What did you find most helpful when preparing for case interviews?
I've done a decent amount of reading up on case interviews (case in point, victor cheng videos, consulting clubs at my uni) but still don't know where to go from where I'm at -- when I practice cases from case books I frequently struggle to find the correct "path" to go down that leads me to the solution outlined by the case book. I've heard people say some case interviews can be open-ended, while others can have a more concrete "path" that leads to a specific answer. Is it common for real case interviews to have only one specific path that the interviewee must go down to correctly solve the case? If so, how did you prepare yourself to the point where you felt confident that you'd be able to see the path the interviewer wanted you to follow to find the solution?
Just so we're clear, have you been mainly practicing interviewer-led cases (where the interviewer usually directs you down a specific path), or candidate-led cases (where you basically have to do everything yourself)? These days, the former is more common than the latter, although this isn't reflected in a lot of older case books. For reference, the interviewer-led model is also referred to as a McKinsey-style case.
What is the best study plan for case interview? (Originally Posted: 11/16/2017)
Hi everyone, I am in the process of applying into McKinsey. The most confusing part to me is case interview cuz this type of format is rare and seems to only introduced by management consulting. Is there any way that I can effectively practice this type of interview? Where should I start? What is the best source of materials on the market nowadays? And who should I choose to be my practice partner? I'm really confused :( Anyone who already has experience in case interview? Pls help! Ive passed the CV round and am really nervous for the next ones. Thanks guys!
The cases I've been practicing come from the post in this forum with all the free business school case books, most from Illinois and Wharton. I believe they're a mix of interviewee and interviewer led, but mostly interviewee led. Has anyone had the same struggle of not including the interviewer's desired path in their framework? It seems that as the case goes on it always becomes more clear, but the initial 30 seconds I take to come up with a framework after being given the case and gathering info/asking preliminary questions seems to never include the problem or beginning of the path of the case
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Hey Pinan, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I'm here since nobody responded to your topic! Bummer...could just be unlucky but one of these topics will help shed some light:
More suggestions...
Hope that helps.
I think, to begin with, you should learn some fundamental concepts and logical solving problems behind the case through some free videos on Mconsultingprep.com or some books such as "Case interview Secrets". They equip you with business knowledge and intuition and enable you to crack any single case you can encounter.
Besides that, you can practice online cases. Most consulting firm websites have plenty of cases such as BCG, Bain even they have simulated videos about case studies. Hope this is a good start for you!
Case interview is always the hardest part on the way to MBB, and you need a solid foundation as well as a rigorous study plan for it.
To pass this round, I refer (suggest) you to the E2E product, which I have bought recently. I noticed that this product has some good points when providing almost case interview concepts you will need. They also set those concepts into two group: The Intuitive and the Practical.
The Intuitive are those often with a business background and some real world experience. This concept requires you know a lot of the business words, terminologies. On the other hand, the Practical, are those with a compromised business background, but instead, master the methodology of the case interview. This concept requires you to know what to do in each and every step, how to frame a pitch, how to deliver a message in the best way possible.
With vivid presentation through video series, this product help you familiarize with both groups and steer you toward to master the art of case interview. If you are looking for a great resource for prepping case interview, you can give it a shot.
I've actually seen firms besides consulting firms use the case interview. It's a good way to assess a candidate's thought process even beyond consulting.
Here's my opinion on how to approach the process:
1) Gather resources - gather as many past cases as possible, and consulting prep books within your budget. Ask around your friend groups who may have gone through the process in the past esp if you're at school. They likely will have some google drives or old pdfs and books
2) Skim- read through books, esp case transcripts. Understand the basic frameworks (ex. profitability, Victor Cheng's "business situation"). When you read through transcripts, follow along and write down notes. When a framework is whipped out, write down the framework. When a quantitative part of the case comes up, do the math on paper. When taking notes, you don't necessarily need to follow the exact same process of the text, you can figure out what works for you and what you understand easily.
3) Zero in - ask past consultants, look online, understand the specific format of the firms you are applying to. For example, McKinsey tends to do interviewer-led cases now. LEK loves market sizing. Look for past cases of those specific firms. You want to feel really prepared for the format when you enter the actual interviewer (because you've practiced those types of cases before!)
4) Practice with friends - this is the most important part. Practicing with friends is like 1000x more effective than practicing alone. It doesn't even need to be someone who's familiar with consulting. Alot of the value of practicing with friends is that they can give you feedback on what "sounds" like a good answer, which is almost just as important as the content of your case interview. You can also ask friends who currently work at the firms you're interviewing with to just spend like 20-30 mins on the phone giving you a practice case.
Hope this helps, this is what worked for me personally, but everyone has different preparation processes.
Best way to prepare for case interviews? (Originally Posted: 12/31/2017)
There’s a lot of info and resources out there to prep for consulting case interviews. What are the best ways to prepare and why? Anyone have any metrics on which ways are the most effective? How many hours do successful candidates typically spend preparing? Would love to hear from successful interview candidates.
Reputationally, BCG is especially known for doing candidate-led interviews, but I've interviewed at McKinsey, Bain, A.T. Kearney, Oliver Wyman, and Parthenon, and all of them gave interviews that I would describe as majority "interviewer-led." As a candidate, you're expected to lay out a framework/"plan of action" at the beginning of these cases, but from there, the interviewer generally points you in the direction that they'd prefer to take. At that point, they'll give you a graph, some numerical data, etc. It's up to you to make your own conclusions from that data, but the direction of the case was always very interviewer-determined in my experience.
Hi I am not a Wizard, check out these threads:
Or maybe the following users have something to say: adschifter VenHasen @MBAhopeful17"
Hope that helps.
There’s a lot of resources out there, books etc, but I think prep websites are the best because you get a variety of resources in one place, and more interactive content. There’s a lot of these as you probably know, the bigger ones being preplounge, Mconsulting Prep… I’d recommend two “smaller” ones which are more geared towards exclusive, original, high-quality content: Firmsconsulting and Vocaprep (which has a detailed video format course, podcasts, cases to practice with, a tool to find practice partners...).
Ultimately it depends on how you prefer to learn, but there are some key elements to practice: - review basic math skills - read up on the case interview content/ structure - practice cracking cases on your own - eventually, practice with peers -- this is important, especially to get feedback
As for how many hours you should put in, there's no set number, but usually the more the better. You'll reach a point after having practiced with enough different cases where you feel comfortable tackling any kind of case.
Preparing for case interviews summer internship (Originally Posted: 04/30/2014)
I'm looking to start preparing to apply for undergraduate MC internship positions for the summer of 2015 and I'm having trouble knowing where to start. I've read articles about the preparation process online but I'm having trouble choosing between all the various resources.
I would really appreciate any recommendations on which guides to use as well as any advice on what else I can do to prepare for the interviews. My school doesn't offer a business degree to undergrads so the only background I have is an introductory accounting course and a corporate finance course.
Sort of related to OP's question, but here are a few tips I found useful:
1) Immerse yourself in business while recruiting. Read the WSJ over breakfast or work your way through a business book if you have time. You may not realize it, but you pick up so much from these resources. Just being able to talk intelligently about business goes a long way, and I think reading helps with that.
2) Write down a few areas for focus/improvement at the start of each case. Keep this sheet of paper/word doc/whatever visible during the case so you can keep referring back to it. For example, I would often write down "be deliberate with your math and speak it all out" which I found helpful. You can evaluate your performance on what you wrote down after the case is over.
3) Extending on the post above, definitely debrief with your partner at the end of every case. You will improve more if you keep track of what you did right/wrong.
4) (Like the poster said above) try to case with the best partners possible. I definitely improved from being exposed to others solving cases at a high level.
Victor Cheng's videos on Youtube are a good place to start.
There's no reason for you to start this early. A little over a month should be enough prep.
Yes, I do agree that you shouldn't sound "mechanical" during case interviews. So it's not a bad idea to start early, but make sure you avoid that.
The book Case in Point by Marc Cosentino was the best resource I used and still the best I've ever come across
Disagreed. CIP is good for skimming through to get a sense of what happens during a case interview, but not for actually preparing for them. (That's also the general consensus among my MBB class.)
There are a lot of other tools that are much better for case interview: - David Orvahll's Crack the Case - Victor Cheng's book / LOMS - Wharton and Ross casebooks (easily found on the internet)
I'd say watch Cheng's videos, listen to LOMS and then just do a ton of live case interviews (and practice mental math). I disagree that you can start too early if your primary focus is on doing live case interviews and not on studying.
My off-the-cuff ratings:
Case in point - Pretty bad, outdated. It was once one of a few resources, but has been surpassed by many others. Cracking the Case - Solid cases, especially the "starts" for solo practive. DO NOT both with any of his ridiclous acronymic frameworks. Victor Cheng (youtube, Case Interview Secrets, LOMS, caseinterviewmath.com) - Solid. Not sure I'd pay for LOMS again, but if a friend has it, it's worth a listen. MBA Casebooks - These are, by far, your best bet, if you can find them. Kellogg ('11 or later) and Wharton ('08 or later) are top of the heap.
Case study preparation? How to finance expansion? (Originally Posted: 01/25/2018)
I have to finance a business expansion (around 150m of capital required). I need to decide how much equity and debt to be put into it. I have the key financials and net leverage, as well as comparison tables with peers (my company is one of the smallest for market cap). For debt I can choose a bank loan with a variable rate, a private placement (Variable/fixed) and a public bond (fixed rate).
What do I look at? Where do I start?
trader.2, bummer your thread hasn't had a response yet. Maybe one of these threads could point you in the right direction:
If we're lucky, maybe these professional users will respond: firstcalled ToonArmy @Felix-Fu1"
Hope that helps.
Case Study for Interview... HELP Please! (Originally Posted: 02/26/2008)
I have a second round interview tomorrow for a small boutique management consulting/M&A shop. I am interviewing for the M&A analyst position. They said the first hour will be more questions about problem solving ability and how I interact with other people(they said this is the first time they are trying it). So I am not even sure what to expect for that. They also said I will be doing a case study for about 2.5, I will have access to anything on the internet. My guess is that I am going to be giving a prompt, where I will have to gather information about a certain company or companies and why they will be good investment to our clients (private equity firms). Has anybody had to do anything like this or if anybody could give me some help about how to go about this. Structure...How to dig information on private companies...how to pitch it to the rest of the M&A team which I will also be doing after the research. THANK YOU!
PM'ed.
bump
The dreaded case (Originally Posted: 02/22/2010)
How do you get good at the case? I've read case in point and understand generally how to approach it. I also checked out caseinterview.com
I got past first rounds this year so I don't totally suck, but I want to make sure that I know I am going to get it for sure before interviewing for FT. I feel like if took it today I wouldn't get the job.
I wanna be like victor cheng... after all I only have two/three shots next year (for some reason I didn't get interviews with firms other than MBB)
What do I do?
like anything - practice. look for case interview books on scribd.com it's a great site and mostly if not completely free content.
if you can get your hands on harvard cases and the likes, analize the shit out of them, alone, with friends (who know what they're talking about) and make sure you understand all the workings of the business world.
Case Study questions (Originally Posted: 06/23/2011)
Just got an invitation to a phone interview with UBS on Friday. In the e-mail, it says to prepare for a 15 min business case problem in addition to discussing my work experience. Does anyone have experience/information on case studies for positions similar to the below?
Analyst / Associate, Market Strategy & Analysis UBS Wealth Management Americas
Opportunity
UBS seeks a highly intelligent, versatile, personable and action-oriented Pre-MBA individual with excellent judgment and equal measures of strategic, tactical and communication capabilities. UBS views this as an opportunity to hire the highest potential talent who will not only be successful in this current role but who over time will take up more challenging roles within the business.
Job Description
The Market Strategy & Analysis group is comprised of alumni from top tier management consulting firms, investment banks and business schools. The group partners with the Chief Marketing Officer and other members of the Executive Committee to develop and implement “change the bank” initiatives and to drive the marketing strategy within UBS Wealth Management Americas (WMA).
Subject to the individual’s level of experience, responsibilities will include:
• Performing quantitative and qualitative analyses on the wealth market and WMA • Developing surveys and participating in interviews of WMA clients and advisors • Working in teams and collaborating with stakeholders across the organization • Developing and tracking project team activities and deliverables • Communicating findings / recommendations and influencing the organization to act
Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree from a top tier university • Relevant work experience, preferably 1 to 2 years spent in management consulting, investment banking, or within an internal strategy group • Strong interest and / or experience in financial services • Strategically oriented thinking with sound business judgment and ability to evaluate and assess the impact of strategic business issues / choices • Ability to add value in high-level management interactions, with proven ability to develop, communicate and create buy-in around strategic recommendations • Strong “soft” skills – team spirit, flexible personality • Very good written and oral communication skills
This seems highly embellished by HR on bullet point 3 and 5...
anyone??
Skim through Case in Point
sign up for www.caseinterviews.com and watch the videos on the website. very helpful. and read case in point.
dreamtheater12 - how was the interview? im also doing rounds for a small consulting firm.
Are you able to provide any insight as to what the question ended up being?
Case Prep Website (Originally Posted: 07/18/2011)
Hey All!
Came across this site from one of my network portals. I'm not sure if it will link out (since its from a specific portal) but I thought it couldn't hurt to try.
Everyone could use more case prep and math drills. Enjoy (hopefully)!
http://tfa.cqinteractive.com/cqiaccess/member_dashboard.cfm
Thanks! It's very useful stuff.
No problem--glad the link worked!
thx
Case Study Interview (Originally Posted: 04/18/2012)
I've recently applied for an internship that replied with a case study requirement before interview. I've never had to go through this for an internship. It is for a research analyst position at a start-up advisory firm specializing in consumer/media products. How comprehensive does my analysis need to be? Some of the information is very vague and it is hard to draw concrete conclusions from the information given. Should I email the recruiter with questions in regard to the content?
Thanks guys
Yes you should. Just be respectful in your email and ask for more information regarding your case study. At least learn the format (paper? interview?). Most HRs would be friendly about this. Good luck!
Case Interview Preparation (Originally Posted: 05/06/2013)
Heya Fellas,
I am an MBA student at Boston College. Since my school is not a consulting school, I could not prepare my case interviews for the summer internships and bombed (being modest here) my interviews at two firms. I do not want to make the same mistake again during search for full time.
I was wondering if over the summer some of us can get together once a week and practice some cases, or,
If there are groups already on WSO, where people meet in person and practice, please point me to those.
Thanks/Ash
I'm very interested in doing this as well. I'll be in Houston all summer but if anyone around here would like to practice cases or if people are interested in practicing over skype, pm me.
I think there are a few study groups already going on...woudl check the groups. Also, if you haven't seen our case interview guide I'd check it out: //www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/consulting-case-interviews
Thanks and best of luck! Patrick
Strategy Consulting Case Prep (Originally Posted: 10/09/2014)
Hi all - apologies for the seemingly elementary nature of this post. Have an experienced hire interview upcoming with a strategy consulting firm (think L.E.K, Marakon, etc.); I'm coming from several years of finance, but am very much looking to move into strategy/management consulting. Are the cases given during interviews for strategy-centric firms much different than those for the likes of M/B/B? In short, what are the best resources I can pick up to prep for the case/interview? Thanks much -
Use Case in Point, best case prep there is
I would recommend Victor Cheng's look over my shoulder advice over case in point. It's more targeted and less generic.
Consulting case study help (Originally Posted: 07/14/2015)
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