What is the structure of BCG interviews in Europe?

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, while I am very happy to provide an answer to this, in order to be certain, I would highly advise you to reach out to the BCG recruiter directly, in case he/she hasn't already told you about the format of your upcoming interviews.
• While there is a little bit of variation across countries (not just in Europe), you can expect to have 2 interviews per interview round, each interview containing both a case study and personal fit questions.
• In the first interview round, you may occasionally be interviewed by Consultants, but other than that, it will be Project Leaders or Principals. In the second interview round, you will solely be interviewed by (Senior) Partners.
• You will always have just one interviewer, but occasionally, there might be an observer in the video call/room who is learning from the interviewer.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

There are some local deviations, generally, this is what you have to expect:

• The interviews are always one-to-one, and usually consist of a fit interview and a case in each
• You will likely have 2 rounds with 2 interviews each (maybe a 3rd interview in the second round)
• Initial rounds can be consultant, project leader level, 2nd round is usually principal & partner level

Cheers,

Florian

Hi,

Which office are you interviewing for?

In BCG, you can expect that interviews will typically be along the following lines:

1. 1 interview will last 45mins long
   • This will consist of both Fit/Behavioural, as well as Case
   • The interviewer will fill up a form that assess you on both Fit/Behavioural and Case dimensions
2. Typically interviewers are at least Project Leader level. You may get Project Leaders in the first round, or you may also get Principals
3. In the second round or final round, at least one of the interviewers should be a Managing Director & Partner (MDP; equity partner), however sometimes they also get a Partner to do one of the rounds
4. How many interviews you have in each round → this one really depends on the office and region

Hope this helps and all the best!

Hi,

happy to provide my insights on the interview process and structure at BCG in Europe.

• The general structure are interviews across two days, the first and second round. Both have the same structure with two interviews each, split in (1) case, (2) personal fit and (3) Q&A
• The people you will talk to depend on the entry level you are applying for. If you apply as Associate or Consultant, you can expect to meet Consultant level and/or Project Leader in the first round and Project Leader and/or Principal in the second round. You might meet a Partner as well in a last step.

This general structure is adapted to some extent depending on the country you are applying in. So best reach out to local HR, they will be happy to provide more country-specific information on this.

For Germany I can add the following:

• In the first round you will also need to do an online test. This test is basically an online case that you do on-site at a laptop. It is difficult to prepare for this but I would advise to prioritize time and finishing over the pondering about the right answer for a question for too long.
• In the second round you will also take part in what is called “BCG real life”. This is a method where you are simulating several small real life situations as a consultant, each lasting for around 10 min. Examples are: Standing in the elevator with the client asking for the current status of the case, taking a taxi ride with a partner asking for next steps and recommendation on the case, a client not willing to cooperate, etc.

I hope this helped to give you an idea. Please reach out if you have questions around this.

Best

Marvin

Hi, 

there are significant variations across different European offices, so would be great if you can specify location.

How many per round? Usually 2-3. In some offices, they replaced one R1 interview with the chatbot test.

How many in total? Between 3 and 5 normally. Sometimes they add a “3rd Look” interview if they're undecided on your performance in a given round.

What seniority? Depends a lot on the office. In R1, can be Consultants or higher (typically no MDP though) - the view that it's only Project Leader (PL) upwards is inaccurate for Europe. In R2, PL minimum, usually Principal to MDP level, but depends on the interviewer availability.

Format? 1on1 interviews 

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to enquire about a specific office.

Regards, Andi

Hello,

Here are my thoughts:

1) It depends on the exact office you are recruiting for. Best to double check with the recruiter on the process.

2) Typically there are 2 interviews in each round, with both case and fit being tested in each interview.

3) It is usually one-on-one interviews

4) First rounds are typically with Project Leaders, Second rounds with Principals/Partners

Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out to me if you need any practice with your interviews.

Best,

Rushabh 

Hi there, 

That's a fair questions to ask. Let me take your points one by one:

How many behavioural/case interviews can you expect to get during each round, and how many people will you interview with over the whole process? 

The interviews are 1-on-1. You will most likely have 2 rounds with two interview in each.

What level will these people be at each stage of the process? 

For the first round, you will have consultants up until project leader in seniority. For the final round you have from project leader upwards.

Will you get interviewed by several people at the same time or is it always one-on-one?

Always 1-on-1. You won't have the same person multiple times. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

Do be careful any time you get into the realm of trying to predict things.

That said, you should expect four total cases. 1 case per interviewer essentially and almost always one on one.

You will get a range of consultant, project lead, principal, and partner.

Here's some more reading: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation