What is a case interview, and how does it differ from any other interview? In answering these questions, it’s actually easier to begin by explaining what a case interview isn’t. A case interview is not a trawl through your employment history. A case interview is not an exploration of your academic credentials. If you find yourself sat opposite a case interviewer, the consulting firm has already deemed you a good match on paper. But while a CV implies a certain amount about a candidate, through their experience and academics, it doesn’t tell the whole story. As a result, consultancies use case interviews to assess a candidate’s skills and suitability for the job.
The case interview is used by all consultancies (so there’s no getting out of it!), and simply put, it is an analysis of a business question. The interviewer will present the business problem, or case, and by thinking out loud you will have to derive an answer in front of your potential employer. The question or problem could be on anything – previous cases have seen scenarios as diverse as marketing a cereal and launching a new jet engine. But don’t worry, you won’t have to read up on aviation before your interview! The questions aren’t designed to test whether you know the right answer; in fact, there often is no right answer. Instead, the questions are designed to see how you arrive at your response. In short, the firm wants to see how your brain works and how you use logic to solve a problem.
Before you get around to the case itself, expect a five to ten minute preliminary chat. This may involve a couple of behavioural questions, after which you may be tested on your knowledge of the company itself. Case interviews are only around 30 minutes long, and these preliminaries can eat into 15 minutes of that time. This means you’ll only have 15 minutes or so to do the case itself. Cases come in all shapes and sizes. Most will be presented orally, although some will involve handouts and a few may even be entirely written. But no matter what is required of you, cases will generally fall into one of the following three types:
Business Cases
The interviewer will present you with a business scenario and you’ll have to analyse it, ask appropriate questions and make recommendations. As mentioned earlier, there is no right or wrong answer; however, do not make assumptions unless you have to! If you don’t have enough information to progress your line of reasoning, ask your interviewer relevant questions. It’s the interviewer’s prerogative to refuse to answer your questions, but if that is the case, don’t be deterred. Inform your interviewer that a lack of information has forced you to make some assumptions and carry on with your case. Here are the most common questions asked in case interviews:
- What is the client’s product?
- Who hired our firm?
- How long will the project last?
- Has the client experienced this issue in the past?
- If so, how did they respond? What was the outcome of their actions?
- What have similar companies done in similar situations?
While a business case could be on practically anything, most can be categorised under one of eight typical cases. Note however that these specific case types are not mutually exclusive; your case may be a combination of two or more types, or require problem solving under a number of categories. Here are the different types of case you may receive and examples of problems interviewers have posed in past interviews:
New Product Introduction
In a nutshell, these cases will ask you to recommend a strategy for introducing a new product to market. E.g. Buzz Motors is a car manufacturer. The company has designed and built a brand new electrical car. How should it be introduced to the market?
Entering a New Market
If you’re faced with this case type, your task will be to analyse whether a company should enter a new market. This may also involve the viability of a new product line or additional service. E.g. A computer manufacturer has been approached about diversifying into printers. Provide an evaluation of this proposal and the company’s ability to deliver the product.
Falling Profits Case
This type of case will have you investigating the reasons for a company’s fall in profits. E.g. Food distribution company, Fast Foods, has had three straight quarters of growth. However, the fourth quarter saw a 40% fall in profits. What happened?
Entering a New Geographic Market
This type of case will have you exploring whether a company should expand into new countries or regions. E.g. Clear-as-Day has been successfully making bathroom cleaners in the UK for a decade. The company believes it can replicate this success on the Continent. How sound is this expansion?
Site Location Case
Should your interviewer pose this type of problem, you will be tasked with evaluating possible sites for a company’s new facility. This may even involve a recommendation for the complete relocation of an organisation’s operations. E.g. A motorcycle manufacturer believes they may be able to cut costs by moving their operations into a more provincial retail park. What factors should be considered in making this decision?
Mergers & Acquisitions Case
This sort of case is exactly as it sounds, requiring you to appraise a mooted merger or acquisition. E.g. An international voucher code website is considering buying out a new competitor that poses a threat in a particular market. Assess the viability of this proposal.
Competitive Response Case
This case will challenge you to determine the best course of action following a move by the client’s competitor. E.g. A clothing retailer’s closest competitor has just taken its entire product range online. How should the client respond?
Changes in Government/Regulatory Environment
Your interviewer will present a change in government or regulatory environment, and your task will be to advise how the company should respond to the new circumstances. E.g. Due to an increase in tariffs on all exports, an international distributer’s profits have suffered. What should the company do?
Guesstimates
Guesstimates are general – and sometimes frankly random – questions which ostensibly have nothing to do with consulting. You’re not expected to know the precise answer, but you are expected to reach a plausible answer, or guesstimate, through logical thinking. Like business cases, guesstimates are an opportunity to demonstrate analytical ability by running through your reasoning out loud. But while business cases will have you questioning your interviewer in driving towards a recommendation, in a guesstimate you’ll arrive at your conclusion through a series of increasingly specific analyses.
For instance, you may be asked something like: how many pounds of Brussels sprouts are sold in the UK in the month of December? Or: what is the total square footage of fish and chips shops in London? No one actually expects you to know the answer to these kinds of questions, but you will have to, out loud, demonstrate your reasoning in getting as close to the real answer as possible. For instance, every family on average eats four pounds of Brussels sprouts on Christmas Day and another two on Boxing Day; there are roughly 17million families in the UK; therefore... etc. If you’re fazed by a guesstimate, you mustn’t show it – this will damage your chances.
Guesstimates are designed to bamboozle. Stay calm; keep your cool. If you need a moment to think, just ask your interviewer if you can take a moment to gather your thoughts. When you do deliver your answer, don’t be perturbed if your interviewer cuts you dead and moves on. It may not necessarily be a sign of poor performance, but could well be that you’re on the right track and the interviewer doesn’t see the value in carrying on.
Brainteasers
As the name suggests, Brainteasers come in the form of puzzles, logic questions or riddles. A lot of these teasers won’t have a set answer. The interviewer mainly wants to see how you go about deriving a conclusion with minimal information. In these types of cases, interviewers want to see a candidate’s ‘outside the box’ logic and creative thinking shine through.
Here are examples of guesstimates asked in actual consulting interviews:
- How many ping-pong balls can fit into a Boeing 747?
- How many miles of train tracks are there in the UK?
- How many French fries does McDonalds sell every year?
- How many trains are on the London underground?
- How many horses are there in the UK?
- How many people fly in and out of Heathrow airport every day?
- How many cups of coffee does Starbucks sell per year?
- What percent of the world’s cars are owned by Chinese citizens?
Here are examples of brainteasers asked in actual consulting interviews:
- By moving one of the following digits, make the equation correct. 62 – 63 = 1
- Mary’s father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini, 4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter?
- If 6 people were in a room and shook each other’s hand, how many handshakes would there be in total?
- You have 12 black socks and 12 white socks mixed up in a drawer. You’re up very early and it’s too dark to tell them apart. What’s the smallest number of socks you need to take out (blindly) to be sure of having a matching pair?
- What is special about the following sequence of numbers? 8 5 4 9 1 7 6 10 3 2 0
Read other tips on how to pass management consulting case interviews or what makes a good consultant!
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