Wharton TBD Mock Practice

A bit of unsolicited advice from a Wharton alum on our team as you prepare to practice your TBD:

As you structure your simulated TBD, try to assemble a group of 5-6 or so other interviewees since this is the typical size for Wharton’s group interviews (as well as the other schools that do TBD-like interviews, like Ross). Have somebody play the role of the 2nd year TBD moderator, who takes notes on performance and gives feedback at the end. Simulate the actual discussion by having the 2nd year moderator open the floor by giving each candidate 2 minutes to state their idea/position and go around the circle as each participant lays out their “big idea” (this is what happens in the actual interview).

People need to be prepared for the likely event that somebody else will get “the floor” earlier than they do and will state their favorite idea before they have a chance to speak. In my experience (as the third person to speak out of six participants), I was lucky to have a second idea at the ready since the first person to speak took mine. I would have had a harder time if I were the 6th person to speak! In my TBD, the 6th person actually said something like “all of my ideas have been taken and I especially liked how X articulated Y - that was what I wanted to talk about today. I’d also like to add Z [dimension that hadn’t been brought up yet].” The guy was so charming, confident and self-effacing about it that it worked for him! He ended up being a future classmate, so don’t sweat it too much if that happens to you. *DO* try to come up with multiple ideas on the same topic so that you have some at the ready if yours gets chosen. Ultimately, though, the strength of your initial idea isn’t really what determines your performance. What matters more than anything is your ability to “advance the ball,” so to speak. There are ways to advance the ball that involve *hogging the ball,* and although that’s one way to win, it’s not the best way. You want to be seen as a utility player who can work well with others in this process.

This interview can go a lot of different ways, depending on who else is in the room and the dynamic among the interviewees. Candidates need to make sure they don't "peacock" and hog the floor but they also must ensure that they aren't a shy wallflower who doesn't speak ENOUGH. They need to articulate that they can be critical of an idea without being negative towards a person. They also need to show maturity when somebody (who may be a shark / peacock) shows negative feedback towards them. Many second years who run the group interview have said that they use the group interview to weed out jerks - so make sure you don't behave like one!

Is the adcom giving you a list of the potential prompts or topics for discussion for your group interview (this is what they have been doing in recent rounds)? One thing you CAN'T MESS UP is how you prepare for the prompt or topics or whatever other information they give you from which to prepare. Make sure that you have insightful things to say about ALL the prompts (since you won't know which one they will choose until the interview day). You need to make sure that you REALLY DO YOUR HOMEWORK about Wharton so that you can say something insightful and unique that won't be repeated over and over again when going around the circle. Since each candidate will be asked to present their "big idea" at the start of the interview, you don't want to be saying the same thing as everybody else, especially if you are the unfortunate person who has to go last. Many applicants have found talking to Wharton alums to be especially helpful when preparing for this interview. Since you are practicing, you should do several practice sessions to cover all of the potential topics.

People who are humble and shy by nature need to puff up their chest a little bit! This may go without saying, but schools want leaders! You must prove that you are a leader who has already made an impact beyond your years in order to gain acceptance. Obviously, you don’t want to be a jerk and you don’t want to be a brash egomaniac, but if you speak significantly less than your share of prorated time (total discussion time / number of participants), you probably haven’t done your best. In general, our experience is that people who want to do a lot of practice (ahem) are generally not the arrogant ones who will sink in a Michigan Ross or Wharton group interview for being peacocking jerks, but rather then ones who need to figure out how to position themselves confidently to stand out from the crowd.

Since the pandemic, interviewees have had the option to participate in Wharton’s TBD virtually. Even if this virtual option is available to you, my suggestion would be to attend your nearest in-person interview (in recent history, some have been given in non-Philadelphia locations such as Hong Kong or Singapore). All the usual tech glitches associated with virtual participation (echos, freezing, talking over people), are especially problematic with more people (there will be a minimum of 7-8: 5-6 interviewees plus 2 2nd years). ESPECIALLY if you are the shy-type who doesn’t necessarily jump into a decision confidently, you might find yourself especially problematically quiet during the TBD if you are experiencing audio delays or technical difficulties. It’s just easier to “read the room” when you are attending in person. Bearing the cost and inconvenience of attending the interviews in person also is a valuable signal to Wharton of your desire for admission.

Keep in mind that in addition to the TBD, Wharton also generally employs the typical interviews that are similar to other schools (1:1 or 2:1 interview with the candidate and 1 or 2 members of either the second-year class or the AdCom), so you’ll want to practice those, too. It’s best to do that with a recent MBA alum (doesn’t necessarily have to be from Wharton since most M7 schools have similar questions for the 1:1 interviews, though it helps to have an alum from the school in question since you can bounce school-specific questions off of them).

Good luck to you as you practice!