McCombs MBA Admissions Interviews

My comments below are based on my experience and my review of McCombs School of Business in University of Texas at Austin MBA interview reports found at accepted.com.

Before reading this post, I suggest reviewing some or all of the following previous posts:
-MBA Application Interview Strategy

-Interview Practice is ABOUT SPEAKING!

-Further Comments on MBA Admissions Interviews 
-General Characteristics of Admissions Officers, Students, and Alumni Interviewers
-Recovering from a bad answer during an MBA admissions interview
-10 Ways to Blow an MBA Admissions Interview
-and my more recent post, When to start MBA interview practice? How to prepare?
The above posts are my general remarks on MBA admissions interview strategy and apply here.

The interviewer will only have access to your resume. Interviewers for McCombs (students, admissions officer, or alumni) try to create a friendly interview atmosphere. This is an interview about fit and your own potential, so make sure you can explain in depth why you want to attend McCombs, how you will contribute to it, and what you intend to do afterwords. You may want to look at an interview I conducted with a former client who was a McCombs Adcom member. Previous contact with alumni, visits to campus, and/or intensive school research are all great ways to prepare as showing fit for McCombs is critical.

Must interviews last about 45 minutes with some going for an hour and a few lasting only 30 minutes.

I see no reports of any trick questions really, but you must be prepared to address weakness, failure, and what you want to learn at McCombs. Be prepared to ask questions about the program. If you have an alum interview, be prepared to have a number of questions.

The Questions
Like he has done with many other schools, my colleague, Steve Green has compiled the following list of questions from from all the reports submitted to accepted.com   and clearadmit.com.  In addition to our client reports, we use lists of questions like these as part of our prep sessions with clients.

Resume
Tell me about your background. / Tell me about yourself.
What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?
Tell me about the highlight of your career so far.
What is the most difficult professional decision you ever made?

Goals
Why do you want an MBA now? / Tell me 3 reasons you want an MBA.
Why McCombs?  / Tell me three reasons you want to go to McCombs.
What attracts you the most in the McCombs MBA program?
What do you hope to see in your fellow students?
It's the first day of class and new students are being introduced. What do you look for in the introductions?
What will you bring to McCombs?  / How will you contribute/add value to McCombs?
How do you want to be associated with McCombs 10 years after you graduate?
What other MBA programs have you applied to?
What do you want to do after business school?

Leadership
Describe a leader you admire.
How are you applying the qualities that you admire in this leader in your own leadership?
Tell me about your experience leading teams.

Teamwork
Tell me about a time when you worked with someone who was not pulling their own weight.
What would you look for in a successful team?
What qualities do you like in your teammates?
What do you not like in a team member?
What are 3 ways you contribute uniquely to teams?

Strengths and Weaknesses
How would your boss describe you?
How would your co-workers describe you?
How would you introduce and describe yourself at a cocktail party?
What is the weakest part of your application?
What is the strongest part of your application?
When you have you put forward an idea and failed? What happened?
Describe a work scenario that was outside your comfort zone and how you handled it with a creative solution.
When you have you put forward an idea and failed? What happened?
If you had two round-trip tickets to anywhere, where would you go and whom would you take?
What did you learn about yourself after going through the application process?
Tell me about a time when you improved a process?

Conclusion
Do you have any questions for me?


Best of luck with your McCombs interview!

-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

An Interview with IMD's Lisa Piguet on Changes to Curriculum & Application Essays

This post is an interview with IMD's Lisa Piguet, Associate Director MBA Admissions and Marketing. You can find my previous interview with Lisa here.  In addition, she was kind enough to give me a tour of the IMD campus in 2012.  Please see IMD MBA Admissions Essays for January 2015 Admission (R2-R5) for my full analysis of IMD MBA application.


In this post, Lisa and I first discuss the changes to the MBA curriculum introduced for the Class of 2014, which are specifically designed to enhance the job opportunities for students by "making IMD MBA's a product."  We then discuss the MBA admissions essays that will be used for Rounds 2-5 (April 1, June 1, August 1 and September 1) for the Class of 2015.

This interview was conducted by phone on 2/7 and subsequently revised by both Lisa and me prior to posting.

ADAM: Could you explain the changes that have been made to the curriculum for the Class of 2014?


LISA:  IMD has always been known for leadership, which runs throughout the program. While the program is still roughly the same, our new MBA Program Director, Professor Ralf Boscheck, has conceptualized the program as built on three pillars:


Technical competence: Students will take Business Fundamentals, which runs for the first six months and is a return to the way the program was structured prior to the Class of 2012.  Our MBA Program Director, Professor Ralf Boscheck, wants the students to be as prepared as possible for the projects that occur in the second half of the year.


Self-Awareness:  Throughout the program, from the first day to last day, building leadership through personal development is critical. To that end, 95% of students take an elective, which includes 20 sessions with a licensed psychoanalyst to maximize their self-awareness and leadership development throughout the program.


Moral Values: By setting up situations in the program, mostly electives at the end of the program, MBAs can focus on morals and different values orientations.


Building on these pillars, Professor Boscheck, a longstanding and popular member of the faculty, has altered the overall structure of the program to give our students enhanced opportunities to gain exposure to potential employers.


ADAM: Both in terms of students' experience during the program and in terms of post-MBA outcomes, what kind of impact does IMD expect from these changes?

LISA:  We anticipate the students will be better prepared for ICP and the other projects by taking all the courses up front and therefore better exposed to key international job markets.  The objective is that our MBAs have an even better network. We want to make the IMD MBA a product that will be even more attractive to future employers.


The following changes should especially give students an opportunity to demonstrate their competence and enhance their visibility to future employers:
- Our Discovery Trip this year will be to three key thriving markets for employment and consist of a mini-internship with different companies including consulting firms. Our 90 students will be divided into three groups, going to Singapore, Sao Paulo, or New York City.
- A completely new addition to the curriculum is the opportunity for our students to not just attend, but actively participate at our major executive training program, Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP), which is held on-campus in June.  Our MBAs will present and teach executives enrolled in the program. The objective is to more actively expose students to executives in order to showcase them and give students additional networking and enhanced job opportunities.
-They will also participate in an executive conference to be held on the IMD Lausanne campus in November called "Navigating the Future". They will be asked to present and showcase themselves an additional time.


ADAM: Does IMD plan further changes to the curriculum for 2015?


LISA: No, not for now. Ralf will continue to build on the changes he has implemented in 2014.

ADAM: Regarding the changes to the application essay questions, what is the overall intention of changing them so extensively?


LISA: We wanted greater concision in our essay set. Due to our interview process we can ask much more intensively and extensively about the applicant's background.  What we want from the essays is to know who the person really is.  The essays should bring us closer to understanding the applicant.


ADAM: Should this be interpreted as a change in what IMD is looking for from applicants?


LISA: No, the same basic criteria apply.


ADAM: Do the changes in questions relate to other changes to the MBA program?


LISA: No, we just really wanted to revise our essay set.


ADAM: Regarding Essay Question 2, which I frankly love because it really requires a genuine response, it strikes me that beyond any considerations about an applicant's ability to respond to total failure (A possible way of responding to the question), IMD is really asking about the resilience of the applicant.  Would you care to comment on my opinion?


LISA: What we are testing is resilience, coping skills, attitude and self-awareness.


The extent of the failure need not be catastrophic.  Above all, it has to be honest.


We want to know how the applicant overcame the situation.  What did they do about it?   How did they think about it?  How did they respond to it?


ADAM: Regarding Question 3, I was struck by the fact that IMD was now asking applicants to consider themselves in the long-term.  The long-term has long been absent from IMD's written application process, though certainly common at most MBA programs.  Care to comment?

LISA: What we are looking for is how you project yourself into the future.  I would suggest considering the following when writing this:

-What mark do you want to leave on the planet?


-What would you tell your children/grand kids?


-What kind of person would you like to be?


-What kind of accomplishments would you like to make in the future?


- What do you want out of your life?


-Where are you going?


While surely focused on long-term vision, it is an achievement question in a way because it is testing drive, passion, and possibly altruism.

I want to thank Lisa for taking the time to answer my questions. 

-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

Snowbound in the US or Japan? Or have some free time? No Valentine's Day plans?

Are you presently stuck at home because of the lousy weather in the United States or Japan?  Do you have any free time?  Maybe you  don’t have any Valentine’s Day plans.  I have some suggestions for you:


1.  Take a few minutes and get a chance to win to $500 just because you applied for or are applying for business school programs that start in 2014:
https://huron.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_5avUSpmdneTZakt&RID=MLRP_0vv6IEAeIVjmdLL.
You can find the details here.  Or just take the survey!


2. Are you preparing for MBA admissions interviews?  Well, I have some blog posts for you! See the Interview Analysis Section of my Key Posts page.

3. Still trying to figure out where to apply to? See the Advice section my Key Posts page.


4.  Want to waste time looking at another list of MBA program rankings?  See
Adam's Global Top MBA Rankings 2014.  My team and I spent minutes putting this together.

5.  Did I mention taking this great survey?

Wherever you are, Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love and Kisses,
Adam

-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

Preparing for New York University Stern MBA Admissions Interviews

In this post I discuss preparing for New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business MBA admissions interviews.


Before reading this post, I suggest reviewing some or all of the following previous posts:
-MBA Application Interview Strategy

-Interview Practice is ABOUT SPEAKING!

-Further Comments on MBA Admissions Interviews 
-General Characteristics of Admissions Officers, Students, and Alumni Interviewers
-Recovering from a bad answer during an MBA admissions interview
-10 Ways to Blow an MBA Admissions Interview
-and my more recent post, When to start MBA interview practice? How to prepare?
The above posts are my general remarks on MBA admissions interview strategy and apply here.


NYU Stern’s Isser Gallogy, Assistant Dean, MBA Admissions,   provides short audio advice on admissions interviews (What follows is mostly a transcription):
1. Interviews are by invitation only. About 20-25% of MBA applicants are invited to interview.
2. Nearly all interviews are conducted by Stern’s Admissions Committee. 
3. Stern admissions interviews are not blind.  Your interviewer will have read your application. 
4. The majority of interviews are held on-campus at Stern.
5. It will be a highly personal and individualized exchange and goes beyond what you presented in your application. 
6. Be ready to discuss your post-MBA career path and why Stern can help you achieve your goals. 
7. Come prepared with questions for the interviewer.
8. To prepare, re-read your application and consider what further insight you can provide since submitting your application. 
9. Take some time to practice interviewing.
10. Relax. About 70% of those interviewed are admitted.
Based on interview reports, unlike the interviews at HBS, which tend to involve lots of individualized questions for applicants, NYU interviewers (like those at LBS) will have read your application for sure, but their questions are likely to be very standard as you will see below. Even though the Stern interview might not be as hard as HBS, I would recommend using the active strategy and method I discuss in my HBS interview post. If you utilize this method of preparation you will be well prepared for handling NYU’s  interview. Stern interviewers are consistently described as friendly and the interview should last 30 minutes.


The Questions
Like he has done with many other schools, my colleague, Steve Green has compiled the following list of questions from from all the reports submitted to accepted.com   and clearadmit.com.  In addition to our client reports, we use lists of questions like these as part of our prep sessions with clients.

Background

• Detailed questions about personal / creative essay.
• Tell me about yourself.
• What do you feel is the weakest part of your resume?
• How did you end up in your current job?
•  How did (a previous role) help you in your current role?
• What frustrates you most at your current role?
• Why did you leave company X to join company Y?
• Why did you choose company Z after graduation?
• Why did you choose your undergrad school? What is your best memory of your time there?
• Tell me what you like to do in your free time?

Why MBA?  Why Stern?

• Why Stern?
• What one thing draws you to Stern?
• What other schools are you applying to?
• How did you first hear about Stern, and in what ways did you learn about it?
•  Is Stern your first choice? If admitted to other schools, what will be your criteria for choosing?
• Why do you think you are ready for an MBA at this point in your career?
• Why now?
• Why do you want to do your MBA in NYC?
• What do you like about New York? Which neighborhoods would you consider living in?
• What are specific Stern programs that will help you?
• Where do you want to do your summer internship? How will you market yourself to that firm? What is your backup plan if you do not get your first choice?
• Which clubs do you want to participate in?
• What do you bring to the Stern community?
• What are you hoping to learn from your future classmates?
• How will you distinguish yourself during the first few weeks at Stern?
• What are you looking forward to at Stern?
• What most surprises you about Stern?
• What would you like me to think when I introduce you at graduation?
• What job do you imagine yourself doing during your first summer break?
• What makes Stern's culture different from others?
• Which county would you choose for "Doing Business In"? Why?

Goals

• What is the main difference between your current position and your goals?
• How will your post-MBA role be different from your current role?
• What companies would you like to work for after graduation, and why?
•  What five companies do you want to work for after graduation?
•   How would you market yourself in your target industry?
• What is your Plan B if you do not get your dream job?
•  As a foreign national, how will you find a job outside your country?
•  If you were asked to speak at Stern 25 years from now, how would you want to be introduced?

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What would your supervisor say is one of your strengths? One of your weaknesses?
• What is the best constructive criticism your boss has ever given you?
•   How would your friends describe you?
• What could prevent you from achieving your short-term goals?
•  What has been your greatest achievement in your current job?
• What is something (work or non-work) that you are proud of?
•  Tell me about a challenging time or a time you failed. What did you learn?
•  Tell me about a conflict you faced and how your overcame it.

Leadership and Teamwork

• What is your leadership style?
• Tell me about a time you led a team through a difficult situation?
•  What is your role on a team?

Conclusion

• Is there anything else you'd like me to know?
• Any questions for me?

Best of luck with your NYU Stern MBA interview!

-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

How to Prepare for MIT Sloan MBA Admissions Interviews

In this post, which is significantly updated, I discuss how to prepare for an MIT Sloan MBA admissions interview. If you have been invited to interview for the Class of 2016, this post is for you!

Beyond my 16 comprehensive service clients admitted to MIT Sloan since Fall 2008 entry (I began my own consulting service in September 2007), I have worked with additional clients only on interviews. and more still from 2001-2007 when I was working for a top test prep company’s consulting service.  The advice below is thus based on working with clients on MIT interviews for over ten years.

I do believe in the value of intensive preparation and doing mock interviews that are harder than the actual ones. As my client admitted in R1 for the Class of 2016 wrote in his testimonial, “Once I got the interview invitation, Adam gave me two comprehensive mock interviews that made my real interview looks like children’s game in comparison.” Whether you prep with me or otherwise, I hope this post helps you view the real interview in the same way!

YOU NEED TO BE A STAR!
Before reading the rest of this post, I strongly suggest reviewing  MIT’s  Preparing for Your MIT Sloan School Interview, because reading it first will maximize the value of my comments below.

The STAR technique is really the core method you need to use for answering Behavioral Event Interviews (BEI) questions. It is simply this:

• Situation: define the situation or "set the stage."

• Task: identify the task/project performed.

• Action: describe the action you took.

• Result: summarize the outcome

The STAR technique was created by Bill Byham, who originated the behavioral interviewing method in 1970. When you are using STAR, just keep in mind that you need to be introspective as well, so in an interview say what you thought as well as what you did. Don’t just present “the facts” but actively interpret your actions. There is really nothing overly complicated about this as long as you understand that you need to tell a DETAILED story. Pure abstractions disconnected from a concrete set of action steps are highly likely to result in a weak answer. Similarly, grand actions not told in any depth are also likely to be weak. Identify specific actions that contributed to the result so as to establish a clear link between cause and effect.

As when answering any kind of question, another important consideration is to think very critically about what your story selection, understanding of the task, actions taken, and results say about you. Keep in mind that the whole point of asking behavioral questions is to determine how someone acts and thinks as a basis for selecting or rejecting that person. It is obviously critical to be aware of your own message. Specifically think of examples you can use to highlight your intelligence, creativity, leadership skills, interpersonal communication skills, and conflict resolution skills.

How To Prepare Outlines for Practicing BEI Questions

I would suggest making some simple STAR (Situation Task Action Result) outlines.  For example:

Team Story 1: Project X
S:  Harry was not cooperating with the rest of the team on Project X.
T: My job was get the team to work together because Project X really required everyone to participate. Harry was important because of his technical skills.
A: In order to get Harry to cooperate I..  (ACTION 1) first talked with him privately to better understand his perspective.  Next, (ACTION 2) I talked with the rest of team to try and make an adjustment so that Harry would feel more comfortable. Finally (ACTION 3) Established information sharing sessions so that everyone understood what needed to be done and how our work fit together.
R: Project X succeeded.

The above outline could be used to answer such questions as “Tell me about a time when you were part of a team that had poor dynamics/didn’t get along well,” “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with someone who wasn’t pulling his/her weight,” and "Describe a time when you have worked as part of a team working towards an important goal, when you have addressed conflict between two or more team members."

Now, when you actually practice the above for a behavioral interview, you would need to flesh out the story and provide more details.  If you have outlined a STAR story, you  have not practiced it yet.   The only reason to outline STAR stories is if you cannot systematically turn any spoken story into STAR automatically.  Actually once you start using STAR, chances are that you will not need any outlines.  STAR is actually a highly intuitive way to tell stories and useful for telling stories in any situation.

A “typical” MIT Interview, which can last anything from 20-60 minutes (assume approximately 30 minutes), might consist of the following questions:
1. Any updates since you last applied?
2. 1-2 questions based on specific details from your application and/or resume related to a hobby, award, or work activity.
3. 3-6 of the above behavioral questions.
4. Perhaps a question about your goals or motivation for Sloan.
5. Questions for the interviewer.
DISCLAIMER: The above is just a general guide as the actual interview will vary greatly. If I do multiple MIT interview prep sessions with a client, I alter my style to account for the different interviewing styles an interviewee might encounter.

The Questions

Like he has done with many other schools, my colleague, Steve Green has compiled the following list of questions from from all the reports submitted to accepted.com   and clearadmit.com.  In addition to our client reports, we use lists of questions like these as part of our prep sessions with clients.

Two things that Steve encourages all applicants to remember: 

1. Expect detailed follow up questions about the content of your answers.

2. Expect questions based on specific points in your essays. (Your essays may be quoted back at you.) 

The questions in Italics were reported to Clear Admit and Accepted.com over the past year.

Resume and Background (Not usually BEI questions)

• Do you have any recent accomplishments you want to share? / Are there any changes to your resume since you submitted it? /  Tell me about a recent accomplishment that is not in your application.
• Tell me more about 
• Walk me through your resume. (FOLLOW UP)
• Why did you change jobs? / Why have you changed jobs frequently?
• Tell me more about the leadership role you played in (NON-PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY ON RESUME.)
• What do you do outside work?
• How do you have time for all the things that you do (REFERENCING RESUME)
• Tell me about your job, have your responsibilities changed since your promotion.
• Tell me about yourself, what have you been doing in the last two years.
• What exactly do you do? What have you been doing in your position recently?
• Tell me about something at work you have been proud of in the last year.
• What’s a personal goal that you’ve set for yourself recently?
• Where do see your business heading?

Goals (Not BEI Questions: They did not ask about your goals in the essays, but they can certainly do so in the interview!)

• Why an MBA?
• Why now?
• What do you think about MIT?
• Why did you decide to apply to Sloan? Tell me your thought process.
• What are your professional goals?
• What are two professional goals you've set for yourself?
• What are two personal goals you've set for yourself?

THE BEI QUESTIONS

While public reports over the last year show a smaller range of questions, based on my own client reports, I do recommend preparing for questions beyond those that are italicized.

Teamwork and Relationships 

• Tell me about a time when a colleague had a different opinion or gave you feedback and how you incorporated that into your approach.
• Tell me about a time when someone challenged your opinion.
• Describe a time when your idea was rejected. How did you feel?
• Tell me about a time when you had to work with people not at your intellectual level.
• Describe a time when you had to manage a conflict. How did you resolve it?
• Tell me about when you had a difficult time with your job.
• How did you manage to resolve a conflict situation and move the team forward?
• Tell me about a difficult conversation you had to have with someone.
• Tell me about a time when you had to present something to someone who you did not like.
• Tell me about a time you had a challenging interaction with someone.
• Tell me a time when you influenced someone
• Tell me about a time when you butted heads with a co-worker/client/employee.
• Tell me about a time when you were part of a team that had poor dynamics/didn’t get along well.
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with someone who wasn’t pulling his/her weight

Leadership

• Tell me about a time when you mentored someone.
• Tell me about a mentor or someone in your life who influenced you. Describe that influence.
• Tell me about a time when you had to persuade your colleagues.
• Tell me about a time when you set a goal and moved towards achieving it.
• Tell me a time when you thought outside of the box.
• Tell me when you did something innovative.
• Tell me about a time when you were managing someone who did not meet your expectations.
• Tell me about a time when you took the lead on something.
• Tell me about a time you led a team to a solution.
• Tell me about a time when you had to persuade/convince others.
• Tell me about a time you convinced others to follow your plan.
• Tell me about a time when you had to decide among multiple options.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Tell me about feedback you've received, and how you responded to it.
• Describe a time when you took a big risk.
• Tell me about a recent setback at your current position. What happened, how did you feel and what did you do?
• Tell me about something you’ve done that you’re proud of.
• Tell me about a recent disappointment where you believe you failed or did not do justice to your responsibilities.
• What would recent team members say about what it was like to work with you?
• How would a friend describe you? A client?
•  Tell me about a time when you had to step out from your comfort zone.
•  Tell me about a time you had to ask for help.
•  Tell me about a time you failed.
• Tell me about a time your idea was rejected.
• Tell me about a time when your expectations were not met.
• Tell me about a time when someone needed your help.

Conclusion (Not BEI)

• Any questions for me?
• I’m meeting a lot of people today, what is going to make me remember you?
• What do you wish I had asked you?

 Further Advice on Practicing for MIT Interviews

The map is not the territory!
Clients often want me to read their interview preparation notes. I usually refuse because I think it is a total waste of their money to have me do that.  I believe such outlines are useful for the person doing the preparation, but all I can really evaluate is their performance.  If I have a client with a TOEFL under 100, I might review their scripts because given that they may lack basic English vocabulary for effectively telling their stories. This is not case with the vast majority of my clients, even those with TOEFL scores at the 100 level.

An outline is a map, but in the case of an interview it is really limited map because an interview is all about performance, the territory. You can have the best stories in the world, but if you can’t deliver them effectively, you are dead.

Actual Practice
Depending on your communication skills, available time, and comfort with interviews you may need days or weeks or months to be at your best. Whatever amount of practice you think you need, try to actually do more than that.  One of my clients who had already been admitted to two top schools, did 50 hours of practice on his own to get ready for HBS.  He was successful because he put in enough time actually speaking the answers  to many common questions that he could feel comfortable and confident.  He did just a couple of hours of interview practice with me and one of my colleagues. He was admitted to HBS. I wish all my clients followed this example of extensive self-practice.  While the exact ratio of counseling hours (strategy sessions focused on developing good answers and mock interviews) to self-study will vary, I think somewhere between a 1:5 and 1:20 ratio is ideal.  I am always depressed when a client only does interview practice during sessions with me and then does no practice by themselves because I know they are not maximizing their performance. Like a great musician or actor, you need to internalize your script/notes/outline to perform it effectively. I can best help a client by judging that performance.  Something could look great or horrible on paper, but very much the reverse when actually performed.

How to practice:
1. Speak.  Doing it in your head is not enough.  Actually perform to the hardest audience you will ever encounter: yourself.
2. Record yourself and listen and/or view the results. Note problems and practice more.
3. Speak in front of other people who can give you feedback.  Even if you are using a consultant try to practice in front of other people. This will help make you comfortable having an audience.
4. Have school specific mock sessions, either with a admissions consultant or someone who can at least ask you the questions.
5. Given that the MIT Interview will be either with an admissions officer (Always the case if the interview happens overseas. My International clients have had a much higher chance of interviewing with Rod Garcia than those who were based in the US!) or a contracted interviewer (Usually an MIT Sloan staffer, but not in adcom) who has read your file, you should closely review your own Sloan application.  It is best not to repeat the stories you told in your essays, but feel free to discuss variations based on the same situation. You don’t want to make your interviewer feel like they hearing the same story they already read.

For additional suggestions on interview strategy, please see:

-MBA Application Interview Strategy
-Interview Practice is ABOUT SPEAKING!
-Further Comments on MBA Admissions Interviews 
-General Characteristics of Admissions Officers, Students, and Alumni Interviewers
-Recovering from a bad answer during an MBA admissions interview
-10 Ways to Blow an MBA Admissions Interview
-When to start MBA interview practice? How to prepare?

I know that what I am suggesting might be burdensome and time consuming, but so what?  The whole application process is like that.  And at least with interview practice, you might actually become better at telling stories (Good for making friends!) and interviewing for jobs. Best of luck with your MIT Sloan MBA interview!

-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.