Hello, after two online interviews with managers, I have a one-hour on-site case study with one manager and one new consultant. I’m applying for an Associate-level Cloud/FinOps Engineer position and I have three years of experience. I’m wondering what the case study will be about (specific to the role, e.g. FinOps, or more general, like IT consulting) and how I can best prepare for it.
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This is a great question, as the casing process for IT consulting often sits awkwardly between a technical screen and a traditional strategy case. You should absolutely not expect a generic M&A or growth strategy case, but you also shouldn't prepare for a purely technical coding interview.
Here is the reality for specialist roles at firms like PwC: the case will be a Consulting Case with a Technical Domain Focus. Since you are applying for a Cloud/FinOps role, the problem will likely revolve around a client needing to optimize their cloud spend, decide between multi-cloud platforms, or structure a migration project. The Manager is testing your structured thinking—can you break down Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) into a manageable framework? The Consultant is there to check your domain fluency—do you understand concepts like reserved instances, utilization rates, and the necessary organizational change management required for a successful FinOps implementation?
To prepare effectively, you need a dual approach. First, master the structure: practice standard frameworks like profitability analysis or market sizing, but mentally translate the levers into cloud terms (e.g., instead of reducing raw material cost, you are reducing egress charges or rightsizing VMs). Second, prepare your FinOps toolkit: be ready to articulate the three pillars of a good cloud cost strategy—Measurement (monitoring), Optimization (efficiency), and Governance (accountability). You must show that you can move beyond engineering solutions and translate technical decisions into business value for a CFO.
The one-hour format is tight. Structure your analysis quickly, spend only about 20 minutes on the breakdown, and then use the remaining time to dive deep into the specific FinOps recommendations. Remember that you are being hired as a consultant, so presentation and confidence in your recommendations matter as much as the technical accuracy.
All the best!
