Imperial College Business School MBA Video Interview Application Guide

Imperial College MBA Video Interview Application Guide

Overview of the Imperial College MBA

The Imperial College Business School Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a globally focused, leadership driven program designed for experienced professionals seeking to accelerate their careers in management, strategy, entrepreneurship, consulting, finance, and technology driven industries.

Unlike pre experience or early career master’s programs, the Imperial MBA attracts applicants with:

• Substantial professional experience
• Progressive responsibility and leadership exposure
• Demonstrated impact in complex organizations
• Clear post MBA career objectives

By the time candidates reach the interview stage, academic ability and professional competence are already assumed. Most applicants have proven they can handle rigorous coursework and demanding professional environments.

As a result, final admissions decisions are not driven by credentials alone. The video interview becomes a critical tool for assessing leadership maturity, self awareness, and readiness for senior level responsibility.

Imperial MBA Admissions Process and the Role of the Video Interview

While MBA admission requirements may differ slightly by intake cycle, the Imperial College Business School MBA admissions process follows a well defined evaluation structure designed to assess academic strength, professional readiness, and leadership potential.

Key Components of the Application

Applicants are typically assessed through a combination of:

• Academic transcript evaluation
• GMAT or GRE results
• Professional resume demonstrating career progression and leadership exposure
• Letters of recommendation
• Asynchronous or structured video interview
• English Language Test
  • IELTS: Overall 7.0 with no subtest lower than 6.5
  • TOEFL iBT: Overall score of 5.0 with minimum scores of 5.0 in all elements
• Essays (Source from Imperial College MBA Admissions)
  • 1. How do you expect the MBA programme to impact your career in both the short term and long term? Please detail your immediate career goals (including the company or sector) upon graduation and your broader aspirations for the future, explaining how the skills, network, and experiences gained from the MBA programme will help you achieve these objectives. (2500 characters, including spaces)
  • 2. Why do you want to study at Imperial Business School and how will you contribute to our community? (3500 characters, including spaces)
  • 3. Imperial’s values are Respect, Collaboration, Integrity, Innovation, and Excellence. Describe a time where you embodied one, or more, of these values and explain the impact it had. (3500 characters, including spaces)

By the time candidates are invited to complete the video interview, the admissions committee has already confirmed that they meet the academic, analytical, and professional experience standards required for the MBA program.

The video interview is not intended to reassess intelligence, technical expertise, or industry knowledge.

Instead, it serves as a leadership readiness and executive mindset evaluation.

At this stage, reviewers are no longer asking whether a candidate can handle the academic workload. They are assessing whether the candidate demonstrates sound judgment, reflective thinking, and leadership presence aligned with MBA level development and post MBA expectations.

This is where many strong profiles are differentiated.

Why Imperial Uses Video Interviews for the MBA

The Imperial MBA prepares graduates for high impact leadership roles in global and innovation driven environments. Alumni are expected to:

• Lead diverse teams
• Navigate ambiguity and uncertainty
• Influence stakeholders without formal authority
• Make defensible decisions under pressure

These qualities cannot be reliably evaluated through essays or resumes alone.

Video interviews allow Imperial to observe how candidates:

• Structure their thinking independently
• Communicate decisions under time constraints
• Reflect on leadership experiences and growth
• Articulate purpose, values, and direction

Because the format is asynchronous, candidates receive no prompts, follow up questions, or conversational cues. This places emphasis on clarity, composure, and executive presence.

The video interview is therefore designed to assess leadership maturity and reflective capacity, not confidence or performance polish.

What the Imperial MBA Video Interview Is Actually Evaluating

Although Imperial does not publish a formal scoring rubric, evaluation patterns are consistent across successful MBA admits.

Primary Evaluation Dimensions

Imperial MBA video interviews focus on:

• Clarity and structure of thinking
• Depth of leadership reflection
• Ability to articulate learning from experience
• Motivation aligned with the Imperial MBA
• Professional composure under pressure

Professional achievement is assumed. Candidates are assessed on how they interpret experiences, not how many achievements they list.

Applicants who present impressive resumes but offer limited reflection often score lower than those who demonstrate fewer experiences with deeper insight and accountability.

Why Strong MBA Applicants Often Underperform

This is where many otherwise competitive MBA candidates are filtered out.

The most common reason is misaligned preparation. Candidates focus on selling accomplishments rather than demonstrating how their leadership thinking has evolved.

Common Failure Patterns

Repeating the resume instead of reflecting
Applicants narrate roles, promotions, or results already visible on their resume without explaining decision making, tradeoffs, or growth. Responses sound accomplished but superficial.
Imperial values insight over narration.

Weak leadership reasoning
Some candidates reference leadership titles without explaining influence, accountability, or judgment under uncertainty. Leadership is implied, not demonstrated.

Over rehearsed executive language
Highly scripted responses often sound artificial under recording pressure. When adaptability disappears, so does credibility.
Imperial favours authentic executive communication, not polished monologues.

These candidates are not rejected for lack of experience. They are rejected for failing to demonstrate MBA level leadership readiness on camera.

Typical Imperial MBA Video Interview Questions

While prompts vary, MBA applicants should expect questions in the following areas.

Motivation and Fit

"Why are you applying to the Imperial College MBA?"

• This evaluates whether your goals align with Imperial’s strengths in innovation, analytics, and global leadership, not brand appeal alone.

Leadership and Impact

"Describe a leadership situation that challenged you."

• Assessors focus on judgment, responsibility, and learning, not authority or outcomes.

Failure and Growth

"Tell us about a setback and what it taught you."

• This is a self awareness test. Overly positive or evasive framing scores poorly.

Global and Team Context

"How do you operate in diverse or international teams?"

Imperial MBA evaluates cultural awareness, adaptability, and leadership maturity.

Across all questions, assessors prioritize depth of reflection, structure, and composure under pressure.

How to Prepare Effectively for the Imperial MBA Video Interview

Effective interview preparation emphasizes reflection and articulation, not memorization.

Applicants should practice:

• Explaining why experiences mattered, not just what happened
• Structuring responses clearly without scripting
• Demonstrating accountability and learning
• Managing time while maintaining executive clarity

Preparation must simulate real interview conditions, including timed responses, recording pressure, and critical self review. Writing answers in advance is insufficient.

How Myls Interview Supports Imperial MBA Applicants

Myls Interview is built around how Imperial evaluates MBA candidates, not generic MBA interview advice.

Myls Interview supports Imperial MBA applicants through:

• Imperial MBA style video interview simulations focused on leadership and reflection
• Strictly timed responses aligned with Imperial formats
• Evaluation centered on executive clarity and insight, not resume strength
• Targeted and actionable feedback identifying MBA specific weaknesses, such as shallow reflection or over rehearsed delivery
• Full response recording and playback to refine tone, pacing, and presence
• Iterative practice that builds authentic executive communication over time

This approach helps applicants translate strong professional backgrounds into clear, credible MBA level interview performance.

Final Perspective for Imperial MBA Applicants

Strong academics and impressive careers are necessary, but they are not decisive at the interview stage.

The Imperial MBA video interview is designed to identify candidates who can think critically about their leadership journey, articulate purpose clearly, and demonstrate readiness for senior responsibility.

Applicants who understand this shift and prepare intentionally gain a meaningful competitive advantage. Those who do not often struggle despite outstanding professional records.

Practice Imperial MBA Video Interviews With Purpose

Imperial MBA video interviews assess leadership maturity, reflection, and executive clarity under pressure.

Try Myls Interview for free to practice realistic Imperial MBA interview questions and receive feedback aligned with how admissions teams actually evaluate candidates.