MBA entrance exams such as CAT and XAT are known for their competitive nature and remain key gateways to leading business schools. While aspirants follow a rigorous preparation routine for these exams, the final stage, the personal interview, requires an equally strategic approach. For many candidates, the crucial week before the interview often brings confusion about where to begin, how to stay focused, and what to prioritise to make an impression.
To help aspirants streamline their last-minute preparation, Dr Bhavna Bhalla, Assistant Professor, Business Communication at IMT Ghaziabad, shared a structured, seven-day plan designed to transform anxiety into confidence.
"By implementing a structured, phased approach, any candidate can transform anxiety into confidence and significantly boost their preparedness in seven days," she said.
Phase One: Fundamentals and Self-Exploration (Days 1-2)
According to Dr Bhalla, the first two days should focus on building strong fundamentals, both in terms of B-school research and personal clarity.
Candidates must begin by thoroughly researching their target schools, including their mission, curriculum, specialisations, values, and recent developments. This understanding helps contextualise responses and demonstrate genuine interest.
Parallelly, aspirants should engage in self-reflection to build a compelling personal narrative. Reviewing professional experiences, achievements, challenges, and resume details enables candidates to present structured answers using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. This clarity forms the foundation of confident responses during behavioural questioning.
Phase Two: Mastering Key Content (Days 3-5)
The next three days should be dedicated to refining content and preparing for the three major categories of interview questions - anchor, behavioural, and strategic.
Anchor questions, such as "Walk us through your resume," "Why MBA?", "Why now?", "Why this specialisation?", require concise, two-minute responses backed by self-awareness and school-specific insights.
Behavioural questions test authenticity. Candidates must address strengths, weaknesses, and failures with honesty and clarity while outlining corrective actions, especially when discussing weaknesses.
Aspirants should also stay updated on current affairs, particularly business and economic trends, including inflation, monetary policy, emerging technologies, sustainability, corporate governance, and geopolitical issues. Linking these topics with career goals and chosen specialisations helps candidates stand out.
Phase Three: Polish and Practice (Days 6-7)
The last two days should focus entirely on delivery. Mock interviews play a critical role in improving articulation, timing, and structure under pressure. Dr Bhalla suggests taking at least three mock sessions with mentors or peers.
Recording these sessions allows candidates to review clarity, pacing, filler words, and body language. By incorporating feedback, aspirants can refine both content and non-verbal communication. This stage ensures a shift from simply knowing the answers to owning the presentation on interview day.
