A Master’s in Business Analytics is extremely beneficial for Undergraduate students who aim to work in data-driven giants such as Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn as well as experienced personnel who want to further their career prospects to stay competitive in the face of rapidly morphing business strategies. Before getting admitted to the Master’s program in Business Analytics, you might be asked to undergo an video Interview process, apart from meeting general requirements like the 91Èȱ¬ and TOEFL/IELTS scores, and documents like LORs, your resume, and Statement of Purpose. Industries such as Finance, Technology, Marketing, and Retail have the highest scope for Business analysts.

Initially, interviews were a part of the admissions process for MBA programs, but are now extended to Master’s programs also. Interviews give you an opportunity to supplement your written applications by giving the admissions committee further information and reasons that demonstrate your suitability to the course by answering a series of questions asked by them. Interviews are your final opportunity to convince the admissions committee about ‘Why you’re the best suit for their Master’s program’ by giving them a glimpse into your experience, projects, previous courses completed, and future aspirations.

Download our eBOOK on “MS in Business Analytics – Everything you need to know“

How are these interviews conducted?

Different universities have different procedures but most of them conduct online video interviews. Let’s understand this through the interview procedure followed at the Imperial College of London.

• First of all, the Imperial College London invites candidates for Interviews only after shortlisting, which means, if someone is invited for the Interview then their application has reached the final stage of the selection procedure.
• For courses like an MSc in Business Analytics (Online, Part-time as well as Full-time), Management, Finance, and Financial technology, qualifying Interviews are certain for admission at most institutes.
• According to the admissions committee, the Interviews lasts for about 20 minutes, in which the candidate might be required to deliver an elevator pitch for the questions asked.
• The platform used by the Imperial College, London is called the ‘Kira Talent Online Interview Platform’. Do make sure that any email from Kira Talent doesn’t reach your Spam folder.
• On the Online platform, there are a series of questions, which you need to answer as well as record a short video, both of which, you will have to submit them to the portal.

Word of Advice – The Kira Talent Online Interview Platform is a third party service provider, and hence you can familiarize yourself with the platform before reaching the testing hall.

• The Video Interview questions will basically be regarding:

1. The candidate’s goal statement (where an effective elevator pitch is recommended)
2. How the coursework would help the candidate in achieving the goals he/she has.
3. Why that particular business school is best suited for the candidate.

• Some students get to give their Interviews using Skype as the video interview platform. In such cases, the candidate will be contacted by the admissions committee for giving them their Skype ID and to agree on a suitable time, and date for the video interview questions.
• It is witnessed that students who gave Interviews for an MS in Business Analytics were asked personal questions similar to ones asked in MBA admissions. Questions such as ‘Past failures and Personal experience in analytics’ are often featured on the list.

Video Interview Questions

The Video Interview questions would be testing a candidate’s Technical knowledge, Skills, behavior, and instincts. Given below, are some of the actual questions asked during interviews of the MIT Sloan School of Business and the Imperial College of London;

1. Compute the natural log of 00.00

Answer – Natural log means a logarithm of a number with the base as e (2.718…). And the natural logarithm is defined only for positive non zero numbers and hence natural logarithm of 0 is not defined.

2. Where is Big Data used in a firm?

Answer – Firms like Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Twitter has huge data pilestocks, which they have analyze time and then for a better customer experience. The treasure for these companies lies in the analysis of these data. They use Big Data and Business analytics to find different trends, requirements, and other opportunities for the company. The Business analysts use Big Data for storage and then use various analytics tools to get useful information from them.

3. Tell me an experience you had when you were the team member and nobody sided you for your decision.

Answer – In general any team or group, while structuring their plan or vision faces conflict among the team members. This kind of healthy conflicts, which are helpful for the company or team in the long run and this is how the inefficient solutions are rejected, creative ideas are formed. You can share any of your experience while your projects or Internships.

4. What you think will be the most challenging part of this master’s program?

Answer – If you are from a non computer Science background, then subjects based on R programming could be a bit difficult. Also, subjects based on Cloud platforms like the Amazon Web services could be difficult to understand.

5. If you are up for a salary hike or a promotion, explain to your senior authority as to why you think you are eligible for that.

Answer – To answer this question, you should be able to point out the highlights of your previous projects and what enhancements you’ve done and how it affected the company. You can also point out some problems, which weren’t previously solved and how you solved them with your leadership skills.

6. What is the shape of a logarithmic curve – concave or concave?

Answer – The shape of a Logarithmic function is convex, as the opening mouth of the function always face downwards. It is close to the negative ordinate and as you go forward in the positive x-axis, it moves away from the positive ordinate but facing downwards, and hence convex.

7. How is this MSc best suited to your dreams?

Answer – Business Analytics is like meshing your technical and management skills into one, which is further strengthened by developing leadership qualities. If you want to become an analyst in big data driven companies and reach higher leadership positions where your decisions could impact the society, then this might be the best course in achieving your dreams.

8. Tell me a situation where you’ve demonstrated your leadership skills.

Answer – Any leadership quality like, Decision making capabilities, Communication, creativity, or bringing a vision and passing it on to the lowest level of the firm effectively, which you’ve exhibited during your projects, internships, or at work would answer this question.

9. Why should we offer you a place in our university?

Answer – The University you would be applying for should provide you the subjects and electives which inclines with your interests. Your profile matches the requirements of the universities and fee structure along the with the living expenses of the country is matching with your capabilities.

10. If you’re in a soccer team, what would your position be?

Answer – You could answer any position you want to be like defender, or the mid field player. But your answer should strengthen your abilities.

How to prepare for Video Interview Questions

1. For technical video interview questions, you have to prepare your subjects over time. This is not something for which you could develop or prepare in a week or so. If you’re really good in your subjects, then this round would be a cakewalk for you. If you’re not able to answer the question, it is better to be honest about it and answer what you can think of.

2. For Video essays based on a candidate’s behavioral traits or goals, a goal statement could be the most beneficial tool. The goal statement should always guide the candidate’s action. Goal statements should be prepared in the ‘SMART’ manner, should be accurately defined, and attainable. A Good Goal statement has the following features;

• S – Specific
• M – Measurable
• A – Acceptable
• R – Realistic
• T – Time-bound

3. The goal statement should be particular, specific and should convey what the student would like to achieve or attain, while also being quantifiable or measurable, like the number of months devoted to developing a particular skill, or to attain one’s target score for a particular exam. It should be acceptable and realistic.

4. Once the goal statement for future years or goals are set, answering these personal questions becomes easier.

5. An elevator pitch is a necessity!  An elevator pitch should have the following stages;

• The first part of the elevator pitch is ‘Who are you?’
• The second part of the elevator pitch is ‘What do you do?’
• The third part of the elevator pitch is ‘What makes you unique?’
• The fourth and final part of the elevator pitch is ‘How do you do it?’

Remember that universities are looking for confident, motivated and dynamic young individuals who can take on the rigors of an MS program in business analytics! With a compelling interview or video essay, coupled with a strong elevator pitch, you have the opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the admissions committee and convince them that you’re just the kind of student they’ve been looking out for!

Let us list the top universities and Business school offering Master’s programs in Business Analytics.

Top Business Schools for an MS in BUSINESS ANALYTICS

1. The MIT Sloan School of Management

The MIT Sloan School of Management

The MIT Sloan School of Management – Application Details

For the Class of 2019:

The MIT Sloan School of Management – Class of 2019

Considering all the important factors such as the employability rate, alumni outcome, academic and research impact, and the number of professors who hold Ph.D. degrees, the Sloan School of Management stands at the top. The graduates are motivated to use data science as a tool to solve business challenges and problems and interpret and analyze the results and take data-driven decisions.

For further information regarding the Interviews at the MIT Sloan School of Management

*As a part of the curriculum, students has to complete a real-time Capstone Projects with leading industries to show their skills in analytics. This could be an opportunity to flaunt your ‘analyst skills’ before getting employed.

2. Imperial College Business School

Imperial College Business School

Imperial College Business School – Application Details

Imperial College Business School

Imperial College Business School – Application Details

1. Knowledge requirement includes knowledge of Advanced Calculus, Statistics, Linear Algebra etc.
2. GMAT is not required as such, but a score of >650 will add heft to one’s profile
3. Experience in programming languages such as Python, SQL, R will be an added advantage.
4. Experience i`n advanced quantitative courses.

For further information regarding the interviews at the Imperial College London,

*Around 95% of graduates get employed in three months after degree completion with an average salary of $60,000.

3. The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business

The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business

The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business – Application Details

The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business

The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business – Application Details

The Class of 2017 has the following average scores:

The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business – Average of Class 2017

For further information regarding the interviews at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business,

4. ESSEC Business School and Centrale Superlec:

ESSEC Business School and Centrale Superlec

ESSEC Business School and Centrale Superlec – Application Details

Application Deadlines:–

ESSEC Business School and Centrale Superlec – Application Deadlines

to download the brochure 

5. ESADE Ramon Liull University

ESADE Ramon Liull University

ESADE Ramon Liull University – Application Details

ESADE Ramon Liull University

ESADE Ramon Liull University – Application DetailsFor further information regarding the interviews at the ESADE Ramon Liull University,

*Some of the World’s leading companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Santander Bank are the leading employers at this school where graduates are hired as Data Scientists.

6. USC Marshall School of Business

USC Marshall School of Business

USC Marshall School of Business – Application Details

USC Marshall School of Business

USC Marshall School of Business – Application Details

Application deadlines –

USC Marshall School of Business – Application Deadline

for the details about the one-minute self-description video 

7. Alliance Manchester Business School

Alliance Manchester Business School – Application Details

Alliance Manchester Business School

Alliance Manchester Business School – Application Details: The Alliance Manchester Business School doesn’t have a video interview round, but you can download the brochure by

8. Warwick Business School

Warwick Business School

Warwick Business School – Application Details

Warwick Business School – Application Details: Further details about the program

9. University of Edinburgh Business School

University of Edinburgh Business School

University of Edinburgh Business School – Application Details: For further details about the program

10. University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management

University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management – Application Details

University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management

University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management – Application Details: For Further details about the program

We hope you know a little more about the interview process now than you did 10 minutes ago! Have more doubts? Got a specific university in mind? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll try our best to help you out with what you’re looking for!

Best of Luck!

The post Video Interview Questions, Goal Statements, Elevator Pitch – MS Applications appeared first on 91Èȱ¬ Blog.

Steps to Convert CGPA to GPA:

The conversion generally varies for country-to-country.

1. For USA: (Your CGPA/Your topper’s CGPA)*4 (simple hack)
2. For Germany: 1+3* ((Best possible grade – Obtained grade)/(Best possible grade – Least possible grade))
3. For Canada: Every university has its own grading system. Check out the full blog for more.

Dear MS aspirant,

Do you have a dream university list on your mind?

Do you know what it takes to get admits from these universities?

No, I don’t mean a broad understanding, I mean, specifically – what is the required 91Èȱ¬ score, what is the minimum GPA needed, or how long should your SOP be?

Understanding your dream university’s requirements accurately helps you clinch an admit by enabling you to make more informed and timely decisions.

Broadly speaking, the parameters upon which the universities assess your application are as follows:

1. Your academics (CGPA/GPA, Projects etc.)
2. Your Scores (91Èȱ¬/GMAT/TOEFL/IELTS etc.)
3. Practical Exposure/ Professional Experience/ Co-curricular activities
4. Statement of Purpose and LoRs

While these aren’t the only factors to consider, this is a good starting point.

If you wish to understand where you stand in the race for your MS, you can get your complete profile evaluated by admissions experts now.

How Important Is Your CGPA in Getting a Top University Admit?

Your academic performance tells the university a lot about your potential as a prospective student there. Apart from the  qualitative aspects of your academic profile, such as your projects and internships, the admissions committee will look at your marks to assess your capabilities in handling their course-load and adapting to their academic regime.

In India, we calculate CGPA on a ten-point scale, with 10 being the maximum attainable CGPA. Some universities also use a system of percentages, where students are scored out of 100.

Similarly, various universities abroad also have their own marking system to evaluate the incoming international applications.

Let’s look at these variations in some of the major study destinations one-by-one.

How Do US Universities Calculate Your CGPA?

Universities in the US assess your scholastic abilities in terms of GPA.

However, there is no official standardized or uniform grading system there and it is left to the individual university or other regulatory bodies to choose and follow a set method of evaluating their applicants.

Commonly, a four-point grading system is followed by universities. This means that a student is graded on a scale of 0 to 4, with 4 being the maximum attainable CGPA.

However, some universities have been known to follow a nine or ten-point grading system as well, e.g:, Rackham School of Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan, till 2013, after which they also switched to the widely-used four-point system.

Do You Really Have to Convert Your CGPA?

Most universities will accept your score on a 10-point scale, in fact, some mandate you to report your grades as they are without conversion.

One of the exceptions is the University of Columbia, as it asks you to convert your score into the four-point scale.

There are also a set of universities that require you to get a third-party evaluation of your transcripts (official statement of your marks) from agencies such as WES (World Education Services), who will report your CGPA/GPA for you, after converting it into the university’s prescribed form, for a fee.

For example, WES also provides a credible free online evaluation of your scores, which you can use to plan your options.

NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) is annother association with several member organizations and agencies that provide such services, these include International Education Research Foundation Inc. (IERF) and Educational Credential Evaluators Inc among several others.

Universities often suggest one or the other third party with whom they are affiliated for such evaluations.

So, third-party evaluation is definitely one credible way to convert your CGPA into the scale accepted by the university.

For USA

How Can You Convert Your CGPA at Home?

Even if the university doesn’t demand a conversion for the application form, you can do a rough at-home calculation to determine your eligibility to apply and your chances of admission, by using the formula below:

For example, if your transcript (statement of marks provided by your university) says your CGPA is 7.8, and your batch topper’s CGPA is 8.2, then you can calculate your score as this:

(7.8/8.2) X 4 = 3.8

91Èȱ¬ Admission Tip: You must submit your topper’s GPA along with your own GPA when you fill your online application for admission.

If your current university uses a scale out of 100, then use the following scale to understand where you stand in the American four-point scale.

10 Point System	Equivalent 4 Point GPA	USA Grade Equivalent
>8.5	>3.7	A
8.0 - 8.4	3.7	A
7.5 - 7.9	3.3	B+
7.0 - 7.4	3.0	B
6.5 - 6.9	2.7	C+
6.0 - 6.4	2.3	C
5.5 - 5.9	2	D+
5.0 - 5.4	1.7	D
<5.0	0 - 1.3	F

Note that most universities do not ask you to convert your GPA to the 4-point system and there is a scientific transcript evaluation method that takes into consideration a host of factors before determining what your equivalent GPA would be according to the US grading system!

Disclaimer: The above table should only be used to get a rough estimate of what your GPA would be under the 4-point grading system. The actual equivalent GPA varies on several factors like university name and course pursued, among others. For exact equivalent GPA, one should request for a WES (World Education Services) evaluation

For Germany

How Is Your CGPA Calculated in Germany?

Calculating your CGPA in Germany is very different from that of US or India.

Germany uses a 5-point system for CGPA calculation of their enrolled students, where 1 is the best and 5 is awarded for insufficient performance.

This system is based on the Modified Bavarian Formula.

This formula takes into account the best and the least scores, possibly attained in the applicant’s native educational system, and convert your grade in correlation to these.

Have a look at the table below for a broad understanding of where your CGPA stands.

While the table above can help you with the conversion of your CGPA, it is important to factor in variations such as:

• Variation in the grading norms in universities.
• Variations in curriculum

That is, if your university is more stringent than others, scoring a 50–60% may be a high score within your university, but a German university may not look at it the same way.

Since the education systems vary, most universities do not require students to convert and report their CGPA as they have their own mechanism in place to do so internally. In such cases, students are only required to send the transcripts and report their scores as it is.

You can visit to know more about the required CGPA to apply to German universities.

For Canada

How Is Your CGPA Calculated in Canada?

In Canada, every university has its own grading system and the parameters are not common across universities or even regions. Students may be advised to report their scores as it is or convert it.

Some universities provide guidelines for applicants to make the conversions.

For example, McGill University chooses to give equivalencies to your CGPA based on your country on their site. Here is the table for Indian students.

Keep in mind that a university can internally evaluate your CGPA based on the GPA of your core subjects alone, or favor some courses in your transcripts over the others.

So, while reporting your CGPA to the universities, you must stick to what is mentioned in your transcript and on the university website.

How Can You Find Out How the University Evaluates Your CGPA?

STEP 1: Become aware of the university’s past admission trends.

STEP 2: Study the data on academic scores of students who have made it to your dream universities.

STEP 3: Make a more informed prediction of how your CGPA will be seen by the university.

You must be wondering, ‘how does one gather such complex information?’

Unless you plan much ahead, you might want to seek help from those around you especially those who have helped others gain admissions before. This will help you research on your choice of universities to apply, while also preparing your documents and filing your applications without any glitch.

Eventually, a successful admit is but a summation of several informed decisions taken at the right time, for which you must not hesitate to take help and guidance from your well-wishers and experienced professionals.

Fall 2020: How ready are you for a top admit? “Evaluate Now“

The post Fall 2020: How to Convert Your CGPA to GPA for USA, Germany, & Canada appeared first on 91Èȱ¬ Blog.