The internship placement records for the batch of 2018-20 and final placements for the batch of 2017-19 is given in the table below:
| Batch | Internship Placement (Rs. per month) | Final Placement (LPA) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Stipend | Average Stipend | Median Stipend | Maximum CTC | Average CTC | Median CTC | |
| 2015-17 | 2,55,000 | 78,000 | 75,000 | 33.67 | 18.07 | 17.7 |
| 2016-18 | 2,45,000 | 97,804 | 85,000 | 47.02 | 22.89 | 21.36 |
| 2017-19 | 1,40,000 | 1,13,565 | 1,11,100 | 40.97 | 25.05 | 23.23 |
| 2018-20 | 1,72,000 | 1,33,000 | 1,25,000 | – | – | – |
Institutes providing this course, along with their fee structure.
| College/institute | State | Tuition fees (per year) in inr |
|---|---|---|
| Indian institute of management | Ahmedabad, gujarat | 11,30,000 |
| Xavier labour relations institute | Jamshedpur, jharkhand | 14,00,000 |
| National institute of industrial engineering | Mumbai, maharashtra | 3,81,000 |
| Amrita vishwavidyapeethamcoimbatore campus | Coimbatore, tamilnadu | 4,11,000 |
| Institute of management technology | Ghaziabad, uttarpradesh | 7,50,000 |
| Narseemonjee institute of management studies | Mumbai, maharashtra | 6,58,000 |
| International management institute | New delhi, delhincr | 7,71,000 |
| Sydenham institute of management studies, research & entrepreneurship education | Mumbai, maharashtra | 67,000 |
| Symbiosis institute of business management | Pune, maharashtra | 4,68,000 |
| Mica – the school of ideas | Ahmedabad, gujarat | 725,000 |
| Symbiosis institute of management studies | Pune, maharashtra | 5,08,000 |
| Madras christian college | Chennai, tamilnadu | 14,000 |
| Prin. L. N. Welingkar institute of management development & research | Mumbai, maharashtra | 4,32,000 |
| Indian institute of management | Ranchi, jharkhand | 6,25,000 |
| Ifim business school | Bangalore, karnataka | 4,75,000 |
| Institute for financial management & research | Chennai, tamilnadu | 6,00,000 |
| Lalbahadurshastri institute of management | New delhi, delhincr | 5,09,000 |
| International school of business and research | Bangalore, karnataka | 3,50,000 |
| Amity business school | Noida, uttarpradesh | 5,69,000 |
| New delhi institute of management | New delhi, delhincr | 3,88,000 |
Programme Calendar PGDBA
| Programme | Institute | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation programme | IIM Calcutta | 15 June – 19 June 2020 |
| Pre-semester module | IIM Calcutta | 22 June – 31 July 2020 |
| Semester I | ISI | 01 August – 18 December 2020 |
| Semester II | IIT Kharagpur | 01 January – 10 May 2022 |
| Semester III | IIM Calcutta | 07 June – 30 September 2022 |
| Semester IV | Industry Internship | 01 October 2021 – 30 April 2022 |
Instructions for CBT:
- The duration of the test is 3 hours. The test will have a total of 50 questions carrying 150 marks. Each of these questions will be a Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ). Every question will have only one correct answer.
- You will score
► 3 marks for each correctly answered question
► 0 mark for each unattempted question, and
► -1 mark for each incorrectly answered question
- There will be 15 questions on Verbal Ability, 5 questions on Logical Reasoning, 5 questions on Data Interpretation and Data Visualization, and 25 questions on Quantitative Aptitude.
- Books, charts, graph sheets, tables, calculators, mobile phones, digital diaries and electronic communication gadgets/computing devices etc. are NOT allowed in the examination hall.
Semester I (at ISI)
- Contemporary Business Analytics
- Financial Reporting & Analysis
- Marketing Management
- Organizational Behaviour
- Managerial Communication
- Stochastic Processes and Applications
- Statistical Structures in Data
- Inference
- Computing for Data Sciences
- Fundamentals of Database Systems
- Regression and Time Series Models
- Foundations of Algorithm Design and Machine Learning
- Modelling in Operations Management
- Elective I
- (any one from the following list)
- Enabling Technologies for Data Analytics
- Information Retrieval
- Cloud Computing
- Complex Network
- Elective II
- Elective III
- (any two from the following list for Elective II and Elective III)
- Optimization and Business Decision Analysis
- Venture Analytics
- Product Analytics
- Business Accounting and Banking Analytics
- Basics of Marketing Analytics
- Business Model Analytics
- Healthcare Analytics
- Supply Chain Analytics
- Conversational Analysis
- Ethical and Legal considerations in Business Analytics
- Data Science Laboratory
- Categorical Data Analysis
- Business Data Mining
- Business Economics
- Project Management
- Strategic Management
- Human Resource Management
- Corporate Finance
- Elective IV
- (any one from the following list)
- Analytics in Business Forecasting
- Selected Aspects of Advanced Predictive Modelling
- Econometric Methods with Applications in Business and Economics
- Networks Analytics
- Elective V
- Elective VI
- Elective VII
- (any three from the following list for Elective V, Elective VI, Elective VII)
- Consumer Analytics
- Applied Marketing Research
- Financial Risk Management
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Computational Finance
- High Frequency Finance and News Analytics
- Advanced Spreadsheet Modelling
- Business Process Management
- Pricing and Revenue Optimization
- Analytical Tools in Demand Management
- Manufacturing Analytics
- Legal Aspects of Data Mining
- Decision and Games
- Games and Information
- Analytics in Payment
Important Dates
| Online application starts: | December 03, 2019 |
| Last date of submission of online application | January 19, 2020 |
| Issue of admit cards (Online) | January 31, 2020 |
| Admission Test | February 16, 2020 |
| Intimation to the candidates for personal interview | March 20, 2020 |
| Personal interview for short-listed candidates | April 18 and 19, 2020 |
| Announcement of final offer | On or before May 04, 2020 |
| Closure of admission process | June 08, 2020 |
| Commencement of PGDBA program | June 15, 2020 |
HOW TO APPLY
Eligible candidates are requested to apply online. Click here to apply online.(https://isiba.onlineapplicationform.org/ISIDBA/index.jsp) Application fee of Rs.2000/- (Rs.1000/- for candidates belonging to SC/ST/PwD categories) has to be paid online by using Debit/ Credit Card/ Net Banking. Keep the print out of transaction details for future reference.
Last date of submission of online application:January 19, 2020
Cities for Computer Based Test (CBT):
| Ahmedabad | Agra | Aligarh | Allahabad | Amritsar | Bengaluru | Bhopal |
| Bhubaneswar | Chandigarh | Chennai | Cochin | Coimbatore | Dehradun | Dhanbad |
| Durgapur | Guwahati | Gwalior | Hyderabad | Indore | Jaipur | Jammu |
| Jamshedpur | Kolkata | Lucknow | Mumbai | Nagpur | Navi Mumbai | Nashik |
| New Delhi | Noida | Patna | Pune | Raipur | Ranchi | Roorkee |
| Shillong | Siliguri | Tezpur | Trivandrum | Visakhapatnam |
Cities for Personal Interview: Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru
In case of inquiries, please send an email to: pgdba@isical.ac.in or Call 033-25752520 / 25752521.
Test Analysis
PGDBA-2020 entrance test was conducted on 16th February 2020 for admission to the niche Business Analytics programme jointly offered by Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC) and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IITKgp). For the first time, PGDBA-2020 was an online test.
Structure
Following was the structure of the exam:
| Section | Number of questions | Level of difficulty | Time |
| Verbal Ability | 15 | Medium | 180 minutes |
| Data Interpretation and Data Visualization | 5 | Easy | |
| Logical Reasoning | 5 | Easy | |
| Quantitative Aptitude | 25 | Difficult |
Marking scheme: 3 marks for correct answers, penalty of 1 mark for incorrect answers. No penalty for un-attempted questions.
Verdict
As per the feedback received from students, PGDBA-2020 was one notch more difficult than PGDBA-2019. However, as the number of test takers is expected to increase, the percentiles required for getting a call for the next round of admissions is likely to be higher. As a result of both these factors, we believe that a score of about 100-105 should be enough to secure a call for the interviews for the general category of students, which is slightly less than the cut-off for the last year.
Sectional Analysis
Verbal and Logical Ability Section (15 questions)
The VARC section was of medium difficulty. 10 Reading Comprehension Questions (5 questions, each on 2 short passages), 2 Vocabulary questions (confusable words), and 3 Paragraph Jumbles questions (4 jumbled sentences) made up the VARC Section.
The passage on ‘Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ was a bit difficult to read due to its use of technical language. The difficulty level of questions ranged from medium to difficult. Unlike this, the passage on ‘Individualism vs Collectivism’ was very easy to read and had easy questions. Out of the 10 RC questions, at least 6 were easy, and most of them were inference-based questions. The two vocabulary questions were of easy to medium difficulty. None of the three paragraph jumbles posed any challenge. Two were easy, and the remaining one was, at best, of medium difficulty.
An attempt of 12 questions in this section in about 20 to 30 minutes, with about 75-80% accuracy would be considered a good attempt.
Data Interpretation and Data Visualization Section (5 questions)
Unlike previous years, when this section had set based questions, all the five questions in this section were standalone questions based on different graphs. The questions involved simple calculations. Students should have aimed at attempting all the 5 questions in this section in about 10-15 minutes.
Logical Reasoning Section (5 questions)
There was one set on Matrix Arrangement having 5 questions in this section. There were no questions on Verbal Reasoning or any standalone question. The set was rather simple and students should have attempted all the 5 questions in about 10-15 minutes to maximize the score.
Quantitative Aptitude Section (25 questions)
One factor that differentiates PGDBA exam from other exams is the questions on Higher Mathematics (usually covered at 10+2 level). In the previous years, PGDBA exam usually had 11 to 13 questions on Higher Mathematics. However, PGDBA-2020 had as many as 16 questions on Higher Mathematics (calculus and Conics sections) and the remaining 9 questions were on topics covered in CAT and other MBA entrance exams. The questions on Higher Mathematics were dominated by Calculus (7 questions), followed by Conics Sections (3 questions). The questions on Higher Mathematics also involved 3 questions on Higher Geometry (i.e. the questions on Triangles and Trigonometry involving the concepts that are not covered at CAT and other MBA entrance exams. The questions on other topics were dominated by Algebra (5 questions).
Following was the break-up of the questions in the section:
| Quantitative Aptitude (25 questions) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Medium | Difficult | Total | |
| Higher Mathematics | 2 | 0 | 14 | 16 |
| Algebra | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Modern Mathematics | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Geometry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Total | 8 | 2 | 15 | 25 |
Detailed break-up of the questions on Higher Mathematics was as follows
| Easy | Medium | Difficult | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Differentiation | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Integration | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Conics | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Higher Geometry | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Matrices | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Infinite Series | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 14 | 16 |
Overall, the level of difficulty of questions on Higher Mathematics was on higher side. Ideal strategy would have been to attempt all CAT-level questions in the section at very high accuracy and attempt as many of Higher Mathematics questions as possible. The questions on Higher Mathematics could be attempted only by those students who had brushed up the concepts of these areas. Students would have definitely found PGDBA workshops and test-pack offered by IMS helpful.
Like in the previous years, PGDBA-2020 exam did not have too many questions with shortcuts. However, that was compensated by the fact that more time could have been devoted to this section as the other sections were on relatively easier side and overall there were 50 questions to be attempted in three hours.
An attempt of about 14-15 questions in about 110-120 minutes would be considered a good attempt.
Overall
Overall, PGDBA-2020 was one notch more difficult than the previous year, mainly due to more questions asked on Higher Mathematics.
Reports from students suggest that questions on Higher Mathematics are asked in the interview for admission. Students who have performed well in PGDBA-2020 and are expecting a call for the second round of admissions may benefit if they brush up the concepts on Higher Mathematics in the intervening six weeks.