Virtual MBA Interview Prep Tips

While MBA interviews have gone virtual, the importance that they play in admissions is still unchanged. MBA interviews serve as a critical component of your application and an opportunity for admissions officers to get to know you more.

Dr. Kristen Willmott, Graduate School Admissions Director at Top Tier Admissions, recently offered a few tips to acing the virtual MBA interview on Entrepreneur.

KNOW THE “W” QUESTIONS

MBA interview questions may vary from school-to-school, but some of the common ones are what Willmott calls the “W” questions.

“WHO are you? WHAT have you done so far? WHERE are you coming from? WHEN is the right time for you to apply and what helped you arrive at that decision? WHY our program? HOW have you been impacted (by your work, by diversity, by inequities, by the pandemic)?”

BLIND QUESTIONS

2020 was a one of a kind year. And interviewers will certainly ask about how you grew through the turbulent year.

“We are already hearing from our clients about interviewers going ‘off the cuff’ this fall and asking questions that are political, equality-related, or Covid-connected, and that is quite new in the land of MBA admissions interviews,” Willmott writes. “Try to be prepared with answers that relay who you are and what you believe, but be professional and aware of all possible interpretations of your responses. These types of ‘blind date’ questions in MBA interviews are not very common, but they seem to be the new normal,” Willmott writes.

KNOW THE SCHOOL

It’s important to prep for each interview and know the qualities that make each B-school unique.

“Be prepared to get asked a ‘Why our program?’ question,” Willmott writes. “Access faculty webpages and CVs in advance. Many often include links to their curriculum vitae – which are terrific microscopes into what faculty are teaching, researching, which conferences they are part of, the student projects they chair, which committees they sit on at the university, and more.”

Additionally, each school will have a different interview format – something important to note for when prepping.

“Although you will likely have to discuss your goals, work experience, interpersonal skills and interest in the program at all schools, there are nevertheless serious structural differences,” Karen Marks, President and Founder of North Star Admissions Consulting, writes for P&Q. “Darden, for instance, often asks candidates to talk about themselves in an unstructured way, so you need to be prepared to carry the conversation, and to share a coherent narrative and highlight your strengths. Wharton and Ross have group exercises, which also require a different type of preparation.”

Sources: Entrepreneur, P&Q

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