I'm interviewing for the client consulting VCA team. The interview will be a 45 min case study, where I am likely to be tested on real-life client issues to test consulting skills, as well as, technical knowledge of the payments sector. Cases are likely to be smth like this:
Bank X has seen a decrease in payments made over their premium cards in the past 5 months, why?
How can I prepare for this, and where can I find good material to practice ?
Hi there!
In order for you to prepare for the case interview, you should learn how to tackle the different parts of it and the general approach to the case.
The different parts:
1. Structuring the problem (creating frameworks to provide a MECE way to tackle the problem)
2. Case math / chart interpretation (every case has at least one math element)
3. Brainstorm (generate ideas)
4. Synthesis and next steps
General approach (parallel to the points above):
1. How to open a case properly, make the correct questions to identify the problem to be solved and build the right structure
2. How to approach math in an organized way so you not only get to the right numbers, but also to the right insights
3. How to structure your ideas and prioritize next steps
4. How to constantly get back to the case problem, making sure you’re solving it
All of this should be done with a structured and objective communication.
📕 You can find materials to the different points online (YouTube and paid courses, just google “case interview course” or “case interview” + the different parts of it). I highly recommend to hire a coach for you to understand where you are compared to an ideal state, strengths and opportunities of improvement so you can study smart and increase significantly your chances of success.
If you have additional questions, feel free to DM me, I’ll be happy to help!
Best,
Mari
Hey!
Your preparation should focus on strengthening both your case-solving framework and industry-specific knowledge. Start by reaching out to people who have interviewed for similar roles at Visa to gain insights into their experiences. Brush up on general case-solving techniques by practicing structuring, hypothesis-driven problem-solving, and mental math. Given the payments focus, review banking and payments-related cases, such as transaction trends, customer segmentation, and competitive benchmarking. For resources, consulting club casebooks from top business schools and industry reports from sources like McKinsey, BCG, and Visa’s own publications can be very helpful. Also, don’t forget to prepare strong personal fit answers to highlight your consulting mindset and technical acumen. Let me know if you need more guidance!
Alessa
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