10 Tough MBA Interview Questions & How To Handle Them

You were thrilled to receive an invitation to interview for admission to the MBA program of your dreams. You’ve done your homework, and you feel ready to make your case. 

So what do you do when the MBA admissions interviewer asks you whether 3,599 is a prime number (besides trying not to break into a cold sweat?) Or whether the government should apply tariffs based on a product’s environmental sustainability? Or how the pandemic influenced the impact you’d like to make in your community? 

These are real interview questions that interviewers at top 10 schools asked recent Fortuna Admissions clients. As Wharton’s former head of admissions, I can assure you tough questions like these aren’t motivated by schadenfreude. I’ve certainly thrown a curveball question to shake an overly rehearsed candidate from their script or to deepen the conversation. 

The purpose of the interview is to get a stronger sense of who you are and how you think. The standard MBA interview questions revolve around conveying your story, your career plan, and your unique goals.  You should be ready to address in a coherent, confident, and focused manner. Other types of interview questions plumb for another level of substance and specificity, from behavioral questions (like the Stanford GSB interview) to your personal characteristics and opinions. 

Challenging and unexpected questions may be deployed to elicit more clarity, honesty and substance, which makes the conversation more interesting for both of you. It’s hard to anticipate the truly oddball questions, but you can and should prepare for some common difficult questions and formulate thoughtful responses (Sign up for prep sessions with Fortuna’s experienced admissions insiders to cover all these bases.)  

Below are ten difficult questions you might encounter, along with strategies to address them:

1. Give an example of a time you’ve failed.

Questions like this can throw you off your game when you are trying to present yourself in the best possible light. But we have all failed; the interviewer is looking for the self-awareness it takes to recognize and learn from your failures.

Says Fortuna’s Caroline Diarte Edwards (former INSEAD Admissions Director), “What’s most compelling to the admissions committee on the topic of failure is what you’ve learned from your experience, whether you’ve had to face your fears, and whether you’ve demonstrated the grit and persistence to bounce back and forge ahead with new awareness.”

Fortuna’s Karla Cohen affirms that some of the best essays she’s ever read open with an applicant’s story of a failure and how it has shaped them, creating credibility through their introspection and authenticity. “From my perspective, if you are never making mistakes, you aren’t working hard enough,” says Karla.

2. What is your biggest weakness?

As with the question of failure, frame an example of a weakness in a way that allows you to demonstrate growth. For example, describe what steps you’ve taken to work on overcoming the weakness and what you have learned from this experience.

One way to talk about a weakness is to provide a situational weakness (as opposed to a character weakness). For example, instead of saying, “I am a perfectionist,” you may want to talk about how you are learning to build in time to allow for extra review with a deliverable so that it’s up to your standards. However, be careful not to sidestep the question. Showing humility and self-awareness is critical. Schools are not expecting you to be perfect; they want to know that you are able to learn and grow during your experience on their campus.

3. What are your thoughts on your current industry trends?

Point-of-view questions like this one are an opportunity to show that you are informed about the business world and macroeconomics. This can be a great opportunity for you to link your career goals to trends or issues in the industry. In the time leading up to your interview, make sure you’re reading about broader global trends influencing your field in sources like The Economist, Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Then, if this question comes up, just take your time to answer and avoid something too ambitious or complex. 

4. Give an example of a time you worked with a difficult team.

Again, emphasize what you learned from this experience. Avoid a lengthy explanation of the scenario. The story is not as important as the outcomes; how did this impact your more recent team experiences? How did this experience help you define your leadership style?

If asked about a difficult boss, focus on how this made you stronger (e.g., more autonomous, spurred you to search for a mentor, etc.).

5. What was the price of gold this morning?

Occasionally, interviewers ask unexpected, fact-based questions to assess your composure under pressure. These questions come in many flavors, and they can really make you feel cornered.

If you don’t know the answer, admit it and briefly explain how you would find out. If possible, link your answer back to your goals in terms of developing your business knowledge and why you’re here applying for an MBA.

In most cases, the interviewer is looking to see how you handle yourself under pressure — a test of how you will cope with stress in the MBA program. Remember, if you lose your composure, it’s hard to get back. In the moment, you can always take a sip of water or a short pause to breathe, then redirect.

6. How many coins fit in this room?

Coins in a room, cookies in a jar — these are classic examples of problem-solving questions.  When an interviewer lobs a problem to resolve, they’re interested in how you think through an issue. It’s not about having an exact answer but meeting the unexpected with confidence and curiosity.

In her insider advice on acing the Harvard Business School interview, Karla Cohen puts it this way: “It’s your unique perspectives, rationale and thought process that distinguish you from others of a similar or identical profile.” So, as always in an interview situation, be yourself.

7. What do you dislike about your job?

Consider your short and long-term career goals, and make sure your answer doesn’t clash with them. For example, don’t say you don’t like office politics if your goal is to become a GM. Instead, you could focus on what you’re currently missing and what you’re actively doing about it.

8. Tell me about the gap in your resume.

Maybe you initiated a career switch, took time off to start an entrepreneurial venture, or got laid off during the Covid pandemic. Perhaps illness or other personal circumstances were to blame. Whatever the reason may be, you want to provide a straightforward explanation versus an excuse. Again, articulate not just the circumstances surrounding any employment gap, but what you learned from the experience. (For more on how to address a gap in your resume, view this related post by Fortuna’s Jessica Chung.)

Similarly, if there is a red flag in your profile — for example, a record of disorderly conduct in a regrettable undergrad moment — expect to be asked about it and prepare to answer in a straightforward and reflective way. After all, an invitation to interview is a signal that the school believes in your potential, but there might be one issue that they want to clarify. Answer in a matter-of-fact tone, take your time and don’t get defensive. As Jessica says, “How you choose to frame your challenges and upsets as opportunities and learning lessons can make all the difference.”

9. What other schools are you applying to?

Every school wants to know they are your first choice. But under this question is a subtle test of your deep understanding of this school’s culture, values, and unique offerings.

Of course, they also know that you’re applying to other programs — they expect that, and it’s a sensible thing to do. At the same time, you want to show the reasoning for why you’re applying to other programs in the context of why this school is still number one, says Fortuna’s Karen Hamou, a Columbia Business School alum and former Deloitte recruiting lead.

For example, if you’re interviewing with Columbia, Karen advises to contextualize in this way: “Given my interest in doing my MBA in NYC, I am also applying to Stern. While Stern could also provide me with a strong finance education, CBS remains my #1 choice due to its unique value investing program.” This helps to set up your thinking as well as cement your choice in your interviewer’s mind.

10. You don’t need an MBA to achieve your goals—why are you applying?

Here you’re being asked to show you’ve thought at length about what business school will provide. You need to show how an MBA will help you go further and have a bigger impact.

If your case is not obvious, you can also take a page from the playbook of UN peacekeeping chief and London Business School graduate Paul Heslop, who spoke to Fortuna’s Matt Symonds on the value of the MBA in a non-traditional path like his. Says Heslop, “I’m using those skills I learned in business school every day. And, because few people in the UN have MBAs, it gave me a unique perspective that was recognized and rewarded with rapid promotion to my current position.”

It’s also not uncommon to be quizzed on something your interviewer finds intriguing in your application, such as undergraduate education paths in your country. Left-field questions can be an interviewer’s way to stay engaged in the conversation or satisfy a curiosity. (It can also be a sign your interviewer is not an expert at interviewing; this can happen more often with a second-year student or alum.)

Final Words of Advice

Remember, most of the time, unexpected questions are deployed to elicit more honesty, clarity, and substance, which makes the conversation more interesting for both of you. Forethought and practice are the keys to smoothly handling any probing or mind-bending MBA interview questions thrown your way.

Fortuna’s team of MBA admissions insiders has conducted thousands of MBA interviews, and they know all the tricks and tough questions. Sign up for our dedicated interview prep services, and they will help you go into your interview relaxed and ready.

As you head into your interviews, keep perspective, and try to enjoy the challenge. Instead of getting thrown off by tough questions, embrace the spirit of the conversation. 

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Judith Silverman Hodara is Cofounder and Director at Fortuna Admissions and former Wharton head of Admissions. For more free advice from Fortuna in partnership with Poets&Quants, check out these videos and articles. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a free consultation.