Students with 3+ years of workex at IIM PGP programs are common but not the majority, making up roughly 30-40% of each batch at IIM A, B, C, and L. At IIM Ahmedabad (Rs 27.5L fees, Rs 35.
22 LPA avg), the typical workex distribution is: freshers 25%, 12-24 months workex 35%, 24-36 months 25%, and 36+ months 15%. IIM Lucknow (Rs 22L fees, Rs 32.3 LPA avg) and IIM Calcutta (Rs 27L fees, Rs 34.
23 LPA avg) follow similar patterns. Beyond 36 months of workex, the negative influence kicks in because recruiters prefer 2-3 year candidates for Associate/Manager tracks and older candidates may be seen as over-qualified or too expensive. For candidates with 4-5 years workex, IIM ABC is still possible but ISB one-year PGP (Rs 43L fees, Rs 34 LPA avg) becomes a better fit given profile match.
Students with 5+ years workex should target IIM PGPX, XLRI GMP, or ISB PGP instead of 2-year programs. During placements, long-workex candidates get shortlists in domain-specific roles (banking for ex-bankers, ops for ex-manufacturing) but miss generic analyst/associate positions. If you have 36 months workex and are targeting IIM A/B/C PGP, position yourself clearly for a career switch with a strong narrative rather than competing for generic roles.
The thread's IIM K student with 28 months workex converting core finance at Rs 16.5 LPA was a common outcome. Check your eligibility at collvera.