Question 1

Walk me through your resume.

Accepted Answer

Booth's admissions dean says the interview is blind: the interviewer has your resume and nothing else. This answer is how they learn your story and decide what to probe. Take two to three minutes, in order, giving the reason behind each move and one result at each stop, and end on why an MBA is the logical next step. Because the interviewer hasn't read your essays, add the context a resume line can't carry.

Question 2

What do you actually do day to day?

Accepted Answer

Booth lists work experience and project history among interview topics, and an alumni interviewee reports follow-ups based on the candidate's industry. The interviewer wants to picture your real job. Describe a typical week in plain terms: who you work with, what you decide yourself and what you hand off. Assume the interviewer is from a different industry and drop the jargon.

Question 3

What do you do outside of work, for fun?

Accepted Answer

A light question that checks whether you would be good company in a class. Booth students advise showing your fun, unique or geeky side. Pick one or two real interests and say what you get from them, with one concrete detail. If an interest connects to something you'd do at Booth, mention it briefly.

Question 4

Why an MBA, and why now?

Accepted Answer

Do you know what's missing from your experience, and is now the right moment to fill that gap? Booth students advise having a coherent story for why an MBA at Booth, and why now. State where you are, where you want to go and the specific gap between them, then what has changed that makes this the moment. Keep it under two minutes, because follow-ups will come.

Question 5

What are your short- and long-term goals, and how will a Booth MBA help you get there?

Accepted Answer

Booth's admissions dean names post-MBA goals and how Booth will help achieve them as a core topic. Applicants report interviewers digging into the details. Give a short-term role (function, industry, type of company) and a long-term direction, and explain why one leads to the other. Then name one or two Booth resources that close the gap, such as a concentration, a course or a center.

Question 6

Why Booth?

Accepted Answer

The admissions dean advises anchoring answers in what Booth has to offer. The interviewer, usually a student or alum, can tell quickly whether you've done the homework. Tie two or three specifics to your goals: the flexible curriculum, where LEAD is the only required course, a named class, or a center like Polsky or the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence. One 2026 applicant linked their background to Booth's 'challenge everything' culture; talking to alumni and students first helps.

Question 7

What resources at Booth will you take advantage of? Which classes are you looking at?

Accepted Answer

A test of whether you've imagined yourself as a student here. Applicants report being asked for names of classes. Name a few real courses and what each does for you, for example Technology Strategy, the Artificial Intelligence course, Interpersonal Dynamics or New Venture Strategy, plus a group or center. Explain how each fits your goals.

Question 8

Booth offers a lot of curricular and extracurricular experiences. How will you decide what to prioritise? Tell me about a time you had to prioritise among many options at work.

Accepted Answer

Booth's curriculum is highly customizable, so the interviewer checks whether you have a way of choosing, and then asks for proof from your work. Give your rule for choosing, tied to your goals, then a real work example: the options, how you weighed them, what you dropped and the result. Show you can say no.

Question 9

Tell me about an accomplishment you are proud of.

Accepted Answer

Shows what you can deliver and what you value. Applicants report it as 'biggest achievement' or a proud professional project. One story: brief context, what you personally did, the result with a number, and why it mattered to you. Pick something your resume line doesn't fully explain, since the interviewer only has that line.

Question 10

Tell me about a leadership situation where you faced a problem. How did it get resolved?

Accepted Answer

Checks how you lead when something goes wrong, not just when things go smoothly. Describe the situation, the action you took, the result, and what you learned. Show how you brought other people along, not only the decision you made.

Question 11

Describe a time you had to make a tough decision.

Accepted Answer

Tests your judgment: how you weigh trade-offs and own the outcome. Explain what made it hard, the options you had, what you chose and why, and how it turned out. Say honestly what you would weigh differently now.

Question 12

Tell me about a challenging experience and how you handled it.

Accepted Answer

Booth's admissions dean says interview questions are used to assess resilience. Choose a real setback, describe what you did to recover, and end with what you took from it. Spend most of the time on your response, not on the difficulty itself.

Question 13

Tell me about a time you failed.

Accepted Answer

Another way to test the resilience Booth's dean says the interview looks for, and whether you learn from mistakes. Pick a genuine failure with real stakes, own your part plainly, and spend half the answer on what you learned and changed afterwards. A later example of applying the lesson makes it believable.

Question 14

Tell me about a time when you had to deal with diverse perspectives. How did you deal with each of them?

Accepted Answer

Tests teamwork and whether you take other views seriously. The follow-up shows whether you understood each position. Lay out each perspective fairly, what you did to understand it, how you reached a decision, and the result. Be ready to speak to each person separately.

Question 15

Tell me about a time you had to work through a conflict.

Accepted Answer

Applicants advise having a conflict story ready alongside failure and success stories. It shows how you handle friction with colleagues. Describe the disagreement, the other person's reasoning, the step you took to resolve it, and how the working relationship looked afterwards. Include what you learned.

Question 16

What feedback have you received at work that surprised you?

Accepted Answer

Checks self-awareness and whether you act on feedback. Give real feedback, why it surprised you, and the specific change you made. Close with evidence the change stuck.

Question 17

How would you contribute to the Booth community?

Accepted Answer

Booth wants students who give back, not just take. Students advise showing how you'll use the community and how you plan to give back. Name one or two contributions grounded in what you already do, such as an expertise you'd bring to class or a group you'd help run, with an example of doing it before.

Question 18

At the end of two years, what would be your impact on the Booth community? What legacy do you want to leave?

Accepted Answer

Tests whether you've thought beyond your own career. An applicant (2022) linked this to Booth's 'pass it forward' culture. Describe one concrete thing that would exist or work better because you were there: a club initiative, a community effort, a skill you helped others build. Connect it to something you've already done.

Question 19

Which clubs are you interested in, and what do you want to do outside of class?

Accepted Answer

Checks whether you have researched student life and how you'd spend your time. Name two or three real groups, such as the Booth AI Group or Booth Technology Group if relevant, and say what role you'd want in each. Mention one non-career interest too.

Question 20

Any questions for me?

Accepted Answer

The interview is meant to work both ways: Booth says you should also be learning about the school. Your questions show your research and real interest. Ask about the interviewer's own experience: a class that surprised them, how they chose priorities, what they'd do differently. If your interviewer is an alum, applicants advise researching them first.

Question 21

Is there anything you wish we had discussed that we haven't?

Accepted Answer

A last chance to add to your candidacy, which is how the admissions dean says to view the interview. Have one short point ready that the conversation missed, such as a story or strength not visible on your resume. Say it in under a minute.

Questions Booth applicants report

Opening: your background

Why an MBA, why now and why Booth

Your work and what you've done

Working with others and how others see you

What you'd add to Booth

Closing