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Interview Intelligence Series · 2026 edition

MBA interview guides school by school

What really happens in the room at 40 business schools, decoded from first-hand debriefs MBA Protocol clients wrote right after their interviews.

  • Open to everyoneWho interviews you, the format and length, whether they have read your file, and how the room felt.
  • One email unlocks the restThe questions and how often each came up, curveballs, real interviews logged question by question, our coaches’ notes and the PDF, on every school page at once.
  • Counted, not guessedEvery number comes from MBA Protocol client debriefs, 2018 to 2026. Names and employers removed.

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Every guide starts with what is open to everyone: who interviews you, the format and length, and how the room felt. One email unlocks the rest on every school page at once: the questions and how often each came up, the curveballs, real interviews logged question by question, our coaches’ notes, and the PDF.

Full guides

Eight pages each, from our largest samples.

Stanford GSBStanford GSBMostly virtual, one-on- one, 45 to 60 minutes, often moreHBSHarvard Business SchoolOn campus, hub city or virtual, 30 minutes, to the minuteBoothChicago BoothCampus, local or virtual, 45 to 60 minutesKelloggKelloggVirtual, one-on-one, 30 to 45 minutesMIT SloanMIT SloanVirtual, one-on-one, 30 to 45 minutesColumbiaColumbia Business SchoolMostly virtual, 30 to 60 minutesHaasBerkeley HaasLive on Zoom, or a recorded option, about 45 minutes, with your questionsYale SOMYale SOMOn campus or virtual, 30 minutes, to the minuteTuckDartmouth TuckMostly Zoom, sometimes on campus, 30 to 60 minutes, often longerFuquaDuke FuquaMostly Zoom, campus is an option, 45 to 60 minutes, plus your questionsRossMichigan RossVirtual, one-on-one, a 40-minute slot; many run overDardenUVA DardenMostly Zoom, on grounds possible, 30 to 45 minutesJohnsonCornell JohnsonMostly Zoom, one-on-one, 30 minutes, often ending on the dotAndersonUCLA AndersonVirtual, one-on-one, 30 minutes, kept to timeINSEADINSEADZoom or in person, near you, 45 to 60 minutes per alumLBSLondon Business SchoolMostly virtual, one-on- one, 60 to 90 minutes, sometimes longer

Short guides

Six pages each.

NYU SternNYU SternVirtual on Zoom, one-on- one, 30 minutes, about 10 for youCMU TepperCMU TepperMostly virtual, one-on- one, 30 to 45 minutesMarshallUSC MarshallVirtual (Zoom), one-on- one, scheduled 30 to 40 minutesUT Austin McCombsUT Austin McCombsVideo assessment plus an optional virtual interview, 20 to 30 minutesKenan-FlaglerUNC Kenan-FlaglerVirtual or on campus, one-on-one, 30 minutes, strictly keptGeorgetown McDonoughGeorgetown McDonoughMostly virtual, one-on- one, about 30 minutesEmory GoizuetaEmory GoizuetaVirtual or in person, your choice, about 30 minutesHEC ParisHEC ParisVirtual on Zoom, about an hour per interviewOxford SaïdOxford SaidVirtual, or in person on a set day, set for 30 minutes, can run longer

Quick guides

One page each: the essentials, fast.

WhartonWhartonTeam discussion, then a 1:1, 40 to 60 minutes, plus waitingFosterUW FosterIn person or virtual, one- on-one, unhurried; can run over an hourKelley DirectIndiana Kelley DirectOnline, one-on-one, about 30 minutesOwenVanderbilt OwenVirtual, one-on-one, 30 to 45 minutesRice JonesRice JonesVirtual, one-on-one, about 30 minutesBabsonBabsonVirtual, one-on-one, about 30 minutesCambridge JudgeCambridge JudgeIn person or virtual, about 30 to 45 minutesEsadeESADEVirtual, one-on-oneIESEIESEVirtual, one-on-one, about 60 minutes, plus your questionsIMDIMDVirtual, one-on-one, about 30 minutesLehighLehighVirtual, one-on-oneSmithMaryland SmithVirtual, one-on-one, about 30 minutesMendozaNotre Dame MendozaVirtual (Zoom), one-on- oneRotmanToronto RotmanOnline, one-on-oneOlinWashU OlinVirtual, one-on-one, about 30 minutes

Go deeper

Interview archives and the Wharton TBD playbook

For 14 schools, the archive gives you up to 20 real interviews, every question in the order it was asked, cleaned so that none can be traced to a client. For Wharton, the TBD playbook covers the Team-Based Discussion from prompt to one-on-one. $29 each, or $69 for every archive and the playbook.

Buy all 14 archives + Wharton playbook for $69Use the email you unlock the guides with, so your downloads appear on each school’s page. All sales are final, so check the school before you pay. Your card statement will show Career Protocol, our parent company.

The data

How we gathered this

After every admissions interview, MBA Protocol clients fill in a short debrief: who interviewed them, where, how long it ran, how it felt, and every question they can remember, in order. These guides are built from those debriefs, collected from 2018 to 2026, and nothing else.

Frequencies are counted, not estimated. When a guide says a question came up in 84% of interviews, that is the share of our clients’ debriefs at that school that logged it or a close variant. Names, employers and anything else that could identify a client or an interviewer have been removed.

Interview formats change. Weight the recent seasons more heavily, and always follow the instructions in your invitation. These guides are independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by any school.