The Ultimate HBS Interview Prep
Congratulations, you got the Harvard Business School interview! HBS loves to test confidence and dare people to panic. What better way to do this than to hold back some of the interviews until the end? Maybe they can get 20-30 people to flinch in the interview and then rule those candidates out. Either way, you are halfway home to an admission from HBS. And you got some validation early in the process.
What’s the purpose of your HBS interview?
The HBS admissions committee is trying to evaluate your fit with the case learning environment at HBS. Interviewers must know if you are a “wallflower” or not. They want to know if you can take a stand and articulate it.
HBS “stress-tests” you in a necessary and appropriate way. They are trying to apply a little pressure and see what they get from you. If you can’t take a little pressure from ten questions during a 30-minute interview, how are you going to withstand rigors of learning environment at HBS?
HBS wants to test how well you can think on your feet – your responsiveness. They want to ask you questions, then follow-up questions to dig into specific aspects of you.
HBS wants to test your self-awareness. They will often ask questions about your letter of recommendation. Interviewers want to see if you understand why you did well. They are keen to know if you understand what you need to improve.
Earlier today, admissions expert, Paul Lanzillotti, gave a presentation a GMat presentation on The Ultimate HBS Interview Prep. Paul covers what the rational is behind the initial questions Harvard asks and the follow-up questions. He covers past one-on-one interview questions and answers from past clients and gives a Q&A at the end. Below is the must watch session.