INSEAD MBA Essays: Current Prompts and Word Limits
The INSEAD MBA job description questions and motivation essays, quoted verbatim with word limits.
Essay overview
INSEAD asks two job description questions and three motivation essays, quoted below from the INSEAD MBA admissions page as published on 15 October 2026. INSEAD states that the job description answers are not academic essays or business reports and can be written directly in the application form.
Current prompts
| Section | Prompt | Word limit |
|---|---|---|
| Job description | Provide a summary of your career since graduating from university, explaining the rationale behind your key decisions and career progression. Include a description of your current (or most recent) role, covering the scope of your work, major responsibilities, employees under your supervision, budget size, clients/products, and any notable results achieved. | 500 words |
| Job description | Describe your short and long-term career aspirations, including your target geography, industry, and function. How do you plan to bridge the gap between your current position and these goals, and how will INSEAD help you achieve them? | 300 words |
| Motivation essay | Give a candid description of yourself as a person and a leader, emphasising the strengths and weaknesses you recognise in yourself. Explain how you are actively working on your development, sharing key experiences that have shaped you, providing specific examples where relevant. | 500 words |
| Motivation essay | Describe a highly stressful situation you faced and how you managed it. What did this experience teach you about yourself and your interactions with others? | 400 words |
| Motivation essay | Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? | 300 words |
Video and written assessment
Separately from the essays, every applicant completes a Kira Talent assessment within 48 hours of the application deadline: four video questions (45 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to respond) and a final written question with five minutes to answer.