Anyone tried AI interview prep tools?

Hi Jayden,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, although I haven't tried it, I don't think that as long as interviews are still conducted by humans, it's better to prepare with an AI than with another person.
• Moreover, however, if you find yourself in a situation where you don't (always) have another person to prepare with, it could be a useful substitute.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming applications, pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi Jayden,

In my opinion, AI tools (like Prepzi) are complimentary in your interview preparation process.

Like Prepzi, there are still to generic to be your only source of preparation and it is difficult  (yet!) they simulate the same interview environment as an experience coach can do.

Mattijs

Hello there!

I have tried to use AI tools to craft cases and to solve others and the result was poor, specially for structuring (superficial) and math (it would give a long winded answer). So I definitely wouldn’t recommend you to use it as if it was a case buddy. However, it works well for brainstorm exercise, specially if you provide the structure, and to collect general knowledge from different industries - in this case, always ask for the reference, or it may hallucinate/make up information.

If your goal with AI is to have more flexibility when studying, I would recommend for you to do drills from case books instead and to watch videos of case resolution that you can pause, come up with yours and compare the answers. Be mindful and use only good material such as those from people who used to be consultants, or became consultants.

Best,

Mari

Hi there,

The problem with the most common AI models is that their output is based on a big average. In the case of case prep, they rely on the standard case prep materials (which are mostly wrong - there is a reason why 99% of consulting applicants fail) to generate insights.

Having tried and tested the common models on the different case elements, I found that they fall short, mainly on framework creation and brainstorming. They are good for case math problems and okay for chart interpretation. Since top consulting firms hire only around 1% of applicants overall or 10% who make it to the interview, creating average insights is not enough.

More advanced reasoning models are better at creating frameworks and brainstorming but they are still not up to par with an excellent candidate, who would get an offer.

I have no reason to believe, however, that this will not change over the next 1-2 years, in line with completely new hiring requirements for consulting firms and overall fewer entry-level positions due to the impact of AI.

The whole consulting recruiting and way of working will change significantly and very few people have this on their radar yet...

Cheers,

Florian

Hey Jayden🙂, AI interview prep tools are increasingly popular and can be a great complement to your case interview practice from my point of view —while I haven’t personally used it, I've heard from peers that it offers useful, interactive practice that can help sharpen your approach; however, it's a good idea to mix it with traditional methods like casebooks and mock interviews with fellow consultants to cover all bases, so feel free to give it a try and see if it fits your style, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need more insights. Best, Alessa 😇

I don't think any AI tools can simulate realistically the nuances of an in person interview. If so, firms would already be making and deploying them to take the load off their consultants. 

Hi Jayden, 

I would use this very selectively, largely because I think it omits the things that make cases so hard in real life. Most cases are not terribly complicated and the math is fairly straightforward. What makes them hard is that there is another human being sitting in front of you that is making you nervous and staring holes into the back of your head while you try to calculate something on a piece of paper. This is were most candidates perform significantly below their true potential. You won't be able to practice that with an AI tool. 

In case you do not have anybody available, the AI tool might be better than nothing but it will not replace the prep you need to put in with your friends/colleagues/coaches. 

Best, 
Sebastian

The coaches above make valid points - most AI tools provide generalized preparation that lacks the nuance and personalized feedback of an experienced coach.

What worked best for me was leveraging AI tools for specifically the communication skills that are essential for a consultant (articulating ideas, establishing credibility, building relationships). I personally found tremendous value in platforms like syrenn.co that specifically address the communication and interpersonal aspects of interviewing as well as the role.

My advice is to use these tools as complementary resources to your case interview practice.

There's not a lot of good training material out there. AI prep tools for case interviews are... garbage in... garbage out! In other words, not that helpful.

Hey there, 

I'm sure in time AI tools will get better, but at this present moment, I don't feel they are at the level or standard to help candidates be nuanced enough or carry through some core principles of structuring needed

Some of the results I've seen would not pass a real interview... And I've coached some few candidates that started off with AI... and they were definitely lacking in many fundamental areas

All the best