Case Interviews for Consulting Roles

If you’re interested in a consulting position after graduation, be prepared to tackle a case interview during the hiring process. If you’re not sure what a case interview consists of, or how you can best prepare, look no further! ECS has compiled advice from two alumni who have firsthand knowledge of the process.

Jeff Barkas graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering and works for McKinsey & Company. He is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

George Valcarcel graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering and currently works for McKinsey & Company.

What does a case interview entail?

Jeff: A typical consulting case consists of two parts: the personal experience portion (i.e., a detailed discussion of your resume) and the business case. Each part lasts ~25 minutes with time for questions at the end. The business case typically can range in topic from how to improve profitability to preparing for a merger between two companies. Each case includes a couple qualitative questions (e.g., what are the drivers of revenue?) and a couple quantitative questions (e.g., what is the sales volume needed to break even?).

George: Case interviews involve a candidate working through a hypothetical business scenario mimicking what consulting teams tackle in day to day projects. While the industry and function may vary from interview to interview (e.g. consumer packaged goods supply chain, then automotive marketing and sales), the problem solving approach and skillsets being assessed remain the same. Engineers have the opportunity to apply their training in analytical problem solving methods – whether in circuits, dynamics, or transport – to framing and solving the business problem. Don’t forget that consulting is a people-oriented field, so you are expected to communicate all aspects of your thought process to your interviewer (who acts as the client) in a clear and concise manner.

The case interview boils down to:

1. Breaking down a large and ambiguous problem into discrete component issues
2. Generating hypotheses on the underlying causes / most prevalent issue(s), which can be tested using data
3. Analyzing relevant data – including quantitative calculations or qualitative interpretation of data visualizations (i.e. chart reading)
4. Developing sound business recommendations backed by the data in order to turn around the problem

How do you recommend students prepare for these types of interviews?

George: I recommend a three-pronged approach:

1. Familiarize yourself with the case interview process. Some great resources to reference at first include books like Case Interview Secrets, Case in Point, or YouTube videos like the Victor Cheng case interview workshop. Focus on understanding the basic elements of a case interview, and begin learning what exactly is being looked for during each element. Also be sure to go to the websites of the firm(s) you are applying for to understand whether there are nuances in the format or topical focuses of their specific case interview.
2. Watch / listen to best practice examples of case interviews. You can find YouTube videos or podcasts of experienced consultants demonstrating strong case interview examples. Look Over My Shoulders has long been a popular podcast series, and I know students who listen to them while driving, at the gym, or even before bed. I recommend actively listen and try your best to follow along and write down the case as you listen. Pay attention especially to the way that the interviewers ask clarifying questions and communicate their thought process and answers.
3. Practice. Practice. Practice!: Don’t be fooled by the myth that you can just read example case interview prompts in isolation and work through them on your own. Remember, consulting is all about people, so it is critical that you prioritize live in-person mock interviews. I met some great friends during the semester of consulting interviews, as we would meet up in the dorms, coffee shops, or even over Zoom to exchange a practice case and share constructive feedback. Identify peers or mentors who are aligned to your goals (e.g. MBB/Strategy Consulting, Tech Consulting), and who are familiar with giving the practice interview cases you need. Strike a balance between practicing with the same people and rotating fresh perspectives – as you can really learn from the different ways that your peers attack business problems. As you get closer to interviews, see if you can run mock cases with an actual consultant, as they will provide immense amounts of feedback that will help you go from “good to great” in polishing your casing skill sets. Be sure to take time to reflect between each case to digest learnings from both (1) Foundational Skillsets (e.g. problem structuring, quantitative analysis, brainstorming, and executive communication) and (2) Industry specific content (e.g. cost categories specific to an automotive dealership vs. an ice cream shop). I know candidates who practice 100s of cases, but stunt their growth because they are not taking the time to learn from each rep they get.

Isolate and practice on your biggest areas for improvement. As you are self-assessing your progress on case interview skill areas, there are an ever-increasing amount of platforms where you can put a specific skill that you need improvement on to the test. A great example of one of these tools is RocketBlocks, where you can drill yourself on “case starters” where you receive opening prompts for a variety of business cases, so you can practice developing an initial framework (or structure) to analyze the problem. Same goes for mental math apps and chart reading drills as well – you practice, and can also see best practice answers in real time.

How should students approach the cases and problems presented to them?

Jeff: When a case is presented, students should ask clarifying questions up front so they fully understand the company, the ongoing issue, and the goal of the case. Cases typically contain a few qualitative questions that require structuring of thoughts and a few quantitative questions that get to an end number. In both types of questions, students should discuss the structure, result, and the implication of their finding (i.e., the "so what?"). After a question is posed, the student should always ask for time to collect [their] thoughts and write down a framework that can be explained to the interviewer.

What suggestions do you have if a student gets “stuck” during a case interview?

Jeff: A few thoughts come to mind -- Remember to breathe. For math questions, focus on the approach to solving the question and less on the numbers (e.g., what are the components of profit -- revenue and cost); for qualitative questions, focus on structuring the answer into mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive (MECE) buckets. [Lastly,] ask for help (e.g., "Here's how I am thinking about the problem, is this along the lines of what you were thinking?").

What makes a candidate stand out in these types of interviews?

Jeff: A few things make a candidate stand out: the ability to speak top-down (i.e., start with the answer then provide supporting details), communicate what they have written down on the page, and recover quickly from any mistakes made in structuring or calculating (everyone makes mistakes, so forget the last question and reset your mind on the next question).

If you're looking for more information about consulting roles and case interviews, check out the Consulting Career Guide in the Handshake Resource Library.

"Curiosity is probably one of the most important characteristics that people have who go into science, and engineering is about solving problems and creativity." - Ellen Ochoa