List of Top 10 MBA Interview Questions with Answers
MBA INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
The admission process of B-schools or MBA colleges generally consists of 3 stages – shortlisting on the basis of entrance score, group discussion or written ability test and personal interview. The PI round is make or break situation in selection process. Let’s explore MBA interview questions and their sample answers.
Personal Interview Questions
- Tell me about yourself
- Why MBA? Why MBA after engineering?
- How managers/organizations are coping up with post-covid situation?
- Why x specialization if you are y graduate?
- Family background
- Impact of slowing economy on jobs
Q.1) Tell me about yourself.
The same question can be asked in the following ways
- Walk me through your resume
- Take me through your profile
How to answer tell me about yourself?
Ans. The answer to this question has to be very interesting because everyone is going to pitch similar information. The way you pitch matters a lot. If you want to select detergent for washing clothes then the definite choice would be Surf Excel against Sasa Detergent. Now think of the reason behind this action? Or why do think of Parle-G when we want to purchase glucose biscuit.
How long should tell me about yourself be?
Ans. It can go up to 2 to 3 minutes but there is no fixed rule. You must be enough smart to read the interviewer’s face to deduce whether he is getting bored or not. As far as your story is interesting, the interviewer will not poke you. The moment he/she starts asking counter-question you must get a soft signal of stopping by.
The pointers to be added in ‘Tell me about yourself’ are
- Your name
- Educational background
- Academic excellence if any
- Family background
- Hobbies
- Certifications
- Work experience if any
- Achievements in life
Now the question arises, Is there any particular sequence to follow? The answer is, No as far as you are able to grasp the attention of the interviewer.
It’s all about the art of storytelling.
Don’t unnecessarily dig your own grave by adding the ‘Why MBA’ answer in the ‘tell me about yourself answer.
The next question is sure to hit you if your graduation background is not from the management domains like BBA, BMS, etc.
Q.2) Why MBA?
The extensions of this question are
- Why MBA after engineering?
- Being from a technical field, why you want to pursue an MBA?
Read more: How to answer Why MBA?
The new question is very tricky because of its volatile nature
Q.3) What MBA specialization are you interested in?
Ans. The specialization selection doesn’t depend on the following factors:
- Your graduation background
- Market conditions
- What your friends suggest
- College placement stats for that specialization
The decision depends on your area of interest
Q.4) What are your achievements/events where leadership was practiced?
List down all your achievements and try to frame some of them in a meaningful experience that helped you learn important lessons.
The events where leadership was practiced can be a project where you lead your team, an event where you were the team head, etc. You must describe more about how did you manage the tasks and people during that event.
Q.5) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
You must understand one fact that spending a year in any organization is not enough to understand the products & services it has to offer + hierarchy and many other aspects.
The 5-year span will help to lift yourself levels up depending on where you start.
Example: If you start your career as an area sales executive then progress to area sales manager is possible in 5 years. Again this shift will depend on organization policies.
Q.6) Why should we select you?
Any organization runs recruitment drive with the goal of hiring the best possible candidates from all the applications. Try to pitch the qualities that are aligned with the mission and vision of the company/college. “Your institute has a great legacy, it can provide me with opportunities required to fulfil my dreams”
Q.7) Tell me something that is not written on your resume?
This is a tricky question but should be treated as a bonus. The resume holds limited information that doesn’t reflect the qualities you possess. Please go through the sample answers.
While my resume covers my academic achievements and technical skills, one thing that’s not mentioned is my passion for community service. Over the past few years, I’ve been actively involved in a local NGO that focuses on providing education to underprivileged children. I volunteer as a tutor and help organize workshops. This experience has significantly improved my communication skills and taught me the importance of patience and empathy. It also fuels my drive to make a positive impact in my community, something I carry into my professional life as well
One aspect of my life that you won’t find on my resume is my involvement in competitive sports. I’ve been playing in an amateur football league for the past five years. Being part of a team sport has taught me valuable lessons like teamwork, leadership, and resilience. It’s also a great way for me to manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance. The discipline and strategic thinking required on the field often translate to my approach in the workplace, especially when working on collaborative projects or during high-pressure situations.
Q.8) Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses
Don’t try to fool the interviewer by adding strengths and weaknesses that you don’t know about yourself. Don’t even think of Google search or terms like Leadership, Caring, Patience, etc. will pop-up. Analyze yourself and try to list down strengths that can be supplemented with examples, the same logic applies for weaknesses.
Q.9) Short term and long term goals
The short term goals can be achieved within a month and long term goals can extend for a year. So be specific while describing goals. It can be anything, for example – ” My short term goal is to complete XYZ certification within this month.”
Q.10) A question on your graduation projects is expected.
Rarely asked question for Marketing, Finance and HR specializations but important for students who want to pursue their MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management or Information Technology Systems. Just revise what did you do in the graduation project, nothing hardcore.
Q.11) What if we don’t select you?
Again a tricky question. This can be a test of your patience and willingness to get into the company. “Probably I will try to upscale my skills and knowledge and aid it with relevant experience and bounce back”
Important GD Topics to Prepare
- Stress Vs Consumer Spending
- Mob Lynching in India
- Is FDI good for the Indian Economy?
- Future of OTT platforms in India
- Does India need a new Parliament building?
- Democracy Vs Monarchy
- E-learning: Pros and Cons
- Efficient Manager vs Ethical Manager
- Effectiveness of Lockdown – A Reality Check
- Soft skills matter more than technical skills?
- Chinese goods are a threat to Indian business and economy
- Social media impact on humane behaviour
- In our economic matters, there is an excessive tendency towards thinking rather than doing.
- Sustainable Development is the key to India’s Growth
- Is COVID-19 a politically global tool nowadays?
- Does India need Bullet Train?
- Can India combat climate change?
- Increasing student suicide in India
- Is it impossible to imagine a world without plastic?
- Are we becoming a nation of viewers with a swarm of the online content provider in today’s time?
- Humanity is dead or alive in society in this pandemic?
- Ecommerce discounts harmful to Indian economy
- Mergers and acquisitions of banks are beneficial for the economy?
- Can India be a 5 Trillion Economy by 2024?
- Cyber Attacks and how it affects our Economy
- Demonization – success or failure?
- Can India be AATMANIRBHAR in the globally integrated economy?
- Are salary cuts justified in the lockdown period?
- Can we use space exploration money to overcome the poverty of the world your opinion?
- Role of a private university in development, scope
- Is freedom of the press in today’s world of dominance a myth
- How should India revive its export after COVID?
- Increasing demand for retirement and old age homes signal the beginning of nuclear families
- Climate change should the responsibility of developed nation and developing nation be the same?
- Is WhatsApp a medium for Fake news or communication?
- Has India really handle the corona crisis better than other countries?
- Retirement homes: Do the advantages of living in them outweigh the disadvantages and why?
- Is our money safe with a bank with going on the situation?
- Digital Learning going to surpass traditional learning
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