As interview invitations start to come in for round oneapplications, we want to share with you our interview tips that we sendto clients before our consulting sessions.

　　The Lucky 13 Questions You Need To Know To Ace Your B-School Interview

　　- Jason Pike, CEO Admissions Consulting Group

　　1) Tell me a little bit about yourself. / Walk me through your resume.

　　-Always start with something personal - where did you grow up, etc.,then walk through a very concise overview of your academic and careerprogression, explaining the transitions briefly. Remember, it's bestto be relatively brief - if the interviewer wants to dig deeper into acertain area , he/she will.

　　2) What do you want to do in thefuture? / What are your short term / long-term goals? / Where do yousee yourself in 5 yrs / 10yrs?

　　- These are pretty straightforward - what do you want to do with your life? More importantly is the WHY here.

　　3) Why do you feel you need an MBA? (Any Why an MBA question)

　　-This is not a place to answer the Why [Any School], but rather explainwhat aspects of the MBA program (academic learnings, variousexperiences that you plan on encountering, access to the alumni base,network building, etc.) that will help you obtain your goals.

　　4) Why (Name of School You’re Applying To)?

　　Hereyou need to reach into your essay 1. This answer cannot be generic.You need to describe how you've visited the school, talked to students/ professors, describe how you feel you belong. Talk about both whatthe school can give you, and as importantly, how you see yourselfcontributing to the school and why this is the perfect fit and ofcourse is your first choice.

　　5) What are some of your strengths? / How would your friends describe you?

　　Don'tbe cocky here, of course, but you do want to provide 2-3 key areas thatshow you'd be fun and good to work with in study groups and that you'dadd value in the community. They already know you're smart, so focus onmore personal / leadership-related attributes.

　　6) What are some of your weaknesses?

　　Alwaysa slippery slope, but prepare 2-3 areas where you can seek to improvebut also demonstrate how you've already improved upon these. Show yourself-awareness but be careful not to raise any flags.

　　7) Give an example of....... leadership. (Any leadership-related question)

　　Prepare1 good example - 1-2 minutes of background on a situation where you leda team successfully. Think about using the SAR model - Situation,Action, Result when you answer these example-type question. It willhelp you stay within reasonable timeframes.

　　8) Give an example of ..... teamwork. (Any teamwork-related question)

　　Prepare1 good example of a time you succeeded on a team. What role did youplay? Show that you can be a good teammate and not have to share thespotlight! (Also use the SAR model here)

　　9) Give an example of a time where you managed conflict (Teamwork or leadership question variation)

　　Thiscan be a version of #7 or #8 but here you want to describe a situationwhere there was conflict, how you helped manage / reduce it, and whatthe result was.

　　10) Give an example of a time where you failed at something.

　　Onceagain, don't raise any flags here, but show what you've learned. Feelfree to call upon an essay example here. Here it is especiallyimportant to be brief and to use the SAR model.

　　11) Give an example of a challenge you face in your life and how you overcame it.

　　Thiscan be similar to #10 but worth discussing and preparing forseparately. This can highlight a positive experience - it can bepersonal, academic or professional. Use the SAR model here and show howyou called upon your strengths to succeed and also discuss what youlearned from this example.

　　12) What are your hobbies? / What do you like to do for fun?

　　Showyou're well-rounded here. Talk about things that are genuinelyexciting to you. Be sure to highlight any special hobbies that areatypical. The goal is to strike up a conversation and get theinterviewer interested.

　　13) How are you different than the other candidates that are applying to .......?

　　Again,don't be too haughty here, but remember that you have 2-3 minutes hereto discuss how the combination of your personal and professionalbackgrounds will make you a unique contributor to the school. Thisshould be as much as about the school you're applying to as it is aboutyou. Talk about how you stand in, and then quickly relate it to howyou will contribute to that particular school. Use this as anothertime to communicate that this school is your first choice.

　　Rememberthat just as important as reading and practicing these questions, isrehearsing your intonations, mannerisms, posture, genuine excitementfor the school, and structure and brevity of your answers. It isimportant to not sound rehearsed by any means. The goal is to makethis feel like a genuine conversation, not an interview. That is wherewe come in!

　　We can and will help you excel at the admissions interview.

　　The Facts:

　　Weare qualified: Our experts have served on the Admissions Committees ofseveral top schools, including Wharton and hold MBAs from HBS, Wharton,Stanford, Columbia and Kellogg.

　　We have given more than 75 mock interviews over the past year alone.

　　We have the track record: We have helped more than 100 clients get into their top 1 or 2 choice business schools.

　　Wehave an unparalleled success rate - instead of posting testimonials onour website, we offer a tremendous list of real references who weencourage you to call / email.