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If you are planning on landing a job or internship with a consulting firm, you will have to be effective at addressing case interview questions.
Case interviewing is most commonly used by management consulting firms to assess your problem-solving and analytical skills and potential for a consulting position. This style of interviewing gives you a chance to demonstrate your ability to work through business cases similar to those you might face as a consultant.
A case question typically lasts thirty minutes in length depending on the interviewing environment and organization. Cases are usually scenario-based problem solving activities designed to uncover competencies along various dimensions. Your case interviewing performance will be determined by how effectively you demonstrate these skills and competencies in the interview.
DEMONSTRATING YOUR SKILLS IN THE CASE INTERVIEW
Those who demonstrate evidence of the skills/competencies listed below will have greater success during the case interview process.
- Logical/analytical thought process
- Business insight
- Leadership/confidence
- Quantitative skills
- Creativity/inquisitiveness
- Practical judgment/decisiveness
- Communication/listening skills
- Response to pressure or lack of information
- Industry and firm “fit”
TYPES OF CASE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
While various firms use different approaches to the case interview, there are some common practices and types of questions. Common types of case questions include market sizing questions, problems based on hypothetical scenarios, or more often, problems based on actual experiences with company clients. Brain teasers are the least common type of case question.
QUESTION TYPE |
PURPOSE |
EXAMPLE |
Market Sizing |
Challenges you to determine the size of a particular problem or the quantity of certain products. Measures quantitative skills and ability to think on your feet. |
How many golf balls were sold in the United States last year? |
Hypothetical Business Case |
Measures numerous skills/competencies: problem-solving, logical reasoning, communication, resourcefulness, creativity, response to pressure/lack of information, interpersonal skills, judgment, and business insight. |
An automobile company finds its revenues at an all time high, but the company is still operating at a loss. What is happening? |
Actual Business Case |
Measures numerous skills/competencies: problem-solving, logical reasoning, communication, resourcefulness, creativity, response to pressure/lack of information, interpersonal skills, judgment, and business insight. |
Your interviewer has been working with an automobile maker for the last six months on establishing long term company objectives for their line of sport utility vehicles. Based on intimate knowledge of the actual case, the interviewer leads you through a discussion of some aspect of the actual client project. |
Brain Teaser (logic questions) |
Measures creativity, quantitative and problem-solving skills |
How many Ping-Pong balls can you stuff into a Boeing 747? |
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FOUR PARTS OF A CASE
The goal in answering case questions is to demonstrate your problem solving abilities. You are not expected to arrive at the correct answer, as often there is no correct answer. Rather, the interviewer wants to observe the process you use to tackle a problem. Think about a case interview consisting of four distinct parts:
1) Information Gathering
- Listen carefully and absorb all of the information provided
- Clarify anything you don't understand
- Jot down notes to refer back to for future reference
- Ask thoughtful, probing/clarifying questions
2) Organizing Your Analysis
- Explain the logic behind your responses to provide a glimpse into your thought process
- Avoid burying your nose in your notes and ignoring the interviewer
- Be comfortable taking some time to think about your response - a little silence is OK!
- Will using frameworks help in this case?
- Avoid blindly applying frameworks - although frameworks can be helpful in the right situations, don't force the problem into a framework
- Don't hesitate to use diagrams and flowcharts to structure your thoughts as they can help to better organize and communicate your answer
3) Addressing the Problem
- Make sure to work through your answer out loud so the interviewer can get a better sense of your analytical skills and thought process
- Making assumptions is acceptable as long as you explain your reasoning
- Continue to refer back to the facts provided
- Take your time and use language that is clear and simple
- Watch for hints from the interviewer - they will often guide you in the right direction
4) Closing the Case
- Be sure to summarize your analysis
- Try to be persuasive and clear in your closing
- Always make a decision or reach a conclusion
- If you have not arrived at a solution, then share possible solutions and next steps
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HOW TO PREPARE FOR A CASE INTERVIEW
1. Become familiar with business frameworks, which can help you structure your thought process. Some commonly used frameworks include:
- Porter’s 5 Forces helps determine the attractiveness of an industry and should be used to determine if a company should enter or exit a particular market. Consider the five following areas: Barriers to Entry, Bargaining Power of Buyers, Bargaining Power of Suppliers, Availability of Substitute Products, Level of Competition among Firms
- 4 C’s are used for marketing cases and should be used to analyze new product introductions. Consider the following areas: Customers, Competition, Cost, Capabilities
- 4 P’s is also useful for marketing cases and can be applied to both products and services: Product, Price, Place, Promotion
- SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
- Profit function is helpful in determining why a company’s profit might be decreasing or increasing. Look at each part of the profit function for analysis. Profit = Revenue – Costs: revenue is a function of price and volume; costs can be divided into fixed and variable components
- Note: Frameworks may or may not be appropriate for the case you are given. Be careful not to force a framework onto the problem. However, a general understanding of the various frameworks will help you address appropriate issues within the case.
- Note: It’s not necessary to tell your interviewer if you’re using a framework because they will recognize it. Just decide in your head and apply it!
.In the event that a Guesstimate or Market Sizing question is given during the Case Interview, it’s vital that you memorize some basic numbers that will help you to arrive at a final number/answer:
- United States population can be rounded in a case to 300 Million
- 100 Million households in US with average of 3 people per household
- US birth rate is 14%
- US death rate is 8.5%
- Population of: Illinois 13 Million (Chicago 3 Million); New York 19 Million (New York City 9 Million); California 35 Million (Los Angeles 4 Million)
- Canada’s population is approximately 1/10 that of the US, or 30 Million
2. Research and practice case interviewing in order to become more familiar with the process. Case examples are available at various consulting firm web sites, including The Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Co
3. Many consulting firms offer case interview workshop throughout the year. Check CareerCat regularly to access the schedule. Keep in mind that many require an RSVP.
4. Finally, gather a group of people planning to interview with consulting firms and run through possible approaches to sample cases. Case interviewing can be intimidating at first, but with a little research and practice, you'll be well on your way to "cracking" your next case. Good luck!
UCS Resources
- Consulting interviews : ace your case! By WetFeet (accessible via Main Library)
- Consulting interviews : 15 questions by WetFeet (accessible via Main Library)
- Reports guide to the case interviews by Vault (accessible via Main Library)
- Vault case interview practice guide by Vault (accessible via Main Library)
- Case Interview Videos (UCS library)
- Employer Case Workshops
- Check CareerCat’s online workshop schedule
Other Resources
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