Chicago Booth invites only a select number of applicants to interview after evaluating their profiles.
Booth interviews are conducted by students, admissions officers, and alumni.
Jump ahead to read more about the Booth interviewer.
Interviews last about 30 minutes with a discrete 10 minute question-and-answer period following.
Jump ahead to read more about the consistent length.
Typically, the Chicago Booth MBA interview is held on campus or in an agreed upon location that is convenient for the applicant.
Even during COVID-19, some interviews were still conducted on campus.
Jump ahead to read more about the Booth MBA interview location.
Booth’s approach is blind. Interviewers are given your resume before the interview. The interviewer will not have seen your full application and will not have any knowledge about your background outside of what can be gleaned from the resume. This means your MBA resume is a particularly important component of the Booth application.
Jump ahead to read more on the format.
| App Submission | Schedule Interview By | Decision | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | September 21, 2023 | Variable | November 30, 2023 |
| Round 2 | January 04, 2024 | Variable | March 21, 2024 |
| Round 3 | April 04, 2024 | Variable | May 23, 2024 |
More information is available on Booth’s deadlines and decisions information page.
Applicants who are invited to interview with Chicago Booth are also asked to complete a short video response to one of the following two prompts:
The length of the video submission should be no more than 60 seconds, and applicants will not be evaluated on the styling and editing of the recording—only the content of the submission.
Drawing from Menlo Coaching’s extensive client database of first-hand interview reports, this section offers the most up-to-date information on Booth’s interview process.
Booth’s MBA interviews are typically conducted by current students, alumni, or by admissions officers.
Many clients described their Chicago Booth interviewers as friendly, with one client being additionally impressed by the career trajectory of the student who conducted the interview.
Nearly all clients described the interview process as conversational (one outlier described a stiff and formal interview). Most came away with the sense that the interviewers were engaged with and sometimes even impressed by applicant answers.
Booth MBA interviews last about 40 minutes in total (though one client said the interview was an hour). The first half hour of the interview is a list of fairly standard application interview questions. The last ten minutes are a question-and-answer session where the applicant can follow up on queries they might have about the program. Depending on the interviewer, this might be a very fruitful conversation with up-to-date information from current students.
The Booth interview is typically conducted on campus or in a location that is convenient for the applicant. Clients had nothing notable to say about the interview location. One applicant, however, did confirm that on-campus, in-person interviews are being conducted during the pandemic.
The format of the Chicago Booth interview is “blind,” meaning the interviewer does not receive a copy of the candidate’s application. They will, however, receive a copy of the candidate’s resume.
Multiple clients described the interview as being the most straightforward of all the MBA interviews they had experienced. The list of questions varies from interviewer to interviewer but most seem to be fairly typical for an MBA interview.
Some, but not all clients, did note that there were follow-up questions specific to client answers. One reported being asked about their reaction to two hypothetical situations (reaching out to one’s network for job opportunities and handling disappointment). Another client said the interviewer wanted a summary of an aspect of their application so they could better take notes.
If you’re interested in prepping for your MBA interview with the Menlo Coaching team, reach out today! We offer mock interviews and school-specific training for HBS, Wharton, Sloan and more!
This section follows the Booth MBA interview “question-by-question,” or in rough chronological order. Like the details in the section above, these questions are sourced from Menlo Coaching’s client database of first-hand interview reports.
You can use the questions below to conduct mock interviews that mimic an actual conversation with a Booth alumni, current student, or admissions officer. Remember that our clients have reported that some of these questions come with answer-specific follow-ups.
There are certain best practices for MBA interviews that will serve you well across your target programs.
For best results, however, consider seeking expert help with Menlo Coaching’s interview prep service.
If you’re looking for guidance on how to answer questions like these with confidence, you can find detailed breakdowns for MBA interview questions here.
