MBA Interview Questions at Leading Business Schools in 2024: A Comprehensive Guide

Admission to an MBA program at a renowned business school is a significant milestone in one’s academic and professional journey. In 2024, top business schools in the United States and Europe are maintaining their rigorous standards for selecting candidates who not only possess strong academic and professional backgrounds but also display qualities and experiences that make them stand out. One critical aspect of the admissions process is the interview, where applicants face a barrage of challenging questions designed to assess their problem-solving abilities, leadership potential, and fit within the school’s community.

In this article, we will delve into the MBA interview questions asked by some of the leading business schools in the US and Europe in 2024.

US Business Schools

Kellogg

1. Why did you choose your college and major?
2. What aspects of collaboration do you not enjoy?
3. Define resilience in your own words.
4. Which clubs would you be interested in joining?
5. Share a specific example of working with someone different from you and the challenges you faced.
6. Why did you enter your current industry immediately after college?
7. Describe your career progression at your previous company.
8. What led to your decision to leave that company?
9. Explain your experience with your own startup.
10. How did you acquire your initial clients?
11. What skills have you gained from your career that are relevant to an MBA?
12. Discuss the most diverse team you’ve worked with and how you collaborated with its members.
13. How do you think your colleagues perceive your leadership now compared to your college days, and what has changed?
14. What are your goals, and why are you interested in Kellogg?
15. Are there other clubs you’re considering?
16. Do you have a Plan B if your current plans do not work out?

Chicago Booth

1. Introduce yourself.
2. Outline your short-term and long-term career goals.
3. Why pursue an MBA?
4. Why do you believe you’re a good fit for the school?
5. Share a leadership experience from your past.
6. Three words that describe you.
7. Describe a time when you fell short.
8. Explain a challenge you had to overcome.
9. Share an instance when you had to influence someone above your level.
10. Discuss a time when you motivated a team.
11. Why did you change jobs, and how did the company cultures differ?
12. Describe your ideal team and the role you envision for yourself.
13. How have you changed the most since your college days?
14. What classes at Chicago Booth interest you?
15. Provide insights into your current boss.
16. Talk about a time when you had to persuade multiple stakeholders with differing viewpoints.
17. What does a successful MBA experience mean to you?

MIT Sloan

1. What does a typical workday look like for you?
2. How would you describe your job during a dinner conversation with your cousins?
3. Share a time when you had to convince others to adopt your problem-solving approach with incomplete data.
4. Discuss a time when you needed to gain support from people you didn’t manage.
5. Explain how you handled an inherited broken process.
6. Describe a time when you disagreed with someone’s perspective.

Harvard Business School

1. What factors do you attribute to your success at XX Company?
2. Why do you believe you were promoted ahead of your peers?
3. How do you compete with competitors in your industry?
4. Who is excelling in your field right now?
5. Are there any legal constraints related to your job, and how do they vary across countries you’ve worked in?
6. What challenges were you addressing through a specific project initiative?

Columbia Business School

1. How do you promote diversity within your team?
2. Where do you see yourself geographically in a few years?
3. What if your industry doesn’t evolve as expected in five years? How would that affect your career plans?
4. How would you improve the school if you were in charge?
5. Describe a time when a process you implemented was successful.

Stanford GSB

1. Why did you choose your current industry after graduating?
2. What personally motivates you?
3. Share a time when you supported a struggling person or team.
4. Elaborate on the projects you’ve been involved in.

Duke Fuqua

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How will you contribute to the incoming class?
3. What do you know about the Team Fuqua Spirit?
4. Share an experience when you disagreed with a team member.
5. What would you do if a team member failed to complete their assignment, and the project was due soon?
6. Explain what a decency quotient means to you.
7. Share a time when you had a conflict with your boss and how you resolved it.
8. Outline your short-term and long-term goals and why you want an MBA.
9. Discuss your most significant professional achievement and why it’s important to you.
10. Share a leadership experience.
11. Describe your communication style.
12. Talk about your non-work-related teamwork experience and the lessons you learned.
13. Share a time when teamwork didn’t go well.
14. How do you think your colleagues and friends would describe you?
15. What motivates you?
16. How will you contribute to Fuqua?
17. Any questions for the interviewer?

Georgetown McDonough

1. If you gain admission to all the schools you applied to, how will you choose which one to attend?
2. Share a conflict you faced at work.
3. If you could be the boss for a day, what changes would you make?
4. Describe a time when you had to collaborate with a culturally diverse group of people.

Michigan Ross

1. Introduce yourself.
2. Why an MBA, and why Ross MBA?
3. Share an instance when you worked in a diverse group.
4. Discuss a time when you had to solve a client problem with little clarity or vague project scope.
5. Explain how you adapted to a personal situation.
6. Describe your approach when faced with an overwhelming situation.
7. Share a time when you faced failure, hit an all-time low, and had to bounce back.

NYU Stern

1. What do you consider the most challenging aspect of recruiting in your industry?
2. What gives you an edge in industry recruiting?
3. What will you do if you don’t secure an internship or job in your target industry?
4. Share a time when you demonstrated emotional intelligence.
5. What factors do you consider when choosing a business school?
6. What sets this program apart from others?

UCLA Anderson

1. Tell me about your strengths and share a time when you influenced a team with one of your strengths.
2. Discuss your involvement with a volunteer organization.
3. What research have you conducted to learn about clubs and the Anderson community?
4. What qualities would your current or previous supervisor attribute to you?
5. Share a time when you failed.

Texas McCombs

1. Discuss a time when you failed and what you learned from it.
2. What do you expect to gain from the McCombs MBA program, and what do you anticipate will challenge you?
3. Share an instance when you worked on a project team with an introverted or shy member and how you involved them.
4. Describe a project where you had to exercise various forms of leadership and its outcome.
5. Discuss a complex problem you resolved.
6. Share a time when you received unfair judgment or feedback.
7. Describe an experience working with competitive individuals and how you navigated it.

CMU Tepper

1. Provide a one-minute introduction to who you are.
2. Share an example of a time when you achieved better results for your team.
3. Define diversity according to your perspective.
4. Discuss a time when things did not go as planned when you were in a leadership role, and what you would have done differently.

UNC Kenan-Flagler

1. Why the pursuit of an MBA? Why is now the opportune moment, and why Kenan-Flagler?
2. Describe your work experience from three angles: as an individual contributor, as a team member, and as a leader. How would your colleagues or team members describe you? Provide an example of a time when you led a team and share the lessons you gleaned from that experience.
3. Highlight one accomplishment from your resume that you consider your proudest achievement.
4. Discuss Kenan-Flagler’s values and what they signify to you. What are your expectations from a business school concerning these values?
5. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your profile that hasn’t been covered in your application or interview?
6. Do you have any questions for the interviewer?

Vanderbilt Owen

1. What is the most common misconception people have about you upon first meeting, and how is it inaccurate?
2. What skills do you aim to develop?
3. Share a time when you worked on a project with an unfavorable outcome and how you responded.

Virginia Darden

1. Tell me about yourself, including your formative experiences, career, and extracurricular activities.
2. Why do you want an MBA, and why Darden?
3. Describe a time when you disagreed with your manager, and elaborate on how you convinced them.
4. Share an experience of working with someone different from you.
5. What are your hobbies, and what do you enjoy doing for fun?
6. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
7. Do you have questions for the interviewer?

Yale SOM

1. Share a time when you had to collaborate with someone you disagreed with and how you resolved the differences.
2. What impact do you hope to make during your MBA?
3. Discuss your proudest leadership experience and how it can be applied to your MBA studies.
4. What aspect of the MBA journey excites you the most?
5. Describe the leadership traits you possess.
6. Highlight the professional experience that you’re most proud of.
7. Share your goals and explain why you want an MBA.
8. Specify the classes you’d like to take and the clubs you want to join.
9. Share your plans from now until you start business school.
10. Is there anything you’d like to mention that hasn’t been covered in your resume?
11. Do you have any questions?

UC Berkeley Haas

1. Walk me through your resume.
2. Why an MBA and why Haas?
3. How will you contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion at Haas?
4. Share a time when you were in a leadership position, and your team had low morale. How did you address it?
5. Describe the most valuable feedback you’ve received.
6. Three adjectives your friends or co-workers would use to describe you.
7. Any questions you have for the interviewer?

Rice Jones

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why pursue an MBA at this stage in your career?
3. What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
4. How do you plan to promote diversity and inclusion in the Rice community?
5. If admitted to other MBA programs, what factors will influence your decision?
6. Do you have questions for the interviewer?

SMU Cox

1. Why did you choose your undergraduate major and school?
2. Describe your journey to your current role.
3. Share an experience demonstrating your ability to work in a team and solve problems.
4. Outline your short-term goals.
5. What’s your backup plan?
6. How do you plan to contribute outside the classroom?
7. Which other universities have you applied to?
8. Any questions for the interviewer?

UCLA Anderson

1. Tell me about your strengths and share a time when you influenced a team with one of your strengths.
2. Discuss your involvement with a volunteer organization.
3. What research have you conducted to learn about clubs and the Anderson community?
4. What qualities would your current or previous supervisor attribute to you?
5. Share a time when you failed.

Emory Goizueta

1. What led to your decision to pursue your undergraduate degree in the United States, and what motivated your choice of major?
2. What kind of job were you seeking after completing your college education?
3. Can you elucidate how you secured your initial role in the non-profit sector?
4. Please provide an overview of your current job responsibilities.
5. MBA programs often require teamwork. What strengths would you contribute to your Emory team, and what areas do you believe need improvement in your teamwork skills?
6. Have you received feedback from your current job supervisor? If so, what were the key takeaways?
7. What are your short-term and long-term career aspirations, and why are you inclined to pursue an MBA?
8. Which companies do you plan to work for after completing your MBA?
9. In case your initial plans don’t materialize, what’s your contingency plan?
10. What factors led you to choose Emory as your preferred business school?
11. What leisure activities or hobbies do you engage in outside of your professional life, and could you delve into one of them?

European Business Schools

INSEAD

1. Have you worked internationally?
2. Present your long-term goal, as if seeking an investment.
3. How would you handle a situation where a subordinate undermines you?
4. How will you manage your time at INSEAD, given its intense program?

London Business School

1. How do you handle conflict?
2. Discuss your experiences with cultural diversity and the challenges it can pose in a workplace.
3. Identify key threats and opportunities in your industry, and recommend three actions for your company to take.
4. Share a time when you relocated and had to adapt to a new environment.
5. Explain your choice of LBS over other schools.

Cambridge Judge

1. Why pursue an MBA now, and why choose CJBS (Cambridge Judge Business School)?
2. How would you manage a situation where team dynamics among your direct reports become extremely hostile?
3. Share an example of an innovative project or initiative in your current organization in the last six months.
4. Are you comfortable being managed by someone with significantly less work experience than you, and what qualities do you value in a leader?
5. Describe how you would motivate a team member who is reluctant to work with you.
6. In your opinion, what is the most significant invention of the last 150 years?
7. What’s your plan if you cannot achieve your short-term goals?
8. Do you have any questions for us?

HEC Paris

1. Walk me through your resume.
2. Why do you believe now is the right time for an MBA?
3. How do you foresee contributing to the HEC classroom?
4. After graduating from HEC, which companies do you plan to work for, and why?
5. Define your leadership style.
6. Elaborate on your most significant achievement, as mentioned in your application essay.

Preparation is the key to success when it comes to MBA admissions interviews. Knowing what to expect and how to approach the tough questions posed by renowned business schools can make all the difference. As you embark on your journey to secure a coveted spot in a prestigious MBA program, remember that your responses not only reflect your qualifications but also your readiness to contribute to the academic community and your future career. Approach these interviews with confidence, and you’ll be one step closer to achieving your MBA dreams.