Interviews in Consulting??

I'm interested in learning what a typical consulting interview looks like, and what the overall process looks like as well. Does anyone have any experience and/or general advice for recruiting?

6 Comments
 

Companies like Bain and Mckinsey publish their mock interviews with examples of answers they're looking for on youtube, start there.

As for the process, for the first round, expect to have to take an online test which could consist of simulation games from MBB. I kid you not, Mckinsey did one last year where you had to build an ecosystem and make sure the food pyramid was perfectly balanced. Once you get past that, expect the behavioral interviews, brain teasers, and ofc the casing questions. You should be prepared to do mental math and market sizing questions (i.e. how many dogs are in Manhattan?). It can take 6+ rounds to get an offer from MBB so be prepared for that.

If you read books like Case in Point, the Case Bible, they will give you a good idea of what to expect. Most important thing is not to freeze up even when you get thrown curveball questions, you can ask for a few seconds to get your thoughts together and jot down some notes, but then be prepared talk through your rationale and approach even if you don't feel confident. Your school's consulting club should also have examples of mock cases. When I was in undergrad, consulting companies would literally come to campus and hold case workshops for students at the beginning of recruiting season, see if they offer those at your school.

I figured out consulting was dogshit for me quickly when I was in school, so I have zero interest in recruiting for it and am not in tune with what's going on this year, but this should be a good starting point.

 
Most Helpful

thewageslave:

Companies like Bain and Mckinsey publish their mock interviews with examples of answers they're looking for on youtube, start there.



As for the process, for the first round, expect to have to take an online test which could consist of simulation games from MBB. I kid you not, Mckinsey did one last year where you had to build an ecosystem and make sure the food pyramid was perfectly balanced. Once you get past that, expect the behavioral interviews, brain teasers, and ofc the casing questions. You should be prepared to do mental math and market sizing questions (i.e. how many dogs are in Manhattan?). It can take 6+ rounds to get an offer from MBB so be prepared for that.



If you read books like Case in Point, the Case Bible, they will give you a good idea of what to expect. Most important thing is not to freeze up even when you get thrown curveball questions, you can ask for a few seconds to get your thoughts together and jot down some notes, but then be prepared talk through your rationale and approach even if you don't feel confident. Your school's consulting club should also have examples of mock cases. When I was in undergrad, consulting companies would literally come to campus and hold case workshops for students at the beginning of recruiting season, see if they offer those at your school.



I figured out consulting was dogshit for me quickly when I was in school, so I have zero interest in recruiting for it and am not in tune with what's going on this year, but this should be a good starting point.


A lot of this info is outdated / incorrect, at least for undergrad recruiting

+MBB doesn’t ask those “how many dogs are in Manhattan” type of brain teasers any more
+MBB interviewing is very structured in terms of rounds of interviews. I’ve never heard of “6+ rounds to get an offer from MBB”

Lots of videos / stuff online that’ll tell you what the interview process is like - I personally wouldn’t go to a finance forum to get answers

 

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