How To Successfully Complete the LBS Video Essay

UPDATE: This article was originally posted on February 4, 2019. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

London Business School has long been a top-choice business school for professionals seeking a flexible, globally-focused program. 

Driven by their interest in attending one of the world’s most diverse and flexible business schools, many applicants dedicate countless hours writing LBS’ admissions essays only to fail to fully prepare for the video essay component of the application. 

This is a huge mistake. 

In addition to giving the admissions committee the chance to “put a face with a name,” the video essay is an essential part of the LBS application, as it allows committee members to determine if your communication style and values are a good fit with the LBS community. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you understand how the LBS video essay works and have shared a list of London Business School video essay questions to ensure you put your best foot forward! 

 

Why does LBS require a video essay?

When we first started working with London Business School applicants many years ago, the video essay component had not yet been introduced. However, since its launch, the video essay has quickly become a critical part of the application. 

That’s because it gives the admissions committee the chance to truly “meet” candidates — as well as identify red flags in potential members of the LBS community. In their words, “[The video essay] is an addition to our interview process, which we hope will give us a chance to get to know you better.”

With that in mind, it’s extremely important to make sure you fully understand this component of the application. 

 

How does the LBS video essay work?

The way the video essay works is very simple. 

After submitting your application and being selected for an interview, you will receive an email from the LBS admissions team. This email will contain a link that allows you to access the video essay platform. 

After signing in and starting the session, you will get two questions in total, one at a time. After receiving the questions, you will have 40 seconds to think and then 90 seconds to answer. 

There are no opportunities to redo the questions, meaning you only get one chance to speak and provide your answer.

The first question is random, and the second is a fixed question (which will be asked of all applicants). We’ll go more into detail about the questions you can expect below. 

 

The format

If you’ve taken the TOEFL exam, you’ve already practiced for the type of format you can expect in the INSEAD video essay! 

After signing in and “starting” the session, a video will appear on the screen. This video will show someone who will read the question you are tasked with answering. The question will also appear in written form under the video. 

After the time runs out, the screen video will disappear, and your image will be visible on the screen. At this point, your 40 seconds to think will automatically appear. 

After the preparation time runs out, the clock to answer (90 seconds!) will start, and you will need to give your answer during this period of time. Remember: you cannot redo either of the questions. 

After you answer the question, the system will upload your answer to the server (depending on your connection this can take a while) and will present you with the next question. 

DO NOT leave your computer during the upload time, even if it’s taking a while. You cannot pause the process, and you may end up missing questions!

 

Technical requirements

Given past applicants’ issues with iPad and mobile versions of the application, we strongly suggest you record your answer on a computer. 

If you do end up experiencing technical issues, access the support page here. 

 

Deadlines

The deadline for the video essay changes with each round. The specific deadline for your video essay will be listed in the email you receive from LBS. On average, the school gives you around 2 weeks to complete the video essay, after receiving the email. 

 

Which types of questions are asked?

You can expect two questions during your LBS video essay. One is entirely random, and the other is a fixed question. We’ve discussed each of these question types in depth below. 

Question 1: Why LBS

The first London Business School video essay question will be: “What will you gain from the London Business School MBA Programme that you won’t gain from another MBA programme?”

This is undoubtedly the most important question in the LBS video essay, and the good news is that, since you know the questions ahead of time, you can extensively prepare and polish your answer. 

First, we suggest you spend the first 30 seconds or so discussing your career goals. Though this is not formally part of the question, starting the answer by giving your goals as context helps make everything you say about why you love LBS more connected to concrete objectives you have for your career. 

Here, the most important thing is to show consistency with your LBS essays. If you said in your essays that you want to launch a social impact startup, don’t suddenly change your goals in the video essay to “work in private equity,” for example. Though you may worry your answer is repetitive, if your goals across your application are not consistent, this can cause your application to be rejected. 

What you should do, however, is give more detail about why you’re passionate about your goal. 

Then, spend the remaining minute discussing why you are passionate about LBS. Make sure to include specifics (like classes, clubs, or student initiatives) and discuss how these assets can help you develop as a person and professional in the context of your goals. If you’ve spoken with any current students or alumni who have shared meaningful experiences they had at LBS, you can also mention these. If you do so, make sure not just to name drop, but to show why having a similar type of experience is important for you. 

TOP TIP: Make sure your passion for LBS shines through. A very thoughtful answer that lacks passion will be less convincing than one that clearly shows you’re excited to start your LBS MBA. 

 

Question 2: Random interview-type question

These questions have been incredibly varied in the past and can range from your favorite book to who inspires you to how you handle ethical dilemmas to your proudest accomplishment at work. 

The best advice for this section is to think about what it’s asking you and what you can show about yourself, your achievements, and your values.

If the question asks about your favorite book, the admissions committee will get a certain impression of you based on what you choose. If you choose a book that’s all about adventure, we’ll assume that’s important to you, if you choose a book about economics we’ll assume that’s a key part of your life. 

So think about how you want the admissions committee to learn about you beyond what you’ve already shared in your application. 

If Gandhi inspires you, tell us why. Maybe because he made huge changes without using violence. If your father inspires you, tell us it’s because of his dedication to his family and how hard he worked to build a business from scratch and tell us how you hope and work to emulate this person. 

If you get a question that’s more like a traditional behavioral interview question, try to draw on examples. Furthermore, make sure to show your human side and demonstrate that you genuinely care for others and want the teams you join to succeed. It can be easy to answer in a very conversational way, but doing so can often lead to an answer without a point, so make sure you use your 40 seconds of planning time to structure the key elements of your answer. 

Regardless, be careful about what you choose to show here. Keep in mind that LBS prefers globally-minded leaders who embrace diversity, so don’t miss an opportunity to reinforce your personal brand and your fit with the school’s values. 

 

Sample LBS Video Essay Questions

Since the first question of the LBS video essay is fixed, we have included sample London Business School video essay questions for Question 2 only. 

Random interview-style questions

• What accomplishment are you proudest of?
• Tell us about a time you took a risk. What did you learn?
• Tell us about an organization or activity to which you have devoted a significant amount of time. Why was it meaningful to you?
• Tell us about a situation in which you were part of a dysfunctional team. What steps did you take to improve the situation?
• What impact do you have on your co-workers?
• What will your LBS classmates be most surprised to learn about you?
• What are you planning to get involved in at LBS?
• Tell us why working in an international environment is important to you?
• What GBE location would you pick and why?
• How do you plan to take advantage of LBS’ location in London during your MBA?
• Tell us about a time a team member did not “pull his weight” in the team.
• What is your favorite motto or quote, and why?
• What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
• Tell us about a time you were introduced to a new culture. What did you gain from this experience?
• How would your teammates describe you?
• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?
• Why do you think you are fit to work in an international environment?
• What is the most important thing you have ever done for someone else?
• What is the most important thing someone else has ever done for you?
• What is the importance of diversity in the workplace?
• What is your leadership style?

The difference between a good and great London Business School video essay

Given the importance of the video essay in your London Business School application, it’s crucial to make sure you don’t just have a good video essay, but that you have a great video essay. 

Now that you’ve learned how the video essay will work, we’ve gathered our top 5 tips here to ensure your video essay performance brings you one step closer to reaching your goal of attending LBS. 

 

Make sure you get into London Business School

You have stressed about every aspect of your LBS application, and now you are ready to record your video essay! With the right preparation, this can be your chance to shine and get a highly-coveted spot at LBS. 

However, maybe you don’t know where to start in preparing, or maybe you ramble on and lose your focus while answering. Maybe you’ve even downloaded the sample questions and written out your answers. The problem is, when you try to apply these templates to your own story, it doesn’t quite work.

Our video essay prep focuses on helping you determine how to present yourself to LBS while using appropriate, impact-driven language without being artificial, or worse, robotic.

That’s why 98.9% of our clients pass into at least one of their top choice business schools, like our client Hugo, who recently secured admissions to LBS. Here’s what he had to say about the preparation process:

“I am very thankful to Ellin, who had a fundamental role in my admission to LBS. Her amazing individualized support stood out during my long application journey. She was solicitous all the time and guided me to highlight the best of my profile throughout the essays, video essays and interview preparations. 

Moreover, Ellin was also a fantastic career coach. Thanks to her expertise and honest advice, I was able to evaluate my career options more clearly and became more confident about how an MBA programme will promote my personal and professional growth.

I strongly recommend Ellin to anyone who thinks about studying abroad. Her unique work will certainly add great value to your application.”

Want to put the Ellin Lolis advantage to work for you? Schedule your preparation session with our team of interview experts today!