BCG R1 Interview and Next Steps

Hi,

1) Timing. For experienced hires, expect anywhere from a few days to two weeks, and one week is the most common. Yes, the two interviewers align before the outcome goes out. In BCG they typically compare notes in a short debrief, and where they disagree the more senior voice, in your case the Partner, usually carries. 

2) Hints and restructuring. Needing hints on the quant is a mild negative, not a killer, provided you did not make errors in the maths itself. What matters is that you got there and explained your thinking, which you did. Missing the objective on the initial structure is a real ding, but recovering well when prompted is valued. My guess is that interviewer wrote something like "needed guidance but responded well". Not a fail, not a strong pass. It puts you in the zone where the fit and the Partner's overall impression decide it.

3) Grade. Big 4 experience is discounted against pure strategy experience, so five years maps to Consultant or Associate Consultant. The interviewers grade your performance, then the Partners set the level. One thing worth saying though: starting a level below is often an advantage in the long run. You come in with room to overperform rather than being immediately measured against people who have been doing strategy work for years. 

Hope this helps,
Franco

Hi,

On timing, a week or so of waiting after R1 is completely normal (even though at times they are much faster), and yes, the two interviewers usually need to debrief and align before taking a decision, sometimes with recruiting involved, which explains the delay.

On the guidance and restructuring, neither is a major mistake that in itself means not passing to the next round. Being able to refocus your structure after the interviewer's hint actually shows resilience under pressure and reads positively. So net net I would not be too worried, especially if the fit went well.

On the grade, I would expect your 5 years of Big 4 experience to get roughly halved, with the exact cut depending on how you perform in the interviews. If you do exceptionally well, you might get around 3 years recognized and enter directly as a consultant; otherwise they might offer you an associate position with tenure equivalent to 2 years (e.g. A3/SA).

Hope it helps, and feel free to DM me if you want to fine tune your prep for R2!

Federico

Hi,

Used to be from BCG SEA. 

Here are my answers to your question:

1) When would I expect to hear back the outcome from the R1 interviews? and does this typically include the interviewers aligning to make the final decision

• This ranges anywhere from 1-2 weeks to sometimes even 1+ month unfortunately

• The reasons for the delay could be several, and sometimes the process slips

2) Wondering if the interviewer guidance or the restructuring would impact my scoring and drop my chances immensely?

• Hard to tell without actually having sat through your interview and heard your response / thinking

• It does not necessarily mean because an interviewer gives guidance means you means you were wrong or on the wrong track - it is highly context and specific answer/thinking dependent

3) Lastly any gauge on the grade I am being considered for?

• 5 years experience from consulting, max they will give you is a Consultant 1, but my sense is they may give you Senior Associate

You may want to check out these articles that may be helpful for you:

5 Reasons Why Experienced Hires Fail the Interview
Succeeding in Consulting as an Experienced Hire
The Consulting Industry in SEA

All the best!

Based on what you’ve described, I wouldn’t overanalyse it.

Interviewers are looking at your overall performance, not whether you needed a prompt or two. What’s more important is that you responded well, communicated your thinking clearly, and adapted when challenged.

A week or so to hear back is completely normal, so try not to read too much into the timing.

Good luck, and hopefully you’ll be preparing for the next round soon.

Thanks,

Alex