The exercise showcases applicants’ ability to think quickly, which Ms. Leopold said is “more appropriate than having months to craft responses to personal essays,” and more in line with the type of deadlines M.B.A.s will face in the classroom and in their careers.
Some schools just want to keep applicants’ focus on them. Sara Neher, assistant dean for M.B.A. admissions at Darden, said the school cut down to a single essay three years ago from two essays because, she found, applicants were writing one essay specifically for Darden and then recycling essays from their applications to other schools.
And others seek straight answers. Columbia Business School now asks applicants to summarize their “immediate post-M.B.A. professional goal” in 75 or fewer characters—about half the length of a tweet.