subject: General Q&a In The Mba Personal Interview [print this page] Just thinking about MBA interviews can send an interested candidate into a wave of stress and anxiety. It is no secret that interviews for MBA programs can be quite difficult to pass. Business schools offering MBA programs set such high standards for their students, and the interview is one of the venues where these standards are strictly observed. There are many ways to prepare for the MBA interview. Some enroll in classes while others read handbooks or manuals written specifically on the subject. And others check out tips on the Internet, just like the ones you're about to read in the succeeding paragraphs.
"Tell us something about yourself."
This is perhaps one of the toughest MBA interview questions around. Open-ended questions are often tricky because they can cause a candidate to babble on and one without direction, or they can lead to a stiff and conservative answer. While it is advisable to keep things brief in order to avoid potential rooms for error, this question offers candidates the chance to speak from the heart. In order not to lose track of the question and the time, two or three points to cover should be enough. A candidate may choose to include where he comes from, ho he got to this point in his life, and why he's sitting for the MBA personal interview.
"What/How can you contribute to the MBA program?"
This is a question that provides the opportunity to make known past achievements and special skills. Of course, a candidate must be tact and graceful; overdoing it will make one sound boastful, a usual turn-off. His answer must show some uniqueness on his part. He must set himself apart from all the other applicants. Aside from this, a candidate must have had extensive research about the school he is applying for. This way, he can have a clear idea about what the school values, what it puts weight on, what it considers important (such as leadership, ingenuity, tradition, etc.) -and, consequently, impress the interviewers.
"How do you expect to grow in the program?"
Again, research will prove useful in answering this particular answer; it would help to cite activities of the school and how one can be developed by joining said activities. Here is where interviewers can gauge a candidate's true feelings about the school. If it's a random choice, the answer is sure to be generic. But if the school is a long-time dream, then the candidate is bound to be more enthusiastic and passionate with his answer - and this can make all the difference in an interview for MBA.
