London Business School MBA Essay Questions & Analysis 2025 - 2026

London Business School has released its MBA application questions for the 2025 - 2026 application cycle.

For the full step-by-step LBS application guide with real example essays from successful applicants, check out the LBS course on MBAconsultant.com. 

Here are London Business School's MBA application essays for the 2025 - 2026 application cycle.

Required Essay 1

What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words)

This prompt follows a classic career goals essay structure: it asks you to lay out your post-MBA goals, connect those goals to your prior professional experience, and articulate how London Business School’s MBA program fits into your journey. Because this is the only required essay for LBS, it needs to cover a lot of ground. You should aim to highlight a few key accomplishments from your career that have shaped your ambitions, but be selective with the level of detail to ensure your story remains focused and concise. It’s important that you illustrate how your previous work has prepared you for your post-MBA path, especially the skills, exposure, or impact that relate to your target industry or function.

A strong response will clearly state the role you plan to pursue after graduation and indicate how that fits into a broader career vision. The LBS admissions team emphasizes the importance of genuine interest in the program. They want to see that applicants understand what makes LBS distinctive, including its rich cultural and professional diversity, the global exposure offered through its London base, and the wide variety of student clubs and career-focused resources. Your essay should show that you’ve done your homework and can connect specific elements of the program to your development needs.

For the structure, it’s helpful to divide the essay into three core segments. Start with a direct outline of your short- and possibly long-term goals (100–200 words). Follow that with a brief overview of your career to date and the relevant skills or experiences you bring (around 100 words). Reserve the final space limit to dive into why LBS is the ideal environment to support your next steps. Be specific: mention particular electives, global opportunities, and campus organizations that align with your interests. Referencing personal interactions with alumni or current students can also add credibility and depth to your response.

Required Essay 2

What makes you unique? (200 words)

This short-answer prompt encourages applicants to share a distinctive aspect of themselves that hasn’t already been conveyed through the rest of their materials. While the topic is open-ended, your response should serve as a complement to your main essay, resume, and recommendation letters. Those components already give the AdCom a comprehensive view of your professional path and goals, so this is a chance to step beyond your career narrative and offer a glimpse into what makes you you.

Your goal here should be to present something that adds a new layer to your profile – something personal, memorable, or even unexpected. It doesn’t have to be dramatic or wildly unconventional; it just needs to be authentic and different from what’s covered elsewhere in your application. This could take many forms: perhaps a unique passion that has taught you resilience or creativity, a meaningful part of your upbringing that shaped your worldview, or a hidden talent that showcases a different side of your personality. Maybe you’ve been dedicated to learning a rare skill, have a sport you've been dedicated to for years, or come from a family where you're the first to pursue higher education.

Whatever you choose to share, use this space to reflect your individuality and to help the admissions team understand what kind of classmate and community member you’ll be. Think of this as a window into your character beyond the business world.