Round 1 and two interviews and casing

Hi there,

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

• First of all, I think you're confusing the terms "interview" and "round". An interview round typically consists of several interviews. Within each interview, you typically have only one case study, if any, but within an interview round, you typically have more than one.
• Moreover, both the consulting firms' websites and several threads in this forum describe the application processes in detail, and I would advise you to take a look there.

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 pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hello, I think it's important to differentiate a "Round" and an "Interview" for things to be clearer for you ! 

-> An interview is one session with one interviewer — usually with one case (extremely rare to have 2 cases).

-> A round is a group of interviews at the same stage. For example, Round 1 might have 2 interviews = 2 cases. Round 2 might have 2 or 3 interviews. The specificity of a "round" is that the decision to move you through or not is only taken after all the interviews of the round are done.

So yes — you could have 2 cases in R1 and another 2 in R2, but that’s because each interview usually includes a case.

I hope this clarifies it ! 

Hi there,

It depends on the firm, but typically, each interview consists of one case and some fit questions. So if you have two interviews per round, you’ll usually do two cases per round—one in each interview.

For MBB and most strategy firms:
    •    Round 1: Usually two separate interviews, each with one case and some fit questions.
    •    Round 2 (Final Round): Again, typically two interviews, but some firms may do three. Cases tend to be more complex, with greater focus on problem-solving under pressure and fit discussions.

Some firms (especially Tier 2) occasionally include two cases in a single interview, for example EY-Parthenon does. If you’re unsure, checking with HR or past candidates at your target firm is a good idea.

Please let me know if I could help any further.

Best,

Evelina

Hello there,

Each round will have 2-3 interviews, and each interview will have 1 case interview + behavioral interview in a 45-60min session. Don’t underestimate the behavioral interview BTW, as it has the same weight of the case one :)

Best,

Mari

Hi, 

Usually there is only 1 case per interview. What often happens is there would be 2 interviews in R1, and therefore in total there would be 2 cases. Similar for R2 - 2 interviews with 1 case each. 

In some rare cases there might be a 3rd interview in a particular round to break the tie if 2 interviewers couldn't align. 

For more senior roles (manager and above), there might be R3 but it shouldn't concern you. 

Best,

Emily

Hello there,

Across MBB and T2 consulting firms, the standard interview format typically includes one case per interview. It usually begins with a fit/behavioral discussion, followed by the case, and ends with time for you to ask questions.

Hope this helps!

Hi there,

Q: I am wondering how many cases are done in an interview?

Normally, you get one case for each interview. However, you might occasionally receive multiple unrelated case questions within the same interview. For example, in one of my BCG final interviews, I was given three unrelated questions in the same interview.

In terms of interviews, the exact number depends on the firm, but usually you have 2 interviews in the first round and 2-3 in the final one.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hey there 😊

Yes, you're totally right to clarify that—it really depends on the firm! Usually, for MBB:

👉🏼 McKinsey: R1 and R2 are typically one case per interview, but you'll usually have 2 interviews per round. So 2 interviews = 2 cases per round.

👉🏼 BCG and Bain: They often do two short cases in one interview, especially in Round 1. So you might get 2 cases in one 45–60min session, then another 1–2 in the second session = 3–4 cases total per round.

Some firms also blend case + fit questions more heavily than others, so it's good to expect both elements in each interview 😊

Let me know which firm you’re applying for, and I can tell you exactly what to expect 💬

Best,
Alessa 🌼

Hi there,

• Usually 2-3 interviews per round
• Each interview with fit and case interview

Cheers,

Florian

You don't get 2 cases in an interview. 

What you get is 2 interviews in a round (sometimes 3), each with one case.

So the final sentence is correct, you get 2 cases per round, but not 2 cases with the same interviewer

Hi!

You've already received sound advice, but I do want to add that you should take your FIT/PEI/behavioural interview just as seriously as the numerical case interview.

McKinsey in particular emphasizes fit because, at the end of the day, you're going to be working closely with your team for long hours in a highly pressurized environment.

Happy to chat and good luck!