If you’re applying to a consulting firm, be ready to get acquainted with case interviews. Almost all consulting firms include the case interview as part of their recruitment process. In fact, it can play a huge role in deciding if you get the job. Even non-consulting firms are utilizing case interviews as part of their process so you don’t want to be blindsided. Let’s get into the basics of what to expect.
1. What Is a Case Interview?
In a case interview, your interviewer will present to you a series of hypotheticals with made up clients, situations, and business problems. The purpose of the case interview is for the interviewer to gain a sense of how you can interpret new data and information in a focused fashion, perform basic calculations, and solve complex problems in a structured manner. Typically, it is a one-on-one interview but group case interviews are not unheard of. You should note that some case interviews can be as short as 10 minutes while others can be as long as an hour. There are different levels of depth that each case interview may dive into. Some are simple estimation questions like “How many Starbucks are in NYC” while most present a fictional client experiencing some type of business problem.
2. How Should You Prepare?
The best way to prepare is to practice. While some people may just be naturally gifted at case interviews, the only way to ensure you’re ready is to do as many practice cases as possible. I would try to get familiar with case interviews a few months in advance of recruitment season and really ramp it up – doing a case a day – the month leading up to your first interview. You definitely don’t want to burn out from too many practice cases, but you want to feel confident that you can tackle any case thrown at you during a real interview.
It is beneficial to find a casing partner who is trying to recruit for consulting as well. This way, you can both practice case interviews more frequently and learn from one another’s mistakes while casing. When I first started, I was casing with people who were more experienced and had already gone through consulting recruitment. Eventually, I just felt like I was burdening them every time I asked to run through a practice case because they weren’t benefiting from giving me cases. In the end, I found two or three people that I would rotate in doing practice interviews with every week. I’ve heard of some people doing cases alone, but it really helps to simulate the situation with a casing partner.
3. What Should You Bring to a Case Interview?
Always bring pencil and paper to a case interview. I highly recommend that you bring a padfolio with a few copies of your resume as well. It’s always better to be more prepared. Most padfolios come with a notepad large enough to allow for you to jot down your thoughts during a case interview. During my recruitment process, I found that Moleskin notebooks or anything of that size were a bit too small for my liking. Some interviews will provide you with a notepad and pen for the interview, but don’t bank on it. It is always better to be overprepared and will help you make a good impression with your interviewers.
4. What Should You Do a Week Before?
My best recommendation is to simply relax in the days leading up to your big interview. Brush up on some of your behavioral questions and make sure you are ready to answer any of the commonly asked questions. The morning of your interview, don’t be cramming in any last-minute information. I remember doing that for my first case interview and it just made me even more nervous. Take a deep breath and understand that all of your hard work will pay off!
Emily Ma is a recent graduate of the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University where she specialized in marketing and business analytics.
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