Hello colleauges! I have an interview coming up at Bain and BCG, and the written case part makes me the most nervous, as I haven't found a single practice case that would even remotely resemble the written case at those firms. Could you recommend or share any practice materials for the written cases in general? What is the best preparation method for written cases? Is it enough to just do intensive case interview studies? Best regards, Alex
Congrats on getting these interviews in the first place! We are looking for the same qualities in the written case as in the verbal one. You should have 1 hour to prepare so there's a little more time, but obviously you must actually prepare slides for the presentation. It comes down to time management. For example, agree in advance you will allocate 5 minutes to figure out what's going on, 30 minutes to the actual case prep, another 5 to confirm the order of the slide (story line) and the remaining time to go into pure slide-development mode. Ultimately though, if you can crack a regular case, you should be able to crack the written one as well. Relax, good luck :)
I would add one note to Guennael's great response below. We're also looking for decent presentation skills and ability to answer questions or be open to feedback without getting too nervous or (on the other end of the spectrum) coming across as arrogant. So, practice a case interview by yourself start to finish (with Guennael's timeline below if you'd like), then present your slides aloud, to yourself! You may feel funny talking to yourself, but it really helped me. Then, grab a friend, present to them, and get them to ask you questions. Sounds crazy, but it works!
Dear Meghan and Guennael, Thank you for your replies! They are indeed helpful! :)
Hi Alexander,
Verbal or non-written cases pressure tests 3 elements, your LISTENING, thinking and verbalization, typically in a 30 minute interview; however, the written cases test only 2 elements, your READING and thinking, in 45 minutes period followed by a separate verbalization evaluated afterwards. Hence, by design the written is much easier - you just have to practice the key elements that gives you the advantage to do well.
Book a session and I'll share with you the secrets of how to crack the written cases as they are far easier than the verbal cases.
Cheers,
Nick
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