The Most Important Interview Questions Asked By Harvard Business School

NEW QUESTIONS IN THE GUIDE COME FROM MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2016

With Mohamed and Managing Editor Steve Hind leading the effort, a team of Harbus staffers worked to put the revision guide together, tweaking last year’s version and adding new insights and queries. Hind says the group got about 10 to 15 new questions from members of the Class of 2016. “Our goal was to make sure the guide fits with the changes to the application these past two years,” adds Hind, who has been a senior consultant for the Boston Consulting Group before going to HBS this year.

The move to a single, optional essay on the HBS application—down from four required essays for applicants to the Class of 2012—has meant that candidates are being asked a wider range of questions, says Hind. “The optional essay doesn’t allow applicants to address all the bread-and-butter issues including why you want an MBA in the first place and what you intend to do with it after you graduate.”

This year, for the first time, the Harbus will also be offering a downloadable PDF, entitled “Successful Essays to Get into Harvard Business School.” The book, which will be made available in late July, will include essays submitted under HBS’s new, open-ended essay prompt from successful admits. Along with essays from students on the classes of 2015 and 2016, the Harbus will provide analysis for each essay.

‘IT’S RELATIVELY UNCOMMON FOR SOMEONE TO GET A QUESTION FROM LEFT FIELD’

What are the most important questions HBS asks in a typical admissions interview? Hind says personal experience and his conversations with classmates lead to a list of several key queries:

Introduce yourself to us. Give us a short personal narrative.

Explain the choices you’ve made so far in choosing your undergraduate college and your major as well as your employer and your career.

How would a friend describe you? What is your greatest weakness?

Tell us about a time when you received feedback from a colleague or a boss?

What did you learn by working on the project or for the team you described in your essay?

How do you go about solving problems or leading people?

What can you tell us about yourself that would surprise us?

“Looking through the interview reports from the Class of 2016, I can tell you that it was relatively uncommon for anyone to get something from left field,” says Hind. “Unusual questions don’t come up frequently. There are no trick questions for a person who is being honest and self-reflective. There are questions that could trip up someone who is overthinking what they were doing or who may have a big opinion of himself.”

‘MY INTERVIEW WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND PROFESSIONAL’

Agrees Mohamed: “My interview was very friendly and professional. The admissions board here goes above and beyond in making sure it eliminates any possible personal bias. Everyone who does interviews at HBS has been given rigorous training on how to conduct a professional interview and how to listen intently to what a candidate says.”

Still, it’s not entirely unusual for there to be what many would regard as a zinger. For some, a question can be a softball down the middle of the plate. For others, it can be on the edge of the strike zone, tailing away from the batter. Consider this one: “How are you different from the other bankers and consultants we’ve interviewed?” If you have a ready answer, you could knock that out of the park. If not, there’s a high likelihood you could swing and miss.