Interview Process at MBA Programs (Individual Analysis of B-schools)

Question

With the MBA interview timelines upon us, I am starting this thread to write about the interview process followed by different b-schools. I aim to cover very comprehensive information about the top b-schools, starting from the interview duration, how to schedule interviews, the interview process and sample interview questions.

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MBADecoder · Answer

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

HBS's MBA Interview Process is unique from other b-schools and has two stages to complete.

Duration: 30 minutes

Format: By Invitation only

Who conducts them? Members of admissions committee. They are sometimes accompanied by an observer or a note taker

Location: On Campus, in select domestic or international cities, or, via Zoom

Interview invitation timing: HBS send out interview invites at one shot via the application status page and applicants can select their interview slots on the following day. Notably, HBS informs applicants who are not advancing in the process at the same time it sends out interview invitations. Although disappointing, this a blessing as it allows candidates to focus on other applications.

Interviewer’s access: Unlike many other b-schools that conduct blind interviews, HBS interviews are based on your application. The adcom interviewers come well prepared, having read your resume, application and recommendations. This thorough familiarity enables them to ask tailored and carefully-thought questions.

How to schedule the interview: Login to the application portal on the designated date. If invited for an interview, pick a slot from the available dates and time. These slots are available on a first come -first served basis so reserve yours promptly.

Interview Process: HBS interviews are intense and very personalized. They last exactly 30 minutes and typically consist of 15-25 probing questions focusing entirely on your application. The purpose is to gain a deeper understanding of your profile, experiences and decision-making. Questions usually hover around your work experience, industry, intended career goals, specific experiences from your resume, essays and even recommendations, accompanied by several follow up questions. Interviewers focus a lot on learning about the “how” and “why” behind your answers; for example, why you took a particular work opportunity or how you chose your college major? They also test your knowledge on broader issues related to your organization or your industry.

Despite the rapid-fire questioning, the interview follows a structured approach. Given HBS's case study method, applicants are expected to analyze their experiences and provide meaningful insights, demonstrating their ability to contribute effectively in a case-based learning environment.

Post Interview Reflection: Within 24 hours of the interview, candidates are required to submit a 300-450 word written reflection of their interviews through the HBS online application system.

This reflection is intended to be informal and should be written only after the interview, not prepared in advance. You should spend about an hour on this task, ensuring the content is genuine, unrehearsed and in your own words.

Process for post-Interview reflection: After completing your interview, take time out to reflect on your interview performance. Note areas that you didn’t fully address during the interview, or could explain better; also think of the answers which you delivered confidently. Identify 2-3 examples that could benefit from added depth or some new dimension. These can be used to build the content of your essay.

Also, reflect on the interview itself. Did the interviewer ask you any question that prompted you to think differently about your experience or reveal new insights about yourself? It’s appropriate to mention these realizations in your reflection. Finally, connect your thoughts to why HBS is the right fit for you and how the interview reinforced this alignment.

Interview outcome: HBS admits more than half the applicants it interviews.

Sample Interview questions:

Organization Related:
What do you do at your current/past company?
Why did you take this job?
How did you become interested in your industry?
Why were you promoted over your peers?
What is your role in your organization?
How has your role changed as you have moved to more senior roles?
How is your role different in the current company as compared to your past organization?

Work Related:
Tell me more about <XYZ> project (with many follow up questions)
What is your most impactful project at work?
What challenges do you face in your current project?
Tell me about a leadership experience at work
Tell me about a project where you were a leader.

Self-awareness questions:
What are you passionate about?
What values do you stand for?
How do you lead people?
How do you work with different teams?
How would the different teams you work with describe your strengths?
What is an area for development?
What is your biggest weakness?

Industry Related:
How is your company doing as compared to competition?
What is the outlook for your industry in the current economic scenario?
What advice would you give to your classmates who want to work in your current industry?

Goals And HBS:
What are your goals post-MBA?
Why MBA? Why now?
How will you make an impact at HBS?
What do you hope to get from your job in the months before you join HBS?

Undergrad Related:
Why did you choose your undergrad college?
Why did you choose your college major?
Tell me about <a student organization> you led at college.
Why did you go on <XYZ exchange>? What did you learn there?
tell me about your <Publication/ research>

Hobbies:
Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?
Tell me about <XYZ> extra-curricular experience.
What are your hobbies?

Anything else you want to discuss that we didn’t cover?

MBADecoder · Answer

STANFORD GSB MBA Interview

Duration:  45- 60 minutes

Format:  By Invitation only, invites are extended on a rolling basis over approximately a month-long period.

Who conducts them?  Members of admissions committee and alumni

Location:  Interviews are held in person or via Zoom. Stanford does not hold interviews on campus

Interviewers access:  Alumni interviewers have access to your resume

How to schedule the interview?  Stanford GSB interviews two to three applicants per seat available.

If invited to interview, the admissions committee will contact you by email and match you with a member of their admissions team or alumni after you share your current location with them. You and your interviewer can work together to schedule the interview, usually within a week.

Interview Process:  Stanford strives to pair applicants with interviewers from similar industries or region to ensure a better understanding of the applicants’ background. (kudos to them for this!)

The Stanford MBA interview has mainly two parts. The first segment is evaluative and goes for about half an hour. The second segment is for you to ask your interviewer questions and get to know the Stanford MBA program better.  While the interview is intense, the tone is conversational and friendly.

While most b-schools ask some behavioral questions, Stanford’s interviews are almost entirely behavioral in nature. The b-school believes that your past actions are the best indicator of your current and future personality.

The interviewer will delve into your resume and asks about specific situations you encountered and dealt with in the past. The questions begin often begin with prompts like, “Tell me a time when....”. Topics may include your leadership experiences, handling failure, managing team conflict, your significant achievements or failures. Your answers can be from both professional or community-based experiences. It's advisable to use recent examples (within the past three years) and structure your responses using the STAR method:

Situation:  Describe the context.
 Task:  Explain the challenge you faced in that situation.
 Action:  Detail the steps you took.
 Result:  Share the outcomes and what impact you were able to create.
At the end, add what you learned from this situation or how it shaped you.

Another differentiator in the Stanford GSB interview is that the  depth of probing into your experiences , more so than many other business schools. Be prepared for multiple follow-up questions per example, such as, “What happened next ?”, “What did you tell your manager after this?”, “How did they respond” and “What would you do differently the next time?” Interviewers ask you these questions not to stress you out, but to genuinely understand your experiences and motivations. They are not seeking tactical responses, but want to assess your strategic thinking capability. Stanford values authentic connections, so its crucial to be honest during the interview, as any bluff is likely to be exposed through this probing approach.

The second part of interview is more relaxed, where you can ask the interviewer questions and learn more about the Stanford community. This section can last from 15 -30 minutes.

After the interview, interviewers complete a detailed report on your performance and the qualities that GSB is looking for.

Sample Interview Questions:  
What are your career goals
Why MBA?
Why GSB?
How will you contribute to the GSB community?

Tell me about yourself and your background
What are you up to these days?
What is your proudest achievement?

Tell me about a time you took initiative or stepped beyond your role.
How have you helped support the learning of others?
How did you help someone else develop a skill or achieve something?
Tell me when you had to manage different types of stakeholders.
Tell me about a time you had to convince your seniors/ team members for making something happen.
Tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone of something they didn’t initially believe in.
Tell me about a time you found an insight no one else could.
Tell me a time you resolved an interpersonal issue.
Tell me of an obstacle in your professional life. How did you solve it and what did you learn?
Tell me about a time you were blocked from achieving something.
Tell me a situation where you dealt with failure.

What are your hobbies?
What are your strengths?
What is your biggest weakness?
What would you say to your younger self?
﻿

﻿

bb · Answer

Thank you MBA Decoder - this is very timely and helpful (some are already interviewing though or done) but many will still interview.

There are also latest interview prep videos available on our YouTube channel:
Filmed in the last 2 weeks during the Interview Prep series:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... q83pjF8RWH (there is a Kellogg and Stanford videos; more coming)

MBADecoder · Answer

The Wharton MBA Interview:

The Wharton MBA interview is the most distinctive among all b-schools, centering around a Team-Based Discussion (TBD) followed by a brief individual interview.

Duration:   35 minutes team Based Discussion (TBD) + 10-minute face-to-face interview

Format:  By Invitation only

Who conducts the Interview?  Members of admissions committee and second-year student ambassadors

Location:  Both the TBD and the interview are held virtually

Interviewer’s access:  Interviewers’ have access to the applicant’s resume; these are blind interviews

How to schedule the interview?  As Wharton requires applicants to participate in team discussions, they send interview invites to all applicants from one application cycle on the designated date mentioned on their website. Applicants whose applications are not moving forward(dinged) are also informed on that same day.

Applicant invited for the interview are provided with the necessary information about the TBD, including the prompt for the year, well in advance. This allows them time to prepare their one-minute response.

Wharton MBA Interview Process:   The TBD is a 35-minute exercise where 5-6 applicants collaborate to develop a solution to the given prompt. Teams are assigned randomly and participants are not acquainted beforehand. The exercise is meant to be collaborative and assesses applicants’ communication style, engagement and decision-making in group settings. Two observers, typically second-year students or admissions ambassadors, oversee the discussion.

All applicants in a single year’s application cycle receive the same prompt in advance. This prompt is always centerd around Wharton, like designing a new course or curriculum for a newly launched program or creating a new committee for social impact. This requires applicants to research the MBA program so they can prepare their response which is both informed and relevant.

During the TBD, the first 5-7 minutes are reserved for each applicant to present their ideas. Every applicant is allotted ONE minute and its advisable to adhere to this timeframe to keep the discussion on track. The observers then put the timer on, allocating roughly 30 minutes for the rest of the exercise. The team collectively discusses their ideas for the next 25 minutes to develop a solution. The final 5 minutes are dedicated to preparing and delivering a presentation to the group observers. After the TBD, the observers break out into chat rooms where they interview every applicant individually while other applicants wait in the virtual waiting room for their turns. Every interview lasts about 10 minutes.

Due to the brief nature of these interviews, typically only 2-3 questions are posed. Possible questions include:

Your views on how the TBD went
What could be improved in the team’s performance?
Did you notice any conflicts within your team?

What challenges did you face during the TBD?
How did you contribute to the TBD?
Could you have done something better?

There may be questions about your goals, reasons for applying to Wharton or an opportunity for you to ask the interviewer questions. Demonstrating observance of the group dynamics and self-awareness about your performance would go towards making your interview a successful one.

Tips for Succeeding in the TBD:

Build a rapport with teammates:  Logging into the TBD virtual room a little early can help you get acquainted with other participants and break the initial ice. This can ease nerves and foster a more collaborative group discussion

Practice your one-minute presentation:  Although a single minute is very brief, you would not want to overshoot this time limit as a respect to your group members who abide by it. So practice your one-minute presentation. One caveat is that while you don’t want to waffle and sound unimpressive due to lack of practice, you also don't want to sound robotic because of over-practice.

Be open and flexible:  Don’t feel disheartened if your idea is not selected by your group. Maintain a positive and flexible attitude and actively contribute to developing the chosen solution. By listening attentively and constructively supporting your teammates' ideas, you can play an effective role in building a group presentation.

However, if your group selects your idea, then elaborate on the plan and lead the discussion. Even in this case, encourage suggestions from your group mates to build a stronger solution together. Avoid dominating the discussion just because your idea got selected; instead, foster an inclusive environment.

Show your team skills, but genuinely:  As the TBD tests your team skills, its natural you will try to demonstrate these. However, instead of agreeing with others merely to avoid conflict, you can respectfully disagree and offer constructive feedback to advance the discussion. This approach can showcase your genuine collaboration skills and commitment to the team's success.

Leverage your natural strengths in a team setting:  What role do you tend to play in your teams? Are you good at keeping the discussion's momentum by including everyone? Do you like to listen quietly and contribute by consolidating the discussion? Are you good at keeping track of the time? Adopt your natural role.

Your group should reserve the last five minutes to decide on who speaks what during the presentation. While it's not mandatory for everyone to speak, the presentation should not be dominated by just one or two individuals. This would be your last opportunity to adjust team dynamics if needed, so collectively decide who will present and for how long, keeping the group's best interests in mind.

Outcomes:  Wharton interviews roughly 40% of applicants. 1 out of 3 people interviewed make the cut to admission.

MBADecoder · Answer

Chicago Booth's MBA Interview Process

Duration:  approximately 45 minutes

Format:  By Invitation only

Who conducts them : The Booth MBA Interview is conducted by admissions committee members, alumni and second year students

Location:  Applicants have the flexibility to choose the interview modality that best suits them. They can take the interview on campus, in-person (outside campus), in a location convenient to them or via Zoom.

Interviewer’s access:  Alumni interviewers have access only to the resume, so Booth interviews are blind

How to schedule the interview?  Upon receiving the interview invite, you are required to schedule their interviews within 72 hours. You can decide upon the modality- whether you want to interview on campus, in a city of your choice or virtually. You are then matched with our interviewer and expected to contact them within three business days to set up a mutually agreeable date and time for the interview.
Interview invitations are sent mid-decision dates, between your application deadline and decision notification dates. Applicants who do not make it to the next stage are also informed about their application status at this time ( A little less agony for them!).

Booth MBA Interview Process:  Booth requires you to complete a short video before your interview. At the time you receive your interview invitation, you will be given the video essay prompts - you have to submit this before the interview. You have to give your answer in 60 seconds.

The two prompts for the 2024-25 application cycle are:
1. "Tell us about something new you learned recently that shifted your worldview. How did it influence your behavior and/or actions?"
2. "What is something you wish people knew about you, but you’re not sure that they do?"

The purpose of this video is to provide applicants with a fun and informal way to showcase their personality. Make sure that your video does not sound over scripted, be natural while delivering your response.

Booth’s interviews are relaxed and conversational. The b-school expects a two-way exchange - while the interviewer gets to know about you and your experiences through the interview, you should also use this opportunity to learn more about Booth. Its therefore acceptable for you to take down notes and ask questions to the interviewer.

Booth has some very unique features in their MBA program – their flexible curriculum, analytical focus and emphasis on debate and enquiry. Applicants can use the opportunity to show their understanding of the Booth MBA by articulating how these factors appeal to them for their specific learning needs.
The interview questions are the regular ones- walk me through your resume, career goals, why Booth, and behavioral questions. Here’s a list:

Work, Career Goals and Booth related questions: 
  Tell me about yourself/ walk me through your resume.
What are your short term and long term career goals?
Why MBA? Why now?
Why Booth?
What do you hope to take away from your experience at Booth?
How will you contribute to Booth?
How will you juggle your time and choose activities to pursue at Booth?
Which clubs and activities will you be involved in?

Behavioral Questions: 
 
Tell me about a proud professional experience.
What is a recent learning you are going to take to future projects?

Failure/ Adversity questions:
  Tell me about a time you received critical feedback.
Tell me about a time you dealt with a challenge in a team.
Tell me about a failure and what did you learn from it?

Self-awareness questions:  
What are three words your friends would use to describe you?
What are three words your supervisor would describe you?
What are your major weaknesses?
Tell me about a time you had to improve upon a weakness.
Tell me about a time you had to open your mind to other people’s perspectives.
Tell me about meeting a person who broadened your horizon
Tell me about a time you worked with people from different backgrounds. What did you learn?

Leadership and Teamwork questions: 
  What kind of team do you work with best?
Tell me about a time you asked for help.
What kind of a leader are you?
Tell me about a time when you had to influence someone above your level
Tell me about a time when you had to influence your peers.
Tell me about a time you exhibited empathy or collaboration at work.
Tell me about a time you had a conflict with someone at work. What did you do?
Tell me about a time you had to engage with someone who did not agree with you. How did you navigate the situation?

Who is your role model and why?
How do you keep yourself engaged in your free time?
Was there anything I didn’t ask you that you wish I had?
Any questions for me?

MBADecoder · Answer

MIT SLOAN MBA Interview  
 
MIT Sloan has always placed emphasis on learning by doing or practice-based learning; this has reflected historically in their essays and interview questions. Its no wonder then, that the MIT Sloan MBA Interview is largely behavioral ( even 100% behavioral  for many applicants). Read on to know more about the MIT Interview process:

Duration:  about 30 minutes

Format:  By Invitation only 
 
 Who conducts them?  The MIT interview is conducted by members of the admissions committee.

Location:  All interviews are conducted virtually.

Interviewer’s access:  The Interviewer would have read your application and watched your video that you need to submit as part of the interview process

How to schedule the interview:  If invited, you will receive detailed instructions on how to schedule your interview.

Interview Process:  As part of the MIT Sloan interview process, you will have to respond to two additional questions within 24 hours prior to the interview. The questions would be shared by MIT’s admissions committee when they send you an email inviting you for the interview. These questions are:

Required Question #1: 
  The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. We believe that a commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and well-being is a key component of both principled leadership and sound management practice. 
  In 250 words or less, please describe a time when you contributed toward making a work environment or organization more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse.

Required Question #2:   
 We are interested in learning more about how you use data to make decisions and analyze results. Please select    one of the following prompts    to respond to:

Please select an existing data visualization and in 250 words or less explain why it matters to you.  The data visualization should be uploaded as a PDF. Examples may come from current events, a business analysis, or personal research. 
  OR  
  In 250 words or less, please describe a recent data driven decision you had to make, and include one slide presenting your analysis.  The slide may include a data visualization example and should present data used in a professional context. Your slide must be uploaded as a PDF.

MIT strongly believes that your past experiences are the best indicator of your future success. That’s why they focus the interview largely on behavioral questions that determine how you respond to challenging situations, how you behave as a leader or a team player and what qualities do you possess.    To give well-structured and coherent answers to behavioral questions, you should frame your responses using the STAR approach. 
 
 Another tip for answering behavioural questions is to  tell more recent stories  (within the past few years) as these are more indicative of your current capabilities and personality. It’s understandable that you may not always have a recent story for every situation asked, however, try sticking to this advice wherever possible.

Many interviewers start by asking about any changes in your candidacy or updates since you applied. This is interesting as no other b-school asks this question and its your opportunity to update the b-school of any job promotions, job changes, a crucial project you have just started leading, or a GMAT/GRE uptick. Your interviewer is also likely to questions you on the data visualization exercise, so be prepared to explain your submission. Besides a largely behavioural line of questioning, the interviewer may also ask you questions based on your resume and work experience.

Here's a list of questions asked in the past:

Intro and work-related questions: 
 Anything new since you submitted your application?
Has anything changed on your resume since you submitted it?
Tell me about yourself beyond your resume.
Walk me through your resume.
What professional development have you undertaken?
What does a typical day at work look like for you?

MBA-related questions: 
 Why MBA? / Career goals
Why now?
Why Sloan?
How will you contribute at Sloan?

Pre-Interview presentation:
  Share something about your data visualization story with me. (follow up questions)
Tell me about your DEI Essay. (Follow up questions on the DEI essay) 
  Achievement, influence and leadership:
 What’s your biggest accomplishment?
Tell me about a time you showed leadership.
Tell me about a time you thought innovatively.
Tell me about an experience you are most proud of.
Tell me about a time you had to convince someone.
Tell me about a time when you had a different opinion with others. How did you convince them?
Tell me about a time you led a project when you didn’t have direct authority in your team.
Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision? What was difficult about it and what was your reasoning?
Tell me about a time you challenged the status quo.
Tell me about a time when you had to make a recommendation based on incomplete data

Self-Awareness Questions:
  What is your leadership style?
What is the most constructive feedback you have been given?
What are your 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses?

Teamwork and Diversity: 
   Tell me about working with a difficult colleague. 
 Tell me about a time that you disagreed with a co-worker.
Tell me about a time you mentored someone.
Give me an example of you helping someone in your team who was underperforming.
Tell me about a time when you faced a challenge as a team leader and how you handled it.
Tell me about a time you worked with a diverse set of people.
Tell me about a time someone changed your perspective on something.

Adversity and Failure questions:
  Tell me about a failure. What did you do and what did you learn?
Tell me about leading a team during an adverse situation. What challenges did you face?
Describe a time at work when something unexpected happened that derailed a project. 
 What do you do in your free time?
Any Questions for me?

MBADecoder · Answer

Kellogg MBA Interview

Kellogg's MBA interview process is unique because the b-school tries to interview a majority of its applicants. That's why applicants can start getting interview invitations within the next day of applying. The interviews continue to pour-in, right until the decision date, which means, it can be a long-long wait for some applicants before they hear back with an interview update.

Duration : about 30-45 minutes

Format:  By Invitation only

Who conducts them?  these are conducted by alumni, adcom and second year students.

Location:  All interviews are conducted virtually

Interviewer’s access:  Interviewer would access to only your resume

How to Schedule:  After you receive an interview invitation email from Kellogg, you will log into the application portal and ‘submit a request’ for an interview by selecting a time zone. You will then be matched with your interviewer and will set up a date and time with them. You have a time window in which you will have to complete the interview

The adcom allows applicants to reschedule interviews ONLY in cases of emergency.  So be sure, to pick a date on which you can definitely attend, otherwise you can miss your chance.

Interview Waiver:  Kellogg tries to interview about 80% of its applicants. However, sometimes applicants are given interview waivers because of high application volume and limited availability of interviewers. If you receive a waiver, the admissions committee may contact you later for further information before making a decision on your candidacy.

The admissions committee also gives interview waivers if you are unable to attend an interview that you have already scheduled. They do not allow rescheduling of interviews so do not to default on this opportunity.

Interview Process:   Kellogg interviews are behavioural. Prepare the usual questions like walk me through your resume, goals, why Kellogg, how will you contribute and situational examples. The b-school highly values teamwork, collaboration and people skills, so incorporate these elements in your answer (without force fitting them),

Because Kellogg has a very close-knit culture, they care whether you understand how the program is suitable for you or how will you contribute to the community. So, you may have researched the program while writing your essays, but continue to speak with students and alumni even after you have submitted your application to understand the finer aspects of the MBA program, which will give you a more informed perspective during your interview.

Sample Interview Questions:

Introduction and Career related: 
Walk me through your résumé
What are your short-term and long-term goals?
What are your alternate goals?/ What is your plan B for the short term?
Why MBA? What do you hope to get out of Kellogg MBA?

What do you like and don’t like about your current job?
Elaborate on your responsibilities for your full-time jobs
What drew you to your current role?
What does your day-to-day work look like?
What is the most difficult part of your job?

B-school related: 
Why Kellogg?
How will you contribute to Kellogg? How will you get involved in Kellogg’s community?
Which extra-curricular activities will you engage in while in school?
What traits make you a good contribution to the future class?
Which other b-schools have you applied to?

SITUATIONAL QUESTIONS: 
 Leadership: 
Tell me about your leadership style.
Talk about a time you took on a leadership role?
What is your most significant leadership experience? Why?
What role do you tend to play in your organization?
Tell me about a time you had to jump in and solve a problem using your leadership skills.

Achievements: 
Describe a professional success
Tell me about your proudest accomplishment at work.
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond your mandate?

TEAM: 
How do you manage teams if you are leading them?
Describe your best team experience.
In which of your recent projects have you shown the best teamwork?
What role do you tend to play in teams when you're not the leader?
What do you do to work well with your teammates?
Describe a time you had to manage a difficult teammate and how would you handle it differently the next time.
Tell me about a time when a teammate wasn’t doing his job. What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you had to convince others to follow your approach. 
Tell me about a time you went out of your way to help someone?
Tell me about a time you worked with people from diverse backgrounds or teams.

Challenges: 
Describe a time you overcame a challenge at work
Tell me about a professional failure.
Tell me about a time your team failed to achieve goals, how did you handle it and what did you learn?
Tell me about a time you received criticism and how you reacted to it.
Tell me about a moment where you had adversity with a coworker or subordinate?
Tell me about a moment where you had adversity with a boss?
Tell me about a time you dealt with conflict?
Tell me about a time you had to change your behavior when things didn’t go as expected.
Tell me about a time you worked in an ambiguous situation.
Tell me about a time you got knocked down and had to pick yourself back up.

Self Awareness Questions: 
What motivates you?
What would your coworkers or boss give you as feedback for strengths and weaknesses?
Three words your colleagues would describe you as?
What would your friends say are your biggest strengths?
Who is a leader you admire? Why?
What are you most curious about?

Other Questions: 
Describe your hobbies
Tell me about an activity/cause that you are passionate about
Tell me about an extracurricular with particular meaning for you.

What questions do you have for us?
Is there anything you wished I had asked you?
Is there anything you hadn’t shared yet in today’s conversation that you’d like to cover?

MBADecoder · Answer

Columbia Business School's interview

CBS' interview is conversational and easy, with the interviewer's intent being to determine your fit with the b-school.

Duration:  30-60 minutes

Format:  By Invitation only

Who conducts them?  These are conducted by alumni, second year MBA students or the admissions committee members.

Location:  All interviews are conducted virtually

Interviewer’s access:  Interviewer would have access to only your resume. You can provide them with your resume to the interviewer once you are matched with them.

How to schedule the interview:  After you receive an interview invitation, the admissions team will connect you with the interviewer and you can decide a mutually agreeable date and time with them. 
 If you have applied for J term- your application will be viewed on a rolling basis after the application opens in June, so the earlier you apply, the quicker you will receive the interview decision

Interview Process:  The Columbia interview is friendly and conversational, purposed so that you and the interviewer get to understand each other. Unlike many other b-schools, CBS does not overly focus on behavioural questions (yet you should expect to be asked 2-3 such questions). Instead, a larger part of the questioning is around getting to know about your job, your career goals, motivation to join CBS and your fit with the CBS MBA program.

Sample questions are:  
  Introduction, Career goals and CBS related:  
Tell me about yourself/ walk me through your resume
What are your short-term and long-term goals?
What are your alternate goals?
Why MBA and Why now?
Why CBS MBA?
Which classes will you take at CBS?
Which clubs will you join at CBS?
How will you contribute at CBS?
How do you see yourself interacting within your learning team at CBS?
What is your plan if you don’t get into any B-School?
Which other b-schools have you applied to? What factors influenced your school list?

Job Related: 
 Interviewers ask questions based on pointers in your resume
What do you like and dislike about your current job?
Tell me about something you are particularly proud of in current role
Have you led a team? (Follow up questions on your experience)
What challenges do you face at work?
When working in a team, What role do you feel comfortable and what role do you feel uncomfortable in?
﻿ 
  Behavioral Questions: 
What is your leadership style?
Tell me about a challenge you faced at work.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager.
Tell me about a time you led a project you’re particularly proud of.
Tell me about a time when have you overcome obstacles?
Tell me about something you could have done better.

Other questions:
 In what way are you involved in your community?
What is your proudest undergraduate achievement?
How do you spend your Friday night or weekend?
What do you do for fun outside of work? 
 Any questions for me?

MBADecoder · Answer

INSEAD MBA Interview

INSEAD is among the few b-schools that require two interviews from every selected applicant. However, their interviews are friendly and conversational and not stress inducing. Here's how the INSEAD interview works and sample interview questions:

Duration:  30 minutes to 1 hour

Format:  By Invitation only

Who conducts them?  INSEAD interviews are always conducted by alumni. Every applicant is interviewed by two alumni, typically matched based on your industry, functional background or geography.

Location:  Interviews are conducted either in person or online, on platforms like Zoom/ Google Meet.

Interview invitation timing:  INSEAD notifies selected applicants within approximately six weeks of receiving completed applications. They follow this up with another email to provide the names and contact details of your two alumni interviewers.

Applicants not selected for interview are also informed at this stage.

How to schedule the interview:  Once you receive your interviewers’ contact details, you are expected to reach out to each of them and fix a mutually convenient date, time and format (in-person or online). You are asked to share a PDF of your application along with your resume with the interviewers. If you prefer, you can remove your motivation essays and share the rest of the application.

Both the INSEAD MBA interviews must be completed within a deadline provided in the invitation email.

Interview Process:  Interviews usually last about an hour each. They are conversational with a mix of resume based and behavioral questions. The purpose of the interview is to get to know you better and determine your fit with INSEAD. As the interviewers have access to your application form, they may ask for clarifications or deeper insights into the content you provided. So, be prepared to answer questions about your career decisions, your motivation for certain projects or responsibilities and your leadership experiences.

Most interviewers are friendly and towards the end of the interview, extensively share their experiences at INSEAD. So research the backgrounds of your interviewers and go prepared with some meaty questions to ask them. These can be related to the interviewers’ backgrounds and their experience at INSEAD.

Common Interview questions:

Career Related:  
Walk me through your resume / Tell me about yourself.
Give me two things you would like to highlight from your resume.
Explain your career choices (From undergraduate to now).
Tell me about your reasons for each professional move.
Elaborate on your responsibilities for your full-time jobs. 
Follow-up questions on your job

Goals and INSEAD related:  
What is your short-term goal and why?
Why MBA? Why is now the right time?
Why INSEAD? How would INSEAD help you achieve career goals?
What do you see yourself doing 10 years after MBA?
What’s your plan B if you couldn’t fulfill your immediate goals?
What are your geography preferences post-MBA?
How do you see the value of MBA considering the gloomy economic conditions and job market, how do you evaluate the risks and returns?

Which starting campus have you selected and why? 
Will you do an exchange? Explain why/ why not.
What will you contribute to the program/ your study group?
In what ways would you get involved in the INSEAD’s community?
What would you bring to the INSEAD community?
Which other colleges have you applied to?
What will you do if you are not accepted to INSEAD?
How would you prioritize coping up with so many offerings at INSEAD?

Behavioural Questions:

Diversity:  
Tell me about cultural differences you have experienced working with colleagues from different regions.
What have you learnt from someone who has a different background than you?
Tell me a time when you worked with people from different cultures? What do you wish you had done differently?
Tell me about a time when you had an experience with diversity.
There are many different nationalities and languages in the INSEAD class. How would you work through related challenges?
How would you work in a study group with peers from different backgrounds?

Leadership:   
What is your management/ Leadership style?
Tell me about your most significant leadership experience.
Tell me about a professional achievement that you feel very proud of and why?
Tell me a time you led a team. What was your role?
Tell me about a time when you convinced someone, what was the result?

Challenges and Failures:  
Tell me about a challenge in your life and how you overcame it.
Tell me about a time you failed in a professional setting.
Have you ever had an experience where there was a conflict of opinion or interest?
Have you ever had to be confrontational with a colleague or subordinate?
Tell me about a time you received criticism and how you reacted to it.
Tell me about a time when you had an uncomfortable conversation at work?

Tell me about your strengths and weakness.
What do you love to do outside of work? What’s your passion?

Any questions for the interviewer

MBADecoder · Answer

Tuck MBA Interview

Duration:  30 – 45 minutes

Format: Interviews can be guaranteed or by i  nvitation  only depending upon when you apply.

At Tuck, there are two paths to an interview. 
 Guaranteed interview:  All applicants who submit their applications by the following dates of the R1 and R2 cycle will be granted a guaranteed interview:
 
 Round 1: 2 September, 2025
Round 2: 1 December, 2025

Invitational interviews:  Applicants who submit their applications by the regular R1, R2 and R3 deadlines will be invited for the interview. These deadlines are as follows:
 
Round 1: 25 September, 2025
Round 2: 5 January, 2026
Round 3: 25 March, 2026
 
 Who conducts them?  These are conducted mostly by Tuck Admissions Associates who are second year Tuck students and are trained for the job. Sometimes, interviews are also conducted by the admissions committee members.
 Tuck will provide you with your interview details, the name and email address of your interviewer, via email 2 hours prior to your interview time.  
 
 Location:  Virtual and a limited number of interviews are held on-Campus

Interview invitation timing and how to schedule the interview:   
If you apply by the guaranteed interview timeline, then you can pick an interview time and slot after submitting your application. If you apply by a specific round’s deadline then you have to wait for an invitation to interview. These are sent on a rolling basis. You can receive this upto a few days before the decision notification dates for your application round. Tuck will send you a link through which you can schedule your interview.

Interviewer’s access:  The interviewer only has access to your resume, so it’s a blind interview.
 
 What if you are a reapplicant?  
  As a reapplicant, you will qualify for a guaranteed interview if you submit your application by the guaranteed interview deadline, even if you interviewed previously. If you submit your application after the guaranteed interview dates, you may be invited to interview, or Tuck may refer to your previous interview only. 
 
 Interview Process:  
Through their interview process, Tuck tries to assess applicants n their 4 admissions criteria which are: smart, accomplished, aware, and encouraging. 
 
 The interviews are very friendly, with the intent to have a smooth, flowing conversations with applicants. You can expect a combination of questions about your career, MBA plans and behavioural questions. There may be a few follow up questions so understand your experience better or gain clarity over something you said.  
 
  Common Interview Questions:

INTRODUCTION: 
Tell me about yourself 
Walk me through your resume 
 Give me an overview of your professional experience, focusing on the reasoning behind each role you’ve taken.

GOALS & ABOUT TUCK?  
What are your short-term and long-term goals? 
 Why MBA?
 Why Tuck?
 How will you contribute to Tuck? 
What Unique perspective you’ll bring to the class? 
 What activities/clubs do you expect to be involved in, and how will you contribute?

LEADERSHIP & ACHIEVEMENT: 
What is your leadership style like? 
What is your biggest achievement at work?  What was the most difficult thing in achieving this? 
What is your proudest accomplishment? 
 Tell me about a situation where you had to take an initiative.

BEHAVIOURAL: 
Tell me about a situation when you received feedback. How did you respond to it? 
 Tell me about a time you received negative feedback and how did you deal with that?
 Tell me about a time when you had worked with a difficult coworker.
 Tell me about a time you had to help a colleague or friend and how did you help them specifically.
 Describe a time when you led something that no one else could have managed as you did. 
Tell me about a time you had to convince someone of something.

Tell me one of your weaknesses.
Tell me three strengths
 
Tell me about the time when you try to work on something and failed, and what did you come about to resolve it.
Tell me about your biggest failure.
Tell me something about your out of comfort zone. 
 What is something you are still learning? 
What is something new you learnt?

GENERAL QUESTIONS: 
Tell me something that is not on your resume.
Any questions for me?
Is there anything you would want the AdCom to know, that you weren't able to discuss today?

MBADecoder · Answer

Fuqua MBA Interview

Duration:  45-60 minutes

Interview Format:  By Invitation only

Who conducts them?  Fuqua interviews are conducted by alumni, members of admissions committee or second year MBA students called Admissions Fellows.

Location:  On-Campus interviews are offered in Early Action, Round 1 and Round 2 and are conducted in-person. Off-Campus interviews are offered in every round and are conducted virtually, over Zoom. At the time you are applying to Fuqua, you have to indicate whether you want your interview on campus or virtually.

Interview invitation timing:  Fuqua sends out interview notifications on a rolling basis. They publish dates by when the interview invites will be sent for every deadline on their website.

Interviewer’s access:  Fuqua interviews are blind which means the interviewer has not read through your application. They have access to only your resume

How to schedule the interview:  If you are invited for the interview, the invite decision will be updated on the portal and you will be paired with an interviewer. If its an off campus interview, you may complete the interview virtually or in-person, depending upon what’s mutually agreeable to you and your recommender.

Interview Process:  Fuqua interviews are conversational, with a blend of resume-based and behavioural questions. The interviewers are engaged and try to understand who you are as a persona and how you fit in the Fuqua culture. Therefore, you should expect Fuqua related question such as your understanding of  Team Fuqua  or giving an example on  Decency Quotient

Interview Questions are:

Introduction and B-school related:  
Walk me through your resume
What are your short-term and long-term career goals? 
Why MBA? 
What diverse perspective will you bring to your class? 
Why is Fuqua the right place for you? Which courses and clubs will help you? 
What student led clubs are you excited to join at Fuqua?
How will you contribute at Fuqua? 
What does team Fuqua mean to you? / How will you contribute to Team Fuqua?

Behavioural Questions

Achievement Related: 
Tell me about your biggest professional achievement and why do you consider it as such.

Failure and Challenge Related: 
Tell me about a situation when you faced failure. 
Tell me about a time when you faced a challenge and how you overcame it. 
Tell me about a time when you face an ethical dilemma.
Tell me about a time you received a constructive feedback. 
Time when you dealt with someone who was excluding others
Tell me about a time where you had to lead in a conflict situation. How did you handle the conflict?

Team Related: 
Give an example of a time when your team was successful.
What is the one thing your teammates would be proud of? 
What are three attributes that make a good team? 
Tell me about a time when your team failed.
Tell me about a time your led a diverse team. What did you learn? 
Tell me about a teamwork experience outside of work and what did you learn? 
Tall me about a time when you had to give feedback to a colleague.
What do you think is the most important as aspect of building relationship with people?
Tell me about a time you had to adapt your communication skills to influence a team or person?

Self-Awareness Questions: 
How will your colleagues and friends describe you 
What does diversity means to you?
Tell me about your leadership style
Who is a leader you admire?
what are two strengths and two weakness? 
How would you describe your communication style?
What motivates you. 
What does Decency Quotient mean to you? Give me an example of a time when you exhibited DQ.

Concluding Questions: 
What will you do if you are not accepted to Fuqua?
Any questions for me?

MBADecoder · Answer

Darden MBA Interview 
 
  Duration:  upto 45 minutes

Format:  Darden offers interviews via both an open-interview policy and an invitation-only process. Early Action applicants who apply by the early September deadline can schedule an open interview between August and September on a first-come, first-served basis. The admissions committee periodically release dates for these interviews, so if you don’t find one immediately, come back and check after a few days. 
However, once the interview window closes, Darden follows the standard invite-only process, even for early-action applicants and sends interview invites to qualified candidates.
For those applying in  Rounds 1, 2, or 3 , interviews are  by invitation only , extended after the Admissions Committee reviews the application and determines that the candidate qualifies for an interview.
 
 Who conducts them?    Either members of the admissions committee or second-year MBA students conduct Darden interviews. Sometimes students accompany the adcom members as a part of their interviewing training.

Location:  Interviews are conducted on campus, virtually through Zoom or in-person. Open interviews are conducted virtually only. All interviews carry equal weightage. 
 
  Interview invitation  timing:  Early action applicants have an open window from August to September to self-initiate their interviews, but they must schedule these by the Early application deadline date.

Round 1, 2 and 3 applicants receive interview notifications on a rolling basis which can extend right until the decision release date.

Interviewer’s access:  Darden conducts ‘anonymous’ interviews, which means the interviewer has not read through your application or your resume. Stepping into the interview, they just know your name. Darden follows this practice to remove any biases from the interview process. Because of this unique format, Darden is the only b-school which encourages applicants to talk in depth about themselves in the introductory question itself. More on this later.

How to schedule the interview:  Those applying in early application round should start their applications and select a time from the calendar on the interview schedule page. After this, they will receive a registration form to schedule the interview. Along with this form, they will submit their resume, a verified test score and their answer to one of the essay questions –  “relationships matter here (prompt:   What would you want your classmates to know about you that is not on your resume? (200 words) ) ”  
Once the open interview period closes, Early action applicants will enter the regular interview cycle and be invited for an interview via an email with instructions on the interview process.

Interview Process:  The signature style of the Darden interviews is conversational and the interviewer asks questions with the intent of genuinely getting to know you. The questions are around a few categories:

1. Tell me about yourself and follow-up questions.
 2. Goals and why Darden MBA?
 3. Behavioural questions
 4. Open-ended question.

The first question in the Darden interview is typically ‘Tell me about yourself’. Now, remember, unlike other b-schools, the interviewer hasn’t seen your resume, so you have a blank canvas to share what you believe is most important about you. Take up to 10-12 minutes to walk the interviewer through your personal and professional journey, highlighting key inflection points, challenges and achievements.

Interviewers are particularly interested in understanding the WHY behind your decisions, so be reflective in your answers- focus upon your motivations, reasoning what drove you to pursue specific opportunities.

Practice this response well, as it sets the tone for the entire conversation and is almost always asked. Interviewers may ask follow-up questions during your answer or wait until you finish to explore specific points in more depth.

Our Tip: Be strategic with your response. You can subtly plant hooks by mentioning important experiences or achievements you’d definitely want to highlight. This encourages the interviewer to ask further about them, allowing you to naturally steer the conversation toward areas that make you unique and memorable.
Sample interview questions:

Introductory questions:  
Tell me about yourself 
Tell me about your background — your childhood, academic journey, professional life or any other context that you want to share.
(many follow-up questions based on your response)
 
 Goals and Darden: 
Why do you want to get an MBA and why now? 
What are your short-term and long-term goals?
Why Darden?
What do you feel about the case method?
 How will you contribute to Darden? 
What are your hobbies, and how would you contribute socially to Darden? 
 How will you contribute to your learning team?
 What about Darden resonates with you, and how would you contribute to the community here?
 
 Behavioral questions:
  Tell me about a challenging situation at work and how you navigated it. 
Tell me about a significant achievement or project at work
Tell me about a time you resolved a team conflict.
Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a colleague and how you handled it?
How have you dealt with someone who did not pull their weight?
 
 Diversity-related questions:
  Tell me about a time you worked with someone different from you and what did you learn? 
Tell me about a time you worked with others with a different perspective. How did you manage the differences?.
 Tell me abou t a time you led a diverse team. What did you learn? 
 Did you face difficulties working with people from different backgrounds? 
 Tell me about an experience you have had at a global scale.
 Describe your experience with diversity in the workplace.

Our Tip: These are quite common in Darden interviews. Since Darden follows the case method and forms learning teams of students with different backgrounds who study closely together, the school places a strong emphasis on diversity of thought, background, and experience. Demonstrating that you value and contribute to different perspectives is essential to showing you’ll thrive in Darden’s collaborative environment.

Open-ended questions: 
 How do you spend your time outside work? (This is an often-asked question) 
Any questions for me?
Anything we’ve not covered so far that you would like to talk about?

MBADecoder · Answer

Ross MBA Interview
  
  Duration:  30- 45 minutes
 
  Format:  Ross interviews are by invitation only
 
  Who conducts them?  Either alumni or current MBA students or sometimes, members of the admissions committee. You will be matched with an alum in your geographic region. This is a random pairing and not with someone from your industry. Ross keeps it this way so that you communicate with your interviewer without using industry jargons in a way that they may understand. This is an important communication skill in an MBA program because every cohort has diverse student profiles.
 
  Location:  All interviews are being conducted virtually in the 2025-26 admission cycle. 
 
  Interview invitation timing:  Ross sends 1-2 waves of interview invites for every application round. Round 1 applicants who are not invited to interview will receive either a “waitlist” or “deny” decision on the day admit results are delivered for Round 1 application. 
 
  Interviewer’s access:  Interviews are blind, which means the interviewer has only got access to your resume. Once you are invited to interview you will have upload your resume on the scheduling system 
 
  Interview Process:  Ross inter views are friendly and not meant to put you in a spot. 
The interview almost always has three sure questions: Why and MBA? Why Ross? Why do an MBA now? In addition there are a lot of behavioral questions- you can expect 3-4 of these. Some applicants report of getting more than one question on challenges, adversities and failures, so prepare an example in each of these categories.

Sample Questions are: 
Walk me through your resume 
⁠What are your short-term and long-term goals?
Why MBA? Why now? Why Ross? 
What is the most compelling aspect of the Ross MBA program for you?
Who have you spoken with at Ross and what did you learn from them about the MBA program?
What classes would you like to take at Ross? What clubs would you like to take at Ross?
How will you contribute to Ross community?
What makes you the perfect candidate for Ross?

Behavioral questions:
   Initiative and Achievement:  
Tell me about a time you showed initiative.
Tell me about a time you had to do something to achieve an outcome that went beyond what was expected of you. 
Tell me about a time you did something without prior experience in it.

Adaptability:  
Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a new situation.
Tell me about a time you had to change your approach due to a shift in project scope.
⁠Tell me about a time things didn’t go as planned.

Diversity:  
Tell me about a time you had to work with a diverse team. 
Tell me about a time when you worked with people from different backgrounds or cultures. What did you learn? 
Tell me about a time you handled diverse perspectives
Tell me about when you had to change someone else’s beliefs or deal with difference of opinion.
Tell me about a time you had to overcome a language barrier.
How do you build strong relationships with a diverse set of people?
Tell me about a time when you had to promote inclusive behaviour.

Adversity/ Failure:  
Tell me about a time you had to handle a challenging situation 
Tell me about a time when you dealt with ambiguity. 
Tell me about a time when you faced a setback. 
How do you manage conflict?

Tell be about a failure/ mistake you made and what did you learn from it? 
Tell me about a time when things didn’t go as expected.

Tell me about a time when you received negative feedback from a supervisor 
Tell me about a time you received critical feedback from a subordinate 
⁠
  General Questions:  
 What is your leadership style? 
 What do you do outside of work? What are your hobbies?
What is your source of motivation?⁠
What is your strength? 
What are your weaknesses? 
Any questions for me? ⁠

MBADecoder · Answer

Yale MBA Interview

Duration:  30 minutes 
 
 Format:  By Invitation only
 
  Who conducts them?  Yale interviews are conducted by members of the admissions committee or second year MBA students or a recent alumnus.
 
  Location:  Interviews are conducted on campus or virtually on Zoom

Interview invitation timing:  Interview invites are extended on a rolling basis all through the decision releases date. Sometimes applicants are placed on the waitlist without being interviewed in the round they applied and are invited to interview in subsequent rounds.

Interviewer’s access:  Yale interviews are blind, which means the interviewer has not read your application.

Interview Process:  A signature feature of the Yale MBA interview is that the b-school strives to remove any kind of bias from the interview process. That’s why interviewers stick to the allotted 30-minute time and usually ask a predetermined set of questions to keep the process standardized across all applicants. Interestingly, to maintain this  bias-free interview approach , Yale does not emphasize “fit” with the school in the same way other b-schools do, as they recognize that “fit” can be subjective and depend on an evaluator’s personal interpretation of what the term stands for.

The tone of the interview is conversational with generally no curveball questions.

Interviewers often dive straight into the discussion without asking introductory questions like “Walk me through your resume”. Expected questions typically cover a significant work achievement, career goals, why MBA, why Yale, contribution at Yale, along with a few behavioral questions followed by a closing round where you can ask your own questions. 
When sending the interview invitation, Yale asks applicants to reflect on a quote from Dean Kerwin Charles and then submit a  quote  of their own that they personally resonate with. Applicants are expected to submit this quote atleast 48 hours prior to their interview.

Dean Charles’ quote is: Preeminent universities disseminate and produce new knowledge, and some of the best ideas are ripe for revising. However, this demands different perspectives, genders, backgrounds, races, orientations, and points of view.” 
Later, during the interview, you may be asked to share your views on either Dean Charles’ quote or the quote you submitted.
 
  Sample questions from the Yale interview:

Introduction questions: 
   I have already read your resume. Please tell me what is your greatest professional accomplishment? 
What is an accomplishment you’re proud of and why it was meaningful to you.
Tell me about a meaningful professional experience and why do you consider it such? 
Walk me through your resume (although this is not frequently asked, some applicants have reported it, so do prepare your answer).
 
 Goals & Yale related questions: 
What are your post-MBA goals? 
Why MBA? Why is now the right time to do an MBA? 
What research did you do before applying to business school? 
What research led you to choose the Yale MBA? 
What kind of preparation have you done to make sure that the MBA is the next best step in your career?
Which classes do you want to take at Yale? 
Which clubs would you like to join? 
How would you contribute to the Yale SOM community? 
What attributes/experiences/ diverse perspective would you bring that would enhance the SOM community?
What are your plans from now until you join business school? 
Outside of progressing in your career, why do you want to get an MBA?

Diversity & Conflict:  
Tell me about an experience where someone had a different perspective from yours? 
What was a time when you had to consider another person’s perspective? What was the outcome?
Tell me a time when you actively listened to another person’s perspective and included it in your routine.
Tell me about a time when you changed your mind after listening to another person’s perspective. How did this affect the outcome?
Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict. 
Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement with a colleague? How did you reach a resolution
 
  Other Behavioural Questions:  
How have you contributed to DEI?
What is a time you had to take feedback and how did you incorporate it?
How do you promote inclusion?
 
  Questions related to Dean Kerwin Charles’s and your own quote:  
  In context with Dean Charles’ quote, how will you contribute to the diversity and open-mindedness at Yale for yourself and others
How will you contribute to the diversity at Yale SOM? 
 Tell me about the quote you selected and why
What does the quote you submitted mean to you and what kind of contribution will you make to the SOM community.
How is the quote you submitted meaningful in the context of your Yale MBA experience.
 
  Closing Questions:  
Is there anything you wish I’d asked?
If there's something that was not asked is not in your resumé that you want to talk about?
 Any questions for me?

MBADecoder · Answer

Haas MBA Interview

Duration:    30-45 minutes

Format:    By Invitation only

Who conducts them?    Haas interviews are conducted remotely by current students or  alumni, or in a video format, where applicants must answer pre-recorded questions. All interviews, whether live or video are assessed similarly by the admissions staff, so there is no advantage doing one type of interview over the other.

Interview invitation timing:    Haas sends out interview notifications on a rolling basis, starting approximately four weeks after the application deadline.

Interviewer’s  access:   The interviews are  blind, meaning the interviewer has not reviewed your application.

How to schedule the interview:    Interview invitations are sent out via  emails. If you select to do a video interview, you can complete this at your earliest convenience. If you choose an alumni or student interview, it will be scheduled as per your mutual availability.

Interview Process:

In    the pre-recorded video format   , applicants  are asked five questions. From these, three questions are fixed (Questions 1, 2 and 5) and two questions are variable (Questions 3 & 4). The three fixed questions are about “Why Haas”, a DEI experience and anything else you’d want to share with the admissions committee. The variable questions are on behavioural situations.

After logging into the Kira Talent Platform, you will see an introductory video explaining the interview process.  At this time, you can also test your audio and video settings. You’ll have access to practice questions, which are random and unrelated to the actual interview prompts. – you can rehearse these as many times as you like. 
 However, once you start the official interview, you can not pause or redo your responses. For each of the five questions, you will have 45 seconds to prepare and  upto 3 minutes to answer. You will hear an adcom member reading aloud each question, which will remain visible on the screen for the entire duration for easy reference.

If  you’ve opted for the  pre-recorded video interview , practice speaking confidently to the camera without expecting any responses. Even though no one is on the other side, make sure to  look presentable, maintain good posture, and smile naturally  while answering.

The    in-person interview   at Haas follows a structure similar to most top business schools. The interviewer typically asks questions covering your  career goals ,  reasons for choosing Haas , and a range of  behavioral scenarios , before ending with an opportunity for you to ask your own questions.

After reviewing numerous interview reports, we have concluded that Haas interviewers tend to focus heavily on  behavioral questions  related to  team dynamics, conflict resolution, and collaboration.  They often probe deeply into your examples, asking follow-up questions such as:  What was your thought process? How did you feel? How did you respond? What actions did you take, and why?

To perform well, thoroughly know your stories and be prepared to discuss both your   actions and the reasoning behind them . Despite their depth, the questions are not meant to daunt you; instead, the tone of Haas interviewers is  friendly, conversational, and engaging , aimed at understanding who you are.

PRE-RECORDED VIDEO INTERVIEW SAMPLE QUESTIONS: 
  Fixed questions:  
What do you hope to accomplish out of your business school experience, and why is Haas the right place for this?
Describe an experience in DE&I, whether in the workplace or at a community organization, that will enhance your contribution to the Haas community.
Is there anything else you would like to add that hasn’t been covered already?

Variable behavioral questions:  
 MOTIVATION
 Tell me about a time when team morale was low and you worked towards improving it through collaboration.
Tell me about a time you championed a creative initiative in the workplace. What was your thought process and attitude?
Tell me about a time when you convinced someone to do something that was outside their scope of work.

CONFLICT 
Tell me about a time you had to work on getting your team aligned on a project. How did you build consensus?
Describe a challenging experience of disruption or struggle within a team. How did you feel and what did you learn?
Tell me about a time when you worked in a team where people had strong opinions, and how you overcame that.

TEAM
Tell me about a time when you led a cross-functional team. What did you do, and how did that make you feel?
Describe a situation where you successfully fostered trust and collaboration with the individuals you were working with. How did it make you feel, and what did you learn?
Tell me about an experience where you persuaded a team to adopt your perspective. How did you accomplish this, and what was the outcome?

LIVE INTERVIEW SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
  Live interviews are conducted by  Haas students or alumni , either  in person or online . While the overall structure is similar to the prerecorded video format, the live setting allows for more  follow-up questions  or entirely new ones based on your responses. You’ll also have an opportunity to  ask your interviewer questions , making the experience more conversational and interactive.

INTRODUCTION AND HAAS RELATED: 
Tell me about yourself, walk me through your resume 
What are your short-term and long-term goals? 
Why an MBA now? Why Haas? 
Have you interacted with any member of the Haas community? 
Which other b-schools have you applied to?

BEHAVIOURAL QUESTIONS: 
 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:
Tell me about a time you fostered DEI in your professional/personal life.
Tell me about how you have promoted diversity?

MANAGING CONFLICT:
Tell me about a time when you were proven wrong. How did you react? What actions did you take? How did you feel?
Tell me about a time you experienced conflict with a co-worker or your team. How did you resolve it, and what did you learn from it?
Tell me about a time when you led a cross-functional team, and the members did not get along. What did you do?

LEADERSHIP: 
Tell me about a time when you influenced someone to collaborate on a project that fell outside the scope of their work.
Tell me about a time when you had to question the status quo?
Tell me about a time you had to bring change in a professional setting. What did you learn from it?
What does success mean to you?
What is the most significant risk you took in your professional life, and what was the outcome, along with the thought process that led you to take that risk?

TEAM: 
Tell me about a time when you had to reach a consensus within your team.
Which three words would your teammates use to describe you? Which words would your friends use?

FAILURE/ ADVERSITY: 
Tell me about a time when a decision you made failed and how you handled it.
Tell me about a time when you failed at work.
If you could change something you've done in a professional setting, what would it be?
Tell me about a time when you were proven wrong and how did you proceed?

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: 
Is there anything else you would like to tell me about yourself that we haven't talked about yet? 
Do you have any questions for me?

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