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Bain 1st round interview

Got notice for my first round interview (SEA offices) this Friday - any advice on how to mentally prep and any good resources for practicing quick and accurate math? 

edit: any tips on what to expect? there's no behavioural portion so it's just two case interviews :) any help is appreciated! 

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Top answer
Clara
Coach
on Sep 28, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hi!

My first advise with this situation would be that, if you are not 100% confident that you are prepared enaugh, you should ask for extra time. They would totally understand, I asked that myself and also many of my coachees did. 

With this said, i would leverage GMAT practice materials. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Anonymous
on Sep 28, 2020
thank you so much!
Robert
Coach
on Sep 28, 2020
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Anonymous,

How to mentally prepare is difficult to generalize ... what I can say though is that you don't have a Bain offer right now, so don't put too much pressure on your shoulders since you don't have any downside really, only an upside in which you can earn a Bain offer in future!

Concerning math prep - there are numerous (also free) websites out there, just google "Case Interview Math", and also PrepLounge has a section dedicated to this topic.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Anonymous A
on Sep 28, 2020
thank you so much!
Ian
Coach
on Sep 28, 2020
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Congrats and well done!

For Math Practice

Leverage the free preplounge resource:https://www.preplounge.com/en/mental-math.php

Rocketblocks is great for math in the context of a case: https://www.rocketblocks.me/

Print out math sheets for rote practide: https://www.math-drills.com/

Tips on What to Expect

Eek, if you're asking this question (i.e. just starting to prepare), you will not do well on Friday! If you have only just begun your prep I highly recommend you ask to push back the interview date

Anonymous A
on Sep 29, 2020
Hi Ian, oh just for context I've been prepping for around a month now - let me rephrase my question: what are the types of cases I should expect - does Bain have a particular liking to certain industries?
Deleted user
on Sep 29, 2020

Dear A,

Congratulations! Well done!

Apart from excellent case preparation, ask yourself honestly - Am I ready? Am I confident?

If you are not sure, you can:

- Ask to postpone your interview for a while

- Take a session with coach and get the feedback, whether your worries are real. 

Anyway, wish you best of luck!

André

6
Emily
Coach
on Sep 30, 2020
9 years in MBB Southeast Asia & China| 8 years as MBB interviewer | Free intro call

Given it is a short time to your first round, just remember don't rush and don't try to be fast. Steady and accurate is better. 

For the medium term, just use GMAT math for practice. 

Gaurav
Coach
on Oct 28, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hi there,

You can always discuss opportunities for postponing your interview! There should be no issue as many candidates practice that if they feel not prepared enough.

Take your time to prepare well to feel confident. I would also recommend thinking of having a few sessions with an experienced coach to exclude any chance of failure.

Do you need any further help?

GB

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