Case interviews can seem like a daunting task. You’re being asked to solve a business challenge, while being assessed for an internship you really want … I feel the nerves already. Thankfully, by taking tangible steps you can be well prepared for your case interviews. 1. Get familiar with the format If you are just […]
Tag: case interview
Flying leg break during a black belt test in 2016 I stood facing a wall of black plastic boards, faintly hearing “U-S-A, U-S-A” chanting from the rest of our team in the stands. I measured the distance from the board with my leg, took a deep breath, and then performed a kick that I had […]
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Tips for Case Prepping Alone
As fall recruiting season is on the horizon, it’s inevitably a busy time for many students looking to recruit into consulting. On top of regular life commitments, you also must spend time on preparing applications, practicing for interviews, and partaking in the interviews themselves. With such a busy schedule, it can be tough to find […]
Cracking a case can be a daunting task. For a career in consulting, you should strive to be ambitious, passionate and determined. The case study interview is a common way for consulting firms to screen candidates because it allows them to evaluate multiple inter-related consulting skills including data analysis, analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, active listening […]
The biggest challenge of getting into a consultancy is the case interviews. Hardly any other job has such a challenging entry barrier. Fortunately, there are numerous resources to help you prepare for these case interviews. However, most of them are missing a crucial piece of information. One mistake that almost all applicants make during their interview […]
Consulting case interviews require lots of preparation. On average probably 1-2 months. Although you will hear of some geniuses who aced their cases after only one week of preparation, this is probably not true for us mere mortals. Consequently, if you want to be well prepared for your case interview, you will probably have to […]
As most aspiring consultants know, one of the major hurdles in landing a job offer is the case interview. Given a strict time limit and a small amount of information, applicants are expected to ask poignant questions to steer the interview in a direction where they can provide a clear and concise recommendation. Whether it […]
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How to prepare for case interviews
Case interviews can be a hurdle or stepping stone at the beginning of your consulting career. The difference lies in your preparation and ambition for a consulting career. The interview tests your problem solving ability, communication skills, composure and interpersonal skills. Many resources exist to prepare for the case interview, which can make it overwhelming, […]
Consulting-style case interviews are highly effective, and the same format is being adopted more and more widely. The major consultancies have converged on a largely identical interview style, precisely because it excels in picking out the most genuinely capable candidates from the huge pools of applications received. However, consultancies are not the only oversubscribed employers […]
Properly preparing for strategy consulting interviews doesn’t just mean learning the process, memorizing frameworks, and casing all-out; in order to ensure success it’s also critically important that a mindset shift occurs. Good candidates get to the right answer. Excellent candidates do so in a very particular way – and this is the best way to […]
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Tackling the Case Interview
“Case study interviews put you in the driver’s seat: you’re given a real business problem to work through and solve. The logical reasoning you use to work through the case is just as important as the conclusions you reach” (The University of Sydney, 2019) Every year, consulting firms get hundreds of applications and the human […]
The fundamentals of doing well in a case interview are pretty well known and accessible. It is essentially everything that is in the case interview bibles of Case In Point or Hacking the Case Interview. As an aside, as someone who did not have prior consulting experience, I personally found the lesser known, Crack the […]
This article focuses on how to conclude well in your case interview. It is part 2 of a 3 part series. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, what I would do is pause reading and look at the following link, which covers four great tips on how to improve your conclusion. What I’m going […]
This article looks at concluding your case interview well. It is the last part of the three part series. I truly hope these articles help you succeed in case interviews and win the job you truly hope for. Before you read this article, you might want to read Part 1 and Part 2. Compare and […]
Today I’m going to talk about a very important aspect of the case interview, which is your conclusion to the case problem. The conclusion is often the aspect that doesn’t get the attention it really deserves, just like the introduction. There’s a Nobel prize-winning economist named Daniel Kahneman who has done a ton of research […]
This post is a continuation of my look at what you need to know to succeed in the consulting application process. From asking several of my friends for advice, who have all had internships and job offers from the Big Three and Big Four consulting firms, it’s clear that there is a common denominator to […]
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Getting the Rest Right for Interviews
After mastering both fit and case interviews, the remaining parts of your consulting interview are the Intro and Q&A. They are not as critical as the fit or case interview parts, but still can make a big difference regarding leaving a good impression on the interviewers or even giving you the little push you need […]
As I have been asked by quite a lot of people to share some frameworks, I will use the next 3 posts to walk you through the most frequently used frameworks in the case interview. While you are reading those frameworks and related examples, keep in mind that no framework is the skeleton key to […]
This post will mainly focus on introducing the case interview format, and an overview of several key formats that are typically used. You may wonder, shouldn’t the format always be the same? No, there are different formats for the case interview, in other words different setups. Standard Format The standard format is a one-on-one case […]
Well for this part, since there is so much to say, let’s get straight into it. To start with, a short definition of the case interview is “a simulation of the beginning of a consulting project”. Its purpose is to test candidates for three capabilities: Structured Thinking, Analytical Ability, and Communication Skills. Each of these […]
Case competitions are amazing opportunities to demonstrate your ‘case cracking’ abilities in front of industry judges, quickly expand your network, and win great prizes. I was fortunate enough to be involved with several during my undergraduate days, both as a participant and as a judge. I even started one, which is now one of the […]
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Navigating the Case Interview
The journey to management consulting has many pitfalls that a candidate needs to navigate. Along the way, every candidate will encounter the case interview. As monstrous as it may look, it is said that the case interview reflects the reality of day-to-day consulting. Preparing in the right way can provide candidates with the armoury needed […]
Before starting your application journey, the very first thing is to understand the recruitment process and selection criteria of those management consulting firms. I assume that you have carefully considered those four critical factors outlined in my first article and really committed to the management consulting position that you are targeting, since the consulting application […]
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Case Interview Basics
What is a Case? Cases are a tool used by interviewers based on a business scenario; they go beyond behavioural and background questions to assess the actual abilities of a candidate by replicating the steps of a consulting project. They are a means of evaluating potential candidates when facing a real-life business challenge to determine whether […]
Interviews were fast approaching and I knew I wasn’t on track. Nothing was working until I finally had three key insights. These insights led to a 100% hit rate at my consulting and tech interviews, which included MBB, Strategy&, AT Kearney, Amazon, Cognizant, and several boutique consultancies. What I discovered is that the interview outcome, […]
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Mergers & Acquisitions: Valuation
“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” ~ Warren Buffett LAST post, I highlighted the importance of strategy when considering the viability of a potential acquisition; however, before a final decision can be made, a consultant needs to estimate the value of the target company. Building on information provided in Management Consulting: […]
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Competitive Response
CanadaCo, the largest discount retailer in Canada, currently holds the dominant market share in the industry. USCo, the largest discount retailer in the United States, has decided to expand into Canada by purchasing CanadaCo’s competition. How should the CEO of CanadaCo respond? WHEN considering a case that requires a competitive response, first take a look […]
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Entering a New Market
Your client is a low-cost airline headquartered in Philadelphia with frequent service to cities along the East Coast of the United States. The CEO is interested in expanding service into a small town in the Midwest; let’s call it Greenville. What is your recommendation? THE first step in approaching a question such as this one […]
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Mastering the Case Interview
Demonstrating that you have the business acumen required for the job AFTER impressing interviewers with tales of leadership ability and applicable work experience, the hard part commences: demonstrating that you have the business acumen required for the job. Cases allow consulting firms to see how applicants would react in front of a client when faced […]
INTRODUCING Ashley. We have chosen the talented Ashley Sherman to be an Editor of the Consulting Blog for 2013/14. Ashley was previously a Staff Writer for the NYU International Business Journal. An accomplished Business & Political Economy student at NYU Stern, Ashley brings passion, keen intellect, and a unique perspective to the Consulting Blog. Currently […]
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MECE Framework
MECE stands for “mutually exclusive” and “collectively exhaustive” 1. Background MECE stands for “mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive” and is one of the hallmarks of problem solving at McKinsey (The McKinsey Way by Ethan M. Rasiel). 2. Benefit of the MECE framework You can use the MECE framework to help you think clearly about a business problem. […]
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The Hospital Bed Question
THE guesstimate question is a usual type of question that you can expect to be asked when interviewing for a position at a consulting firm. Here is one to test your mettle. The Hospital Bed Question The question is this: How many hospital beds are required in New York city to provide for all of its pregnant […]
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Why consulting?
You will be more likely to succeed if you can clearly articulate why you are getting into the consulting industry BEFORE applying for interviews, one question that you will want to ask yourself is “why consulting?” Relevance of the question The question is important for at least two reasons: You will be asked this question […]
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Approaching the Guesstimate Question
IN A RECENT post we learnt 12 tips for nailing the Guesstimate Question, which is a usual type of question that you can expect to be asked when interviewing for a position at a consulting firm. We now consider how to approach the Guesstimate Question. There are at least three ways to answer a guesstimate […]
THE only way to do well in the consulting case interview is to do lots of practice. Here is the most current list of free online case interview questions: Ace the Case Bain & Company Booz & Co Boston Consulting Group Capital One Job Search Online MBA Case McKinsey MIT Oliver Wyman
AS WE found out in the previous post, the guesstimate question is a usual type of question that you can expect to be asked when interviewing for a position at a consulting firm. Here are 12 tips to help you nail the guesstimate question: Practice: We live in a world where most of us use a […]
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The Guesstimate Question
THE guesstimate question is a usual type of question that you can expect to be asked when interviewing for a position at a consulting firm. What will you be asked to do A typical guesstimate question will require you to estimate a number by doing a rough “back of the beer coaster” calculation. You are […]
In order to maximize your chances during the interviewing process, it’s important to prepare carefully. This article provides 5 tips to help you ace the interview.
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Product Life Cycle Model
The Product Life Cycle Model can be used to analyse the maturity stage of products and industries 1. Background THE idea of the Product Life Cycle was first developed in 1965 by Theodore Levitt in an article entitled “Exploit the Product Life Cycle” published in the Harvard Business Review on 1 November 1965. 2. Benefit […]
When a company is trying to borrow money, executives, entrepreneurs and consultants should be aware that there are five criteria that most lenders care about What are lenders looking for? IT IS important to understand what lenders look for when they lend money because companies often need to borrow money for various reasons: increase cash […]
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Value Chain Analysis
To understand which activities provide a business with a competitive advantage, it is helpful to separate operations into a series of value-generating activities referred to as the “value chain” 1. Background VALUE Chain Analysis is a concept that was first described and popularised by Michael Porter in his 1985 book, Competitive Advantage. 2. Relevance of […]
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Four P’s Marketing Framework
A useful framework for evaluating the marketing strategy for a product THE Four P’s consists of: price ; product ; position/place; and promotion . 1. Price The pricing strategy employed by a firm for a particular good or service will have a significant effect on profit. There […]
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McKinsey 7 S Framework
The 7 S Framework can help executives and consultants to understand the inner workings of an organisation, and it provides a guide for organisational change 1. Background DEVELOPED around 1978, the 7 S framework first appeared in a book called The Art of Japanese Management by Richard Pascale and Anthony Athos, and also featured in […]
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NPV: Net Present Value
The NPV of an investment is the present value of the series of cash flows generated by the investment minus the cost of the initial investment 1. Net Present Value (NPV) explained THE net present value (NPV) of an investment is the present value of the series of cash flows generated by the investment minus the […]
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Porter’s Five Forces Analysis
The Porter’s Five Forces framework is used to determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of an industry HARVARD Business School professor Michael Porter, in his 1979 book Competitive Strategy, developed the Porter’s Five Forces. The Porter’s Five Forces framework is used to determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of an industry. Attractiveness in this context […]
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BCG Growth Share Matrix
The BCG growth share matrix is a simple conceptual framework for resource allocation within a firm 1. Background to the BCG matrix IN 1968, BCG developed the growth share matrix, which is a simple conceptual framework for resource allocation within a firm. 2. Purpose of the BCG matrix The BCG matrix is a simple tool […]
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SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved a business venture 1. SWOT Analysis Explained ALBERT Humphrey is credited with inventing the SWOT analysis technique. SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T) involved a business […]
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Case Interview Guides & Books
THIS list of guides and books is a a work in progress. If you come across any other useful resources that I haven’t listed here, please let us know. Online case interview guides Make Your Case: Master Consulting Interviews | WallStreetOasis.com ATKearney – interview casebook Deloitte – 2007 Boston College – Conducting Case Interviews Deloite […]
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Cost Benefit Analysis
The cost benefit analysis is a basic analysis framework that involves weighing up the costs and benefits of one course of action against another IN YOUR consulting case interview you will most likely be required to make a recommendation on a hypothetical business problem. Understanding how to […]
THIS article looks at some of the questions that you should consider asking in your consulting case interview. After reading this article and one of my previous articles on researching for your consulting case interview, make sure to access the practice case interview questions. Questions, everyone’s asking them Preparing a resume, and building a personal […]