Assessment Days, hosted by very few schools, simulate life during an MBA program as a part of the admissions process. IESE Business School and IMD introduce their Assessment Days to candidates as “your chance to shine.”
By engaging applicants in discussions and analysis, admissions committees can get a real sense of how candidates will perform on their diverse and collaborative MBA programs. While some details may sound like typical campus visit programming, these days are a chance to work with future classmates, to present “aspects of your candidature in an original manner,” and to “earn a spot in the prestigious” programs.
While both the IMD and IESE Assessment Days are fairly similar, leaning heavily on case study analysis and discussion, there are two key differences between the two. The first is interviews: for IMD applicants, a personal interview is included on the day; for IESE applicants, this will have been conducted prior to the Assessment Day.
The second is whether or not all candidates participate. For those applying to IMD, Assessment Days are mandatory and guaranteed for any candidate with a chance of success.
At IESE, on the other hand, it is possible for a candidate to be invited to an interview, not to an Assessment Day, and to still gain a place in the MBA program. And, for candidates who are invited to an Assessment Day and yet decline to attend, admittance is still possible (although this is not recommended).
What to Expect at an Assessment Day
IESE
IESE offers their Assessment Day both online and in-person.
Only candidates close to IESE’s Barcelona campus are invited to the in-person day. Neither the in-person nor the online Assessment Day is treated preferentially; however, if candidates are particularly keen to join in-person, they should inform the admissions committee of their preference.
At both the in-person and the online Assessment Days, candidates participate in a series of tasks that simulate the collaborative classroom environment of IESE. In small groups, candidates will discuss, analyze and assess a case study, demonstrating their collaborative ability and providing a taste of IESE’s case study methodology. The process aims to reveal the strengths of candidates when it comes to working as part of a diverse group, therefore assessing their suitability for the teamwork-heavy emphasis of MBA learning at IESE.
The day is structured around introductory discussions, smaller group case-based discussions, and a final, larger discussion about the decisions that teams made. Candidates receive the Case Study in question in advance of the day and, on the day, are observed by an Admissions Committee member or alumni evaluator.
While the school does not release specific criteria on which candidates are assessed, they are looking for an ability to work professionally as a team, which involves demonstrating skills such as:
- Interpersonal skills, such as active listening
- Problem solving
- Decision making
- Clear communication
- Strategic thinking and planning
The online Assessment Day tends to run for 2.5-3 hours, and the in-person event for slightly longer.
IMD
IMD’s Assessment Day differs from IESE’s in that it incorporates personal interviews into its structure. However, like IESE, the day focuses heavily on case study discussion, and aims to assess the leadership ability and interpersonal skills of its candidates by doing so.
The day begins with the interview, held with a member of the admissions committee and lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. This is followed by an individual task, in which applicants must review, analyse, and present an assignment which is similar in scope to a case study. Finally, candidates will participate in a group discussion, where they discuss, analyse, and present conclusions to a case study as a group.
Like IESE, IMD offers both an in-person and an online Assessment Day. As well as the aforementioned assignments, participants report the inclusion of team building and introductory exercises, designed to see how applicants collaborate with diverse groups of people and mimicking the classroom settings that will occur at IMD.
How to Prepare for an Assessment Day
The first preparatory step candidates can take before an Assessment Day is to review your application materials. This is especially true for IMD candidates, where the Assessment Day will include a personalized, application-based interview.
The second is to prepare a personal introduction. Assessment Days will involve many introductions to both fellow candidates and to admissions committee members. Having a succinct, interesting, and memorable introduction ready to go will help to both make an impression and remove any nerves from this process. Due to the likelihood of team building and introductory exercises, thinking of a few “fun facts” or unusual points about yourself might come in handy, too.
The third area in which to prepare is your case study analysis skills, and the case study itself. Case study discussion is a large part of both schools’ Assessment Days, and you’ll want to show your ability to balance leadership and listening skills. You’ll be monitored when you are silent as well as when you are speaking, so be sure that you are ready to pay attention to others and to demonstrate your engagement.
When it comes to preparing for the case study itself, you will receive this in advance from the schools. You should begin to think about analysing it in advance, considering which decisions are being faced in the case, who the protagonist of the case is, and how you might approach those decisions were you that protagonist. Usually, the school will provide a series of questions and prompts alongside the case, which you can use to begin your analysis.
Assessment Day Timetables
For IESE, the assessment day occurs after the personal interview. It is the last stage of the application in which you will be involved – after this, your application is presented to the admissions committee for review. One Assessment Day takes place for each of Round 1 and Round 2 or admissions; Rounds 3 and 4 skip this stage due a lack of time before final decisions. In-person Assessment Days take place on the Barcelona campus.
IMD, on the other hand, runs an Assessment Day for each of its 6 rounds of admissions. To look at the final three admission rounds for January 2026 entry, for example, Assessment Day dates were as follows:
- Round 4 Application Deadline, 15 July 2025: Online Assessment Day, 28 July; In-person Assessment Day, 8 & 9 August.
- Round 5 Application Deadline, 15 September 2025: Online Assessment Day, 2 October; In-person Assessment Day, 10 & 11 October.
- Round 6 Application Deadline, 15 October 2025: Online Assessment Day, 23 October.
In-person Assessment Days take place on the Lausanne campus.
