Our archive of over 2,000 MBA admissions interview questions includes self-reported accounts from applicants. Please use the dropdown menu to view filter reports by school.
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Published: November 18, 2010
Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alum / Off-Campus
The interview lasted for 45 minutes. The interviewer was a recent alum who created a really laid-back, straight to the point, low-pressure atmosphere. After chatting for a few minutes about her work experience, we went straight into the behavioral questions. She said she would ask me 3 serious behavioral questions, followed by an open session to ask questions of her afterwards. After our interview, she commented that Wharton had changed their interview format this year from previous years and the focus on behavioral questions was entirely new. 1. Tell me about a time when you worked in a group to
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Published: November 18, 2010
Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off-campus
Just finished my interview with an alumni (2010 graduate). It went well, it was definitely fun. 90 minutes in total, at a Starbucks. We talked briefly about each others day at work, and she led that conversation into describing my current role. It wasn’t strictly structured, more conversational but covered all of the questions: Why Booth Why MBA Why now What if I hate my internship what is Plan B Describe my leadership style with an example Teamwork Professional groups at Booth Social clubs at Booth 3 things my friends would describe about me What other schools I’ve applied to
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Published: November 15, 2010
Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alum / Off-Campus
The interview was 30 minutes long. After chatting for a few minutes, the interview explained that we would be conducting a behavioral interview and that she would be taking lots of notes. For the next 23 minutes I was asked a total of three questions. Tell me when you have ensured that a task has been completed, when others seemed less focused than you on completing it. Describe a time when you worked towards an important goal and had to address conflict between two or more team members. Explain a time when you persuaded others to your way of thinking,
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Published: November 14, 2010
Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off-campus
My interviewer was an Alumnus in an international city. The guy holds an important position of an Investment Bank and the interview was in a meeting room at his office. He arrived 20 min late to our appointment (I waited him in the meeting room). When he finally arrived he apologized for keeping me waiting and quickly started talking. We exchanged business cards and he presented himself briefly. He told me that he had been working and living in several continents (as I did) and explained about his different positions he has held. He was clearly a successful finance guy.
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Published: November 14, 2010
Tepper MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Phone / Adcom
The questions for my interview (11th November, 2010) were: Discuss your profile work & responsibilities, How does a typical work day looks like for you Why MBA , why now. Why Tepper Some leadership experience Something that you will like to share from outside work. What will be your biggest contribution to Tepper community. What do you think you have to gain most out of Tepper community. Any questions for me. My interview was with Krystal Brooks and she seems to be a nice person with a very sweet voice and you should have no problems understanding her. (if you
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Published: November 13, 2010
Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off-campus
Hey all, I just finished my off-campus alumni interview this evening. My interviewer was very pleasant and the interview, quite conversational. The interview lasted an hour and was at a Starbucks. I’ve paraphrased some of the questions as I don’t remember them verbatim. Tell me about yourself. So why’re you seeking an MBA now? Why Booth? Talk about your leadership experience. What/who has influenced your leadership style? Give an example of a leadership-based conflict. What role do you take on in a team? How have you handled a team-based conflict? (Follow-up questions specific to my story) Booth has classes that
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Published: November 11, 2010
Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off-campus
I completed my Booth interview (Round 1) with an alumnus Saturday, November 6. We met at a local coffee shop and chatted for an hour. The only thing my interviewer brought with him was my resume and a pen to make notes. He kicked things off by asking me to walk him through my resume. From there, he asked specific questions about my work experience and he worked in the three questions that you should know COLD for each interview you do: Why do you want an MBA? Why do you want to get an MBA now? Why Booth? I
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Published: November 10, 2010
Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / On-campus
My interview was with an admissions officer on Kellogg’s campus. It lasted over 30 minutes (closer to 45). You are requested to give a copy of your resume to the admissions person who checks you in. Before the interview, several candidates were nervously waiting in the office lobby, and it helped calm my own nerves to be friendly and chat with them, as well as with some of the students who were coming in and out to escort prospective students to classes. Check the daily schedule on Kellogg’s website for the student-led tour times (twice a day), information sessions, and
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Published: November 7, 2010
Cornell / Johnson MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Alum / Off-campus / Round 1
I applied in Round 1 for the MBA 2013 class, and did my interview with an alumni in the consulting industry on October 22nd. The interview was very relaxed. We had it in the interviewer’s office. He asked the typical questions: Walk me through your resume Why do you plan to do an MBA (dived further into my career goals) Why Cornell Have you applied to any other schools Discussed my key weaknesses as requested from the school, and asked about what measures I took to fix those. It was a blind interview – the interviewer only got a copy
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Published: October 21, 2010
Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off-campus
I had my interview with an ’08 alum in his office. Originally in our email communications he had said the interview should run about 45 minutes, but it ended up lasting an hour. He did a great job of making it feel more like a conversation and not a formal interview. Here are the questions (may not be the right order): What led you to your first job? What made you change careers? — then some follow-ups based on my response Why did you decide to switch into the field that you chose? Tell me about what’s challenging in your
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Published: October 19, 2010
Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumni
Questions asked: Walk me through your resume and why you seek an MBA? Why Kellogg? (I talked about some things, mostly curriculum and clubs). You mentioned the curriculum and other resources. Anything else about Kellogg that you liked? Explain long-term goal a little more. (mine was a little unconventional) I see you’re a team lead. How would your team-members describe your leadership style? Follow up questions. What kind of manager would you see yourself as? If you could hit the reset button, what would you do differently? How have you grown over the years? What will you bring to Kellogg?
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Published: October 12, 2010
Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumni
Questions asked: Tell me about your background / history of work experience What does your job entail? Why Kellogg? What clubs / activities will you join while you are here? Three adjectives your colleagues would use to describe you. Activities outside of work. Do you see yourself going back into your current job (i-banking) post-MBA? Time you showed leadership. Time you took initiative. Questions you have for me. It was very conversational. The Alumni was a recent grad, held strong identity with Kellogg, and was very attentive and sincere in her responses. Thought it flowed very well. Fingers crossed!
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Published: August 7, 2010
Columbia MBA Admissions Interview Questions: January 2011 Term / Alumni Ambassador / Off-Campus
Dates – Submitted 06/03/2010, Under Review 06/14/2010, Interview Invite 07/09/2010, Interview Date 07/21/2010, Report Completed 08/03/2010, Accepted 08/06/2010 Atmosphere – It was easy to contact the interviewer and he gave me a range of possible dates for us to meet. We finally met at a coffee shop after working hours. He was the CFO of a major local Chemical company, a young but successful individual. I would say that he was a very fair and accessible interviewer. He did not have time to print my resume so I provided him with a copy that I had brought along with me.
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Published: April 29, 2010
Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Admission Committee member / Phone
Apparently, Oxford does not make the phone call. You have to give them a ring on the number they provide you with. Following are the questions I was asked — Tell me about your current job. How did you end up working as a **** when you have a formal **** degree? Leadership skills Can you ever be a delegative leader? In a school environment you might have to adopt delegation in some cases. How will you cope with that? Why MBA? Why Oxford? Why Now? What qualities do you think an Entrepreneur MUST have? What entrepreneurship ideas do you
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Published: April 22, 2010
NYU / Stern MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Off-campus / Adcom Hub
I interviewed in March at one of the three global hub locations with an adcom member. The interviewer has read your application materials and asks questions related to your experience. The questions were straight forward and followed the logic of why an MBA can help you bridge the gap and transform you from where you are now to where you want to be. Be prepared to show your interaction with the Stern community, why you choose this program. Can you tell me about your previous work experience? What’s the most challenge you face at your work? What’s the main difference
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Published: April 20, 2010
NYU / Stern MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / On-campus / Admissions Officer
January 2010/R1 Interview was in the admissions office. On campus interview with admissions staff. Application based interview. Tell me about yourself. Why do you want to pursue an MBA? Why do you think you are ready for an MBA at this moment of your career? What can Stern offer you that others schools do not? Is Stern your first choice? What job do you imagine yourself doing during your first summer break? What do you feel is the weakest aspect of your resume? Do you have any questions for me? The interview was fairly conversational in a nice office. The
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Published: April 15, 2010
Berkeley / Haas MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / Alumnus / Off-campus
My interview was conducted by a 2007 graduate at his office in the evening. Very conversational and comfortable. He didn’t really take any notes but was focused on the discussion. Lasted about an hour and a half. Walk me through your resume. (this was the majority of the discussion) Why do you want to go to business school? What do you see yourself doing coming out of business school? What other programs are you interested in at Haas? (beyond the ones I had mentioned that fit with my career plan) Tell me about a time you were able to do
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Duke / Fuqua MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / On-campus / Second-year Student
While Fuqua stresses that their interviews are about finding “fit” and most interviewees reported very conversational interviews, mine felt more like an interrogation with very specific questions and little chit-chat in between. Tell me about yourself. What do you plan on getting out of your MBA? What kinds of personal growth are you looking for in business school? (Apparently teamwork and leadership are personal and not professional?) Why Duke? Tell me about a time when you were on a team and one person wasn’t pulling their weight. What did you do? Tell me about a time when you quit something.
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Kellogg EMBA Admissions Interview Questions: Adcom
I had my interview at the end of March. I got the decision this week – admitted. The conversation last for 1,5 hours. Meeting was very nice and I had a great opportunity to present myself and when I say myself I really mean it. Don’t talk about your resume only, talk about your story and your life (not only professional) and use your CV as a template to follow. As you can see I’m European and not native English speaker. The interviewer created relaxed atmosphere, she was asking some questions related to topics I was discussing. I read the
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Columbia MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Early Decision / Alumna / Off-campus
Dates – Early Decision, submitted 09/30/09, under review 10/01/09, interview invite 10/26/09, interview date 11/11/09, report complete 11/18/09, accepted 11/19/09 Atmosphere – Arranging the interview took some doing as a number of the local alums proposed by the interview invite website were out of the country or no longer at the posted email addresses (they hadn’t updated their Columbia Lifetime forwarding email). Once I got in touch with her, my eventual interviewer was eager to get together, and we met at a swank but quiet coffee shop near her firm (relatively new consulting firm, with an operations focus). The interview
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Stanford GSB MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumna / Off-campus
I used this to prepare for my interviews, so definitely wanted to return the favor to others. I interviewed with an alumna in her office. She introduced herself very briefly and then she asked the following questions (more or less in this order): Why MBA, Why Stanford? Have you thought of pursuing your career goals without getting an MBA Defining moment in your life Time you received constructive criticism and how you reacted, what did you learn Anything about yourself you wished you could change? Biggest accomplishment – both work and outside work? What is your leadership style? What drives
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MIT / Sloan MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Outside consultant / On-campus
The interview went fairly smoothly today. It was all too fast before I realized the time was up! Anyway, I hope I left a good impression on the interviewer. It is not in m hands anymore… Here is the interview format: A very brief greeting, maybe 2-3min, just talked about the incredible weather and how I got to the place by taking the cab (instead of walking), She then sat me down and asked for the transcripts. She then made a one-min introduction of herself. It turned out that she was an outside consultant hired by Sloan to do the
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Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom
Questions: Walk me through your resume. Why MBA? Why now? Tell me about your views on teamwork. Tell me about a time you lead a team. What will you contribute to Kellogg? The interview lasted about 45 minutes and most of it was covering my resume and questions the interviewer had about my resume. She allowed me to lead the conversation and seemed to ask questions based on where it was going. Make sure to have a few good questions for the interviewer.
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Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / 2nd Year Student
Walk me though your resume. What are your short and long term goals? Why MBA? Why Wharton? Why now? What will you contribute to the Wharton community? What personal traits do you have that will stand out at Wharton? (The interviewer indicated that he wanted this to be an introspective question) Tell me about a time you “grabbed the bull by the horns” and took control of the situation. Pretty laid back interview. The interviewer chimed in with a few questions as I went through my resume. He also asked for 2-3 questions at the end. I’d have about 5
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Published: March 31, 2010
Columbia MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alum / Off-campus
Why MBA? Why Columbia? Why now? What sets you apart from other applicants? What other schools are you considering and why? What’s your backup plan? Describe a time of adversity. Describe a situation that tested your leadership Commentary: Overall, the interview was informal and comfortable. The interviewer did not hide the large packet of standard questions that appeared to originate from AdCom. We went through a few by the book but for the most part we just discussed my career progression and what steps I took to make it to that interview room. Like many people have said, I would
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