UPDATE: This article was originally posted on February 14, 2020. It has been updated with 2023/24 information and tips below.
Located in one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, with numerous tech giants (think Amazon, Tesla, Samsung) beefing up their presence in the Texas capital, UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business is increasingly a top choice program for savvy MBA applicants.
However, with a strong focus on entrepreneurship and access to the massive Longhorn network, the competition to join McCombs’ MBA program is increasingly steep.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your McCombs 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 McCombs interview your best shot.
How the McCombs Interview works
Making sure you shine during your McCombs interview is no easy task.
Since McCombs interviews are blind, they are highly focused on your CV content and standard MBA interview questions (both “foundation” and behavioral).
During the interview, the interviewer is also trying to gauge how solid your motivations for wanting to pursue an MBA are and how interested you seem in the McCombs.
Our clients who have interviewed with McCombs 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?
Though UT typically offers 4 types of interviews, all interviews will be held online for the foreseeable future. After being invited to interview, you will be given further instructions on how to schedule your interview
Will the interviewer have read my application?
The McCombs interview is blind, meaning the second-year student or admissions committee member will only have access to your CV. This means that you can repeat examples from your essays if you choose to.
How long will the McCombs interview last?
Most reports indicate that the interview will last between 30-60 minutes.
Who is McCombs looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @utexasmccombs on Instagram)
“It has been said that McCombs MBAs are relentlessly driven, yet they are the first to jump in and encourage and support each other to excel.” Texas McCombs MBA Insider
This year, McCombs admitted 241 students to its highly competitive MBA program. With a strong emphasis on diversity, there is no “typical” McCombs student, yet the average student admitted to the Class of 2025 had an average GMAT score of 704 or a GRE of Q161/V160 and 5.9 years of work experience.
In fact, according to Dean Raji Srinivasan, diversity is key to the McCombs experience. In her words:
“In a continually complex and changing world, students need global acumen, the skills to operate and collaborate effectively, with a mind-set that transcends geographic and cultural boundaries.
At McCombs, we recognize and value a diverse and inclusive culture by acknowledging the unique and different perspectives of our different community members.
We believe that an inclusive learning environment is key to unlocking students’ potential and prepare them to be strong leaders in transforming business and industry—solving the problems of tomorrow and having a positive impact on society.”
In short, McCombs is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. If this sounds like the community for you, you’ll face the challenging task of convincing the school’s admissions committee that you deserve to be a Longhorn.
How can you prepare for your McCombs interview?
Though no interview is 100% predictable, McCombs 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 McCombs interviews.
SAMPLE MCCOMBS 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 McCombs 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 do in your current job?
- Why did you choose your university?
- What was your undergraduate experience like?
- What is your greatest career achievement thus far?
- What is the most rewarding part of your work? The most challenging?
- What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
- Name a few firms you would like to work at after your MBA.
- Why do you want an MBA?
- Why now?
- Why McCombs?
- What will you contribute to McCombs?
- What types of clubs/activities do you want to get involved in at McCombs?
- What other schools have you applied to? If you get into all of them, how will you choose where to go?
- Have you visited campus? Spoken with alumni?
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?
- Tell me about a time you were a leader.
MISCELLANEOUS BEHAVIORAL
- How would your friends describe you?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- Tell me about a time you were part of a team, yet your actions were detrimental to the whole team. How did you recover?
- Tell me about a time you faced a challenge at work.
- Tell me about a piece of feedback you have received. How did you respond?
- Tell me about a time you came up with a creative solution to a problem.
- Tell me something you learned about yourself during the application process.
CLOSING
- Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?
- Is there anything you wished 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 McCombs, 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 UT McCombs 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.
Secure Your Spot at McCombs
MBA interviews eliminate up to 50% of candidates, so preparing adequately is a vitally important aspect of a successful MBA application process.
Preparing to excel in your interviews without the objective feedback and professional guidance of an MBA expert, however, isn’t easy or effective. This is why our team of MBA experts offers personalized interview preparation and personal branding help, ensuring you’re on-brand and on-message while remaining authentic to your values and who you are.
Interested in learning more about MBA interview preparation and practice or any other aspects of the MBA application process?
Get in touch and discover how our personalized, 1:1 interview preparation can help you turn an interview into an admission.
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
