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Bain Round 1 - case types

Hello,

quick question for those who have interviewed at Bain recently:
is it true that one of the cases in Round 1 is almost always a market sizing case?

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Top answer
Deleted user
on May 29, 2025

Hello,

 

I have worked with several people who got offers from Bain and the feedback I received from them is that the first case does involve some kind of market sizing.

 

That being said, this is not set in stone, and consultants have the freedom to give any case they want as a first case so it is good to be prepared.

 

Best of luck ! Also, happy to help if you need support during your preparation

1
Mihir
Coach
on May 29, 2025
McKinsey Associate Partner and interviewer | Bulletproof MBB prep

Yes, normally there is a market sizing in the Bain first round.

Let me know if you need help practicing.

Best of luck.

15 hrs ago
#1 rated McKinsey Coach

No. 

That's really not true. 

It can be anything, including a market sizing exercise. 

Each firm has its own case library, and that's where the cases are pulled from. 

There is also no official 'first round' / 'second round' case distinction. The interviewer rather adjusts the complexity of the case. It's not the case itself that is inherently more difficult. 

Best,
Cristian

10 hrs ago
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Nope I have had coachees who have just had a 'normal' case interview. 

One important rule in consulting -> never assume 

Alessa
Coach
4 hrs ago
xMcKinsey & Company | xBCG | +200 individual & group coachings | feel free to schedule a 15 min intro call for free

Hello!

Yes, that’s true—Bain often includes a market sizing case in Round 1. When I interviewed there, I also had a market sizing as one of the cases, with quite a few exhibits involved. Other cases were more classic profitability and investment-style, but market sizing does show up frequently, especially to test quick structuring and math under pressure.

Make sure you're solid on both top-down and bottom-up approaches and practice interpreting charts quickly.

Let me know if you’d like to go over one together!

best,
Alessa :)

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