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I had my online zoom fit interview with a BCGer as part of the first round. During the first question, the interviewer deliberately asked me 4-5 follow-up questions from the story. They were genuine questions but also felt somewhat deliberate. Is that normal or common?

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Peter
Coach
on Sep 05, 2024
Ex-McKinsey Engagement Manager; 18/20 personal case record; ask me for my free cheat-sheet

Hi

Yes your intuition is correct - it is deliberate and common to ask several probing questions around your prepared stories, usually for 2 simple reasons:

  1. They want to test whether your story is in fact genuine (and not 'creatively constructed')
  2. They want to 'get under the hood' to understand the context / situation in more detail, exactly what you did, what obstacles you might have had to overcome, and the outcomes you were able to achieve

It's important to remain poised and structured in your responses, whilst ensuring the conversation remains organic and not too mechanical / pre-prepared.

Good luck for the remainder of the process!

Rebecca
Coach
on Sep 06, 2024
BCG| Ex-Oliver Wyman| 7 years consulting experience

Hi there, 

This is totally normal! Usually the follow-up questions are to: 

  1. During the BCG fit interview we are genuinely trying to get to know you!
  2. Deep dive into something you said that was interesting or impressive
  3. Test the validity of something you have said / how much involvement you might have had in a certain experience 
on Sep 06, 2024
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

Yes this is normal and common. As an interviewer, I wasn't just interested in hearing you regurgitate a story to check a box. I asked follow up questions because i wanted to:

  • Find out more about your thought process
  • Clarify a certain thread/logic which maybe was not as clear
  • Find out more about a certain thread/logic that was interesting to me

All the best!

Florian
Coach
on Sep 06, 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 500+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

Completely normal as they want to learn more about the situation, your actions, behaviors, thoughts, etc.


All the best!

Florian

Hagen
Coach
on Oct 08, 2024
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | most experience in consulting, interviewing, and coaching

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with BCG thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

  • It's normal for interviewers to ask follow-up questions in the personal fit part of the interview, especially if an answer wasn’t thorough.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

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

Best,

Hagen

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