How to Ace Your Grad School Interview Questions

Attending graduate school has become a popular option for growing numbers of students. From law and medical degrees to master’s degrees and doctorates, graduate credentials can set you on a career path, open new opportunities, and significantly boost your earning potential. The application process, while straightforward, can include a hurdle you perhaps didn’t have to negotiate when applying to college for undergraduate studies: an admissions interview.

Interviews are an integral part of the application process, says Nora Isacoff, a Columbia University department of psychology lecturer and strategist helping students navigate graduate admissions. Select students applying to her department will interview with at least one faculty member, typically several.

You’ll want to be as prepared as possible, which is why knowing questions in advance and preparing answers will be to your benefit.

“By the time you get to an interview, you want to be speaking about something that feels like it’s in your bones, not just something you read over quickly the night before,” Isacoff said. “It has to become part of you.”

With that in mind, this quick guide will help you navigate grad school interview questions, offering sample questions and answers to ensure you’re ready to ace your interview.

Although interview questions will vary by type of program, you can expect to address general queries related to your background and interests. Here are a few to consider.

This essential question gives you the opportunity to provide your personal “elevator speech” — a succinct statement about your background, interests, and aspirations. It’s not an invitation to offer extensive details about your past but instead a chance to sell yourself as passionate about your chosen path and ready to undertake this journey.

For interviewers, it’s a baseline question enabling you to demonstrate how you present yourself to the world.

Universities want to know you’ve done your homework and aren’t applying randomly or just because a school has a good reputation. Cite certain aspects about the department such as faculty mentors, research opportunities, and centers or institutes relative to your interests.

If applicable, mention accomplished individuals you know who have earned their degrees from the program — perhaps one of your college professors. Above all, don’t offer a generic response that could apply to any institution.

Here’s a spin on the classic “strengths and weaknesses” question. This allows you to discuss not only how you’ve succeeded academically but also how you’ve overcome obstacles and persevered through difficult times, which you’ll likely face along the way in graduate school.

Demonstrate how your intellectual growth has helped to develop character as well. At the same time, tout your academic achievements, particularly in the field you intend to pursue.

Graduate school isn’t just about what the university and department can offer you but also what you can offer them:

Isacoff said “fit” is a key concern. Faculty members want to know if they can “see this person being part of my team” and “fitting in with what we’re trying to do here,” she said.

Not everyone enters graduate school with the same goals and aspirations. Do you want to teach at the university level? Perhaps you see yourself as a researcher working in private industry or government. What paths might your research interests take?

Whatever your goals are, be sure to discuss how this degree program will help you achieve them. If it seems you can reach your goals without this degree, your application won’t be as convincing.

If you’re applying to a doctoral program in psychology or counseling, you’ll likely have an interview as part of the process before an acceptance is tendered, typically with the faculty member who would become your academic mentor.

“A faulty adviser is deciding if they can see you fitting in with their research program or not,” Isacoff said, “and that’s who is deciding whether or not you will be interviewed.”

While you might encounter general questions about your background and aspirations, a faculty interviewer will dig deeper into your academic abilities and interests. Accordingly, Isacoff said these are common psychology and counseling grad school interview questions asked of students applying to Columbia:

Isacoff advises becoming familiar with the research being conducted within the department, particularly the papers authored by your potential faculty mentor. Doing so can enable you to field tough questions and ask thoughtful ones of your own.

Most MBA programs will require interviews with students being considered for admission. Bentley University offers applicants a list of potential questions to ponder in advance of their MBA interview, including the following:

Bentley also suggests students ask interviewers thoughtful questions such as:

Getting accepted to medical school is notoriously difficult, and acing an interview, should you be fortunate enough to land one, is an important step. Keep in mind that medical schools only offer interviews to a small percentage of applicants.

Here are a few sample questions the University of Pennsylvania suggests students should consider:

Not all law schools require interviews for admission, though many of the top ones do. Harvard Law School, which interviews a select number of candidates for admission, offers advice to students who might make it that far into the process.

Typical questions, Harvard says, include the following:

How you say something may be just as important as what you say, Harvard suggests, so be thoughtful and succinct with your answers.

When posing your own questions, Harvard believes that what you ask tells the committee much about the time you spent thinking carefully about the fit between you and the law school.