Yale School of Management full-time MBA · 2026-27 full-time MBA applicants (Class of 2029)

Your Yale SOM interview

If Yale SOM invites you to interview, you'll have 30 minutes, on campus in New Haven or on Zoom, with a second-year MBA student, a recent alum or an admissions officer. It's blind (they've seen only your resume), structured (everyone gets the same questions in the same order) and mostly about what you've actually done.

Sources (3)

Yale SOM: 2026-27 MBA application guide · Clear Admit: Q&A with Bruce DelMonico of Yale SOM (Dec 2025) · Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026)

25-33%of applicants are interviewed, depending on the year. Clear Admit · Yale SOM

100%of admitted students were interviewed. No one is admitted to SOM without one. Yale SOM · Yale SOM Admissions video · Clear Admit

Congratulations again: an invitation is the only way in. SOM's own line is that the interview is one data point among many, and that when your invitation arrives says nothing about your chances.

Sources (2)

Yale SOM: MBA admissions FAQ · Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026)

WhoMostly trained second-year students and recent alums who interviewed as students; sometimes an admissions officer Yale SOM · Clear Admit · Yale SOM Admissions video

How long30 minutes, strictly. The last 5-10 minutes are for your questions Yale SOM · Clear Admit · Reddit · Menlo Coaching

What they knowOnly your resume, plus the quote you submit. They haven't read your essay or file Yale SOM · Clear Admit · Clear Admit report

FormatSame questions in the same order for everyone, mostly behavioral, scored on a rubric Clear Admit · Yale SOM Admissions video · Reddit

4 more: where, before, when, does it count

WhereOn campus in New Haven or on Zoom. SOM says it makes no difference to your chances Clear Admit · Reddit

BeforeSend a short quote that means something to you, about 48 hours ahead Poets&Quants (Fortuna Admissions) · Reddit · YouTube

WhenRolling through each round. Decisions: Dec 3 (Round 1), Mar 18 (Round 2), May 13 (Round 3) Yale SOM · Yale SOM · Reddit · Reddit

Does it countYes. No one is admitted without one, but it's one data point among many Yale SOM · Yale SOM Admissions video · Clear Admit

How you get an interview

You can't ask for one. After you submit, you record the video questions and take the behavioral assessment (both due two days after the deadline), and only then does review start. SOM emails invitations on a rolling basis through the whole round, sometimes only days before decisions come out. When yours arrives says nothing about your chances. Depending on the year, SOM interviews roughly a quarter to a third of applicants.

Everyone admitted has interviewed. But no invitation isn't automatically a no: SOM waitlists some applicants without an interview and invites them in a later round, and applicants report exactly that.

Once invited, you choose a slot: an on-campus interview day in New Haven (often a Friday, with a tour, class visits and students to meet) or a Zoom interview. SOM schedules in Eastern Time.

Sources: Yale SOM: 2026-27 MBA application guide · Yale SOM: MBA admissions FAQ · Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026) · Clear Admit: Q&A with Bruce DelMonico of Yale SOM (Dec 2025) · YouTube: Accepted podcast, How to get into Yale SOM, with Bruce DelMonico (2023) · Yale SOM blog: interview tips from Assistant Dean Bruce DelMonico (2020) · Reddit: Round 1 invites run until the week before decisions (2025) · Reddit: Round 1 decision thread, waitlists without an interview (2025) · Reddit: Round 2 interview invite waiting room (2026) · Reddit: on-campus vs virtual interview (2024) · Reddit: interview formats across top schools (2026)

The quote you send in

After you book, the confirmation email asks you for a quote that means something to you, usually due about 48 hours before the interview. Read to the bottom of that email: applicants report nearly missing the request. Until at least 2022 the email also asked you to reflect on a quote from Dean Kerwin Charles, and the interviewer asked how you'd contribute to diversity at SOM. Recent reports don't mention the Dean's quote.

Expect "Why is this quote meaningful to you?", often with "and how does it connect to your time at SOM?". SOM's admissions deans say they ask for it so that everyone walks in with one question they can think about in advance, and because applicants visibly relax when they talk about words they chose. Quotes range from something a parent or coach said to famous lines. At graduation, admissions hands each class its quotes back.

Pick one you can tie to a real moment in your life. Applicants advise against a generic or cliché quote with no story of yours behind it.

Sources: Poets&Quants (Fortuna Admissions): Yale SOM's pre-interview quote (2021) · YouTube: mbaMission podcast with Yale SOM's admissions deans, ep. 45 (2025) · Reddit: a Round 2 Zoom interview with a second-year, question by question (2022) · Reddit: Round 2 invite, quote email and an on-campus interview (2026) · Reddit: Round 1 interview invites and the quote (2024) · Reddit: choosing the pre-interview quote (2024) · Reddit: SOM interview questions, incl. the Dean's quote (2022) · Clear Admit report: Round 1, second-year student, on campus (Jan 2023)

How the interview runs

It is a structured interview. SOM gives every interviewer the same questions in the same order and a rubric to score them, to keep it fair and reduce bias. That's why reports from one year to the next list nearly the same questions. Most interviewers read from the list, take notes and ask few follow-ups. A friendly interviewer who moves straight to the next question isn't a bad sign.

Recent reports say it usually doesn't open with "tell me about yourself". It typically starts with an accomplishment you're proud of, then a time you dealt with a different perspective, then why an MBA and your goals, why SOM, what you'd contribute, your quote, anything else to add, and your questions.

Questions are behavioral: "how did you" handle something, not "how would you". SOM's admissions team says these are not stress interviews and there are no trick questions. Because the interviewer has only your resume, you can retell stories from your essay; they haven't read it.

Sources: Clear Admit: Q&A with Bruce DelMonico of Yale SOM (Dec 2025) · Yale SOM blog: interview tips from Assistant Dean Bruce DelMonico (2020) · Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026) · Clear Admit: Bruce DelMonico on interviews (2019) · Reddit: a scripted 20-minute SOM interview, is that bad? (2023) · Reddit: an on-campus interview day, fixed questions (2026) · Reddit: a Round 2 Zoom interview with a second-year, question by question (2022) · Clear Admit report: Round 2, second-year student, Zoom (Mar 2026) · YouTube: Accepted podcast, How to get into Yale SOM, with Bruce DelMonico (2023)

What they're judging

SOM publishes no interview rubric. What it says it looks for in every applicant comes down to three things: academic readiness, evidence of professional impact, and how you contribute to the communities you belong to. The interview tests the last two, plus your reasons for an MBA and for SOM.

Bruce DelMonico, who leads admissions, says SOM looks for people who are broad-minded and curious, and notices humility, whether you're focused on yourself or on others, and a growth mindset. He also says SOM cares more about "who is going to do the job" than who interviews well. In practice that means real examples, what you personally did, and a clear point.

Sources: Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026) · YouTube: mbaMission podcast with Yale SOM's admissions deans, ep. 45 (2025) · YouTube: mbaMission interview with Bruce DelMonico (2022) · YouTube: Personal MBA Coach interview with Bruce DelMonico (2024) · Clear Admit: Bruce DelMonico on interviews (2019) · Clear Admit: Q&A with Bruce DelMonico of Yale SOM (Dec 2025)

How much it matters

It comes last and can feel like a final up-or-down vote, but SOM's admissions deans keep saying it isn't: the interview is one data point, and every other part of the file still weighs heavily when the committee decides. A great interview won't carry a weak file, and an awkward one won't sink a strong one. SOM doesn't publish what share of interviewed applicants it admits.

Sources: Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026) · Yale SOM blog: interview tips from Assistant Dean Bruce DelMonico (2020) · Clear Admit: Q&A with Bruce DelMonico of Yale SOM (Dec 2025) · Clear Admit: Bruce DelMonico on interviews (2019) · Reddit: SOM interview questions, incl. the Dean's quote (2022)

What applicants report (2022-2026)

From 64 Reddit threads and Clear Admit's 2026 interview reports:

The same questions every year. A current student says Clear Admit's reports back to 2023 match the exact questions. The core: proudest accomplishment, a different perspective, why an MBA, goals, why SOM, contribution, the quote.
Short is normal. Interviews run exactly 30 minutes. Some finish the questions in 15-20 minutes when answers are tight, then turn into a chat. Applicants whose interviews felt scripted and short, or rushed, report being admitted anyway.
Friendly but brisk. Most describe a warm second-year who sticks to the list. Some on-campus days have 100+ applicants and many interviews running at once.
Your questions get real time. Applicants report 5-10 minutes for their own questions; one says about a quarter of the interview.

Sources: Reddit: a Round 2 Zoom interview with a second-year, question by question (2022) · Reddit: a scripted 20-minute SOM interview, is that bad? (2023) · Reddit: a Round 2 interview with a second-year (2024) · Reddit: Round 1 interview questions and the quote (2025) · Reddit: Round 2 invite, quote email and an on-campus interview (2026) · Reddit: an on-campus interview day, fixed questions (2026) · Reddit: a rushed 30-minute interview with a second-year (2026) · Reddit: a Round 3 interview, exactly 30 minutes (2026) · Reddit: are SOM interviews done by second-years? (2023) · Clear Admit report: Round 1, alum interviewer, Zoom (Oct 2026) · Clear Admit report: Round 2, second-year student, Zoom (Mar 2026) · Clear Admit report: Round 2, second-year student, on campus (Feb 2026)

Don't script it (SOM's rule on AI)

SOM's 2026-27 application has a statement on AI. For essays, use it like a trusted friend: to brainstorm or tidy up, not to write. For the video questions and the interview, its advice is one word: don't. SOM's admissions dean says they have watched applicants read AI-generated answers off their screen during Zoom interviews, and "it doesn't go well". An imperfect answer said naturally won't hurt you; a scripted one can.

Sources: Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026) · YouTube: mbaMission clip, using AI in your Yale SOM application (2025) · YouTube: mbaMission podcast with Yale SOM's admissions deans, ep. 45 (2025) · Clear Admit: Q&A with Bruce DelMonico of Yale SOM (Dec 2025)

How to get ready

Reread your resume, essay and career-goals statement. The interviewer has only your resume, but their notes go into a file the committee reads alongside what you wrote. Tell the same story, especially about your goals.
Prepare five or six stories, not answers. An accomplishment, a disagreement or different perspective, a challenge or failure, a team you led or helped, something you did for a community. Know the result and what you personally did. Practise each out loud in under two minutes.
Have a specific "Why SOM". Two or three things you'd actually use (the integrated core, a class, Global Network Week, the AI core course, a joint degree) tied to your goals. A SOM alumna who interviews says stories bent to fit "business and society" are easy to spot; tell your real one.
Pick your quote early and know its story. Where you heard it, a moment it changed what you did, and one line on what it means for your time at SOM.
Bring three questions for the interviewer about their own SOM experience. Asking none suggests you haven't done your homework.
On the day: log in early to test your camera and sound (a virtual background is fine), or allow time to get to New Haven. Dress as you would for an in-person interview.

Sources: Yale SOM: 2026-27 MBA application guide · Yale SOM blog: interview tips from Assistant Dean Bruce DelMonico (2020) · Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026) · Reddit: a Round 1 interview and a first-year's advice (2026) · Reddit: Round 1 interview questions and the quote (2025) · Reddit: a rushed 30-minute interview with a second-year (2026) · YouTube: GMAT Club, preparing for the Yale SOM and Tuck interviews (2021) · YouTube: tips from a Yale SOM alumna and student interviewer (2022) · YouTube: an admitted SOM student on her interview (The Dialog Project, 2022)

The other two pieces (video questions and behavioral assessment)

Both come right after you submit and are separate from the interview. The video questions are two pre-recorded questions, picked at random, with a short time to prepare and about 60 seconds to answer each, in one take. One is usually "why an MBA now"; the other has been personal (a tradition, a piece of art, your hometown). SOM uses them with a "light touch", partly to hear your spoken English since it requires no English test. Applicants in 2026 report two questions, not the three of earlier years.

The behavioral assessment is a 20-25 minute ETS test of about 130 pairs of statements; you pick the one more like you. There's nothing to study and no right answers. SOM uses it mainly to gain confidence in applicants whose grades or scores are uneven, and says it is never the deciding factor.

Sources: Yale SOM: 2026-27 MBA application guide · Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026) · YouTube: mbaMission podcast with Yale SOM's admissions deans, ep. 45 (2025) · Reddit: the 2026 video questions, two instead of three (2026) · Reddit: what is the behavioral assessment? (2024)

Your interviewer

Elena Marchetti Fictional interviewer

Get a briefing on your own interviewer

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

Use a computer if you can. Open their LinkedIn profile in a web browser, click More (or ⋯) under their name, then Save to PDF.
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.
Upload the PDF here, or paste what you know about them (a bio, a profile page).

See the sample briefing

Second-year Yale SOM MBA ('27) and trained student admissions interviewer; former health-tech product manager heading to a strategy consulting firm's healthcare practice in Boston

Elena is a second-year SOM student who interviews applicants for the Admissions Office (since Sep 2026), so expect her to follow the standard structured script closely: proudest accomplishment, a different perspective, why an MBA, goals, why SOM, contribution, your quote, then your questions. Before SOM she spent about seven years in Denver (2018-2025), first as a benefits analyst modeling health-plan costs, then as a product manager at a patient-billing software company, where she led 9 engineers and 2 designers. She is a TA for the Operations Engine core course, co-chairs the Healthcare Club case competition, went on the International Experience trip to Brazil and returns to a consulting firm in Boston in September 2027. Her profile suggests she values concrete results with numbers and operational thinking. She will likely notice vague claims and impact you can't quantify. She has seen only your resume, so tell your stories in full.

Their path

BA Economics, minor in Italian, University of Colorado Boulder (2014-2018)
Business Analyst, Meridian Benefits Group, Denver (Jul 2018 - Jul 2020): health-plan cost models; built the firm's first SQL claims-data pipeline
Product Manager, Claims Analytics, Clarion Health Technologies (Aug 2020 - Jan 2023): denial-prediction dashboard used by 140 hospital billing teams
Senior Product Manager, Patient Payments, Clarion (Feb 2023 - Jul 2025): led 11-person team; payment plans used by 1.2M patients; billing calls cut 22%
Yale SOM MBA (2025-2027): Healthcare Club case competition co-chair, student admissions interviewer (Sep 2026-), Operations Engine TA, International Experience in Brazil (Mar 2026)
Summer Associate, Healthcare Practice, Halvorsen & Pike, Boston (Jun-Aug 2026); returning full time Sep 2027

What it means for your conversation

She is a trained interviewer working from SOM's fixed question list and rubric. Expect few follow-ups and a brisk pace, and don't read anything into that.
She came to SOM with about seven years of work experience and moved from building products to consulting. She has made an MBA career switch herself, so a clear, credible goals story will likely land better than a polished one.
Her resume is full of measured outcomes (1.2M patients, 22% fewer calls, 140 teams). She will likely respond well to stories where you state what you personally did and what changed, with a number if you have one.
She describes herself as believing healthcare cost problems are 'operations problems in disguise' and TAs the Operations Engine course. That doesn't mean you should talk about operations unless it's genuinely in your story.
She knows the core curriculum, the International Experience and club life firsthand, so a generic 'Why SOM' will be obvious to her. Specific ones will hold up.

Questions they may lean toward

Quantified, first-person impact in your accomplishment story Her own record is written as concrete outcomes. Separating 'I' from 'we' is what the rubric likely rewards too.
How you dealt with a different perspective, e.g. working across engineering, clients or other functions As a PM she managed engineers, designers and hospital clients, so she will likely recognize real cross-functional friction versus a tidy story.
Whether your post-MBA goal is realistic and connected to your past She is making a product-to-consulting switch herself, so she may weigh whether your plan is a believable bridge.
Specific use of SOM's core and the Global Study requirement She TAs a core course and did the International Experience, so she can tell real research from brochure language.

Honest common ground

Both of you will have about five or more years of work before the MBA. Her path from working to SOM is the one you are on.
If you're switching careers after the MBA, she has just done a summer internship as part of a switch and can speak to how that worked.
If you actually work in healthcare, health tech, product management or consulting, that overlap is real. Mention it only if it's on your resume anyway; don't invent an interest.
On campus, you may both be thinking about New Haven life. She lists 'New Haven pizza rankings' as a conversation topic, which is a safe light moment only if it comes up naturally.

Questions to ask them

What has the integrated core, organized by stakeholder, been like in practice, and has it changed how you approach problems at your internship? She has done the core and now TAs part of it, so she can answer from experience, and the question shows you know how SOM's curriculum works.
How did you use your first year and the summer to switch into consulting? What would you do differently? It's about her SOM experience, not her resume, and it gives you useful advice if you're switching too.
What did the International Experience add that you couldn't have gotten from a case in class? She lists the Brazil trip as something to ask about, and it helps you decide among the Global Study options.
How much do second-years end up taking classes elsewhere at Yale, and was that worth it for you? Tests a real SOM selling point with someone who has just made those choices.

Avoid

Reciting her resume, numbers or employers back to her, or opening with her consulting firm.
Pretending to care about healthcare operations, hospital billing or consulting if that isn't your path.
Bending your stories to sound 'business and society' if that isn't your real story; she, like other SOM interviewers, will likely spot it.
Reading prepared or AI-written answers off a screen on Zoom; SOM explicitly warns against this.
Mistaking her brisk, scripted style for disinterest and over-talking to fill the silence; keep answers under two minutes.
A cliché quote with no personal moment behind it.
Arriving without questions; she will expect three or so about SOM life.

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

Based on: The sample interviewer's profile (fictional) · Yale SOM: 2026-27 MBA application guide · Clear Admit: Q&A with Bruce DelMonico of Yale SOM (Dec 2025) · Yale SOM Admissions video: Inside the Application, Literally (July 2026)

All sources · 54 plus 64 applicant threads

Applicant threads are linked under each question.