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Bombed my first case at first round, need some opinion

I had an interview with one of the MBB today.

the question was increase revenue for a IT company. I did the price and quantity structure.

After I developed the structure I couldn’t find the right place to start. So interviewer prompt me couple of times and eventually tell me exactly what to do next.

after the case, interviewer just asked me how did I feel about the case and didn’t ask if I have any question…is that a signal of ding?
 

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Top answer
Florian
Coach
on Aug 15, 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 500+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

There are many more things that go into the evaluation than just the start of the case and from the outside, it's not really possible to evaluate the performance properly.

It is definitely not ideal but could still be okay if the rest of the case went well and if you don't repeat the same issue across several cases.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Florian

Udayan
Coach
on Aug 14, 2024
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

It is going to be hard for anyone apart from the interviewer to advise on this. In general, we are all very harsh critics of our interview performance and often think it went a lot worse than it actually did. If for some reason you do not get the desired outcome, make sure you take time to learn the lessons on how you can improve for your next interview.

All the best,
Udayan

on Aug 15, 2024
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: Interviewer just asked me how did I feel about the case and didn’t ask if I have any question…is that a signal of ding?

This is not per se a bad sign. On the other hand, if you had an issue with the structuring part, that might be a problem. 

In any case, although I understand your desire to get a definitive answer, the only thing you can do now is to (i) prepare for other interviews/apply for other companies and/or (ii) wait for the results.

Good luck!

Francesco

Peter
Coach
on Aug 18, 2024
Ex-McKinsey Engagement Manager; 18/20 personal case record; ask me for my free cheat-sheet

Hi

Sounds like it wasn’t a home run per se - but usually not as bad as you think. As an interviewer I usually expect to offer a few nudges to help the candidate along, after all I want them to have the best chance to succeed. But if the interviewer feels they had to guide you (opposed to nudge) then it might count more against you. Also consider how long you took - aim to be swift and efficient throughout each stage.

Suggest to do 1-2 diagnostic cases to pinpoint exactly where you need to improve and how to meet the MBB bar for each stage of the case.  

Good luck!

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