First Round Interview at Bain- Prep?!

I'm a liberal arts female student at a large SEC school in south with first round interviews for Bain coming up next week. Any tips on preparation? (I have limited experience with case studies and will be spending most of my time reviewing past cases!) 

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I assume this is for the ACI role since AC interviews are this week so they aren't expecting you to nail everything, especially from a non-business undergrad.

A few things that I found useful:

  • Understand the types of cases and how to generally approach them (Market Sizing, Profitability, Market Study, M&A) 
  • Make sure your case is easy to follow/explain. Having a messy paper or forgetting different pieces of information will always make for a bad case.
  • "Smart Math" For example: How would one find 15% of 2700 without a calculator?
    • Divide the 15% into a 10% and a 5%
    • 10% of 2700 = 270
    • 5% is 270/2 (Your 10%/2) = 135
    • 270 + 135 = 405
  • Add some creativity that shows you actually are thinking about the case. 
  • Above All: Practice with someone. Find people that went into consulting at your school whether it's seniors, professors, career coaches, consulting clubs, etc. You will find people very willing to give cases either online at WSO/Reddit or on campus

One last note is that it's still a fit interview. Enjoy the people you're interviewing with and connect with them. A lot of people get too caught up in the case and act like total robots. Don't stress, have fun, and good luck.

 

Dolore alias ut velit perferendis eveniet. Culpa ut quam a eum doloremque consequuntur delectus. Aut et fuga dolorem molestiae sint est. Sunt ipsum quia sed rem qui. Deserunt tenetur culpa perspiciatis id totam.

Et doloremque tempora rerum quae. Sunt sed voluptates aut quia nesciunt nulla rem. Et sunt perspiciatis alias itaque recusandae. Necessitatibus aspernatur adipisci excepturi animi aut totam. Excepturi doloribus sed et eos unde quis impedit. Architecto sint magni tempore molestiae. Et sint ut et commodi dignissimos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (59) $274
  • Vice President (53) $245
  • Engagement Manager (114) $233
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $137
  • Senior Consultant (355) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (393) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1170) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (641) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”