Case study preparation for IT Consulting at PwC switzerland

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!

Hi there,

For an Associate-level Cloud / FinOps Engineer role at PwC Switzerland, the case study will usually be role-specific, not a classic management consulting case. Expect something closer to a client scenario you might actually face on the job.

What the case is likely to test

• Cloud cost management / FinOps thinking such as cost drivers, usage patterns, optimization levers
• Client problem structuring how you break down a vague IT cost or cloud efficiency issue
• Trade-offs and recommendations balancing cost, performance, scalability, and risk
• Communication explaining technical ideas clearly to non-technical stakeholders

What it might look like

• A client has seen cloud costs spike after migration and wants to regain control
• Multiple cloud services or vendors with unclear ownership and poor cost visibility
• You’re asked to analyze high-level data, identify root causes, and propose actions

How to prepare

• Refresh FinOps fundamentals unit economics, cost allocation, tagging, reserved vs on-demand pricing
• Practice explaining technical concepts simply and top-down
• Be structured in your approach objective → drivers → options → recommendation
• Don’t over-focus on perfect numbers focus on logic and prioritization

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out

Best
Evelina

hey there :)

I would say that the case is usually tailored to the role, so expect a practical IT consulting scenario rather than a classic strategy case, often around cloud cost optimisation, FinOps tradeoffs, cloud migration decisions or stakeholder alignment. They mainly want to see structured thinking, basic commercial awareness, clear communication and how you translate technical insight into client impact. Best prep is to refresh FinOps fundamentals, cloud cost drivers, simple business cases and practice explaining technical topics in a very clear and client friendly way. Happy to help if you want to do a mock.

best,
Alessa :)

Ask the recruiter. 

If they plan on giving you industry-specific cases, then they will tell you. And then you can be more specific with the prep. Then you also know that they will be testing you for industry knowledge.

If not, and it turns out they use cases from any industry, then again you can adjust your prep accordingly, knowing they will mostly be testing for transferable skills. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

My guess is that it would have both components of IT and traditional strategy. To be sure, you can kindly ask the HR for more information so you can better prepare.