IESE

"Very conversational, lasted about 30 mins (including the 3 questions I asked) 1. Tell me about yourself 2. What triggered the decision to pursue an MBA? 3. Post MBA goals 4. TMAT when you worked with a difficult person 5. Would you do anything differently in your career so far? 6. Imagine yourself in the IESE MBA - how would you approach a peer who is very difficult to work with? 7. What other universities have you applied to? 8. Any questions for me?"

"with JC - Adcom 0.- do you know about IESE mission? goal 1.- tell me about your interests/hobbies 2.- tell me about your career 3.- TAMT you supported a difficult decision with data and facts 4.- TAMT you faced differences (on business) with a direct supervisor 5.- Why MBA, why IESE 6.- Long term 7.- Questions to the Adcom"

"I had my interview with the alumni. It was very conversational. The person had read my entire application pretty thoroughly and I had questions on almost every section that I wrote. 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why MBA at this point & why IESE 3. What was your evaluation criteria while choosing a Bschool 4. Leadership experience - some behavioral questions around that. 5. Current job roles & responsibilities. 6. Some specific questions about the extra curriculars that I had mentioned. 7. How do you work in a group, some examples on the same. 8. Why Europe schools & why not any other region like US Overall lasted for an hour. Very good experience."

"For me, the interview with IESE was unexpected. Unlike other MBAs who asked about my achievements or academics, the IESE rep asked me many personal questions that showed my true color. It shows my strength, weakness, and life in general. Of course, they asked why I wanted to get an MBA, IESE, and my career goals. But so far, the interview with IESE’s Adcom has been very personal & nice. I didn’t think I would get accepted because the interview seemed so casual; even the AdCom asked why my GMAT score (especially the verbal score) wasn’t that good. My wife laughed at me because the interview was so unexpected & light!"

"The idea of assessment day Is to gauge your class contribution. 1. Read the case multiple times before the day 2. summarise the case provided in you own words. 3. Make sure you answer or ask relevant questions during the sessions. 4. Be audible, consise and sound intelligent during the session 5. Don’t be weird, corky or sound like a "know it all" and also don’t be forgettable. Leave a positive impact on the class. 6. Enjoy it and be yourself All the best."

"The admissions director had gone through my entire application, hence there were no generic questions. 1. Tell me about your passion? 2. Why did you choose your undergraduate degree? 3. How will you tell other automobile engineers, what you do at work? 4. Tell me about the research paper you submitted in undergrad? What problem did it solve? 5. Short-term and long term goals, followup questions on that- industry, function, geographic location, target companies, visa requirements in-depth. 6. Why IESE? 7. What other schools and reason for choosing those schools? 8. Hobbies in tennis and whether I still pursue it?"

"Was relatively conversational. had it online over teams, bang on 1 hour duration. - introduce yourself - walk me through your profile - biggest achievement - what moment in childhood defines you - a time you failed - how would your team describe you - describe yourself in two words - interests outside of work - any questions for me"

"The interview lasted about 50 minutes and was fairly conversational. Below are a few of the questions: 1. Tell me about yourself 2. What draws you to the start up world? 3. What was your biggest takeaway from your first job? 4. What was your most challenging project in your first job? 5. What do you say your leadership style is? 6. Tell me about a time you didn't agree with someone, how did you handle it? 7. Tell me about a time you can't meet your deliverable. What did you do about it? 8. The course is pretty rigorous, how well do you deal with stress? 9. Which other schools have you applied to? and why is IESE different? 10. Why MBA right now? 11. What are the key factors that you looked at while shortlisting schools? Good luck!"

"Same with many other candidates who shared their debriefs, my interview experience was also quite conversational. The interviewer started with explaining how the interview was going to be like, then he started to ask questions that were really tailored to my personal experiences, mostly about the key decisions I made in school and at work. He has already read through all my application materials thoroughly, so he only asked about something that was not covered in those materials. -Tell me about yourself in 30 seconds -What motivated you to attend the swimming training in the early morning -Why did you start playing volleyball -Do you think playing volleyball helps you become less introverted? -Why did you decide to change company while you were considering an MBA program (my current is only one year now) -In terms of your post-MBA career goal, how will it be different from what you’ve been doing in the past in addition to location switch -What kind of software based tech companies do you want to work for? -Why did you choose Finland for your exchange program and did you experience any cultural shock -How do you deal with a difficult colleague at work (he asked me to make an example that was not in my essay) -In addition to those mentioned in the essay, is there any other reasons you choose IESE -Why did you want to go for exchange in NUS (it’s not really common according to him) -Did you apply for other programs? What’s the application progress and what do you think is the difference between INSEAD and IESE -How do you plan to fund your MBA program if you’re not given any scholarship"

"Super conversational. The interviewer started by asking me whether I wanted to remove the tie to be comfortable, so that was a nice ice breaker. Interviewer had gone through the application thoroughly before interviewing and hence the questions were quite tailored. 1. Tell me about yourself in 30 secs 2. Deepdive on my current role and academics, why I did not pursue software as a career (undergrad is engg but work ex revolves around ops & product) 3. International experience and culture shock I've faced initially (why no international experience etc.) 4. Any other schools I'm looking at and why Note: He also drew parallels with other schools and so pls be super well versed with your application and ensure your story is airtight. 5. Elaborate on the goals given in the essays 6. Why IESE? (he was looking for something tailored other than what is written in a template essay). 7. How do you plan on financing your MBA 8. Are there any other schools you have to get back to."

"The interview was very conversational and some questions were personalised to my application. It lasted about an hour. 1. As a sensitive person, what strengths do you bring to your team at work? 2. Why did you choose the company you work for? 3. Tell me more about your undergrad experience - what did you gain personally? 4. What kinds of people do you find it difficult to work with? 5. Who or what instilled in you the values of compassion? 6. Why IESE? 7. Why do you want to work in Europe? 8. What is your backup plan? 9. How will you finance your MBA? 10. Which other schools have you applied to? How did you choose them? 11. The second year typically tends to be lighter in academic workload. How will you structure your second year? 12. Anything else you would have liked me to ask - I spoke about what I will bring to the learning team and how I will contribute at IESE 13. Any questions for me?"

"The interview was very conversational. The questions are very similar to what I read in the other debriefs. 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Talk about a childhood experience and how it has influenced you. 3. You mentioned that you like to travel. Where have you traveled to and what have you learnt? 4. How would you describe yourself as a leader? 5. What is the difference between a good leader and a good manager? 6. How would your friends describe you in 3 words? 7. Why MBA and why now? 8. Back up plan. Would you happy with said back up plan? 9. Describe your biggest achievement at work. 10. Talk about a day in your work. 11. What kind of people do you find the most difficult to handle? 12. From today till the start of the MBA program how will you prepare and develop yourself. Overall these questions came from the flow of the conversation. Hope this helps."

"Brief info and introduction. 1. Three minutes about who you are as a person 2. Talk about your time with the main company on your resume 3. Professional achievement you are most proud of 4. A time you faced an ethical dilemma and what it taught you 5. A time you made a mistake and what you learned from it 6. Why MBA 7. Why now 8. What other schools are you applying to and why 9. Why IESE 10. What can you bring to IESE 11. Concern over gap in my work history (I have been traveling for the last two years) 12. How have you changed as a person over the course of your travels 13. Backup plan to main post-MBA goals 14. Desired geography 15. How will you finance MBA 16. Questions?"

"Interviewed with AO, Very conversational Introductions first, the interviewer has read the application completely and wanted to skip the basic questions These are the questions I was asked: 1) describe yourself in 1 word 2) why moved from tech to consulting 3) why 2nd MBA? 4) why sustainability, how sure are you on the path? 5) what do you differentiate yourself from others who are on the same path? 6)what’s important, working in consulting or sustainability? 7) which locations? 8) why iese? 9) which other schools? And why them? 10) what is the status of other schools? 11) why these longterm goals? (I put Policy advisory) 12) describe a time when handled a difficult person 13) working in international environment 14) what do you bring to the iese""

"Interviewed with AO, Very conversational Introductions first, the interviewer has read the application completely and wanted to skip the basic questions These are the questions I was asked: 1) describe yourself in 1 word 2) why moved from tech to consulting 3) why 2nd MBA? 4) why sustainability, how sure are you on the path? 5) what do you differentiate yourself from others who are on the same path? 6)what’s important, working in consulting or sustainability? 7) which locations? 8) why iese? 9) which other schools? And why them? 10) what is the status of other schools? 11) why these longterm goals? (I put Policy advisory) 12) describe a time when handled a difficult person 13) working in international environment 14) what do you bring to the iese"

"Pretty generic interview process and mostly standard questions. The previous interview debriefs in the forum are really helpful. I won't list all the questions that I had here, since they are very comparable to the questions from previous submissions. Make sure you've done your research on the school & the program, you are clear on your purpose and why you are applying to MBA, and lastly get familiar with your CV (my interviewer asked a lot of experience-based questions). Good Luck"

"My interview was with the adcom member and it was conversational in the truest sense. It was about 50 mins long. It started off with basic housekeeping rules and then she dived into the interview: 1. Tell me about yourself - your family and your hobbies 2. What has been your most significant professional achievement 3. 3 words your friends would use to define you 4. Why MBA 5. Why IESE + what other schools have you applied to and why 6. Tell me about a time you were in a leadership role 7. Tell me about a time you used data to make a decision at work 8. Tell me about a time you were in a difficult situation 9. If you could choose to be anyone for one who would that be 10. Why MBA now and not after a year 11. How do you plan to finance your MBA 12. Do you have any ques for me"

"I had 2 interviews as I applied in the Early action round and they were not having the assessment day at that time. Interview 1 ( End of Sep) The first interview was with the Associate Director of admissions in my region and was focused only on my motivation and fit for the program. - It was a very conversational and zero pressure kind of environment ( Introduce yourself, work experience) - The interviewer tried to understand me as a person ( Talk about your childhood, family/kids, where you grew up, etc) - Fit evaluation ( How did you know about IESE, your Interactions with IESE, Why IESE, Why MBA) - Career ( Asked me to open the CV on my PC and spent 15 mins on it understanding each role and transition in detail with key achievements and learnings, Immediate career goals, PLAN B and PLAN C also incase you have to come back to your own country post-IESE MBA. your Plan B should also be worked out in detail including target companies, roles and geographies as well). - My Preparation and mindset ( Ability to Fund the MBA and financial planning in detail, My understanding of the culture and teaching methodology at IESE. What other schools have you applied to, compare other top EU schools with IESE if you took a few names). Summary- - Speak to as many people as possible and mention their names and what unique points did you take from them ( 1st and 2nd-year students, recent Alums, and some Alums who have been working for some time now in your target companies/geographies for getting broad perspectives) - Attend Info sessions, country-specific webinars and Open days. These 2 points will be most critical in understanding the culture and will also build a strong case for you about your preparation and intent to join the school. - Financial plan is Important ( how will you take care of tuition, stay, networking travel, exchange, Misc etc- You should have worked out everything) - Show your passion for the school. You need to be well versed with the Fit, culture, and DNA of the school. IESE is very particular about that. ( You will be asked to give specific reasons for choosing IESE over others let's say HEC/ LBS/ INSEAD etc. Be very specific. For other schools, it's generally understood that you will choose IESE over them anyway.) - Ask strong and forward-looking questions to your interviewers. My second interview also covered most of the above but was very detailed and functional in nature. My second interviewer was an associate admissions director of another region and Ex. McKinsey. We spoke mostly about my career goals and fit ( since I had put consulting on my career goals). I was asked situational questions for my past roles with the kind of conversations I had with stakeholders and how I handled tough situations. He even asked me case interview questions to understand my fit with consulting. Overall, try to be as honest as possible and show your passion for your career goals, IESE, and motivation to do an MBA at this stage. Other than this the above points should give a good indication of preparation required and approach towards the interview. All the very best !"

"My interview was a pleasant experience: very conversational and candid. Total duration: 90 minutes First 10 min: small talk about Spain/ weather/ COVID Questions: 1) Tell me about your family - what’s your background like/ where you grew up/ what do your parents and siblings do? >> we realised we had lived in a few common cities so spoke about that 2) Tell me about yourself + what motivates you? 3) Asked about the different languages I speak (this was mentioned in my resume) 4) Challenges faced as an entrepreneur 5) Biggest successes in life 6) Post MBA goals: plan A and plan B+ follow up questions 7) Why MBA + Why IESE 8) How will you contribute to the class 9) How will you finance your Mba + follow up questions 10) Give me a final sales pitch as to why we should admit you/ give you a scholarship 11) We wrapped up by me asking him a few questions: - what the alum experience is like - partner experience and managing that alongside school - founding and running a club in IESE The whole interview was like an extremely insightful coffee chat! A lot of back and forth conversation and follow up questions, and an overall easy flow. He even recommended professors/ alums to reach out to. Notes: 1) The interviewer will have your resume printed with him/ her during the interview, so make sure you know it inside out! Especially the extracurriculars section 2) Send the interviewer a thank you email following the interview 3) Speak to lots of students and alums and mention this in your interview. Talk about what you learned from the students and alums, how the networking helped you/ influenced your decisions etc"

"I think it went really well! Super conversational. For reference, I am from the US looking to work in pharma/healthcare in countries with single-payer systems. Here’s what I remember about the interview: Interview - 50 minutes 1) Tell me about yourself 2) What do you think has led to your success so far academically and professionally? 3) Tell me about a time you had to have a difficult conversation at work (asked a follow-up question here related to my story) 4) Tell me about your most intellectually challenging project 5) If you were given the opportunity to redesign the US healthcare system, what would your plan be? 6) [Provided brief overview of SUS, Brazil’s public healthcare system] In Brazil, they are considering privatizing certain services provided by SUS. What would be the potential consequences if this passed? 7) You mentioned a few pharma companies in one of your essays. Why would they want to hire you? 8) Tell me about a time you faced an ethical dilemma 9) Why MBA & Why IESE? 10) How are you going to make the decision between IESE and other schools I applied to? 11) What does your partner plan to do in Spain while you pursue your MBA? Q&A - 20 minutes (last interview of the day so went a little over)"