How to get into FMS
FMS was established in 1954 with a fantastic ROI. Here, the fees are two lacs, and the package goes to 25 lacs on average. Batch strength lies at 226 currently. The alumni network is definitely strong with an Entrepreneurial edge as the fees are meagre, so you do not have the baggage of loans etc. Also, you get branded for life!
Process
The application form for FMS comes a day or two before CAT, so you can decide whether to fill out the form or not. The admission process starts in November and continues till April.
Stage 1: Get 99 percentile in CAT. No profile is calculated here. VARC section is the game-changer for any topper here as the weightage if this section remains 40%. Spend two days per week on VARC as verbal is the king here.
Stage 2: Now, your 10th and 12th marks are considered. You will get 10/10 marks on more than 75%. And 5/10 marks on below 65% marks. After this, an extempore happens, followed by a Personal Interview which lasts as short as about 7-10mins.
Cut-offs
The female candidate gets an additional five marks to boost. More than 50% of female candidates are there in the current batch.
EWS- 98 percentile
General engineer female- 99.06 percentile
General non-engineer female- 99.36 percentile
SC/ST/OBC- 92-99 percentile
PwD- more than 65 percentile
Prepare for the best b-school but target nothing less than FMS.
The 3 Phases Approach: –
Phase 1: ACCLIMATIZE (April-June)
In this phase, you need to compulsorily put in 2hrs of preparation every day. See the topics and mark your potential accordingly without judging yourself. Ensure you complete your entire syllabus once in 2 months. Here are some notebooks you need to make for structured learning:
Grammar Book (write rules)
Vocabulary Book (write words from Norman Lewis Word Power Made Easy)
Formula Notebook
Short cut Notebook
Here, reading is very important, so to develop the habit, start with Norman Lewis, Aeon Essays (follow first Aeon Ideas, then Aeon Essays, then Aeon Psyche). Read these daily for approx. 30mins.
Output– Do your SWOT analysis of each topic.
Phase 2: ATTACK (July-Oct)
This will undoubtedly be stressful but stick to CATKing to refill your senses with your goal. Take mocks and know that you are in attack mode. While attending each section, ensure each section should give you some Output by solving difficult questions, old years’ mocks. Attack with Hit and Trial and do SWOT analysis as to which topic is to be pacified and which needs attention.
Output– Grip in 2sections and God in 1 section.
Phase 3: DEFEND (Oct- Nov)
This is the make or break phase of your journey, which is very crucial. You just need to hold on to your scores in the mock that you already set and then once done setting, just maintain it till the end. Consolidate each topic thoroughly, maintain your sanity check, and analyze your mocks.
Output– Have a line of sight of the topics and paper pattern and show up till the end.
BONUS PHASE: There are two ways to prepare for MBA. Make up your mind to that till the end before kick-starting your preparation. Details are given below:
There are two courses highly recommended by previous CATKing toppers currently sitting in FMS of the world:
| TURBO COURSE | INTENSIVE COURSE |
| 8 months of CAT preparation mainly from April to November. | CAT and non-cat preparation from April to next year April. |
| Expenditure: 10,000 INR for CAT forms + 20,000 INR coaching fees. Altogether, 30,000 INR. | 25,000 INR for CAT and NON-CAT forms + 25,000 for coaching. Altogether, 50,000 INR. |
| After November, we have Jan, Feb, March for GDPI, WAT and PI calls converting process. | Oct- NMATNov- CATDec- IIFT, SNAP, MICATJan- XAT, TISSNETFeb- MICAT2, SNAP 2.March to April- GDPI, WAT PI, CDPI calls and converting process. |
| June- end of entrance Preparation and beginning of actual MBA journey. | June- end of entrance Preparation and beginning of actual MBA journey. |