Case Interview Preparation

Question

What are other things that I should do to get better at case interviews apart from practicing it ? (e.g., reading business news?)

Answer 1

Hi there,

adding one point to the great advice the other coaches had already given:

While there is a certain standard you need to reach across different dimensions (problem solving, comms etc), the starting point for each candidate is different - different development areas, different spikes, different learning styles
If you want to know what the best way for YOU to reach the expected standard, it's best to get early awareness on where you actually stand across all these areas
To to so, suggest you consult either a current / former consultant with the firm(s) you're aiming for, or (if budget is not the constraint), have a professional case coach do an initial diagnostic
Based on that, they will be able to specifically advise on the exact preparation plan and steps that will help you close the gaps to meet the threshold and maximize your chances.

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out, if you'd like to learn more.

Regards, Andi

Answer 2

Hi there,

Q: What are other things that I should do to get better at case interviews apart from practicing it? (e.g., reading business news?)

Reading business news will not directly translate into better skills to solve cases. However it might be useful at a certain stage (advanced level) to create your own drills about creativity questions if you don’t have other resources.

In terms of general preparation, I would recommend the following:

Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before your interview and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the points below. Many candidates need 100+ hours to be ready before the interview starting from zero so you can keep that as a benchmark.
Start reading good MBA Consulting Casebooks – you can find several for free online (INSEAD is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insights. Try to read a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
After the first 5-10 cases in books/casebooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only.
Keep track of your mistakes and see which ones you are repeating. This is super-important, as otherwise you may do a ton of cases without fixing the real issues. If you find common mistakes, try to identify the reason for them (feedback from experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the behavioral part and the case part during the mocks. The case part should also cover market sizing, math and graph analysis.
Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer – a great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression. Ideally, try to get information on who they are and study their profile to have good questions to ask.

If you want to spend a few hours only instead of 100+ and cover everything mentioned above, I developed a program precisely for that.

I can also share with you real questions for your target office (I have a db with 1.500+ questions asked in 60+ offices you won't find anywhere else - you can check on my profile if I cover your particular office).

You can check the program at the following link to learn more:

▶ GYM Program

If you have any questions please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

It's important to understand what your areas of weakness are. Ots really different from candidate to candidate.

Only practising a large number of cases might not be the best thing, important to be targeted and aware what you are working on and what are the things that can take you from 70% to 95%+ once you are comfortable with solving the cases.

The other thing is to of course prepare for behavioural interivews as those can be important as well, and not solely focus on case practise.

In terms of additional things, reading the new and having general awareness is certainly helpful. You can also invest some time to read on the key industries and major considerations/ trends to be aware of for each of them.

Good luck with your prep,

Lilit

Answer 4

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

First of all, unless you do identify any major weak spots to work on separately, there is no need to do anything else but to be persistent with case study practice with peers and/or a coach. Additionally, please keep in mind the personal fit part of the interviews that needs to be prepared for.
As you mentioned business news, interviewers will, of course, expect you to have a basic understanding of what is going on in the world and not have forgotten everything you learned in university. However, reading the FT and WSJ on a daily basis will not necessarily improve the required skills to solve a case study.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 5

Hello,

great question! I believe you are not the only one wondering in the community. I am happy to share my thoughts:

I can strongly recommend to analyse all areas of the case interview process in order to find any shortcomings you might have. Working on these is the most important driver of successfully completing the interview process.

While you are expected to know whats going on in the world, extensive reading or consumption of news will probably not be the determinant for receiving the invite to the next round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on the prep of your next case interview, you are more than welcome to contact me :)

Tom

Answer 6

Hi there,

Here's some critical reading for you: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

Here is everything you need to do to get better:

practice fast math
learn your key formulas
do daily reading
do industry deep-dives
learn market fizing
practice charts/exhibits
case others in cases you struggle in
review old cases
get a coach