Casebooks from universities

Question

Hello,

I found a website which sells whole casebooks on the internet a a bundle (claiming to have 30-40 of them) together for 15$.

Do you think it is worth to buy them? Or the ones on the internet should be enough?

Answer 1

Whether it's worth it, it's debatable. It's certainly cheap.

The reality is that examples of cases are not what candidates struggle with.

If anything, it's the absence of relevant, high-quality cases with high-quality feedback.

Basically, that means cases that are relevant for the sort of interviews that happen these days (most MBA case books are way off since they tend to be written by students based on previous case books they came across).

High-quality means that they actually present a genuine situation and explore a different case dimension than the cases before it.

And high-quality feedback relates to the fact that you can actually learn something from the solution, rather than a high-level sort of guidance that only confuses you more as a learner.

Sharing here a few cases that you might find useful:

Best,
Cristian

Answer 2

Hi there,

I would not recommend it!

I think it is a bit sketchy that a website bundles the work of others and charges for it.

Additionally, 95% of consulting case club books are terrible as they are written by industry outsiders, who have no idea how cases are created and evaluated, also often based on word-of-mouth of previous applicants, leaving out crucial details and twists. Also, the case types are quite outdated and way too standardized for the current trends and creativity that is required in case interviews of top firms.

Some are really good and include modern cases, even including great exhibits, which is the hardest part to create for a case. However, you would waste a lot of time sifting through bad cases and bad sample answers before finding them and you don't even know if they are included after all.

Quality > quantity here!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 3

I wouldn't recommend as many consulting case club books lack quality approaches to tackle case problems. These resources are often created by those unfamiliar with the nuances of case interviews, leading to overly standardized approaches.

All the best,
Regards, Ashwin

Answer 4

Quality trumps quantity. Honestly, you can find online (for free) more casebooks than you can realistically use for your preparation. As such, why pay, even if as low as $15?

Answer 5

Hi, I have not compared the cases in both books. But in my opinion it makes sense to practice not on the cases that... (read entire answer)

Hi, I have not compared the cases in both books. But in my opinion it makes sense to practice not on the cases that are similar in length / difficulty to the real inteviews bu... (read entire answer)

Answer 6

Hi! I agree in the sense that the relevant element is not the case, but the quality of the person who gives the cas... (read entire answer)

Hi! I agree in the sense that the relevant element is not the case, but the quality of the person who gives the case! This is far far more important than the case as such. The... (read entire answer)

Answer 7

Hi! These are typical questions you HAVE to ask the interviewer! You cannot just assume something or, even worse, app... (read entire answer)

Hi! These are typical questions you HAVE to ask the interviewer! You cannot just assume something or, even worse, apply "real world knowledge". What is tested in these interview... (read entire answer)