How To Prepare for The Wharton Team-Based Discussion

The Wharton Team-Based Discussion is one of the most unique interviewing methods that only Wharton follows amongst the M7s. Therefore, the preparation for the Team-Based Discussion is quite unique compared to the other schools you might be applying to. Since we pride ourselves on having helped 55 applicants receive admits from Wharton for the Class of 2026, with an average of one in three applicants getting an admit from this ambitious school, we’ve broken down the key advice we share with our applicants in this blog.

Before we dive deeper into the specifics of the Wharton Team-Based Discussion, here’s how it’s structured. You’d join the call, ideally 10 minutes before you’re supposed to. Once you’re let into the call and before the actual discussion starts, everyone introduces themselves to each other. This is not the time and place to get into the weeds of what your pitch is about or to discuss anything about the TBD. Ideally, you should try to get other participant’s names and what they do in which industry to get to know their mindset and area of expertise.

The Team Based Discussion is 35 minutes long. Once the TBD starts, the first thing will be your 1-minute pitch. Typically, the pitch happens in alphabetical order, so if your name starts with A, be ready to take the floor as soon as the moderator kickstarts the TBD. Followed by the 1-minute pitches is your actual Team Discussion. Within these 30 minutes, you need to allocate 3-5 minutes of time to your final presentation. The last stage of this Wharton Interview is a 10-minute long 1:1 interview that happens post the TBD, most likely in alphabetical order. To know more about how to approach each of these components, read along for a deeper dive into the Wharton TBD.

1 Minute Pitch

Once the group discussion begins, you each get one minute to give a pitch to your team. This pitch would basically include the specifics of your proposal, for which the criteria would’ve already been outlined in the prompt shared with you well in advance.

In terms of the prompt, the school launches a new prompt every year. So, while preparing for the TBD, you must prepare a couple of prompts that you could suggest for the TBD. For instance, the prompt for 2024-25 is:

“This year’s question tasks you and fellow TBD participants to name and design a new course on a cutting-edge business topic for Wharton’s Pre-baccalaureate Program. As part of the Wharton Global Youth Program, this opportunity for exceptional junior and senior high school students introduces them business education. The idea is to inspire talented young people to analyze the world’s complex challenges as they take their first steps toward becoming leaders who will transform the global economy.

Your team’s challenge is to develop a course on a cutting-edge topic for the generation of young business leaders coming behind you. You’ll name the course, outline the topic and themes, identify faculty to lead the course, and decide on learning outcomes and assessment methods.”

Some suggested topics in areas that can create a larger impact are:

1.⁠ ⁠AI in Healthcare

2.⁠ ⁠Future of Work

3.⁠ ⁠Mental Health

4.⁠ ⁠Equitable Healthcare (HC for all)

Typically, you’d be able to speak 120 words comfortably in a minute. This essentially implies that if you’re creating a pitch that’s 150 words at its origin, you’d overrun by more than 5-10 seconds, which wouldn’t be considerate on your part. So, stick to 120 words maximum and time your pitch to 55 seconds, so, in case you overrun, you don’t go beyond 1 minute 5 seconds.

Another thing to note is while the pitch is an important aspect of your Wharton Team-based discussion for which you can prepare in advance, it constitutes only one minute of the discussion. Therefore, you shouldn’t overly stress yourself about it. Hit the necessary points and then focus on your contribution to the 30-minute discussion and presentation that follows.

Lastly, the pitch generally happens in an alphabetical order. So, if people who spoke before you shared a similar idea, acknowledge or validate their ideas in 5-10 seconds and build on top of it. Alternatively, if no one has proposed your idea so far, go ahead as per your plan, regardless of the possibility that your idea might not get picked up. There’s no need to create alternate pitches based on what people around you propose. Your pitch should come from you, your experience and expertise, and the relevant topics from the current times.

Team-based Discussion

The Team-Based discussion is a 35-minute long activity wherein you actually get to the discussion part at the 5th or 6th minute. Within these 30 minutes, you must allocate 3-5 minutes at the end for the final presentation. So, honestly, you only have 25-27 minutes for a healthy discussion amongst 5-6 people and roughly 5-6 areas to cover. So, it’s highly advisable that you propose pre-allocating time limits to different areas of discussion based on how expansive the area is and assign different sections of the presentation to each member as soon as you all get started to get your hands and headspace free for the discussion. Of course, it goes without saying that you should not do this as an imposition on others or in an effort to take over.

The key thing to keep in mind before we dive deeper into the roles you can take in the TBD and 8 things you should absolutely avoid doing, remember that the key objective of this Wharton Team Based Discussion is to see you work alongside your colleagues and not compete with each other. If a group does well, multiple people from that group will succeed together.

Here’s a list of things that you should therefore not do:

What not to do:

Don’t be competitive with your teammates in the GD: If you are the Monica Geller type of competitive person, then you need to work on calming yourself down. Wharton really wants to see you work alongside your team and not take over. And they especially don’t want to see you being a sore loser.
Don’t sidetrack the conversation: Avoid sharing long-winded stories or bringing up a new point when the clock is ticking close to the presentation, as that could often lead to you derailing the discussion. Especially make sure that you don’t go off-topic like Ted Mosby.
Don’t add a point for the heck of it: Don’t add to the conversation because you feel like you’ve been sitting quietly for a while. This would often come across as abrupt and a bit of a conversation staller to your team. Instead, if you find it hard to speak during discussions, then take on a role like that of a timekeeper wherein you’d have to interject (politely!) to keep the group on track.
Don’t cut over someone else or be overbearing: We understand that you might be quick-witted like Tony Stark, but this is not the place to assert your intellectual dominance. It’s a place for you to be like Captain America, who brings everyone together and ensures everyone has a voice, even when people with strong personalities share their disagreements.
Don’t be aggressive, rude, or call people out: The further away you can be from Frank Underwood, the better it is for your Wharton Team-Based Discussion. If you feel that your teammate’s suggestion is not well-thought-through or has loopholes, it’s your job to disagree or highlight the limited applicability of their suggestion. But do so in a tone-sensitive manner and take the discussion forward.
Don’t assume your contribution is only intellectual: Your participation in a group discussion is so much more than the intellectual points you bring to the table! So, don’t be like Shelden Cooper and bring in your team spirit, emotional quotient, and team engagement skills to the Wharton TBD. If you feel someone’s been quiet for a while, find a way to bring them into the discussion.
Don’t get consumed by notetaking: We get that notes are helpful. But here, you’ve got to be present. The discussion would fly by before you even recognize it. So, don’t be the Hermoine Granger who loves to take down everything for future reference. Instead, allocate different presentation sections beforehand to each person so that the concerned folks can take notes one section at a time.
Don’t be headstrong about your point: While it’s important for you to defend your point, don’t be a Walter White. Handle disagreements with grace and share counter opinions, but don’t push people around to get them to incorporate your point of view.

Since you now have a good understanding of what you shouldn’t be doing, let’s dive into the roles you can take up in Wharton Team-Based Discussion.

Roles you can take up:

Facilitator: A facilitator in a group typically takes on the role of outlining a process map at the beginning of the discussion without taking up too much time. This includes defining the structure for discussion, the different components within that structure, recommendations for each component, and the time allocation for each component. She ensures the discussion is not sidetracking and instead moves forward. This role is typically self-assumed and can be taken on by those who are generally confident personalities or speakers and are comfortable with kickstarting, leading, and concluding the discussion.
Moderator/Arbitrator: A moderator can be someone who interjects to propel the conversation forward or helps build consensus. She can also be a person who can help manuever conversations forward at the sign of a halt caused due to disagreements. At that stage, she’d step in to moderate the TBD to ensure everyone’s voices were heard.
Timekeeper: A timekeeper, as you can already get, is the person who takes the job of keeping track of the time allocated to each section to help steer the conversation forward and ensure that the discussion finishes on time. Typically, the timekeeper’s role can be taken by someone who finds it hard to step into larger group conversations and therefore can utilize this as an opportunity to add their two cents to the discussion.
Engager: The role of an engager is often quite an overlooked one when you imagine what you’d do in a TBD. However, it’s a role that genuinely has a central position in a discussion. An engager typically brings people who’ve been unable to contribute much into the conversation. For instance, you can ask someone who’s been quiet for a while for their opinion on something. Or, based on your knowledge of their background, you can ask for their insights regarding, let’s say, the applicability of a suggestion. This way, you not only showcase your leadership skills but also help create a more inclusive space in the team.

Lastly, once the group discussion hits the 25-minute mark, you must move forward to the presentation. During the presentation, make sure you’re not only hitting your points but also passing the baton to the next person smoothly. As soon as your presentation is done, start reflecting on how the TBD went, as this could be a question you might get asked during your 1:1 interview.

The Interview

The 1:1 interview is the last component of the Wharton interview. Once the team-based discussion is over, you’ll be added to a waiting room, and the interview will happen in a breakout room. Typically, interviewers follow an alphabetical order for the interview, so based on your first name, be prepared to tackle the interview right after the group discussion.

Since this is a 10-minute interview, it’ll be short and succinct. You’ll probably be asked three questions. Here are some questions applicants have been asked over the last few years.

Tell me about yourself. / Introduce yourself. / Walk me through your resume. / Give me a 2-minute pitch about yourself.
What are your short-term and long-term goals?
Why do you want to pursue an MBA?
Why an MBA at Wharton?
How would you contribute to Wharton?
Tell me about your extracurricular interests.
A challenge you anticipate you might face during your MBA journey at Wharton.
A question regarding the Team-based discussion w.r.t. your reflection, your opinion regarding how the discussion went, what the group could have done differently, or a specific question regarding your style, participation, etc.
Anything you’d like to highlight about yourself.
A question for the interviewer.

The preparation for most of these questions is synonymous with interview preparation for other business schools, and therefore, general interview advice is applicable here. The only different question here, which may or may not come, is about the TBD.

For this, we suggest you give them a holistic answer. Appreciate your teammates for their positive contributions, give credence to those who stood out, and then delve into what the group could’ve done differently or better with a constructive mindset. End the answer on a positive note.

Every year, we conduct mock Team-Based Discussions. If you’d like to participate in one of our mock TBDs, reach out to us at admissionsgateway.com or join our Whatsapp community using this link.