What should I expect in the NYU Stern MSBA interview?Do they ask technical questions or is it mostly behavioral?

Question

T Mehta · Accepted Answer

The NYU Stern MSBA interview usually leans more toward behavioral and motivation-based questions rather than being highly technical. The admissions team wants to understand why the program fits your career goals, how you&rsquo;ve handled challenges, and whether you can work well in diverse teams. Expect questions like &ldquo;Why MSBA now?&rdquo; or &ldquo;What attracted you to Stern&rsquo;s program specifically?&rdquo; along with situational ones such as &ldquo;Tell us about a time you solved a problem using data&rdquo; or &ldquo;How do you handle conflicts in group projects?&rdquo;
Technical questions do come up, but they aren&rsquo;t designed like coding tests. Instead, they focus on how comfortable you are with data concepts. Past candidates have been asked to explain how they applied Python, R, or SQL in real projects, or to walk through how they&rsquo;d structure an analysis of a dataset for a business outcome. Some interviews also include light case-style prompts, such as outlining how you&rsquo;d measure the success of a new marketing campaign.

Preet J · Answer

A lot of applicants walk into the Stern MSBA interview expecting a grilling on Python or statistics, but that&rsquo;s rarely the case. The vibe is more about fit and clarity of thought.
&bull; Career goals are almost always the starting point, with follow-ups like &ldquo;Where do you see yourself after graduation?&rdquo; or &ldquo;How will MSBA support your long-term career path?&rdquo; &bull; Situational prompts are common, such as explaining how you handled messy data or how you convinced a team to use a data-driven approach. &bull; Some candidates get lightly technical questions, for example &ldquo;Which statistical methods are you most comfortable with?&rdquo; or &ldquo;Can you explain a project where you applied machine learning or regression analysis?&rdquo; &bull; A few interviews bring in short case-style discussions, like how to approach reducing customer churn for a subscription company or how to assess risk using data.
In the end, the Stern MSBA interview is a mix of behavioral depth and light technical checks, with more weight on communication and career clarity than on coding.
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