Interviews
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
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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
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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
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Published: January 28, 2024
HBS Announces Timing of Interview Invitations for Round 2
If you applied to Harvard Business School in Round 2, get ready for some big application news from the school on Wednesday, January 31st at noon ET. In a post to the Direct from the Director’s blog, the school shared the following details: “Next week, on Wednesday, January 31 at 12:00pm (noon) Eastern Time, everyone who applied in Round 2—or received a “Further Consideration” decision in Round 1—will receive an update via the Application Status page. “There are two possibilities: “Invite to Interview – Congratulations, you are moving forward
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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
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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
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Published: December 21, 2023
Submit a Georgetown McDonough, HBS, INSEAD, Stanford GSB or Yale SOM MBA Interview Report – Receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card
If you’re interested in sharing your MBA interview experience, we are awarding a $10 Amazon gift certificate to each applicant who submits an MBA interview report for Georgetown McDonough, HBS, INSEAD, Stanford GSB or Yale School of Management by Sunday, December 24th, 11:59 pm EST. To be eligible for the $10 gift card, you must be signed into your clearadmit.com account at the time that you submit your report. You must also include the following information in your report:* School/Date/Admissions Round Description/location of visit and/or interview atmosphere Type of interview (alum/adcom/first- or second-year student, resume-based vs. application-based) List of interview questions
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Published: December 14, 2023
Submit an LBS, Michigan Ross, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern or Stanford GSB MBA Interview Report – Receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card
If you’re interested in sharing your MBA interview experience, we are awarding a $10 Amazon gift certificate to each applicant who submits an MBA interview report for London Business School, Michigan Ross, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern or Stanford GSB by Sunday, December 17th, 11:59 pm EST. To be eligible for the $10 gift card, you must be signed into your clearadmit.com account at the time that you submit your report. You must also include the following information in your report:* School/Date/Admissions Round Description/location of visit and/or interview atmosphere Type of interview (alum/adcom/first- or second-year student, resume-based vs. application-based) List of interview questions Commentary (Did
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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
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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
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Published: October 24, 2023
MBA Admissions Interview Tip: How to Impress During a Video Interview
While many schools have reincorporated in-person interviews, video options are still prevalent as a format for MBA admissions interviews. Even though applicants and interviewers may not meet in the traditional in-person way, you’ll still want to do everything you can to make the best possible impression. Here are some important tips for approaching an admissions video interview for MBA programs. 1. Get Your Tech Right! You’re probably going to be a bit nervous as it is, so you certainly don’t want technological issues to distract or add stress. This means that you should test your internet connectivity well in advance
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Interview Report Round-Up: CBS, LBS and UNC Kenan-Flagler
Amid Round 2 interview season, we’re taking a closer look at some recent interview reports from current applicants to Columbia Business School, London Business School and UNC Kenan-Flagler as shared in our Interview Archive. Questions listed by a Round 2 applicant shed light on the focus of the CBS interview: Here, we get a look at a potential case topic during the London Business School interview: A candidate for UNC Kenan-Flagler provided the mix of questions from their interviewer:
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Published: February 23, 2023
Interview Report Round-Up: Georgia Tech Scheller, IESE, NYU Stern
We’re rounding up some of the latest interview reports and shining the spotlight on recent accounts from MBA applicants to Georgia Tech / Scheller, IESE and NYU Stern as shared in our Interview Archive. The first report comes from a Round 2 applicant to Georgia Tech / Scheller. Their virtual interview with a Career Center rep included the following questions: Another Round 2 applicant shared their interview with an IESE alum: Out of the NYU Stern applicant pool, a Round
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Published: February 16, 2023
Interview Report Round-Up: Berkeley Haas, CBS, and UVA Darden
In this week’s Interview Report Round-Up, we take a look at applicants’ reported interview questions and more with Berkeley Haas, Columbia Business School and UVA Darden as shared in our Interview Archive. Here is a peek at a “harder” Berkeley Haas interview from a Round 2 candidate: See the full report for other “surprises” during the interview. Meanwhile, a CBS applicant shared their interview experience with an alumnus: Then, an applicant to UVA Darden shared the storytelling nature of their admissions
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Published: February 9, 2023
Interview Report Round-Up: Duke Fuqua, Georgetown McDonough and INSEAD
As Round 2 interview season rolls on, we’re taking a peek at some new entries to the Clear Admit Interview Archive to help you prepare. This week, we take a look at applicants’ reported interview questions and more with Duke Fuqua, Georgetown McDonough and INSEAD. A veteran shared a glowing interview experience with a fellow vet out of Duke Fuqua: An applicant who has had several interviews thus far reported a conversational one for Georgetown McDonough: INSEAD conducts two alumni interviews with each
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Published: February 8, 2023
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
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Published: February 6, 2023
Resume- vs. Application-Based MBA Admissions Interviews
Some business schools believe strongly in the notion of résumé-based interviews, which means that your interviewer will know nothing about you in advance of the MBA admissions interview other than what appears on the résumé you give them. Schools that fall firmly into this camp include Yale School of Management (SOM), Columbia Business School and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. We should note that at UVA’s Darden School, the MBA admissions interview is truly context-free, meaning the interviewer will not have read or reviewed either your application or your résumé. “Your
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Published: February 2, 2023
Interview Report Round-Up: Berkeley Haas, LBS, NYU Stern
As we head into Round 2 interview season, we’re taking a look at some recent entries to the Clear Admit Interview Archive to help you prepare. This week, we take a look at applicants’ reported interview questions and more with Berkeley Haas, London Business School and NYU Stern. First up, an admitted candidate to Berkeley Haas shared the surprising aspects of their admissions interview: Next, an applicant who was admitted to LBS with a scholarship posted their interview experience with an alumna: Then,
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Published: January 30, 2023
Episode 274: Tips for the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD)
In this special edition of the podcast, your hosts Alex Brown and Graham Richmond break down Wharton’s group interview – known as the Team Based Discussion (TBD) – and offer a wealth of tips and background to help applicants ace it. Alex and Graham, who both formerly worked in admissions at Wharton, set out to tell you everything you need to know to be successful in your Wharton TBD. They’ll discuss: The history of the TBD Why Wharton uses it How to prepare for it How to perform in it What this year’s TBD prompt is and how to
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Published: January 26, 2023
Interview Report Round-Up: Emory Goizueta, UVA Darden, Vanderbilt Owen
In another Interview Report Roundup, we take a closer looks at MBA admissions interview reports that Emory Goizueta, UVA Darden and Vanderbilt Owen applicants have recently shared to the Clear Admit Interview Archive. A Round 2 applicant to Goizueta had a pleasant interview experience: An MBA hopeful for UVA Darden spoke with a second-year student for about an hour for their interview: Meanwhile, over at Vanderbilt Owen, a Round 2 applicant faced the following questions: We’d love to hear how your
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Published: January 25, 2023
HBS Announces Timing of Interview Invitations for Round 2
If you applied to Harvard Business School in Round 2, get ready for some big application news from the school on Wednesday, February 1st at noon ET. In a post to the Direct from the Director’s blog, the school shared the following details: “Next week, on Wednesday, February 1 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time, everyone who applied in Round 2—or received a “Further Consideration” decision in Round 1—will receive an update via the Application Status page. “There are two possibilities: “Invite to Interview – you’ll receive additional information
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Published: January 19, 2023
Interview Report Round-Up: CMU Tepper, Texas McCombs, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM
In this week’s Interview Report Roundup, we’re highlighting MBA admissions interview reports that CMU Tepper, Texas McCombs, UCLA Anderson and Yale SOM applicants have recently shared to the Clear Admit Interview Archive. A couple of Yale MBA applicants shared their on-campus interviews: Meanwhile, an MBA hopeful who completed the Texas McCombs video assessment offered some useful insights: A candidate for Carnegie Mellon Tepper posted the following questions from an adcom member: Finally, a UCLA Anderson applicant reported
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Published: November 7, 2022
Wharton’s Team-Based Discussion Prompt 2022-2023
The prompt for the Wharton School’s Team-Based Discussion (TBD) for the 2022-2023 MBA admissions season is below. The exercise focuses on the Global Immersion Program: “Wharton’s commitment to global engagement prepares MBA students for any challenge in the international business environment. As of the 2022 school year, all global travel at Wharton is back to normal operations. Wharton MBAs will once again have the opportunity to participate in a Global Immersion Program (GIP), a credit-bearing elective course, which is designed to provide a high-level survey of the economic, cultural, and geo-political drivers behind regions
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Published: October 4, 2022
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
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Published: September 8, 2022
MBA Admissions Interviews 2022-2023: On-Campus, Off-Campus or Virtual?
Due to Covid-19, business schools conducted MBA admissions interviews virtually the past few seasons. Now, some business schools are opening back up to welcome MBA applicants to campus for visits and interviews. See if your target programs offer the options of on-campus, off-campus, and/or virtual interviews for the 2022-2023 admissions season in the chart below. School On-Campus Off-Campus Virtual Columbia Business School ✔ ✔ Cornell University SC Johnson Graduate School of Management ✔ Limited ✔ Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business ✔ Duke University Fuqua School of Business ✔ ✔ ✔ Harvard Business School
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