Wharton’s Interview Questions For Applicants Leak

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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