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Round 1 · Application

Essay & Short Answer – How to Answer Application Questions

STAR, CAR, and best practices for answering "Why us?", "Why consulting?", leadership examples, and other common essay questions.

Essay Answer Frameworks

S
Situation
Context: where, when, and with whom. Keep it short — 1–2 sentences.
T
Task
Your specific role or challenge in that situation.
A
Action
What YOU specifically did. Use “I” not “We”. This is the most important part.
R
Result
Measurable outcome: %, numbers, timeline. Add a brief reflection.
STAR Example – "Tell me about a time you led a team through a challenge"

S: During my second year at university, I co-led a 6-person team in a national business case competition with a 48-hour deadline.

T: Our assigned challenge was to develop a market entry strategy for a FMCG brand entering the Vietnamese Tier-2 city market—a topic none of us had studied formally.

A: I immediately structured the work into 3 workstreams (market sizing, competitive analysis, go-to-market), assigned tasks based on individual strengths, and ran a 2-hour synchronization meeting every 12 hours. When two members disagreed on pricing strategy, I facilitated a data-driven debate that resolved the conflict within 30 minutes.

R: We placed 2nd nationally out of 47 teams. More importantly, the experience taught me that effective leadership under pressure starts with clarity of structure and psychological safety for debate.

Common Essay Question Bank

Why Us / Why Role

"Why do you want to join [Company]?"
Research: specific program structure, business initiatives, culture anchors. Avoid generic "I admire your values."
"Why this specific role / program?"
Connect rotation structure or mentorship model to your specific career goal.
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"
Show ambition + how this role is a stepping stone. Be specific about function/geography.

Leadership & Initiative

"Describe a time you led a team through a challenge."
Use STAR. Focus on YOUR actions, not team's. Include conflict resolution if relevant.
"Tell me about a time you took initiative without being asked."
Show proactiveness. Use specific numbers (% improvement, $ saved, time saved).
"Describe a failure and what you learned from it."
Choose a real failure (not humble-brag). Be specific about what went wrong and concrete lesson.

Analytical / Commercial

"Describe a time you used data to drive a decision."
Show analytical process: hypothesis → data collection → insight → action → result.
"What do you think is [Company]'s biggest challenge in the next 3-5 years?"
Research industry trends. Propose ONE challenge with data + your perspective on solutions.
"If you were CEO for a day, what would you change?"
Pick ONE specific, actionable change. Show business logic and tradeoff awareness.

Practice – Write Your Essay Answer

0 words Target: 150–400 words
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