Master Consulting Case Interviews: The Insider Guide

Last Updated on March 26, 2024

Embarking on a career with prestigious consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain or any other top consulting firm is a highly sought-after achievement for many aspiring consultants. However, one of the biggest challenges in this journey is excelling in the consulting case interview – a critical component of the hiring process for these elite firms. Known for their rigorous selection process, top-tier consulting firms evaluate candidates not only through Personal Fit Interviews but also through case interviews, making them among the hardest companies to secure a position with.

I am dedicated to guiding candidates through the nuances of preparing for consulting case interviews since I have observed a plethora of misinformation online regarding case interviews – much of it incorrect, outdated, or misleadingly generalized across all consulting firms. This misinformation, often propagated by self-proclaimed ‘experts’ who lack real-world experience with MBB, can hinder your chances of success in securing a role with these prestigious companies.

In response, I made it my mission to demystify the case interview process, offering insights and strategies rooted in authentic, first-hand experience. My goal is to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the consulting recruitment journey confidently and successfully with top-tier firms.

In this article, I want to help you understand the intricacies of the case interview as a first step of your consulting case interview prep by answering the following questions:

• What is a consulting case interview?
• What skills are assessed, and how are you scored?
• What is the role of the interviewer, and what is on their mind?
• What is the format of the case interview?
• What are the elements in a typical case interview you need to ace?
• What are the differences in case interviews across firms?
• How should you prepare for a case interview?

This article is part of our consulting case interview series. It is your first step in mastering case interviews for top consulting firms, providing you with a foundational understanding. Our guide offers an insider’s perspective on the MBB case strategies, ensuring you’re well-prepared for interviews at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. For the other articles, please click below:

• Overview of case interviews: what is a consulting case interview? (this article)
• How to create case interview frameworks
• How to ace case interview exhibit and chart interpretation
• How to ace case interview math questions
• How to approach brainstorming in a case interview

For a fully fleshed-out discussion of case interviews and consulting interview preparation, please check out my book The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview on Amazon.

Introduction to Consulting Case Interviews

This section of our consulting firms interview guide delves into what a consulting case interview entails, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of the selection process.

The case interview is employed by all top-tier consulting firms to test the analytical capabilities and communication skills of applicants. It simulates a client situation, where you are tasked to solve a specific (business) problem (e.g., “Why are our revenues decreasing?”) or implement a client request or answer a client question (e.g., “We want to become more customer friendly”).

You need to figure out how your client can achieve a certain goal or solve a problem by influencing the right levers.

Sample case interview prompts

Typical cases might start in the following way:

“Over the last year, our client, a Caribbean tour operator has seen a significant decrease in bookings. The CEO wants us to find out what happened and increase the bookings again back to baseline levels from three years ago.”

Here, the goal is to increase bookings back to baseline levels.

“Our client, a leading guitar brand, has asked us whether or not they should open up a new factory in Indonesia for a new line of entry-level guitars.”

Here, the goal is to provide a recommendation about opening a new guitar factory.

“We are working with the government of a small developing country to create a strategy that would spread education to children between the ages of six to 14 in remote villages. We need to devise a ramp-up plan for the next 24 months to make this a reality.”

Here, the goal is to come up with a plan for educating children in remote villages.

Case interview tasks

As you can see, these situations and problems and the associated goals are varied and diverse, and usually taken from a real-life client engagement of your interviewer. Yet, while every case brief is unique, you would follow the same logic and approach when solving the case. You always need to figure out what levers you should move and how to reach a desired outcome. To solve a case successfully, there are a couple of tasks that are interdependent and partially iterative in nature. You need to:

• understand a client request and operationalize the goal(s)
• create an analytical framework to investigate the situation
• use hypotheses to elicit more qualitative and quantitative information from your interviewer by going through your framework, asking targeted questions
• analyze, interpret, and contextualize the information collected through the discussions, charts, graphs, and data tables, as well as quantitative problems
• synthesize your findings and relate them to the initial case brief
• identify the root cause(s) of the problem, and find the most suitable approach and the right levers to pull
• provide recommendation(s) to satisfy your client’s request.

The interview is a (usually) 20-30 minute dialogue between you and the interviewer, where you need to structure your approach, propose concrete ideas and analyses, gather information, spot insights on data tables and charts, solve quantitative tasks, and provide recommendations, all while communicating in a professional, structured, and calm way. The other part of the interview slot is usually spent on the fit interview.

The case interview is difficult since it involves several different skills that you need to demonstrate, not just in one part of a case but consistently across all parts within one case and across multiple interviews in succession. Candidates usually go through three to six case interviews before receiving an offer. Consistency is key as you need to convince all interviewers by solving their respective cases.

Not an easy feat!

Let’s have a look at the different skills at play and how they are evaluated. The skills assessed during management consulting interviews are critical for determining a candidate’s ability to thrive in the fast-paced world of consulting.

Skills Assessed in a Case Interview

While during the screening stage, consulting firms check your resume to establish that you might have the potential to be a good candidate, during the interviews, they want to put that potential to the test to see if you can develop into a world-class consultant.

Once hired, you are put in front of the client, where you represent the prestigious legacy of your firm from day one. Hence, the skillset you need to display in a case interview is the same as that required in the daily life of a management consultant. The case interviews are essentially a trial run to gauge how well you would be able to solve problems and communicate later on.

Before you start your preparation, it is important to understand what aspects the interviewer scores your performance on. Knowing what interviewers look for, you can tailor your approach, interpret feedback, and work toward mastery of each area.

Below are the seven key dimensions you need to focus on that the interviewer evaluates, including examples of how you can display mastery in each. In later parts and links to other articles, I show you how these skills translate to real case examples, and how you can employ and hone them most effectively.

Problem-solving

• Do you understand what the overarching problem and client request is about?
• Can you identify and operationalize the goal(s) of the client?
• Can you deconstruct the problem or situation into its parts, structuring a MECE (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive) issue tree (framework), covering all aspects without overlaps?
• Do you understand the most important components/drivers/levers in this situation?

Application in a case interview: To provide a recommendation at the end of the case interview, you need to work on one or multiple problems or tasks for the fictitious client. Great candidates clarify the situation, operationalize the goal(s) of the client, and then set up their analysis by splitting the problem into multiple components, the most common tool to achieve that being the issue tree.

A good problem deconstruction is the anchor that keeps you focused and on track while moving through the case and investigating the situation. Once you have received the question you are trying to solve during the case, you need to create your issue tree with each branch of the tree representing a part of the problem or situation you would like to investigate. These parts are drivers or levers you can influence to change the outcome for your client. Your approach should be MECE, meaning that it should cover all aspects of the problem or situation without overlaps.

Creativity

• Do you think about a situation holistically, offering broad, deep, and insightful perspectives, adding new ways of thinking on top of more common-sense ideas?
• Are you able to look at the situation from different perspectives?
• Can you draft a range of concrete ideas and rich descriptions that qualify why your mentioned areas are important to investigate?
• Are you able to come up with creative ideas, solutions, and recommendations?

Application in a case interview: One way to rise to the top of a bunch of case interview candidates is to demonstrate a spike in creativity. When thinking about the situation and your issue tree, go as broad and as deep as possible. Try to come up with creative angles/top-level ideas to the problem that cover it exhaustively (the breadth), and draft rich descriptions with concrete ideas that support each top level (the depth). Refrain from using memorized frameworks like 90% of other applicants.

Remember: Creativity is nothing without structure. Keep your creative thoughts contained in a MECE structure as described above. Additionally, once you have identified the root cause of the problem or the gist of the situation or are simply asked to brainstorm ideas and solutions, come up with creative insights on top of more common ideas you might have.

For instance, remembering our guitar manufacturer and their new factory example from above, a standard insight would be to consider the cost of the venture. Creative insights would be to consider the impact of a new low-cost line of guitars on brand reputation and the effect of cannibalization on the existing product lineup.

Analytics

• Can you link the structure with creative thinking to create meaningful and logical analyses on a deep enough level based on sound arguments?
• Are you using a hypothesis-driven approach to your problem-solving, i.e., have a clear picture of where you think the case solution can be found most likely, hence, tackling high-impact issues first by asking the right questions and always being aware of where to go next, potentially changing course if needed?
• Can you swiftly interpret and synthesize data, charts, exhibits, and statements made by the interviewer in the context of your hypotheses?
• Do you see interdependencies in different parts of the problem, your analyses, and proposed solutions, and understand how the key drivers/levers of the problem or situation interact with each other?

Application in a case interview: Analytical rigor links structure and creative thinking, guiding you as you move through your issue tree to investigate the situation. Employ a hypothesis-driven approach to your problem-solving, i.e., have a clear picture of where you think the solution of the case is buried. This way, you can qualify and justify why certain areas are important to investigate, tackle likely high-impact issues first, lead the interviewer, and ask the right questions to elicit relevant information quickly.

After going through a branch of your issue tree, synthesize your findings and discuss how they relate to your status quo in the case, then move to the next branch if needed until you find the key pieces of information that help you solve the case. Move vertically, then horizontally. When receiving new information such as data from exhibits, interpret it with your hypotheses in mind. You should never boil the ocean, i.e., try to analyze everything there is, but follow a concrete and logical course of action and analysis, focusing on areas where you believe the most impact lies (80/20).

Demonstrate that you can move the case forward on your own by synthesizing and discussing the next potential analyses or implementation measures for your ideas. Show that you are adaptable when new information pops up that might make you change course. Keep in mind how the different parts of the situation interact with and relate to each other. Employing these habits significantly increases your chances of figuring out the root cause(s) of the problem or understanding the key drivers of the situation quickly, which helps you to devise a sound recommendation, even if you do not have the perfect information.

Quantitative reasoning

• Do you understand how a certain number/outcome of a calculation could help you move forward, and can you interpret quantitative outcomes in the context of the case?
• Are you able to structure quantitative problems, drafting the correct approach to calculate the desired outcome variable(s)?
• Are you able to comfortably perform calculations and manipulate large numbers, relying on simple pen-and-paper math and mental math?
• Can you move swiftly and accurately through math questions, spotting traps, and using shortcuts or are you prone to making repeated smaller or larger mistakes?

Application in a case interview: There are four steps that expert case solvers ace when cracking math problems. First, they understand what specific quantitative analysis could help their understanding of the problem or enable them to provide a recommendation and how. Second, they set up the correct analysis and approach to calculate a desired outcome variable. It’s necessary to think about the information required to answer the question, set up the right equations, and ask for more data if needed, all while paying attention to potential traps or shortcuts. Even simple computations often include a twist. Third, they swiftly and accurately perform calculations, relying on pen-and-paper math. Calculations usually revolve around simple arithmetic. Fourth, strong candidates present their answers to the interviewer, interpret them in the context of the case, and then move on from there.

Communication

• Do you communicate in a concise, effective, structured, and top-down manner?
• Are you using logical and coherent sentences, professional language, and business vocabulary?
• Do your statements add value to your analysis, or do you ramble?
• Are you leading the conversation or merely getting dragged along by the interviewer?

Application in a case interview: Strong candidates communicate like consultants, which is essential for three reasons. First, you need to guide the interviewer through your issue tree and thinking, second, elicit the right information, and third, convince the interviewer about your ideas and recommendations. For all three, you need to communicate top-down, starting with the key point, and then providing supporting arguments for it. You want to ensure that your statements are to the point, and coherent and demonstrate a good command of business language. Time is limited so avoid endless rambling about topics or going in circles, repeating what you have already said.

Ensure you share your thoughts and considerations with the interviewer. They need to understand how you reach a certain conclusion or insight. For instance, when discussing your drafted analysis, tell the interviewer what you would like to investigate as well as why you think that’s a good idea.

Lastly, lead the conversation. Remember to be in the driver’s seat all the time.

Maturity and presence

• Are you confident and present in the room/on the video call and demonstrate case leadership?
• Are you comfortable with silence while taking time to think and asking clarification questions or asking for guidance?
• Do you come across as friendly and professional with a pleasant countenance and gesticulation?
• Are you professionally dressed and does your appearance match the setting?

Application in a case interview: Consulting firms are looking for mature leaders. Interviewers want to see that they can put you in front of senior clients, where you represent the legacy of the firm and the credibility of your team. They want to make sure that you are self-standing, cool under pressure, engaged, and confident in difficult discussions and situations as well as act and dress professionally. In addition, interviewers want to hire candidates who are genuinely engaging, nice, and pleasant to be around since they might soon spend 16 hours a day with you in the same (small) team room for several weeks in a row.

Business sense and intuition

• Can you get up to speed with a new industry, client, and situation quickly?
• Are you asking the right questions that help you understand and move forward?
• Can you make sense of new information quickly and interpret it properly in the current context?
• Can you provide suitable, actionable, sensible, and relevant recommendations for the situation at hand?

Application in a case interview: Business sense is sort of an enabler for Analytics (discussed above). While you are certainly not expected to know details about a certain industry or a specific context of the case, you need to be able to demonstrate business sense and intuition, which is mostly just common sense. You should be able to quickly understand a new situation – even just by asking targeted questions about how a specific business works, what the main cost drivers are, how the business makes money, etc. When receiving new information or insights during the case, you need to be able to make sense of it in the context of the business and relate it to the information you already have as well as the situation at hand.

Interviewers would like to see you quickly gravitate toward and identify the root cause of a problem or the key drivers/levers of a situation (see Analytics, above), which is easier if you are quick to navigate uncharted territories. Use your common sense, experience, and knowledge of other industries or contexts to explain certain phenomena in the case, for instance, when working with assumptions or interpretations. Business sense and intuition also drive the quality of your proposed recommendations.

Learn the essential tips for successful case interviews, a crucial component for candidates looking to make their mark with our dedicated resource below. We explore real-life examples of management consulting interviews to illustrate the diversity and depth of case studies you might encounter.

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Case Interview Scoring and Evaluation

Understanding the consulting interview process, including how firms score your performance, can significantly improve your preparation strategy.

Grading of skills

All consulting firms score case interviews in a similar manner, even though their scale and terminology might differ slightly. After every interview, interviewers fill out a feedback sheet, covering the aspects discussed in the previous section in one way or another. For each section, they rank your performance across a five-point scale:

1 – Insufficient: Candidate does not display a basic command of the desired skill

2 – Adequate: Candidate displays an average command of the desired skill

3 – Good: Candidate displays a solid command of the desired skill

4 – Very Good: Candidate displays a strong command of the desired skill

5 – Distinctive: Candidate displays mastery of the desired skill.

Creating the perfect profile

Interviewers add a written commentary on their overall impression, highlighting positive, negative, as well as neutral observations. Two things are crucial for you to get the offer. First, you need to steer clear of the first two categories. Insufficient and adequate ratings usually lead to direct rejection. At a minimum, you need to display a good performance for every skill within an interview as well as across interviews.

Second, you need to demonstrate clear performance spikes, i.e., several very good and distinctive ratings across all interviews; the more the better to make the cut and get the offer. The latter provides the interviewer with arguments and reasons to make a hiring recommendation about your performance to fellow interviewers and the firm. You can find a link to the feedback sheet in by clicking on it below to use during peer case practice.

Now, for the interviewer, the overall picture counts. Mistakes in one area need to be balanced by a strong performance in other areas. All consulting firms want to see spikes in performance in certain areas and good enough performance in other areas. That is why in our discussion on McKinsey, Bain, and BCG case interview preparation, we emphasize the importance of a holistic approach, from problem-solving to communication skills.

The most common example I see often: You can be strong in structure and exhibit, yet make a small mistake in the math section – overall as you might consider 80% – and still pass on to the next round.

The Role of Professional Interviewers

Case interviews are by their very nature a highly structured process. The interviewer takes the role of a fictitious client or your project manager with the goal to jointly moving through and solving a (business) case. A crucial aspect of how to ace case interviews lies in anticipating the interviewer’s perspective and aligning your responses accordingly

Striving for objectivity

Firms try to ensure that the format of the case and the evaluation metrics are standardized across cases and interviewers. Even though each case is different, the types of questions, the case flow, the evaluation metrics, and the difficulty level should be the same to allow for a fair evaluation and comparison of all candidates. Yet, that is not always the case and when interviewing with different firms, you will encounter varying interview types and styles depending either on the company, the individual interviewer, or the particular office, as well as different levels of professionalism and structure. The more professional a consulting firm is, the less variance there is in the individual interviewers’ or offices’ style, and the more structured and objective the whole experience is.

You should get detailed information about the process and format of the interviews and logistics well ahead of time. Additionally, you might receive access to training resources beforehand, and sometimes even take part in a case interview coaching call or a virtual coaching session together with other candidates.

On the interview day, you receive your interviewers’ profiles. Each has prepared a standardized and tested case in line with the firm’s interviewing guidelines. With this calibrated case, they can grade your performance objectively as described above. Of course, personality and personal liking still play a role, but due to the objectivity and structured interview approach that top firms employ, each candidate has the same chance.

Variance in interviews

In smaller firms, you do not get as much advance information or access to training resources. Additionally, interviewers usually have more leeway in how they conduct the interview and rate your performance. Such firms spend much less on recruiting, and the whole process is simply not as standardized. For instance, I did an interview at a boutique firm, where I had to design and solve my own case at the same time. While interesting and challenging, the process was more chaotic, and every candidate had to solve a different non-calibrated case, making it much harder to evaluate and compare objectively. It might be more difficult to prepare for unstructured case experiences, but firms that employ such formats generally have lower performance expectations.

Find out early how interviews are conducted at your target firm to practice the right way and to tailor your approach accordingly. When you know exactly what to expect and what is expected of you, absent of surprises, the experience feels more natural and you can use your full mental resources to crack the case.

Dealing with bad interviewers

A word of caution: Be aware of the odd unprepared or irritated interviewers that appear from time to time, for instance, because they had to fill in for a colleague at the last minute. They might be in a bad mood, they don’t have a lot of time, they are distracted since a client call blew up in their face five minutes ago, etc. Such interviewers are not only unprofessional but a danger to your success, especially if they come up with a case on the spot, which could lead to mutual confusion and an unpleasant experience. I regularly receive horror stories about poor interviewer performances across all firms from my clients. For instance, I have a client whose interview was conducted while the consultant was in a taxi, with the connection constantly cutting out. Another had an interview with a senior partner who muted himself to take work calls during the interview and was highly irritated when talking to the candidate.

If you encounter an unprofessional interviewer or go through an unfortunate experience, contact HR and tell them about it. State politely why the experience made it impossible to perform at your best. In those two recent cases, after they got in touch with HR, both got another chance, and the performance of their unpleasant interview was not considered; both ended up with the desired offer. It pays off to push back on bad recruiting experiences and share your frustrations with HR.

Different Case Interview Formats

Before dealing with consulting applications, most candidates have never heard about case interviews. In this part, I’ll dive deeper into the format and answer the following questions:

• What are the different types and variations of case interviews?
• What are the differences between a candidate-led and interviewer-led case interview?
• What are the differences between the first and final round of case interviews (separate article)?

We can classify case interviews based on these three criteria: the type of case, the driver of the case, and the interview round.

First, the type of case. Most top-tier firms employ typical business case interviews, some employ market sizing cases; and very few still employ brainteasers. Second, we can differentiate between candidate-led cases and interviewer-led cases. For most firms, case interviews are conducted in a candidate-led format, meaning that you must move through the case autonomously, shaping the direction of your analysis moving from insight to insight to eventually arrive at a conclusion. Most notably, McKinsey employs an interviewer-led format, in which the interviewer takes the lead and guides you through the case, asking a series of questions. Third, case interviews differ based on the status and progress of your application. Most candidates expect more difficult cases in their final round. More often than not, this is not true as all interviews focus on the same skills and use the same evaluation metrics.

Types of Case Interviews

Consultancies employ three different types of case questions to screen applicants.

Brainteasers

A brainteaser is the umbrella term for odd, usually quite short, questions that test your analytical capabilities. Your goal is to grasp, structure, and creatively solve them. Do not act surprised if the interviewer asks you questions such as “Why are manhole covers round?” – you should come up with a structured answer, listing several potential explanations or, “How many tennis balls can you fit in a Boeing 747?” – you should come up with a strong analytical answer, demonstrating that you are able to break down the problem into multiple parts and coherently analyze it.

For every brainteaser, come up with a logical approach, and reasonable assumptions, and perform quick calculations if needed. Top-tier firms rarely employ these types of questions since they are quite detached from actual business problems and do not allow for objective evaluation metrics and comparison of candidates.

You can learn more about brainteasers here (they are very rare but belong into the preparation plan of a well-prepared applicant)..

Market sizing and estimation questions

One of the most frequent tasks of consultants on a project is to calculate the size of a market or estimate potentials (e.g., the revenue of a new product, and the cost of a new production facility). That’s why these types of questions are often used in case interviews. Such questions can be part of a longer business case or asked standalone. Typical questions sound like: “What is the size of the dairy market in China, in USD revenue per year?” or “How many diapers can we sell in Germany each year?” Sometimes interviewers ask more abstract estimation questions such as, “How many doors are in the city of Los Angeles?”, which is essentially a brainteaser.

The key is to create an equation with the main drivers of the number you are trying to estimate. Ask for data or – if not available – come up with estimates on the spot, basing them on reasonable assumptions. Finally, plug in the numbers and perform your calculation; then, interpret the outcome. The process and speed are more important than the correctness of your answer, which should be in the right ballpark. It is appreciated when you take shortcuts and use simple numbers. Avoid the semblance of being precise over being pragmatic. Adding more variables does not make the outcome more accurate but takes more time and increases the risk of mistakes in your approach and calculation.

I cover market sizing in more detail in this article.

Business cases (McKinsey: Problem Solving Interview)

Business cases are the most common and the most difficult questions you can encounter in a case interview. Most top-tier firms solely employ business cases in their selection process. You are asked to solve a typical business problem of a fictitious client. To do this properly, you split the problem into its components and identify levers you can work on, ask the right questions to work your way through the case, analyze the facts given to you, and eventually draw proper conclusions. Typical business cases – the same as actual consulting engagements – are usually placed in an industry and functional matrix. Industry refers to the type of business, i.e., what product or service the client is selling, and function refers to the area of the business, i.e., what part of the business you are dealing with.

The typical industries you might encounter in a case interview are: Aerospace, Agriculture, Automotive, Chemicals, Consumer Goods, Defense, Education, Electronics, Energy (Oil, Gas, Power), Financial Services, Healthcare, Industrial, Infrastructure, Logistics, Materials, Media, Metals and Mining, Paper and Packaging, Pharmaceuticals, Private Equity and Principal Investors, Public and Social Sector, Real Estate, Retail, Semiconductors, Technology, Telecommunication, Transportation, Travel and Tourism. For an overview and deep dive into 27 industries, including business models, financials, challenges, and trends, check out our industry cheat sheets.

The typical functions you might have to deal with in a case interview are: Corporate Finance, Digital, Implementation, Manufacturing, Marketing and Sales, Mergers and Acquisitions, Operations, People and Organizational Performance, Recovery and Transformation, Risk and Resilience, Strategy, Sustainability.

Every period has its focal topics. For instance, while digitization has been a hot topic for consulting firms over the last 10 years, sustainability and the pandemic response are the key focal points at the moment. Expect to receive more cases related to these topics.

Based on the industry and the function, case questions might revolve around the following topics (not exhaustive): Business model evaluation, Changes in the market, Competitive or situational response, Growth strategies (organic or inorganic via mergers and acquisitions), Market entry, Operational optimization, Pricing strategies, Product introduction, Profitability (i.e., growing revenue and reducing cost), Strategic positioning, Restructuring, and more creative cases (see the initial framework example about the machine breakdowns later in the article about frameworks and issue trees). Firms are moving away from framework-based, standard business cases to more creative problems that demand candidates think on their feet.

The remainder of this article focuses on actual business cases since they make up the majority (more than ninety-five percent with the rest being mostly market sizing) of case interviews in top-tier firms.

Candidate-led vs. interviewer-led case interviews

When preparing for case interviews with MBB firms you need insights into adapting your strategy to meet the unique challenges of each firm’s interview style.

When it comes down to who is driving the case, there are two types of interviews, interviewer-led and candidate-led ones. Most firms employ candidate-led case interviews, with the notable exception of McKinsey, which follows an interviewer-led approach. Some firms such as Oliver Wyman or Strategy& sometimes employ elements of both interview formats, while (very!) rarely McKinsey final round interviews might also contain elements of a candidate-led interview.

Both types have certain things in common:

• The elements of the case are the same. You must structure problems, generate hypotheses, interpret exhibits, work through some calculations, come up with a recommendation, etc.
• The skills that are assessed are the same. You need to exhibit strong problem-solving skills, creativity, analytics, good communication, etc.

However, there is one key difference.

In the candidate-led case, you drive the case yourself. It is your responsibility to move down the right path of analyses and elicit the correct information by asking effective questions related to the right items of your issue tree to end up with enough insights to provide a recommendation.

In interviewer-led cases, you take ownership of every question and go into greater detail, while the interviewer guides you from question to question. If you answer each individual question well, McKinsey interviewers often do not ask for a recommendation at all.

Candidate-led cases

Due to the nature of your role as an autonomous investigator, it is much easier to get lost, walk down the wrong branch of the issue tree, or waste a ton of time. The initial framework is your analytical lens and tool to identify the key levers that are essential to answer the client’s question or solve the client’s problem. Maybe you won’t even figure out the situation at all since the relevant problem areas were never part of your initial issue tree in the first place. That is why you should formulate a clear hypothesis about the key drivers of the problem before developing the actual framework and then diving deeper.

While interviewers try to influence you to move in the right direction (pay attention to their hints!), it is still up to you what elements of the problem you would like to analyze and how. Each answer should lead to a new question, driven by your hypotheses, on your quest to find the root cause of the problem or to understand the situation and the levers you can pull to come up with a recommendation. The upsides are that you have more control over the case and its direction and do not need to create the exhaustive frameworks necessary for a McKinsey case. Your top-level buckets for a candidate-led and interviewer-led case would be the same, yet for a candidate-led case, you discuss areas on a deeper level only if they promise to validate your thinking and hypotheses.

Interviewer-led cases (McKinsey-style)

The interviewer guides you through a series of three to seven connected questions (structure, exhibit, brainstorming, and math, sometimes a recommendation – there can be 2 math questions for instance) that you need to answer, synthesize, and develop recommendations from. The initial framework is your map that should consider all elements of the situation, touching on everything that is relevant, yet not necessarily critical for the solution. You should still answer each question with a hypothesis-driven mindset to demonstrate your spike in this area. However, for McKinsey, it is more of a demonstration exercise as there is rarely a single correct answer or single correct hypothesis. Irrespective of your hypothesis, interviewers move the case forward through a series of separate and often unrelated questions.

These types of cases are arguably easier to prepare for and to go through since the risk of getting lost along the way is low. If you struggle with one question, you can start from scratch with the next question. Your initial issue tree cannot derail the outcome of your case entirely. The downsides are that you need to draft a more exhaustive framework with equally deep and balanced ideas, and you have less control over the direction of the case.

While in a candidate-led case, the main goal is to reach a sound recommendation after going through your issue tree, asking the right questions, analyzing the right data, etc., your task in an interviewer-led case is to provide sound and self-standing answers to each individual question. Think of the latter as a series of mini cases, where you tackle each question specifically. I believe interviewer-led cases are easier to solve as you only need to worry about one problem at a time (while still remembering the context of the case). As a result, it is also much less about the correct result or solution (except for the numerical part), but much more about your approach, exhaustiveness, and creativity of ideas. It is almost impossible to go off on a tangent and not reach an outcome, whereas in a candidate-led case, you always run the risk of investigating completely irrelevant parts of the issue tree, losing time, and coming up with a faulty conclusion or none at all.

While you should practice a common set of skills (structuring and idea generation, math, exhibit interpretation, hypothesis generation, and communication), you need to follow a different game plan for each interview format. Knowing what steps to take and when to take them makes it easier for you to focus on problem-solving, creativity, and analytics throughout. I prepare clients for both formats and how they study and how they approach cases makes a significant difference in their performance. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work, especially when we are talking about the level of competitiveness and the low offer rates in top-tier firms. You want to be well-prepared for each type of case and use the different formats to your advantage.

In fact, case interviews are very formulaic in nature and there is a certain checklist of habits – what to do and when – you should employ to go through in order to maximize your outcomes. This checklist is different between the types of cases. In the later chapters, we go through each building block of a case and then discuss the different game plans for both types of cases for you to internalize and follow going forward.

With your game plans internalized, practice each case format individually and make it clear at the beginning of a practice session with a case buddy what format the case should be. When working with peers, I would recommend that you switch to an interviewer role from time to time as this gives you new insights into similarities and differences between both approaches.

Ace the case interview with our dedicated preparation packages.

Format and Length of a Typical Consulting Case Interview

A typical consulting interview consists of a personal fit part, usually around 20 to 30 minutes long, and the case interview, which lasts between 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the firm, office, and interview stage). For BCG and Bain, the interviews are conducted in a candidate-led format, meaning that you have to move through the case autonomously, shaping the direction of your analysis and moving from insight to insight. McKinsey employs an interviewer-led format, meaning that the interviewer takes the lead and guides you through the case, asking a succession of three to seven questions.

Check out our article on the specifics of the McKinsey case interview format.

Another specific format is the consulting written case interview, which is employed by BCG and Bain during second-round interviews. Read more about the BCG written case interview and the Bain written case interview.

Now that you know how the interview is conducted and what skills you need to display, let’s look at the typical elements in a case interview.

Elements of a Typical Case Interview

In a typical consulting case study interview you will have to answer five different elements – broadly speaking:

• Structuring
• Exhibit Interpretation
• Math
• Brainstorming
• Recommendation

Through real case interview examples, we will explore the essential components you need to master, from structuring your analysis to crafting compelling recommendations.

Structuring

A consulting case interview structure is used to break the problem you are trying to solve for the client down into smaller problems or components. It is the roadmap you establish at the beginning of the interview that will guide your problem-solving approach throughout the case.

It involves organizing your approach to the client’s problem in a way that is both systematic and logical. The structure helps ensure that you cover all relevant aspects of the problem without overlooking critical areas. It also enables you to communicate your thought process clearly and effectively to the interviewer. Typically, a good structure will be MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive), ensuring that your analysis covers all bases without overlap.

A well-structured approach generally includes the following steps:

1. Clarification of the problem: Understand and define the core issue. Confirm your understanding with the interviewer to ensure you’re on the right track.
2. Establishing objectives: Identify what the client aims to achieve, including any specific goals or constraints.
3. Developing the framework: Break down the main problem into smaller, manageable components.
4. Analyzing components: Dive deeper into each component of your framework. Use data, logic, and business concepts to analyze each part.
5. Formulating hypotheses and prioritizing: Based on your analysis, develop hypotheses about potential areas of concern that you would like to analyze first.

Example: Profitability

Problem statement: A client has experienced a significant drop in profitability over the last year. They have hired you to identify the underlying causes and recommend solutions.

1. Clarification of the problem

• Confirm the problem: The primary issue is the decline in profitability, not revenue or costs in isolation.

2. Establishing objectives

• The objective is to restore profitability to previous levels or better, within a reasonable timeframe, considering any constraints like budget or market conditions.

3. Developing the framework

• Use the profitability approach, breaking down profitability into revenues and costs. Further break down revenues by volume and price, and costs into fixed and variable.

4. Analyzing components

• Revenues: Analyze trends in sales volume and prices.
• Costs: Examine both fixed and variable costs.

5. Formulating hypotheses

• Prioritize one area you want to investigate first and understand quantitatively what has changed (either revenue or cost or both). This will allow you to understand where to focus, and then continue your analysis to get to the why (reasons for it) and work on a recommendation.

By using such a structured approach, you systematically tackle the problem, ensuring thorough analysis and clear communication of your findings and recommendations.

Read more about how to build case interview structures and frameworks here.

Chart and data interpretation

For chart or data interpretation, you are tasked to find the key insights of 1-2 PowerPoint slides and relate them to the case question and the client situation at hand.

Incorporating chart or data interpretation into a consulting case interview involves analyzing visual data representations to extract insights, trends, and patterns that are relevant to the client’s problem. This process not only demonstrates your ability to work with data but also your capability to connect these insights to the broader strategic questions facing the client.

When presented with charts or graphs, your task is to quickly identify what they signify, how they relate to the case at hand, and what implications they might have for your recommendations.

Here’s how to approach chart or data interpretation within the context of a structured case interview:

1. Briefly examine the chart: Start by quickly reviewing the chart to understand what types of data are presented. Note the axes labels, units of measurement, and any legends or keys.
2. Summarize key findings: Identify the most critical pieces of information or trends shown in the chart. Look for changes over time, differences among groups, or outliers that may indicate areas of interest or concern.
3. Analyze in context: Relate your observations from the chart back to the overall case problem and the client’s situation. Consider how the data impacts the problem areas you’ve identified or alters the hypotheses you are exploring. Use the data to refine your hypotheses or to generate new insights. Data might reveal unexpected trends or challenge assumptions, leading you to reconsider parts of your analysis.
4. Discuss next steps: Consider what actions might be recommended or what additional data might be needed to make informed decisions.

Example: Market expansion

Problem statement: A retail clothing company is considering expanding into a new market and has hired you to determine the potential for profitability in this venture.

Data presentation: You are shown a chart that displays the annual revenue growth rates for the retail clothing industry in several regions over the past five years.

1. Briefly examine the chart

• Notice that the chart compares growth rates across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, with each year marked clearly.

2. Summarize key findings

• Asia shows a consistent upward trend in growth rate, Europe is relatively stable, while North America and South America show slight volatility with a general downward trend.

3. Analyze in context

• Considering the client’s objective to expand for profitability, the chart suggests that Asia might offer the most promising opportunity due to its growth trend. However, the stability in Europe could signify a safe, albeit less dynamic, market. The growth in Asia could indicate increasing consumer spending in the retail sector, potentially due to rising middle-class income. However, entering a high-growth market may also involve higher competition and operating costs.

4. Discuss next steps

• Based on the data, you might recommend conducting a deeper market analysis in select Asian countries to assess competition, consumer preferences, and potential barriers to entry. Simultaneously, a risk assessment for Europe could determine if it serves as a stable alternative with lower entry barriers.

This approach shows how chart interpretation, when integrated into a structured case analysis, helps in deriving actionable insights that are directly tied to the client’s strategic objectives.

Read more about how to interpret case exhibits, charts, and data tables here.

Case math

Case math questions have you analyze a problem mathematically before qualitatively investigating the particular reason for the numerical result or deriving specific recommendations from the outcome.

Case math questions involve applying quantitative analysis to solve or understand aspects of the client’s problem. This step is critical because it grounds your hypotheses and recommendations in empirical evidence, making your conclusions more convincing. When tackling case math questions, it’s essential to clearly articulate your calculations, explain your reasoning, and interpret the results in the context of the case.

Here’s a structured approach to a case math question:

1. Understand the question: Clarify any assumptions and confirm the variables involved in the calculation. Ensure you fully understand what you’re being asked to calculate.
2. Plan your approach: Before diving into calculations, outline how you intend to approach the problem. This could involve breaking down the calculation into smaller, more manageable parts or identifying formulas that will be necessary. Discuss this with the interviewer.
3. Execute calculations: Perform the calculations methodically, keeping track of your steps. This not only helps in ensuring accuracy but also allows you to easily backtrack if you need to correct or adjust your approach.
4. Interpret results: Once you have your numerical result, take a step back to interpret what it means in the context of the case. Consider how it affects your understanding of the problem and what implications it might have for your recommendations.

Example: Break-even analysis

Problem statement: A company is planning to launch a new product and wants to know how many units it needs to sell to break even.

Data provided (simplified):

• Fixed costs for the launch: $500,000
• Variable costs per unit: $50
• Selling price per unit: $150

1. Understand the question

• You need to calculate the break-even quantity, where total costs equal total revenue.

2. Plan your approach

• Use the break-even formula: Break-Even Quantity = Fixed Costs / (Selling Price per Unit – Variable Cost per Unit).

3. Execute calculations

Break-Even Quantity = $500,000 / ($150−$50) = $500,000 / $100 = 5,000 units

4. Interpret results

• The company must sell 5,000 units of the new product to break even. This figure serves as a critical benchmark for assessing the feasibility of the new product launch. It reflects not just the cost recovery point but also the scale of operations needed to achieve profitability.
• Given the break-even analysis, recommend whether the company should proceed with the product launch. Consider factors such as market demand, the company’s capacity to produce and sell 5,000 units, and the timeline for reaching this sales volume. If proceeding, suggest marketing strategies and operational adjustments to ensure the sales target is met.

Incorporating case math into your analysis not only demonstrates your quantitative skills but also enhances the credibility of your strategic recommendations by backing them up with concrete figures.

Read more on how to approach and ace case math here.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming questions test your creativity and have you come up with a structured list of different ideas and initiatives.

Brainstorming questions further test your ability to think creatively and strategically under pressure. These questions are designed to explore your capacity to generate a wide range of ideas, assess their potential impact, and structure them coherently and logically. The key to successfully navigating brainstorming questions is not just to produce a list of ideas but to organize them meaningfully, showing your thought process and how each idea could be relevant to the client’s objectives.

Here’s how you might approach a brainstorming question within a structured case interview:

1. Understand the objective: Clarify the goal of the brainstorming. Are you generating ideas for growth, solving a problem, or perhaps identifying risks? Understanding the objective shapes the direction of your brainstorming.
2. Set parameters: Before generating ideas, define any constraints or criteria that the solutions should meet. This might include budget limitations, brand alignment, or feasibility considerations.
3. Generate ideas: Start producing ideas, aiming for quantity over quality initially. Use creative thinking techniques like thinking from different perspectives, leveraging analogies from other industries, or applying trends.
4. Organize ideas: Once you have a list of ideas, organize them into categories. This could be based on the nature of the ideas (e.g., technology-driven, customer experience improvements, operational efficiencies), potential impact (short-term vs. long-term), or resource requirements (low investment vs. high investment).
5. Evaluate and select: Briefly evaluate the ideas based on their feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with the client’s objectives. Highlight a few top ideas that seem most promising for further exploration.
6. Recommend further steps: Suggest how the top ideas could be further evaluated or implemented, including potential pilot tests, market research, or financial modeling to assess viability.

Example: Brainstorming

Problem statement: A beverage company is looking to expand its market presence and seeks innovative ideas to achieve this goal.

1. Understand the objective

• The objective is to identify strategies for market expansion.

2. Set parameters

• Solutions should be feasible within a 1-2 year timeframe and align with the company’s sustainable and health-conscious brand image.

3. Generate ideas

• Product innovation: Develop new health-oriented beverages.
• Market penetration: Increase presence in existing markets through targeted marketing campaigns.
• Market development: Enter new geographical markets, focusing on untapped urban areas.
• Diversification: Explore adjacent product categories, such as healthy snacks.
• Partnerships: Collaborate with gyms and wellness centers to promote products.

4. Organize ideas

• Product-based strategies: Product innovation and diversification.
• Market-based strategies: Market penetration and development.
• Partnership and collaboration: Working with gyms and wellness centers.

5. Evaluate and select

• Given the brand’s focus, product innovation, and partnerships with gyms could provide both immediate and long-term growth opportunities, aligning with the brand image and tapping into current consumer health trends.

6. Recommend further steps

• Suggest conducting market research to identify consumer preferences for new health-oriented beverages. Recommend a pilot program for partnership with gyms in select markets to gauge consumer response and potential for brand synergy.

In this way, brainstorming questions not only assess your ability to think creatively but also your ability to prioritize ideas and propose practical next steps for exploration and implementation.

For more on brainstorming in case interviews, read this detailed article.

Recommendation

The recommendation is usually a brief synthesis of your analysis, starting with one or several clear recommendations, followed by supporting arguments from your analysis and the next steps.

This recommendation should encapsulate the essence of your creative thought process, underpinned by analytical rigor. Begin with a clear, decisive statement of what you believe the client should do, directly addressing the case question. Follow this with a succinct summary of the key reasons supporting your recommendation, drawing from the insights and analysis throughout the case. Emphasize how your suggested actions align with the client’s goals and constraints identified at the outset.

Lastly, outline a few critical next steps that the client could take to initiate the recommended actions. These might include conducting a feasibility study, developing a pilot project, or initiating market research to validate assumptions. By providing a roadmap for implementation, you demonstrate not only strategic foresight but also practicality in bringing your creative solutions to fruition. This approach ensures that your recommendation is not only insightful but also actionable, providing a clear path forward for the client.

Moving through the case

The trick in candidate-led interviews is to move through the initial case framework or structure, investigating each area by asking the interviewer targeted questions based on your hypotheses. You will receive additional information as well as data in the form of charts that you need to interpret or math questions that you need to solve. As the case progresses, your hypotheses should become clearer and each piece of additional information should add to a converging line of evidence. Once you have gathered enough data in each part of your structure and the case, you should be able to provide one or more definite recommendations

Now for structure and exhibit interpretation. Focus on answers that are

• deep
• broad
• insightful
• hypothesis-driven
• follow a strong communication (MECE, top-down, signposted)

That being said, there is no 100% that you can reach or a one-and-only solution/ answer. Your answers must display the characteristics specified above and are supported well with arguments. This approach should allow you to move through the case, reaching relevant insights quickly.

As for math questions, usually, some answers are correct (not always 100% the same since some candidates simplify or round differently – which is ok), and others are wrong, either due to the

• calculation approach
• calculation itself

How to Prepare for Consulting Case Interviews

Effective case interview practice is crucial for success; this part outlines a structured approach to prepare for management consulting interviews.

The right mindset

Many candidates approach consulting case preparation with the assumption that memorizing generic frameworks or seeking out management consulting case studies with ready-made solutions will give them an edge. They hope to find a one-size-fits-all approach in the form of a PDF filled with case study questions and answers, believing that cases are uniform across different firms, interviewers, and interview scenarios. Unfortunately, this belief in a magical shortcut or a consulting case interview “cheat sheet” is misplaced.

Relying solely on memorized, case-specific frameworks with the expectation that they will apply universally across all scenarios you encounter is a flawed strategy. Unlike the more formulaic approaches that might be suggested in some MBB case study guides or books, mastering a flexible approach to problem-solving is far more critical. This adaptability is even more crucial for MBB interviews than for those with tier-2 consultancies or boutique firms.

The focus should be on understanding the underlying principles behind each type of question you may face in a case interview, and the skills needed to address them effectively, irrespective of the case’s specifics such as the client, industry, or function involved.

The reliance on prep books filled with case interview frameworks, reminiscent of the early 2000s and the era of figures like Victor Cheng or the “Case in Point” methodology, is outdated. All firms have evolved, designing their case interviews to assess a candidate’s creativity and on-the-spot insight generation rather than their ability to recall specific frameworks.

Attempting to apply a rigid framework to a case that demands a different approach can be detrimental. It not only fails but also instills a false confidence that quickly turns into stress when the realization hits that the approach is ineffective in a live interview setting. This is a common pitfall I’ve observed many times.

Instead, your aim should be to master the art of constructing issue trees, analyzing charts, and performing calculations across any context, industry, or function presented in the case. My advice is to step away from memorizing frameworks and focus on these skills, guided by MBB case interview tips. Consider working with a tutor specialized in consulting case interviews to fast-track your learning and enhance your interview performance.

If you want to read more about this, continue here.

For a list of up-to-date case interview examples from many top consulting firms, click here.

A proper preparation plan

A thorough preparation plan for consulting case interviews is crucial for developing your analytical prowess, problem-solving skills, and the ability to think on your feet – qualities revered by top consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. The key to a successful preparation strategy lies in identifying and leveraging your strengths while concurrently addressing your weaknesses. This dual-focused approach ensures you present yourself as a well-rounded candidate (remember the scoring sheet from above?).

Start by understanding how to approach the different elements of the case, by working on targeted drills, and by practicing case studies that span various industries and problems, allowing you to apply your strengths in real-world scenarios while identifying areas for improvement. Engage in mock interviews with peers or mentors who can provide constructive feedback, focusing on enhancing your analytical thinking, communication skills, and overall case presentation.

Simultaneously, developing a personalized practice plan that targets your specific weaknesses is essential. Whether it’s improving your mental math, becoming more structured in your problem-solving approach, or enhancing your ability to derive insights from complex data, dedicating time to these areas can significantly elevate your performance. Utilize resources like case books, online courses, and interactive case interview simulations to diversify your preparation methods. Additionally, incorporating feedback from mock interviews into your practice routine can help refine your approach and strategy.

For further guidance on crafting a comprehensive practice plan that balances strengths and weaknesses, refer to our detailed article Creating the Perfect Practice Plan for Consulting Case Interviews. This resource offers step-by-step advice and advanced strategies to build the ideal profile for securing your spot at a top consulting firm.

Effective case interview practice techniques are vital, forming the backbone of a candidate’s journey to consulting success.

Differences in candidate-led vs. interviewer-led practice

We are coming from the interviewer-led McKinsey-style cases and can tell you that it makes a difference for the candidates how they study and how they approach cases.

A one-size-fits-all approach does not work, especially when we are talking about the level of competitiveness and the low offer rate in MBB. You want to be well-prepared for each type of case and use the different logistics at play to your advantage.

That being said, the same principles of problem-solving prowess apply to both types of interviews. However, interviewer-led cases are very formulaic in nature and there is a certain checklist of habits (what do and when) you should employ to go through to maximize your performance (more on that below). And this checklist is quite different from an interviewee-led case.

While in an interviewee-led case, the main goal is to reach a sound recommendation after going through your issue, analyzing data, etc., the main goal in a McKinsey case is to provide sound and self-standing answers to each question (structure, math, exhibit). Think of the latter as a series of mini-cases. More often than not, there will not even be a synthesis/summary in the end (unless your structuring part is weak).

Hence, you should tackle each individual question in a specific way. When you know what actions you should take for each type of question, it is easier for you to focus, be creative, and be structured throughout each question. We think they are much easier to solve as you have to worry only about one problem at a time.

As a result, in a McKinsey case, it is also much less about the correct result or solution (except for the numerical part), but much more about how you approach, how you solve, and how you communicate. It is very difficult to actually go off a tangent and not reach an outcome in the end, whereas in an interviewee-led you always run the risk of investigating some completely irrelevant parts of the issue tree, losing time, then coming up with a faulty conclusion.

For these reasons, I believe that you should prepare a set of common skills (structuring, math, exhibit interpretation, communication), that are relevant for both types of cases, however, study and internalize a different game plan and approach for each type of interview.

Then, practice, practice, practice each type of case individually and make it clear at the beginning of each session what the case should be like.

Also, I can recommend you switch to the interviewer role in some cases. This will give you new and interesting insights into the differences between both approaches.

How We Help You Ace All Case Interviews

We have specialized in placing people from all walks of life with different backgrounds into top consulting firms both as generalist hires as well as specialized hires and experts. As former McKinsey consultants and interview experts, we help you by

• tailoring your resume and cover letter to meet consulting firms’ highest standards
• showing you how to pass the different online assessments and tests for McKinsey, BCG, and Bain
• showing you how to ace McKinsey interviews and the PEI with our video academy
• coaching you in our 1-on-1 sessions to become an excellent case solver and impress with your fit answers (90% success rate after 5 sessions)
• preparing your math to be bulletproof for every case interview
• helping you structure creative and complex case interviews
• teaching you how to interpret charts and exhibits like a consultant
• providing you with cheat sheets and overviews for 27 industries.

Reach out to us if you have any questions! Discover the best strategies for consulting case interviews, tailored to help you navigate the complexities of case studies across various consulting domains.

Frequently Asked Questions: Case Interviews

Preparing for a consulting case interview can be a challenging journey, filled with questions about the best ways to prepare, common pitfalls to avoid, and strategies to stand out to top firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. To help you navigate this process, I’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions that candidates often have but may not find directly addressed in typical preparation materials. Here’s a concise guide to some of your most pressing queries.

How long does it typically take to prepare adequately for a consulting case interview? Preparation time can vary widely depending on your starting point and schedule, but most successful candidates spend between 1 to 3 months preparing, dedicating several hours each week to practice cases, conduct drills, and refine problem-solving skills.

Can you provide examples of how to apply an analytical framework to a real-world consulting case scenario? Applying an analytical framework involves breaking down the case problem into key components. For example, in a profitability case, you might segment your analysis into revenue and cost components, then drill down into sub-components like pricing, volume, and variable costs.

What are some common mistakes candidates make during case interviews and how can they be avoided? Common mistakes include failing to listen carefully to the case prompt, neglecting to structure their thoughts coherently, and not synthesizing their findings effectively. Avoid these by practicing active listening, using MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) frameworks, and preparing a concise synthesis as you wrap up your case solution.

How do consulting firms adjust their case interviews for candidates with non-traditional backgrounds? Consulting firms look for problem-solving skills, analytical ability, and leadership potential over specific technical knowledge. Candidates from non-traditional backgrounds should focus on demonstrating these qualities, leveraging their unique experiences to provide fresh insights and perspectives on the cases.

What role does feedback play in the case interview preparation process, and how should candidates seek and utilize it? Feedback is crucial for improvement. Candidates should seek feedback after mock interviews with peers, mentors, or coaches, focusing on areas of weakness and strategies for improvement. Incorporate feedback into your practice sessions to gradually refine your approach and technique.

Are there differences in case interview formats or expectations among McKinsey, BCG, and Bain’s global offices? While the core skills assessed are consistent globally, besides the interviewer vs. candidate-led format slight variations in interview format and focus areas can occur across offices and practices due to market differences. Researching the specific office and practicing cases tailored to its region can be beneficial.

How can candidates demonstrate creativity in their approach to solving case interviews without straying too far from the structured analysis required? Demonstrate creativity by exploring unique solutions and considering non-traditional factors that could impact the case scenario, while still anchoring your analysis in a structured framework to maintain clarity and coherence in your approach.

What specific strategies can candidates use to improve their performance in the quantitative aspects of case interviews? Practice mental math daily, familiarize yourself with common business metrics and financial formulas, and learn shortcuts for frequent calculations. Structuring your quantitative analysis clearly before diving into the numbers can also help improve accuracy and speed.

In what ways do consulting firms evaluate a candidate’s business sense and intuition during a case interview? Firms assess business sense through your ability to quickly grasp the key issues at hand, make reasonable assumptions, and draw insights that are logical and applicable to the business context. Demonstrating an understanding of industry dynamics and the economic implications of your recommendations is key.

How can candidates balance thorough preparation with the need to remain flexible and adaptable in the case interview? While it’s important to prepare rigorously, being too rigid can hinder your performance. Develop a deep understanding of core skills and principles, but remain open to adjusting your approach based on the specific nuances of the case. Practice with a variety of cases to enhance your adaptability.

Struggling with case interviews?

Tackling cases can feel overwhelming, but remember, you’re not the only one facing this hurdle. If you find yourself puzzled by specific problems, don’t hesitate to share your questions below in the comment section. Your curiosity not only aids your understanding but also helps others who might be struggling with similar issues.