In this article we’re busting the myth that a low number of behavioral questions in an MBA interview indicates a lack of success.
The first thing to mention here is that not every school asks behavioral questions. Generally speaking, business school interviews can be divided into two camps: resume-based and application-based.
The former revolves, as you might expect, around the applicant’s resume. Depending on the school, the interviewer will have seen either no part of the candidates application whatsoever, or only their resume.
Questions in resume-based interviews tend to avoid the behavioral, sticking to the resume throughout. This interview type is described by seasoned admissions professional Alex Brown as “additive;” an additional data point in the application process.
Brown describes application-based interviews, on the other hand, as “iterative,” giving “the adcom the opportunity to dive deeper into the applicant.” Unlike resume-based interviews, application-based ones are highly behavioral. They are predominately made up of those deep-diving behavioral questions that aim to uncover your strengths, probe your approach to challenge, and reveal your personality.
A lack of behavioral questions, therefore, may indicate nothing at all about your performance; it may simply reflect the style of interview chosen by your target business school.
Some schools that opt for resume-based interviews are:
- Chicago Booth
- Columbia Business School
- Georgetown McDonough*
- Michigan Ross
- UCLA Anderson
- UNC Kenan-Flagler
- UVA Darden
- Yale SOM*
Schools using application-based interviews include:
- Harvard Business School
- MIT Sloan
- NYU Stern
- Stanford GSB
*While these programs use the resume as a base for the interview, they will also pepper in behavioral questions.
How Else to Assess Performance
You may also wish to consider the signs that your interview did go well—an enthusiastic reception from your interviewer, for example, or a longer-than-planned call or meeting—or follow-up questions on other parts of your experience.
And, one final point to quell the doubts: Remember that candidates are not always best placed to judge their own performance. Interviewees in the Clear Admit archive have reported dissatisfying interviews, short and brief questions, and a focus on nothing but “the basics”—only to be accepted shortly down the line.
Keep up with (and share) the latest interview action in MBA LiveWire.
