Queen's Commerce (Smith)
Queen's University
QComm’s competitive application process involves written and video components, including timed responses.
Queen's Commerce and the Smith School
Queen's Commerce, delivered through the Smith School of Business, is one of Canada's most sought-after undergraduate business programs — known for its close-knit cohort, team-based learning, and an admissions process that weighs who you are alongside your grades.
The supplementary application: format, timing, and word limits
The Queen's Commerce application is fully timed on Kira, with two parts: a written component and a video component. You are given 10 minutes to complete the written response, which must be no fewer than 285 and no more than 335 words. Immediately after you submit it, the video interview question is read aloud, followed by 2 minutes of preparation and 2 minutes to answer. There are no redos or second attempts for either component.
Typical student profile and what makes a strong application
As with every business school, there's no single profile of activities that makes a student stand out. Sports, arts, music, hobbies, volunteering, community work, entrepreneurship, coaching — all sorts of extracurriculars can make for a strong application. What matters more is how you recognize and present your own learning and your moments of initiative.
Application components
OUAC application — marks & transcripts
Supplementary written response
Kira video response
How we coach for it
Because the Queen's application is so short, it's critical to cater every response to the published rubric and to Queen's Commerce's values. We teach students strategies that capture both their uniqueness and their alignment with Queen's — in very limited time and words.
- Decode each supplementary or application prompt and what it's really assessing.
- Build a profile and narrative that's competitive across multiple programs at once.
- Practise written and video components with structured, honest feedback.
- Keep every word authentically yours — we teach the how, you do the writing.
Frequently asked
It's fully timed on Kira. You get 10 minutes to write a response between 285 and 335 words, and immediately after submitting, a video question is read aloud — you get 2 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to answer.
No. Queen's gives you one attempt at each component, with no redos — which is part of why timed practice matters so much before test day.
There's no single profile. Sports, arts, music, hobbies, volunteering, community work, entrepreneurship, and coaching can all make for a strong application — what matters is how clearly you can show your own learning and initiative.
It's typed, directly on the Kira platform, within the 10-minute window. You can't submit pre-written answers — the timing is designed to test how you think and write under pressure.
The video interview question is read aloud immediately, with no break — so you move from writing straight into on-camera prep with 2 minutes to plan and 2 minutes to answer.
Your program lead
Evelyn Zheng
Lead Coach | Head of Canadian Admissions · HBA '22, Ivey Business School · Western University
Selective business programs reward clarity, not noise. With Queen's Commerce (Smith), my job is to help you find the one or two things you genuinely care about and build an honest, competitive story around them.Read Evelyn's biography
Ready to start your Queen's Commerce (Smith) application?
Speak with a coach who specializes in this program.