The MBA interview, school by school
Most top MBA programs interview by invitation, usually for 30 to 45 minutes and often by video call. Schools differ in who interviews you, whether they have read your file, and the extras: a group discussion at Wharton, recorded videos at Booth or Kellogg, a written reflection at HBS. See how Soreno's MBA interview practice works with an AI interviewer that asks admissions questions out loud and follows up.
Updated
- Who gets one
- By invitation
- At most schools here
- Length
- 20 to 45 minutes
- Where schools publish it
- Blind
- Tuck, Yale, Darden
- Also Anderson, Fuqua
- Group exercise
- Wharton
- Team Based Discussion
The MBA interview formats
Five things vary from school to school. Knowing which version you face tells you what to prepare.
Blind or application-based2 kinds
Blind
The interviewer sees your resume, or nothing
Tuck, Yale SOM, UCLA Anderson and Duke Fuqua give the interviewer only your resume. Darden's interviewer reads neither your application nor your resume. Expect to tell your story from the start.
Application-based
The interviewer has read your file
HBS and NYU Stern say their interviewers have read your application. Expect questions that pick up on what you wrote.
Who interviews you3 kinds
Admissions
The admissions committee or staff
HBS (an Admissions Board member) and NYU Stern (trained admissions professionals).
Alumni
Graduates of the program
INSEAD (two alumni interviews), LBS (alumni or senior admissions staff), Stanford GSB (alumni or admissions team).
Students
Second-year students
At Tuck and UCLA Anderson, trained second-years run most interviews. Yale SOM, Columbia, Darden, Fuqua and Haas use students alongside alumni or staff.
Group exercisesWharton
Wharton
The Team Based Discussion
35 minutes online with 5 to 6 other applicants on a prompt sent in advance, then a 10-minute one-on-one.
Wharton MBA interview guide
Recorded video answers5 schools
With the application
Kellogg, Yale SOM, INSEAD
Kellogg asks five video questions, each with up to a minute to answer. Yale SOM asks two questions with 60 seconds each. INSEAD uses a Kira video interview.
With the interview
Chicago Booth
Full-time applicants record answers to two questions in a Video Simulation, separate from the interview.
For everyone
Texas McCombs
All applicants complete a video assessment. The interview itself is optional.
Written parts before or after2 schools
After
HBS Post-Interview Reflection
Due within 24 hours of the interview, with a guide of 300 to 450 words.
HBS MBA interview guideBefore
MIT Sloan short answer
Up to 250 words on a data visualization or a data-driven decision, with a PDF, due 24 hours before the interview.
From Tuck, Yale SOM, Darden, UCLA Anderson, Duke Fuqua, HBS, NYU Stern, INSEAD, LBS, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Kellogg, Chicago Booth, Texas McCombs and MIT Sloan.
What schools say the interview is for
No school here publishes a scoring rubric. Their own pages point to the same few things.
You beyond the paper
HBS says it wants to learn more about you in a conversation. Booth calls it getting to know you, and a two-way exchange.
What you have done, and how
Stanford GSB runs a structured behavioral interview on past actions, not hypotheticals. MIT Sloan asks for examples of persuading, teamwork and leadership.
Goals and motivation
Kellogg names career focus and motivation for a Kellogg MBA. Booth asks how your goals line up with a Booth MBA.
How you communicate
Kellogg names interpersonal and communication skills. Anderson says it assesses communication skills, social skills and readiness for its program.
From HBS, Booth, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan, Kellogg and UCLA Anderson.
18 MBA programs, school by school
Full-time MBA programs, as each school describes its interview as of October 2026. Each row links the school's own page. Your invitation has the final word.
Harvard Business School30 min, Admissions Board, not blind
By invitation. One 30-minute interview with an MBA Admissions Board member who has reviewed your application, on campus, in a hub city or on Zoom. A written Post-Interview Reflection is due within 24 hours.
HBS application processOur HBS guide
WhartonGroup discussion plus 10 min
By invitation. A 35-minute virtual Team Based Discussion with 5 to 6 other applicants, then a 10-minute one-on-one with a member of the admissions team. No candidate is admitted without an interview.
Wharton interview processOur Wharton guide
Stanford GSBBehavioral, alumni or admissions
By invitation, after your application is reviewed. A structured behavioral interview about what you have done and how, with a trained alum or a member of the admissions team, remote or in person. Stanford says it interviews two to three candidates per seat.
Stanford GSB interviewsChicago BoothAbout 45 min, plus video
One virtual interview of about 45 minutes with a member of the Booth community, covering work, projects, teamwork and goals. Full-time applicants also record a two-question Video Simulation.
Booth interview adviceKelloggVirtual, plus video essays
All interviews are virtual, with invitations on a rolling basis. Kellogg says the interview helps it judge interpersonal and communication skills, career focus and motivation. Every applicant records a five-question video essay.
Kellogg how to applyColumbia Business SchoolVirtual, student, alum or staff
By invitation only. Interviews are virtual, with a second-year student, an alum or a member of the admissions team. The page does not say whether the interviewer has read your file.
Columbia full-time MBA admissionsMIT SloanBehavioral, virtual, short answer
All interviews are virtual, voice and video. Expect specific examples of how you persuade, work in a team and lead. A 250-word short answer with a PDF is due 24 hours before.
MIT Sloan interview prepDartmouth TuckBlind, 30 to 45 min, students
Mostly trained second-year students, sometimes admissions. Blind: the interviewer sees only your resume. Complete applications by the early dates get a guaranteed interview, otherwise by invitation.
Tuck admissions FAQsYale SOMBlind, 30 min, plus video
By invitation. 30 minutes with a second-year student, recent alum or Admissions Committee member who sees only your resume. Questions are mostly behavioral plus your MBA plans. Every applicant also answers two video questions.
Yale SOM application guideUVA DardenAnonymous, up to 45 min
Required for admission. Up to 45 minutes with an Admissions Committee member or second-year student who has read neither your application nor your resume. Early Action's open interview window closed at the end of September 2026, so interviews are now by invitation only.
Darden interviewsDuke FuquaBlind, alumni, staff or students
By invitation. Alumni, staff or trained second-year Admissions Fellows, on campus in early rounds or mostly virtual off campus. The interviewer sees only your resume.
Fuqua Daytime MBA FAQNYU SternAdmissions, has read your file
By invitation. Trained admissions professionals who have read your entire application. All interviews are virtual at this time.
Stern notification and processUCLA AndersonBlind, about 30 min, students
By invitation and required for admission. About 30 minutes on Zoom or in person, mostly with trained second-year students who see your resume but not your application.
Anderson requirementsBerkeley HaasVideo or live, student or alum
By invitation only. Either a prerecorded video session or a live remote conversation with a current student or alum.
Haas interviewCornell JohnsonInvitation, Ithaca or Zoom
By invitation after a first review, required for the Two-Year MBA. In person in Ithaca or on Zoom, with no preference between them.
Johnson application guideTexas McCombsOptional, 20 to 30 min
Encouraged but not required: a virtual behavioral interview of 20 to 30 minutes with a member of the McCombs Ambassador Committee. All applicants complete a video assessment.
McCombs application processINSEADTwo alumni interviews
Applicants record a video interview in Kira with the application. If pre-selected, you interview with two INSEAD alumni, usually in your country of residence.
INSEAD MBA admissionsLondon Business SchoolAlumni or senior staff
Selected applicants interview with alumni or senior admissions staff in their own region, and may need to travel. The feedback is combined with the application.
LBS MBA application8 questions to prepare first
Schools rarely publish their questions. These are Soreno's practice prompts on the topics schools say they cover. The full set of practice questions, by type, is on our MBA interview questions page.
The core
Prepare these first, whatever the format.
Walk me through your resume.
In a blind interview this is your whole introduction. Two minutes, in order, with the reason for each move. Anderson's own page suggests keeping it under two minutes.
Why an MBA, and why now?
A specific goal, the gap between it and where you are now, and why this year rather than later.
What are your short-term and long-term goals after the MBA?
A first role you can name, a longer aim that grows out of it, and why you care about it.
Why is our program the right fit for you?
Two or three things you would actually use at this school and why they fit you. Names of courses alone won't carry it.
Your stories
Behavioral questions want one real example, told with your part in it.
Tell me about a time you led a team through a difficult challenge.
Say what made it hard, what you decided, and what changed because you were there.
Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a colleague and how you resolved it.
Keep it about the work, own your share, and end on how you work together now.
What is your biggest failure?
A real one, with a cost. Most of the answer belongs to what you learned and did differently afterward.
The close
What questions do you have for me?
Ask what you couldn't learn on the website, and fit it to who the interviewer is: a student, an alum or admissions.
How to prepare for an MBA interview
Our suggestion is about two weeks from the invitation, starting with the format.
Day 1
Find out your format
Blind or not, who interviews you, and any group, video or written part. The school's own page and your invitation say.
Days 2 to 4
Build six stories
Leadership, teamwork, conflict, failure, impact and a change of mind. Each with your own role, a decision and a result.
Free STAR method templateDays 5 to 8
Say your answers out loud
Your resume walk, why an MBA and why this school, each in about two minutes. Then take a follow-up on every answer, from Soreno's AI interviewer or a classmate.
MBA interview questionsDays 9 to 12
Rehearse the real format
A full mock at the right length, with your camera on if it is virtual. Add a group practice for Wharton or a timed video for Kellogg or Yale.
How Soreno's MBA practice worksThe last days
Prepare your questions and setup
Two questions you really want answered, a tested camera and microphone, and a quiet room. Check whether the school bans AI tools during the interview, as HBS does.
Practice MBA interviews out loud, with follow-ups
Soreno's AI interviewer runs MBA admissions interviews out loud, asks follow-ups on your answers and scores each one out of 100, quoting your own words. School-style sets for HBS, Wharton and Stanford GSB. Soreno is not affiliated with any business school.
Questions people ask
Does every MBA applicant get an interview?
At most top programs, no. HBS, Wharton, Stanford GSB, Columbia, Yale SOM and others interview by invitation. Tuck guarantees one to complete applications by its early dates, and Texas McCombs invites every applicant to an optional interview.
Can you be admitted without an interview?
Not at the schools that say so: HBS, Wharton, Stanford GSB, Yale SOM, Darden, Anderson, Fuqua and Cornell Johnson all require one before an offer.
What is a blind MBA interview?
One where the interviewer has not read your application. At Tuck, Yale SOM, Anderson and Fuqua they see only your resume, and at Darden not even that.
How long is an MBA interview?
Where schools publish it: 30 minutes at HBS, Yale SOM and about 30 at Anderson, 30 to 45 at Tuck, up to 45 at Darden, about 45 at Booth, 20 to 30 at McCombs. Wharton's is 35 minutes of group discussion plus 10 one-on-one.
Are MBA interviews virtual or in person?
Both, depending on the school. Booth, Kellogg, Columbia, MIT Sloan and Stern list virtual interviews. HBS, Anderson, Cornell Johnson and Darden offer both. HBS and Johnson say the format doesn't change how you are judged.
Does the timing of my invitation mean anything?
HBS, Tuck, Yale SOM, Darden, Fuqua and Kellogg all say no.
Do schools publish their interview questions?
Rarely. Booth and MIT Sloan describe the topics, and Yale SOM says its questions are mostly behavioral. The questions on this page are Soreno's own practice prompts.