MBA Interview Prep Tips

How to answer the most common MBA interview questions

Tell me something about yourself

Focus equally on your professional and personal life

Ideal Length →1:30 – 2: 00 mins
( 45 - 50 seconds each)

Professional Life
• Provide 1 line Summary of overall exp.
• Highlight key responsibilities, client handled, leadership experience etc.
• Finish off on a high by mentioning some awards or promotions.

Personal Life
• Highlight social work exp. – which area and why you do it
• Talk about your hobbies, extracurricular or other passions
• Finish off on good note by mentioning an imp. achievement or memory
Walk me through your resume

Key objective of the question

• Is to understand your career and why you made the switches

• Usually asked to people with frequent job changes

Start at the beginning of your career and move up

• Mention key responsibilities & learning you took from that experience
• Devote max time to explaining the most recent switch

Focus on the why

• Emphasize why you made the switch

• Wanted to learn a different skill?
• Move closer to family?
Why MBA

Summarize your current experience

Skills & learnings you have acquired

Portray a short - long term vision

Explain how your goals are aligned with your career trajectory & why you want
to go achieve these

Connect why MBA is a must have

To bridge the gap from your current position to your goal | Skills you are looking
to acquire from MBA to achieve your goals
Why XYZ B-school

Top of the funnel - Start board

Summarize why MBA & your objective

Middle of the funnel – Narrow down to XYZ

School
Highlight 2-3 specific points about ISB

Bottom of the funnel – How these 3 points

helps you meet your MBA objectives
Expand on the specifics – link with your overall goals
Show how ISB is the perfect fit
What other schools are you applied to

It is a accepted fact that aspirants apply to multiple colleges

Feel free to name down the colleges you applied to

Be - Honest (May be not completely Honest)

Next question will naturally be about which one would you

choose or why XYZ school not ABC.
Why XYZ and not ABC School

XYZ • Remember all schools are good within a certain range if

you have carefully picked the schools you are applying
Vs for.
• Never say bad things about any school you have
ABC applied for. Looks bad on you.

• Rather focus on 2-3 specific points which makes one a

Final better fit over another for your profile.
• Try to be honest in which one you will actually pick.
choice Especially if you are comparing Harvard / INSEAD Vs
some tiers 2 schools.
Why ISB and not IIM

• Remember both are great schools, don’t show either of

these down
IIMs Vs ISB • Rather focus on 2-3 specific points which makes one a
better fit over another for your profile

• Better suited for candidate with 3-6 years of experience

• Bigger batch size / Bigger alumni network/diversity
ISB • Better specializations
• Better international exchange options

• Small tech focused batches – no diversity

• Don’t accept older GMAT score
IIM • Average exp. much higher for 1 yr. course
• Relies too much on CAT score
What is your short & long term goals

Mention short
term goal
• Skills you have • Show the
acquired natural
• Explain why ? progression or
transient skills

Summarize
Bridge the gap
current exp.
What is your Plan B in not consulting/IB

• Consulting
Aspirations • IB / PE / VC
• Change of Sector / Function

• Very few people get into MBB and

IB/PE/VC
Reality • Not everyone manages to change
sector/functions

• Aspire but have a plan B ready

• Show that you are comfortable and
Plan B ready to fit right back into your old
domain
 What are your strengths

Do’s Pick 2-3 good strengths

Stay away
Have supporting from
example for each
hardworking,
Finish on a high note
with mention of an
punctual,
award or promotion sincere school
boy theme

Don’t
What is your biggest weakness

• Mention a genuine weakness

• Area which you would like to improve upon
Do’s
• Mention how you came to know about this
• Client feedback, Manager 1:1, peer review.

• Highlight why you consider this as your weakness

• Provide supporting example

Don’t portray a strength as a fake weakness

Don’t
How can you add value to the Class
Why should we take you

Highlight overall quality

• Summarize your experience

Pick specific 2-3 points

• Which you think are a bit unique

Show where you can contribute

• Ideally both Inside and outside of class
Situational & Behavioral Question

Situational and Behavioral questions are best answered by

following a STAR format.
Try to pick real life examples from your experience and explain your answer
in the STAR sequence.

Set the context of the situation you are about to explain

Describe what was the task expected of you
S
What action did you take
T
Highlight the result
A
R
Situational & Behavioral Question

Team Work related:

1. Talk about a time when you had to work closely with someone whose personality
was very different from yours.
2. Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict while working on a team.
How did you handle that?
3. We all make mistakes we wish we could take back. Tell me about a time you wish
you’d handled a situation differently with a colleague.
Client Facing
1. Give me an example of a time when you did not meet a client’s expectation.
What happened, and how did you attempt to rectify the situation?
2. Tell me about a time when you made sure a customer was pleased with your
service.
3. Describe a time when you had to interact with a difficult client. What was the
situation, and how did you handle it?
Situational & Behavioral Question

Communication Skills:
1. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully persuade
someone to see things your way at work.
2. Give me an example of a time when you had to explain something fairly
complex to a frustrated client. How did you handle this delicate situation?
3. Tell me about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it was a hit.

Initiative taking skills:

1. Describe a time when you saw some problem and took the initiative to correct it
rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
2. Tell me about a time you were dissatisfied in your work. What could have been
done to make it better?
3. Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure. What was going on, and
how did you get through it?
Case questions

Case questions are fairly common in MBA interview especially for consulting
aspirants. Below are a few sample for to practise for:
1. What is the weight of Boeing 747?
2. What’s the global market size for smartphones?
3. How would you estimate the size of the annual U.S. chewing gum market?
4. How Many Penguins Can Live in Antarctica?
5. How Many People Are in the Air of U.K. Right Now?
6. How many people wear red in New York on a typical Monday?
7. How Many Beer Bottles Are in Circulation in the U.S.?
Questions for Interviewer

Prepare at least 3-4 good questions for the panel.

• Don’t pick question for which you can easily find answers to on the
official website

Questions should be related to your field of interest

• Don’t ask random questions just for the sake of asking

Name drop the students or alumni you have talked to

while trying to find the answers yourself

• This will show the genuine efforts you have made

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