Poets and Quants

Wharton’s Interview Questions For Applicants Leak

by John A. Byrne

During the 30-minute interview, alums are told to spend five minutes on an introduction, then five minutes each on three questions, leaving the remaining ten minutes of the time for questions from applicants.

HOW APPLICANTS ARE BEING GRADED ON THEIR ANSWERS.

The accompanying scoring sheets ask alums to grade the answers on a numerical scale from one to four. Using “facilitative leadership” as an example, a score of one indicates that the applicant “doesn’t actively guide or shape the group or team.” A score of two shows that the applicant “facilitates the input of others,” while a three indicates that the applicant “takes the lead and achieves consensus and agreement.” The highest score, a four, shows that the interviewee, in Wharton jargon, “facilitates the team to build an ‘added value’ output.”

The interviewer is asked to back up the grades based on an applicant’s answers. If an interviewer gives an applicant a score of one, that person is asked to check off whether the applicant “describes situations where s/he provided no direction to the group or team to assist in the completion of a task” or “referenced times where she was unwilling to take any leadership responsibility.”

If an interviewer gives the applicant Wharton’s highest score, the interviewer is asked to check off whether the applicant “discussed times where s/he led a group and achieved a solution/idea that was more powerful than any individual’s original idea,” “talked about situations where they inspired a group to believe that challenges to the task could be overcome,” “mentioned situations where they confidently and positively challenged team or group members on their views,” or finally, “talked about getting others to work collectively to achieve successful outcomes.”

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  • MosliGranola

    I’ll be blunt: Having had 4 interviews so far, including Wharton, I can say as a candidate that Wharton just hit the trifecta of turn-offs for me. Never mind those who were helped by consultants–the way in which Wharton rolled out the process was wholly unfair to those who had the simple misfortune of interviewing early before the dissemination of the questions.

    John just shed light on the second mistake: Simply ignoring their mistake instead of admitting and addressing it. Sandy compares it to BP, but I’m immediately reminded of Monty Python’s Parrot Sketch.

    Here is the coup de grâce, which John did not mention: In some interviews (including mine), Wharton simply hired third-party consultants who never set foot in Wharton, let alone attend the MBA.

    Knowing the questions in advance, I think my interview went fine. But this “trifecta” provided a stark contrast: I felt I was providing a 30 minute “deposition” to a Wharton stenographer, whereas my interview with a Booth alumni was a highly spirited, 90 minute-long conversation which deeply impressed me. I have no doubt Wharton is still a great program and I’d still be thrilled to attend if I get in. But if my options come down to between Wharton and Booth, I’d have to say Wharton would no longer be my top choice.

  • JW

    Get in at any cost. What a shame. This makes everyone invloved with the MBA process (schools, applicants, alumni and consultants) look bad. Looks particularly bad on schools who have recently come to embrace the consultants and their roles with prospective students.

  • Tory

    If it’s unethical for admissions consultants to disseminate Wharton’s interview questions, isn’t it also unethical for this website to publish them?

  • http://poetsandquants.com/members/jbyrne/ John A. Byrne

    Tory,

    It would be an issue if some applicants had an unfair advantage over others because they had the questions and no one else did. The publication of this information merely levels the playing field.

  • Anony

    John, you are unleveling the playing field between those applicants who have already interviewed and those who are about to. It’s not your fault though. Wharton’s stupidity has created an impossible situation for all involved parties.

  • Lim,

    The Interview, the only opportunity or process for adcoms to come in contact and interact with applicants in order to get to know them better and gain rounded information about their personality and characteristics is perverted.

    This new system may create an ‘arms-race’ among applicants to equip themselves with knowledge concerning ‘what the adcom wants to hear’ via multiple channels, rather than presenting themselves candidly and as they are to the adcom, which are the adcom’s intended input.

  • Nathan

    Are there any difference between these and the majority of Behavioural-based Interviewing questions?

    I’ve never heard of Wharton, haven’t considered even doing an MBA and I could still answers those questions. I’d be too young to get in, with no management experience whatsoever, but these aren’t exactly the “Why is a manhole round” style stumpers used elsewhere (I stumbled across this thanks to my interest in interview questions).

  • timothy butler

    Well I don’t really see what the big deal is? All the questions are already listed on http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=WhartonInterview by applicant who have already interviewed. This is nothing new. In a free market information travels likes this and so is shared amongst all parties. First round applicants had the feedback of applicants from last year or so on. Nothing unfair about the process.

  • Ravishankar

    There really is no big deal.

    Anyone preparing for any interview – be it a consulting interview, or an admissions interview, would always be answering the same set of big questions : What differentiates you ? Why MBA ? Why this particular one ? Show me evidence for your leadership, problem solving and initiative. What makes you tick ? Blah Blah and Blah.

    Wharton’s questions are merely a remix of the basic interview set.

    Almost everyone knows the questions, but everyone’s answers reflect their maturity, experience set, and intellectual bandwidth. Preparation cannot change the result of years of foundation building. Yet everyone, rightly, prepares to smoothen the delivery. Preparing with this or that set of questions cannot make any difference.

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  • Jagdish Patel

    Does anyone know if these questions are being used in Round 2 interviews this year? Presumably its possible Admissions changed the questions for R2 in light of the leak?

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