The Hardest MBA Interview Question

“Do you have questions for me?” It seems so innocent and benign, but this can actually be the hardest MBA interview question for many people to answer. The wrong response can completely undermine the great impression that you made throughout the interview. Even more alarming, many people don’t even know that they have blown it. Here is an overview of what NOT to say.

Have your goals changed since you got to business school?

Ok, look – we all know that lots of people change their goals during business school, or don’t have any idea in the first place, but everyone needs to sell a cogent plan to get in. The fastest way to create doubt about your sincerity and focus is to ask the interviewer whether or not their actual career path resembles what they articulated in the application.

Why is this school better than other schools?

You never want to ask the interviewer to sell YOU on the program. Your goal right now is to convince them that you are incredible asset, and also that you are excited about the school. Plus, it’s a silly question – all schools have pluses and minuses, and fit is extremely personal.

What would you change about the program?

Never go negative.  This question is bad for the reasons above (it makes you seem disinterested, you are asking them to assess the school on your behalf) and also because you are asking your interviewer to be disloyal to their MBA program.

How did I do?

Ouch. This one made me cringe whenever I got it at Tuck. Please do NOT ask your interviewer about your performance, or about your odds of getting in. They can’t tell you, and will wonder why you think they can. It makes everyone uncomfortable and reflects poorly on your judgment.

No, I don’t have any questions.

Always have 2 questions prepared. If something comes up organically in the conversation it’s fine to shift gears, but it creates a super bad impression to waste the opportunity to learn more. The best questions demonstrate knowledge of the school and aren’t things that you could just research online.

After you get in feel free to ask the tough questions – what is career services really like, is it difficult to get the classes you want, are you glad that you chose this school? But for now, keep it positive, prepare and you will ace the hardest MBA interview question.

Karen has more than 12 years of experience evaluating candidates for admission to Dartmouth College and to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Since founding North Star Admissions Consulting in 2012, she has helped applicants gain admission to the nation’s top schools, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, MIT, Tuck, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, Haas, Duke, Johnson, Ross, NYU, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown and more. Clients have been awarded more than $47 million dollars in scholarships, and more than 98% have gotten into one of their top choice schools.

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