UPDATE: This article was originally posted on October 30, 2019. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

Located in one of the world’s most important business centers, London Business School offers a truly unique MBA experience. With the option to complete the course in just 15 months and a class that includes 67 different nationalities, London Business School is at the top of the list for many globally-minded professionals. 

With a government program that allows graduates of UK programs to stay on a work visa for 2 years after graduation (similar to the OPT program in the US), meaning that getting a spot at this elite business school is more challenging than ever. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your LBS admissions interview to stand out. We’ve rounded up not only our best tips but have also included sample interview questions to ensure you give your LBS application your best shot. 

 

How the LBS interview works 

As one of the most elite business schools in the world, landing an interview with London Business School is no easy task. 

Thus, if you have passed to the interview phase of the LBS application process, congratulations! This is already an exceptional achievement. 

LBS interviews, since they are conducted by current students and alumni, tend to be slightly friendlier than interviews conducted by the admissions committee. Nonetheless, the interviewer is still trying to gauge how solid your motivations for wanting to pursue an MBA are, how interested you seem in the LBS program, and if you fit well with the program’s global community.

Interviewers often ask many standard MBA interview questions, as well as questions designed to test how collaborative and globally-minded you truly are. You can also expect numerous follow-up questions. 

Our clients who have interviewed with LBS in the past say that the interviewer was very friendly and demonstrated a genuine interest in their answers. For some clients, questions were far more personal in nature, covering topics like their childhood and family upbringing. Other clients reported their interview was strictly professional, so make sure you’re ready for anything when you interview with LBS. 

 

Who will interview you?

LBS has a rich tradition of alumni students conducting admissions interviews. As such, the admissions committee will match you with an available alumni interviewer in your area, after which you and the interviewer will make arrangements to meet to conduct the interview. 

If you and your interviewer arrange to conduct your interview virtually, this will not negatively impact your application in any way. 

 

Will the interviewer have read my application?

Yes. The interviewer will have access to your application before the interview.

Keep in mind, however, that your interviewer will not have seen your video essay responses. 

 

How long will the LBS interview last?

About 45-60 minutes.

 

How does the presentation question work?

In addition to the traditional interview questions, you will also be required to answer a presentation question (similar to a case study) during the LBS interview. 

The key to the presentation element of the LBS interview is to see how you think on your feet. You will have around 5 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to present. 

The point of this task is to see if you can present a clear idea and demonstrate good critical thinking abilities, not to get the “right” answer. As such, focus on walking the interviewer through a clear, well-reasoned answer to the prompt. 

Follow-up questions are not common. 

 

SAMPLE PRESENTATION QUESTIONS

1. Telco is a British retailer that is facing limited growth. The CEO has proposed creating a new tablet, the “Hudl”, that will be affordable and target the 75% market in England that does not have tablets. Do you think this is an innovative idea? Should Telco pursue this venture?
2. At the Davos conference, the plan to introduce a minimum quota of women in senior management for every company was proposed. Some countries, such as Germany and Denmark, opposed the idea and insisted that support for working women is much more important than introducing minimum quota. What do you think about the plan?
3. Suppose you were a board member of the LVMH conglomerate. LVMH has taken a majority of shares of a family company, Hermès. Hermès’ people were unhappy about this acquisition because it was unfriendly and it could potentially damage the brand. How would you persuade Hermès’ people to proceed? 
4. Assume you have taken over Nokia as CEO. Following the major sale to Microsoft, what steps would you take to ensure the company’s profitability and future survival?
5. Given its business of mining over 5 million tons of rock a day, Rio Tinto has a big footprint. The mines are expensive, take decades to fully develop, and are not portable if something goes wrong. To reduce the political and economic risk and thus ensure steady returns, Rio Tinto has sought to win the backing of local communities, governments, and the societies in which it operates to ensure they can maintain long–term operations at chosen sites. How would you suggest senior leadership obtain the support of the community? 
6. How could the Entrepreneurship Club at LBS help a tech company to increase its product perception/brand awareness/client satisfaction? 
7. In the modern world, large multinational companies often start up branches overseas to increase profits and market share. You currently work for Audi, which is thinking about opening a plant in Mexico to take advantage of the country’s free trade agreement with the European Union. However, the company is concerned that it will face language barriers and cultural differences that will make it difficult to operate in the country. Would you suggest they open in Mexico or not?

 

Who is LBS looking for?

(Photo courtesy of London Business School)

“We nurture our students to challenge the status quo, to question the norm and to develop the skills to become the world’s best business leaders. Over the years we have adopted a truly global outlook tackling challenges faced by international businesses and their leaders.” London Business School Admissions

Every year, London Business School searches the globe for outstanding professionals to join its annual class of around 500 students. With a strong emphasis on diversity and a global mindset (74 nationalities are represented in the Class of 2024), there is no “typical” LBS student, yet the average admitted student does tend to have 5 years of work experience and a 708 GMAT score. 

Beyond the impressive statistics, though, LBS offers its students the chance to prepare themselves to lead in an increasingly globalized world.  

So, if this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll have to think of the ways in which you align with the main characteristics of LBS’s students. This means forming your business school brand and then focusing on the aspects of that brand that align with changing the status quo, collaborative leadership, and a value for internationalism and diversity. 

 

How can you prepare for your interview?

Though no interview is 100% predictable, LBS 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 LBS interviews. 

 

Sample LBS Interview Questions

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 LBS 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

1. Can you walk me through your resume? / Tell me about yourself. 
   1. Expect follow-up questions based on resume content, like why did you choose to work at your current firm? Why did you choose your major?
2. Could you describe what you do outside of work?

 

GOALS/WHY LBS

1. What are your short-term career goals? Long term? 
2. You already have great XX experience to reach your goals. Why do you need an MBA?
3. What is your plan B in case you’re not able to achieve your goals?
4. What triggered you to start thinking about an MBA?
5. Why LBS? How is LBS different from the other schools you applied to?
6. What are your criteria for selecting B-schools? Where did you apply? 
7. How will you contribute to LBS?
8. What do you plan to get involved in outside of class?

 

BEHAVIOR/SELF-ASSESSMENT

1. What part of your childhood has influenced your life?
2. When was the last time you took a risk?
3. What type of personality do you have?
4. How would your colleagues describe you?
5. What will be your development after arriving at LBS?
6. What is the toughest decision you have made in your life?
7. What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
8. What is your most significant achievement?
9. What are the key factors to your success? 

 

GLOBAL

1. Please give me an example of an experience you have had working with people from different cultures. 
2. What are some of the different approaches to work you have seen in other cultures?
3. What barriers can cultural differences present to groups trying to work together? In your opinion, what is the best way to resolve this challenge?

 

LEADERSHIP

1. Please tell me your definition of leadership. What kind of leadership have you experienced?
2. How would you define your leadership style?
3. Describe a situation where you led a project. What were your strengths and weaknesses?
4. What is the difference between a born leader and a manager? Who do you admire as a leader?
5. What characteristics should a successful business leader have?
6. Tell me about a time you resolved conflict as a leader. 

 

TEAMWORK

1. Imagine that some people in your study group are not contributing enough. What would you do next? How would you handle it? 
2. What role do you typically take within a team?
3. What are the most common reasons teams fail?
4. Tell me about a time you worked on a team that didn’t get along.
5. Please tell me about a time when you worked with diversity and inclusion. 
6. Tell me about a time you didn’t get along with your boss or with a teammate. How did you handle the situation? 

 

MISC. BEHAVIORAL

1. Describe a situation where you initiated changes. How did you go about this?
2. When working on a project, how can you tell if things are working well? What do you do if they are not?
3. Describe a situation where you moved to a new environment and how you handled it. 
4. What are you most proud of? Why?

 

CLOSING

1. Is there anything else you would like LBS to know about you? / Is there anything you wish I had asked you?
2. 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 LBS, 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 to 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 LBS interview through mock interviews tailored to your profile. 

 

What to do if you get a question you weren’t prepared 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 give your answer to show you can respond to any question they throw at you. 

 

Effectively Tell your Story During your LBS 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. 

Our tailored approach was critical to helping our client Ivan secure a spot at LBS.

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. Hire our interview services here. VIP packages that allow you to work directly with Ellin sell out quickly, so make sure you sign up today!