The Stanford Interview – What to Expect + Sample Questions

UPDATE: This article was originally posted on February 21, 2019. It has been updated with 2023/2024 information and tips below. 

With a mission to “create ideas that deepen and advance our understanding of management and with those ideas to develop innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who change the world,” Stanford Graduate School of Business is at the top of many applicants’ list of dream schools.  

However, with increasing competition over the small number of spots at this haven for innovative thinkers, securing a place at Stanford is more challenging than ever. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Stanford 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 Stanford application your best shot. 

 

How the Stanford Interview Works 

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

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

Stanford interviews, since they are conducted by alumni, tend to be very friendly yet still highly rigorous. In the interview, the alumnus or alumna is still trying to gauge how solid your motivations for wanting to pursue an MBA are, how deeply you have thought about why the Stanford MBA is right for you, and if you fit well with the program’s focus on self-reflection. 

Interviewers often ask many standard MBA interview questions, as well as numerous follow-up questions intended to probe your motivations for making certain decisions. 

Our clients who have interviewed with Stanford 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 more focused on educational and professional achievements, so make sure you’re ready for anything when you interview with Stanford.

 

Who will interview you?

Stanford has a rich tradition of alumni conducting admissions interviews. This year, your interview may take place virtually or in person. If you end up interviewing online, this will not damage your application in any way.  

 

Will the interviewer have read my application?

No. The Stanford interview is blind, meaning the interviewer will only have access to your CV. 

 

How long will the Stanford interview last?

45-60 minutes. 

 

Who is Stanford Looking For?

Source: @stanfordgsb on Instagram

“At Stanford, we strive to ensure that a diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities, genders, political and religious beliefs, physical and learning differences, sexual orientations and identities is thriving on campus. Such diversity will inspire new angles of inquiry, new modes of analysis, new discoveries and new solutions … Our diversity ensures our strength as an intellectual community. In today’s world, diversity represents the key to excellence and achievement.” – Persis Drell, Provost, Stanford University

Every year, Stanford GSB’s admissions team selects around 400 students from over 6,000 applications for the honor of joining their prestigious MBA program. Though what “fits” at Stanford is constantly evolving, they do tend to admit slightly younger applicants (with an average of 4.9 years of work experience). Stanford also works hard to admit a highly diverse group of students. 

Source: Stanford GSB’s website

Applicants offered admission also tend to have outstanding GMAT scores (the average for the Class of 2024 was 737) or exceptional GRE scores (the average for the Class of 2024 was 163Q and 164V).  

Nonetheless, that does not mean that Stanford looks simply for good test-takers. Instead, they want a talented, principled group of leaders who will use business to positively impact the world. 

According to Stanford’s Admissions team: 

Though there is great diversity in the class, some of the key characteristics GSB looks for in applicants are:

• Intellectual vitality
• Demonstrated leadership potential
• Personal qualities and contributions

Stanford also states:

“We always remember that there is neither an ‘ideal’ candidate nor a ‘typical’ Stanford MBA student. You should remember this, too. While the Stanford GSB community does include students who have pursued incomparable opportunities, most Stanford MBA students have excelled by doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. What you make of an experience matters to us, not simply the experience itself.”

 

How Can You Prepare for Your Stanford Interview?

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

 

Sample Stanford 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 Stanford 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

1. Tell me about your background/walk me through your resume. 
   • Expect many follow-up questions, like What was the most important aspect of your undergraduate experience? What aspect of your job has challenged you the most recently?
2. What extracurriculars do you participate in? Which are you proudest of?
3. What are your short-term goals? Long-term goals?
4. Why do you need an MBA? 
5. Why a Stanford MBA?
6. Where else have you applied? How have those worked out? 
7. Why now?
8. What will you bring that is unique to the program/how will you contribute to Stanford?
9. Tell me something fun you have learned recently (in the last month) outside of the scope of your work.

CHARACTER

1. Tell me about a time you faced an obstacle. What did you do about it?
2. Tell me about a time you faced an ethical situation. How did you handle it and what did you learn?
3. Tell me about a time you had your beliefs or values challenged. How did this experience shape your view of the world?
4. Tell me about a time you had to stand up for yourself. 
5. What is a weakness that you have been working on?

GENERAL BEHAVIORAL

1. Tell me about a time you made things more efficient. What did you do? How did you measure its success?
2. Tell me about a time when others have pointed out a weakness of yours. How did you respond to their feedback?
3. Tell me about someone difficult to work with and what you learned from it.
4. Tell me about a time things didn’t go according to plan. What did you learn from it?
5. Tell me about a time when you failed. What did you learn from that event? Have you implemented this lesson in any other aspect of your life?
6. Tell me about a time you had to make a trade-off between two equally attractive opportunities.
7. Tell me about a time you wanted to give up. What did you do? 
8. Tell me about a time you changed an organization. 
9. Tell me about something you are proud of. 

TEAMWORK & LEADERSHIP

1. Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult team member or manager. How did you handle the situation?
2. Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team of individuals. What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about leadership?
3. What is your leadership style? Give me an example. How did you know your leadership was effective? 
4. Tell me about a time when you contributed to a team effort but did not lead the team.
5. Tell me about a time when a leader fell short, and you had to step up. 
6. Tell me about a time your leadership was challenged or criticized. How did you handle the situation? What did you learn? Did you change your leadership style at all after this?
7. Tell me about a time you worked with a diverse group of people. 
8. Tell me about something you did that allowed others to grow and develop. 

CONCLUSION

1. Is there anything else you want to cover?
2. Any 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 Stanford, 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 Stanford 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 Stanford GSB 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 why 98.9% of our complete consulting clients get into at least one of their target schools. 

Not only can you take advantage of our development process through multiple sessions – you can also benefit from a single session! If your budget is tight, our interview experts can focus your session on a single aspect of the preparation process, from workshopping your answers to providing mock interviews. 

Our tailored approach was critical to helping our client Alex secure a spot at Stanford. 

“I will go with Stanford!

And on this note, I wanted to thank you so much for all your help with the interview process. There is no chance that I could have gotten to this point without your help and guidance!!! You are such a great interviewer and the nicest person!!! I felt so much better and confident following our sessions, and I think that the preparation with you played a major role in my ability to land admission to all schools!!!

Again, Thank you so much, Ellin!”

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!