Case Interview Difficulty/Evaluation Criteria for Intern vs. Full Time UG vs. MBA

Hi there,

From my experience, Frameworks, Reasoning, Structuring, and Quant are generally expected to be at a similar level across internship, undergrad, and MBA interviews.

Where I’ve seen some difference is in business judgment during frameworks—MBAs are often expected to apply a bit more real-world thinking and industry understanding. Similarly, communication tends to be slightly more polished at MBA level, simply due to experience.

That said, as an intern candidate, you should absolutely aim for the highest possible standard, especially in structuring, quant, and clear frameworks—since even interns are expected to work with senior clients from day one.

I can definitely recommend practicing extensive structuring drills (not the entire case, just the opening, clarification questions, structure and presentation thereof). Once you have a solid structure for most common cases, you can move more quickly initially and add more depth and business judgement during the rest of the case more easily.

Happy to discuss the best approaches to do that in a free intro call.

Kind regards

Kevin
 

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, the bar for interns is slightly lower than for graduate or experienced full-time candidates, but only in certain areas like business judgment or polish in communication. Structuring, math, logical thinking and all other skills are held to almost the same standard. I would advise you to not aim lower just because it’s "only" an internship.
• Moreover, regardless of whether the model structures in your resources are actually effective, I would strongly advise you to consider working with an experienced coach like me on your structuring skills. I developed the "Case Structuring Program" to help exactly such candidates like you who struggle with case study structures.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

You're right in expecting there to be different standards in the evaluation for different roles. 

But the question is honestly rather large and complex to be done justice in the space of a Q&A section. 

To give you an example - one of the core differences between an Associate and a  Business Analyst, is that the Associate should a stronger ability for interconnections and story crafting. In short, they see how to 'connect the dots' across the case, and craft a compelling story about where the client is at the moment and where they should be going.

But then there are differences at all levels - structure, delivery, analytics, etc. 

You might want to consider working with an expert on this to get a more granular understanding of what the expectations are specifically for your role, if you deem it a worthwhile investment. 

Best,
Cristian

In addition to Kevin’s points, you might be able to easier get the ‘benefit of doubt’ when applying for an intern role versus MBA/EL hire, but you will have to demonstrate strong performance on the core skills nevertheless.

Please feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss this into more specific detail. 

Hi there,

the bar will differ depending on the level you're aiming, but some rules apply for any candidate.

You should be MECE is the main one. That means your structure should not have overlaps, being properly crafted to the case AND it should cover ALL the relevant points.

You may be benefited by reading some articles of McKinsey and Bain websites to develop more business sense and cover the "CE" part. 
Always go back to your cases and see what you could have done differently, specially comparing to the youtube videos as casebooks are usually suboptimal in terms of answers.

Additionally, a coaching session could go a long way. I know I am a coach, so it may sound biased, but I mean it.

Best,

Mari

As other coaches have mentioned, there is some difference in expectation for intern versus full time UG and MBA candidates.

You'll need to exhibit the basic skills to a good level regardless, though, across structuring, quant, data interpretation, and creativity.

MBA offerees are normally expected to show more business sense, and more polished communication, due to their previous experience in the world of work.