Preparing for BCG interview. Possible?

I have two interviews coming up with BCG on the same day in two weeks for a summer internship.
At the interview, I will be presented case studies, just like any other consuling interview. I did some online research and I found that solving/tackling these case studies is extremely complicated as there are many different approaches etc. (as you probably all know)

I am a first year undergrad business student. Whereas I passed the initial GMAT-type testing, I feel that I am going to an interview where I will be expected to perform on disproportionately high level. I am really scared now and I just wonder about that expectations BCG has from intern applicants. I know they are a top firm looking for top talent.

I wonder if it is possible (should I even bother...) to properly prepare for such an interview in two weeks (while I am also preparing for final exams at the same time)? I would love to work at BCG and I find the company and what they do very appealing but I feel I might be more prepared as a, let's day, third year student.

I usually think that even if the interview does not work out, at least I get experience. However, with such complex case studies, I am afraid of an awful failure. What shall I do and how shall I prepare (if I should at all)?

I would appreciate any input and opinions. Thanks

 
Best Response

Impressed you got an interview as a first year undergrad. You can definitely prepare in 2 weeks, at least enough to get to the second round. Look at Case in Point, but I honestly felt like the Wharton Case Book (google it) offered the most flexible and easy to use framework for solving cases and its the one that I used during MBB interviews.

When tackling a case the most important thing is to STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE. Basically break down the problem into buckets, within each bucket have different things you want to look at. Systematically explore each bucket, using information from the interviewer to determine which area may be best to investigate. Make sure to segment areas, often one key segment is of vital importance to solving the case. Finally, after each area is analyzed be sure to synthesize what you have learned from analyzing that area.

At the conclusion of the case, be sure to take a stance on the original question and provide a recommendation backed by 2-3 relevant pieces of information that you discovered during the case interview.

 

market sizing is critical to master. Be sure to answer any type of question like: how many flights take off in the US daily, how many gas stations are in Europe, what is the demand for tennis rackets in a country. etc. There's no right answer here, it's all about the process by which you go about estimating this. This is critical to mgmt consulting firms since much fo the work they do is market research as part of their studies.

Next, you may be asked simple cases like a company's profits are falling (EBITDA), why? These are not complicated to answer, you just need to use a framework and ask questions and think creatively to get to a solution. The most important, tricky, part of a case is the ability to think out loud, on the spot, and walk the interviewer through your logic. This seems easy but is very challenging to master, practice is required. I recommend reading Case In Point to get your feet wet. The most important item however for you will be market sizing questions, the more complicated cases are reserved for MBA grads.

Good Luck.

 
erklam:
I am really scared now and I just wonder about that expectations BCG has from intern applicants. I know they are a top firm looking for top talent.

Do you mean what expectations they have for your performance during the interview, or what expectations they have for your performance during the internship?

 
redninja:
erklam:
I am really scared now and I just wonder about that expectations BCG has from intern applicants. I know they are a top firm looking for top talent.

Do you mean what expectations they have for your performance during the interview, or what expectations they have for your performance during the internship?

Sorry I wasn't clear I meant expectations at the interview...I still am horrified by the thought of this upcoming interview...

 
erklam:
redninja:
erklam:
I am really scared now and I just wonder about that expectations BCG has from intern applicants. I know they are a top firm looking for top talent.

Do you mean what expectations they have for your performance during the interview, or what expectations they have for your performance during the internship?

Sorry I wasn't clear I meant expectations at the interview...I still am horrified by the thought of this upcoming interview...

Don't be. What can you lose? You're a freshman and they already invited you. The experience you gain irrespective of the outcome will be a huge advantage for upcoming interviews and puts you ahead of your peers. Plus, in 99% of the cases even if you perform poorly in the interview, the interviewer will remain professional. Thus you don't need be afraid of getting run down or so. Think of it as a win-win situation.

 

This is for the BCG Offices in Hungary so they are probably less competitive!

They now just sent me the CVs of my future interviewers (summaries of what they did at BCG and in life)...this is getting intense! Never heard of such practice before...

 

Okay kid, first of all never assume the process is less competitive, especially for a BCG internship.

Second of all, don't be intimidated by all of the interviewers profile. Once you finish your undergrad degree, go to work, apply to bschool, you can look like them too (in short, you have another 4-5 years ahead of you to build a similar impressive profile if you put in the effort).

Third, this "practice" is very very normal, although in my case, I was not allowed to know who my interviewers were before the interview. It's the same with Bain and McK, they're gonna give you a nice package, with the timeline, the profiles and a brochure inside. Utilize these "profiles", try to pick 2-3 things that you find interesting about your interviewers and connect with them during your case interviews.

Last, don't be too stressed out. It will show in your interviews! Being nervous also won't help when it comes to math question. ALL of the BCG people I've met and interviewed with (around 10) were easily the nicest people on earth. Very smart (duh??), kind, incredibly humble and interesting. (My region is Asia Pacific, but the people come from all over the world so I'm assuming BCG Hungary has nice friendly offices too). You're only a freshman, even if this doesn't pan out, the experience and the contacts will be valuable later on. And you can always reapply for another internship next year :)

Good luck!

My formula for success is rise early, work late and strike oil - JP Getty
 

I wouldn't worry - they'll know your background and where you are in your career (i.e., a freshman), and expectations will be set accordingly. I had a sophomore intern on one of my teams last summer, and she was still a great contributor.

You're doing something right if you got the interview - now just prepare for the cases, ease those nerves, and use this as a building block for future interviews.

 

Wow. This was my first post on this site and the responses have taken me aback! You guys are really helpful so thank you.

Could I just ask, how would you recommend that I prepare? I appreciate the tips I have been given so far regarding the importance of structure as well as market sizing questions and using frameworks - I also looked online and found tons of information, from general tips to specific case studies to case study solution approaches. However, with all my final exams coming up literally the same week as the interview, I will have to spend my time wisely - and the info I have found so far is, unfortunately, already too much. I will simply not be able to do all the case studies, learn/memorise all the (or any of the) frameworks or methods for answering market sizing questions or whatever else there might be while also preparing to ask a few smart questions based on the interviewer's resumes, etc. There is almost just a week left - and I still have not been able to start active preparation.

Since I could not be less knowledgeable in this area, I would really appreciate some advice. What do you think I should focus on - in addition to, I guess, trying to do as many case studies online as possible?

Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it!

P.s. As I am in London now, the interview will be a videoconference between the London office and the one in Budapest - but I guess this won't make a difference in terms of interview content.

 

Congratulations! The BCG office in London is great, but definitely don't get intimidated by all the fancy gimmick-y stuff (BCG logo on everything from water bottles to the fancy card things (with interviewers bio) that they give u at the interview).

You're right, the wealth of case interview information out there is too much to sift through in such a short period of time. I think you should really focus your energies on practicing cases with someone.

Structure is important (as others have mentioned) but creativity is just as important. In my first round with BCG, one of the interviewers told me that anyone can be structured, but to set yourself apart from others and actually get the offer, you need to be creative. He passed me through to the next round but he said that I needed to be 'more creative'. At the time, I didn't know what that meant in concrete terms. Thankfully, I think I managed to show a bit of creativity in the final round and that landed me a full time offer. I know that when people told me I needed to be 'creative' I wish I had a concrete example. So I hope this helps:

The case was on expanding whiskey sales in China and in one of my analyses I suggested looking at a complementary product as a proxy for estimating possible future sales growth/devising a new sales strategy. Since whiskey and cigars generally go hand in hand and they appeal to the same client segment, I proposed looking at the cigar industry to see how they were doing and how they were marketing their product.

I dont mean to start a controversy over whether this solution was actually creative. I know some people wont consider it so, but the interviewers definitely did and that was good enough for me.

Good luck, I hope it goes well!

 
socola2003:
bcg impressive? bcg is not an impressive firm btw their placement out of consulting sucks in terms of PE/VC. Mck and Bain are far better regarded among top MBAs.

I'm sure everyone agrees that is the best way to prepare! Thanks for your input.

 

Could someone have a guess at whether my interview would be conducted in English or Hungarian? It will take place in the form of a video conference with the Hungarian office while I will be in the London Office. The intial test was in English. When I asked the HR, they gave an ambigous answer saying that once the interviewers see that my English is good, they might switch to Hungarian. However, I am afraid of doing the interview in Hungarian, because even though it is my native language, all the specific words I know are in English and I do not know all the Hungarian equivalents.

 
erklam:
Could someone have a guess at whether my interview would be conducted in English or Hungarian? It will take place in the form of a video conference with the Hungarian office while I will be in the London Office. The intial test was in English. When I asked the HR, they gave an ambigous answer saying that once the interviewers see that my English is good, they might switch to Hungarian. However, I am afraid of doing the interview in Hungarian, because even though it is my native language, all the specific words I know are in English and I do not know all the Hungarian equivalents.

If you're concerned about it, I'd recommend telling your recruiter you'd like to do the cases / any other portions in English. They'll usually accommodate these types of requests.

 

I think it really depends on the office and the type of projects/clients that office serves. If the Hungarian office mainly serves domestic clients, then your interview will probably be in a mix of hungarian and english. On the other hand, if the office is part of a regional network, there's a high chance your interview will be in english. I interviewed for a BCG office in Southeast Asia (of which I am a native) and the interviews were conducted entirely in english. I did list native speaker on my CV, but during the interviews no one verified it. My language ability didnt even come up. I think my native speaker status was not really an issue because BCG Southeast Asia is a regional office (I dont know the exact term). Projects are regionally staffed and english is the lingua franca among all the offices in the region.

So.. in short, if the Hungarian office is part of a regional office arrangement, then I would guess the interviews will be in english. But if the Hungary office mainly serves domestic clients, I would say Hungarian. Just in case, I would suggest learning some business words/terms in hungarian. You won't be able to memorize them all but just some of the basic ones. If you're clearly fluent but u just happen to stumble on some business terminology, I cant imagine them holding it against you. I think interviewers will be understanding - they know you've done your education in english. Plus, those are things you can easily and quickly pick up on the job or during the training session prior to starting.

 

I would advise you to prepare as much as you can. Two weeks is not that bad. You just don't have time to fish around for different framework types. Choose a method and stick with it. Don't get distracted thinking that you could be studying with a different method. That will fuck with your mind. Stay focused on the frameworks you choose. It's absolutely doable.

This article should give you confidence too, interviewers will be looking at more things than just the way you handle the case: http://www.consultingcafe.com/articles/insiders-perspective-to-the-cons… It's about your behavior and the confidence your project too.. And you don't need to do get that ;). Good luck!

 

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