MIT Sloan MBA Recommendation Questions
The online MBA application for the MIT Sloan School of Management requires a single recommendation, preferably from a professional contact and ideally a manager or supervisor who is qualified to speak about your results as a professional and your potential as a leader. Recommenders must submit online; MIT is only able to accept electronic recommendation letters.
The MIT MBA recommendation questions for the 2025-2026 admissions season are available below.
2025-2026 MIT Sloan Recommendation Questions
Section 1: Recommender Information
- Context of Relationship
- Nature of relationship
- Occasionally candidates would like to be considered for other MIT programs or partner schools and ask us to share their applications with these programs. Please indicate if you would like us to share your recommendation.
Section 2: Ratings
Please rate the applicant on the following criteria, in relation to other high-potential people you know.
- Truly Exceptional (best in 5 years)
- Outstanding (best in year)
- Above Average (top 25%)
- Average (top 50%)
- Below Average (bottom 50%)
- Unobserved
Each of the qualities/characteristics listed has a drop-down menu for the recommender to choose their rating:
- Leadership Potential
- Creativity
- Resourcefulness
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Energy and Initiative
- Ability to Work in a Team
- Oral Communication Skills in English Language
- Written Communication Skills in English Language
- Presence
- Analytical Thinking and Reasoning
Based on your professional experience, how do you rate this candidate compared to her/his peer group?
- Unable to assess
- Below average
- Average
- Very good (well above average)
- Excellent (top 10%)
- Outstanding (top 5%)
- The best encountered in my career
Overall,…
- I do not recommend
- Recommend this applicant, with reservations
- Recommend this applicant
- Enthusiastically recommend this applicant
Section 3: Recommendation Letter
Please upload a letter or one document that addresses the following questions and cites specific examples or observations about the candidate. Recommendations should be no longer than two pages.
1. How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
2. How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity?
3. Please give an example of the applicant’s impact on a person, group, or organization.
4. Please give a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other people.
5. Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant.
6. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
Note: MBA applicants must provide contact information for two additional references. Similar to the role of a recommender, these additional reference contacts should be able to speak to the applicant’s professional and/or academic background. A member of the admissions committee may reach out to these references at any time during the evaluation process, should there be additional questions about the applicant’s background and/or experiences.
MBA Applywire
Background: 27, male, SouthAsia (non Indian). Top national undergrad, GPA just under 3, strong GRE (330/167Q).
Experience 5 years: Founder of a cross border consumer-electronics venture (led a successful B2B pivot) operating over 3 continents, and Director of Ops & Supply Chain at a Regional distribution company (in a similar domain to my own business).
Leadership: Elected civic role (thousands of constituents); founded an award-winning COVID relief effort.
Goals: Short-term consulting (MBB/T2, ops & transformation). long-term to build an advisory firm for emerging-market SMEs.
I have a strong academic background and a multidisciplinary profile across economics, technology policy, and social impact. I scored 92.4% in Class 12 and completed my undergraduate degree from a Tier-I college under the University of Delhi with a CGPA of 8.54/10. I further pursued a one-year full-time Post Graduate Diploma from the Indian Statistical Institute, where I scored 76.3% and graduated as the topper of my batch.
Professionally, I have around 4.5 years of experience across the tech policy and social impact consulting space. I began my career as an economist at a boutique technology policy consulting firm, where I worked on research and advisory projects at the intersection of digital economy, regulation, and public policy. I then worked closely with a state government as part of a fellowship, gaining hands-on experience in policy implementation and government systems. Currently, I work with a prominent Section 8 company in the e-commerce space, contributing to initiatives focused on digital commerce, inclusion, and ecosystem development.
Overall, my profile brings together strong quantitative training, policy experience, government exposure, and impact-oriented work in India’s digital economy.
Experience includes technical leadership, instructor tenure and digital transformation initiatives. Led cross functional teams and managed projects with multiple stakeholders.
Preference for STEM designated MBA. Scholarship opportunities are a major factor in school selection.
Would appreciate feedback on whether my profile is better suited for consulting or PM roles post MBA?
I want to provide a clear picture of my background, impact, and what drives me. I hold a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, but I pivoted my career to finance, strategy, and operations. My profile is defined by hands-on business operations, a strong "Builder/Product" mindset in consulting, and community leadership.
Early Business Foundations (Family Automotive Business):
Before entering corporate consulting, I worked as a Digital Operations & Strategy Analyst at my family's automotive business. I transitioned the company from a low-foot-traffic physical storefront to an inbound digital sales model. I managed a rotating digital inventory of 20-25 vehicles across major automotive marketplaces. I also conducted pricing analysis using national pricing index trends and tested multiple acquisition channels to focus exclusively on high-intent leads. This hands-on commercial experience was the catalyst for my pivot into corporate strategy.
Professional Impact & Tech Automations (Big 4 Firm - Risk Consulting):
Currently, I work as a Business Consultant in Risk Advisory at a Big 4 firm, executing SOX controls testing for enterprise clients across 10+ countries. In my daily routine, I actively hunt for operational bottlenecks. For example, in a recent project auditing an industrial automation multinational, my team was tasked with manually reviewing 104 complex contracts and measurement bulletins. Recognizing the severe inefficiency, I mapped the workflow and implemented an AI-driven solution using Microsoft Copilot, Python, and VBA to extract data directly from system prints. Furthermore, I utilized DataSnipper and custom AI prompts to eliminate manual data entry, directly contributing to the fastest Phase 3 SOX delivery in the client's history for the EME region. I also acted as the sole regional beta tester for the firm's proprietary GenAI platform, providing direct UX and functional feedback to the US-based Product Management team.
Extracurricular Leadership (The Community Builder):
Outside of the corporate world, I am the Co-Founder and Treasurer of a local non-profit baseball association. I built custom Excel tracking models for our P&L and drove recurring revenue through multi-year commercial partnerships at major regional cultural events. I spearheaded grassroots expansion by partnering with local schools, successfully scaling the active organization to over 120 engaged community members.
Post-MBA Goals:
I am targeting MBB consulting post-MBA to rapidly pay off potential debt and solidify my strategic acumen. This will function as a direct stepping stone into my ultimate goal: Senior Product Management (Tech PM) at a Big Tech firm.