Chicago Booth MBA Interview Questions 2023-24
Updated: Jan 31
There’s nothing more exciting (and unnerving!) than the “Under Review” sign disappearing from your MBA application portal.
Chicago Booth R1 applicants: all interview decisions will be out by the end of November. Ranked #1 by US News, #11 by the FT, and #14 by QS for 2023, Booth is a bonafide member of the M7 group of business schools. Booth’s class size is roughly 600+ students, each of whom boast an average of five years’ work experience and an average GMAT of approximately 728 or GRE of approximately 325.
Reaching the interview stage is a significant milestone, but you’re not through to the finish line just yet. Before you sit for the Chicago Booth interview, it’s important to learn about how Booth's interview process is structured, the questions you’ll get from AdCom, and important deadlines to note.
In this Booth Interview Guide, we will explain how the Booth interview process works, give you examples of previous questions that applicants have been asked, and provide our top tips on how you can ace the Booth MBA interview.
The Interview Process
Applicants who are invited to interview will be asked to provide a 60-second video essay before the interview date. For 2023-24 applications, you can choose one of two behavioral prompts:
>Tell us about something new you learned recently that shifted your worldview. How did it influence your behavior and/or actions?
>What is something you wish people knew about you, but you’re not sure that they do?
You will be evaluated only on your response, not on the editing, lighting, and sound of the video (although there’s plenty of reason to make those as good as possible). Check out our article on Kira Talent essays for more information.
Then, you’ll do your interview.
The Booth interview is blind: the interviewer will be familiar with your CV, but nothing else; your interviewer will not have access to your video essay.
The interview will last 45-60 minutes. Depending on your location and availability, your interview will be either in-person or online. If possible, we suggest trying to do your interview in person. It’s easier to build a rapport with your interviewer that way. Also, in our experience the time limit tends to be stricter for virtual interviews.
Your interview will be conducted by a current Booth student, alum, or admissions committee member. In all scenarios, you should know your core motivations inside out: your reasons for pursuing an MBA, your specific interest in Booth, and whether you’ll be a good match for Booth’s flexible learning environment.
From our reports, Booth’s interviewers ask all of the regular MBA interview questions. Sometimes the focus will be more personal, while other interviewers seem to be more professional and focus entirely on your career goals. Regardless, according to our interview reports, the interviewer will internalize your answers and may ask tailored follow-up questions. They don’t just stick to the script.
Find actual Chicago Booth MBA interview questions later in this post.
Who Chicago Booth is Looking For?
Booth is straightforward about expecting academic excellence from its students, also emphasizing curiosity and communication skills, which are crucial to a student’s success within Booth’s tradition of debate. In short, Booth wants “applicants who have the ability and desire to thrive within a challenging academic environment.”
Booth breaks this down into Curriculum, Community, and Career:
For Curriculum, Booth suggests that they want intellectually curious and driven students who can communicate their ideas effectively.
For Community, Booth wants students who have a track record of engaging with or creating communities that are supportive of their members. That means investing in collaboration, teamwork, respect for others, and supporting others in your community.
For Career, this means that the work experience you have accrued thus far demonstrates a “sense of personal direction,” resourcefulness, and time-management, plus an understanding of what to expect from the MBA.
Booth also emphasizes diversity and broad perspectives. Nearly 40% of the class is international, coming from over 50 different countries. In recent years, approximately 40% have been women with a rising number of students identifying as LGBTQ+ or first-generation students, bringing a wider array of perspectives to the class.
Chicago Booth Interview Deadlines 2023-24
Chicago Booth Interview Schedule | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
Application Deadline: | 21 September 2023 | 04 January 2024 | 04 April 2024 |
Interviews: | Mid-October 2023 | Mid-February 2024 | Mid-May 2024 |
Decisions: | 30 November 2023 | 21 March 2024 | 23 May 2024 |
Tips to Ace the Chicago Booth Interview
In working with hundreds of clients, we have developed the following top tips to help you perform your best at the Booth MBA interview:
Given that this is a blind interview, the interviewer will not necessarily know everything about you. Assume they don’t. They will be hearing about your work, setbacks, goals, passions–that is, everything not on your CV–for the first time.
Unless the interviewer has wide experience in your industry, shy away from using industry jargon or acronyms that the interviewer may not know. Remember that your company might call the same thing by a different name from what the interviewer is used to. If any question, aim for simplicity; the interviewer is instructed to ask for detail when necessary, so respond clearly, simply, and graciously.
When telling personal stories, use the SCAR method; this allows you to share the relevant information yet keeps the stories logical, short, and clear.
In most relevant cases, interviewees have reported that the interviewer spent a lot of time on behavioral questions. Make sure to prepare thoroughly for these. Whatever the case, make sure that you are absolutely clear on the core narrative presented during the essay development process.
Additionally, Booth suggests the following ten tips:
Show up early and in a suit to make sure your first impression is as good as possible.
Be authentic, highlighting your unique contribution.
Be consistent with your answers, particularly if the question echoes something you’ve talked about elsewhere in the application.
Prepare by getting to know more about Booth, its curriculum, its clubs, and its activities.
Be specific and use real-life examples to demonstrate your point. (Remember the SCAR method!).
Listen and consider what the interviewer is “really asking” before you respond to a question. Does your pre-prepared response actually answer the question as fully as possible?
Ask your interviewer good questions: what has the interviewer’s experience of Booth been, why they chose Booth, etc.
Practice your interview: in terms of prep, nothing beats answering questions in real time.
Consider why Booth specifically, and how this fits into your wider goals.
Follow up: send a thank you note to your interviewer and admissions contact after the fact. Chicago offers an e-mail hotline for just this purpose.
Chicago Booth Interview Questions
Preliminaries
The interview will start with a handful of preliminary questions. Here are sample questions from previous interviews:
Tell me about yourself.
Walk me through your resume.
Describe your career plans for the short and long term.
What other careers were you interested in?
Why an MBA? Why Booth?
Describe what an MBA provides that you can’t learn from working.
What are some courses you plan to do at Booth?
What other schools have you applied to? If you get into all of these schools, which will you choose?
What plans do you have if you are not accepted at any of these schools this year?
If you could relive your undergraduate experience, is there anything that you would do differently? School? Major?
What book(s) are you currently reading?
How do your extracurricular activities inform your professional or personal life?
Behavioral Questions
The Booth behavioral questions are fairly standard. Here are sample questions from previous interviews:
Describe a time that you have been faced with an ambiguous or unclear situation. How did you deal with this?
Describe a time that you solved a problem creatively.
Describe how you convince others to follow your plan.
Describe one of the most important moments of your life.
If you could do anything in your life over again, what would you do differently?
Expand on what you perceive as a weakness in your application.
Describe how you have grown over time.
How has feedback helped you grow?
What might someone perceive incorrectly after meeting you for the first time?
Describe how you handle conflict.
Describe a time that you have been confronted by an ethical or moral dilemma and how you dealt with it.
Explain how your Booth classmates would describe you.
Describe yourself in three words. Describe how your colleagues would describe you in three words. Describe how your friends would describe you in three words. How do these three words differ in different contexts?
What values would you like your peers to demonstrate?
Describe the importance of diversity in the workplace.
Describe your own experiences of diversity in the workplace.
Describe a particular risk you have taken. How did you grow from this?
What most motivates you in life?
Leadership and Teamwork
Booth is looking to train the next generation of leaders, so pay special attention to preparing questions that demonstrate your leadership skills, potential, and your ability to work effectively in a team:
Describe your leadership style. Explain a situation where it has been successful. Explain a situation where it has been unsuccessful.
Tell me about a poor experience you’ve had with teamwork. What did this teach you? Has it affected how you look at teamwork?
Do you tend to play a similar role in a team?
Describe your strengths and weaknesses as a team member.
Describe a leader whom you admire.
Describe your experience in a diverse team.
Conclusion Questions
Again, these tend to be standard across different schools. Answers can be tailored to Booth, but this may not be necessary.
Do you have any questions for me?
Is there anything else you’d like to ask?
Check out the Chicago Booth course and more interview advice and practice at the Interview Guide course on MBAConsultant.com.
Thinking of applying to the Chicago Booth MBA? Book a free chat today.
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