Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview
Question merged
This question is read-only because it has been merged with
Clarifying questions

How to ask open questions

Hi there,

It's my first post at PL, really excited to get thoughts from such a helpful society.

Recently after I had several mock cases with partners where the cases are real interiew cases at BCG China rather than those on casebooks, I am confused about raising open questions:

1. I understand the function of open questions is narrowing down the case scope into 1-2 major areas. After hearing the case background, how many open questions (or how many minutes )should I ask before I start drawing my structure?

2. What kind of open questions are deemed to be really "sharp" and helpful? Does the answer to this question change by the case topic (Profitability, M&A, Market Entry, etc.)?

Cheers,

Jerry Zhang

2 Answers
5.0k Views
0
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
Anonymous
on Feb 16, 2017

Hi Jiesheng,

I guess you mean questions to the interviewer after he/she presented the case setting.

In general, these questions should be very focused on defining the scope of the case. As a rule-of-thumb, I would not recommend asking more than 2-3 questions / 1-2 minutes.

In my experience, the most common mistakes that candidates make during this phase are

  1. Not being focused on the case setting just described
  2. Going into detail at this stage already
  3. Not asking (the right) questions

Hope that helps!

8
on Feb 22, 2017
Hi Chris! Thanks for the reply! I am curious about the 3rd point you've mentioned: What kind of questions are THE RIGHT QUESTIONS? Could you pls elaborate a little bit more?
Anonymous C
on Feb 16, 2017

Hey Jerry.

Sorry that I am not answering your questions, I just wonder what type of BCG cases you had?could you share it with me?erkelicious777@gmail.com

0
Similar Questions
Consulting
When should I expect to hear back from BCG London?
on Mar 05, 2024
Global
7 Answers
2.6k Views
Top answer by
Dennis
Coach
108
7 Answers
2.6k Views
+4
Consulting
BCG Online Case
on May 22, 2024
Global
10 Answers
4.1k Views
Top answer by
Nick
Coach
180
10 Answers
4.1k Views
+7
Consulting
How to prep 1st round of interviews with BCG in less than 1 week?
on Jul 29, 2024
Global
9 Answers
4.4k Views
Top answer by
Tiago
Coach
254
9 Answers
4.4k Views
+6
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
You are a true consultant! Thank you for consulting us on how to make PrepLounge even better!