EY Canada

Hi there,

Yes, it should be a case study.

For structuring the presentation, given you have 24 hours most likely you will have to do some research on your own. The exact degree of what you should do depends on the delivery they will assign you, so it is difficult to provide tips without additional information.

The key delivery is usually a deck of 5-10 slides with your answers, which you will then have to present to the interviewers.

For what concerns the slides, I would recommend to work on:

A) Structure the order of the slides

Normally the structure for a 5-slide presentation is the following:

• First slide summarizes the question and provides the answer
• Second, third and fourth slide have the supporting arguments for the first slide
• Fifth slide has the next steps

B) Structure the content of each slide

There are three basic components for slides:

1. Title
2. Chart or data
3. Label for chart

Many candidates structure the title as a mere description of what the chart is about.

A great title instead shows the implication of the graph as well.

Example: say the graph is showing a cost structure for a division.

• A bad title would be: Cost structure from 2005 to 2015.
• A good title would be: Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable”.
• A great title would be Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable due to ABC, assuming you have insights on that.

The rule of thumb is that if you read all the titles of the slides together you should get a clear idea of the message of the presentation.

C) Present the slides

When you present, I would suggest the following steps for each slide:

1. Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
2. Present the main message of the slide: “As you can see, we have a cost structure which makes unfeasible to be competitive in this market”
3. Provide details: “The graph, indeed, shows how our fix cost is XYZ, while competitors can benefit from economies of scale. Indeed…”

In terms of how to prepare, I do a session exactly on that.

Before the session, I can send you the data source to work on. We can then simulate the presentation during the class, reviewing step-by-step all the improvements needed.

Please feel free to message me in case you have any questions.

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

This is a written case. Given you have 24 hours you should absolutely have a strong presentation ready. The key here is to be direct/succinct, structured, and objective-driven in your response.

It's worth double checking whether you will only have a prompt (i.e. have to go get data/insights on your own) or whether you will be given charts/exhibits or wether you will be given data. There are 3 “types” of written cases so to speak, so it's good to know beforehand which type you'll get.

I recommend the following:

1. Remember that most casing tips apply here (i.e. be very clear+focused on the objective, ruthlessly cut out information that doesn't help you meet this objective/question, make sure to thinking + communicate in a structured way, etc. etc.)
2. Practice/simulate this as much as possible beforehand...getting a coach to help you run through scenarios + how to react in inevitably challenging moments will do a world of good.

I have a number of written cases I'd be more than happy to share with you! What I generally do with my candidates is, give them a written case x hours before our scheduled session (adjust # of hours based on the specific interview they're going to have), and then review their work during the session (as well as talk through tips+tricks to get better).

Other helpful Q&As

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/scenario-interview-presentation-prep-9325

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-practice-written-case-interviews-9199

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/case-interview-9228

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-practice-written-case-interviews-9199

Hello!

Thanks for all the details :). What you are describing is the classical written case. Written case interviews are indeed becoming very fashionable nowadays as a way to interview!

Remember that the skillset tested is the same than in the "usual" cases, hence, all the practice you may have done totally plays in your favor. 

One important point to add is the need to be very 80-20, structured and to the point, since the prep time is very short, so we need discipline with the analysis to have enaugh time to prep the communication strategy. 

There are many many entries in thsi same Q&A regarding written cases, hence, I would recommend you to look with the keywords "written case"

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi,

Have a look at this thread for plenty of tips on written case- https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/written-case-interview-prep-9412

Given you have plenty of time to complete the exercise, make sure your slides are slick, structured, answer the questions and have good balance of qualitative & quantitative detail. Call out assumptions clearly and dont over run the allocated presentation time.

If you need more help, feel free to send a direct message. I have helped many candidates get into BIG4 recently, and also the Supply Chain practice- which is also my area of expertise :).

Best