ISB PGP PRO Interview: How to Prepare & Sample Questions

The PGPpro is a Global Weekend Executive MBA (EMBA) equivalent programme designed to meet the career consolidation goals of Executives. The ISB PGP PRO interview aims to evaluate your leadership potential, communication skills, motivation, and fit for the program. It is important to prepare thoroughly to make a strong impression in your interview. This comprehensive guide covers the ISB PGP PRO interview format, preparation tips and strategies, and sample questions to help you succeed.

ISB PGP PRO Interview Format

A panel of senior professionals and alumni conducts the ISB PGP PRO interview. It lasts around 30 minutes and evaluates your candidature through your responses to behavioural, situational and case study questions. The format of the ISB PGP PRO panel interview is as follows:

Introduction – The panellists introduce themselves and ask you to walk them through your resume. Be prepared to expand on the key aspects of your professional journey.
Behavioural Questions – You will be asked questions about your strengths, weaknesses, failures, and achievements to gauge your self-awareness and ability to reflect.
Situational Questions – Hypothetical questions about challenging leadership or work situations will assess your problem approach.

Case Study – You will be given a short business scenario and asked key questions to evaluate your analytical and logical thinking.

Preparation Tips and Strategies

Here are some top ISB PGP PRO interview tips for you to impress the panellists with your answers:

Research the Program Thoroughly: Study the ISB PGP PRO curriculum, specialised tracks offered, course structure, capstone project, and teaching methodology. Understand how the program will benefit your career goals.

Know Your Resume: Review all aspects of your resume and professional experiences. Prepare 2-3 minute summaries of your key accomplishments, failures and learnings.

Prepare STAR Stories: Recall situations from your career highlighting challenges faced, actions taken by you and results achieved. Have around 5-6 stories ready.

Build Leadership Narratives: Reflect on your leadership roles and prepare examples that exhibit strategic decision-making, problem-solving, collaboration, communication and people management skills.

Conduct Mock Interviews: Practising with sample ISB PGP PRO interview questions will help improve your communication skills and build confidence. Pay attention to your verbal and non-verbal cues.

Review Current Affairs: Brush up on your general awareness and be up to date on business news or industry disruptions to answer situational questions.

Showcase Motivation for ISB: Prepare a 1-2 minute pitch explaining why you are pursuing management education from ISB at this stage of your career.

Prepare Thought-Provoking Questions: The interview panel may ask you, “Do you have any questions for us?”. Prepare intelligent, engaging questions that showcase your interests.

Get Good Rest: Make sure you get proper rest the night before your interview to stay energised and focused.

By following these tips, you can thoroughly prepare for your ISB PGP PRO interview.

Sample ISB PGP PRO Interview Questions

Here are some sample ISB PGP PRO interview questions so you can practice articulating effective responses:

Walk me through your key achievements and milestones in your professional journey so far.
What motivated you to apply to ISB’s PGP PRO program at this stage of your career? How will it help you achieve your goals?
Tell me about a challenging leadership situation you handled effectively. What was the situation, actions you took and end results?
What are some weaknesses you have identified in yourself through your career? How are you working on improving them?
Can you describe a time you failed at an important task? What key learnings emerged from that experience?
What unique value will you add to the ISB PGP PRO program and your peer group?
Case Study: Your company needs to decide whether to invest in building a new technology platform over the next two years or acquire smaller start-ups working in this space. Analyse the scenario and recommend the best strategic choice.

PGP Application Process

Here are some sample ISB PGP PRO interview questions so you can practice articulating effective responses:

Walk me through your key achievements and milestones in your professional journey so far.
What motivated you to apply to ISB’s PGP PRO program at this stage of your career? How will it help you achieve your goals?
Tell me about a challenging leadership situation you handled effectively. What was the situation, actions you took and end results?
What are some weaknesses you have identified in yourself through your career? How are you working on improving them?
Can you describe a time you failed at an important task? What key learnings emerged from that experience?
What unique value will you add to the ISB PGP PRO program and your peer group?

Case Study: Your company needs to decide whether to invest in building a new technology platform over the next two years or acquire smaller start-ups working in this space. Analyse the scenario and recommend the best strategic choice.

ISB PGP Interview Evaluation Pattern

Follow these ISB PGP application tips to secure your place in the next session:

Research thoroughly. Learn about the program, curriculum, faculty, and culture.
Start early. Prepare for over 6-12 months with entrance exams and essays.
Give entrance exams. Maximize GMAT and TOEFL scores on the first attempt.
Get diverse perspectives on essays from mentors.
Be authentic in representing yourself throughout the application.
Follow the deadline for each document submission.
Be open-minded during alums/student interactions.
With extensive preparation across academics, profile building, entrance exams, and application components, you can put your best foot forward to win admission into ISB PGP.

For personalised guidance on your ISB 2024 application, consider Career Launcher’s ISB Profile Evaluation, an ideal tool for fine-tuning your profile.

Final Thoughts

Thorough interview preparation combined with confidence and authentic responses will help you have a successful ISB PGP PRO interview. Implement the strategies suggested above to showcase your leadership potential and win admission to this prestigious global management program. Best of luck!

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Shaifali Bhardwaj
Content Writer

About Author

A people- and story-person, Shaifali enjoys crafting narratives inspired by the life of people she meets. She likes to read autobiographies and fiction, indulge in some YRF drama, and even spin stories inspired by everyday objects (like her work desk). Stories being her oxygen, she began her career with HT Media, where she wrote health and entertainment news stories, and later started helping students write and edit essential application documents like statements of purpose. This fulfilled her desire to uncover unique stories and articulate them in the most compelling manner, while forming lasting bonds with her students. Presently with Career Launcher Study Abroad, she’s expanding her skills in website content and copywriting to advance in her field. On weekends, you may find her at a dance workshop or requesting weekday leaves for trekking adventures.