Interview Tips
Advice for business school applicants who are preparing for their MBA admissions interviews.
Published: January 28, 2025
MBA Admissions Tip: Interview Etiquette 101
Whether your admissions interview will be online or in-person, resume- or application-based, or one-on-one or with a group, we want to share tips that comprise MBA Interview Etiquette 101. Though the content of your application materials and comments during the interview are of paramount importance, it’s also crucial to put your best foot forward and make a positive initial impression. Here are a few guidelines for interviewing applicants to keep in mind: Be early. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of your interview. This will help remove the stress you
Read more
Published: January 23, 2025
The Seven Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions—and How to Answer Them
You have already read our analysis of the most commonly asked MBA admissions interview questions. In this article, we’ve decided to up the ante by deconstructing the trickiest and hardest MBA admissions interview questions. To accomplish this, our team of former admissions officers combed through our extensive MBA interview archive and hand picked a set of particularly challenging questions. The only ground rule was that they needed to be questions posed to applicants routinely (as opposed to one-off, oddball questions from a rogue alum). After arrived at a set of incredibly tough questions, our experts developed guidelines
Read more
Published: January 21, 2025
MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Unusual Interview Practices
In this piece of our MBA admissions interview series, we’re taking a closer look at some unusual practices. We’ve tackled open versus invitation-only, resume- versus application-based and the team-based discussion interview. Let’s review which schools go beyond the typical admissions interview, whether by format or additional requests. Advice on how to tackle these unusual MBA interview practices is integrated into these summaries. HBS and the Post-Interview Reflection Though it’s been over a decade now since Harvard Business School (HBS) introduced its post-interview
Read more
Published: January 16, 2025
5 MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace (And How to Do So)
We take a closer look at five frequently asked MBA interview questions and how to answer them in this MBA Admissions Tip. Interviews, interviews, interviews…they are the post-essay hurdle to gaining admission. Instead of driving yourself crazy with worry, why not buckle down and perfect your answers to the questions you are most likely to be asked? To help you prepare, we’ve scoured our Interview Guides and Interview Archive to compile our very own list of 5 MBA interview questions you need to ace. These questions are among those that most often make their way
Read more
Published: January 14, 2025
MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Group Interviews
In this, our third installment of our interview series, we’ll take a closer look at an MBA interview permutation—the team-based interview or group discussion. You can view the first two parts of this interview series here: open versus invitation-only interviews and application-based interviews versus resume-based interviews. What Is the Team-Based Discussion for the Wharton MBA? Several years ago, the admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School partnered with the Wharton Innovation group to launch a new evaluation method, the team-based discussion (TBD). As its name suggests, as part
Read more
Published: January 7, 2025
Resume- vs. Application-Based MBA Admissions Interviews
Some schools believe strongly in the notion of résumé-based interviews, which means that your interviewer will know nothing about you in advance of the interview other than what appears on the résumé you give them. Others favor application-based interviews, meaning your interviewer will be very familiar with your candidacy from reviewing your application materials. Schools that fall into the résumé-only camp include Yale School of Management (SOM), Columbia Business School, Michigan Ross, UCLA Anderson and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. We should note that at
Read more
Published: January 2, 2025
MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Open vs. Invitation-Only Interviews
In this first part of a multi-part series of interview tips for MBA applicants, we’ll unpack the two different interview policies—open vs. invited—employed by leading programs. In subsequent interview tips over the next few weeks, we’ll offer some advice for how best to prepare for different types of interviews—resume-based, application-based, behavioral-based, team-based, etc.—and explore a few of the more interesting wrinkles in the world of MBA interviews. When all is said and done, you’ll have a much firmer grasp on the MBA interview landscape as a whole, which we hope will better prepare you for interviews at all of your
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Published: November 5, 2024
MBA Admissions Post-Interview Next Steps
To help applicants navigate the often stressful MBA interview process, we turn to post-interview next steps, e.g. the development and submission of a ‘thank you’ letter (or in the case of Harvard Business School, a post-interview reflection). Timing A ‘thank you’ note is an important next step to the MBA interview, and should be sent to the interviewer, ideally within 24 hours of the interview itself. As a reminder, this entails collecting the contact information from the person with whom you are interviewing. In the rare case that you fail to get your interviewer’s email address,
Read more
Published: November 3, 2024
Wharton’s Team-Based Discussion (TBD) Prompt 2024-2025
The prompt for the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD) for the 2024-2025 admissions season is below. The exercise this year focuses on two Impact Communities around social equity and the environment. Here is the prompt: “The Wharton MBA program is dedicated to developing impactful, globally conscious leaders who are passionate about meaningful change. To advance this mission, Wharton has introduced two Impact Communities: Social Equity and Environment. MBA students interested in one or more of these critical issues are invited to join the associated Impact Community to discover the many resources available at Wharton. These communities
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Published: October 30, 2024
Spooky Admissions Mistakes: Nightmares for AdCom Members
Let’s pumpkin spice things up! On this Halloween, we wanted to take a look at some of the most chilling nightmares that adcom members can face when evaluating MBA applicants. So, what are the scariest mistakes an MBA applicant can make? Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond shares his insights below so you can avoid admissions missteps like the houses that hand out raisins for Halloween treats. 1. Don’t Wear an Icarus Costume One of the scariest things for an admissions office is to encounter an applicant with a
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Published: October 29, 2024
MBA Admissions Interview Tip: Questions for the Interviewer
In this MBA Admissions Tip, we highlight the importance of thinking about what questions you might ask your interviewer when you’re interviewing. Virtually all business school interviewers conclude their discussion by offering the applicant a chance to ask some questions about the program. While it might be tempting to claim that you’ve already learned all you need to know about the school, this is actually a great opportunity to gain additional insight, show your enthusiasm about a specific element of the curriculum or community, and demonstrate that you appreciate the opportunity to learn from your interviewer’s
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Published: October 22, 2024
MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Unusual Interview Practices
In this piece of our MBA admissions interview series, we’re taking a closer look at some unusual practices. We’ve tackled open versus invitation-only, resume- versus application-based and the team-based discussion interview. Let’s review which schools go beyond the typical admissions interview, whether by format or additional requests. Advice on how to tackle these unusual MBA interview practices is integrated into these summaries. HBS and the Post-Interview Reflection Though it’s been over a decade now since Harvard Business School (HBS) introduced its post-interview
Read more
Published: October 15, 2024
The Seven Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions—and How to Answer Them
You have already read our analysis of the most commonly asked MBA admissions interview questions. In this article, we’ve decided to up the ante by deconstructing the trickiest and hardest MBA admissions interview questions. To accomplish this, our team of former admissions officers combed through our extensive MBA interview archive and hand picked a set of particularly challenging questions. The only ground rule was that they needed to be questions posed to applicants routinely (as opposed to one-off, oddball questions from a rogue alum). After arrived at a set of incredibly tough questions, our experts developed guidelines
Read more
Published: October 10, 2024
MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Group Interviews
In this, our third installment of our interview series, we’ll take a closer look at an MBA interview permutation—the team-based interview or group discussion. You can view the first two parts of this interview series here: open versus invitation-only interviews and application-based interviews versus resume-based interviews. What Is the Team-Based Discussion for the Wharton MBA? Several years ago, the admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School partnered with the Wharton Innovation group to launch a new evaluation method, the team-based discussion (TBD). As its name
Read more
Published: October 8, 2024
5 MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace (And How to Do So)
We take a closer look at five frequently asked MBA interview questions and how to answer them in this MBA Admissions Tip. Interviews, interviews, interviews…they are the post-essay hurdle to gaining admission. Instead of driving yourself crazy with worry, why not buckle down and perfect your answers to the questions you are most likely to be asked? To help you prepare, we’ve scoured our Interview Guides and Interview Archive to compile our very own list of 5 MBA interview questions you need to ace. These questions are among those that most often make their way
Read more
Published: October 1, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Interview Etiquette 101
Whether your admissions interview will be online or in-person, resume- or application-based, or one-on-one or with a group, we want to share tips that comprise MBA Interview Etiquette 101. Though the content of your application materials and comments during the interview are of paramount importance, it’s also crucial to put your best foot forward and make a positive initial impression. Here are a few guidelines for interviewing applicants to keep in mind: Be early. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of your interview. This will help remove the stress you
Read more
Published: September 24, 2024
Resume- vs. Application-Based MBA Admissions Interviews
Some schools believe strongly in the notion of résumé-based interviews, which means that your interviewer will know nothing about you in advance of the interview other than what appears on the résumé you give them. Others favor application-based interviews, meaning your interviewer will be very familiar with your candidacy from reviewing your application materials. Schools that fall into the résumé-only camp include Yale School of Management (SOM), Columbia Business School, Michigan Ross, UCLA Anderson and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. We should note that at
Read more
Published: February 27, 2024
MBA Admissions Post-Interview Protocol: Thank You Letters and Other Follow Up
To help applicants navigate the often stressful MBA interview process, we turn to post-interview protocol – e.g. the development and submission of a ‘thank you’ letter (or in the case of Harvard Business School, a post-interview reflection). Timing A ‘thank you’ note is an important follow up to the interview, and should be sent to the interviewer, ideally within 24 hours of the interview itself. As a reminder, this entails collecting the contact information from the person with whom you are interviewing. In the rare case that you fail to get your interviewer’s email address, a
Read more
Published: February 20, 2024
MBA Admissions Interview Primer: Unusual Interview Practices
This look at unusual MBA interview practices is the final part of our four-part interview series. We’ve tackled open versus invitation-only, resume- versus application-based and the team-based discussion interview. Let’s review which schools go beyond the typical admissions interview, whether by format or additional requests. Advice on how to tackle these unusual MBA interview practices is integrated into these summaries. HBS and the Post-Interview Reflection Though it’s been over a decade now since Harvard Business School (HBS) introduced its post-interview reflection, no
Read more
Published: February 6, 2024
The Seven Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions—and How to Answer Them
You have already read our analysis of the most commonly asked MBA admissions interview questions. In this article, we’ve decided to up the ante by deconstructing the toughest and trickiest MBA admissions interview questions. To accomplish this, our team of former admissions officers combed through our extensive MBA interview archive and hand picked a set of particularly challenging questions. The only ground rule was that they needed to be questions posed to applicants routinely (as opposed to one-off, oddball questions from a rogue alum). After arrived at a set of incredibly tough questions, our experts developed guidelines
Read more
Published: January 30, 2024
5 MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace (And How to Do So)
Interviews, interviews, interviews…they are the post-essay hurdle to gaining admission. Instead of driving yourself crazy with worry, why not buckle down and perfect your answers to the questions you are most likely to be asked? To help you prepare, we’ve scoured our Interview Guides and Interview Archive to compile our very own list of 5 MBA interview questions you need to ace. These questions are among those that most often make their way into MBA admissions interviews at leading schools. While the questions listed here are most commonly asked as part of resume-based interviews, they
Read more
Published: January 23, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Interview Etiquette 101
Whether your admissions interview will be online or in-person, resume- or application-based, or one-on-one or with a group, we want to share tips that can be considered MBA Interview Etiquette 101. Though the content of your application materials and comments during the interview are of paramount importance, it’s also crucial to put your best foot forward and make a positive initial impression. Here are a few guidelines for interviewing applicants to keep in mind: Be early. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of your interview. This will
Read more
Published: January 9, 2024
Resume- vs. Application-Based MBA Admissions Interviews
This is the second installment of our four-part MBA Admissions Interview Primer. You can view the other parts in this series here: Part I: Open Interviews vs Invitation-Only Interviews Part III: Group Interviews (e.g. Wharton Team-Based Discussion) Part IV: Unusual Interview Practices (e.g. Post-interview Essays, Two Interviewers, Presentations) Now that you’re clear on open interviews and interviews by invitation, let’s get into some of the finer points. What’s this about resume- versus application-based interviews, you ask? Some schools believe strongly in the notion of résumé-based interviews, which
Read more
Published: October 31, 2023
MBA Admissions Post-Interview Protocol: Thank You & Follow Up
To help applicants navigate the often stressful MBA interview process, we turn to post-interview protocol – e.g. the development and submission of a ‘thank you’ letter (or in the case of Harvard Business School, a post-interview reflection). Timing A ‘thank you’ note is an important follow up to the interview, and should be sent to the interviewer, ideally within 24 hours of the interview itself. As a reminder, this entails collecting the contact information from the person with whom you are interviewing. In the rare case that you fail to get your interviewer’s email address, a
Read more
Published: October 26, 2023
Spooky Admissions Mistakes: Nightmares for AdCom Members
Let’s pumpkin spice things up! As Halloween approaches, we wanted to take a look at some of the most chilling nightmares that adcom members can face when evaluating MBA applicants. So, what are the scariest mistakes an MBA applicant can make? Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond shares his insights below so you can avoid admissions missteps like the houses that hand out raisins for Halloween treats. 1. Don’t Wear an Icarus Costume One of the scariest things for an admissions office is to encounter an applicant with a
Read more
