BCG London Round 1 tips? (MBA level)

Hi there,

Congrats on being invited! I have conducted just short of 100 BCG interviews for the London office besides interviews for BCG Germany, incl. 1st and 2nd rounds. I also interviewed MBA-level candidates like you. 

That is why - funny enough - Ian's case prompt is actually from one of my cases!

My tips specifically for BCG London, based on your question and observations from the interviews, are:

#Tip 1 - Enthusiasm: Take the enthusiasm that is visible in your question to the interview, this will help build a relationship with the interviewer and fully unlock your problem solving skills

#Tip 2 - Conciseness: In my experience, the personal fit part is often significantly shorter than you mentioned, expect it to be around 10 minutes. That is why being concise is key. It may be the case that you are not asked to introduce yourself. If you are, keep it short.

#Tip 3 - Personal questions: You should receive an interviewer bio before the interview. Please make sure to ask questions in the end that you should not be able to easily retrieve from the website such as “how does staffing work?”. You can learn more on that here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-would-you-ask-me-if-you-were-the-interviewer-4897

With regards to the case, there are no specific tips. This varies widely from interviewer to interviewer as every interviewer prepares their personal case, mostly based on their project experience. Therefore, all usual tips & tricks apply. Agree with Ian's guidance here!

Hope that was helpful, good luck and enjoy the experience!

Best,

Gero

Hi there,

Glad to be of help and congrats on getting the interview.

Firstly, 20-25 min is not shorter. That's very very standard (the problem is most case partners let cases drag out to 40/45 minutes…this will never have in a real interview).

Main advice: Be ready for anything. Stay flexible and adaptable. And, remember, this is a conversation not an interrogation. It's a simulation not an examination.

I track real interview questions across firms. I have a bunch from BCG London, but here's one. If you can framework it, that's a good sign! If you'd like to learn the optimal frameworks for it, feel free to reach out!

=====================================

Prompt: German utility co -Deciding on whether to start a culture improvement project -Wants ideas on what to do to make culture more performance oriented 

Clarifying questions: - works across power plants, electricity grid, energy trading, consumer sales - objective/focus here is on culture

=================================

Some reading to help:

Dos and Don'ts in a Case Interview
 

How to Shift Your Mindset to Ace the Case
 

Candidate-Led Cases: What to Expect With Example Cases

Hi there!

Great to hear that you found the Q&A helpful. That makes it worth it to answer questions here.

If you've been practising cases and PEI for a few weeks now, you're in a good position. Like in professional sports, it makes sense to start ‘tapering’ now - meaning, slow down and dedicate more time to rest and recovery so you really peak during the interview. 

Now is not the time to try and stuff more knowledge into your head, but to let things settle. 

Some candidates get a coaching session at this point (if they haven't done so already) to see if there are any screws that they want to tighten before the big day. 

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Some great advice already here. 

I would add one thing:

Be prepared that often interviewers in BCG split into two different roles. Some might be very pleasant to talk to, others can be a bit pushy.

This applies both to the case (where they might appear not to be fully satisfied with something or pish back) as well as the fit interview, where they can focus on things such as weaknesses, failures, etc.

Don't worry - see it as the game it is and play along.

All the best,

Florian