Skip to main content

MBA Admissions Interview

What question should I ask the Interviewer?

Welcome to F1GMAT’s #AskAtulJose series. I am Atul Jose. As you prepare for the MBA Admissions interview, you will see a common question asked across schools. That is, “What question do you have for us?”  We have included a detailed guideline on answering the ‘Question for the Interviewer’ in F1GMATs MBA Admissions Interview Guide. But the question that I received from an applicant today is a little different. It goes:
 

How to handle nerves - MBA Admissions Interview

Welcome to F1GMAT’s Ask Atul Jose series. Today’s question is regarding a common but important hurdle that you must cross to receive admissions. The question is:

Q) Last year – I couldn’t convert two interviews. This admission season, I fumbled through an interview that obviously didn’t lead to a win. I have an interview next week with an M7 School and to say that I am nervous is an understatement. How should I control my nerves?

How to Sound Natural with your Interview Answer Script

Rephrasing your script or sounding as if you just came up with the answer requires some practice. Even with a lot of practice, some clients just can’t leave the sing-song tone of the answer. I did that, too, when I started my podcast. In some sessions, I sounded as if there are no scripts, while in others, I came across as a voice artist reading some dramatic storyline, or in some, I sounded as if I were reading a lecture note. So my lessons are from painful self-reflection.

Last book you read: MBA Admission Interview

We rarely have the time or attention span to sit and read 2-hour a day for a week to complete a standard 250-300 page book. The admission team realizes that to succeed in an MBA program, you must be a voracious reader. On average, a top MBA candidate reads close to 25000 words per day – close to 50 pages of a standard book. During the test season, it would climb up to 50000 to 75000 words per day or 100 to 125 pages per day.

MBA Interview: Mistake - What did you learn from it?

Tell me a time when you made a Mistake. What did you learn from it?

You might have written, re-written and edited the creases out of the failure essay. So when the admission team asks you again about failure, it might not come in a straightforward manner. Most Alumnus would rephrase the question to - what would be the biggest mistake you have made. Don’t get fooled by the wording. We all make mistakes, every day. That is part of learning. The question is not that.

5 Conversation Plan for MBA Admission Interviews

When you have done the research and learned about the admission Manager’s passion, achievements or position on Global issues, write down an outline on what you will cover in the first 2 minutes of the interview. Agreeability leaves a far better impression over challenging the admission manager’s worldview. Find common ground and start the conversation or ask questions on topics that you both agree.

MBA Admission Interviewer Types and how to customize your Answers

Admission Interviewer Motivations
Business Schools might have obsessively evaluated your motivation to do an MBA, but don’t forget schools, and admissions team have motivations too. Selecting the best candidate is a goal not the motivation behind the evaluation. When an MBA Admission Interviewer - an Alumnus, takes time away from their schedule to meet you and discuss your plans, she is not getting paid by the hour as a consultant. For MBA Admission team, the interaction is much more focused. They cannot give excuses like “I was busy last week”. It’s their job.


Find out what motivates an MBA Admission Interviewer

MBA Admission Interview - Handling nerves, Questions for the interviewer and Thank you note

There’s no substitute for preparation when it comes to feeling more relaxed and comfortable in the interview.  Many applicants underestimate how much preparation it actually takes to have polished and compelling answers.  When you feel confident in your answers, this helps to lower your nervousness.  Another reason applicants get a case of the nerves before and during the interview is because there are elements of the interview that they can’t prepare for.

MBA Admission Interview - Do's , Don'ts Before the Interview

Build in plenty of time to arrive on time, which means 10-15 minutes before your in-person interview or to be settled in a quiet place to conduct a phone interview. Remember that interviewers get annoyed with bad connections during phone interviews.  For phone interviews, make sure you know who is calling whom and that you know when the interview time is, especially if the interviewer is in a different time zone.


How Do you Define Success? (MBA Admission Interview)

MBA Admission Interview Define Success
When Booth’s Admission team started asking this question consistently over the past years, candidates were wondering whether they should cite the $275,000 (highest post-MBA salary for 2013-14) post-MBA salary as success or give some profound statements like “the purpose of life is the life of purpose.” It is too deep, and MBA Admission interviewer will give that dreaded blank look.

Save the Robin Sharma quote for some other time.

Find out how to answer "How Do you Define Success?" (MBA Admission Interview Question)

MBA Admission Interview: Are you Creative?

Creative MBA Admission Interview
When MBA Admission interviewer asks this question, a candidate’s natural tendency is to answer the question from the narrow scope of creation, but if you pay close attention, the interviewer is looking for evidence of self-expression.

The definition of Creativity has become so intertwined with Original Thought that no matter how much you try to redefine it, the definition persists in the common psyche of our society. So don’t redefine it, relish the definition by offering evidence that you came up with an original thought, or in the context of your work – an original solution.


Here is how to answer: Are you Creative (For MBA Admission Interview)

Answering Most Difficult Obstacle: MBA Admission Interview


Before answering this question, you should know the other commonly asked MBA Admission Interview Questions. Based on the distribution of questions – professional or personal, you should plan for this question. We recommend that you include a personal account; something inspiring that led you to develop your principal personality trait. It can be persistence, communication, or leadership.

Find out how to answer the Most Difficult Obstacle Question

Answering Greatest Professional Accomplishment: MBA Admission Interview

MBA Interview Greatest Accomplishment

For someone from a consulting background, the greatest professional achievement is when the consultant brings organizational changes that generate substantial cash flow, gives the client a competitive edge, and sparks a cycle of innovation. For investment bankers, raising millions of funds through cold calling, and for a technologist - creating a stable, secure system that serves millions of users are examples of greatest accomplishments.

Here is how you answer the question