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Is it more likely to get valuation cases if you have a finance background?

Hi everybody,

I have studied Finance and Investment in my masters and went then on to work in consulting with a focus on finance/IT. I have an upcoming interview at BCG and was wondering whether because of that it is more likely that I will get cases or questions that focus on valuation of a company (or finance in general, so more math-based). Or are cases assigned randomly without any regard to the candidate's background?

Thanks for your answers!

Milan

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Top answer
on Jan 21, 2018
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Milan,

I agree with the previous comments:

  1. Cases are not usually given based on your previous knowledge. If personalization is done, is actually done on the areas you are supposed to lack, as mentioned by Hemant
  2. Your previous knowledge comes to play only in terms of expectation so far that you touch topics you should familiar (in your case: finance/IT). In case that happens (there is no guarantee) there will be less margin of error.

As additional point, in terms of valuation you can find most the necessary information for a review at the following link:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/case-net-present-value-calculations-325

Best,

Francesco

Anonymous
on Jan 20, 2018

Not in BCG NAR nor in BCG EMEA unless you are applying as an experience candidate/lateral hire to work within CD practice. That said you might get a couple of off-case questions about financial knowledge (rare but might occur). If interviewer regular case is a valuation case and s/he noticed your background there might be an expectation on familiarity with valuation methods and ability to calculate financial metrics (e.g. FCF) without too much assistance.

hope it helps,

andrea 

4
Anonymous
on Jan 21, 2018

Short answer: No.

Long answer: typically they expect you to be good at valuations, so they'll test for other things. The stereotype for finance folks is that they are too numbers focused, so make sure your stories keep a human touch and while solving cases that may lead to layoffs, make sure to focus on the soft aspects (e.g. smooth workforce transition and retraining etc).

2
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