By YOUNG MONEY Staff
24 February 2011

Harvard's Business School is consistently ranked as one of the best programs in the U.S. and its interview process is often daunting. However, some graduate students currently enrolled in the school came up with a list of tips for candidates that will help them to ace the interview process. 

The list of pointers is varied and extensive: For example, current MBA candidates advise the amount of deodorant an interviewee should wear the day of the big interview. Nonetheless, students affirm that there is ultimately no level of preparedness too great when you're up against stiff competition.

The 2011 Unofficial Harvard Business School Interview Guide was published at the beginning of February in the school's student newspaper, The Harbus. The students who put together the guide said it "bestows first-hand insight, advice and analysis from current HBS students…the analysis we provide comes not from 'recent applicants' but from those who got in, enrolled, and are now immersed in HBS culture."

The document totals 40 pages and covers everything a prospective student needs to know, from the proper wait to sit - "Ladies, practice sitting so that no one can see up your skirt." - to the appropriate breath-freshening methods to take before the interview.

The interview preparation document costs $35, but its creators say it is meant to give every student applying to the school a better chance of gaining admittance. On average, HBS interviews nearly 1,800 candidates each year and the school is currently conducting its second-round interviews.

Nonetheless, some analysts and students alike think the guide goes a bit too far. Sandy Kreisberg, an MBA admissions consultant known as the HBS guru, told Fortune that "dress and perfume have not sabotaged any interview that I am aware of." He advises potential candidates to "just wear something that is comfortable and respects the situation, and does not draw attention to itself." According to Kreisberg, the "most common way HBS interviews turn damaging is that you talk too much and get lost."

The report has a surprising large number of suggestions for attire, leading some to balk at its effectiveness as an admissions guide. "Gentlemen, don't swim in your suit," it advises. "Ladies, skirts should hit at the top of your knee. If thigh is showing, go back to square one and try again."

At the end of the day, an interview is a chance for a prospective student to show an admissions counselor how he or she stands out from the crowd and what "X" factor he or she can bring to the school. Instead of devoting so much time to what to wear and how you should comb your hair the morning of the interview, think about this: When was the last time you turned to a Harvard MBA for fashion advice?