Fisrt round interview in 10 Days.

Let's jump on a call and help you land the dream job! It's essential to focus on evaluation criteria and what really moves the needle. Looking forward to chat, Best, Frederic 

Congratulations on making it through the initial stages of the recruitment process and securing an interview. I understand that preparing for case interviews can be challenging when you don't have access to feedback or guidance. I'm here to help you make the most of the time you have left before your interview. Here's what I recommend:

Focus on quality over quantity: Rather than trying to go through a large number of cases, focus on a few key cases and dive deep into understanding the underlying frameworks and concepts. This will help you build a strong foundation.

Practice with a purpose: Find a case partner or a coach who can provide you with valuable feedback. Practice solving cases together and ask for specific feedback on your approach, structure, and communication. This will help you identify areas for improvement and refine your skills.

Analyze your performance: After each practice case, take some time to reflect on your performance. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and make a plan to address any areas that need improvement. This self-analysis will help you track your progress and make targeted adjustments.

Stay updated: Stay informed about current business trends and industry news. This will help you bring a fresh perspective to your case interviews and demonstrate your ability to think critically and adapt to real-world situations.

Remember, it's not just about getting the right answer in a case interview. It's about showcasing your problem-solving skills, structured thinking, and ability to communicate effectively. With focused preparation and practice, you can make a strong impression during your upcoming interview. Good luck, and feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance!

Hi there,

Q: If anyone can and is willing to help me during the coming 7 8 days I would appreciate it. 

First of all, if you feel you might not have enough time, you can ask to postpone the interview. They might say no, but there is no penalty for asking.

In terms of preparation, I would recommend the following. You might have already covered some of them, but it might be good to review:

1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before your interview and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the points below. Many candidates need 100+ hours to be ready before the interview starting from zero so you can keep that as a benchmark.
2. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (INSEAD is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insights. Try to read a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
3. After the first 5-10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only.
4. Keep track of your mistakes and see which ones you are repeating. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback from experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the behavioral part and the case part during the mocks. The case part should also cover market sizing, math and graph analysis.
5. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer  – a great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression. Ideally, try to get information on who they are and study their profile to have good questions to ask.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you want to spend a few hours only instead of 100+ and cover everything mentioned above, I developed a program precisely for that. 

You can check the program at the following link to learn more:

▶ GYM Program

If you have any questions please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

Congrats on passing the online test - not everyone gets past this stage.

10 days is indeed not alot of time. To be honest, some people are able to crack the case without much prep, but most people require a good amount of time - hard to tell where you stand.

Definitely find someone experienced who can help you on this

• Friends/network who are in consulting
• Plenty of coaches on this platform that can guide you, you have to find the one that you believe can add the most value for you.

All the best!

Lots of useful anwers below already, but sometimes you just don't have enough time to be at the best version of yourself. 

So I would challenge you on the number of days left.

You can also choose to push the interview date. This is rather common i.e., happens with ⅓ of candidates at least. 

You can be very transparent about your level of preparation or explain that personally and professionally you are going through a difficult time and need a couple more weeks before you can interview. I've done this with lots of candidates so happy to even provide a template on how to position the postponement. For now, it always worked. 

Best,
Cristian

———————————————

Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> SoyTechnologies  

Hi,

First of all congrats for your ability to get an offer. Indeed you need to prepare yourself fast and case books are not enough, you really need to discuss with a professional to have a real feedback on your performance. Luckily you can prepare yourself in 10 days with the good partner. 

I'm free today for a free 15 min call to give you some advice.

Cheers,

Alexandre

Hi there,

Well done getting the interview! However, not so well done regarding your preparation, I'm afraid.

Your timeline is extremely ambitious and you're unlikely to get to a competitive level by working with peers only. My strong advice is to get a coach on this platform, if you're serious about landing the job.

The people you're up against have weeks of preparation under their belt and the only way to catch up is very targeted, guided preparation. Working with peers on Preplounge is also advised but it's less efficient and ultimately effective.

I say the above not as a salesperson, but as someone who was in similar situations and wants to see you succeed. 

Let me know if I can help in any way.

Best of luck!
Moritz

Hey!

I suggest postponing the interview by at least a month (or even a few months) and take some proper time to prepare. You might, of course, get lucky and pass the interview without much preparation, but the chances of that are pretty slim.

To progress quickly, I suggest you take an active learning approach (in the following order):

1. Getting coaching when you are a complete beginner to learn the basics;

2. After you've learned the basics, practice cases with peers to polish your case solving process and acquire understanding of a wide range of industries and problem types;

3. Before the interview, ask a few acting consultants to give you cases in a mock-interview format to assess your readiness.

If you are interested in coaching,  just shoot me a dm.

Good luck!
Nick
 

Hi there,

Fantastic! What a great problem to have!

Please stop reading cases.

You are wasting time. You need to be doing live cases.

Please also hire a coach. With such short timelines, your best chance is to get professional support.

HEre's some reading to help you with your prep:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case
 

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/dos-and-donts-in-a-case-interview
 

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/candidate-led-cases-what-to-expect-and-example-cases

Hi there,

Happy to help you with the process. Send me a message and we can have a 15 min call to see where you’re in the process and the most efficient next steps.

Best,

Alberto

—

Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

Hi there!

Super congrats on getting invited for the interview!

Feel free to write me via private message, I am available to organize a free introductory meeting ASAP. Given you short time we should start working immediately. 

Also, I should highlight that in case you don't feel confident enough to prepare in such a short period there may be openess from the firm to postpone your interview date, we can discuss about it. 

Talk to you soon,
Francesca