BCG's First Round

Hi there, 

Case books are a good indication of the complexity levels, but beyond that I would check the actual cases the firms provide as example on the website, as well as the cases on PrepLounge.

The complexity however is not so much determined by the case itself, but rather by the interviewer. Basically, most interviews have 1-2 cases they always give, even if they interview an Analyst or somebody applying for a Manager role. They adjust the complexity through the type of questions they ask during the interview and the extent to which they help you along. Aside from this, they will also have different expectations based on the role. 

So if I were you, I would actually just aim to look for good quality cases that have a detailed solution that you can review, rather than cases that resemble the particular style or round from a firm. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

Q: How difficult are cases for BCG's first rounds, compared to the business school case books/ ultimate case interview workbook?

Very difficult to say, because cases in business school casebooks vary a lot in terms of difficulties and general resemblance with actual cases.

It seems at this stage you have already worked on a good number of cases. If you found a resource more challenging and useful in terms of learning, I would concentrate on that (even doing again cases if needed).

You can also find two additional cases below for practice:

▶ Non-profit Case: Smart Education  

▶ Consumer Goods Case: BlissOttica  

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hello,

The comparison will depend on what sort of case books you are working with! Generally, the more cases you practice, the better of a sense you will get about the “average” case difficulty level (although as others have pointed out, there is a good degree of variation). I recommend checking out some of the cases here on Preplounge for a good comparison too.

Hi there,

The cases are the “same” but what's so much more important is the interviewer. I can't tell you how many candidates I get that think they're great at casing, but once I case them (in real life interview style), they break down.

That's because most of your peers casing you are too nice/helpful! Make sure you get people who are casing you tough. (Consider getting a coach for that as well).

To be honest, most of the cases I give are from casebooks! So yes, there are plenty of great cases around…again, just remember you need to be ready for interview style as well :)

Here's some more reading for casing: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case