The right path to develop perfect case-solving competence over the next few years

Hi Philipp,

Great that you approach this challenge strategically.

I am happy to help:

1. Given that I have little to no experience with cases, I especially wanted to ask what you would recommend in terms of learning all the basic knowledge needed to start practicing cases - Cheng, Cosentino, PrepLounge Beginner Course…? - Also would you recomend to put together a personal collection of the most relevant theory in form of a summary / notion etc?
-→ I would suggest studying CraftingCases and “The 1%” from Florian Smeritschnig. 
-→ It is a great idea to take notes of your learning in whatever way is productive for you.
-→ Try joining case study courses, e.g. case.study.course Cologne whom I have met at an event, to find a cohort and learn cases within a workshop context.
 

2. Once I've learned the basics, can I just focus on practicing, or will I need to come back to learn additional theory later on?
-→ It is not about additional theory. But through practice you will find out which skills you need to refine. You should then, potentially by revisiting theory, deepen your understanding of these skills and practice them with drills.
 

3. What general plan would you recommend for optimizing the development of my case-solving skills over the next few years?
-→ See point 1. Do not over-do it, you can effectively prepare for case interviews in a couple of months and should make sure not to set a wrong focus. The best casing skills are not helpful if you are not invited in the first place. So try to make sure the rest of your CV stands out and do not sacrifice CV potential for casing potential. Also, use uni events to network with consultants in order to help with future referals.

Hope these points were helpful!

Best,
Gero

Hi there,

1+2+3. As a starting point, find a different book than Case in Point. It does not teach you anything that is relevant for case interviews in 2024 and has been written by a career advisor/industry outsider who has never even worked in consulting. Cases have become much more granular and problem-solving oriented to approach them through the lense of a cookie cutter. (Victor Cheng's is better or mine, which I published last year and it is the highest-rated case book on Amazon). 

Once you have the basics, you need solid practice materials and drills. Uni case books alone usually do not cut it. I would invest in either courses or drill programs or if you can work with a coach to fine-tune your skills.

Also, when starting you should go through full cases but learn individual skills first in bulk (e.g., work for 2 hours just on structuring, then 2 hours on math, 2 hours on charts, etc.). This is a way more effective way of learning and internalizing the relevant skills (steps, communication, thinking technique) for every part of the case.

Once that runs on autopilot, you can start working on full cases and with others.

I am attaching a picture from a recent presentation I gave.

One thing to keep in mind for you is that your time horizon is very long.

You don't want to exert yourself too much here either. Rather, spread it over a few hours every two weeks or so. This builds a strong baseline.

If you have worked a bit on your own and the interviews are coming closer, think about 1-3 calibration sessions with a good coach.

Reach out if you have more questions!

Cheers,

Florian

Hi Philipp, 

Looks like you are in an excellent position to be practicing for case studies. Your approach sounds fine, you can't go too wrong with that … 

… though there is a small risk to overdo it. Like learning too many frameworks, reading too many cases and books that you get too stuck in the theoretical phase. 

Given that your prep journey is a long one, I would strongly suggest to find a bit of fun in it as well. Some ideas: 

1. Participate in case study competitions. Nothing beats the actual excitement of a live team solving a problem. It will also give you great stuff to talk about during your interviews
2. Get involved in consulting student clubs. At some point it will be very motivating (and a great learning experience) to also support others do cases. The beauty of consulting is that you are not per se competing with your peers. 
3. “Gamify” your learning. For example, you can keep a very detailed track record of all the feedback you receive and make a goal of never getting the same improvement areas twice! 

Might seem like trivial things, but I think they will keep you engaged and motivated in the long run. 

Good luck and enjoy the process! Cases can be a lot of fun. 
Ariadna 

Q1: Starting material

• Since you have ample time - I recommend to explore the entire variety of material you suggest, and is included in other answers. And most importantly, also explore free resources on YouTube among others.
• I see reason in reading different sources to experience how different authors see casing. This helps in developing a multi-faceted perspective on casing since there isn't a fixed accredited curriculum for casing, nor is there a standardized testing mechanism except the interview.

Q2: Additional Theory

• There is very little by way of theory. In fact, I feel that most of the casing learnings can compress into a masterclass. But that would make sense only after you have gone about exploring various other knowledge sources in the first place.
• Once you have explored other sources adequately - let us reconnect to discuss holding the masterclass. This will consolidate all your learning and sharpen your progress going forward.

Q3: Multi-year improvement

• A case a week. Then peeling it apart and looking at it from different angles.

However:

Having said all of the above - I would say that “case solving” is perhaps not even 20% of what goes into a good case-interview performance. You have your profile, your answers, your interview personality, among others. So make sure you give adequate importance to all those other aspects of a case interview and not get too swayed and distracted by “just” cases.

Philipp, 

I see you received lots of useful answers already to get you on the right path.

One point to add - I'd emphasize organically learning from doing cases rather than boiling the ocean by reading business publications. 

Starting by actually practicing cases will help you identify what are actually the loopholes in your knowledge and then you can be more targeted about addressing them.

Best,
Cristian