Preparing For Case Interviews
Students applying to management consulting firms should expect a case interview. In short, a case interview is a hypothetical business situation presented to the candidate to assess your problem-solving skills, analytical abilities, and how well you think on your feet.
How Case Interviews Differ From Standard Job Interviews
Case interviews have two parts: Typical behavioral questions AND a Case Question
The case question is designed to mirror aspects of on-the-job experience to find the best possible candidates. To that end, companies provide a case simulation to test your business acumen. They want to see you in action and hear how you approach a problem on the spot.
Preparing for a Case Question
The key in preparing is to stop thinking like a candidate. Instead, put yourself in the shoes of a consultant. Ask yourself how you would respond to the question if it were from a client rather than an interviewer. Asking good questions is key to obtaining significant information they might have in their possession. It allows them to hear your thought process, ideas, and ultimately, your proposed solution.
Understand What Employers Look and Listen For
- Ability to ask relevant questions, gather pertinent information, and do quick analysis regarding the math.
- Cohesive thought process – particularly how you came up with the solution, the pros and cons, etc.
- Confidence in articulating the solution and delivering it. Did you look them in the eye? Think on your feet? Would they put you in front of a client?
- Creativity and outside-the-box thinking.
- Getting to a thoughtful solution, knowing it doesn’t have to be the right answer.
- Intangibles: confidence, no fear, questioning why, curiosity, problem solving skills, building relationships with people.
Suggested Steps to Reach Your Solution
- Framing: Define the problem, ask questions – be sure to define the problem and not the symptom. Focus on the big picture.
- Questions: Ask clarifying questions from broad-to-narrow to get a better picture of the problem, parameters, and what you already know.
- Draw the Model: With pen and paper, sketch the framework that fits the case and you as an individual, based on your knowledge and strengths. Fill out what you know. Ensure your analysis lines up with the problem. Work through the analysis to come to the solution.
- Next Level of Questions: What do you know? What else do you need to know? Pull in business knowledge to use what you have learned and a SWOT analysis to narrow to the best solution.
- Recommend a Solution: Make your recommendation after walking them through the model, your thought process, and how you reached the best solution.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice doing cases! Visit the firm’s website and review their case interview prep pages. Review other firms’ websites for case preparation information, such as Deloitte, Accenture, McKinsey, Bain, BCG. View a case interview simulation in the links below. Join the Consulting Club if you are thinking about consulting as a career, and seek out more information from your management professors.
Tips to be Successful
- Ask clarifying questions to further define the scope of the questions.
- Case Example: “How would you design a spice rack?”
- Candidate: Ask about who the spice rack is for? What is its intended use? What do we know that can help in the design and functionality?
- Restate the case and the question, ask for a moment to make some notes if needed (writing is ok), and then begin to talk through your thought process.
- If backed into a corner, stop and say, “Let me back up a step.” Better to identify missteps and back-up than to keep going on wrong information.
- Responses should be thoughtful, filtering important vs. unimportant information. Be careful to stay away from talking through miscellaneous or tangential information. This distracts from the case.
- Formula:
- Known + Unknown + Creativity/Innovation = Proposed Answer/Solution
- Here’s what I know + Here’s what I don’t know + Wouldn’t it be great if…
A Note on Tricky Interview Questions to Expect
Some consulting interview questions might throw you off. Here are a few interview questions to prepare ahead of time. You want to be quick on your feet and have thought about your answers.
Why consulting?
Tell me about a time you failed.
What percentage of 7 is 63?
How did you handle a recent crisis?
Which other firms are you interviewing with?
Examples and Resources
Accenture Case Interview Workbook – An excellent overview of the case interview
Mock Case Interview at Bain – Video of a case interview
McKinsey Mock Case Interview – Video of a case interview
LinkedIn Learning has modules to help you succeed in case Interviews.
