How To Approach MIT Sloan’s Pre-Interview Questions

MIT Sloan requires applicants to submit a response to one of two pre-interview questions as a means to learn more about “how you make data-driven decisions and communicate results.”

Trisha Nussbaum, an MBA Admissions coach with Fortuna Admissions, recently broke down Sloan’s pre-interview prompts and offered tips for applicants on how to approach each option.

OPTION A

The first prompt option asks applicants the following:

Please select an existing data visualization and in 250 words or less, describe what it means and why it matters to you. The data visualization must be uploaded as a PDF. Examples may come from current events, a business analysis, or personal research (e.g. climate change, COVID-19 maps, etc.)

This option, according to Nussbaum, is more of a values and goals question. To find visualization, Nussbaum recommends CBInsights, which offers business analysis visuals.

Additionally, Nussbaum says, it can be helpful to reference Edward Tufte’s Fundamental Principles of Analytical Design, which provide evidence to communicate efficiently and effectively.

OPTION B

The second prompt option asks applicants the following:

In 250 words or less, please describe a recent data-driven decision you had to make, and include one slide presenting your analysis. The slide may include a data visualization example and should present data used in a professional context. You slide must be uploaded as a PDF.

Nussbaum says this prompt is less about the specific data you’ve used, but rather, whether the data resonates with your audience. This prompt is more of a leadership or situational question.

“There are many things that can potentially qualify as ‘data,’” Nussbaum writes. “Most business leaders need a lot of perspectives and opinions and utilize many resources to make calculated decisions. You could say that those perspectives equate to ‘qualitative data.’”

Nussbaum recommends offering an analytical approach to the data you provide.

“In structuring your response, consider an adapted version of the STAR (Situation Task Action Result) format, where the task is the decision you have to make, and the action is more about your consideration of the factors and hypotheses that go into making that decision,” she writes.

Sources: Fortuna Admissions, MIT Sloan, CBInsights, Edward Tufte

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