Like other M7 MBA programs, MIT Sloan interviews are by invitation only. Along with the invitation to interview, Sloan also asks candidates to submit a response to one of two questions before your interview. Pre-interview requirements are a growing trend among top schools. Several, like Chicago Booth, Kellogg, INSEAD and LBS, now ask interviewees to also submit videos in which they answer preset or randomly assigned questions. MIT, in contrast, asks for a written response about how you use data to understand the world, make decisions, and persuade others.

This pre-interview assignment is a crucial part of how Sloan evaluates your analytical mindset and communication style. If you’d like personalized guidance on your written response and your MBA interview preparation, our MIT Sloan Interview Prep Service covers both the pre-interview questions and the behavioral interview.

How To Answer MIT Sloan’s Pre-Interview Question

MIT Sloan’s pre-interview question offers two options to choose from. Let’s break them down and explore how you might approach each option. The instructions from the school are as follows: 

We are interested in learning more about how you use data to make decisions and analyze results. Please select one of the following prompts to respond to:

Option A
Please select an existing data visualization and in 250 words or less explain why it matters to you. The data visualization should be uploaded as a PDF. Examples may come from current events, a business analysis, or personal research.

Option B
In 250 words to less, please describe a recent data-driven decision you had to make, and include one slide presenting your analysis. The slide may include a data visualization example and should present data used in a professional context. Your slide must be uploaded as a PDF.

Both options are testing the same core skill: your ability to extract meaning from data and articulate why it matters.

The MIT Sloan admissions committee is less interested in the sophistication of the data itself and more in the clarity of your thinking. They want to see that you approached the question or decision with intention: that you evaluated information, weighed competing hypotheses, and arrived at a sound conclusion.

It’s important to remember that “data” is not limited to numbers on a spreadsheet. Insights from customer interviews, user behavior, expert opinions, and market signals are all legitimate forms of qualitative data and often play a central role in business decision-making.

With Option A, Sloan isn’t just evaluating how well you can interpret a chart: they’re trying to understand you. The phrase “why it matters to you” is intentional. Sloan wants to see what captures your curiosity, what issues or trends you pay attention to, and what values guide the way you understand the world. The best responses reveal something genuine about what you care about: a problem you’re motivated to solve, an insight that shapes your worldview, or a pattern that speaks to your professional interests. Your task is to show thoughtful interpretation while also giving the reader a window into your priorities and motivations.

In Option B, they’re also looking for evidence of stakeholder awareness. Strong answers demonstrate that you considered your audience, whether that’s customers, internal partners, senior leaders, or external clients. Your story should show not just that you analyzed information, but that you used it to influence others, drive alignment, or move a project forward.

Choosing the Option That Fits You Best

If you have a compelling visualization that genuinely resonates with you, perhaps one tied to your industry, a social issue you care about, or a topic you’ve researched, then Option A can be a strong and personal choice.

If you can point to a clear, recent decision supported by analysis and stakeholder engagement, Option B often provides a more concrete and structured story. This option works especially well for candidates who have had to justify a recommendation, prioritize resources, evaluate trade-offs, or convince others using data.

Structuring Your Response

Given the tight word limit, a concise, the narrative-friendly STAR method helps you stay focused:

• Situation: A brief setup that grounds the reader in the context.
• Task: The specific question, problem, or decision at hand.
• Action: The heart of your story: what data you gathered, how you interpreted it, how you weighed different inputs (quantitative and qualitative), and how you tailored your communication to stakeholders.
• Result: The outcome, ideally showing both impact and what you learned about decision-making.

This approach mirrors what Sloan will expect in your behavioral interview as well, since the interview consists almost entirely of probing behavioral interview questions.

The strongest responses to MIT’s pre-interview question don’t focus on the technical detail; they highlight judgment, intellectual rigor, and clarity.

Looking for full application guidance? Read our step-by-step article on tackling the MIT Sloan MBA application and explore our coaching services for a comprehensive MBA application strategy. 

How to Choose the Right Data Example For Your MIT Pre-Interview Question

Selecting a strong data example is the foundation of a strong response, whether you choose Option A or Option B. The example you pick should let you demonstrate clarity of thought, strong interpretation skills, and an ability to extract meaning from evidence. The right chart or dataset isn’t the most complex one; it’s the one that reveals something important to you and allows you to articulate why.

Choosing Data for Option A

Option A asks you to select an existing data visualization and explain why it matters to you. The strongest choices come from credible, analytically rigorous sources – places where the data is trustworthy, thoughtfully presented, and rooted in real trends. Candidates can find compelling visuals in:

• CB Insights (market trends, technology, venture insights)
• Financial Times (global economics, industry shifts)
• The Economist, Statista, HBR, or respected global organizations such as the World Bank and OECD

When evaluating potential visuals, look for one that genuinely made you stop and think: something that challenged an assumption, illuminated an unexpected pattern, or deepened your understanding of an issue. A good visualization for Option A is one that:

• Reveals an insight or relationship that feels meaningful
• Connects naturally to your interests, goals, or background
• Allows you to articulate why you think this matters

Your job is not to describe the chart but to interpret it: explain the story it tells and why that story resonates with you. Sloan wants to understand how you engage with information, not how well you can summarize it.

Choosing Data for Option B

Option B invites you to draw on your own professional experience by describing a recent data-driven decision. The data here will most likely come from your workplace: a real scenario where information helped clarify a choice, shape a recommendation, or influence stakeholders. The best examples come from decisions where your judgment mattered and the data played a meaningful role.

As you think through your options, choose a moment where you can clearly articulate:

• The decision you needed to make
• The data you gathered or analyzed
• How you interpreted that information
• How your reasoning supported your credibility with colleagues or customers

This is less about the sophistication of the analytics and more about showing how you think: how you assess options, weigh evidence, and communicate your logic to others.

A Common Goal

Even though the two options lead you to different types of examples, both are ultimately testing the same core skills: analytical rigor, clarity of reasoning, and the ability to derive insight from data. Whether you draw from a respected external source or a professional experience, choose the example that gives you the most natural opportunity to demonstrate those strengths.

Be Prepared To Debrief

Sloan interviewers often revisit your pre-interview response, so choose an example you can unpack comfortably and confidently. You should be ready to walk through your reasoning, explain your assumptions, and discuss how you made the decision. Think of your submission as a story you can expand on naturally in conversation, not just a standalone exercise.

Let’s Get You Into MIT Sloan

At Fortuna Admissions, we’re a dream team of former admissions directors and seasoned MBA coaches from the world’s top business schools. We specialize in helping applicants craft compelling stories and maximize every part of the application process. If you’re preparing for Sloan, explore our MIT Sloan Interview Prep Service, which covers both the pre-interview data response and Sloan’s signature behavioral interview.

Book a free consultation to assess your candidacy and find out how we can help you get into your dream MBA program.