Advice for BCG Final round prep

Hi there,

1) So I'm wondering what would be the most efficient way (if any) to get ready for the final round? Should I focus more on FIT?

First of all, I would take a small break. There is no reason to completely burn out if you feel like it is already happening. Possibly half day to recharge could be enough.

In terms of how to prepare, I added below a few points.

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In general, in a final round the interviewers may:

1. Spend more time on fit and your alignment with the company.
2. Ask questions related to the areas of improvement for which you got feedback after the first round.
3. Not use a “standard” case. During one of my MBB finals I had one interview made by two market sizing questions and a brainteaser, without any business case.

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To prepare, you can work on the following:

1. Review your fit answers – they might spend more time on the fit part compared to the first round.
2. Work on the case areas they mentioned you could improve, if any (in your case: the conclusion).
3. Focus your case prep on the weakest areas. If you are tracking your performance, do drills for the areas where you are struggling the most / review cases where you made mistakes instead of just doing random cases.

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Extra reading:

▶ How to Prepare for a Consulting Interview

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2) And what are the possibility of getting wild card cases

You might get an unusual case in your final – I got one myself with BCG. 

However, (i) that’s not something you can control and (ii) if you know how to structure properly cases, you should be able to structure unusual cases anyway.

If that's not the case, I would recommend to post in the Q&A a case prompt that you find difficult to structure to get feedback or to practice with reliable peers on that.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with BCG thus far!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, I would highly advise you to listen to your body and mind, and slow down the preparation or even take a short break from it. Since you passed the first interview round, your technical skills are good enough to also pass the final interview round, but you should not risk it by burning out before.
• Moreover, for the final interview round, I would advise you to consider the following aspects:
  • Be prepared: Review the information you've been provided about the company and the position, and be ready to discuss your qualifications and how they align with the role. Make sure you have also identified and addressed any weaknesses that you may have.
  • Show your enthusiasm: Let the partners know that you're excited about the opportunity to join their team and contribute to the company's success.
  • Highlight your relevant experience: Be sure to emphasize the experiences you've had that make you well-suited for the role.
  • Be a good listener: Pay attention to the questions the partners are asking and answer them directly. Also, don’t hesitate to ask clarifying questions if you are unsure about what they are looking for.
  • Be prepared for anything, including strategic and conceptual questions about the consulting industry and business in general. Be ready to think on your feet and demonstrate your problem-solving abilities.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

I fully understand your frustration. If you've been preparing for a long time at some point it just gets tiring. 

When you have specific feedback, the objective is to just work on it and make sure you improve. 

If you don't have specific feedback, then it's rather worth working on mindset. Make sure that you are rested and positive for the interview. It's also worth getting a coach / expert assessment to make sure that you are fully polished before the interview and to also help you calibrate the mindset. 

Then, in terms of what you can expect to be different in the final round, I'd keep an eye on the following:

1. Expect less structure. Senior interviewers already have the confidence that you are a decent candidate, your skills having been already vetted by their younger colleagues. They are rather more interested in your as a person and your way of thinking. So they might present you with an unusual case, or one that is created on the spot or no case altogether. Expect anything.
2. Focus on excellent communication. Senior interviewers care a lot about how clearly you communicate and how you manage to forge a connection with the interviewer. It's important to be top-down and concise as much as possible with your answers, while allowing the conversation to flow in a natural way.
3. Put yourself in their shoes. The one question senior interviewers are asking themselves throughout the interview is what will happen when they'll put you in front of a client they've groomed for years? Make sure that even based on this first impression you seem somebody who can be trusted and who can work with any client regardless of how difficult they might be.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

This phrase concerns me immensely: I feel a bit burned out 

And this one: I don't feel as motivated to run through them

TAKE A BREAK

You know how in school, when the semester was coming to a close and students were cramming in the last week  before exams (late nights, not sleeping) ?

Did the students who slept little, tried to read their whole biology textbook, never left their room, do well? Typically no. They were too tired!

How about the students who went to class, took notes, did their homework, etc. throughout the semester? They did much better!

This is you. Take a rest and recharge :)

Side note: If you want the most efficient way to finalize your prep is to get a coach. This is the biggest value per hour of prep

Extra side note: It is very likely to get a wild card case. More than 50% of cases nowadays are “wild card” or unconventional (therefor, across 2 cases, you should expect 1 to be unconventional)

Hi,

First of all, congratulations on getting a final round interview!

At the end of the day, you know yourself best, and hence you're the best person to determine what sort of prep you need to do for the day.

That being said, from an outsider's perspective, it sounds like you're pretty burned out by the process at this stage. You should take this seriously - overcasing and burnout in recruiting are very real, and can affect your performance! It's ok to take a break, especially if doing cases has started to feel routine like you're doing the same thing over and over again and you feel like you've learned what you can from the prep process. Making sure to sleep, move, do something fun will ensure that you are more energized and focused on the day, which will help you be more resilient in the face of any tough questions that come your way. 

If you feel like you'd benefit from keep some case prep going, there's no harm in that either. Just don't overdo it. At this stage of the process, the vast majority of the work is behind you - all you have to do is make sure you're well-rested, focused, and are able to showcase the skills and aptitudes you've been prepping so hard for over the past few weeks/months. Do a couple of cases, make sure you're keyed up on fit questions to keep your brain working if you feel like you need it. But make sure to take care of yourself and not push yourself too hard. 

If this seems like lazy advice or taking the easy way out, trust me, it's not. I've been there, and I've seen many other candidates go through it too. You're much less likely to give your best performance on the day if you haven't been able to sleep much and are generally tired, stressed, and demotivated. Look after yourself - at this stage you've done the vast majority of the work (and judging by the feedback you got, have done a pretty good job of it too).

Best of luck!