Events & Promotions
|
|
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
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Apr 2310:00 AM EDT
-10:30 AM EDT
Admissions committees evaluate the GMAT/GRE in context — your background, your representation in the applicant pool, the strength of everything else in your file. The same score works for one candidate and falls short for another with identical numbers.
Apr 2312:00 PM PDT
-01:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
Apr 2408:30 PM IST
-09:30 PM IST
Join us for a Live Coffee chat with Jenifer Turtschanow where we talk about enhancing your MBA profile and fixing gaps in just 4 months.
Apr 2511:00 AM EDT
-01:00 PM EDT
Looking to secure a coveted spot at a top business school? Our team of seasoned MBA admissions consultants, including top B schools alumni and industry leaders, is here to help turn your dreams into reality. Let’s kick-start your journey to success!
26 Jan 2026, 16:58
Kudos
Bookmarks
IMD asks applicants two mandatory essays and one optional essay for the 2026 application cycle (January 2027 intake). They require one recommendation and a resume, in their own format.
Deadlines for Application submission for the 2027 intake are:
3 February 2026
17 March 2026
5 May 2026
14 July 2026
15 September 2026
13 October 2026
ESSAY QUESTIONS:
Tell us your story
Essay One: We want to hear about the experiences that have shaped you as a person. Share the moments, challenges, and lessons that have influenced your life and personal growth. This is your chance to offer insight into who you are beyond your resume.
Word Limit: 400 words (you have to copy essays in a comment box, so you can not exceed the word limit)
B-schools are increasingly using essays to get to know applicants and their personal stories. With the essay prompt, IMD has attempted the same thing, and the good thing is, with 400 words they give you enough space to share meaningful experiences with depth.
We usually advise applicants to focus on stories from the past 3-5 years. But, because this question is so open ended, you should scan your life more holistically to identify the experiences that truly shaped you. Many defining moments happen much earlier—during childhood or adolescence—so it’s worth revisiting your formative years and making a brainstorming list before you decide what to include in the essay.
Look for experiences that had a lasting impact on your personality and values. Growing up, you may have moved frequently across cities or countries. You may have faced hardships, like limited resources, health issues or family challenges. Navigating such circumstances requires grit and resilience and usually shapes our value system. Or maybe you had great role models who influenced your upbringing and you adopted certain characteristics from them.
How did you navigate these experiences? What did you learn from them? How did they shape your character or what values did you build? How do these values continue to guide you? Share some recent stories to demonstrate this.
As the question explicitly asks who you are beyond your resume, make sure to go beyond just listing your resume bullets points to telling the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind your experiences. Show self-awareness and maturity in your answer.
The tone of your essay should feel authentic for it to have the desired impact on the reader. It’s absolutely fine to mention failures or vulnerabilities, but don’t force them in as a formula for success. Pick stories that are genuinely meaningful to you and best represent who you are.
In 400 words, you’ll typically have space for 2–4 short anecdotes; keep them crisp and tied to a clear personal attribute or lesson.
Essay two: What areas of personal and professional development do you hope to explore during your time at IMD?
Word Limit: 400 words
IMD’s prompt is more open-ended unlike the typical career goals essay asked by most business schools. Although it does not directly ask you our career goals, we suggest you still touch upon the broad career direction you wish to take post MBA, because your development needs will feel more credible when they are anchored in a real career plan.
A strong way to approach this essay would be to include some context of your work experience and how that has shaped your long-term career vision. Next, mention the path you see yourself taking post-MBA. This doesn’t need to be a detailed job title and company list, but it should surely indicate the direction you are moving toward and the reason behind it. From there, mention the professional strengths you already have and identify which capabilities are currently missing. Pin down specific skill gaps and match them with courses, experiential learning projects or other learning opportunities offered by IMD MBA that will help you cover those gaps.
Similarly, reflect on your personal development needs. You may want to enhance your network, your leadership, communication, teamwork, or presentation skills (to name a few). IMD is strongly leadership-oriented, so your response should show that you see yourself as a future leader who wants to create impact, and that you are intentionally choosing IMD to stretch your leadership capacity. Identify the skills you will need to succeed and explain how the IMD MBA will help you develop them.
A perfect answer to this essay must be authentic, relevant and demonstrate self-awareness. To write a meaty response, research IMD well and reflect that research in your writing so your choices sound informed rather than generic. In addition to scouring the IMD website, speak to current students or alumni to understand first-hand, what the IMD experience is like.
With 400 words, you will have limited space to mention everything, so create a compact and tightly worded answer where you can touch upon each of the above elements.
Optional Essay : Additional information that would be helpful for the Admissions Committee to be aware of?
e.g., periods of time not employed, health-related challenges, academic circumstances, or any other unique situations. Word Limit: 400 words
IMD has made it quite clear that the optional essay should not be looked at as another opportunity to tell a leadership or achievement story. Use this space if you need to make clarifications. These could be related to poor academic grades or GRE/GMAT score, gaps in employment, health related issues or and other extenuating circumstances that would provide more context to your candidature.
Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
Email: [email protected]
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation : https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/
Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011
Deadlines for Application submission for the 2027 intake are:
3 February 2026
17 March 2026
5 May 2026
14 July 2026
15 September 2026
13 October 2026
ESSAY QUESTIONS:
Tell us your story
Essay One: We want to hear about the experiences that have shaped you as a person. Share the moments, challenges, and lessons that have influenced your life and personal growth. This is your chance to offer insight into who you are beyond your resume.
Word Limit: 400 words (you have to copy essays in a comment box, so you can not exceed the word limit)
B-schools are increasingly using essays to get to know applicants and their personal stories. With the essay prompt, IMD has attempted the same thing, and the good thing is, with 400 words they give you enough space to share meaningful experiences with depth.
We usually advise applicants to focus on stories from the past 3-5 years. But, because this question is so open ended, you should scan your life more holistically to identify the experiences that truly shaped you. Many defining moments happen much earlier—during childhood or adolescence—so it’s worth revisiting your formative years and making a brainstorming list before you decide what to include in the essay.
Look for experiences that had a lasting impact on your personality and values. Growing up, you may have moved frequently across cities or countries. You may have faced hardships, like limited resources, health issues or family challenges. Navigating such circumstances requires grit and resilience and usually shapes our value system. Or maybe you had great role models who influenced your upbringing and you adopted certain characteristics from them.
How did you navigate these experiences? What did you learn from them? How did they shape your character or what values did you build? How do these values continue to guide you? Share some recent stories to demonstrate this.
As the question explicitly asks who you are beyond your resume, make sure to go beyond just listing your resume bullets points to telling the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind your experiences. Show self-awareness and maturity in your answer.
The tone of your essay should feel authentic for it to have the desired impact on the reader. It’s absolutely fine to mention failures or vulnerabilities, but don’t force them in as a formula for success. Pick stories that are genuinely meaningful to you and best represent who you are.
In 400 words, you’ll typically have space for 2–4 short anecdotes; keep them crisp and tied to a clear personal attribute or lesson.
Essay two: What areas of personal and professional development do you hope to explore during your time at IMD?
Word Limit: 400 words
IMD’s prompt is more open-ended unlike the typical career goals essay asked by most business schools. Although it does not directly ask you our career goals, we suggest you still touch upon the broad career direction you wish to take post MBA, because your development needs will feel more credible when they are anchored in a real career plan.
A strong way to approach this essay would be to include some context of your work experience and how that has shaped your long-term career vision. Next, mention the path you see yourself taking post-MBA. This doesn’t need to be a detailed job title and company list, but it should surely indicate the direction you are moving toward and the reason behind it. From there, mention the professional strengths you already have and identify which capabilities are currently missing. Pin down specific skill gaps and match them with courses, experiential learning projects or other learning opportunities offered by IMD MBA that will help you cover those gaps.
Similarly, reflect on your personal development needs. You may want to enhance your network, your leadership, communication, teamwork, or presentation skills (to name a few). IMD is strongly leadership-oriented, so your response should show that you see yourself as a future leader who wants to create impact, and that you are intentionally choosing IMD to stretch your leadership capacity. Identify the skills you will need to succeed and explain how the IMD MBA will help you develop them.
A perfect answer to this essay must be authentic, relevant and demonstrate self-awareness. To write a meaty response, research IMD well and reflect that research in your writing so your choices sound informed rather than generic. In addition to scouring the IMD website, speak to current students or alumni to understand first-hand, what the IMD experience is like.
With 400 words, you will have limited space to mention everything, so create a compact and tightly worded answer where you can touch upon each of the above elements.
Optional Essay : Additional information that would be helpful for the Admissions Committee to be aware of?
e.g., periods of time not employed, health-related challenges, academic circumstances, or any other unique situations. Word Limit: 400 words
IMD has made it quite clear that the optional essay should not be looked at as another opportunity to tell a leadership or achievement story. Use this space if you need to make clarifications. These could be related to poor academic grades or GRE/GMAT score, gaps in employment, health related issues or and other extenuating circumstances that would provide more context to your candidature.
Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
Email: [email protected]
Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/
Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation : https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/
Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011
