1. Why Do You Want to Attend this School?

Colleges look for students who will be a good match for their school. Your interviewer wants to see a genuine
interest in the college. “There’s always going to be a question ‘Why do you want to come to our school?’ so you
really have to know the school,” says Bev Taylor, an independent college counsellor and director of the Ivy
Coach. Spend time before the interview thinking about why that college would be a good match for you. “It’s
important to talk about yourself. Students need to do their homework before an interview. Find out what it is
about themselves that can make them happy at that college,” Taylor says.

2. What book have you read in the last year that has special meaning to you and why?

This interview question frequently comes up and is an easy one to prepare an answer to. Try not to pick a book
that you were assigned to read for class, but if you do, try not to mention that it was an assignment. “Know
about a book and don’t just stop at the name of the book and the author. Know something about the book and
something that you enjoyed about that book … You have to know the answer to this one,” Taylor says. Use this
opportunity to share something about yourself. Talk about why the book had special meaning for you and try to
reveal your interests and personality in the process.

3. How will you contribute to this campus?

This question comes in different forms including, “In what ways have you contributed to your high school?,”
“How will you be a valuable addition to the college?” Before the interview, pick a few positive adjectives that
describe you and explain why. Then turn that into the answer to any of these questions. For example, “I’m very
self-motivated. If I see that something needs to get done, I take it upon myself to do it. In my high school glee
club, for instance …” An answer like this will work for more than one type of question. “Don’t just give the
three adjectives though. Pretend you were thrown a ball and now you have to run with the ball. Relax and
answer the question, but give more than just the answers,” Taylor says.

4. What are your academic interests?

You don’t have to know what you’ll major in, but be able to explain your academic interests, why they interest
you, and how you can pursue those interests at their college. Colleges are looking for students who are excited
about learning, not students who feel they need to get a college degree but aren’t sure why.

5. Do you have any questions?

“That’s going to come up at the end, guaranteed. Too often students will say, ‘I think you’ve answered them all.
That’s probably the worst answer you can give. You need to have some questions,” Taylor says. Asking your
interviewer questions shows them that you’ve spent time thinking about their school. It’s okay to bring a list of
questions you wrote beforehand.

Ask the right sorts of questions. Don’t ask something that can easily be found on the school’s Web site. Show
you’ve done some research. Ask questions that relate to your interests, not just general questions. You also don’t
want to ask a question that will put their school in a negative light. Instead of asking a yes or no question like,
“Are research opportunities available to freshmen?” ask a more open-ended question like, “How can a freshman
get involved in research?”

No matter what questions you’re asked in your interview, think of the interview as a conversation. Relax and act
like yourself. It’s important to anticipate what questions you’ll be asked and prepare answers. Don’t just recite
the answers you prepare, but take time to think them over and sound natural.

1. Tell me about your job progression

2. what are your strengths/weaknesses

3. Why MBA now?

 4. Short-term/Long-term goals

5. if you were in an IBanking interview (my short term goal) how would you
convince them that you were right for the position – this question caught me a
little off guard

6. what excites you about Stern?

7. how would you contribute to the Stern community?

8. what would you do if you couldn’t get the summer internship you wanted?

9. questions for her

10. Why business school?

11. Why did you decide to apply to this business school?

12. What makes you stand out among other candidates?

13. What can you contribute to our program?

14. What are your expectations of this program?

15. How do you plan to use your degree?

16. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

17. Can you walk me through your resume?

18. Can you give me an example of a time that you demonstrated leadership?

19. What is your definition of teamwork?

20. What would you say is your biggest weakness?

21. What are your greatest strengths?

22. How would your colleagues describe you?

23. What are your hobbies?

To learn more about the specific MBA interview questions that you may have to answer at a
particular school, consider speaking with current students or school alumni. They may be able to
offer additional insight into the admissions committee or provide you with a list of questions
common to your school of interest.

MBA Interview Questions and Answers

QUESTIONS AT THE INTERVIEW
Even if each interviews is unique, there is great similarity in the subjects touched upon. The principal things your
interviewer will be looking at are:

 your previous education

 your professional experience

 your extra-professional activities

 your character and your values

  your motivation for doing an MBA and, more specifically, at the school with which you're interviewing.

We polled numerous MBA students in order to gather a list of the questions most frequently posed in each of
these categories. The great thing about this list is that it gives you the wording of most of the questions you will
be asked. This list is very exhaustive, and you certainly won't have to answer even a tenth of these questions.
The problem is that you don't know which ones you will be posed. We therefore suggest that you prepare a
response to most of these questions so that you can be convincing on the spot.

Your previous education:

 Which school did you attend and why that one'?
 Would you choose the same studies again ifyou could do it over again?
 What was your major and why?
 What overall grades did you get? Did you get honors?
 Which courses were you best at? Why?
 What did you like most about this part of your education?
 What did you least like about this part of your education?
 What extra-curricular activities did you participate in? Why and what was your contribution?
 How did you pay for your education'?

Your professional experience:

 Can you briefly describe your career progress to date?
 What are your long term career aspirations and why?
 Please discuss the factors, both professional and personal, influencing the career decisions you have made so
far.
 Can you briefly describe the key responsibilities of your current job?
 What are the key challenges of your job?
 While recognizing that no day is typical, please describe a representative working day.
 Why did you choose this profession? Why this company?
 What do you like best/about your current job?
 Describe your most successful accomplishment at work.
 Describe a failure on the job.
 What could you do to be an even more effective member of your organization?
 Describe a situation in which you have been in the position of leading a group.
 What have you done to develop those under your responsibility?
 What specifically have you done to help your company change'?
 How does your performance compare with that of your peers at a similar level?
 Describe your relationship with your boss. What is good and bad about it?
 Where is your industry heading in the next five years? (all the more important if your interviewer works in the
same domain).

Your extra-professional activities:

 How do you spend your time outside of work? What activities do you enjoy most and why?
 Describe a situation where you have been in a position of leading a group in those activities,
 Describe your key accomplishments in these activities.
 Describe any failure in these activities.
 What is the last book you read? What did you think of it?
 What is your favorite sport? What aspect of it appeals to you'?

Your reasons for doing an MBA and more specifically the reason you are doing this interview:
 Why do you want to do an MBA? Why now?
 Where do you expect to be in 5 years?
 What do you expect to get from an MBA?
 Why do you want to come to our school in particular?
 Which other schools are you applying to?
 How did you choose these schools? Why so many/few?
 Which school is your first choice?
 What if you are not accepted in the schools you are applying for? ifyou didn't get into any programs?
 What specific questions do you have about our school?
 What would you contribute to our school that is distinctive?

Your character and your values

 Tell me about yourself.
 How would your friends describe you?
 What are your main strengths and weaknesses?
 What have you done that you are proud of?.
 Who are your heroes? Why?
 Describe any significant experience abroad. What did you learn from this?
 Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced. How did you resolve it?

Why did you decide to apply to our business school?

Answer this question in a similar fashion to why business school, but be sure it matches something specific in
your personal and professional goals to something the school has. This is the most compelling reason you can
provide a school to accept you other than your academic qualifications. The more unique and thought out your
answer is, the better your application appears to an admission committee. This question is also not answered
well by many students because they do not always give the impression that they have done their homework on
the school they are interviewing with. Not being prepared on this question makes your interest in the programme
pretty shallow.

What makes you stand out among other candidates?

Reveal to the interviewer something unique about yourself which can be a combination of experiences you have
had (academic and professional) that would make you successful at their programme. Your unique experiences
are of great interest to schools because they define who you are as a person, how you may contribute in the
classroom, how employable you are, and how well you may perform academically.

What can you contribute to our programme?

Answer this question by relating to your strengths and experiences. If you have something very unique in your
work experience be sure to mention it and how the school can value it. Also, don't be shy about how your
experience can be of value to the classroom or to team members.

What are your expectations of this programme?

This is a question that should clearly demonstrate you have done your homework about the school and how its
strengths will help you achieve your career expectations. If you want to go into real estate for example, be sure
to answer in terms of how the programme's real estate courses will help you achieve your goals. Make sure you
research the facts behind your answer or you may come across as not having done your homework.

How do you plan to use your degree?

This is similar to "Why business school?" You need to demonstrate how the degree can improve your chances in
a career interest. Make sure your career interests were not researched the morning of the interview. You had
better articulate a clear road map to getting where you want to go.

Common MBA Admission Interview Question:-

← Why business school?

← Why did you decide to apply to this business school?
← What makes you stand out among other candidates?
← What can you contribute to our program?
← What are your expectations of this program?
← How do you plan to use your degree?
← Where do you see yourself in ten years?
 ← Can you walk me through your resume?
← Can you give me an example of a time that you demonstrated leadership?
← What is your definition of teamwork?
← What would you say is your biggest weakness?
← What are your greatest strengths?
← How would your colleagues describe you?
← What are your hobbies?

MBA Admission Interview Questions on your Previous Education:-

← Which school did you attend and why that one'?

← Would you choose the same studies again ifyou could do it over again?
← What was your major and why?
← What overall grades did you get? Did you get honors?
← Which courses were you best at? Why?
← What did you like most about this part of your education?
← What did you least like about this part of your education?
← What extra-curricular activities did you participate in? Why and what was your
contribution?
← How did you pay for your education'?

MBA Admission Interview Questions on your Professional Experience:-

← Can you briefly describe your career progress to date?

← What are your long term career aspirations and why?
← Please discuss the factors, both professional and personal, influencing the career
decisions you have made so far.
← Can you briefly describe the key responsibilities of your current job?
← What are the key challenges of your job?
← While recognizing that no day is typical, please describe a representative working day.
← Why did you choose this profession? Why this company?
← What do you like best/about your current job?
← Describe your most successful accomplishment at work.
← Describe a failure on the job.
← What could you do to be an even more effective member of your organization?
← Describe a situation in which you have been in the position of leading a group.
← What have you done to develop those under your responsibility?
← What specifically have you done to help your company change'?
← How does your performance compare with that of your peers at a similar level?
← Describe your relationship with your boss. What is good and bad about it?
← Where is your industry heading in the next five years? (all the more important if your
interviewer works in the same domain).

MBA Admission Interview Questions on your Extra-Professional Activities:-

← How do you spend your time outside of work? What activities do you enjoy most and why?
 ← Describe a situation where you have been in a position of leading a group in those
activities,
← Describe your key accomplishments in these activities.
← Describe any failure in these activities.
← What is the last book you read? What did you think of it?
← What is your favorite sport? What aspect of it appeals to you'?

MBA Admission Interview Questions on Reasons for doing an MBA:-

← Why do you want to do an MBA? Why now?

← Where do you expect to be in 5 years?
← What do you expect to get from an MBA?
← Why do you want to come to our school in particular?
← Which other schools are you applying to?
← How did you choose these schools? Why so many/few?
← Which school is your first choice?
← What if you are not accepted in the schools you are applying for? ifyou didn't get into any
programs?
← What specific questions do you have about our school?
← What would you contribute to our school that is distinctive

MBA Admission Interview Questions on Your Character and Your Values:-

← Tell me about yourself.

← How would your friends describe you?
← What are your main strengths and weaknesses?
← What have you done that you are proud of?.
← Who are your heroes? Why?
← Describe any significant experience abroad. What did you learn from this?
← Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced. How did you resolve it?