Testimonials

(Testimonials below, and more, can be viewed on LinkedIn. We highly recommend you read past clients’ experiences working with us. On LinkedIn, scroll towards the bottom to the ‘Recommendations’ section where you can view 65+ testimonials from a few of Crack The MBA’s clients)

Candidate admitted to Harvard Business School (HBS) & Wharton (Class of 2024; $135,000+ in scholarship)

I worked with Nupur as a client for almost 9 months and I am extremely glad I took this decision. Just as there is a “school-student” fit, I believe it’s very important to find the right consultant fit for yourself. If you’re someone who wants to stay authentic in your apps, be understood and motivated throughout this process and be action-driven – I strongly recommend Nupur as your partner in your application journey. Nupur brought these three “pillar” values throughout the process which has empowered me to stand here today, with an admit from my dream school, HBS alongwith a $136K scholarship 🙂 1. Nupur gives you the space to be YOU. Whatever it is on the application – every line, every story, every decision will be purely YOU. Be it deciding to apply in R2 when I just couldn’t keep up with the hectic schedule during R1 or deciding to focus more on specific schools during my app process, she respected my decisions end-to-end. For my HBS essay, I went through 12 iterations and not only did she stuck through, but ALWAYS steered me towards authenticity, who I really am instead of what others have written or what “should” be written. This is why I can absolutely, confidently say that no other written document can put into words the crux of my being better than my HBS essay. At every stage, she nudged me towards what I believe in which helped me bring my 100% self to the essay, the interview and finally that beautiful “The answer is YES” from HBS. 2. Nupur is not just an admissions consultant, but a strong pillar of support through this arduous journey. An application process is hectic and stressful, not to forget alienating as the essays are deeply personal and requires you to be vulnerable for your best self to come out. I am someone who needed assurance and had a lot of doubts along the way (as many of us will throughout this process). Nupur was not just available whenever I needed to share but also super supportive, warm and open-minded when I shared my insecurities and fears. I believe that’s a very core element of this process and I am glad to have had Nupur by my side at every step of the process. Every single time, I thought I couldn’t do it, she brought me back to her famous “action-oriented” approach and helped me shun my worries aside. 3. Nupur will neither give you false hopes nor give you half-cooked information. She will stick to facts, and what is known. Through the nine months, I realized how subjective this entire process is. She will never hurry, rush or let you submit a half-assed application. If it is good on the first go or bad on the last go, she will be 100% honest with you. There have been many instances wherein I was influenced by what peers and other admits mentioned about school’s preferences and everytime she had the same answer “Are they on the adcom”? If not, you cannot be sure of anything”. This helped me stay grounded and focus on my actions till the end.

Candidate admitted to Wharton, Kellogg, Ross & UCLA (Class of 2024; with multiple scholarships; $100,000+ in awards)

To put it simply, Nupur is a brilliant, candid, and empathetic MBA admissions expert. Having worked with some of the most successful candidates over the years, she has developed a world-class working style that is universally accommodating, battle-tested and successful. Right off the bat, Nupur established a well-defined structure covering all aspects of the process and created a dynamic that ensured I stuck to it, helping me compensate for my late start to the applications and a demanding full-time job. Her primary goal when working with me was not just to get me into a top program, which she did with Wharton w/ a $100k scholarship, but also to ensure I make the right long-term decisions personally. This reflected in her school selection and brainstorming sessions which helped me identify my true goals and a realistic path to achieve them. She was a great listener and created a very safe space allowing me to be vulnerable and honest, bringing out incredible stories from my past that I couldn’t have recalled otherwise. She was well-informed about the top MBA programs with a wealth of school-specific strategies and knowledge, making her feedback on essays and other application pieces very directed and actionable. She also went out of her way to connect me to her past clients for personalized advice. Nupur was also an excellent interviewer. She embodied the spirit and style of each school in the mocks and gave very pointed feedback on both content and delivery, including her well-documented raw thoughts. Nupur never left my side when I was waitlisted in a few programs. She helped me navigate the uncertainty and take the right actions to increase my chances of conversion. I love that Nupur remains a close friend and regularly checks in even after the process is done. I can rely on her to be lifelong support personally and professionally. I’m happy I picked Nupur as my MBA coach, and I highly recommend anyone reading this does too!

Candidate admitted to Wharton, LBS, UCLA & Georgetown (Class of 2024; with multiple scholarships; $150,000 in awards)

“Nupur, I would be grateful, if you can help me in further strengthening my thought process”. The answer was always an “unwavering yes” for any facet related to my business school application. I had the privilege to work with Nupur and CTM for my MBA application journey for almost a year. I can confidently vouch that Nupur knows me the best and is the most powerful leader I have met. Her three core values stood out for me: persistence, empathy, and thought leadership. In my bid to put the best foot forward, I took up a herculean task of managing 8 applications, hectic startup life, and multiple GMAT attempts to score a 750+. Nupur persisted with me despite all the roadblocks and inspired me to push way beyond my limits. We underwent multiple iterations for several essays until she was confident about the quality and school specific personalization for each of the essays. During my interview preparations, she motivated me to improve my body language, tonality, and delivery of content, and we finally won after six mocks. Nupur has astonishing capability to empathize with her clients and personalize their journey. She enabled me to take ownership of my applications and always empowered me when I felt inadequate. I reached a situation that compelled us to craft high quality applications for 6 schools within 2.5 months, but she always had a robust plan for our success. In several instances, she helped me fine tune my communication in high-stake situations with stakeholders at my employer and different business schools. Nupur’s ability to recall details and understand thought process of various stakeholders involved in the application process sets her apart. At the cost of being repetitive, I wish to highlight that Nupur has cracked the entire end to end process and one just needs to ask right questions for enablement of success. Nupur creates an environment that is conducive for client’s commitment to success and overall personal growth. I was particularly awed by the strategy calls in which we discussed the overall school strategy, and how my personal story can be best leveraged. Through anecdotal insights, she empowered me to achieve feats which I often fear in the retrospect. For instance, I completed 5 interviews (among top 10 business schools) in a week. In the end, it is the journey that matters, and Nupur has left a long-lasting imprint in my life. I became a humble storyteller who appreciates the power of simple, concise, and authentic stories. I organically transformed into a better version of myself: more self-aware of my potential, a better communicator, and more efficient in execution! I owe my admit to my dream school Wharton with hefty $100,000 scholarship to Nupur – ever indebted to her. If Nupur agrees to work with you, I would recommend that you start the application journey at the earliest. I wish CTM and Nupur all the prosperity and success – an eternal brand ambassador.

Candidate admitted to Kellogg (Class of 2023; with multiple scholarships)

The MBA application process is, to say the least, nerve wrecking. I was a reapplicant, and it was all the more important for me to work with someone who I felt confident about, and someone who was confident about me. Nupur was that person. In our very first call, she asked about my professional experience in such detail that it made me see my own work in from a new perspective, helping me carve out my story. Throughout the process, Nupur was extremely professional and responsive. The feedback on each of my materials was pointed, actionable, and easy to execute. She was open to new ideas and approaches I had toward specific essays, and didn’t want to fit my materials to any templates. She knew about the values and culture of the M7 business schools, which helped in drafting high quality essays. She planned the timelines for me in a very detailed manner and pushed me to stick to them, which was super helpful to eliminate close-to-deadlines panic. She has a thorough eye for detail. She ensured that all parts of my application – not only essays and CV, but also application form questions such as awards, activities, other small answers, were reviewed. This helped me put up a rounded and strong application, free of redundant or erroneous parts. Additionally, Nupur was a constant support through hard times and even rejections. Her words of motivation meant a lot to me. Given the stressfulness of this process, her emotional support was imperative to me too. After my admit to Kellogg, Nupur also supported me through my attempts of applying for scholarships. I strongly recommend Nupur to anyone thinking about pursuing MBA.

Candidate admitted to Yale (Class of 2024)

As an incoming MBA candidate at Yale School of Management, I strongly recommend Nupur and Crack The MBA to all applicants targeting the top MBA programs. I was working as a consultant with the central government (Invest India) when I decided to apply. However, one caveat in my application was that I had a lot less than average work experience. Intending to target the top schools, I evaluated numerous consultants but the reason I chose to work with Nupur was that I felt she understood my background, my achievements and the challenges of being an international applicant. She was able to give me the space and necessary guidance required for any top school. Nupur guided me on how to present my accomplishments in the resume. The numerous iterations that we went through helped me figure out the highlights of my story, especially being a candidate with only two years of work experience Apart from this, Nupur also helped me with multiple iterations of my essay, never compromising on quality. Given my years of work experience, getting into a top MBA program was challenging but Nupur guided me on each step. I highly recommend her if you’re a younger candidate with ambitious dreams!

Candidate admitted to Wharton, MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, Kellogg & Tuck (Class of 2024; with multiple scholarships; $140,000 in scholarships)

I strongly recommend Nupur Gupta to all MBA applicants. I was a reapplicant to the B-school applications and having applied unsuccessfully the previous year, I had several doubts about myself and how my applications would fare this time. However, I was fortunate to get in touch with Nupur in April 2021 and her coaching over the next few preparation months made all the difference! Nupur guided me on every step of this daunting journey. I am pleased to say that I was able to receive admission from five M7 colleges: Wharton, Kellogg, Columbia, MIT Sloan, and Tuck with a total $140k scholarship. I really enjoyed the experience. Nupur is extremely organized, and her methodical approach kept me on track during this journey. She has a deep understanding of different programs and was instrumental in motivating me to work on my research about each program. Her process urged me to introspect and think deeply about what I wanted from an MBA. Coming in, I was unclear about my story – we started with weekly sessions going over the broad framework of my application strategy and spent hours articulating my goals and storyline. She also did a fantastic job of guiding me on resume construction. Nupur really knows her stuff! Her understanding of what is the purpose of each essay and what the school is looking for translates into how she brainstorms and structures the essays with the candidates. On my essay development, she helped me highlight the best parts of my candidacy which I’m sure has helped me stand out from the pile! Above and beyond the MBA application process, I learned the art of storytelling from Nupur, a skill that I wish to carry forward with me in my career ahead. What has stood out for me during this entire process was Nupur’s interview preparation guidance. She is extremely passionate and doesn’t leave a stone unturned in going over every little component of an interview – the content of answers, tonality, appearance, body language, etc. Nupur is a gem of a consultant and values her client’s success above everything. I am deeply grateful to her and wish her all the very best.

Candidate admitted to Kellogg (Class of 2024)

The business school application process was, without doubt, one of the most daunting periods of my life. I started this journey filled with questions and qualms. I wondered if my profile is remotely good enough for schools that I would wish to attend, which of those should I apply to, if it is the right time to apply and where to start this journey. At this point, I was fortunate to get acquainted with Nupur and Crack The MBA! I’d always heard of Nupur as one of the best MBA consultants. As luck would have it, when I went onto the Crack the MBA website to contact her, I read about the Daya Kindness Fellowship for girls. Nupur launched this fellowship to provide transformational coaching to women who wish to expand their leadership capabilities through a management education. I immediately applied for this. After a round of interviews, I was selected to be the 1st Daya Fellow. This belief in my potential that gave me a level of confidence that little else could have given. Nupur then became my pillar of support through the process. We discussed my profile, my journey thus far, the aspirations I have and therefore the schools I would want to apply to. What stood out here was how Nupur let me own the journey – while she diligently explained the general application trends at every school, she let me decide the final list of schools that I would apply to. While guiding me in the writing process, she was equal parts warm and firm, enabling me to write my own story, in my own style without adhering to any pre-conceived format – an approach that I believe works best in the admissions process. She helped me delve into my past and rediscover experiences and anecdotes that I might not have touched on without her. Nupur then skilfully cultivated my voice and narrative through countless iterations of each essay . As a person, she is extremely structured and adhered to clear timelines for every aspect of the process – this immensely helped me plan my tasks and ensure that all pieces were completed comfortably before the application deadlines. The end product was an application that accurately represented me as a whole person, which I’m extremely happy about. For the interviews, Nupur and I spent several hours together discussing and practicing ways to highlight key elements in my application. Owing to all of this preparation, I was confident while articulating the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind all instances in my experiences and thus all my interviews were extremely smooth. In short, I genuinely believe Nupur’s support made all the difference in enabling me to craft applications competitive for the top MBA programs. No matter what it took, Nupur was always there to help. I can’t thank and recommend her and Crack The MBA enough.

Candidate admitted to Duke Fuqua (Class of 2024)

Working with Crack the MBA was, I believe, the best decision I made during my MBA application journey! Each of the five schools I applied to had varied and challenging essay topics that required my personality to shine through. I admire the efforts Nupur took towards truly understanding my background and experiences by asking critical questions. At first, the questions appeared straightforward and easy to respond to, but very quickly I realized that they were enabling me to reflect and introspect intentionally. What really stood out to me was how Nupur effortlessly enabled me to weave together seemingly distinct life experiences, into a story that I’m proud of! Nupur’s meticulous process helped relieve all the stress that came along with building an application. Working with Nupur, I was introduced to Asana, a magical work management tool that I now swear by and endorse. I cannot stress enough how crucial time management is during this process. Nupur helped me set clear goals and design a well thought out schedule to meet these goals. I was able to go above and beyond when it came to attending school events, researching and networking. When I sat down to write my first essay, I thought to myself, “How hard can this be?” I got my answer when I read through Nupur’s feedback on my first draft. I’m inspired by Nupur’s style of writing which I’ve interpreted as – telling a riveting story that brings to life your truest self and clearly showcases impact through easy to comprehend language. Working with Nupur, my most memorable experience is, without doubt, interview preparation. After my first mock interview, I was amazed to see the level of detail in Nupur’s notes. Her feedback helped me improve by leaps and bounds. I learnt the nuances of body language while interviewing virtually, realized the power of facial expressions, especially a smile, and became a better storyteller. An unmissable highlight of my MBA application experience was a seven-month long waitlist period at my dream school. From reviewing my waitlist updates to connecting me with students and alumni who’d been in similar situations, Nupur lent unparalleled support during this time. At every step along the way, Nupur’s encouragement enabled me to put my best foot forward. When I struggled to get a competitive GMAT score, Nupur recommended I explore other tests. Eventually, I was able to achieve my target score in the Executive Assessment. I strongly believe that Nupur has a passion like no one else, to deliver the best results for her clients. I could not be happier that I secured an admit to my dream school while working with Nupur. I whole-heartedly and emphatically recommend that you reach out to her right away! I’d be happy to chat if you have any questions.

Candidate admitted to INSEAD (Class of 2022; with 30% scholarship)

I highly recommend Nupur Gupta’s Crack the MBA to all MBA applicants from across the world. A few people from my network highly recommended that I work with Nupur for my MBA applications and I am glad I listened to them. She is an incredible storyteller and helps her clients strongly deliver their authentic stories. I was admitted into my dream school – INSEAD and that too with a scholarship (~30% of the tuition – one of the highest amounts that INSEAD offers). Given my score (328/340) on the GRE, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get into a school in my top 3 list, however, Nupur’s push for authenticity and perfection made that possible. In the first call itself, she gave me a realistic picture of the strength of my application and what colleges from my list were aspirational vs. realistic. Nupur’s approach was organized and professional from day 1 – as she ensures that an application calendar is aligned in advance, it helped me plan in advance for my applications. Nupur also makes you fill forms that had personal and professional questions – this exercise led to a lot of self-reflection and helped me think about the pivotal moments in my life. Most importantly, Nupur makes her clients feel comfortable enough to share personal anecdotes. From refining my CV to essays, Nupur pushes the candidates to ensure that a polished, authentic, and deep narrative is communicated to the Adcom. I believe each of my essays had 5-6 iterations due to Nupur’s insightful inputs and push for perfection. Further, even during the interview prep, Nupur’s mentorship and guidance were necessary as MBA interviews are a different ball game altogether. She helped me hone the STAR approach for the interviews that enabled me to share anecdotes from my professional and personal life clearly and impactfully. Overall, Nupur is an empathetic mentor who makes you feel comfortable while sharing nuanced and insightful feedback to ensure her clients can achieve the best results. Thus, I highly recommend anyone to sign up with Crack the MBA.

Candidate admitted to Wharton & MIT Sloan (Class of 2020)

Nupur was a great thought partner to me when going through the process, and helped me find the aspects of my story that were most compelling through thoughtful feedback and deep questioning. She gives her 100% and is super honest yet positive, which was refreshing. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with

Candidate admitted to Cornell & IESE (Class of 2022; with scholarship)

Nupur is the companion you want and NEED during this roller-coaster ride! I started my MBA application journey as a candidate from an over-represented applicant pool with a not-so-competitive GMAT score, making it to a top-ranked MBA program at an Ivy league institution and securing interview invites and/or admits from almost all schools I applied to. The factor enabling this success: Crack The MBA! This past one year of my association with Nupur has been the most fulfilling and rewarding, to say the least! I was instantly drawn to working with Nupur from the very first call I had with her. Instead of merely agreeing to the outcome I was envisioning for myself, she sensitized me to critical gaps in my profile that I needed to address and helped me draft a list of schools that were realistically ambitious! Nupur carved sufficient time for the most crucial aspect of the application process i.e. ‘introspection’, scheduling multiple calls for us to have thorough brainstorming discussions. These helped me tell my story in a unique and compelling manner. You can be sure that Nupur’s dedication will always surpass yours! Nupur often sent me links to articles/publications and urged me to fine-tune my story. She took a holistic view, whereas I tended to channel my attention to one aspect of the application at a time! To share an instance, while finalizing an application ahead of a deadline, I received an email from Nupur saying, “Hey, I found this interesting development. Why don’t we incorporate this idea within what you are talking about in your Essay #..?” That was possibly a decisive recommendation and this is the level of perfectionism that Nupur brings to the table. CTM has a robust interview process. I was exposed to a multitude of questions and techniques and developed the skills to ace my MBA interviews! Nupur helped me grow such that, by the end, I organically became a refined version of myself. Nupur’s commitment knows no bounds – even after I secured two admits, she relentlessly worked on ensuring I put my best foot forward even in the remaining applications. I wouldn’t have had half the motivation had I not had Nupur by my side, pushing me to aim for the stars! My MBA application journey – encompassing strategy calls, 300+ iterations across documents, attending 100+ admission events and networking with 50+ alumni/students – sometimes made me feel overwhelmed. At times like these, a call with Nupur helped me jump back into action re-energized. Nupur is a master in the process, clearly understands the quality of output required, and allocates boundless time and energy into perfecting the deliverables. If not for Nupur’s mentorship, I wouldn’t have been sharing this success story! CTM has years of expertise in the admissions consulting space! I strongly recommend all applicants to top MBA programs to collaborate with CTM if passion, dedication and result-oriented approach are traits you are looking for in your MBA consultant.

Candidate admitted to Yale & Tuck (Class of 2023)

Convinced that an MBA admissions consultant could best help me present my case at my target business schools, I spoke to several renowned MBA admissions consultants in the country. In hindsight, I’m grateful that I chanced upon Crack The MBA during my search. Upon starting my engagement with CTM, I was impressed with Nupur’s structured and methodical approach to the entire process. At the outset, we agreed to a schedule that helped keep me on track. Nupur is a thorough professional and I could always count on her timely feedback on my materials. At times when I found myself lagging in our schedule, she was incredibly patient. As someone with a keen eye for detail, I found the perfect partner for my applications in Nupur who’s detail orientation outmatched mine. On more than one occasion when I felt satisfied with an essay that had gone through multiple rounds of reviews, Nupur would still pick out areas that I’d missed or suggest a new approach to convey the story in a more powerful manner. Her commitment and sincere pursuit for the success of her clients is unparalleled. My essays wouldn’t have reached the level of perfection that they did without Nupur’s support. Additionally, being an MBA from a top school herself, Nupur has broad exposure to a wide swathe of industries and was an invaluable sounding board for helping me gain clarity in my post-MBA goals. Nupur is also an astute interviewer and her observation skills are truly remarkable. After every mock I did with Nupur, we’d spend an hour discussing every aspect of my content and body language. She provided very pointed feedback and picked up on things that I’d never notice, all of which ultimately proved to be invaluable. All in all, working with Nupur, you’re guaranteed the best guidance and support in every step of the way. If you get a chance to work with her, thank your stars and look no further! Nupur is undoubtedly among the finest admissions consultants out there and I highly recommend Crack The MBA to all business school applicants.

Candidate admitted to Yale (Class of 2023)

I was fortunate to get to work with Nupur and Crack the MBA for my MBA applications during this extremely tumultuous year. As a Round 2 Indian applicant in what seemed to be one of the most competitive application cycles ever, I was looking to work with someone who would maintain transparency and help me frankly evaluate my strengths and weaknesses. Among all consultants that I talked to, Nupur was the only one who clearly fit the bill – in our very first call, we discussed my candidacy in great detail and identified potential strengths along with areas I will need to work on while presenting myself and my experience in my applications. Within the first few days of working with her, I realized that Nupur is a true professional! We chalked out a detailed and precise timeline for preparing all components of my applications well within the deadlines. Over multiple calls, we critically examined every single aspect of my profile in detail, including my personal background, career goals, work experience and extracurricular activities. I later realized that through these in-depth discussions we established a strong foundation for my essays as well as the admissions interviews! Throughout all our interactions, Nupur was highly respectful and appreciative of my experiences. I felt very comfortable in talking to her about my life – including situations where I failed or what I considered as my personal weaknesses. Nupur’s experience and expertise shined while planning strategies for and reviewing my essays – she helped me understand what my target schools look for in a prospective candidate, and how I could tailor my anecdotes accordingly. However, most importantly, she encouraged me to be true to myself and flesh out my own unique stories in my essays. At every step, Nupur was fully invested in helping me put my best foot forward and effectively communicating my story to the admissions committee. I was amazed by Nupur’s rigorous, systematic, and timely reviews for my weekly essay iterations – another testament to Nupur’s outstanding commitment and drive to help her clients succeed! When it came to interview preparation, Nupur excelled yet again, and played an invaluable role in getting me up to speed with how MBA admissions interviews are conducted. After every mock interview, we spent over an hour to analyze every single response that I gave in terms of the content, flow, body language and tone. Using the feedback that I received from her, I was able to dramatically improve my interviewing skills in a short span of time, which helped me perform and feel very comfortable in my final interviews! Thus, working with Nupur, you can be assured of unparalleled support and guidance at every step from the beginning to the end! I strongly recommend Nupur and Crack the MBA to all applicants!

Candidate admitted to Tuck & Yale (Class of 2023)

If you’re committed to the effort that goes into making it to a top US business school (spoiler: a LOT) and want to partner with someone who will help you tell YOUR story (not a templatised story) – you couldn’t find a better consultant than Nupur. I wasn’t a traditional candidate – a number of job changes, not a 99th percentile GMAT score, and not from an MBA-feeder industry/company. I was, however, extremely passionate about my work and was creating an impact in a space that was close to my heart. Over 3 months, I spoke to several consultants in the US and in India before I was introduced to Nupur. A remarkable difference I noticed was that while most consultants size you up purely based on your statistics, Nupur is truly interested in the complete picture (a pretty rare quality in MBA consultants). My first exploratory conversation with Nupur lasted an hour – we discussed my family, my hobbies, the “why” behind my career decisions. I came out of that interaction absolutely convinced that I had to work with Nupur, and I’m really glad she took me on. Nupur is authentic, ethical and has a relentless pursuit for perfection. You can be rest assured that you will be gaining your #1 champion when you work with her, and she will never let you “settle”(thank god!!). In the end, irrespective of the outcome, I was proud of every application we made, to the point that even if I got an unfavourable outcome, I rarely felt like we could have done things differently. While going through your application journey, there’s a common approach of “reach” and “safe” schools. Nupur never made me feel like anything was out of reach – and I cannot express how important it is to work with someone who will not make such remarks lightly. While Nupur is extremely honest and realistic in her advice, she has a productive approach to such discussions and always focuses on what one can do to maximise their chances. Her instincts are on-point, and informed by years of experience and close association with business schools. Nupur is a wonderful human being, and I’m so glad our paths crossed. The only thing I miss about application season is working with her :). She has not only helped me reach my goal of gaining admission to a top 10 business school, but also made a permanent difference in the way I communicate and perceive my capabilities and potential. I will forever be an ambassador for Nupur – if you’re considering an MBA consultant, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and I can share specific details about whether I think Crack the MBA and Nupur would be a good fit for you!

Candidate admitted to Wharton & INSEAD (Class of 2023)

Nupur is probably the best MBA consultant one could work with. I received Nupur’s reference from a few of my seniors in college who had had a great experience with her. Right in the introductory conversation, I was impressed by how through her specific questions, she was able to probe on my journey, and truly get to understand the intent and goal behind applying for an MBA. I had recently moved jobs and while other consultants I spoke to discouraged me from applying to the top 5 schools, Nupur was super supportive and encouraged me to apply to all schools that I wanted to. With her help, I received admits from Wharton and INSEAD. The key things that stood out to me were her dedication to her clients’ success and her meticulous planning. Her dedication to client success stood out to me when even after 7 rounds of review of a particular essay set, she reviewed it for the 8th time, making minor tweaks to 4-5 words, just so that the impact on the reader is more powerful. Her detail orientation really upgraded the level of my essays, and I am fairly confident I wouldn’t have achieved the same level of storytelling without her help. She caught on to specific aspects from my childhood and linked them to my story in a way that even I had never thought of. I also did a few mock interviews with Nupur. It was amazing to see how she had very specific, detailed feedback for me on – words I used, tone, expression, phrasing, “umm” and “the-s” – every single thing! This not only helped me be better prepared for my business school interviews, but also helped me improve my communication skills in day-to-day life. Applying to business school can be a long drawn and daunting exercise, and I am so glad I had Nupur’s guidance all along. Her meticulous planning was tremendously helpful in keeping me on track for my apps. Right at the start of the process, Nupur had asked me to put down due dates for all essay versions, resume and the multiple other things that are due as part of the process. She structured it in a way that I was able to do my applications alongside a job, which had a six-day work week. Her feedback was always on point and on time, and not once did I have to follow up with her on when she would be sending her feedback (which was a huge issue with a consultant whom I had previously worked with). Overall I very highly recommend Nupur and Crack the MBA’s services. If you do get a chance to work with her, do not miss the opportunity!

Candidate admitted to Wharton (Class of 2024)

Working with Nupur and Crack the MBA was a remarkable experience for me. Nupur has been one of my biggest support systems during the entire application process not only as a consultant but as a mentor as well. I am absolutely in awe of her working style, especially her ability to understand my individuality. I strongly recommend Nupur and Crack the MBA to all applicants applying to M7 programs. In 2019, before I engaged with CTM, I recruited a consultant for my applications, but I was never able to develop a connection with the consultant and had to part ways. In this entire process, you need someone you can connect with, who understands your profile and who motivates you throughout the process. Nupur believed in my potential and agreed to work with me even when I did not have a strong GMAT score, unlike several other consultants for whom this was a deal breaker. She not only helped me with the entire application process and interviews, but also on every failed GMAT attempt, she constantly kept motivating me to try again, sharing inspirational success stories of other students. Nupur started off with a two-week period where she better understood my salient points through CTM’s proprietary questionnaires, which helped me develop a deep sense for inflection points in my life and what I wanted to do through my career. Nupur’s personalized style of empowering each individual in carving their own story as per their profile and interests completely stands out for me. The amount of time, her self-dedicated approach, the brainstorming sessions, her passion in helping me carve my story, pointed feedback, interrogation and in-depth strong research on every aspect of my profile truly helped me build a strong foundation and helped me connect all the dots to tell a compelling story. Post discussions with my peers, I can vouch for that fact that the quality of service provided by CTM starting from school selection, resume building, essays, recommendations and interviews, is top-notch and unmatched in the industry. CTM has a strong process and you get to iterate on every school’s application at least 5-6 times until you reach perfection. Nupur’s focus on understanding my passion helped me create an inspiring career path for myself through this process. I managed to secure admission in one of the top 3 business schools in the world, with a 30-point lower GMAT than the average of the school, solely basis the strong application Nupur and I could carve out. I had three M7 interviews in a week and Nupur helped me prepare well for all three of them extremely well. With the multiple mocks, detailed feedback on content, body language, articulation and precision, the actual interviews were very comfortable. Nupur comes in with years of experience and personalized style of working with candidates to help them carve out their customized stories. I took the best decision to have Nupur as my consultant and I was fortunate to get an opportunity to work with Crack The MBA.

Candidate admitted to Kellogg, Ross & Cornell (Class of 2022; with multiple scholarships; $100,000+ in awards)

I worked with Crack The MBA for my application cycle in 2020-21. I was referred to Crack The MBA by a peer from college and as destiny would have it, a couple of people I spoke with thereafter also unanimously suggested I look at Crack The MBA and Nupur. At that moment, I was clear that I wanted to work with Crack The MBA. As I was late to start compared to many other applicants, I did not hear back from the team. However, through persistent effort, I was able to secure a spot with Crack The MBA, becoming the last applicant that the team took on for Round 1 in 2020-21. I am ever grateful that I got an opportunity to work with Crack The MBA and Nupur for my MBA applications. Nupur is not only the best consultant one can get for the application process, but also a mentor, guide and friend who probed me to find the best answers from deep within and helped me with deep introspection that is much-needed during the whole process. The commitment and discipline Nupur herself shows, and the adherence to deadlines, is so commendable that it made me respect timelines in every other arena as well. She was committed towards my admission and I am glad to say I got multiple admits with hefty scholarships under her tutelage, including the one from my dream b-school. In addition to the utmost professionalism and result-oriented approach, there are a couple of aspects that were defining moments for me through our engagement, which I would love to share. There was an instance when Nupur and I experienced disagreement about a piece of work and I loved the way in which Nupur handled that situation. I found myself aspiring to imbibe the kind of confidence and calmness of approach. Nupur’s attitude and approach allowed her and I to resolve the situation immediately and I was happy to have someone in my camp who could understand my fears, be sensitive to my needs, and yet continue to challenge me to deliver my best work. I believe an exceptional MBA admissions consultant can help you grow in ways you may not even know possible, and this is where Nupur shines. There were several instances where she repeatedly urged me to consider other points of view, even when I was reluctant to consider other approaches. Her relentless persistence helped me consider other possibilities, which I think is a useful skill to imbibe even as an aspiring MBA candidate. Another thing I truly appreciated about Nupur is how she supported me in moments when I had doubts and fears, making me all the more sure of my decisions. Nupur is an empathetic individual and I can truly experience that she is invested in my success – both personally and professionally – and that means a lot to me. Working with CTM, I have experienced personal and professional growth and I encourage all MBA applicants to look no further! If you are an MBA applicant aspiring for top business school admits, I strongly recommend Crack The MBA and Nupur for MBA applications.

Candidate admitted to Kellogg, Darden & Yale (Class of 2022; with multiple full scholarships; $300,000+ in awards)

Nupur is the ideal partner for the lifechanging experience that is B-school applications. Nupur effortlessly played various roles in my process: from playing devil’s advocate to brainstorming stories to being my number 1 champion; helping me believe in my stories and my ability to bring them to life. Nupur is extremely organized and always two steps ahead of where you need to be – something I’ve learnt from her and hope to carry forward in my professional endeavors. She is informed, not only about the constantly evolving world of business education, but also about the nuances of the business world – making her ideally suited to help aspiring business school students put together compelling stories. What makes Nupur special is also her strong intuition of what you’re struggling with/ need in a situation and she is always 100% honest and candid with her advice. If you’re considering applying to business school and looking to build a support system for the process, I’d wholeheartedly recommend working with Nupur. I’m happy to talk to you if you have questions or need more context about the same – feel free to reach out!

Candidate admitted to INSEAD, LBS & Tuck (Class of 2022; with scholarships)

When I contemplated pursuing an MBA abroad, I soon realized that the process was challenging and as a non-traditional MBA applicant, I would need the services of an experienced MBA admissions consultant who can walk me through the journey. Through word of mouth referrals, I learned about Nupur’s Crack The MBA. The other consultants I had reached out to were focused on selling their services and would jump right into target schools and scholarship opportunities. However, my conversation with Nupur was around my reasons for pursuing an MBA. She told me that I didn’t seem to be convinced of my own reasons and that I should reconsider if and why I needed an MBA. Admittedly, I was unclear in my thoughts at that point. And so, this set me on a path of inquiry and due diligence, which helped me uncover my real reasons for wanting to pursue an MBA in the first place. 2 weeks later, I reached out to Nupur again with a better understanding of my MBA aspirations. I found it interesting that I had to earn for myself a position as Nupur’s client; and this strengthened my belief that this was exactly the kind of advisor I wanted. Working with Crack The MBA easily ranks among the best decisions I’ve made. Nupur is extremely hands-on and can transform the daunting journey of applying to MBA programs into an extremely well-organized, sequential and thought-through process. Our conversations were most enlightening. I loved our weekly schedule, which helped me create my applications for each school brick-by-brick. The introspection process helped me dig out themes, experiences and achievements that I would certainly not have considered and which were buried deep in my subconscious mind. Here, I want to highlight that at no point in time does Nupur make it feel like you are not the one in control of your story. The thoughts and the words used in your essays always remain yours. What Nupur does is help you dig deeper into those thoughts and words till they fit together like a completed puzzle. When I look at my applications today, I feel a sense of pride and joy looking at the impeccable quality. I am very excited and grateful to Nupur for her patient and unflinching support throughout. She meticulously reviewed my scattered thoughts and enabled me to transform them into structured essays. Nupur’s effort with INSEAD’s crazy number of essays was absolutely amazing. INSEAD was my dream school from the start and I still cannot believe that I actually got in (that too with a meaningful scholarship)! In almost every conversation with Nupur, I have told her, “What would I do without you?” Without Crack The MBA, I could not have secured such outstanding outcomes. If you are contemplating applying to a leading global MBA program, I wholeheartedly recommend Crack The MBA.

Candidate admitted to Kellogg , ISB, Georgetown& Kelley (Class of 2022; with scholarships)

Applying from the overrepresented candidate pool of Indian male engineers, I was anxious about my chances of getting into a top MBA program because I did not have an IIT brand name and 730+ GMAT score to back me up. I knew my applications had to be flawless. I decided to scout for a consultant dispassionately and after speaking to four consultants from leading Indian firms, I realized that Nupur was in a different league compared to everyone else. Unlike others, who seemed more interested in getting me to sign on as a client, Nupur showed a genuine interest in understanding my background and gave me candid feedback about my profile. I was glad to secure a spot with Crack The MBA, as one of the last people the team took on in R1 2019. Their slots fill up early so I would advise candidates to start the process several months in advance. Having pursued her MBA from Wharton herself, Nupur leveraged her real-life experience and knowledge to not just help me secure an admit to an M5 school but also prepare for what lies ahead during business school and beyond. The brainstorming sessions with Nupur helped me introspect about my goals and determine possible ways to work towards them during my MBA journey. Building on her inputs around the most-suited MBA program for my interests and goals, I was able to research the schools in extensive detail to find the one that is the best fit for me. Nupur even put me in touch with current students who provided me invaluable insights. Nupur’s commitment, combined with her methodical approach and scrupulous attention to details, undoubtedly makes her the best in the business. Being a discreet person, I wasn’t very forthcoming with her during our initial communications about my experiences, but that did not deter her from asking questions and putting me at ease to tease out my most impactful, unique and differentiating experiences. Her guidance helped me delve deeper into my past and reflect on my experiences from a different perspective, enabling me to craft a strong narrative. We had timelines set for each milestone of the application process and our adherence to the weekly schedule enabled me to complete my applications well ahead of deadlines. Crack The MBA’s exhaustive mock interview sessions made the actual interviews seem uncomplicated. Nupur’s approach during our consulting engagement was not to provide me the answers, but to encourage me to think. While this approach frustrated me initially, when I was eager to just get the answers, in retrospect, I see the value in it and the growth this has led to. In fact, henceforth I’ve used the same approach with my teammates with excellent results and ownership. Both I and my wife, who also worked with Nupur to get into a top business school four years ago, owe a significant part of our success to Nupur’s guidance and support. Our engagements with “Crack The MBA” were undeniably amazing, enriching, fulfilling and rewarding endeavors. I strongly recommend “Crack The MBA”

Candidate admitted to INSEAD, Kellogg & Tuck (Class of 2022; with scholarship)

At the beginning of my MBA journey, when I asked one of my friends whether I should work with an MBA consultant, he immediately replied, “You should rather ask me—which MBA consultant should I choose, as all consultants are not made equal.” Looking back, I cannot agree more with his advice. I spoke with ~10 leading MBA admissions consultants, in India and abroad, and Nupur made me feel the least good about my candidacy. She was not trying to get me to sign up and instead was asking me pointed questions about my life choices and intentions. While the call lacked a feel-good factor, I realized post introspection that such a thoughtful approach is exactly what I needed through my application journey to tell my story in the best way I could. I love that Nupur chooses to rely solely on authentic feedback on LinkedIn from her past clients as opposed to listing Crack The MBA on third-party MBA websites, which may have vested interests. I am glad I did not get swayed by the sales pitches and had the opportunity to work with Nupur Gupta from Crack The MBA for my MBA applications. At the very start, we aligned on a timeline and Nupur sensitized me to the importance of adhering to the timeline. She initially helped me introspect, spent hours with me brainstorming to enable me to weave my life story in a beautiful way. She worked her magic through multiple edits till we both felt the application was perfect. She helped me till the end, being there by side for all my interview concerns and doubts, application edits and questions beyond the applications! Even today, when I read my essays, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction and pride. Nupur was my only point of contact from her team during the entire process, which made sure there was continuity throughout, and she was equally invested in the journey. All this ensured I got multiple admits (INSEAD, Kellogg and Tuck), with scholarships from two of the schools. I would openly admit that Nupur’s efforts in my securing a place at these prestigious schools have been as important as my efforts, if not more. Given how demanding the process is, she has been my friend, confidant and pillar of support throughout the past year. She has also helped me mature and grow as a person, which is far more important to me than even the admits themselves. According to me, Nupur is undoubtedly the best MBA admissions consultant in the world and I would strongly recommend her and Crack The MBA! Thank you for everything Nupur. I truly appreciate it.

Candidate admitted to Columbia & Kellogg (Class of 2022)

I strongly recommend Crack The MBA and Nupur Gupta to all MBA applicants. As an Indian male engineer without blue chip brands on my resume, I knew I was battling unfavorable odds while applying to leading global MBA programs. Having applied unsuccessfully the previous year, I was fearful of how my applications would fare next time around. In such a situation, having Nupur in my camp was a huge differentiator and made me comfortable that I was getting the best advice related to MBA admissions that I could possibly get. It’s like being coached on how to bat by Virat Kohli – you know you are getting mentored by the world’s best batsman and that’s the best counsel you can get. My belief was vindicated when, of my five applications, I did not get a single rejection. I now have the privilege of attending an ivy league program of my choice. This is a stark contrast to the previous year, where I received only one interview invite, and multiple rejections. Looking at my final materials, I can say that I underestimated the value of incredible storytelling and an expert MBA admissions consultant, like Nupur. Nupur and I spent weeks and weeks and hours upon hours co-creating an end product that I am proud of. I cannot imagine having arrived at this place through my solitary efforts, without Nupur’s coaching and mentorship. I strongly and emphatically recommend Nupur if you are looking for a partner who exceeds your energy, expects excellence and enables you to secure the best possible outcome in your admissions efforts. As a management consultant, over the years I’ve had significant client interactions with global clients and I’ve also interviewed hundreds of applicants for my employer. Consequently, I believed I would be an excellent interviewee. However, interview prep with Nupur exposed me to the fact that MBA interviews are a different ball game and I had a lot to learn to excel in these interviews. Nupur is an excellent interviewer, with incredibly nuanced feedback. She raised points that I would not have thought of myself, but can certainly agree with in hindsight. Nupur is the perfect package of skill, empathy, excellence, results, compassion and admissions expertise. Her only mission is her client’s success and she puts her clients’ interests over her own, which is a rare trait and unlike what I’ve heard about from other MBA admissions consultants. I highly recommend Crack The MBA – working with CTM was the best decision I made!

Candidate admitted to MIT Sloan (Class of 2022)

Working with Nupur and Crack The MBA, I secured an admit to my dream MBA program. I am thrilled with the result and overall experience of working with CTM. I strongly recommend CTM’s services to all MBA applicants applying to M7 programs. My applications wouldn’t be anywhere close to what they were without Nupur’s insights. I worked with Nupur as a re-applicant. Though I had spoken with her the year before, I worked with another consultant instead. In hindsight, I was unprepared for Nupur’s candid views, which were accurate. Following her advice would have made a difference in my original outcome. Instead, I went with someone whom I thought was more supportive of my candidacy, as they agreed with my ideas. That was a mistake on my part. In this process, you need an ally who will ask critical questions from the perspective of an admissions representative. Think of it as legal counsel identifying potential flaws in your candidacy to help you present your case as best as possible. Greater awareness and acceptance is the first step in being able to mitigate flaws. This is an area where Nupur shines. When you feel like you are being interrogated, don’t let that put you off. This comes from deep concern and a single-minded focus on your success. Subconsciously, I harbored the bias that ‘higher price = higher quality’, thinking American consultants have superior skills to Indian consultants and hence their services deserved a premium. There is absolutely NO MERIT in this belief. Having gone through the MBA admissions process with both, I can say without hesitation that the quality of service delivered by Nupur and CTM was several magnitudes higher and in a league of its own. You’d be hard-pressed to find a consultant with Nupur’s level of passion, result-oriented focus, commitment and intelligence anywhere in the world. I found Crack The MBA’s process to be robust and decisive in my application journey. It helped me develop a laser focus towards my goal. It also added value to me professionally, as I adopted the process management framework and tools used by CTM in my own startup, with incredible results. Nupur’s interview preparation process is unparalleled and exceptional. She scrutinized each and every aspect of my delivery – be it content, body language, voice modulation. My actual interview was very similar to our mock interviews and I felt super comfortable during the process, which was a stark contrast to when I applied the year before. I highly recommend signing up for the interview prep process with CTM. I appreciated and respected Nupur’s advice and opinions, which I felt were founded on a strong foundation of deep understanding of different programs, cultivated through years of research, including school visits and interactions with admissions heads at top MBA programs. CTM is an admissions consulting firm with a heart and passion to see candidates secure the best outcomes. You’d be fortunate to secure a spot with CTM; sign up ASAP!

Candidate admitted to Wharton & Yale (Class of 2023; with scholarship)

I worked with Nupur while preparing for my business school applications. She was a pillar of support throughout the process and her dedication, clarity of thought, and an organized way of working allowed me to convey my story in the most effective manner. She was immensely invested in my application process and towards the deadlines, did not shy away from putting in a few extra hours to help me prepare. She was honest in her recommendations and ensured that I was prepared before all my interviews. She held my applications to a high standard and did not leave any loose ends until she was convinced that they reflected the true version of my experiences. She has a knack of facilitating a person’s thought process, which really enabled me to reflect deeply and connect the dots of my life experiences and write succinctly. She has a very organised style of working which helped me stay on track with my applications. She laid out a detailed timeline in the beginning of our engagement which helped me manage my schedule during the process and submit my applications in time. She is a true well-wisher and has been guiding me even after the admits have come in. She always displayed a deep sense of belief in my capabilities and has encouraged me to aspire higher. I can vouch for her professionalism and expertise in dealing with MBA applications. Kudos to her and her team at CTM!

Candidate admitted to Kellogg, Stern (Class of 2022) & ISB

I worked with Nupur on five B-School applications and secured an admission from three schools, including an M7 school, which was also my top-choice. My first interaction with Nupur was nearly two years before my actual applications, while I was still at a nascent stage in my career and was flirting with the idea of doing an MBA. I had approached her for an initial consultation after hearing stellar feedback from a senior colleague at Credit Suisse who had secured a spot at a prestigious M7 school under her guidance. Back then, I had high-level discussions with Nupur about my background, career aspirations, and target schools. She patiently listened to my story and highlighted a host of factors that I needed to work upon, especially in light of the top schools I had in mind. Nupur’s feedback not only served as an eye-opener for me but also gave me a clear strategy to bridge the gaps in my profile. During this initial engagement, one thing that impressed me the most about Nupur was her candid demeanor, which was exactly the quality I was looking out for in my admissions consultant. Over the next two years, I made a conscious effort to address the shortcomings in my profile based on Nupur’s recommendations. Once I felt fully equipped to tackle the grueling application process, I immediately signed up with Nupur to kickstart my application journey. Right from the onset of our engagement, Nupur was extremely methodical in her approach and charted out a detailed execution plan, which helped me stay on track throughout the application cycle. On a side note, I would like to thank her for introducing me to a fantastic work management tool, which has now become an integral part of my daily workflow! A great quality that I admire about Nupur is her healthy perfectionism. To give an example, we did nearly a dozen iterations exclusively on my resume, focusing on various dimensions such as visualization, content, and structure. These iterations were incredibly thoughtful, brought a new perspective to my candidacy and helped me showcase my experiences in a better light. Nupur also played a pivotal role in my interview preparation process. The mock interviews with Nupur were pretty close to the real situation and the detailed feedback sessions post each mock interview turned out to be incredibly useful in refining all important aspects of the interview process such as content, delivery, and body language. While working on essays, there were several instances when I wrestled with the ‘writer’s block’. Each time, Nupur’s ability to formulate the right questions and an in-depth understanding of the respective school came in handy. I particularly remember feeling stumped by an extremely thought-provoking essay question from one of the M7 schools. At the time, Nupur not only helped me think through the most meaningful experiences of my life but also discussed in detail the school’s mission and values, empowering me to creatively connect the dots at multipl

Candidate admitted to Kellogg MMM, Tuck, Michigan Ross, Cornell (Class of 2022; with multiple scholarships)

Working with Nupur has been a transformational experience for me, both personally and professionally. While guiding me on my MBA applications, Nupur helped me grow as an individual, and eventually earn admits at 5 top US B-Schools in Round 1, including the exact program I aspired to join. When I decided to apply for an MBA in 2019, I wasn’t very confident about my chances of making it to any of my aspirational schools because of my poor undergraduate GPA. Getting advised to lower my sights by other MBA Admissions Consultants led to lower morale. However, from my very first interaction with Nupur, I felt motivated to not give up on my dreams. Nupur helped me strategize each aspect of the application journey, guided me in identifying the schools that would be the best fit, and coached me to demonstrate my authentic self through my essays. By personally understanding each aspect of my life, besides becoming someone who possibly knows me best, Nupur was able to offer insightful suggestions on different aspects of my life we could explore in the essays. We planned each iteration of my application materials in a clinical manner with a clear roadmap of how the process would pan out over the next 2-3 months. We also strategized ways to positively address my weaknesses. Nupur proactively scheduled interview preparation sessions, and patiently helped me improve my interviewing skills. A testament to the success of Nupur’s interview prep sessions is the fact that I was admitted to all the five schools I interviewed at. Having the ability to passionately pursue one’s own goals and sustain the intensity throughout the highs and lows of the application process can be very challenging. Nupur has the Herculean ability to match your passion and intensity without missing a single beat. By working with Nupur, not only have I gotten admitted to the MBA School I dreamt of studying at, but also feel prepared to make the most of the journey ahead. I wish Nupur and Crack The MBA lots of success and the very best in the time to come!

Candidate admitted to Kellogg (Class of 2022)

Nupur is the person to go to for any help related to MBA admissions. Nupur’s diligence, ability to guide my thinking, and meticulous planning helped me put (better than) my best foot forward in my MBA applications. Nupur invested herself completely towards my success throughout the 4-5 months that we worked together. Through the initial questionnaires that Nupur had asked me to fill, she really got to know me as an individual (often recalling the finest of details at later stages of the application process), which helped both of us to be on the same page with respect to my future goals as well as bring out the best anecdotes. Nupur provided candid feedback and guided my thought process extremely well. I often go back and read the first draft and the final versions of my essays and see a world of difference between the two versions. Her perfectionist approach helped push me to continuously iterate (often 6-7 times!) to bring out the best version of my story and my goals through my essays. Finally, I think the extended background discussions and essay iterations could not have fit into such a tight schedule had it not been for her meticulous planning upfront. She pushed me to plan the work schedule upfront, keeping sufficient buffer, which was extremely necessary in hindsight. Looking back, I am glad and extremely grateful that I got to work with her. I believe that without her help, my admission to Kellogg would not have been possible. And would strongly recommend working with Nupur (and Crack the MBA).

Candidate admitted to Duke Fuqua (Class of 2022)

My experience with Crack The MBA (CTM) has been remarkable. Having dealt with several leading international and domestic admissions consultants, I can surely and certainly say CTM is the best out there, bar none. Nupur’s candidness, clear sense of direction and meticulous approach are stand-out characteristics. In my entire journey with CTM, never did I for a moment feel that any of her advice was without due consideration. I was especially appreciative of the advice as a re-applicant having worked with another consultancy in the past. I can emphatically state that CTM and Nupur’s process and recommendations are a key differentiator in this regard. Each of the inputs were specifically tailored to my candidature, a stand-out attribute among admissions consultants who otherwise follow a cookie cutter approach. Nupur was extremely accessible and provided me customized support and independent attention. Her proprietary material helped me introspect, enabling great clarity while writing essays – something which stood out even when I had gone through the process once. Nupur’s candid feedback ensured I was always on my toes and did not fall into pitfalls. This was particularly useful when I used to mock interview with her. Her interview advice was very valuable, with the mock interviews being a standout attribute. Right from her focus on body language to use of the right vocabulary, her interview advice was invaluable, which ultimately became a decider in my success at a top-10 US business school. A lot of these interview insights have now gotten ingrained into me and will be a part of my arsenal for not only future interviews but in day-to-day life. Kudos to Nupur and the CTM team!

Candidate admitted to Kellogg (Class of 2021)

After talking to my friends at B-schools, I realized that I would be able to bring my best stories in my application effectively with a B-school consultant, who understands the strengths of my target schools and what these schools look for in their students. With a strong recommendation from an acquaintance who was attending MBA at my target school, I decided to approach Nupur and requested her for an initial discussion. During this initial discussion, I was sold by her genuine interest to understand my background and to help me identify best-suited schools for my career ambitions. This was something that stood out for me. Not surprisingly, soon after the call, I decided to work with Nupur on my applications. The timelines and terms of our engagement were made crystal clear to me at the start, helping me plan my work schedule accordingly. All through the process Nupur was very professional and always kept her side of the deal. Her immense experience in helping students crack top schools was evident in each and every iteration we did on the essays and the resume. She helped me identify best stories of my life, which I would have overlooked otherwise. Her initial questionnaires and detailed discussion was of immense help in this process. Though I had started late on my applications I was able to put together a polished story only because of Nupur’s constant encouragement. Her commitment to her client’s success is something praiseworthy. Nupur was there always whenever I needed her assistance be it in essays, resume, interviews or alumni communications. Her experience in the admissions process and network of clients in top B-schools would be an asset to anyone working with her. I attribute a significant part of my success in landing an admit from my dream school to her. I wholeheartedly recommend Crack The MBA to anyone who wishes to get into top B-schools.

Candidate admitted to INSEAD (With scholarship) & Tuck (MBA 2020)

I came across Crack the MBA whilst searching for admissions consultants online. I’d spoken with several organizations, and was hoping to find one that would help me create a strong application whilst being true to myself.
Once I chanced upon Crack the MBA, my decision was made. In our very first conversation, even before I signed up for the service, Nupur was very detail-oriented in discussing my goals and application strategy.

Nupur is highly professional and hands-on throughout the process. She laid out a comprehensive schedule, ensured we stuck to it, and insisted on high quality, even if that meant several iterations.
She excelled at marrying CV data with my personal story, making my application incredibly strong. Needless to say, I am proud of the essays that I submitted.
Nupur’s thorough support with mock interviews ensured I was well-prepared for my interviews.
Moreover, I treasure the process and output of the several reflection exercises I went through with her even before starting the application process. I believe the fruits of our labour will last well beyond my MBA.

I strongly recommend working with Nupur and Crack the MBA.
Thank you, Nupur!

Candidate admitted to Kellogg (~75% scholarship) & Booth (MBA 2021)

I worked with Nupur on four MBA applications. I secured admits from two of those M7 schools and a scholarship from the school of my choice.
I spoke to a bunch of consultants before starting the grueling application process and I am glad I chose Nupur because of the following reasons:

– Nupur was an extremely good listener and clearly understood my aspirations. She believed in my candidacy and encouraged me to apply to the schools of my choice.
– She is extremely thorough, professional and result-oriented. On multiple occasions, I found myself lagging behind in the schedule that she had devised before starting our engagement. However, she was extremely patient in those situations and pushed me to roll up my sleeves. Cracking one of the M7 schools requires a lot of discipline and Nupur helped me to inculcate the same in the process.
– One thing that differentiated Nupur from other consultants was her ethical and honest approach to work. She was always honest in her feedback, which ultimately reflected in the quality of the essays and resume that I submitted to the schools. She encouraged me to dig deep into my memories and past experiences to pick out relevant anecdotes instead of tweaking facts.
– Nupur also went the extra mile to connect me with her past clients in my target schools. Speaking to those students helped me immensely in my applications. I remember one of those students saying, “Listen to Nupur. She knows her stuff.” Well, she sure does!

Candidate admitted to Kellogg & Darden (MBA 2021; minimum 50% scholarship at each)

I have tremendous respect for Nupur and the way she has structured the process at Crack The MBA. When I approached Nupur, she was at the tail end of capping enrollments for the year. I am glad I was able to secure a spot with Crack The MBA!

Soon after I enrolled, Nupur sensitised me to the importance of retaking the GMAT to make my candidacy competitive for the highly selective schools I was targeting. Though I gave my word, there were moments when I wavered and considered skipping the retake. Nupur was exceptional in her leadership and motivated me to retake the GMAT. With the benefit of hindsight, I can comfortably state that the increase in my score was beneficial in helping me pass the initial filters that my target schools might have had.

As someone who has worked in manufacturing and logistics, I have needed to adopt highly process-driven methodologies at work. With all of my six sigma training, I was still highly impressed by Crack The MBA’s process, which I believe was invaluable in keeping me on track.

Nupur and I had several conversations at the beginning of our engagement. They were some of the most interesting and poignant conversations I’ve ever had. I felt like we were examining my life with a fine tooth comb, in search of application gold dust. Oh, and did I say that Nupur excels at spotting those nuggets, which you might deem unworthy of inclusion, but might ultimately prove decisive. We uncovered pieces of me buried deep in my subconscious mind. Nupur is an excellent listener who provided me the freedom and comfort to express myself fully. I am an excellent talker so it felt like a match made in heaven!

Nupur is open-minded and yet has strong opinions, backed by well-researched ideas. It is this dual approach that I fell in love with through our engagement. There were times when my thinking would lead me to several directions all at once. In such instances, Nupur kept me anchored and did not let me lose sight of my goal. I consider Nupur to be more than just a coach or a consultant; she has become a friend.

Nupur is empathetic, intelligent, eloquent and an incredible human being. I am grateful to have had a chance to work with her. I hope you do too! I recommend Nupur and Crack The MBA unequivocally and with the highest recommendation. You should consider yourself lucky if you gain an opportunity to work with Nupur as your coach. She is the finest coach one could expect. I am beyond thrilled to have secured multiple admits with sizeable scholarships at top business schools. I would urge all prospective applicants to top-10 business schools to look no further. Please do not waste your time and try and seek a spot with this exceptional advisor immediately.

Candidate admitted to Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, INSEAD, LBS & Michigan Ross (MBA 2021)

Nupur is undoubtedly one of the finest, most hardworking and goal-oriented MBA consultants out there (and I don’t just mean in India). Having evaluated almost all renowned MBA consultants in the country, I decided to go ahead with Nupur because of three things:
1. Unlike other MBA consultants, Nupur did not discourage me from applying anywhere! That definitely paid off because Nupur’s counsel helped me get through 5 of the top 10 B-schools in the world! A year ago, I could not have imagined that I would be in this place!
2. Nupur was extremely structured, professional and pro-active. Even before the interview invites would start to pour in, Nupur would schedule mock interviews with me! And that forward looking attitude is what truly made the difference in my case.
3. There is NO other person who is as involved as Nupur is in the process and the outcome. She invests her whole self in the application process from strategy to post interview mails! The fact that she handles every aspect of the journey on her own ensures the application is most robust, coherent and impactful.
A few examples to show how much hard work she puts in are:
– We must have gone through over 400 iterations across essays, CV and form content. This shows how much of a perfectionist she is!
– We did 35 – 50 hours of mock interviews & detailed feedback. Even things like body language, expressions, rambling etc. were evaluated.
– She connected me with over 5 of her past clients in top B schools, who were more than happy to help Nupur’s clients with very school specific advice.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Nupur to everyone who is passionate and enthusiastic to get into their Dream B-school. Nupur would not only match your energy and passion but be the most reliable and patient mentor throughout the journey and beyond and help you do better than you expected or even hoped for.

Candidate admitted to INSEAD (MBA 2021)

Crack The MBA was recommended to me by a senior from college who is now a Wharton alum. I had been closely involved with another friend in their application journey a year before. Having witnessed the working style of a renowned consultant, I was unimpressed by the lack of personalization in their approach to the engagement. Crack The MBA has a process where each individual candidate gets the utmost attention and care. This was a huge factor for me in choosing Crack The MBA for my MBA applications.

Nupur is meticulous and her professionalism is incomparable. I am thoroughly impressed by Crack The MBA’s process, approach and rigor. Nupur was incredibly invested in my applications and cared deeply about my outcomes, treating them like her own. Nupur has a knack for considering diverse perspectives, which is a useful skill that helped me tell my story in a holistic manner. She was always motivated to discuss ideas that could elevate the quality of my materials. When I read my applications even today, I feel proud of the work I submitted. In fact, one of my interviewers even commented on the strength of my essays! I felt well-prepared for my interviews as we had covered all possible scenarios, and more, through our mock interviews. There were times when I felt that going too deep. However, having gone through the interviews, I am glad we did, as I was not left thinking on-the-spot in the middle of an interview.

I strongly recommend that you work with Crack The MBA and enroll early to secure a spot.

Candidate admitted to Columbia & Yale (MBA 2020)

When I first decided to go ahead with MBA applications, I was reluctant to engage with a consultant. I had a negative experience with an eminent firm during previous applications, and was particularly distraught at the lack of personalisation. At the same time, realising that my MBA plan was an uphill task given my lower-than-average years of work experience, I decided to research consultancies. Interacting with consultants from India and abroad, I was underwhelmed by their straitjacketed approaches to MBA admissions. I had almost decided not to go for external help. This was until I met Nupur at Crack The MBA. During our very first meeting, I appreciated CTM’s client-centric, personalised approach, and intuitively decided to go-ahead.

Our engagement began with brainstorming about my goals. Nupur, with her experience at Wharton and understanding of diverse industries, was the perfect expert to discuss my plans with. She provided invaluable insights about my post-MBA industry, connected me with seniors and helped transform my long-term aspirations to concrete, actionable goals. Discussing my plans with Nupur was a fulfilling journey that helped me introspect and answer questions that I never thought existed. Even outside the world of MBA applications, I owe Nupur for helping bring clarity to my goals. Her contribution towards my school selection process was equally impressive. Nupur helped me create a balanced portfolio of five schools that aligned perfectly with my lofty ambitions and pragmatic realism.

Our essay collaboration was consistently rewarding, and I was always inspired by Nupur’s constructive feedback on initial drafts. Apart from the sheer quality of her work, I believe that Nupur’s passion for story-telling and fiduciary interest in client outcomes set her apart from MBA consultants globally. Nupur epitomised these qualities during one of my successful applications. We had iterated on my essay set a dozen times, and I was convinced that we had reached the perfect draft. As I gushed reading at my materials, I had an email from Nupur expressing a creative approach to make the narrative more interesting through a personal story. Her suggestion helped take the application up another notch and ultimately proved decisive. As a self-motivated applicant with a relentless desire to share my story in the most interesting way, I always felt that I was working with a teammate who is a million times better at story-telling and exceeds my quest for perfection.

Lastly, Nupur made a decisive contribution to my interview preparation. Nupur is an excellent interviewer and after completing my share of mocks, I was acclimatized to the process and successfully cleared all interviews.

I wholeheartedly recommend Crack The MBA. I will always be grateful to Nupur for her invaluable role in my journey and regard her as the best MBA consultant that can be, and a torchbearer of the institution that is education consulting. Thank you, Nupur!

Candidate admitted to UNC, Georgetown& Kelley (Class of 2022; all with scholarship; $200,000+ in scholarships)

I approached Nupur on the back of a disastrous application experience in 2018/2019 where I was rejected by 8 Top Business Schools. I was apprehensive about my applications in 2019/2020, fearing a similar outcome. Nupur was willing to work with me despite the prior rejections I had experienced; several other consultants I connected with were anxious about working with me due to the rejections almost regarding me as damaged goods, so I was entirely grateful for Nupur’s leap of faith. While showing much-appreciated confidence in me, Nupur didn’t portray an overly rosy picture of my application. In our very first engagement, Nupur relentlessly questioned my career choices, aspirations, reasons for doing an MBA, etc., exposing potential challenges in my candidacy. She then helped me develop strategies with which I would address these challenges in my application. These strategies were fleshed out in a comprehensive engagement over a period of four months, with meetings scheduled weekly (and sometimes, even two or three times a week) to perfect the application story. The engagement was so in-depth that it never felt rushed, the quality was never compromised and nothing was ever left to chance. I didn’t need to activate Nupur to be invested in my success; she already was from the very beginning. She acted as a creative sounding-board for when I needed to define and re-define my application and an emotional support for when I struggled to received interview invites early in the 2019/2020 application cycle. At certain points in the journey, it was solely her confidence and support that kept me going. The 2019/2020 application cycle ended with me getting admits from 4 Top Business Schools and $250,000 in scholarships. I do not believe I would have received similar outcomes without Nupur’s tireless guidance and I cannot recommend her enough!

Candidate admitted to Yale (MBA 2018)

I was advised to connect with Crack The MBA by a friend from IIT Bombay. From the beginning, Nupur’s approach towards my MBA applications was methodical. We created a schedule and aligned on the same upfront. I understood early on that top schools would not be easy to crack and was diligent in following the schedule. On her end, Nupur was relentless in her efforts. I could see that she was equally invested in my candidacy and applications. I found her feedback to be thorough and insightful. It was not superficial or given with the perspective of ‘checking the box’. This helped me showcase my candidacy in better light.

Crack The MBA was an integral part of my MBA application journey. There are hundreds of decisions to be made at every stage and it was nice to have someone, whose opinion I respected, to run my ideas past and get mentorship from.

Post my successful admission to Yale SOM, I also recommended Crack The MBA to a colleague and friend. He had a similarly spectacular result and also gained admission to a top-10 global MBA program. I emphatically recommend Crack The MBA and Nupur to all MBA applicants.

Candidate admitted to Tuck & Yale (MBA 2019; with scholarship)

I am sure this testimonial is not enough to express my gratitude for Nupur, for her relentless and undying support throughout the application process. Her structured & planned approach, keen attention to detail, and most of all patience is what helped me secure admission into a top 10 MBA program. Right from the time she started understanding my background to helping me prepare for my interviews, Nupur’s guidance and mentorship was unparalleled. Her ability to make me reflect and dig deep through each phase of the process helped me create applications I was proud of. The process of applying to business schools, in my opinion, is extremely overwhelming, however Nupur ensured that I stayed calm and motivated even during times of extreme self-doubt and panic. In fact she believed in me more than I did in myself. I am finally enrolling at a school that is a perfect fit for me and I really could not have done it without her support.

Candidate admitted to Wharton (MBA 2019)

In mid 2015, when I decided that I would require professional help for my MBA applications, I reached out to a few MBA Admissions consultants. Since I didn’t have brands such as IIT/Bain/McK on my CV or a 730+ GMAT score, these consultants showed very little interest in my profile and rather dissuaded me from applying to top-15 US B-schools.

At this point, I was disheartened and had the good fortune to have Crack The MBA’s name suggested by a friend. I talked to Nupur who listened to my entire story with patience, identified strengths and weaknesses, and strategized with me around the best approach to communicate my candidacy to B-schools effectively.

Listening to Nupur’s honest and insightful suggestions and heeding her recommendation, I postponed my applications by one year to work on the weaknesses in my profile. Nupur helped me focus on areas I would need to strengthen over the next few months and helped me come up with an action plan. This helped me focus my efforts.

I had given up on the GMAT, having failed in three previous attempts. But Nupur instilled the confidence in me to give another try, which proved to be a match-winner for us – 770 on the GMAT!

Crack The MBA follows a very structured approach to essay writing and applications. With the help of three kinds of questionnaires, Nupur assisted me in finding my professional and personal story, which went a long way in helping me write winning essays for different essay prompts at my target B-schools.

We iterated over a dozen times not just on the CV and essays but also on B-schools’ application forms, which according to general opinion of my peers, most consultants tend to ignore.

Overall, Nupur is an experienced MBA consultant who is detail-oriented, prompt with feedback and can bring out the best in you.

I would highly recommend Nupur and Crack The MBA to anyone looking to get into a top-10 US or Global B-school.

Candidate admitted to Wharton (MBA 2019; 40% tuition waiver)

In 2016, I decided to apply for a Top 5 B-School. As a part of my research, I spoke to many admission consultants. What was unbelievable to me was that many top consultants put me off the grid and discouraged me from applying to Top 5 without knowing my full story and context. In retrospect, I can’t blame them – I was not your IIT-Consulting/PE/VC candidate and there was no way to box me.
Then came Nupur and I instantly connected with her. She was powerful, passionate, opinionated and patient – exactly the qualities I was looking for in my Ad-con. Over many months she worked with me, she helped me structure my thoughts and sharpen my candidature. She understood my short-term goals and long term ambitions and was heavily invested in my success. We had long discussions and multiple rounds of iterations and she supported me through the ups and downs of the application process.
What separates Nupur for sure is her thorough professionalism and excellent communication skills. I not only secured an admit from Wharton (with a ~40% scholarship on tuition) and a potentially successful career, but also a friend and mentor for life in Nupur.

I wholeheartedly recommend Nupur to anyone targeting a top B-school. You simply cannot go wrong here.

Candidate admitted to Wharton (MBA 2019)

I chose Crack The MBA for my MBA applications as Wharton was my top choice and my senior from IIT-Delhi (who was studying at Wharton) had highly recommended the firm. While making my selection, I had also spoken to another leading MBA admissions consultant who had told me not to apply to Wharton whereas Wharton was my dream school! Whereas, Nupur never dissuaded me from applying to Wharton and was positive about my candidacy. It was important for me that my consultant should believe in me. Finally, Crack The MBA’s comprehensive model was well suited to my requirements.

Nupur is clear in her communications and true to her word. This was helpful for me in dealing with an otherwise ambiguous process; I knew exactly what to expect through our consulting engagement. Through the process, I came to rely on Nupur’s advice, as I felt she did not withhold herself when she disagreed with me (even though that inevitably meant more work for both of us). Therefore, I found her orientation to be centered towards her clients’ interests. The important thing is to follow the process and schedule and Nupur is an excellent mentor.

On couple of occasions, when anxiety was getting the better of me, I found a calming voice in Nupur and she advised me to not overthink and just put in my best efforts.

As a “finance professional”, I would like to describe my experience using financial terminology. I consider the engagement with Crack The MBA to be an excellent ROI! I highly recommend the firm to all MBA applicants. In fact, when some friends read my essays, they were impressed. I think working with Crack The MBA helped me differentiate my candidacy from other Indian Male Engineers.

Since enrolling at Wharton, I have come across several other folks who have applied through Crack The MBA and secured admission into Wharton. I believe CTM specializes in admissions to Wharton. For candidates targeting Wharton and other top programs, I definitely recommend Crack The MBA.

Candidate admitted to Wharton (MBA 2019; 50% tuition waiver)

Nupur and ‘Crack The MBA’ (CTM) was recommended to me by a friend who had availed CTM’s services to resounding success- getting admitted to one of the top b-schools. I went with the recommendation and all said and done, I too secured an admit to my dream school and I strongly believe Nupur played a big role in that.
Two key things that make it work are- Nupur’s immense knowledge about the b-school admissions process and the fact that she is totally invested in her clients’ success. This results in an application process that is thorough, structured and productive. It forces the candidates to ask the right question and results in an in-depth self-introspection exercise.
On essays, resume, and overall application, Nupur is always willing to work on as many number of iterations as it takes to get the best outcome. And each iteration is incredibly detailed and thoughtful. At the end of several iterations, my application was completely transformed and I myself was a lot clearer about my career goals and paths leading up to them.
Having worked and interacted with several other top consultants in India, I can safely say CTM is among the best choices out there. If you want to break into a top 10 school, I recommend CTM and Nupur wholeheartedly!

Candidate admitted to Wharton, Tuck, Ross & ISB (MBA 2018; with scholarship)

I learnt about Crack The MBA from a peer from ITC who had taken CTM’s services. I started the application process later than intended due to an injury with barely two months to go for R2 deadlines. I knew I needed to be diligent and organized to prepare strong applications within this short time period. I loved Nupur’s structured approach where we created a schedule for me for the next two months.

Nupur has a client-centric mindset. While starting, I was intending to enroll for five applications but she told me that it would be better for me to sign-up for four applications, as she felt we could do the best job with that number given our time-frame and her existing workload. I don’t know many service providers who would be eager to undersell their services with a single-minded focus on quality of deliverable vs. business economics.

I felt that Nupur got to know me well through the process, which was great for brainstorming ideas. I found Nupur to be invested in my success and story. Her observations were insightful and helped me connect the dots in a way I might not have been able to as effectively on my own. Nupur was unflinching in her support as we iterated several times on my application materials, especially the essays.

The interview prep was equally crucial and Nupur’s guidance was invaluable for the individual and group interviews. As a side note, recently, while interviewing for internships, I got feedback that my behavioral interviews were mind blowing and inspiring. In that moment, all I could think of was Nupur. Thank you so much Nupur for teaching me so much about expressing myself!

Picking an admissions consultant has become increasingly difficult, especially with the influx of consultants. For people looking for a high-touch consulting model, Crack The MBA is among the best MBA admissions consulting firms with an exceptional work ethic. Go with Crack The MBA! You would consider it to be an excellent decision in your life – just like I do 🙂

Candidate admitted to Chicago Booth (MBA 2020; with 42% tuition waiver)

After working with Nupur for nearly a year, I can definitely say that it was a tremendous learning opportunity for me and it was not just about getting admits from B-schools. Thinking back about my association with her, I feel that it can be divided into 3 distinct phases. Phase one was self-introspection. It was during this phase that I realized what makes Nupur really unique, as she exceeds her mandate and takes it upon herself to ensure that her clients really understand who they are and what they want from a business degree. I still remember the day when I first had a call scheduled with Nupur. Though it was supposed to be an informal discussion, by the time I had done with the call I felt as if I had taken my first B-school interview. From there on, there was no turning back. Over the next few weeks, with the aid of three innovatively designed questionnaires, Nupur helped me understand more about myself, my interests and my passions. In the process she also came to know about my entire background. Phase two was school selection. Here again Nupur’s expert guidance led me to choose my target schools not just based on their rankings but based on my own expectations and my fit with those schools. Finally came phase three, which involved preparing my entire application. Here Nupur donned the cap of an attorney and helped me present my case in the best possible manner. My entire application journey was both enjoyable and ended in a positive note all thanks to Nupur.

Candidate admitted to Michigan Ross (MBA 2019)

I chose to work with Nupur and Crack The MBA for two reasons: (1) It came highly recommended by a friend who had worked with Nupur and secured successful results after abysmal results with another consulting firm. I am grateful to my friend for recommending Nupur. (2) At an early stage, Nupur helped me clarify my questions and doubts prior to us working together in a way that made me feel that she cared about aspects of the process that mattered to me.

Nupur is extremely professional and committed to preparing high-quality applications. Our conversations helped me realize that I suffered from something called ‘Curse of Knowledge’. In other words, I was unable to visualize a state where someone did not understand my industry / company the way I did. Therefore, I was prone to using technical jargon (having worked with the same firm for 5+ years). To use a cliché, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

By helping me understand myself better, Nupur helped me elevate the overall quality of my applications significantly. I unequivocally and strongly recommend Nupur and Crack The MBA to all prospective students applying to a leading global MBA program.

Candidate admitted to Chicago Booth (MBA 2019)

I worked with Nupur during this application season. I connected with a couple of consultants prior to her, but the first call I had with her gave me assurance, and I felt I was in safe hands. From that first call to the last interview, Nupur provided cogent, actionable feedback that significantly enhanced the content of my application. Consequently, I secured interview calls from 4 of the 5 schools I applied to and subsequently converted one of them. I would wholeheartedly recommend Nupur’s admission consultancy services to anyone who aims to break into a top 10 MBA school.

Candidate admitted to LBS & INSEAD (both with scholarships; MBA 2018)

Before I started working with Nupur, I was at a crossroads – I was confused and unsure about getting an MBA. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to work with someone, since the MBA application journey is often a very personal one, with deep introspection. After chatting with Nupur, I felt confident that she understood me, and that we would work well together.
Nupur helped me at every stage – We had long discussions about my career, my growth trajectory, my hobbies & interests. Her detailed questionnaire, meant to help her understand me better, infact helped me remember stories that I’d written off as trivial, but ended up being a big part of my application! She also helped me with school selection and prioritization.

After these discussions, the multiple iterations on the essays helped me articulate my story as well as my achievements. What I especially appreciated was her attention to detail – she made me pay attention to subtleties like tone and sentence structure which contributed to a stronger set of essays. Through our conversations, I was able to present my story with a voice that was uniquely my own.

I ultimately received acceptances to both the schools I wanted, and with significant scholarships. It wouldn’t have been possible without Nupur’s support every step of the way.

Candidate admitted to Wharton (MBA 2018)

I had been invited to interview with Wharton and I was speaking with a current student about the interview process. I had been interviewing with other schools but was slightly uncertain about what went into preparing for Wharton’s unique format. My friend recommended me to reach out to Nupur for participating in a mock TBD. Best advice ever! I had checked out to others for a few mock sessions before, but this one had everything I was looking for – an in-person mock with personalized feedback session, and not exorbitantly expensive.

Nupur literally had to fit me in the night (and I mean really late at night) before the last mock she was conducting, and I can’t thank her enough for being so accommodating.

Nupur, a Wharton alum herself, was able to replicate the TBD experience at her premises. After the meticulously recorded session, that you can use to see what went well and what didn’t, she also shared candid feedback at length. Nupur did not shy from setting up another follow-up session because my questions didn’t seem to end in the first feedback call. Most importantly, Nupur was able to make the entire process look real and achievable.

In reality, Wharton is right in suggesting that you just need to be natural as you are in your daily life. However, a mock TBD and 1:1 with Nupur took care of any nerves and was a big boost to the confidence. Her SWOT analyses and tips that may not be too obvious, really made the difference.

Finally, I’d like to add that it was a great way to connect with many fellow interviewees (albeit in different slots) well in advance (during the mock). I’ll be taking these connections with me to Wharton!

Many thanks Nupur for all your guidance.

Best regards,
Ankit
Wharton MBA Candidate
Class of 2018

Candidate admitted to MIT Sloan and Wharton (MBA 2017)

I first met Nupur at an event in Delhi, After speaking with her in detail about the admissions process and reading testimonials on Crack The MBA’s website, I felt that there was a strong fit (an important factor since one spends months on applications). I liked Nupur’s personalized approach to the application process, which was geared towards bringing out my story in a unique way. We iterated several times on my application materials – till the time we felt that it was perfect. Nupur was always pushing me to make the application better and was eager to iterate more till we had the best possible drafts. In the end, I was thrilled to have admits at multiple top-5 U.S. programs. Nupur played an important role in my interview prep also, directing me to present my thoughts in a structured manner during interviews.

Working with Crack The MBA helped me tell my story in a compelling way. Nupur is highly committed towards clients’ success and I strongly recommend Nupur and Crack The MBA to all MBA applicants, especially those from India.

Candidate admitted to CMU Tepper, McCombs and Georgetown (all with scholarship; MBA 2018)

Last year I had applied to 5 b schools and was rejected from all of them without even an interview call. This year I applied to 7 schools, got an interview call from 6 of them and finally made it through 3 top American B-schools – all with substantial scholarships. The major difference in the two applications was Nupur’s insight into my candidacy. Before begining the actual application process Nupur spent a lot of time in understanding my personal traits which allowed her to bring out the best in me.
I believe Nupur is perhaps the most sincere and detailed oriented person that i have had a chance to work with. Under Nupur’s supervision some of my essays went through 10+ edits. She inspired me to improve my writing by forcing me to introspect. With Nupur’s help, by the end of writing the B school applications, I had come more in tune with my life’s purpose. So workng with Nupur was not just professionally a great idea but has also allowed me to improve on a more personal level.
If there could be something better than Nupur’s feedback on your written essays, it has to be a personal interview session with her. I strongly advise candidates to take Nupur’s mock PI sessions as well.
I want to thanks Nupur once again for her assistance and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Candidate admitted to The University of Chicago Booth School (MBA 2018)

I worked with Nupur for 3 applications and was able to secure admission into my top-choice MBA program in the US. She is a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with.

What I particularly liked about working with Nupur was that she did not use a cookie-cutter approach. She helped me reflect on my own experiences and growth trajectory. She drove me to introspect about why I made the choices that I made and what obvious and non-obvious impact did they have on my personal and professional growth. This helped me craft a compelling narrative.

She was also able to maintain complete objectivity throughout the process. Despite multiple iterations, she was able to provide a clinically detached view of how I came across on paper after each iteration. This improved the application incrementally and was rather insightful for me (and put things in perspective).

Never during the process did I feel we were cutting corners or rushing through an application element (despite the sense that time was slipping through our fingers). Every element was well-deliberated, even if this meant she had to be more flexible to accommodate last-minute revisions – this is a testament to her integrity and how invested she is in her clients’ success.

Nupur is highly driven, energetic and meticulous in her support. I recommend her highly and wish her continued success.

Candidate admitted to Duke Fuqua & The Wharton School (MBA 2018)

Though Nupur’s credentials and track record don’t need any introduction from me, what separates Nupur from other consultants is her humility and personal approach towards applications. Before interacting with admissions consultants, I had heard mixed reviews about the whole process. I read the testimonials on Crack The MBA’s website and was impressed by Nupur’s approach. Many of her clients had appreciated her humble and accommodating approach.
The best part was the initial extensive discussions, which started from my childhood days and extended to my current professional life. It won’t be hyperbole if I say that Nupur knows me much better than even some of my family members through those extensive discussions. Those discussions formed a strong foundation enabling her to guide me impeccably through the subjective and behavioral aspects of the admission process.
Coming from the overrepresented pool, I was always worried about my achievements being perceived as commonplace. Nupur guided me towards innovative ways to bring out my strengths and I was super-confident when they were noticed even by the interviewers, as planned in our strategy. I feel I was in control of my interviews using her approach and was able to convert every interview call into a final admit. In fact, I am the only candidate (as validated by LinkedIn Advanced Search) from Infosys India in the past decade to make it to Wharton.
Nupur’s turnaround time, with attention to detail, never let me miss any deadline while ensuring the best quality for my application materials. I believe the most crucial time during admission consulting is the time when mentor and mentee disagree and debate on certain crucial things such as schools to be applied to and the essay content. She was so professional and humble during those times that after giving me a list of pros and cons of my decision, it was left completely to me. And from next day onwards she took responsibility of my journey on even the path, which she wasn’t in favor of. I must say I was so much in awe with her for the way she managed those disagreements.
Nupur always strives for perfection and never shied away from further rounds of mock interviews until she found me fully ready for the final interview. Moreover, she was so accommodating of timings etc. that I never felt stressed before my final interviews. Her mock sessions were so extensive that the real interviews felt much easier. One saying that could summarize the process is, “More you sweat in peace, less you bleed in war”.
My application strategy for R1 & R2 was devised so aptly that I secured admission to my dream school i.e. The Wharton School. I finished the application season with multiple admits to top 15 U.S. MBA programs. Finally, I would say that working with Nupur has been a life-altering experience for me & I highly recommend Crack The MBA to all applicants.

Candidate admitted to Duke Fuqua, Michigan Ross & UCLA (MBA 2018; with 80% scholarship)

I decided to apply to full time MBA programs quite late compared to my peers, and given that I had only 1.5 months to complete 5 solid applications post my GMAT, I knew I couldn’t have done it without guidance. I interacted with a few MBA consultants based in India and abroad, and Nupur was my obvious choice.

The next few weeks saw intense brainstorming, sometimes with her over a call, and sometimes alone through the self-realization guidance she provided. That definitely helped me get complete clarity on questions such as ‘why MBA’ and ‘why now’.

Through numerous iterations on my essays, some of which were completely discarded, Nupur patiently added comments ensuring I refined them enough to bring out my experiences and inspirations. Nupur was always ready to schedule short 15 minute calls to address quick questions or hour-long discussions when I wanted to pick her brain on new ideas.

One of the greatest benefits I got through Nupur was access to people in my preferred domain who had recently graduated from top MBA programs in the US. Talking to people in the industry helped me refine my post-MBA goals and they were also available post the results to help me decide which school to attend.

I applied to 5 top-15 schools in all, of which, I got 3 admits, 2 with scholarship. Nupur was readily available to help me during the final decision making phase and weighing the options. I am not disappointed with the 2 schools I did not get admits for, cause I know I submitted the best applications I could, thanks to Nupur. I would strongly recommend Nupur to anybody applying to US MBA programs, especially if you are based in India. Nupur is a thorough professional with deep understanding of what top business schools look for, and how to overcome the weaknesses of typical Indian applicants.

Candidate admitted to Yale & Darden (MBA 2017; with 50% scholarship)

The MBA application process is quite a wonderful journey, with one reflecting back upon his/her personal and professional experiences as well as giving structure to his/her future career progress and goals. For me, Nupur became an integral part of this journey.

Nupur’s guidance helped me deep dive into my life experiences, while her follow up questions and comments helped me reflect back upon these experiences through different lenses. This helped me understand what I really value, and helped me bring out my right emotions and achievements into the application essays and interviews.

With Nupur, one of the big advantages I felt was her deep understanding of both the Indian and the American school and work environment. As I iteratively went through her comments, I realized how her comments were helping me cover the bridge between how things are expressed in Indian vs. American environment. From my first draft to the final draft, each sentence of my application went through tremendous thought and improvement.

Another thing in which Nupur is absolutely brilliant is Time Management. One of my biggest worries as I sought Nupur’s help for the application process was that I was located in US. However the ten and a half hour time difference never became a stumbling block. Nupur was available as and when I required help. Time Management again become very important when most of my applications had deadlines around same dates. Working with Nupur, I was always confident and comfortable that I would get her feedback with sufficient time at my end.

Post my admit calls, as I am evaluating which school to attend, Nupur is still available with her valuable inputs. It is an absolute pleasure to work with Nupur and I owe a large part of my success to her help.

I recommended CrackTheMBA (Nupur’s firm) to my brother, who too was looking for MBA application guidance, and I now have two success stories to talk about. I would strongly recommend her to anyone seeking guidance for MBA applications, whether they are currently in India or residing in any other place.

Candidate admitted to London Business School (LBS) & INSEAD (MBA 2017)

After conversations with a few leading consultants in the marketplace, I picked Nupur because I felt she had the highest level of integrity. After having worked with her for over six months, I can undoubtedly say that I picked well. In fact, I initially intended on using two consulting firms in parallel, but because of my positive early experience with Nupur, I chose to apply exclusively through Crack The MBA.

I applied to 5 business schools in R1 and got interview calls from 3 schools. It couldn’t have been possible without Nupur’s mentorship. Nupur guided me throughout the application process, right from selection of b-schools to the interview process. Her comprehensive questionnaires led me to introspect deeply and provided a structure for all my essays.

Nupur conducted hour long discussions with me to understand my profile and help me pick life stories for my essay. My essays went through multiple iterations. Her edits were very thorough and thoughtful and brought new perspective in my essays. My final essays were very well rounded and did bring out the best of my experiences.

Nupur conducted many mock interviews until she was sure that I was fully prepared for the interview. I rehearsed almost all possible interview questions beforehand. This prepared me even for the toughest interview.

During the whole process, Nupur was unfailingly patient and very supportive in every way possible. As an example, when I was unsure about appropriate interview attire, Nupur went above and beyond by first connecting me with her friend in fashion for me to seek advice from and then personally helping me pick the right attire for my interviews (an important factor in making a good first impression).

I would enthusiastically recommend Nupur to anyone going through this process. She will make sure that you put your best foot forward.

Candidate admitted to Wharton & Duke Fuqua (MBA 2017)

When I started with my application process, I decided to do it on my own. A couple of weeks down the line, I hadn’t gotten anywhere and I could see myself missing deadlines. That’s when I decided to get Nupur’s help. With less than one month left for the Wharton deadline, Nupur helped me expedite the process of finalizing schools, figuring out my goals, streamlining my resume, and finally iterating through my essays.

Her process made me introspect and build a strong view on what I wanted from my MBA and that helped me make my essays crisper. Even under a time constraint, she ensured I took my time to figure out my schools, goals etc, and put me in touch with many students and alumni to help me do the same.

Nupur is very thorough in her approach and puts in a lot of time and effort into every little detail. My resume and essays went through 10+ iterations in which each word was scrutinized, and I couldn’t have been happier with the end result.

She also organized mock team-based discussions and mock interviews that were especially useful in preparing for the interviews, as they gave me a chance to understand the other side of the table.

Working with Nupur was like having a mentor on-board for bouncing off any ideas and asking all kinds of questions. She was always as excited about deadlines, interviews and results as I was, and made an effort to keep the enthusiasm high through what can be an agonizing process.

I applied to 3 schools, and I didn’t get a single reject. This wouldn’t have happened without Nupur, and I would strongly recommend MBA aspirants to use her guidance to craft their story better.

Candidate admitted to Booth, Fuqua & UNC (MBA 2017; with scholarship)

Nupur was [a] constant guide and an excellent coach during my entire application process. Together we worked on applications to five top 20 US business schools and I received interviews invitations from all five and admission offers from three.

When I approached Nupur in May 2014, I was apprehensive as I do not belong to any of the usual applicant pools: Tech, Finance or Consulting. I worked in manufacturing and was concerned if I Nupur would be able to relate to my work and experiences. But after close to two months of brainstorming and spending not less than 20 hours talking to Nupur about my background, I could confidently say that, after my significant other, Nupur was the person who best knew my experiences and aspirations.

Nupur had a way of improving my essays, not by editing them herself, but by inspiring me to rephrase and clarify what I was trying to say. Therefore, even after undergoing seven to ten iterations, each of my essays still had my writing style and personality intact in them. Having spent six years studying within the US education system, Nupur is well acquainted with the linguistic perceptions and idiosyncrasies in the states. For example, I never knew that an american reading that “I passed out of XYZ college” would probably imagine me being a drunkard.

I thoroughly credit Nupur for the support she has provided, being available as late as 3 AM in the morning, near one of the deadlines and still encouraging me to perfect my essay. Beyond the actual essays, Nupur was a big help in deciding which schools to target and even put me in touch with some of her acquaintances who were alums from my target schools. At every stage of the process, through interview preparation till finally choosing among my admission offers, I have valued Nupur’s objectivity and frank opinion. I am glad that I worked with her and gained a close acquaintance for life.

Candidate admitted to Columbia, Kellogg & NYU Stern (MBA 2016)

In 2012, I applied to 3 top-10 business schools in the world. I got 1 interview call and 0 final admission calls. In 2014, I applied to 4 top-10 business schools in the world. I got all 4 interview calls and 3 final admission calls. The difference? In 2014, Nupur helped me with my applications.

Nupur was strongly recommended to me by a couple of friends who got admitted to great MBA programs themselves. I am so thankful to them, too!

Nupur is methodic, diligent, insightful and ethical. Her approach to the MBA application process is such that it makes you re-discover your innate strengths and weaknesses and present them in a compelling way to admission committees. It begins with a detailed recap of your entire life, grows into identification of key snippets and milestones and culminates into a tightly knit story to claim a spot at your desired B-school.

I couldn’t have been happier with my applications and the results. And I have Nupur to thank for it all. I strongly recommend Nupur and CrackTheMBA to all MBA aspirants.

Candidate admitted to Kellogg MMM, Ross, Cornell & ISB

As a mentor during my B-school application process, Nupur has been the most important factor in my success. Despite being part of an overrepresented candidate pool of Indian male engineers, she helped me in mustering admit offers from five leading global business schools, including Kellogg

From the outset, Nupur formulated a clear road map and provided schedules for completing various aspects of the application. Had it not been for Nupur’s timelines, I would have never met the application deadlines.
During the process she helped me delve into little details and dig out interesting anecdotes and experiences. Such experiences, unearthed with Nupur’s help, were the ones that made the biggest impact.

Being a Wharton graduate herself, Nupur has exceptional knowledge of the application process and the overall B-School experience. She provides vital insights, especially about the aspects that top B-schools look for in an applicant.

I intended to apply to seven schools. After applying to first four schools, I was exhausted and almost gave up. Nupur motivated me, coaxed me and pushed me to keep going. She would keep providing feedback and suggestions until the things I wrote satisfied her benchmarks of merit. It was her dedication and work ethic that inspired me to persevere and improve.

Apart from the application process, Nupur has influenced my overall working style. I have become more methodical and organized. She has imbibed a zeal for the pursuit of excellence. Nupur has helped me introspect and has made me aware of my strengths and weaknesses. I will always be indebted to Nupur for facilitating one of the biggest transitions in my life.

Candidate admitted to INSEAD, Yale & ISB

Transcribed from text message.

I’ve decided to attend INSEAD. Thanks Nupur, couldn’t have done it without your help 🙂

Candidate admitted to Booth & Wharton with 50% scholarship

Transcribed from call.

Nupur, I’ve made it to Wharton! I wanted to personally call you and thank you for all your help and the late night assistance. I’d like to take you to lunch/dinner when I’m in town next

Candidate admitted to Chicago Booth with 50% scholarship

Business school application process can be grueling. In fact, it won’t be stretch to say that it was one of the most difficult experiences I have had to go through. Yet, the experience was also immensely rewarding and once I got into the groove, actually quite enjoyable. For this, I would give give a lot of credit to Nupur. Working with Nupur was an absolute pleasure and critical to my success.

I greatly benefited from Nupur’s structured approach to the application process. We started with a deep brainstorming session using a comprehensive questionnaire which really helped me articulate my inner motivations, passions and train of thought. This questionnaire provided a base for all my applications.

Nupur’s knowledge of the application process and what the schools look for is exceptional. Working with her was key to putting my best foot forward and presenting my story in the most compelling way.

Helping her clients is almost like a personal mission for Nupur and she is there to support and guide you every step of the way – even at odd hours just before application submission. For this, I have much to thank her and am very grateful and also slightly apologetic.

I believe that Nupur’s greatest strength is the degree of integrity she brings to the process. She has a strong sense of ethics and responsibility towards her clients. She makes sure that the inner writer in you shines through and the admissions committee sees you for the truly wonderful individual that you are.

Candidate admitted to Kellogg, Yale & ISB

Nupur was extremely thorough and professional in her approach. Her insights and suggestions, uncountable review of my profile and application played an extremely crucial role in bringing my applications to the final form. She was always available for discussion even at wee hours and never used to get perturbed even by my silly questions. Nupur not only helped me shape up my thoughts, views and goals, help me bring clarity, quality to my essays and add impact to my applications, was also a great motivator and mentor throughout the application process. I wholeheartedly admit that my success at Kellogg and Yale would not have been possible without her. It was truly a delight to work with her and strongly recommend her to all seeking any sort of a help on B School application process! I am excitedly looking forward to be a part of Kellogg Class of 2016.

Candidate admitted to Ross School at University of Michigan

Thorough, professional, humble and methodological – four adjectives which pretty much sum up Nupur and what differentiates here from most of the consultants in the market today. Having already been through the application process a year before, I was skeptical as to how much value-add would Nupur add to my story and essays. However my fears were dissuaded in my first meeting with Nupur where we went through my entire story including my personal and professional achievements, hobbies, passions and more importantly what was the rationale for some of the decisions I took in my life. Nupur was extremely patient and made sure to question when things did not make sense. Our conversations helped me build a strong framework on what were some of my stories that I wanted to bring out in my applications. Once we got to the essays & applications phase, Nupur was relentless and made sure that number of iterations never deterred us in getting the best application out. On multiple applications we ran into more than 9-10 iterations and there were times when Nupur completely scrapped some drafts and asked me to start from scratch when the stories weren’t coming out. Nupur was stern and her feedback was on-the-face and pointed and that actually pushed me to bring out my 200% and helped me bring out my stories in a coherent and rationale way. During the interview preparation phase her observations were sharp and her pointers were extremely helpful and I am sure they are going to be even in B-school when I interview with firms.

Nupur was always there to motivate and support (and more importantly help me come up with a plan B) when I got my dings and cherish the moment when I got my interview calls and admits. I don’t think I would have been able to crack such a top school without her help and support. I cannot thank her enough and look forward to CracktheMBA get big and help many prospective applicants such as me

Thanks Nupur & CracktheMBA

Candidate admitted to Tepper School at Carnegie Mellon

I worked with Nupur in 2012. I am writing this recommendation now because even after so many months I am using the same material to prepare for my job interviews and to write cover letters.
I was extremely happy with the time she spent with me on my application. She delivered the same consistent results even under hard-pressed deadlines. I could never have done this without her help and I have recommended Nupur to whoever has connected with me for advice on the application process.
Lastly, I believe that Nupur is not only a good editor but also has the best interest of her clients in mind. She makes sure you are up to speed with the process and also helps you out to make the best choices.
Thanks

Candidate admitted to McDonough at Georgetown University

I was introduced to Nupur by a friend who had engaged her services a year earlier. After my first meeting with Nupur, I walked out with five action points and had a clear direction to head towards. That is perhaps Nupur’s greatest trait – She has extreme clarity of thought. This trait, combined with her professionalism, thoroughness and confidence assures one that they’re in good hands. Nupur is also candid with her feedback and pushes her clients to achieve perfection. Nupur has been instrumental in my journey to business school – from essays to interview prep to post admission advice – and i’m glad i worked with her.

Candidate admitted to Berkeley, Haas

I engaged Nupur to seek professional help with my applications to bring out the uniqueness in my candidacy as I thought that getting professional help would enable me to prove my abilities. I still remember that Nupur told me in an initial communication that the essay-writing process is a highly iterative process and a good essay does not happen overnight. I was able to truly appreciate this thought only after I saw how the final application shaped up. Nupur outright rejected my first set of essays and we had a macro discussion on themes to highlight in my candidacy. She helped me in positioning and differentiation of my candidacy as I was coming from the overrepresented technology background. I don’t know how she managed it, but the essay turnaround time was usually only 24-48 hours. This was very important because she made me feel that I could really depend on her. When needed, she would revert back to me even more rapidly. I could clearly tell the efforts she put to my essays. We went through multiple iterations for each draft of my essay, which really helped bring out the essence in the most effective manner. On receiving the interview invite, I sought Nupur’s professional help. The mock interview sessions with Nupur gave me the confidence that helped me crack the real interview. Going through the process with Nupur helped me gain clarity of thought and also helped me get a lot more out of my MBA experience than I otherwise would have.

Candidate admitted to Yale SOM

Hi Nupur,

Thank you very much for all your help and assistance during the daunting and nerve wracking application process. My admit to Yale School of Management could not have been possible without your constant help, guidance and encouragement to believe in myself through the arduous MBA application process.

Everything from my essay strategy for Yale, inputs on differentiating myself, line of questioning for the mock interviews helped me significantly. There were times when I found your feedback on my writing to be brutal but in hindsight, I can see the impact they made to my candidacy. Your guidance made the difference in my candidacy that helped me Crack The MBA.

Finally, I would like to say thank you for all your help – I really appreciate it. I really could not have done this without you!!

Best,
A

Candidate admitted to Darden School of Business

Nupur knows the admissions process very well at a variety of schools and that was extremely helpful for me in my school selection. Coming from the typical IIM (Indian, IT, Male) background, I knew I needed to set myself apart by effectively communicating my story to the Admissions Committee in order to differentiate myself from the gazillion other candidates who on paper might appear to be similar. I sought Nupur’s help with all aspects of my application including Essays, Resume, Recommendations. One of the biggest challenges I faced was with my writing style. Coming from an IT background, I was more accustomed to using a passive form of writing. Nupur enabled me to overcome my inhibitions and use an active style of writing that noticeably enhanced the quality of my essays. Initially, I found her feedback to be critical and it took me some time to get used to it. Looking back, I think this constructive criticism is exactly what I needed. When I look at my essays from “before” and “after”, I am amazed at the drastic transformation they have gone through. Having a few years of work experience, I had a technical resume, which focused on highlighting the technical aspects of my candidacy. Nupur was able to help me extract meaningful and impactful information from the same to enable me to communicate my achievements from the standpoint of a business resume. Lastly, being a re-applicant, I thought my application was good to go and engaging Nupur was just a feel-good factor for me to get a sign off on my essays. However, I was amazed to see the transformation that my materials actually underwent. Thank you from the core of my heart. Your efforts and partnership in this process are truly appreciated!

Candidate admitted to IESE Business School

Coming from a small-size, privately held, family business without an online presence, I was worried about how AdCom would perceive my candidacy given I did not have a known company to back my candidacy. Moreover, I did not have an understanding of how the business school application process worked and from whatever I read; it seemed like a mini-job in its own right. I was working with two GMAT scores of 640 and 680 and an average GPA in college. I applied to 5 schools in 2010 and was rejected by all. I decided to re-apply and was planning on applying with the same score of 680, but when I approached Nupur for professional help, she insisted on and convinced me to retake the GMAT to get a score above 700. I took the test for the third time and got a 710! As a re-applicant, I felt I could reuse my application for the most part but Nupur disagreed with me and insisted that I let go of my pre-conceived notions and undergo the entire “Introspection” phase as part of the process followed by her organization. I think this was critical as it helped bring a depth into my application, which was earlier missing. I would send to Nupur a draft of an essay that I would think was brilliant and would probably have no changes. It would then come as a great shock to see her shoot it down. Nupur told me upfront to have a thick skin about her feedback as it was only with a view to enhance my application. I think this worked well for me as it set the right expectation and it helped to know that we were both working towards the same goal. Even more delightful is the knowledge that this goal has been achieved and I am going to be attending my dream school in Barcelona!