BCG Dubai first round

Hey A,

I have already helped some candidates to get inside BCG Middle East and I also have some friends working in Dubai office since I also spent a few years living there.

1. Usually BCG in Dubai follows the three round approach:

• 1st round conducted per skype includes personal fit, and a case. It’s always a combination of both fit and case in one interview. In the first interview you spend more time on the fit questions and do a small case. In the second interview is more focused on case with a small fit fraction. 
• 2nd round is also conducted per skype - two to three case interviews with more senior colleagues and more demanding and complexed cases (both qualitative and quantitative part)
• 3rd round – if you go through previous rounds, you are invited to physically come to Dubai office to have an interview with a partner.

1. BCG usually does not disclose any information about your future interviews. So please study their website, search via Linkedin for some people working in the office in order to understand who they are and what background do they have as well as read their recent publications and news 
2. Yes, it’s wise to practice public sector cases as most of the candidates are not familiar with them. BCG has sold the biggest consulting project over 300m USD to KSA government a few years ago with 300+ consultants working on it during the peak phases. Therefore, the probability that you would meet one of them in the interview is pretty high. Please read about this and other BCG projects in public sector of KSA and other Gulf countries in the press. However, please be also very well prepared to the other types of cases/industries as BCG is also strong in financial services (banks, investment, fonds, etc.), oil&gas, telecommunication, etc.
3. If you have further specific questions on the interview process in Dubai office and office culture feel free to message me directly.

Good luck!

Best,

André

Hi Anonymous,

I helped several people for BCG Dubai, please find below the reply to your questions:

1. For a first round the standard structure is fit and case for both interviews
2. You can definitely ask – there are no issues with that and can help you to prepare your questions for the interviewer
3. Public cases are indeed frequent at BCG Dubai and it is a good idea to practice on them. However you could also get other types of cases, thus you should be prepared on all the others as well
4. I have 30+ real questions asked in the last year at BCG Dubai, please feel free to PM me for more information

Best,

Francesco

1) Fit + case like in other offices

2) You can/should ask as it can help you think of good questions to ask them - and see what might be some likely cases

3) No. Focus on all case types. You never know AND the main point is learning how to adapt to new information, cases etc. Of course, don't leave out Public Sector as these are quite common!

Hello there,

A mentee of mine just passed the first round with BCG Dubai. Here's what the process looks like:

1) The interviews will be held via video conferencing - 45mins each - will include a case and personal fit questions. In both of his interviews the fit questions were a bit out of the box (e.g., what values do you bring to BCG? What's your favorite NBA team and why? ...)

2) HR will get in touch with you 1 day prior to the interview with a short CV regarding your interviewers - It would be good to go through the profiles and research what is happening the middle-east regarding their topics (e.g, Mobility, what is Dubai currently doing to implement new mobility options in the country?)

3) Nothing to add that the other experts

Feel free to reach out for any specific questions on the process and BCG dubai's office!

Best

Khaled

Hello,

Here are my thougths on the current interview process (2022), for those interested:

1) First step is the CV CL screening. After that there is the BCG Online Case Assessment. After clearing that, there is 1 interview in Round 1 (consisting of both case and fit). After clearing that, there are 2 interviews in Round 2 (consisting of both case and fit)

2) The HR will share the name of the interviewers 24-48 hours before your interview.

3) It definitely helps to prepare industries that are popular in the region (public sector, energy, tourism, real estate), but be prepared to be asked anything. Also helps to have an idea of what industry your interviewer works in.

All the best!

Rushabh

Hi, 

1. Both of them are likely to be traditional fit+case interviews

2. I wouldn't do it as, in the end of the day, it does not matter much. Just focus on prepping well for fit and case

3. There's a slightly higher chance of getting a public sector case, but I wouldn't plan for it. Prep well to be a good generalist and focus on fundamental skills of case cracking, not any industry specifics.

-Eugene

Hi,

1. It's always fit+case for each interview

2. You can always ask, but BCG does not share them on a regular basis. It's mostly Bain that provides the interviewers short bio

3. You should be preparing for all types of cases, but it's wise to look at the public sector as part of your prep. 

To provide a bit of structure, there are several types of non-profit cases:

1. Factors influencing the price (What are the factors influencing the price of oil? Factors influencing the price of real estate?)
2. Macroeconomic cases (How will you improve life expectancy in a particular city? How will you decrease the unemployment?)
3. Public sector non-profits (Increasing the revenues of a museum; increasing the revenues from tourism in a city)
4. Redesigning the processes (How will you develop a new anti-monopoly regulation?)
5. Non-profit investments (A billionaire is building a new school. What are the factors to look at?)

Feel free to reach out if you need help with these types of cases

Best!

Hello and congrats on passing the online case!!

1. Interviews with BCG Middle east are 45' long, with 15'-20' of fit questions and 25'-30' case cracking. The cases are interviewee led so be prepared to talk a lot. Also, being a great fit for the company culture is super important for them, so try to be equally prepared for both parts.

2. People from HR will send you an invitation for your interviews as soon as you agree on a day and time, and they will include your interviewer in the invitation, so no need to ask. If they don't, it is because they don't know who is going to interview you, so even if you ask, they won't have an answer. But usually, they suggest the possible dates after they have asked the interviewers about their availabilities.

3. The Dubai office is focused on everything because they work with Saudi Arabia. Practicing some cases in Public Sector is as important as practicing cases focused on Infrastructure, Innovation, Renewable Energy, Hospitality, etc. 

4. Be friendly and open, prepare your fit answers -they are super important for them-, prepare a great answer for the “Why Dubai” question, and be creative in your solutions. The cases in most interviews are pretty easy but the way you led them is what makes the difference.

Good luck and let me know if you need any help!:)