Last visit was: 20 Nov 2025, 04:53 It is currently 20 Nov 2025, 04:53
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
buffdaddy
User avatar
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Last visit: 13 Jan 2011
Posts: 546
Own Kudos:
303
Given Kudos: 8
Location: Oxford
Schools:Oxford'10
Posts: 546
Kudos: 303
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 08:23
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
i agree with emoryhopeful.

To add to that, i've also heard Adcom talk about using interviews to gauge whether candidates are "aware". Eg how much do they know about their industry, their intended industry upon graduation, their region etc. This helps adcom to know whether the individual will commit positively to discussions in the classroom and if so, how will they communicate this information. Hence the reason many schools match alums carefully for interviews.

Additionally some schools also want to know how well the candidate can "think on the spot" by giving impromptu presentations and or a panel discussion which is marked.

-buff
User avatar
isa
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
Last visit: 21 Jan 2010
Posts: 1,687
Own Kudos:
224
Given Kudos: 31
Concentration: Healthcare, Strategy, MC
Schools:Kellogg '11
Posts: 1,687
Kudos: 224
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 09:20
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quote:
Additionally some schools also want to know how well the candidate can "think on the spot" by giving impromptu presentations and or a panel discussion which is marked.
Show more

Which schools have that? :o
avatar
Bosley
avatar
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Last visit: 27 Sep 2023
Posts: 17
Posts: 17
Kudos: 0
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 09:45
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bschool interviews are pretty straight forward, atleast the ones I had last year were. Just be comfortable describing your career progression and how its led you up to this point. They are not looking to stump you or test your "on the spot" thinking.
User avatar
buffdaddy
User avatar
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Last visit: 13 Jan 2011
Posts: 546
Own Kudos:
303
Given Kudos: 8
Location: Oxford
Schools:Oxford'10
Posts: 546
Kudos: 303
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 09:50
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
ac8706
Quote:
Additionally some schools also want to know how well the candidate can "think on the spot" by giving impromptu presentations and or a panel discussion which is marked.

Which schools have that? :o
Show more


London Business School is one. Also i think a couple of other schools have that (but i can't remember them). Cambridge (Judge) have a panel discussion (or rather a QnA session) on the interview day with the faculty. Asking intelligent questions here can earn brownie points for sure.
avatar
Sleepy
avatar
Joined: 22 Oct 2008
Last visit: 20 Aug 2010
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
16
Schools:Georgetown '11
Posts: 214
Kudos: 16
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 12:13
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
A former Adcom member from Tuck told me that in his experience about 95% of the time the interview report confirmed the impression they had from the rest of the application. I think you can definitely blow an interview and screw up your whole ap, but you're pretty unlikely to be successful based solely on an interview. Basically I think the goal is to have a good at bat, rather than trying to hit a home run.
User avatar
terp26
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Last visit: 06 Apr 2020
Posts: 1,210
Own Kudos:
380
Given Kudos: 12
Schools:Chicago Booth '11
Posts: 1,210
Kudos: 380
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 13:52
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
what do you do if a question totally stumps you and you can't come up with an answer or relate it to your experiences?
User avatar
isa
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
Last visit: 21 Jan 2010
Posts: 1,687
Own Kudos:
224
Given Kudos: 31
Concentration: Healthcare, Strategy, MC
Schools:Kellogg '11
Posts: 1,687
Kudos: 224
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 15:52
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
terp26
what do you do if a question totally stumps you and you can't come up with an answer or relate it to your experiences?
Show more

that wouldn't be fun...If I haven't had the experience, I'd prolly say something along the lines of how I haven't experienced x but have experienced y and it taught me a comparable lesson...
User avatar
isa
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
Last visit: 21 Jan 2010
Posts: 1,687
Own Kudos:
224
Given Kudos: 31
Concentration: Healthcare, Strategy, MC
Schools:Kellogg '11
Posts: 1,687
Kudos: 224
How do interviews factor in? 13 Nov 2008, 15:53
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
buffdaddy
London Business School is one. Also i think a couple of other schools have that (but i can't remember them). Cambridge (Judge) have a panel discussion (or rather a QnA session) on the interview day with the faculty. Asking intelligent questions here can earn brownie points for sure.
Show more
Good to know! thanks!
avatar
CompanyMan
avatar
Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Last visit: 15 Mar 2009
Posts: 87
Own Kudos:
11
Posts: 87
Kudos: 11
How do interviews factor in? 14 Nov 2008, 06:10
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I think application-blind interviews tend to have less weightage.
User avatar
sam77sam7
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Last visit: 06 Mar 2012
Posts: 597
Own Kudos:
30
Location: Detroit, MI
Concentration: Consulting
Posts: 597
Kudos: 30
How do interviews factor in? 14 Nov 2008, 08:42
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
CompanyMan
I think application-blind interviews tend to have less weightage.
Show more

I agree with this point... it would be tough for an app-blind interviewer to really delve into more than the standard questions.
User avatar
terp26
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Last visit: 06 Apr 2020
Posts: 1,210
Own Kudos:
380
Given Kudos: 12
Schools:Chicago Booth '11
Posts: 1,210
Kudos: 380
How do interviews factor in? 17 Nov 2008, 08:05
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Does anyone else have their interviews randomly replaying in their mind? it is driving me crazy, I remember a good point I hit on and then I am excited, then I remember something I wasn't so strong on and I am upset , MAKE IT STOPPPPPPP
User avatar
cereal255
User avatar
Joined: 12 Aug 2008
Last visit: 04 Mar 2022
Posts: 177
Own Kudos:
17
Given Kudos: 1
Location: Buffalo, NY
Concentration: Accounting/Finance
Schools:Simon '11
GMAT 1: 760 Q48 V47
Posts: 177
Kudos: 17
How do interviews factor in? 17 Nov 2008, 08:18
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I'm going through that phase right now Terp since all of my apps are in post interview limbo. I alternate between really optimistic and dejected about 10 times a day. My wife has been ready to kill me for the past month or so since I've been finished.

But then I remind myself that I did the best I could with my nerves and that it's not in my hands anymore.

I also did a R2 app for a safety school (I think) in case the negative thoughts turn out to be right...
User avatar
MeddlingKid
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 01 Apr 2008
Last visit: 28 Jul 2009
Posts: 349
Own Kudos:
23
Schools:Chicago Booth '11
Posts: 349
Kudos: 23
How do interviews factor in? 17 Nov 2008, 10:10
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
terp26
Does anyone else have their interviews randomly replaying in their mind? it is driving me crazy, I remember a good point I hit on and then I am excited, then I remember something I wasn't so strong on and I am upset , MAKE IT STOPPPPPPP
Show more
I am going through the same thing. After my Wharton interview, I honestly thought there was nothing I could have improved upon. But, I think I was basing that off the rapport I had developed with the interviewer. I think most people develop such rapport, due to the nature of the interviewers. The more I think about it, the more I can come up with things I could have improved upon. But, there's only so much a person can do in 30 minutes, and overall, I think it went pretty well.
User avatar
sterny
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Last visit: 23 Feb 2011
Posts: 162
Own Kudos:
182
Schools:Wharton
Posts: 162
Kudos: 182
How do interviews factor in? 17 Nov 2008, 11:40
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thanks everyone for the responses. I guess where my question was coming from was when I started to see many dings after interviews.

I started thinking, why would the adcomm ding someone after the interview? Bad interview - OK..but that can't be 60% of all the people being interviewed? So then why..maybe there is some truth to people walking into an interview with their fates sealed already - which again is mind-boggling, whey would the adcomm interview someone they wanted to ding anyway?
avatar
Sleepy
avatar
Joined: 22 Oct 2008
Last visit: 20 Aug 2010
Posts: 214
Own Kudos:
16
Schools:Georgetown '11
Posts: 214
Kudos: 16
How do interviews factor in? 17 Nov 2008, 12:02
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I think people do that kind of thing all the time. The adcom probably feels like the want to ding someone, but they're not quite comfortable with it (harvard is aparently rejecting many of the typical profile HBS types this year) so they invite them to interview thinking that if they talk to the person face to face they'll feel better about it. Ultimately they don't, but they still go with their initial impression.
User avatar
cereal255
User avatar
Joined: 12 Aug 2008
Last visit: 04 Mar 2022
Posts: 177
Own Kudos:
17
Given Kudos: 1
Location: Buffalo, NY
Concentration: Accounting/Finance
Schools:Simon '11
GMAT 1: 760 Q48 V47
Posts: 177
Kudos: 17
How do interviews factor in? 17 Nov 2008, 13:19
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
It's true that this sort of thing happens all the time and not just in the B-School process.

For instance, a few jobs that I barely qualified for interviewed me for a variety of reasons (alum of the school, family connection) even though I had a tiny, tiny chance of being hired when stacked up against the competition. I was even told once by an interviewer that I was only interviewed because my father in law would have made life miserable if I hadn't been. That was an unfortunate way to start off but it actually turned out to be a good interview even though it was obvious I wasn't getting the job.

I think for the most part your fate is preordained before the interview and (as has been said before) is just the final data point as long as you don't mess it up too badly or totally rock the interview. Interviews are so subjective I doubt that they significantly sway the adcom in most circumstances unless they are REALLY strong one way or the other since, like everything else, they are only a tiny fraction of your file.

I doubt anyone has ever talked their way into business school without the rest of their file being at least solid if not great...
User avatar
sterny
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Last visit: 23 Feb 2011
Posts: 162
Own Kudos:
182
Schools:Wharton
Posts: 162
Kudos: 182
How do interviews factor in? 19 Nov 2008, 15:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
So to close out this thread - i got dinged from Columbia! AFTER interview.

Next week I am up for Wharton and Cornell - any tips on how to get my head right?
   1   2