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Case Interview 101 Guide

No one ends up in Consulting, accidently.

All consulting interviews are made up of two sections, the fit interview section and the case solving section. The fit interview section usually covers a conversation including questions about your resume, motivations to become a consultant or join a certain firm, strengths, experiences working in teams, and other possible work scenarios. We would suggest candidates book a fit interview practice session with the Office of Career Services at Fletcher for comprehensive training before interviews.

The case portion of the interview consists of the interviewer presenting a complex problem, usually one that the consultants of the firms have faced themselves, hence it is pertinent to be familiar with the projects and the specialty of the firm. Interviewees are expected to logically, creatively, and in a structured manner describe and break down the problem into smaller problems and develop an approach to solve the smaller problems. The final deliverable is usually the candidate’s recommendation on the overall problem based on the solutions of these smaller problems. This process tests the interviewee’s problem-solving skills, and the ability to present logical arguments and hypotheses.

Undoubtedly, consulting jobs are extremely competitive and difficult to land. Like every other skill in the world, case solving requires consistent practice. The following courses and books can help you get started on how to approach and solve cases.

  1. Understanding Case Interview Structure and Frameworks –
    • Case in Point – Marc P. Cosentino – Provides a step-by-step approach to breaking down cases along with some basic frameworks to think through business problems. An e-copy is available in the Case Library.
    • Case Interview Secrets – Victor Cheng – Similar to Case in Point but with additional insights on consulting life from the author who is an ex-McKinsey. An e-copy is available in the Case Library.
    • Crafting Cases – Bruno and Julio (ex McKinsey and Bain) have created a free online course to build on Case in Point and Case Interview Secrets to provide a mode of thinking to build frameworks from first principles independently. https://www.craftingcases.com/
    • Case Interviews Cracked – Great resource for understanding the flow of case solving with 32 solved cases as examples. An e-copy is available in the Case Library.
  1. Casebooks for solving cases with self and peers – There are numerous casebooks from Business Schools across the world which contain cases tackling multiple business scenarios. They also include interesting tidbits on Industry Trends and Interview Formats, all of which are essential to successful case solving. E-copies are available in the Case Library.
  2. FastMath Crack the Case: https://www.fastmath.net/ace-the-case/ Mental math preparation is critical for Case Interview preparation since there are no calculators /Excel allowed in a typical interview. This resource provides exercises to sharpen estimation and other quantitative skills.
  3. McKinsey Problem Solving Test Practice Test A: An alternative to FastMath, Practice Test A provides examples of qualifying tests to qualify for the case interviews. This includes cases in small chunks, which can help develop the consulting mindset/way of thinking. An e-copy is available in the Case Library.
  4. PrepLounge: https://www.preplounge.com/en A great platform that will enable you to find a community of committed consulting aspirants for peer practice.
  5. Video Playlist for a Case Interview run-through: While YouTube is a treasure trove of mock interview videos, the following playlists provide a quick and easy run-through of the case interview formats and some basic frameworks.

 

Some additional useful links are: