UPDATE: This article was originally posted on March 18, 2020. It has been updated with 2024/25 information and tips below.
Located in one of the most important up-and-coming cities for entrepreneurship, the IE MBA continues to rank as a top-choice school for globally-minded innovators who seek to use business school as a step toward greater career success.
However, with a highly-customizable yet rigorous 1-year program (nearly the majority of the course is customizable) and a popular Tech MBA, competition to join IE’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your IE admissions interview to stand out. We’ve rounded up not only our best tips but have also included sample interview mocks to ensure you give your IE interview your best shot.
How the IE interview works
Making sure you shine during your IE interview is no easy task.
IE interviews, since they are conducted by the admissions committee, tend to be highly personalized and based on your whole application. During the interview, the interviewer is also trying to gauge how solid your motivations for wanting to pursue an MBA are, how interested you seem in the IE program, and if you are truly a good fit for IE’s flexible curriculum.
Interviewers often ask many standard MBA interview questions, as well as questions designed to test just how collaborative you really are. You can also expect numerous follow-up questions.
Our clients who have interviewed with IE in the past say that the interviewer was very friendly and demonstrated a genuine interest in their answers. Though questions do tend to focus on standard MBA interview questions, be ready for anything.
Who will interview you?
You will interview with a member of IE’s admissions committee.
In some cases, you may have more than one interview. In these cases, the second interview is also a “brain teaser” type interview, designed to test how you think through logic puzzles.
Will the interviewer have read your application?
Yes. The interviewer will have read your entire application. Past reports indicate that interviewers develop specific questions based on your application, so make sure to take the time to review what you presented.
How long will the IE interview last?
45-60 minutes.
Who is IE looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @iebusiness on Instagram)
“We seek motivated, creative and high-potential candidates who stand out for their academic and/or professional achievements, as well as interpersonal skills. We take a holistic approach when evaluating each candidate in order to bring in the most talented people into our international classrooms.” IE Admissions
Every year, IE literally searches the globe (more than 48 nationalities are represented in a class that is 92% international) for the outstanding professionals given the honor of joining one of its two annual classes, each composed of around 350 students. With a strong emphasis on diversity, there is no “typical” IE student, yet the average admitted student is 29 years old.
Beyond the impressive statistics, though, IE is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through the GMAT and university grades), IE seeks candidates who:
QUESTION THE STATUS QUO
and open your mind to new ways of thinking as a member of a diverse, global community.
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
and focus on transforming yourself to face new career challenges head-on
ACT OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
and discover that there are no limits to what you can do.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
as a future Dream-Doer, with your sights set on success for both yourself and those in your network.
HAVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
that pushes you to explore boundless avenues of collaboration and success.
Trends in recent IE MBA interviews
Recent feedback from candidates interviewing at IE highlights several notable trends that you should consider when preparing for your interview:
Diversity and Inclusion: There is a stronger emphasis on understanding candidates’ views and actions related to diversity and inclusion. Questions about how candidates have contributed to inclusive environments in the past and their thoughts on fostering diversity at IE are becoming more common.
Leadership in Uncertainty: IE interviewers are increasingly focusing on how candidates handle ambiguity and lead during uncertain times. Questions around navigating unforeseen challenges and making decisions with limited information are on the rise.
Sustainability and Impact: Given the global focus on sustainability, IE’s interviewers are now more interested in understanding how candidates aim to create positive social or environmental impact through their careers and how they plan to use their MBA to drive this change.
How can you prepare for your IE interview?
Though no interview is 100% predictable, IE interviews do tend to center around a fairly standard list of MBA interview questions. As such, we have prepared some model questions below that previous candidates have received in their past IE interviews.
What questions are asked in the IE MBA interview?
The questions below are drawn from our clients’ interview reports, as well as from sites like clearadmit.com. Though these are not all the potential questions you could possibly receive during your IE interview, preparing for these (and any follow-up questions you think you might be asked) should give you a very solid foundation for your interview.
STARTING UP QUESTIONS
- Tell me about yourself. (Expect follow-up questions)
- What do you like to do in your free time? How did you decide to become involved in these activities?
- What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
- Why do you want an MBA?
- Why now?
- Why IE?
- What will you contribute to IE?
- What other schools have you applied to? If you get into all of them, how will you choose where to go?
- How would you contribute to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment at IE?
- How do you plan to pay for your MBA?
LEADERSHIP & TEAMWORK
- Tell me about a time when you didn’t get along with your team. What did you do?
- Tell me about one instance when you disagreed with your boss and how you handled the situation.
- What is your leadership style? Can you give me an example?
- What is your communication style? Can you give me an example?
- Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team through a significant change or challenge.
- Tell me about a time you had to convince your team members to follow a plan or idea you created.
- Tell me about a time when you had to work with a team from diverse backgrounds. How did you ensure everyone was heard and valued?
- What are some key sustainability challenges in your industry, and how would you address them as a leader?
MISCELLANEOUS BEHAVIORAL
- How would your friends describe you?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Tell me who you are in one sentence.
- Tell me an example of when things didn’t work out as you planned. How did you adjust?
- Tell me about a time when you were pushed to your limits at work.
- Describe a situation where you had to make a critical decision with limited information. What was the outcome?
- Please tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn?
- What is the biggest challenge you have overcome in your career?
- What has been your biggest achievement in your career thus far?
- How do you stay updated on industry trends and changes?
- What question should we have put in the application and why?
TECH-RELATED QUESTIONS (only for Tech MBA applicants)
- Which technology do you think will completely disrupt business as we know it?
- How do you think AI is impacting the tech industry?
- Which programming language is your favorite? Why?
- How do you think we can continue to innovate in our use of AI while also respecting individual privacy rights?
- What do you think the future of blockchain looks like? How will this influence other industries?
- Describe a technical problem you faced. How did you solve it?
CLOSING
- Is there anything else you would like us to know about you? / Is there anything you wish I had asked you?
- Questions for me?
We have found that answering real interview questions on the spot is a much better means of preparation than reading lists of interview questions for most candidates.
We highly suggest you take a look at mock interview questions and sample interview responses before your interview.
Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of real interview mocks from IE, as well as detailed guides to help you prepare for questions ranging from “Why our MBA program?” to “Tell us about a time you failed.”
The Ellin Lolis Consulting MBA Resource Center is your one-stop shop for interview success. Click to join!
If you’re still not quite confident with your interview skills, our interview experts can help you craft your answers or prepare you for the IE interview through mock interviews tailored to your profile.
What to do if you get a question you haven’t prepared an answer for
Despite your most diligent preparation, you will almost always receive a question you had not prepared.
First, stay calm and take a deep breath. You have already made it this far in the process, and one question will not trip you up!
Second, make sure you directly answer the question the interviewer asked you. For example, if the interviewer asks you about a time you had to deal with a difficult manager, make sure to tell a story about a difficult manager and how you handled the situation.
If you’re having trouble thinking of an answer or an example to support your answer, however, take a drink of water to give yourself a few more minutes to think. If you really can’t think of an example from your personal or professional experience, you can use a hypothetical answer about how you would act in a certain situation.
Finally, assume that the interviewer is testing how you think on your feet and respond to questions you didn’t prepare in advance. Though your answer might not be as polished as if you’d had weeks to rehearse it, smile and confidently respond to show you can handle any question they throw at you.
Effectively tell your story during your IE interview
One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA interviews is that candidates fail to tell compelling, well-constructed stories about their profiles while also nailing the basics.
Striking this balance between sharing STAR-format examples that show off your background while also presenting strong answers to questions like “Why do you want an MBA?” is a challenging task that requires significant thought and preparation.
Because of this, it’s no surprise that, on average, 50% of interviewed applicants walk away without an offer.
This is why our interview preparation process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting is known as the best in the industry. We offer customized 1:1 support that ensures you’re able to turn your application’s strengths into compelling answers that show fit and sell your profile in any type of interview.
That’s the approach we used with our client Carlos, who was admitted to IE:
“I was looking for someone that could help me to achieve my goal of going to an MBA abroad, so a friend of mine recommended Ellin’s services. At first I was a little suspicious because I thought that my only need was for someone to review my essays before sending them in the application process.
But, when I met Ellin, I understood that I had the wrong idea of how she could help me. She is not the basic consultancy services that will help you to go to your dream MBA reviewing your English, she is the person that will help you to understand what you are trying to achieve. This difference makes her services outstanding because to do that she had to deeply understand my profile.
That’s why I would recommend that anyone who is trying to get into a top business school, especially people who do not know exactly what they are looking for, call Ellin. Ellin opened my mind with so many good options besides the ones that I was looking for and helped me to build a plan to achieve my goal.”
Our individual approach is why 98.9% of our clients secure admissions to at least one of their target schools.
Forget simulation platforms or long lists of tips – our 1:1 preparation focuses on playing to your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses to turn you into an interview expert. Our interview packages sell out quickly, so make sure you sign up today!
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
