Blog

Performing well in interviews is both a required and acquired skill to land your next job. We at mbaMission offer interview preparation guidance not only through one-on-one career coaching but also via our career advice blog posts, which cover job search–related topics, such as the following:

• Strategically Answering Behavioral Interview Questions
• Ending the Interview Strong
• Fixing Two of the Most Common Interviewing Mistakes

In today’s post, rather than talking about how to tell your stories, we want to focus on how to identify the right stories to tell. 

Step 1: Research the job requirements to understand the needs of the role.

• Talk to people at your target companies and in your desired positions; ask specific questions to learn the basic and nuanced characteristics of a compelling candidate. 

• Read the job description and/or look at the LinkedIn experience profile section of people who hold your target job. 
• Use ChatGPT to understand more about the requirements for target roles. Try prompts like “Based on the job description, what specific skills or experiences should I highlight during my interview for [insert job title]?” and “Based on this job description, create a list of skills the recruiter is looking for.”

Step 2: Identify eight to ten stories from your past experiences using the following strategies:

• Review your brainstorming materials and final business school essays. 
• Examine each bullet point on your resume, and think about the situation, your actions, and the results of those actions. Ask yourself what competencies you demonstrated in each of the circumstances highlighted in those bullet points. 
• Talk with past colleagues and managers about your most impressive accomplishments at work or your strongest skills. Read past performance reviews.
• Reflect on your biggest accomplishments and your proudest moments. 

Step 3: Choose your best, most compelling stories using the following checklist (these will be the stories for which you can say “yes” to all—or at least most—of these questions):

• Can this story be pivoted to reveal more than one skill (or address more than one potential interview question)? You need at least two stories for each skill required for your target role. 
• Does this story require a lot of technical or industry-specific knowledge or substantial context to be understood? Find ways to help the interviewer quickly understand the situation you are relating without using a lot of jargon or background information. You will need to tell your story in approximately two minutes and do not want to spend too much time on details that do not relate to how you contributed to solving the problem.
• Did this situation happen recently? Ideally, you want to share stories that happened within the past two to four years, because you are likely to have had more significant responsibility and will better remember the details of the situation. This will help you tell the story in an authentic and engaging manner.
• Does this story demonstrate your ability to navigate unexpected situations? Often, interview questions seek to uncover how you behaved in a challenging circumstance (e.g., “Tell me about a time when you led a team with conflicting opinions on how to approach a problem”). 
• Was the outcome important or impressive? What was at stake if you failed to perform? Use numbers to show the scope or complexity level of your work, as well as the results of your actions. Hiring managers want to know that you can contribute and help them achieve their key business objectives. 

The bottom line is this: pick and share stories that demonstrate your relevant skills and expertise.

In our first episode of The mbaMission Podcast for 2025, mbaMission’s Harold Simansky, Jeremy Shinewald, and Jessica Shklar share their takeaways from the 2024 MBA application season and make predictions for the upcoming application season. They discuss such topics as macro trends related to the economy, the impact of AI on business school admissions, and trends in GMAT scoring.

Read the rest of this entry  

Aspiring MBA students frequently ask us, “Do I have a strong enough quantitative background to get accepted to a top business school?” The leading MBA programs indeed have high academic standards, and quant skills are crucial to all business fields, so the concern is valid. However, by planning ahead and employing a few key tactics, candidates with less robust quant backgrounds should not have any reason to forgo applying to their dream programs. 

But first, why are quantitative skills so crucial for MBAs? 

Business schools want to ensure that their incoming students are data savvy and will not struggle to keep up with the material (or their classmates) in rigorous quantitative classes. Much of the core MBA curriculum involves understanding and analyzing data. For instance, Columbia Business School’s first-year core curriculum includes courses such as “Business Analytics” and “Corporate Finance,” and the Wharton School’s core includes “Statistics: Regression Analysis for Managers.” Applicants often ask us, “What if I am applying to a business school that is not quantitatively rigorous?” But this is never the case—an MBA program that is light on quantitative work simply does not exist! They all entail demanding quantitative subjects.

Thinking ahead, business schools also want applicants who can apply the quantitative skills they learn in the classroom to real-world business problems and who will be marketable to recruiters. For candidates whose post-MBA career goals involve working in a field such as management consulting, finance, or private equity, quantitative skills are particularly a must, but fields such as marketing, product management, and business development are increasingly data-driven. You would be hard-pressed to find a post-MBA profession that does not require using quantitative tools to evaluate problems or forecast behavior.

The bottom line is that all MBA applicants must prove their quantitative aptitude. This is easy for applicants who majored in mathematics, finance, or engineering; who work in a field such as data science or investment banking; or who aced the Quantitative section of their standardized test. But if this is not you, and topics such as “regression” send you into a panic, here are our four ways to boost your quantitative profile before applying to business school.

1. Start early with standardized testing.

This key part of your application is still primarily within your control (unlike your GPA, which you cannot change), so give yourself plenty of time to study thoroughly and take several practice exams. Getting an early start also gives you time to retake the exam if you do not achieve your target score on the first try (schools will always consider your highest score). You should strive to reach a high overall score—as close to your target program’s average as possible, if not higher—while showing a minimum level of competence in the Quantitative section. To demonstrate the necessary level of quantitative acumen, you would need a Quantitative subsection score of at least 46 on the “classic” (10th Edition) GMAT, at least 79 on the current GMAT, 163 on the GRE, or 11 on the Executive Assessment (EA) for top U.S. programs. And if you are unsure about which standardized test best fits you, check out our video “GMAT vs. GRE vs. EA: Which Test Should I Take for Business School?”

2. Take pre-MBA courses.

Another great way to show competence in quantitative areas is to take pre-MBA coursework in relevant subjects, such as statistics, calculus, accounting, and finance. You should aim to earn A grades in these classes and complete them before you submit your application so you can include the transcripts. Check with universities in your area to find out what in-person courses are available (often through a continuing education program, such as New York University’s School of Professional Studies), or choose one of the many online courses available (we recommend ones through universities, such as those from the University of California Berkeley Extension or the University of California Los Angeles Extension). An even more robust option is the Credential of Readiness (CORe) three-course program from Harvard Business School Online, which is “designed to help you achieve fluency in the language of business.” If pressed for time, check out MBA Math, which offers self-paced lessons tailored for pre-MBA preparation. Lastly, some candidates can supplement their transcript by attaining professional certifications or designations, such as the CFA charter, CPA, and Series 7/63, though we recommend pursuing such certifications/designations only if obtaining them also benefits your career plans.

3. Choose your recommenders wisely.

In general, you should pick recommenders who know you well, can share several specific examples that illustrate your strengths, and enthusiastically support your decision to earn an MBA. If your profile lacks proof of quantitative abilities, select at least one recommender who can provide examples of your quantitative work or related skills, such as analytical problem-solving, ability to navigate complex situations, and quick learning. Ask them to comment on these areas specifically. Your recommender’s endorsement of your abilities in such areas will help the admissions committee feel more confident about your capacity to handle quantitative work.

4. Be strategic about your resume.

Your MBA application resume must differ from the one you would use for job hunting. It should not be an exhaustive list of every project you have ever worked on; instead, it should present your most impressive accomplishments, emphasizing the results or impact you achieved. Include bullet points referencing any quantitative work you have done, such as managing budgets, building financial models, or analyzing survey data. Also, quantify the impact of your efforts whenever possible, even if your work was not quantitative in nature, so that you can at least show an ability to translate qualitative achievements into quantitative impact. For more resume tips, download a free copy of the mbaMission Resume Guide.

Use these four recommendations to proactively address any concerns an admissions committee might have about your quantitative aptitude. If you still worry that your application does not show your quantitative abilities in the best light, consider writing an optional essay to add more context. And remember, MBA programs want to assemble diverse incoming classes, so never let your limited quantitative background stop you from applying!

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.