Are candidates penalized for not getting through the whole (interviewer-led) case?

Every case-interview has a certain structure. An important factor on how your case interview is going to proceed is if the interview is interviewer-led or led by you – the candidate.We’d like to explain the two interview formats – candidate-led cases and interviewer-led cases – highlight their differences, and provide you with tips on how to excel in each of them.Interviewer-Led Cases: The Key Challenge Is To Adapt Quickly And Also Be StructuredInterviewer-led cases are most frequently used at McKinsey. As the title suggests, the interviewer’s guidance through the case interview is firmer.Would you like to try one of our interviewer-led cases right away? We have two exciting cases for you!👉 Company case by accilium: School Bus Innovation👉 PrepLounge case: Baby Clothing Market Entry 🔎 The following are a few indicators that hint towards interviewer-led cases:A very specific case question is posed.Either a lot of data will be given to you along with an initial breakdown of sub-problems or a broad problem may be given to you, and you would need to structure the problem by being as specific as possible.After structuring, the interviewer will ask you a set of pre-determined questions irrespective of what your structure is (this could be an abrupt move, so do not get nervous when this happens!)Interviewer-induced interruptions with turnarounds not resulting from the candidate’s analysisLots of given data throughout the case, e.g. tables or graphs“What else” types of questions“Please explain more in detail” types of questionsMcKinsey-style case interviews give the interviewer a more direct opportunity to test specific skills that the interviewer is interested in learning about you and assess areas of weaknesses.💡 Remain in the driver's seat and beware of curveball questionsDespite the name of this case class, the candidate still needs to be the active leader of the overall case interview. Especially in interviewer-led cases, the largest fallacy is to become passive, unstructured, and driven by the interviewer. To lead the case, you need to be particularly structured. Be prepared for interruptions, and anticipate that they might disprove hypotheses or force you to develop a completely new framework.Keep the big picture in mind: Consider other problems or solutions if the interviewer suggests a hypothesis. These might be important later.Apply the MECE Principle: Structure your answers to be Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. This approach helps you be thorough and organized, avoiding random or unstructured ideas.Watch for curveball questions and stress tests: Be prepared for unexpected changes or time constraints. Stay calm and adapt as needed. Candidate-Led Cases: The Key Challenge is Structuring The ProblemIn candidate-led cases, the interviewer expects the candidate to ‘lead’ her or him through the case. As the candidate, it is your responsibility to lead the case by asking relevant questions and also to develop and test your hypotheses. Candidate-led cases are the most common types of cases. You’ll encounter them at the majority of the big consulting firms such as BCG, Bain, and occasionally at McKinsey.We've got candidate-led cases for you as well! Check out these two cases!👉 Company case by INVERTO: VacuLuxe Innovations' Supply Chain Makeover👉 PrepLounge case: Deep Water Rescue 🔎 A candidate-led case usually has the following characteristics:A very broad description of a situationA very general question or no question at allComplete freedom in terms of the approach and the structureData and information is mostly provided at your requestAs opposed to interviewer-led cases, it is harder for the interviewer to test specific abilities as the candidate defines what is investigated or talked about. On the other hand, you as the candidate need to be strong in defining and testing hypotheses. You need a clear roadmap in mind that allows you to ask targeted questions as opposed to randomly ‘bombarding’ your interviewer with random questions hoping for a lucky punch.Be thorough and exceptionally structured. Here are some aspects to consider in a candidate-led case format:Form and share a hypothesis: Based on your questions, develop a hypothesis and test it with further questions. Communicate your hypothesis to the interviewer.Investigate thoroughly: Dive deep into your hypothesis to explore potential solutions. The interviewer may give subtle hints rather than direct guidance, so ask specific questions.Be exceptionally structured: In a candidate-led case, keep track of your data and focus on synthesis. Be prepared to adjust your argument as new information emerges. Good organization and thorough notes are crucial.Prepare for detail questions: Be ready to address important details that may not have been covered due to your chosen approach.Refine and test your hypothesis: Once you identify the key factor, revise your hypothesis and test it accordingly. Key Takeaways💡 Candidate-led cases are about your ability to ‘crack’ a broad problem💡 Interviewer-led or McKinsey-style interviews are about being able to analyze the MECE way.💡 You will most likely encounter a stressful moment. Always pause and think in a structured fashion. 🚀 Discover over 240 additional cases in our Case Library! Filter not only by style, but also by difficulty, company, type, and much more. Good luck solving them!

Case Interviews: The Hardest Part of the Consulting Recruiting ProcessWhat is a case interview, and how should you prepare for it?A case interview is a 30-minute simulation of a typical business project that consultants may have worked on. Cases provide a real example of an on-job experience and the assumption is that if a candidate is successfully able to tackle a case interview, they are more likely to be a successful management consultant. Unfortunately, several outstanding candidates with top grades and co-curriculars fail case interviews in the recruiting process. Why is that? One reason is that several candidates memorize standard frameworks, hoping to recall each framework during case interviews. Frameworks, though useful for a rudimentary layout of case problems, must be tweaked and customized for different cases. You can become proficient in case structuring but only with the necessary practice.While good candidates use standard frameworks to systematically solve the problems in consulting case interviews, outstanding candidates also see the big picture and adapt the frameworks specific to the business case. To become an outstanding candidate: Learn different types of business cases Learn to differentiate the various case types Understand the process of breaking down complex cases into simpler components Learn to apply problem-solving skills in appropriate frameworks (issue trees) Practice, practice, practice!*article-lock-trigger*This BootCamp will provide you with the basic tools you need for an effective case solving process and familiarize you with most different types of cases. Once you’ve got the hang of it, solve as many cases as you can and remember: NOT to memorize the cases you solve during your preparation! NOT to blindly apply standard frameworks, especially where they do not fit!For a more detailed look at how to ‘crack’ cases, please visit our best practice approach.These case studies are the main and usually the longest part of consulting interviews. During the 20 to 40-minute case interview, you will be confronted with a business problem that is often drawn from one of the interviewer’s real-life engagements. Below is a schematic showing a typical process for a consulting interview after a resume screening. Many companies peer-review and standardize their consulting business cases prior to a real case interview to ensure that the case is neither too hard nor too easy. The companies also ensure to test a variety of skills during case interviews. Unlike the case books you may know from your university or case reports in business journals, the initial information you will get is very limited. You won’t be able to solve the case using only this initial information, also known as the opening of the case. Typical openings are: “Company ABC is a watch manufacturer who is recently experiencing profit problems and a decline in market share, what should they do?” “Company XY is an automotive company who is thinking about entering the Chinese market in 2014, should they go east?” “Company Z is a private equity company that contemplates merging with company A. Does it make sense?”After the opening of a case, you should take a couple of minutes to structure your thoughts and come up with a customized framework (more on this later). Visit our employer profiles or homepages of the companies that you would like to work with for further information about consulting casesHave a look at many prestigious employers in our career section. You will find priceless insights about their respective application process. If you are interested in applying to MBB consulting firms: below you can also find links to their respective descriptions of consulting case studies.While acing case interviews is indispensable, the "personal fit interview" is equally important. Visit the personal fit part of the Case Interview Basics for more information on this part of the recruiting process.