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Institute of Advanced Technological and Commercial Studies

Practical guides

The admission interview, end to end

Thirty minutes remotely, at a slot you choose, about your project and your availability. The running order is announced in advance and it is kept. Here is what is discussed, in what order, and how to prepare in an hour.

What happens over thirty minutes

The interview exists to understand what you are after and to tell you frankly whether the programme takes you there. It covers your project, your background and the time you can devote to weekly work. The running order is the same for every applicant, and it is announced to you before the appointment.

  • A conversation about your project, based on your ten lines
  • A joint read of the target programme, module by module
  • An honest estimate of your weekly availability
  • Your questions, on content, pace or fees

The running order, minute by minute

  1. 01

    Minutes 0 to 5 — the frame

    The interviewer introduces themselves, restates the running order and the programme your file concerns.

  2. 02

    Minutes 5 to 15 — your project

    You take your ten lines and expand them. Questions bear on the target and on what you already know how to run.

  3. 03

    Minutes 15 to 25 — programme and pace

    A joint read of the content and the weekly load. This is when pace is set against your actual week.

  4. 04

    Minutes 25 to 30 — your questions

    Anything can be raised: content, marking, fees, instalments, calendar. Nothing is deferred.

  5. 05

    After the interview — the decision

    Within ten working days, written and reasoned, with the amount that binds you. It arrives via the channel you stated.

The interview in figures

minutes, remote
30
slot, chosen by you
1

The interview is the second.

of four application steps
2
working days to the decision
10

Four questions you will be asked

« What exactly do you want to do? »

Answer with an occupation or a function, not a field. How precise the answer is steers everything that follows.

« What have you already run? »

A dated fact, with its context and result. Informal experience counts as much as employed experience.

« How many hours a week? »

Give your real figure. It determines the pace chosen, and an honest figure at the start holds all year.

« Why this programme? »

Name two modules from the syllabus and what they bring you. The page is public: reading it is already an answer.

Questions about the interview

Is there a technical exercise?

The conversation covers your project, your background and your availability. The announced running order is the one applied, and it is shared with you beforehand so you prepare what matters.

What if my connection drops during the interview?

Reconnect on the same link: the appointment stays open. Where the outage lasts, a new slot is offered the same day or the next, with no effect on the processing of your file.

Can I move my appointment?

Yes, from the confirmation link, up to the day before. Pick a slot where you will have thirty quiet minutes: that is the only practical condition that matters.

Who conducts the interview?

A member of the institution, named in your appointment confirmation. Deciding an admission is one of the acts reserved to people: it is written in our governance, and this interview is where it happens.

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The admission interview, end to end — Practical guides | IHETC — IHETC