HBS MBA Interview Prep: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Congratulations on receiving your HBS interview invitation! (Or, on being organized enough to start thinking about an interview anyway.) Staying organized and practicing will be critical to your success during this phase. Have no fear, The Harbus is here to help you best prepare and position yourself for this coveted interview. Since The Harbus is the student news organization of HBS, this article contains real advice from real, current Harvard Business School students. The best place to start preparing is by reading the below step-by-step walkthrough from our updated MBA Admissions & Interview Guide. If you’re left craving more advice, insight, and pointers from HBS students, including:

Congratulations on receiving your HBS interview invitation! (Or, on being organized enough to start thinking about an interview anyway.) Staying organized and practicing will be critical to your success during this phase. Have no fear, The Harbus is here to help you best prepare and position yourself for this coveted interview. Since The Harbus is the student news organization of HBS, this article contains real advice from real, current Harvard Business School students. The best place to start preparing is by reading the below step-by-step walkthrough from our updated MBA Admissions & Interview Guide. If you’re left craving more advice, insight, and pointers from HBS students, including:

1. Over 150 questions asked in HBS interviews

2. Analysis and commentary on how to approach each question

3. Admissions advice from current HBS students

4. Actual ‘Post-Interview Reflections’

5. A comprehensive admissions timeline

6. And many more resources to set you on the right path... then get a full copy of our popular MBA Admissions & Interview Guide delivered to your inbox today.

You received an interview invitation for

Harvard Business School’s Class of 2018!

Now what?!

Day 1

Day 2

The Weeks Leading Up To Your InterviewKeep up with your morning news routine, and read through your application until you know it inside and out. The interviewer will refer to specifics from your application, and the quickest and easiest way to blow your shot at HBS (besides being late to your interview!) is to appear unfamiliar with – or worse yet, to actually contradict – your application. “Reviewing your application” means you can speak to any part of it: your essay, resume, transcripts, etc. Consider showing your application to people who haven’t seen it before, for them to uncover perspectives or questions you hadn’t considered in regards to familiarity you’re your application. In addition to being able to answer any question about your application, also take some time to think about why you are right for HBS and HBS in particular. At a high level, think about the ‘why’ for why you have chosen certain paths because HBS will certainly want to know what makes you tick. Ultimately, the best possible way to prepare for the interview is to practice answering the sorts of questions you’re likely to face on the big day. Conveniently enough, we’ve compiled a list of real questions from real interviews of real (and current, at that!) HBS students to facilitate this practice.

The Week OfGet your suit dry-cleaned (and try it on if you haven’t had to wear it in a while), your shoes polished and your hair cut (if you haven’t already done so!), make any last-minute travel arrangements, and tie up any loose ends at work.

Two Nights BeforeIf you’re the kind of person who gets so nervous about a high- impact and high-pressure event that you can hardly sleep at all the night before, how do you ensure you’re not delirious sleep-deprived come interview time? Simple, just get TONS of sleep two (and even three) nights before your interview. That way, if you toss and turn the night before your interview, you will have stored up sufficient energy.

The Day BeforeDo a last-minute read of the news sites and blogs (especially those pertaining to your industry) to make sure nothing big breaks without you knowing. For example, let’s say you’re in the technology sector and talk about wanting to launch an eBook-selling startup all throughout your application – you’d look like an idiot if your interview were the day after Amazon launched a new Kindle device, your interviewer asked you for your thoughts, and you had no clue. A bit of an extreme example, but you get the idea. You want to have a strong grasp of what’s going on throughout the world, in the business world and, most importantly, within your particular sector.

The Night Before

ARE YOU A LUCKY ONE WHO RECEIVED AN HBS INTERVIEW INVITATION THIS MONTH?

BE SURE TO GET A COPY OF THE HARBUS’ POPULAR

MBA ADMISSIONS & INTERVIEW GUIDE DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX TODAY BY CLICKING HERE.