10 Commonly Asked MBA Interview Questions With Answers And Tips

I have picked some of the most common, though, important questions that you must prepare yourself for. The questions may be simple, but when you look closely, the answers will be far more profound.

Tell Us Something About Yourself
Why Do You Want To Pursue MBA?
Why Did You Choose Our Business School?
Why Should We Accept You?
Tell Us About Your Strengths and Weaknesses? / What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What Qualities Should A Manager Possess?
What Is The Difference Between A Manager And A Leader? / What qualities should a successful manager have?
What Are Your Short Term Goals After MBA?
Talk About Your Accomplishments As A Leader
Do you have a career goal? Where do you see yourself in 3 to 5 years from now?
Are you a good manager or a leader or a worker?
Talk about your accomplishments as a leader. / What leadership roles did you play at your university?

Question 1: Tell Us Something About Yourself

Alternative To This question: Walk Me Through Your Resume or Tell Us About Your Past Experiences And Achievements

How To Go About The Question: This is generally the very first question a person will ask you when you sit for an interview for MBA. If you answer the question in chronological order, it will be just as fine, probably the way too. You can focus on 4 things here, your family, your education, your past experiences, and your goals in life.

General Answer: Good Morning Sir/ Committee, I am Ajay Singh and I put up from Delhi. I have earned my graduate degree in BBA in International Business in 2018. My father is an MBA degree holder himself and works in an advertising firm. My mother is a housewife. I undertook an internship during my undergraduate in a marketing firm that lasted for a period of 3 months and after completing my BBA, I started working in a Startup based out of Mumbai.

From my school days, marketing is something that always appealed to me. After acquiring the skillset and knowledge from the MBA, I want to work towards managing the tasks and the company more efficiently.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: The interviewer(s) will have your resume, either you will hand out a fresh copy or it will be there in the folder that they would have. They know what you have done, but through the question want to understand why? The most important part of this question is not what you have done, but why have you done it. Also, frame the answers in such a way that you highlight the accomplishments and strengths.

Question 2: Why Do You Want To Pursue MBA?

Alternative To This question: Why Did You Choose MBA As Your Post Graduate?

How To Go About The Question: This is a staple question during the interview process of MBA selection and has been asked for years, and as it is going, will be asked for many years yet to come. There is no one best way that you can answer to this question, but it is and will always be advised not to say that you are here just for the monetary benefit from pursuing an MBA degree.

You can talk about how an MBA degree can help you use the skills in managing human resource, money, the ability of selling. The qualification will help you in managing the responsibilities better and applying the technical quotient that you would acquire through this course.

Additionally, any business cannot be run by the use of technology alone, or in all honesty the product cannot sell by itself, the ability to manage, deliver, and sell the product is something that requires a human touch and that is qhat your learn through MBA.

General Answer: Sir/ Committee Members, I decided to pursue an MBA when I was in the 10th standard and was discovered by Economics. While pursuing my Engineering, I decided that I will work for at least 2 years before applying for an MBA solely for getting work experience and finding what field I want to specialize in.

Additionally, the reason why I was inclined towards an MBA or business, in general, is because I want to give something back to the community. As I want to pursue my MBA in Marketing, I want to apply new and creative ideas which will increase the market share of the companies which will lead to a lowering of the cost of the product through economies of scale.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: Make sure you highlight the turning point that led you to pursue a career in Business. Talk about which field you want to specialize in and why? That is the most important point that you must have.

Question 3: Why Did You Choose Our organization?

Alternative To This question: Why Do You Wish To work in our organization?

How To Go About The Question: This question does not only wants to know if you have researched about this organization or not but about other organizations. This is the question where you can be 100% honest with the committee as in how the B School perfectly aligns with your aspiration.

General Answer: Sir/ Committee members, this Organization is amongst the best ones in the industry, and after researching the work and culture details of various organizations I found that this organization is perfectly aligned with my needs.

With such great work and culture, I would be honored to work for this reputed Organization.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: You should research not only about the ranking of the Organization you are looking to apply in but also the projects, clients, and the entire background of the organization and how it can benefit you.

Question 4: Why Should We Accept You?

Alternative To This question: Why Makes You An Ideal Candidate?

How To Go About The Question: The answer to the MBA interview question is not straightforward. The reason to ask you this question is to what you think of yourself. Do not simply answer that you are qualified, smart, and have a relative graduation degree. They know it already, that’s why you are there in the room with them. You can highlight the skillset and experience you have acquired over the years.

General Answer: Sir/ Committee members, from my resume, and the discussion we have had, you know what I have done, but through the learnings from this prestigious organization, I want to acquire additional skills and increase my knowledge which will help me in your future job role of Marketing/ Sales/ Finance/ HR.

During my employment, I helped my company to increase the traffic on their website and newsletter subscription through both paid and organic media. After widening my horizon, I would like to apply the acquired knowledge in doing the same but more efficiently.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: While preparing for this MBA interview question, you should constantly ask yourself why you want to pursue an MBA and how and why this particular college can help in reaching your professional goals.

Question 5: Tell Us About Your Strengths and Weaknesses?

Alternative To The Question: Tell Us About Your Shortcomings And How You Can Overcome Them?

How To Go About This Question: Knowing your strengths is very easy, we always aim at developing them but seem to forget to think about where we lack and leave them like that. To prepare for this question, you should pick 2 or 3 of your core strengths and at least 1 weakness that you have converted into a strength or are currently working on.

General Answer: I am not only a hard worker but also a smart worker, I tend to spend my spare time learning new things or new ways of doing the things we do right now through videos and written articles. I am a quick learner and a people person. I have worked with people from different states and have overcome the barrier of culture and religion at the time of pursuing my BBA.

Coming to my weaknesses, I was short-tempered, and have worked on it over the years. Another weakness that I would like to work on is that I do not ask for help when I know I really should. I rather look for the solution over the internet and invest hours in it when I know I could simply ask it from my superior or in fact from my teammate, and I do not do it because I think highly of me, but because I do not want to come out as someone who is incompetent.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: SWOT should not be done for the competitors, but should be done your oneself as well. It is better to know the weaknesses that you have than being ignorant and let people take advantage of it. Accept your weaknesses because no person is good at everything, instead work on things and the same should reflect in your answer. Do not be ashamed of your weaknesses, but work on eradicating them.

Question 6: What Qualities Should A Manager Possess?

Alternative To This question: Tell Us About Your Best Boss, And Why Was He The Best? or What Makes A Manager Better Than Others?

How To Go About The Question: The reason why the selection committee askes this MBA interview question is to understand whether the candidate has the potential of becoming a goof Manager himself/ herself or not.

General Answer: According to me, communication is what differentiates between a good and a normal manager. A good manager should be able to communicate clearly with its team. A manager who can work with his team, instead of making his teamwork, will reach the goal much more efficiently than his counterpart.

A good manager should be able to motive the team and should be ready to take feedback from them. Most importantly, a good manager should have the ability to take tough calls.

The last boss I worked for, Ms. XYZ, fit perfectly in this description. She not only motivated us on the project we worked on, but also communicated each and every piece of information, small or big, with the entire team very effectively. She was a major reason why our team was one of the most contributing teams in the firm.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: The behavioral MBA interview question is asked to know your psyche. If you can give your answer credentials with a real-life example, better if it is your personal experience, it will be better taken by the selection board.

Question 7: What Is The Difference Between A Manager And A Leader?

Alternative To This Question: Should A Superior Be A Manager Or A Leader? or How Is A Manager Different From A Leader?

How To Go About The Question: An opinion question will make its way into your MBA interview question and answer session one way or the other, and this is one of the most asked opinion questions. Use your personal experience of a difference in the style of management of a team you would have seen in your organization by different managers.

General Answer: In my last company I worked under 3 different bosses, and I think I can answer this question better with my own experiences. A manager becomes a leader when instead of getting the work done, the boss works with the team.

Instead of just telling what to do and how to do, a leader helps the team in getting the work done and works together as one. Personally speaking, a leader will leave the room for innovation whereas a manager will direct to do a task in a certain way.

It was taught to us in our undergraduate that a leader will have followers whereas a manager will have employees, I could not really understand it fully then, but in my job, I found that when you like to work with a boss, you automatically feel like following him/ her, whereas a boss who only directs cannot get that feeling from his team.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: Use a real-life example, if not yours personally, you can use your friend’s or a family member’s experience in their office or workplace. This will show the selection committee that you already have a basic understanding and the college may build a strong leader in you.

Question 8: What Are Your Short Term Goals After MBA?

Alternative To This question: What Do You See Yourself Doing After 5 Years From Now?

How To Go About The Question: One of the most asked MBA interview questions is also a favourite among the recruiters of corporates. The answer to this question should be realistic, and you should justify that the learning from the MBA course can actually help you attain your goals, you cannot just say I would go on and get promoted to one of the top management positions in the next 5 years. That is a big NO!

Research on the companies that come for placements to the B School, and tell the committee which company or companies you may target for, this will tell you that you are clear in your thoughts. (Note: but if you are applying for the same company the answer should be about them only)

General Answer: Sir/ Committee members, I would like to get placed in Apollo Tyres in their Marketing Department and would get hands-on experience in different aspects such as Social Media Marketing, On-page/ Off-page SEO, Google Adwords, Affiliate Marketing, and Traditional Marketing and so on and so forth.

Deep exposure to these domains will prepare me for better career opportunities in the next 3 to 5 years.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: To answer this MBA interview question we would advise you to be honest with your goals, condition being, they are realistic. The goals should be specific and should show that you are clear in your mind of what you want to do in your life and how the college can actually help you in doing the same.

Question 9: Talk About Your Accomplishments As A Leader

Alternative To This Question: Walk Us Through An Instance Where You Led A Team. or Have You Ever Displayed Your Leadership Skills?

How To Go About The Question: The reason for asking this MBA interview question is to not only know if you know what leadership skills are but also to know if you have taken an initiative to implement the same to get a task done.

It is one thing to know about a concept and a totally different thing to implement it.

General Answer: I have been an active participant in the organizing of events at both School and my Undergraduate program. There have been several occasions where I led a team, the biggest of them was organizing the annual college fest where we had to word not only with the different people who wanted to have stalls in it, and obviously students who went out to approach the potential companies and businesses who would be interested in buying the stalls.

We had to manage the visits for the sponsorships of the fest, the security, and also the celebrities who would be coming to perform along with their hospitality. I used my leadership skills to mitigate any issues that arose between the teams and also between the committee and the college administration.

Obviously, I could never thank much my whole team much for their support.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: When you prepare for this question, widen your view, do not only think of college time, or the time while you were working in a company, you can go back, probably a social service you organised in your locality or society, or maybe an event you organised in your school. But we would recommend not to use an instance that is too old. The latest the instance, the more impact it will have. And always appreciate the heal you received from others, after all, that’s what good leaders do.

Question 10: Are You A Good Manager Or A Leader Or A Worker?

Alternative To This Question: Do You See Yourself As A Worker Or A Manager Or A Leader In A Company?

How To Go About The Question: This competency MBA interview question is asked to know what you think or yourself, as in your self-worth. Having high self-worth is a good thing, however, you should never go overboard and think yourself above everyone. Remain humble while answering this question.

General Answer: Sir/ Members of the Selection, I see myself as a Leader. I have worked as an executive for 2 years and gained some on the job experience. Additionally, after completing my masters, I definitely see myself getting a managerial job at a company of my liking.

Coming to the other part of the question. I would definitely become a leader who leads by example instead of just telling the employees what has to be done. I will make sure that there is always enough room for discussion and positive criticism/ feedback on the process I am following. Having said that, I will not shy from taking tough decisions as well, not to assert my power but for the betterment of the organization.

I believe in gaining respect, not forcing it because of my job title.

Tip For Preparing The Answer: In order to answer this question better, you must first know whether you follow the set rule and policies of the company and the process of doing a task a certain way or you take the risk and leap to innovate and come up with new ideas which may lead in failure as well.

If you want to work as a manager, and follow the set rules and process of getting a certain project done, that is completely fine, you do not have to be a leader that way, after all, the process is tried and tested, otherwise wouldn’t be implemented in the company in the first place.

Now that you know the top 10 MBA interview questions and answers and the tips that can help you better prepare for the same, we hope you will be able to prepare yourself better for the situation when it comes. Always remember, honestly and modesty should be reflected in your answers. You should never be too optimistic about your goals, though optimism is much needed, so is being realistic.

Top 10 MBA Interview Questions With Answers That Can Help You Prepare A Little