OC&C Case Interviews

Hi there,

Keep in mind that OC&C interviews can be quite creative based on my own experience and some of my clients' experiences.

For instance, instead of getting a case prompt back in the day when I was interviewing with them, the interviewer asked me to create my own case:

1. "Think about a business in your street."
2. "Now estimate their profit."
3. "Now help them to increase their profit."

Was a fun and long case.

Other than that, they also do more normal cases. Everything else needed to prep for the interviews is the same as well. 

See below: 

• The key reason why candidates fail their case interviews and don't improve with practice is because they never learn the right approach and techniques to begin with. They might go through 30-40 cases, just repeating the same mistakes over and over again. There is often no strong baseline.

• So even if your timeline is compressed, make sure you understand and learn the basics for each part of the case (structuring, charts, math), which is

  • A replicable step-by-step for each part of the case interview

  • The right thinking techniques around the individual parts (e.g., what's a framework, what is evaluated, how can I ensure I think about it the correct way, what are some shortcuts to get to the answer quickly, etc.)

  • Simple communication templates to help you communicate your insights as well as ask for data in the right way to drive the case forward

• There are several approaches you can take, such as hiring a skilled coach, reading the right materials, or enrolling in relevant courses. For example, while some chatbots may suggest a list of books, my book, The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview, provides direct guidance tailored to modern case interviews. It covers all the essential points mentioned here, and more, while also offering a detailed preparation plan. You can find it on Amazon

• Avoid generic advice and framework memorization approaches. This will only hurt your performance and waste a ton of time (why -> check out the first post here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-goodrelevant-is-the-case-in-point-book-for-case-prep-1984)

• Once you have that baseline it's time to practice and internalize the skills to create the right profile, polishing your strengths and lifting your weaknesses to a robust-enough level

• Practice drills alone (structure, chart, math) and practice full cases with other excellent candidates that know the right habits and approach. It is crucial that you are practicing with really good peers, otherwise, it's a waste of time. Practicing drills on your own is a huge effectivity and efficiency booster since you can go over many more questions in a shorter amount of time compared to practicing with peers. Do both in parallel! You want to spend your time where it is most useful, e.g., if you struggle with math focus on math drills, etc.

• Focus on quality over quantity. Doing 50+ cases does not mean much if you are not applying the right habits to score high and do a detailed debrief after every case to improve. You want to move from bad to good for your weaknesses and good to great for your strengths --> use the feedback from your previous experience and tailor your prep accordingly

• Consider booking at least an initial coaching session to get a detailed and objective evaluation of your performance + learn the right habits for every case regardless of context and framework + get a tailored preparation plan out of the session that will set you up for an effective and efficient prep.

• Don't forget the fit interview part. Prepare answers for all the typical fit questions and stories (3-5 hours) and rehearse them a couple of times (5 hours)

All the best,

Florian

Prepare for two rounds of interviews, typically consisting of two interviews per round. Each interview generally includes a fit component and a case component. OC&C cases often focus on growth or commercial strategy topics.

Best,

Alberto

OC&C specializes in top-line growth strategies, helping clients deeply understand market dynamics, customer behavior, and competitive positioning. As a result, their interviews often feature strategy-focused case studies.

The interview process typically consists of two rounds:

• Round 1 (R1): Two 30-minute case interviews with managers.
• Round 2 (R2): Two additional case interviews conducted by partners or associate partners.

Prepare for highly analytical and strategy-driven discussions in both rounds.

Best of luck

In addition to the great advice above, you should expect a market-sizing component in these interviews. I've been coaching recent OC&C candidates in London and would be happy to provide insights into what we've seen in interview rounds in the last 1-2 months.