A guide to crack the HBS interview

Harvard Business School classroom. Photo: Harbus

Cracking the interview round at the Harvard Business School is any MBA aspirant’s dream, but only very few are able to fulfill it.

In order to help students achieve their dream, Harbus, the News Corporation of the Harvard Business School, has come up with The unofficial Harvard Business School Interview Guide.

La Keisha Nicole Landrum, the Chief Operating Officer at Harbus says, “This book provides thoughtful responses for each interview question, and allows the prospective student to think critically about what the interviewer is trying to understand about the candidate. It also enables the student to be strategic with how they answer questions to make sure what they want to get out of the interview.”

The unofficial Harvard Business School Interview Guide

According to the Harbus sources, this book has been one of the important reference that students used to prepare for their HBS interview. The first year and second year students at the Harvard Business School, along with a small staff of members in the HBS community, are involved in the compilation of the guide.

Harvard Business School classroom. Photo: Harbus

Previously, the Harbus received emails repeatedly from prospective students enquiring about the different ways or the tips to prepare for the interview. This in turn led to the origin of the book few years ago.

Students can purchase this 69-page book for $65, from www.harbus.org.

A cheat sheet to the HBS interview

Harvard Business School campus. Photo: Harbus

This book allows students to put their best selves forward and prepare properly for one of the most important interviews in their career. “Our goal with this book is a labour of love from current MBA students to future ones. We, like most prospective students, know that applying to B-school is putting together a whole package. This is just one (albeit a very important) part of the process,” said La Keisha.

Referring to the book as a cheat sheet to the HBS interview, La Keisha said, “We have asked Harvard Business School students what questions they were asked and how they prepared for them. You can't find that anywhere else.”

Harvard Business School campus. Photo: Harbus

Testimonials

Praising the efforts of the Harbus team in bringing out a book such as this, the admitted students in HBS reviewed the book as an invaluable resource for interview preparation.

They also say that it is well written, up-to-date, and covers nearly every question asked during interview.

Harvard Business School presentation room. Photo: Harbus

Preview tips from the guide

Know your application inside and out. Sounds simple, but review it. Know your story and practice explaining key achievements that you mention in your resume or essays.

You will be asked a lot of questions—often in rapid fire fashion. But don’t forget to get your own message across.

What do you want to convey to your interviewer? Find a way to get your points across in your answers