GMAT plan

For the 2027–28 PGPX application, IIMA requires a valid GMAT or GRE score; GMAT is an accepted route, not the only required exam. GMAT scores must be from the prior five years, test-centre scores are accepted (online/take-home scores are not), and the current policy explicitly accepts the new GMAT Focus Edition. The policy publishes no GMAT minimum or cutoff. For India, this report uses only the GMAT route and no CAT scores. Round 2 is open through 23 November 2026, subject to the school’s schedule.[70][74]

For 2027–28, a valid GMAT or GRE is mandatory; CAT is not considered for EPGP. A GMAT score must be valid when the application is submitted (the programme FAQ specifies within five years), and the official or test-taker scorecard must be submitted and reported to IIMB using GMAT code Q9H-KK-84. At-home/online test scores are not accepted for this batch. The current policy says ‘valid GMAT’ but does not explicitly distinguish Focus from legacy scores or publish a score cutoff; IIMB says there is no minimum score and evaluation is relative to the applicant pool.[76][77]

For AY 2027-28, a valid test-centre GMAT is mandatory; online/at-home scores are not accepted. The score must be within 36 months of 1 August 2026 (earliest accepted test date 1 August 2023), and meet the minimum 50th-percentile threshold. Selection assigns GMAT 25% of the composite, alongside academics, experience, diversity, WAT (15%) and PI (30%).[80][82]

The 2027–28 policy accepts a valid GMAT or GRE (not CAT) and uses the GMAT/GRE score for 30% of the final selection score; candidates are shortlisted for WAT and PI. The score must remain valid through the application deadline, and only test-centre scores are valid; online/at-home scores are excluded. For this India application, use the GMAT route only. The IPMX materials say ‘GMAT’ but do not separately name GMAT Focus Edition, so confirm Focus-specific score reporting/acceptance with IIML before booking or submitting.[89][90]

For the PGP, GMAT or GRE is a prerequisite; GMAT is accepted, and the current 2027–28 admissions policy expressly accepts GMAT 10th Edition (legacy) or GMAT Focus Edition. Scores must be test-centre based and valid within five years of the application deadline; an official score report must be sent to ISB. ISB states there is no minimum GMAT score. For the 2027–28 cycle, the stated score-date windows are R2: 7 Dec 2021–6 Dec 2026 and R3: 18 Jan 2022–17 Jan 2027. India applicants should use the GMAT route only, as requested.[94][95]

For the India application route, IIMK’s 2026 PGP-BL policy lists GMAT (alongside GRE/CAT) as an eligible test and expressly says GMAT Focus Edition scores are also accepted; scores must be from the previous three years and official GMAT scores sent directly to IIMK (code D3Z71 SQ-80). CAT is not used in this assessment. No school-published GMAT minimum, percentile cutoff, or incoming-cohort average/median/range is stated in the current materials reviewed.[80][101]

Aiming for 665+ on GMAT Focus is a strategic suggestion, not an IIMA requirement or guaranteed-admit score: it is modestly above the latest reported Focus cohort average of 652. The 652 mean is not a cutoff, and the school publishes no minimum, median or range; admissions also weighs professional progression, leadership, academics, essays and interview.[70][74]

A transparent strategic target is 655+ on GMAT Focus, not a cutoff or guarantee: GMAC’s concordance table links Focus 655 to legacy 700 or 710, placing it around IIMB’s historical legacy cohort average of 704. The conversion is an approximate cross-scale comparison, and the 2025 cohort statistic is not a prediction of the 2027–28 class; higher performance can strengthen the application, but IIMB evaluates the full profile.[76][80]

Strategic target: 645+ GMAT Focus, approximately the 86.7th percentile in GMAC’s concordance table. This is a transparent planning target just above IIMC’s published signal that the prior AY 2026-27 cohort mean exceeded the 85th percentile, not an admission cutoff, a published average score, or a guarantee. Percentiles/concordance can be updated.[80][82]

No numeric Focus target is defensible from the official IPMX evidence: IIML publishes neither an edition-specific score policy nor a cohort score average/range/ cutoff. Set a personal improvement goal from an official GMAT Focus diagnostic and maximize the score, noting that GMAT/GRE carries 30% of selection; any consultant-recommended numeric target would be an external planning heuristic, not an IIML threshold.[88][89]

No defensible ISB-specific numerical Focus target is published: the 719 figure is a cohort average with no edition stated, and the 530–780 range is also scaleunspecified. Do not convert either into a Focus target or cutoff. Aim for the strongest feasible Focus score, while treating any personal numerical prep goal as a strategy, not an ISB admission threshold.[94][95]

Advisory target: 655+ on GMAT Focus, not an IIMK requirement or predicted admissions threshold. Transparent basis: GMAC’s official concordance table associates Focus 655 with legacy GMAT 700 at the table’s 90.5th percentile; the same table also maps 645 to legacy 700 at 86.7th percentile because concordance uses score bins. Use 655+ as an ambitious preparation goal given the lack of IIMK score statistics and her experience beyond the school’s stated 4– 7-year expectation, not as evidence of an IIMK admit cutoff.[80][101]