2 weeks to prepare for a BCG case interview

I've got the 1st round of interviews for a winter internship at the BCG coming up in two weeks. I've already gone through a test (case-based) and a written case round, this one will consist of a "two 30-minute case-based interviews with our consultants".

I've already read pretty much every book on the topic there is (Case in Point, Crack the Case, Consulting Bible, Cheng...), and I think I have a pretty decent business knowledge for an undergrad (econ major, previous F50 strategy internship, reading all the right magazines regularly...). But I still don't feel confident enough with the actual cases.

So the question is, what's the best way to prepare for the BCG case interview?

Preparing For the Boston Consulting Group Case Interview

According to an interview with McKinsey's Global Management Director, 1.1% of all candidates who applied received an offer. This guide's goal, if you follow it and prepare ahead of time, will drastically improve your odds of being in that 1% who lands the MBB job of their dreams.

Guide to Boston Consulting Group Interview Questions

Below are the 4 different tests that BCG will give to potential applicants.

  • BCG Potential Test
  • Written Cases
  • Fit Questions
  • Case Questions

BCG Potential Test

In most countries, the BCG Potential Test is done online on a computer, and the test includes 23 questions that are to be completed in 45 minutes. The test consists of One Single Case. For each right answer, you will get +3 points, 0 points for no answer and -1 for the wrong answer.

BCG Potential Question Types

  • Math Word Problems (~40%)
  • Logic - Data Interpretation (~35%)
  • Logic - Reading Comprehension (35%)

BCG Written Cases

Your BCG written case will include a ~40 page document, in which you have only 2 hours to read over; therefore, reading the entire document is impossible. A better approach would be to look for specific information within the document that'll help your hypothesis. BCG will ask 3 to 4 questions, which you'll need to answer in your presentation. Once you finished your presentation, you have to present your findings to the interviewer. The interviewer will give you 20 minutes to do your presentation and 20 minutes to do Q&A.

BCG Fit Questions

Fit questions are arguably the most important part of the interview process. Here are some examples of the most popular fit questions:

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • Why consulting?
  • Why BCG?
  • Walk me through your resume
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?

BCG Case Interview Questions

The interviewee leads the case analysis, but the interviewer picks out the case. After the interviewer picks out the case, the interviewer will lay out the problem you are going to solve. Then, you'll have to explore the structure of the problem to find the cause of the issue at hand. For example, the issue might be the company's profits are going down, and you'll need to find out the primary drivers of the decline.

Here are some tips and advice from our users:

nonfui:
I later realized that your approach makes all the difference in a case interview. Do not get confused by the case solutions in books like CiP. Read a case, think hard on it, and STRUCTURE. The most important thing is to structure an attack plan and ask good questions. No interviewer expects magically innovative answers from you. I would recommend you find case books of famous business schools (LBS, Harvard, Kellogg were pretty cool), think on them, structure them and solve them out loud. Also, I think that it is very impressive to consultants if you have really good math. If you can, calculate in your head and make it seem effortless.

John-Do8 – Consultant:
In addition to driving the case, try to add something innovative or out of the box when you're wrapping up the case (after you give your correct answer that's backed by facts of the case). It helps differentiate you from other candidates, and shows the creativity that BCG especially looks for in its personnel. The BCG cases feel weird; it's not quite candidate led, but it's certainly not interviewer led either. Err on the side of leading the case (driving) and let the interviewer steer you if they don't like where you are going.

Most concrete tip: don't ever just let a conclusion or insight that you draw simply float out there. Once you say it, immediately launch into the "so what". Even if you aren't sure what that is, literally say out loud to yourself "so what does this mean...." and then lapse into silence as you contemplate and try to tie it back into the broader case. Make sure the interviewer knows that you are attempting to push forward; don't force them to step in and question how your insight or conclusion applies.

brj – Consultant:

Expanding on the advice to focus on the behavioral portion of the interview, I'll say this: fit evaluation doesn't stop once the case starts. Too often, candidates get to the case and their presence changes entirely. They hunker over their paper like they're ready to solve a tough math problem and stop making eye contact as they furiously scribble out slides. Treat the case like the collaborative problem-solving environment it's supposed to simulate. Work with the interviewer to solve it.

You can read more about Boston Consulting Group interviews in the WSO Company Database guide.

Check out this video on how to crack a case interview.

Read More About Boston Consulting Interviews on WSO

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Consulting Case Interview Prep

 

You need to case with someone who has been through process before. No substitute unfortunately. Very few people are naturally able to tackle the interview without proper practice.

 

Sounds like you're having issues with inductive vs. deductive thinking....it took be 2.5 years before the difference clicked (I'm Big 4, not MBB), but I found it better to always think of problem solving as firstly a scoping issue. Scope down the the problem, and then "what needs to be true for this hypothesis to be correct." Then you know exactly what to test, rather than the traditional assemble all the data possible and look for clues apporach.

The same can then be done for the solutions...."what needs to be true for this to be the best solution." Maybe that will help you, maybe it won't, but that is how I managed to understand the inductive approach...basically it is knowing some of the answer before hand (heuristic) to help guide your data request and analysis.

Then again, I'm not at BCG/McKinsey etc. so take the above with that caveat.

TT

 

So, for what it's worth, I've actually made it through the 1st round (or the 3rd, counting the written case and the test). One interview with a project leader and another with a principal.

The cases were tooootally different from anything I've seen or read about. But the books were helpful anyway, because they help with building up your "arsenal"/mental database of various business situations and general erudition, so to say, - and this came up a lot. Other than that - math and lots of pure logic.

Still got to impress the partners! Wondering if it is going to be anything like the 1st round or totally different.

 
Qayin:

So, for what it's worth, I've actually made it through the 1st round (or the 3rd, counting the written case and the test). One interview with a project leader and another with a principal.

The cases were tooootally different from anything I've seen or read about. But the books were helpful anyway, because they help with building up your "arsenal"/mental database of various business situations and general erudition, so to say, - and this came up a lot. Other than that - math and lots of pure logic.

Still got to impress the partners! Wondering if it is going to be anything like the 1st round or totally different.

Congrats! It should be similar to the first round, although the partners may push you a little harder both on the personal questions and the case.

 

I graduated last year and got into BCG. I also got an offer from Bain, which I declined. But before these 2, I was declined by McKinsey. During my interview process with McK I felt like I had the knowledge, I had the business sense, but I somehow could not show these during interviews. I later realized that your approach makes all the difference in a case interview. Do not get confused by the case solutions in books like CiP. Read a case, think hard on it, and STRUCTURE. The most important thing is to structure an attack plan and ask good questions. No interviewer expects magically innovative answers from you. I would recommend you find case books of famous business schools (LBS, Harvard, Kellogg were pretty cool), think on them, structure them and solve them out loud. Also, I think that it is very impressive to consultants if you have really good math. If you can, calculate in your head and make it seem effortless.

 
Awesome07:

Hi everyone,

I have an upcoming BCG interview and am looking for a case interview practice partner. In addition, any advice specifically for BCG interview will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

DON'T IGNORE THE BEHAVIORAL PORTION. Way too many people focus exclusively on the case, and BCG cares more about fit, IMO, than other firms.

 
Best Response
Awesome07:

Thanks! Been practicing for the behavioral portion as well. How about for the case? Any nuances as compared to McKinsey and Bain that I should look out for? I understand that BCG is looking for creativity and the ability to drive the case.

In addition to driving the case, try to add some innovative or out of the box when you're wrapping up the case (after you give your correct answer that's backed by facts of the case). It helps differentiate you from other candidates, and shows the creativity that BCG especially looks for in its personnel. The BCG cases feel weird; it's not quite candidate led, but it's certainly not interviewer led either. Err on the side of leading the case (driving) and let the interviewer steer you if they don't like where you are going.

Most concrete tip: don't ever just let a conclusion or insight that you draw simply float out there. Once you say it, immediately launch into the "so what". Even if you aren't sure what that is, literally say out loud to yourself "so what does this mean...." and then lapse into silence as you contemplate and try to tie it back into the broader case. Make sure the interviewer knows that you are attempting to push forward; don't force them to step in and question how your insight or conclusion applies.

 

Good advice so far on driving the case via a hypothesis-driven approach, listening for cues, and trying to inject some creativity into the case.

Expanding on the advice to focus on the behavioral portion of the interview, I'll say this: fit evaluation doesn't stop once the case starts. Too often, candidates get to the case and their presence changes entirely. They hunker over their paper like they're ready to solve a tough math problem and stop making eye contact as they furiously scribble out slides. Treat the case like the collaborative problem-solving environment it's supposed to simulate. Work with the interviewer to solve it.

 

Hi!

Just had my BCG interviews and all the advice here are applicable.

  1. Behavioral part is really important. In one of my interviews, first, we talked more about my passion. Then have 10-min case. Then since we have more time, we discussed more about my passion. Then Q&A portion.

  2. Be able to recognize mistakes. I did remember that we're talking about how to get an information about something. I answered him but he suggested something. Then I told him that that is a better idea. Then I just added more ideas to his suggestion. Really different from a normal case. More like exchanging ideas but you still have to lead.

  3. Think of the interview as if you are really working in a case. Relax. Smile more.

 

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