The Best MBA Networking Strategies

Interview Questions That Wharton Asks MBA Candidates

“I have the answers… I just don’t know the questions”

Ever been there? In sales, you’ll learn your figures, pain points, and value proposition backwards-and-forwards. And then some clown demands a capability that neither Apple nor Amazon couldn’t pull off. For job interviews, you’ll line up recommendations and pore over annual reports – and then be asked what your superpower is. Sure, improvisation is a key skill these days. But wouldn’t you like to know the questions ahead of time, so you can flush out and polish your response?

If you hope to land at Wharton, here’s some good news. Business Insider, in conjunction with Stacy Blackman, recently shared a list of 21 interview questions that Wharton asks MBA candidates during interviews. Here is a sample of the questions asked:

• Tell me about an experience where there was no formally appointed group leader.
• Tell me about a time when you had to build a team or lead an effort.
• What is your definition of leadership?
• Discuss a time when your ideas were challenged by others.
• What are characteristics of effective/ineffective communication?
• Tell me how you have addressed the opinions of others in group situations.
• Tell me about a time you encountered conflict in a group and how you handled it.
• What did this experience teach you about yourself?

Of course, Wharton adcoms, alumni, and students ask plenty of other questions, which are often collected by Clear Admit as part of their admissions interview round ups. Here are some additional questions that you may want to prepare for if you interview with Wharton:

• Tell me about a time you lead a team and someone was less motivated / focused
• Tell me about a time you managed up / managed someone senior to you.
• Tell me about a time when you participated in a successful negotiation
• Describe a time when you led a team and it failed
• Tell me about a time you’ve had to convince a team of doing something different and they didn’t necessarily agree?
• What is your leadership style?
• Why MBA? Why now? Why Wharton

Mind you, these are post-activity questions. At Wharton, applicants traditionally complete a team-based discussion (TBD). Here, six member teams pick a topic, such as delivering life-long learning solutions, and deliver recommendations during a group presentation to help adcoms and current students see how these students function in a team dynamic. As part of the process, the teams are also interviewed about their process and findings. Here are some questions to expect, courtesy of Clear Admit users:

• Did your behavior reflect [your] usual role on a team?
• What is something that your group could have done better?
• What do you want to say to the admissions committee based on this experience?

In addition, here are some tips from one Wharton interviewee on how to best perform during the TBD:

• Come up with general themes…Spending hours on nitty gritty details about your topic is not necessary.
• Propose ideas that force everyone to interact. For example, allow everyone to have some portion of the closing presentation.
• If your idea is chosen, and you are somewhat knowledgeable, then you will have a slight advantage. The person whose idea was chosen became the natural leader because we leaned on him initially to provide us with content specific to his course.
• Sit with your back to the Adcom observers. That way you will be forced to make eye contact with the discussion team only.

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Source: Business Insider, Clear Admit