PrepMyRound

Congratulations on earning your HBS interview. Let's make sure you're ready for it.

  1. 1 OverviewOverview
  2. 2 Questions applicants reportQuestions
  3. 3 AnswersAnswers
  4. 4 Practice the unexpectedPractice

Harvard Business School MBA · 2026-27 full-time MBA applicants

Your HBS interview

If HBS invites you, you get one 30-minute interview with a member of the MBA Admissions Board, on campus, in a hub city or on Zoom. It is not blind: your interviewer has read your whole application and uses it to find the next layer, and applicants describe it as fast, tailored and full of 'why' questions.

Sources (6)Harvard Business School: Logistics · Harvard Business School: Application Process · YouTube: Rupal Gadhia, Managing Director of MBA Admissions at HBS, on how the interview works · Reddit: HBS interview experience, tips and what helped me - Current HBS student (2026) · Reddit: HBS R1 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2026) · Reddit: HBS R2 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2025)
About 20%of applicants are interviewed, applicants report: roughly 2,000 of about 10,000. HBS received 9,409 applications in 2024-2025. Reddit · Harvard Business School
About 50%of interviewed applicants are admitted, according to applicants and a former HBS interviewer. HBS does not publish this number. Reddit · YouTube

Congratulations again: an invitation means the Admissions Board read your file and wants to learn more. HBS's own line is that an interview is a positive indicator of interest but does not guarantee admission. These odds come from applicants and a former interviewer, not HBS, so treat them as rough.

Sources (3)Harvard Business School: Application Process · Reddit: HBS Interview Invites - THREAD (2025) · YouTube: Former HBS interviewer Devi Vallabhaneni (now at mbaMission) with Poets & Quants' John Byrne on the H
WhoA member of the MBA Admissions Board; applicants report paid admissions staff, never alumni or students Harvard Business School · Harvard Business School · Reddit · Clear Admit · Reddit · Reddit
How longOne 30-minute slot; applicants report 15 to 25 rapid questions Harvard Business School · Harvard Business School · Reddit · Reddit
What they knowEverything: essays, resume, recommendations and short answers. It is not blind Harvard Business School · YouTube · Clear Admit · YouTube
WhereOn campus, in domestic or international hub cities, or on Zoom. Format does not affect your candidacy Harvard Business School · Clear Admit
4 more: when, after, does it count, odds
WhenPick a slot in a short online window, first come, first served; applicants report slots 2 to 3 weeks out Harvard Business School · Reddit · Reddit · Reddit
AfterA Post-Interview Reflection of 300-450 words, due within 24 hours, written with no outside help Harvard Business School · Harvard Business School
Does it countYes. It is mandatory if invited, and an invitation does not guarantee admission Harvard Business School
OddsApplicants report about 20% of applicants interviewed and roughly half of those admitted Reddit · YouTube
How you get an interview

You can't request one. HBS reviews your written application first and invites only some applicants; the admissions office says it invites candidates whose applications it finds intriguing.

  • Check the portal. Applicants report that invites appear on the applicant portal, typically at 12pm ET, and that the email only tells you to log in.
  • Book fast. In HBS's posted logistics, scheduling opened on a Wednesday at 9:00 AM ET and closed two days later at 12:00 PM ET. Slots are first come, first served and disappear once filled. Applicants report the portal opens the day after the invite and slots run about 2 to 3 weeks out, some as early as 1 week.
  • One slot only. You may register for just one 30-minute slot, and changes afterward are strongly discouraged. Problems go to applytech@hbs.edu.
  • Timing and format mean nothing. HBS says neither when your invite arrives nor whether you interview in person or on Zoom says anything about your status.

Sources: Harvard Business School: Logistics · Harvard Business School: Application Process · YouTube: Rupal Gadhia, Managing Director of MBA Admissions at HBS, on how the interview works · Reddit: I got into HBS R1. Here's how I did it: (2024) · Reddit: HBS Interview Dings & Invites (2026) · Reddit: HBS Interview Invites - THREAD (2025)

What the 30 minutes feel like

HBS calls it a conversation tailored to you. Applicants describe it as formal and fast: the interviewer often skips small talk and starts asking questions right away.

  • Deep on your file. Expect questions on specific details from your essays, resume and recommendations, and on the 'why' behind your decisions: jobs, transitions, projects, even undergrad choices.
  • Pushback is normal. Several applicants report the interviewer challenges answers and fact-checks the resume. A consultant adds that you may be interrupted and that the end can come suddenly.
  • No tricks. HBS's admissions director has said there are no brain teasers, mental math or case questions.
  • Tone varies. Some applicants report a warm, even laughing conversation; others found it intense.
  • On campus. Applicants report waiting in a welcome center with refreshments, moving in groups of about 10 to a second holding area, then going in one at a time.
  • Little time for your questions. A former interviewer says there may be none at the end, and one 2018 report had none.

Sources: Harvard Business School: Application Process · Clear Admit: Harvard Business School Interview Questions & Reports (2026) · Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Interview Reports Archive (2025) · Reddit: HBS R1 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2026) · Clear Admit: Admissions Director Q&A: Rupal Gadhia of Harvard Business School (2025) · Reddit: HBS R2 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2025) · Reddit: What are signs your HBS MBA interview went well? (2026) · Poets&Quants: Harvard Business School 2018 Interview Reports (2018) · YouTube: Paul Lanzillotti, founder of Amerasia Consulting Group, on what to expect in the HBS interview · YouTube: Former HBS interviewer Devi Vallabhaneni (now at mbaMission) with Poets & Quants' John Byrne on the H

What they're looking for

HBS says it wants future leaders passionate about business, leadership and growth, and that the interview helps it learn more about you. Its admissions director says the aim is to find the next layer beyond what you wrote.

  • Your reasoning. Applicants and consultants keep coming back to motivation: why you made each choice and what you personally did.
  • Fit with the case method. A consultant says the interview tests whether you can state ideas clearly, think on your feet and show self-awareness, skills HBS's classroom depends on.
  • Content over polish. A former HBS interviewer says she valued substance over poise and listened for impact, challenges, and whether you can explain something complicated simply. She looked for judgment (ethics, decisions, risk) and someone she'd want in her section.
  • Honesty and consistency. Applicants warn that interviewers spot inconsistencies quickly.

Sources: Harvard Business School: Application Process · YouTube: Rupal Gadhia, Managing Director of MBA Admissions at HBS, on how the interview works · YouTube: Paul Lanzillotti, founder of Amerasia Consulting Group, on what to expect in the HBS interview · YouTube: Former HBS interviewer Devi Vallabhaneni (now at mbaMission) with Poets & Quants' John Byrne on the H · Reddit: HBS interview experience, tips and what helped me - Current HBS student (2026) · Reddit: I got into HBS R1. Here's how I did it: (2024) · Reddit: HBS Interview Dings & Invites (2026)

How to prepare
  • Know every line of your application. Reread your essays, resume, short answers and what your recommenders might say about your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Map your decisions. For each key move, be ready to say why, what you did, and what you'd do differently now.
  • Explain your work to an outsider. Practice describing a project to a non-specialist, without jargon or acronyms. Separate your employer's reputation from your own responsibilities.
  • Know your industry. Applicants report questions on trends in their field, and a 2026 report includes how AI will affect your job.
  • Do pressure mocks. Applicants recommend mocks where someone pushes hard on your application with repeated follow-ups. A former interviewer advises against winging it.
  • Don't script. Vary answer length, answer the question asked, and let your personality show.
  • Set up your room. Have water nearby; on Zoom, pick a private spot where you'll be alone for 30 minutes.

Sources: Harvard Business School: Logistics · Clear Admit: Harvard Business School Interview Questions & Reports (2026) · Reddit: HBS interview experience, tips and what helped me - Current HBS student (2026) · Reddit: HBS R1 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2026) · Clear Admit: Admissions Director Q&A: Rupal Gadhia of Harvard Business School (2025) · Clear Admit: Top HBS MBA Interview Tips from Actual Interviewees (2019) · Reddit: HBS R2 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2025) · Reddit: I got into HBS R1. Here's how I did it: (2024) · Reddit: HBS Interview Dings & Invites (2026) · YouTube: Paul Lanzillotti, founder of Amerasia Consulting Group, on what to expect in the HBS interview · YouTube: Former HBS interviewer Devi Vallabhaneni (now at mbaMission) with Poets & Quants' John Byrne on the H

The rules on the day

HBS enforces its interview policies strictly. Breaking them cancels the interview and withdraws your application.

  • No recording, by you or the interviewer.
  • No AI tools. Transcription, summarization and note-taking apps are prohibited during the interview.
  • Nobody else present, physically or virtually.
  • Invitations can't be shared or transferred.

Applicants reported in 2023 that a non-admissions HBS staff member sometimes interviews, with an admissions officer joining as a scribe.

Sources: Harvard Business School: Logistics · Reddit: Does talking to current / former alumni from schools like HBS help admissions pr (2023)

After: the Post-Interview Reflection

Within 24 hours of finishing, you submit a written reflection through the application system. It opens on your Application Status page.

  • Length. HBS gives guidance of 300-450 words.
  • Not an essay. HBS says it is a reflection after a meeting, and it will be much more forgiving of typos than of pre-packaged answers. Anything that looks written before the interview raises a flag.
  • Your own work. No outside help is allowed.
  • What applicants do. Many recommend thanking the interviewer, restating interest and noting moments you enjoyed, and only correcting an answer if it went badly. A former interviewer says it's a chance to be honest, even about nerves.
  • Feeling you bombed is normal. A former interviewer says most people leave thinking they did, and applicants say many admits felt the same.

Sources: Harvard Business School: Logistics · Harvard Business School: Application Process · Reddit: HBS R1 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2026) · Clear Admit: Admissions Director Q&A: Rupal Gadhia of Harvard Business School (2025) · Reddit: HBS R2 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2025) · Reddit: I got into HBS R1. Here's how I did it: (2024) · YouTube: Former HBS interviewer Devi Vallabhaneni (now at mbaMission) with Poets & Quants' John Byrne on the H

Your interviewer

Susannah Whitlock Fictional interviewer

Get a briefing on your own interviewer

Know who's interviewing you? Their LinkedIn profile is the best source.

  1. Use a computer if you can. Open their LinkedIn profile in a web browser, click More (or ⋯) under their name, then Save to PDF.
  2. On a phone: the LinkedIn app can't save a profile. Open linkedin.com in your phone's browser instead, switch to the desktop site, and use More → Save to PDF.
  3. Upload the PDF here, or paste what you know about them (a bio, a profile page).

Sign in with Google Free. Needed to upload.

See the sample briefing

Associate Director, MBA Admissions at HBS (Admissions Board). About 7 years in HBS admissions, and she leads file review for energy and industrials applicants. Former utility strategy consultant and fellowship selection director.

Expect a close reader who starts from a specific line in your file and pushes on how you made decisions, especially ones that went wrong. She says this herself in her profile. She has run admissions at HBS since August 2019 (about 7 years) and has been Associate Director on the Admissions Board since July 2022 (about 4 years). Before that, she spent three years building a structured, rubric-based selection process for an engineering fellowship and about six years as a strategy consultant to utilities and power generators. She also holds an HBS MBA (2014), so she knows the case-method classroom firsthand. If you come from energy, industrials or infrastructure, she likely knows your sector well enough to tell real responsibility from your employer's reputation. If you don't, she will still probe your reasoning the same way. Prepare clear, honest, specific accounts of your choices and a candid failure story, not polished pitches.

Their path
  • Bowdoin College, BA Economics, minor in Environmental Studies (2006-2010)
  • Thornbury Partners, Consultant/Associate (2010-2014), then Engagement Manager (2014-2016), Chicago: utility and power-generation clients, rate cases, capital planning, storage procurement
  • Harvard Business School MBA (2012-2014). The dates overlap with her consulting tenure, possibly a sponsored leave, but the profile doesn't say.
  • Larkspur Engineering Fellows, Director of Selection (2016-2019), Atlanta: selected 60 fellows a year from 2,400 applicants and added structured interviews and scoring rubrics
  • HBS Assistant Director, MBA Admissions (Aug 2019-Jun 2022): Round 2 interview logistics and applicant events in Houston and Lagos
  • HBS Associate Director, MBA Admissions / Admissions Board (Jul 2022-present): reads files, interviews, leads energy and industrials file review
  • Volunteers as a weekly reading tutor (since 2020) and as a mentor to early-career engineers in energy (since 2018)
What it means for your conversation
  • She designed structured interviews and scoring rubrics before HBS. Expect a disciplined, consistent interview: answer the question asked, give evidence, and don't wander.
  • She says she'll often start from a single line on your resume. Every bullet is fair game, so be ready to explain each one in plain terms, including numbers, your exact role and what happened afterward.
  • She explicitly wants decisions that went wrong. Have one or two real setbacks ready: what you decided, why, what happened, what you'd do differently. A vague 'weakness' answer will likely land poorly.
  • As a former engagement manager, she knows the gap between what a team did and what one person did. Say 'I' versus 'we' accurately.
  • If you work in energy, utilities, industrials or infrastructure, she likely knows the technical and regulatory details. Don't oversimplify or inflate, and expect informed follow-ups, possibly on industry trends or AI.
  • If you're in another field, she is still an outsider to it. Practice explaining your work without jargon.
  • She ran a fellowship for first-generation engineers. If you are first-gen or come from an engineering background, she will likely understand that path, but tell your story plainly and don't lean on it as a tactic.
Questions they may lean toward
  • Pick one line on your resume and ask you to walk through it: what was the problem, what did you personally do, and what was the result? She states she often starts from a single resume line, and she has a consulting background in separating individual from team contribution.
  • Tell me about a decision you made that turned out wrong. How did you know, and what did you do next? Her About section says she most wants to hear about decisions that went wrong.
  • Why did you take this job / make this move, and what else were you weighing at the time? HBS interviews focus on the 'why' behind transitions, and she says she wants to hear how people actually make decisions.
  • For energy/industrial applicants: a pointed question on your project's economics, regulation or execution risk, or how your sector is changing (including AI). She leads energy and industrials file review and advised utilities on rate cases, capital planning and storage procurement.
  • Follow-ups that test your answer against your essays or recommendations. She reads every file closely, and applicants report HBS interviewers fact-check and spot inconsistencies.
  • Why an MBA now, and why HBS specifically? This is a standard question. As an HBS alum, she will likely notice generic answers about the case method.
Honest common ground
  • She went through the HBS MBA herself, so a sincere, specific reason why the case method suits how you learn will make sense to her. Keep it short and don't flatter.
  • If you're an engineer, in energy, or early-career in a technical field, her mentoring and fellowship work show real interest in that path. Your experience may resonate, but don't raise it just to connect.
  • If you've been through consulting or a structured selection process, you share that context. Use it only if your own story calls for it.
  • Her listed interests (open-water swimming, Maine lighthouses, industrialist biographies, sourdough) are hers. Mention one only if you genuinely share it and she opens the door. She will likely skip small talk anyway.
Questions to ask them
  • From reading files in my industry, what do you see applicants underestimate about how the case discussion will challenge them? This draws on her actual role (leading file review for a sector) without asking her to evaluate you. Use it only if there is time; often there isn't.
  • Looking back on your own time in the MBA program, was there a case or class discussion that changed how you made decisions afterward? It ties to her stated interest in decision-making and her firsthand HBS experience. It's genuine and short.
  • Is there anything in my application you'd like me to clarify or expand on? This is a useful fallback if the interview ends abruptly or you sense a gap was left open.
Avoid
  • Don't recite her career back to her (consulting, Larkspur, Houston/Lagos events) or bring up her hobbies to seem relatable.
  • Don't feign an interest in energy or utilities if you don't have one. She will likely detect it immediately.
  • Don't give a 'failure' that is really a disguised success, or blame others.
  • Don't use jargon or acronyms, or inflate your role. She managed consulting teams and knows what an associate actually does.
  • Don't give scripted, overly long answers. She runs a fast, structured interview and may interrupt.
  • Don't ask about your odds, your ranking, or the overlapping dates on her profile.
  • Don't use AI tools, recording or notes apps, or have anyone else present. Doing so voids the interview.
  • Don't draft the Post-Interview Reflection in advance. Write it fresh within 24 hours, in your own words.

A sample, to show what the briefing looks like: Susannah Whitlock and their employers are invented.

Based on: The sample interviewer's profile (fictional) · Harvard Business School: Logistics · Harvard Business School: Application Process · YouTube: Rupal Gadhia, Managing Director of MBA Admissions at HBS, on how the interview works · Reddit: HBS interview experience, tips and what helped me - Current HBS student (2026) · Reddit: HBS R1 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2026) · Reddit: HBS R2 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2025)

All sources · 30 plus 10 applicant threads
  1. Harvard Business School: Logistics
  2. Harvard Business School: Application Process
  3. Harvard Business School: Class Profile
  4. Harvard Business School: Curriculum
  5. Harvard Business School: The Case Method
  6. Harvard Business School: The Field Method
  7. Harvard Business School: Career Tools & Resources
  8. Harvard Business School: 2.5 Grading
  9. Harvard Business School: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for Leaders - Teaching Interest - Faculty & Resea
  10. Harvard Business School: New MBA Course Uses AI Tools to Help Students Stay on the Pulse of AI
  11. YouTube: Paul Lanzillotti, founder of Amerasia Consulting Group, on what to expect in the HBS interview
  12. YouTube: Former HBS interviewer Devi Vallabhaneni (now at mbaMission) with Poets & Quants' John Byrne on the H
  13. YouTube: Rupal Gadhia, Managing Director of MBA Admissions at HBS, on how the interview works
  14. Clear Admit: Harvard Business School Interview Questions & Reports (2026)
  15. Reddit: HBS interview experience, tips and what helped me - Current HBS student (2026)
  16. Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Interview Reports Archive (2025)
  17. Reddit: HBS R1 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2026)
  18. Reddit: HBS interview tips from my experience - good luck everyone! (2025)
  19. Clear Admit: Admissions Director Q&A: Rupal Gadhia of Harvard Business School (2025)
  20. Clear Admit: Top HBS MBA Interview Tips from Actual Interviewees (2019)
  21. Reddit: Does talking to current / former alumni from schools like HBS help admissions pr (2023)
  22. Reddit: HBS R2 Interview tips from my experience + thousands of HBS admits - good luck!! (2025)
  23. Reddit: HBS Interview Tips (from my own experience and 1,000+ admits) (2024)
  24. Reddit: What are signs your HBS MBA interview went well? (2026)
  25. Reddit: I got into HBS R1. Here's how I did it: (2024)
  26. Reddit: HBS Interview Dings & Invites (2026)
  27. Reddit: HBS Interview Invites - THREAD (2025)
  28. Poets&Quants: Harvard Business School 2018 Interview Reports (2018)
  29. Reddit: HBS interview tips - good luck! (2024)
  30. The sample interviewer's profile (fictional)

Applicant threads are linked under each question.