Interviews
Published: January 23, 2021
NYU Stern Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Zoom
Very friendly conversation. 30 minutes long. The questions of my interview were: 1. Walk me through your resume 2. Short-term / long-term goals 3. How will Stern help you achieve you goals 4. Tell me about a time you had to work in teams (I answered one where I was more in a leadership capacity and she asked for another example where I was in a junior capacity). Comments: She asked a lot about who I talked to: people from Stern and people from the clubs that you want to go into and people from
Read more
Published: January 19, 2021
Yale SOM Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Was a typical zoom interview. You enter the call at your scheduled time. Blind interview by a second-year student. Seems randomly chosen, regardless of your background. 1. Took a good 3-4 minutes chit-chatting; talking about football games, travelling 2. Run through the resume, but focus on the work experience 3. Had follow-up questions about my work experience. (Do you manage a team? How many?) 4. What would you change about your organization? 5. What kind of friction do you have with your manager? How to overcome them? 6. Why leave the job you enjoy?
Read more
Published: January 17, 2021
Dartmouth Tuck Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Felt pretty informal. My guess is that these interviews are largely assessing fit, since fit is a huge deal for Tuck and the 2nd-year students conduct them. I got the sense that this was more about “can I imagine you sitting next to me in class” than “will you crack under the pressure of IB recruiting.” 1. Tell me about yourself/walk me through your resume. 2. What are your short-term and long-term goals? 3. Why MBA and why Tuck? 4. Tell about a time you received feedback; how did you handle it? 5. Reverse: tell about
Read more
Published: January 13, 2021
Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Pre-Recorded Video Interview
I was waitlisted without an interview. Just finished the pre-recorded video interview that is required after accepting the waitlist. The pre-recorded format gives me a lot of stress as the timing was strictly defined, and I don’t know what kind of questions was going to be asked. I’m sharing my questions here, and hope this will help other candidates in similar situations. There are 5 questions. Each has 45 seconds to prepare and 3 minutes to answer. 1. A diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) experience 2. What do you want to get out of business school and how can
Read more
Published: January 13, 2021
NYU Stern Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
I was surprised how conversational the interview was. She clearly had just read my application and thus it felt very natural to speak about my goals and plan. She absolutely had a few questions she wanted directly answered, but there was a flow to the conversation vs. Q&A, Q&A, Q&A, which I greatly appreciated.
Read more
Published: January 13, 2021
Yale SOM Video Essay: Round 2 / Video Essay Component / Online
After signing in, I got the opportunity to test my computer and prepare two sample questions. For the real questions, there would be a video of an Admission Officer saying the prompt and the text below it. After the video ended, a timer would start with time to prepare the answer. Then, the recording would start. The questions were as follows: 1. Why an MBA and why now? (20 seconds to prepare, 60 to present) 2. Talk about a difficult situation you have experienced at work. Explain with details. (30 seconds to prepare, 90 to present) 3. Some
Read more
Published: January 13, 2021
CBS MBA Interview Questions & Report: Rolling Admissions / Alumni / Zoom
Interview lasted shorter than expected – I shared a copy of my resume prior to our meeting, but it seemed like he never read my resume. Right off the back he started with a comment saying, he interviewed 3 applicants during this admissions cycle and they have all been admitted so that was a nice ice-breaker to get me to feel comfortable. He explained that when Columbia asks him to fill out the interview report/commentary, they mainly ask for 2 questions: (1) Does the applicant have clear career goals post-MBA and are they realistic and attainable? (2) Will
Read more
Published: January 10, 2021
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Interview was super fast, 20 minutes Interviewer showed up about 5 minutes after scheduled time (it was the first time slot on a Monday) and seemed to be in a hurry. I never saw anyone introduce themselves so fast. It seemed I had hit the 2x speed button. But I tried to keep calm. First thing interviewer explained how interview was gonna be. -Tell me about your new job (changed during application) -Tell me about your data visualization (started to overlap with question 1, bc it was about my new job) -Tell me about a recent accomplishment at
Read more
Published: January 10, 2021
HBS MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Interview went very smoothly, the interviewer set a welcoming and warm atmosphere which made me feel much more comfortable. I also loved that almost all questions were straightforward about specific things from my application, so I basically knew how to answer them. Questions/talking points -Specific thing about my essay, family background and how it relates to my background and goals -Why did I go to my first job at a Big 4 and how it related to my goals -How did I handle the fact that my college education hadn’t provided me with the basics to work with audit, valuation
Read more
Published: January 10, 2021
CBS MBA Interview & Report: Extended Round / Adcom / Skype
My interview was with an admissions director via a CBS platform where you could do a video chat. The interview was relaxed, the interviewer was nice and towards the end the interview felt more like a conversation. 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why MBA and why CBS? 3. Is there anything else apart from #1 that you want me to know? 4. What is your dream company and why? 5. Tell me what you would do the on the last week at work before you retire. 6. There is a chance that the learning
Read more
Published: January 10, 2021
LBS MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
My interview for LBS was with an alum, and was conducted over Zoom. There are 3 main components of the interview – 1) Fit questions asked by the interviewer 2) The 10-minute case 3) Questions for the interviewer I am wary to put a time limit to it, as I have heard wildly different accounts (1.5 – 3 hours). My interview lasted approx. 2 hours and 45 minutes. It was a very informal discussion on topics that ranged from recent US politics, the state of the UK economy, common national roots etc. Expect there to be a structure,
Read more
Published: December 31, 2020
Cornell / Johnson MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Very casual interview. The only questions which threw me off were the last two. Questions: – Walk me through your resume. – Why do you want an MBA? – Tell me more about your short-term goal. – What is your back-up plan if your goals don’t work? – How will Cornell help you? – What do you know about Professor X (someone that I had mentioned in my previous answer)? – What are the most important qualities or principles that you look for when working in a team? – If someone on
Read more
Published: December 30, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
Interview style was quite casual, but the interviewer (alumnus) was often asking me follow-up questions on my answers. Questions: – Tell me about you and your story. – Why’d you leave your last job? – What are your goals? – How can an MBA help? – Why Kellogg? – What are some challenges you would face in your MBA? – What would you bring to the Kellogg classroom? – Question diving deeper into my goals and geographic preferences. – What would you do if you don’t get the MBA at all?
Read more
Published: December 29, 2020
Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Like all interviews this year, my team-based discussion was hosted on Zoom by two second-year Wharton students. As everyone logged onto the platform, we introduced ourselves and kept some light chatter. Once the interview officially kicked off, the two second-year students kept their video on and watched us carry out the TBD. The prompt was based on creating a new type of engagement program, and was a very easy discussion. Interviewees took turns introducing their prompt, and we came up with basically a mix and match of everyone’s ideas in the end. We also had to present, which we were
Read more
Published: December 27, 2020
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Interview was very light, conversational, lasted around 30 minutes. I had heard that interviews were very serious, however felt lighthearted. The interviewer was genuinely interested in getting to know me past the information on the application. Asked about my hobbies, what I liked to do for fun. Did not ask me any questions about the interview essays. Also asked typical questions: – Why MBA/Why Now/Why Sloan – Biggest accomplishment at work – Time you had a conflict at work & how you solved it Received admissions offer with $$.
Read more
Published: December 25, 2020
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Interview was done online. Very friendly interview, be prepared to answer mostly behavioral questions. 30 minutes will be over before you know it – practicing your STAR’s (Situation, Task, Action, Result) before the interview is absolutely a must. Overall, be prepared to answer 3-6 behavioral questions around collaboration/teamwork and why MBA, why Sloan and asking your own insightful questions at the end. No big surprises: the process went by exactly as communicated by the school – because the interview is so short, you have to be adept at knowing which stories/anecdotes you want to use.
Read more
Published: December 24, 2020
Published: December 20, 2020
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom + Observer / Zoom
My interviewer and an observer welcomed me with a poker face. Kinda felt awkward. After a brief presentation of herself, my interviewer started right away: 1. Is there any update since you applied? 2. Did you have any failure? 3. What are the differences between the company A and the company B you worked for? Which one do you prefer? Cultural point of view? 4. Tell me a time when you had to deal with a difficult person. 5. What is your biggest achievement? 6. Tell me time when you did not meet expectations.
Read more
Published: December 17, 2020
Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 3 / Second-Year Student
The first interview was a team based discussion with 5 other applicants. There were 75% men and 25% women, myself included. The question discussed was how to plan the inauguration of a new building on the UPenn campus. What surprised me was that some candidates were completely silent and some completely dominated the conversation repeating unnecessary information. What also surprised me was how quickly we as a group made a consensus around the action plan for the prompt. The proctors watching did not intervene at all. My second interview was a phone call from a second-year student. The only question
Read more
Published: December 15, 2020
CBS MBA Interview Questions & Report: Early Decision / Second-Year Student / Virtual
Roughly 45-minute virtual interview with a current student (Hermes Society Member). Ended up lasting an hour as I hit it off with my interviewer and we spent extra time chatting about NYC, student clubs, ect. Atmosphere was relaxed and conversational. My interviewer was friendly and I could sense her passion for Columbia. I found it to be fairly straightforward as long as you are well prepared and have your story nailed down. This was definitely not a ‘grilling’ type of interview. It was clear that she was really looking to make sure I was a good fit for Columbia and
Read more
Published: December 15, 2020
Wharton MBA & Lauder Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Post-TBD, I had a 15-minute 1-on-1 interview with an Admissions Fellow in a separate Zoom link. It was very straightforward with only 2 questions: “Why MBA at Wharton?” and “What questions do you have for me?” For Lauder, it was a 30-minute Zoom call with another Admissions Fellow that was more conversational and less structured than the TBD. I was asked about my work background, international experience, career goals and motivation to pursue the dual-degree versus just Wharton by itself.
Read more
Published: December 14, 2020
Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1/ Pre-Recorded Questions / Off-Campus
I received my interview invite a little late in the process. As a result, the only interview option available to me was the pre-recorded Skype format – the Adcom pre-selects 5 questions that are loaded on to their audio-visual virtual platform (I think it was called Kira). There is no interviewer on the other side and you have to just record your answers. There is a time limit for each answer and the entire interview gets over in 10 minutes. The question stems were long, but I have summarised below what they were asking: 1- Tell us instances of
Read more
Published: December 14, 2020
HBS Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
The interview was very conversional. We broke the ice talking about what I like to do in my home country and started a rapid fire round of questions. Overall, my interviewer tried to make me comfortable but there was little eye contact. 1/ What do you enjoy doing? 2/ What is the current trend in your industry? 3/ What do you think is the biggest problem to solve? 3/ Any story about a situation where it did not turn into your favor? What have you learned? 4/ How do you manage your team? Follow on what
Read more
Published: December 13, 2020
UVA Darden Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
The Darden interview is blind, meaning the interviewer has not even seen your resume. Because of this, the focus is largely on how you want to tell your story. The interview was roughly broken into the following sections: 1) We had a few minutes of small talk in the beginning, and then the interviewer let me know that I could tell my story starting wherever I wanted to and to go up to now and suggested this would take ~10 minutes. Following my story, my interviewer had a few follow up questions on extracurricular activities and what I do in
Read more
Published: December 13, 2020
Stanford GSB Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
Interview tracked with prior interview reports on ClearAdmit – pretty predictable questions with some deeper follow ups to each. My interviewer had a similar professional background as me and the conversation was very casual and friendly. We did probably 40 minutes of Q&A and 15 minutes of me asking her questions about her time at GSB 1. Time when I stepped out of my formal role to make an impact. 2. Cont’d: How did my managers feel about me taking the time to lead a certain initiative at work? 3. Cont’d: In my initiative, who was involved? Did
Read more
