Average prep time and math

Hi there,

1) Just wonder how much time is needed to prepare for an interview? 

Most candidates need at least 50-100 hours starting from scratch to be offer-ready. The exact number depends on:

• The resources you use (eg books, cases, video courses, coaches)
• The quality of the resource (ie how quickly it helps to fix issues)
• Your current level (eg if you have a background in business you are probably already familiar with some concepts)

2) Do you have any advice on how to improve math and chart interpretation? Thanks. 

Math and charts are two different - although partially related - topics.

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MATH

As general tips for math, this is what I would recommend:

1. Repeat the question – sometimes candidates do mistakes answering the wrong question. 
2. Ask for time and present how you would like to proceed from a theoretical point of view
3. Perform the math and present the interim steps to keep the interviewer aligned – don’t just say the final number
4. Continue with the math until you find the final answer
5. Propose next steps on the basis of the results you found

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CHARTS

As general tips for graphs, this is what I would recommend:

1. READ THE GRAPH

• Ask for some time to understand the graph. Usually 30 seconds are enough, but there is no hard rule.
• Summarize the graph. Read in particular the graph title, the legend, and the footnote. Candidates quite often skip this part and then make mistakes.

2. ANALYZE THE GRAPH AND FIND THE KEY INSIGHTS

• Repeat the question. Some candidates don’t repeat the question and then answer the wrong one. If you repeat it, you can be sure that you will answer what was asked.
• Provide an analysis related to the question. Identify the key insights of the graph based on the question. This is the most challenging part of graph analysis to master, as it is different in every chart. You can improve it with drills on your own or with coaching.

3. PROPOSE THE NEXT STEPS

• State your hypothesis or suggestion on what to do next. Present what should be done next to help further the client to reach the goal.
• Ask a question/propose an analysis related to what is needed to move forward. This will show you are able to drive the case forward.

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Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi there,

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, while, as you mentioned, it depends on the time you can allocate per week, the discipline in your preparation, and potentially previous preparation for strategy consulting interviews, I would highly advise you to work through the different case study question types at least 2-3 times, resulting in about 15-30 case studies. In addition to this, please keep in mind to prepare the personal fit part of the interviews equally thoroughly, and any potential pre-interview assessments.
• Regarding quantitative questions and exhibit analyses, I would highly advise you to practice these aspects separately, and review any quantitative questions and exhibit analyses you have worked through thus far. Even if there is no universally applicable approach, once you have practiced these aspects over a couple of days, you should see improvements very soon.

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,

The “average” is 2-3 months at approximately 10 hours per week.

Of course, this depends on the individual, their background, their abilities, the resources they use, and if they have a coach or not.

If you're struggling with math/exhibits, I highly recommend rocketblocks.

I see in another comment you're tried multiple things and seen no improvement…in which case I do recommend tailored coaching to improve your math.

I'm afraid I'm going to tell you - it really depends! Some people breeze through it, some (like me) need to re-learn their multiplication tables. That being said, you don't want case prep to take over your life and drag on and on, so I'd recommend limiting it to around four weeks of intensive work. 

Good luck!