Calling all INSEAD MBA Applicants: (January 2017 Intake) Class of 2017

From my personal experience, I'd say that you should prepare brief bullet-points for all the standard questions that your interviewers are likely to ask (why MBA, why INSEAD, tell me about your international experiences, walk me through your CV, etc) but definitely DO NOT script your responses. You'll sound unnatural and your answers will sound rehearsed, on the day, if you do this. Just know your story well and practice interviewing, with a friend. You don't need to tick every box and give every detail but you DO need to be natural.

My interviewer said that the best candidates are reasonably relaxed and the interview should play out like a conversation between friends. Keep it professional but friendly. Warm and not overly formal nor overly familiar. I think it's as though you're speaking with a recruitment company - you don't need to impress as much as you would in a direct interview with an employer, you're more relaxed and you're explaining your work experiences, history and objectives, to give the recruiter a better sense of who you are and where you're hoping to go.

Again, from my own experience, your interviewers aren't likely to ask questions in a typical, set order (ie. questions that address your history in chronological order - why this degree, why this first job, why move to the next job, etc). They may also ask probing questions that go all the way back to before university. So make sure that you know why you decided on this career, all those years ago and why you made all the choices that led you here today. Really think, in depth, about your feelings and rationale for each and every career/educational decision and make sure that they all make sense and paint a coherent picture of your career route. I didn't prepare for these probing questions but I knew exactly why I made the decisions that I made, because these were things that I thought about, before I decided to pursue an MBA. Luckily, this meant that when the interviewer asked me about these areas, it was very conversational and not at all stilted (unlike the "walk me through your CV" portion,where I simply rehashed stuff from memory - not a smart move!). It's OK to ask for a moment, to think about your answer, before responding. Better to give a considered response than to fill all silences hurriedly.

I hope that helps. Good luck!