INSEAD Interview Questions with Tips and Experience

INSEAD Business School is one of the top MBA business school and ranked 3rd in Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2019. It is highly competitive and the applicants need to work hard on their INSEAD application essays and GMAT scores to get an interview call. Average GMAT score for INSEAD Business School is 701.

Who takes the interview: Alumni

Average time per interview: 30-40 minutes

Main topics to prepare:

  1. Accomplishments in your professional and personal life
  2. Please tell us about your personal/professional background.
  3. Why do you choose to interview for the MBA programme?
  4. What are you trying to evaluate or assess with regards?
  5. Questions on your current and previous jobs
  6. Long term and short term goals
  7. Leadership role
  8. How would you contribute to class

Below are a few INSEAD Interview experience and questions

INSEAD Interview Experience – 1:

The first interview was with an older alumna at her house. She first asked me casual questions about how I got there and any difficulties I may have had en route. She then took my resume and asked me the following questions:

  1. Why INSEAD? France or Singapore? Why?
  2. Tell me about your career to date
  3. What is the toughest conflict I faced and how did I handle it?
  4. What do I hope to achieve after my MBA?
  5. Any other schools have I applied to?
    She was very informative about INSEAD and the culture.

INSEAD Interview Experience – 2:

The interview was very relaxed, in a café. It started by the interviewer telling me that she was mainly interested to know what I had done so far, what my career goals are and why INSEAD. I started with my life story and how I had come to become the person I am today. We found a few things in common and talked a bit about those. Then, I went on to describe my motivations and reasons for going to INSEAD. It ended with the interviewer giving me info about INSEAD and how to choose courses etc. Later asked this questions

  1. Tell me about yourself
  2. Why MBA? Why INSEAD?
  3. More questions about my strategy for my business venture
  4. Did you apply to any other schools? How would you prioritize your decision if admitted to two or more?
  5. I was specifically asked about the application essay 5 – Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
  6. I was asked some challenging questions about my long term goals and how an MBA would help me achieve my goals as opposed some other courses.
  7. What is your current role and some technical clarifications related to my job as my job is not something people can easily understand from the job description
  8. Did you apply to any other schools? How would you prioritize your decision if admitted to two or more?
  9. Tell me about your international experience. How do you manage cultural differences?
  10. What are your strengths and weaknesses and what are you looking to get from the MBA. Follow on questions