Case interview guide covering what is a case interview and how to prepare for it. Case interview tips and resources boston university. The important thing is to prepare sufficiently in advance. Please complete this form and click the button below to gain instant access. Your interviewer will present you with a business problem and ask you.
You will be confronted with a reallife business case. After all, companies hire consultants to strategize solutions to business, organizational, or industryspecific problems. The case will typically be based on a real bcg consulting project, giving you insight into what its like to work here. This article is the best source for you to practice case interview. Case interview questions help an interviewer understand how you think and how you would approach a client challenge if hired.
Hbs case interview guide, page 2 overview of case frameworks a complete understanding of the. Dec 03, 2018 the case i use in this video is similar to the one i got in my final round when i was interviewing at bain. Thats why consulting firms put so much weight on the case question because it allows them to judge how logically and persuasively a potential consultant i. I wanted this bestof list to be at least 5 or 6 items long, but that simply wasnt possible. Please complete this form and click the button below to.
Definition who uses case interviews format of case interviews scenariobased job interviews that test problem solving skills. The problems you will encounter are not designed to be brainteasers, or theoretical problems designed to stump you, but rather to reflect the challenges that our clients face. Moldovan coffin maker to exit coffin manufacturing business. A well written case study will follow a customer as they define a problem, determine a solution, implement it, and reap the benefits. All business problems can be reduced to one of these case types and each type of case can be solved by using generic frameworks. Consulting math tips is such a big topic so i dedicate a whole article and possibly a youtube video on it. Pdf harvard business school management consulting club case. The problems you will encounter are not designed to be brainteasers, or theoretical problems designed to stump you, but rather to. Due to the not so wellknown brand, the demand for the old winery wine is currently rather low. The focus of case interview frameworks and of the whole case in general is not on reaching solution themselves, but rather on how to get there. You will interact with an interviewer to analyze and hopefully solve case studies of business problems. Thats where c ase interview examples come in as is the case with much of what we face in life, consulting case interviews become less and less intimidating the more you go through them. The top consulting firms, including mckinsey, bcg, and bain, all provide real examples based on representative consulting projects. When receiving a case interview question, the interviewer may deliberately tell you only part of the information needed for solving the business case.
Consulting interviewers almost always initiate a case interview. Join our free case interview email course written by exinterviewers. Case interviews involve a business problem that candidates are prompted to solve. Sample case interviews provide examples and mimic an actual case. During a case interview, an interviewer presents a situation or case and then asks the applicant to explore the. Case interviews case interviews vary somewhat in their format. Contains all the top case interview examples found here.
These books can be found in the cornell career services career library in 103 barnes hall. This casebook is meant to provide you with a brief overview of consulting recruiting and interview preparation as well as a number of practice cases. The case interview is a scenario modeled after a real business or management problem. Explains different case types, provides example questions, and tells how to answer each type of question. A case interview is a job interview in which the applicant is presented with a challenging business scenario that heshe must investigate and propose a solution to. You must create an account with your georgetown email address to access vault. Harvard business school management consulting club case interview guide harvard business school management consulting club case interview guide. You have inherited the old winery from your grandfather, a winery which has been family owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.
Moldova, officially the republic of moldova, is a landlocked. During a case interview, an interviewer presents a situation or case and then asks the applicant to explore the underlying causes of the problem and suggest recommendations to remedy the problem. If you are just starting out on your case interview journey this is the first thing you should read. The cases given tend to be realbusiness situations, often drawn from the interviewer. These materials provided on an as is basis with no warranty or guarantee expressed or implied. Case studies are narratives that feature real world situations or uses of products or services to demonstrate their value. Mckinsey case interview example solved by exmckinsey. Our client moldovan coffins is a highend coffin maker in the country of moldova. Suggestions for how to overcome the lack of education and familiarity with banking products, for example. Its very hard to succeed at case interviews without preparing for them properly. Moldova, officially the republic of moldova, is a landlocked country in eastern europe located between romania to the west and ukraine to the north, east, and south. The best case interview examples to practice are the ones that come directly from the firms themselves.
Ultimately, any clients goal is to increase profits. Acing the case interview is a key factor in getting hired in management consulting. In this article, ill introduce you some case interview examples from the most trusted sources. Let us send you a copy so you can read it when its convenient for you. It offers 26 cases, both text and graphbased and classified according to firm. As a result, profitability is the most important objective in consulting case study interviews. A case study is a special type of thought leadership content that tells a story. Do not walk into a case interview or even a practice case interview cold. Consulting case interview questions mconsultingprep. Our client has hired us to figure out what the issue is. In order to nail a case interview, you need to know both how to prepare and how to perform. Cosentinos case in point was easier to understand and covered the key techniquesframeworks behind case interviews.
The clear, consistent way of thinking through how to manage case interviews made sense. Consulting math practice techniques mconsultingprep. Pdf harvard business school management consulting club. Introduction case interview course myconsultingcoach. Candidates are asked to analyze a problem and provide a solution based on the information given. Case interview also called case study interview requires more preparation as compared to other types of interviews. Case interview casebook harvard 2011 masterthecase.
Mckinsey typically hires mds as generalist consultants into an associate role, the same roles as their colleagues with mbas. Case interview examples understanding case interview. Market sizing case interview examples best of 2020. By asking the person conducting the interview questions to help you understand the situation and reach a conclusion, youll prove that youre worth hiring. Case interviewing questions cawley career education. Case interviews are most often used by consulting firms, as well as some. The best way to prepare mentally is to know what may be coming. Management consulting case interview example youtube. Case interviewing questions cawley career education center. Case interview casebook from harvard 2011 is available for case interview practice as part of our extensive practice casebooks library. Case interview examples are exactly what you need when doing case interview practice. Overall flow of a case tips to stand out sample frameworks common industry snapshots tips. The majority of cases dont have a specific answer that you are expected to give.
I watched all of the videos available to write this. Covers examples, tips, frameworks and maths shortcuts. You can find case examples in this booklet and on our web site. Also includes a comprehensive list of case book pdfs to download. What are the best case interview examples to practice. This is a comprehensive guide to case interview basics.
In graduate school i browsed many books on consulting case interview preparation. Scenariobased job interviews that test problem solving skills. While most mckinsey mds focus on healthcare over time, all mckinsey consultants, regardless of background, are encouraged to pursue a range of interests across a wide array of industries and countries. Fear of the unknown can only exist when there is an unknown. To put it simply, case interview is a job interview with business contents. Our client is a pharmaceutical drug company that has seen an increase in drug sales but a decrease in overall profit. Here are a few case interview examples, including the questions and what your answers can tell the interviewer. Case interview topics several selfproclaimed consulting gurus have made fortunes out of creating notionally comprehensive lists of a dozen or so case types and then selling a readymade recipes for each apparently able to solve all instance of each case type. Consulting interviews an introduction to the case interview with explanations of most common question types and how to answer them. You are not expected to provide the right answer, but rather clearly convey your logic and thought process. Our client manufactures highend watches and has been in business for several decades. In a case interview, candidates are usually asked to solve a business challenge. Many universities and companies offer sample case questions on their website. The moment your face shows that you are panic stricken or you become sweaty, thinking about where to start from or which direction might be the right one to start untying the knots, youre already out of the scene.
Hunt for some of these case interview samples and use them to prepare yourself. Unlike most other interview questions, it is an interactive process. Second round when you have successfully completed your firstround. You will learn what it is, how it is different from a regular job interview, who uses them, why they are used, the types of case interview formats and the difference between them. Mike ross and scott going through a full consulting interview case example. Mckinsey, bcg, bain, deloitte, accenture, capital one and others. Case study interview questions and answers management. Today i wanna show a list of the best market sizing case interview examples around the web. First name email candidate type when do you expect your case interview. Case study questions work through these questions on your own, using the text and exhibits in the preceding slides. It includes 6 comprehensive ebooks, each of which tackles one unique aspect of case interview such as value proposition, data chart comprehension, and marketsizing, etc.
A case study is a story about something unique, special, or interestingstories can be about individuals, organizations, processes, programs, neighborhoods, institutions, and even events. How to prepare for a case interview mcgill university. Simply put, a case interview is the analysis of a business question. Case study interview questions and answers management consulted. Consulting firms like mckinsey, bcg and bain use case interviews to assess candidates in their recruiting process. Ten tough interview questions and ten great answers. This is the trickiest part of the case interview and the main reason for candidates failing their case interviews. In addition to preparing yourself physically, you need to prepare yourself mentally. Try going along with scott in solving the case by pausing the video.
A large part of the interviews will then be dedicated to a case study. If available, examples of how basic financial services have been successfully introduced into other poor populations, and how that learning could be leveraged in this case. We advise you to prepare by familiarizing yourself with case frameworks and the kind of analysis you will be asked to do in the interview. An answer key is provided in the slides that follow. Case interview examples member portal get a free pdf version of this guide. There are five major levels of resources with increasing difficulty to simulate real life problems in consulting case interviews and entrance tests for your case interview. This information is provided to you for free for noncommercial use. Sep 17, 2019 a case study is a special type of thought leadership content that tells a story.
The classic and most common type of case interview is the business case, in which youre presented with a business scenario and asked to analyze it and make recommendations. Profitability case study interview example solved by ex. If youve come to read this article, either youre just curious and like to learn about job interview tips or whats more likely youre in the process of preparing yourself for an upcoming job interview and are in search of the most common interview questions with tips on how to answer to them. Your impressive resume may get you an interview with a consulting firm, but it wont get.
We want candidates to have an effective and enjoyable case discussion so we encourage you to follow the case interview tips below. The challenge is often a toneddown version of a project that the firm has done in the past. Case interviews are designed to test the candidates analytical skills and soft skills within a realistic business context. Do you want to watch a case interview where i interview a real candidate using this very same case. Its very important to practice for a case interview, especially if this is your first one. Fit interview preparation with sample questions c it i i tcase interview preparation what is a case. Definition who uses case interviews format of case interviews. Cosentino, 2010 case interview secrets victor cheng, 2012 vault career insider guides career guides, employer profiles and rankings, and more.
Case interview marathon workshop victor chengs case interview core frameworks v1. The course covers all topics related to the consulting interview, leaving nothing off the checklist. Case types and interview methods problem solving what is it. How to prepare for a case interview what is a case interview. Most cases are presented in oral form, though some vault guide to the case interview introduction.
It initially sounds like a simple profitability case, but the questions that come. Ten tough interview questions and ten great answers mental fear of the unknown is often what produces the physical symptoms of nervousness. Many people wonder what the differences are between a behavioral interview and a case interview. The case interview is employed primarily by consulting firms and hospitals hiring administrative fellows and other managementtype roles. This is probably the best article for case study interview examples. Nov 27, 2018 watch now a mckinseystyle case solved by an exmckinsey consultant. Success with consulting interviews comes with effective and efficient practice. The case interview workbook contains 60 case questions for management consulting interviews, with complete solutions. While many resources only provide example of interviews, our lessons combine teaching of thinking habits with practical examples and complete interviews with feedback. In essence, a case interview is a roleplaying exercise. The business intuition module aims to develop your strategic thinking. Sep 14, 2018 the case interview workbook contains 60 case questions for management consulting interviews, with complete solutions. Approach the case in five steps propose implementation you might skip this tie back to start list recommendations 30sec summary.
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