What to expect from Bain round 2 interviews?

Question

Hello everyone, what should I expect from Bain round2 interviews?

Experiences in the Middle East or in France preferred, thanks

Answer 1

Hi Anonymous,

the structure of the final round is the same as the first one (fit + case+ your questions); however, there is far more emphasis on communication and fit.

Specifically, the main difference you will find in a final round with partners is that at that stage they:

spend more time on fit questions and your alignment with the company
check more closely your communication (eg how you react to challenging questions)
may not have a “proper” structured case to present – during my final at BCG I had one interview which was made by two market sizing questions and a brainteaser, without any business case, while during my final at Bain I only had market sizing questions. That's because at the final round partners know you can structure and crack a case (you passed 1 or 2 rounds already) and are more interested in your logic, personality and fit with the company

So in order to prepare I would concentrate on:

Review in details your fit stories – they will matter more than in the first round. In some finals I had almost exclusively behavioral questions
Work on your communication (reaction under pressure, how to gain time when you do not have a structure ready, connect with the interviewer, etc). This is something you can test almost exclusively in p2p mocks with peers/experts.
Prepare on cases as you did for the first round. More market sizing practice could be useful to think out of the box if you get unusual questions.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

I disagree with the other experts here. Second round interviews at Bain are not inherintly more difficult than 1st round interviews. However, they are often a bit less structured. Assume that a senior partner has given houndreds of interviews. At one point, people usually stop applying a strict structure to the case and come in with printed hand-outs that they will give you.

Interviews with very senior consultants are often more of an interlectual conversation around the case, rather than the very fomalized structure junior interviewers apply. But that must not fool you: You should apply the same way of structuring your way through the case and always make sure to communicate in a very structured and pointed way, even if the interviewer pushes the conversation more into a brainstorming, rather than a typical case interview.

Answer 3

Hi,

Everything is the same compared to round 1. The only difference is the higher difficulty since your interviewers will be more senior.

Besd

Answer 4

Hi A,

The structure of 2nd round interviews is similar to round 1. However, the final round is always tougher so you should prepare anything else you had not for the first round.

In general, you should practice more with fit questions and prepare on all possible cases so you develop quick thinking and don't get stuck by an unexpected question.

Best, Andre

Answer 5

Hello A,
The thing is that your behavior in the 1-st round interview is crucial when having the second one, so the areas which needed to be improved in the 1-st round will be tested in the 2-nd.
However, the interviewers are there to help you, though it may seem on the contrary, as the 2-nd round is more creative and structured, yet selective. You still need to be well-prepared for working out the cases.

Do you need any help with that?

GM