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Anonymous A
on Feb 02, 2021
Global
I want to receive updates regarding this question via email.

How many dentists are in your country?

One of the questions I had today:

  • How many dentist are in your country?

How would you solve this question?

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Top answer
Ian
Coach
on Feb 02, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Classic type of case here :)

  1. Population of country
  2. Split by income/wealth level (poor, middle, upper class)
  3. Estimate # of visits per year per group (of course, directly correlated with socioeconimic status...benchmark off of how often you go)
  4. # of visits a dentist probably has per day (do not assume full capacity)
  5. # days/weeks worked per dentist
  6. Divide Q3xQ2 by Q4xQ5
  7. Multiply by a factor of your choice to account for doctor holidays/days off and/or non-full capacity at doctor's offices

And voila!

Bread-and-butter type of case here!

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Anonymous A
on Feb 02, 2021
Almost made the same approach, except I divided per age category (children, mature, old).
Ian
Coach
on Feb 04, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success
So, here's the question...which one is more directly correlated with frequency of visits? I would argue, regardless of age, you'll go to the dentist around once ayear. But, if you're poorer you can't afford to go as frquently (or at all). Remember...they're not testing just the final #...they're testing for your reasoning. Pick the categories that increase/decrease frequency the most!
Anonymous B
on Oct 25, 2022
How would you guess the number of visits a dentist has a day? And how does that actually correlate to number of dentists because can’t that be for the same dentist?
Antonello
Coach
on Feb 03, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, in addition to the solutions proposed by the other coaches in the discussion, I would like to suggest similar cases in the platform to practice with:

  • https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-much-would-you-charge-to-clean-all-the-windows-in-seattle-4965
  • https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/market-sizing-milk-consumption-5087
  • https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-would-you-calculate-the-value-of-a-cow-4982
  • https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/estimate-number-of-traffic-lights-in-a-london-5692

Hope it helps,
Antonello

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Clara
Coach
on Feb 03, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

This is a very classic type of market sizing. 

I would suggest: 

  • Population
  • Break it down in age buckets -you could also do economic level, but this one for me is more powerful-. 
  • Calculate number of visits per group
  • Calculate how many appointments one dentist can make 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

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Gaurav
Coach
on Feb 28, 2021
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hi there, 

Ian is spot on! Besides, it really makes sense how you reason it and not necessarily if that is the most correct answer. 

There are a lot of questions on market sizing on Preplounge, and it is a nice practice!

GB

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Market Sizing
Questions about market size are frequently asked in case interviews in consulting because they require a blend of logic, mathematics, and common sense. They can be asked as standalone questions or as part of a larger case. Applicants who are familiar with market sizing questions can really perform here. What Are Market Sizing Cases?If you're applying to top consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, you're unlikely to escape a market estimation case. Market sizing cases are considered "back-of-the-envelope" calculations because they can be done on the back of an envelope. Despite the name, it's not just about estimating market sizes; other estimations may also be asked for.For example, if you're discussing a British clothing retailer's growth strategy, you could calculate on an envelope how large the online clothing market is and what percentage of the market the retailer already penetrates. If you perform these calculations quickly, the conversation with the client stays fluid, leaving a good impression.You can receive the question about market size as a standalone case (although this is less common) or as part of a more comprehensive problem, such as market entry. The good news: There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to the question of market size. The interviewer is less concerned about the specific number you come up with for the market than the approach you took to arrive at that number. Why Are Market Sizing Cases Commonly Used in Consulting Interviews?Market Sizing Cases are used to test your quantitative and logical abilities. The interviewer wants to ascertain whether you work well with numbers and if you can make informed assumptions and deal with ambiguities. Questions about market size aren't just about the size of markets; they also involve other types of estimations, such as the number of golf balls in a jumbo jet. As you may have noticed, math is crucial in tackling these questions since you don't have a calculator to rely on. Most importantly, you need to be comfortable dealing with large numbers like millions and billions as well as percentages. More on that later. How Do You Best Approach Market Sizing Cases?Now that we understand the theory behind Market Sizing Cases and their relevance to your case interview, let's take a closer look at the process.Segmentation – The Key to Market Sizing CasesIf you've done some reading on case interviews before delving into market sizing questions, you might have come across areas where segmentation is necessary. Segmenting data is a crucial skill you must master as both a candidate in a case interview and in your later career as a consultant. Segmentation generally refers to dividing a larger whole into smaller parts or segments. The principle you need to understand to do this correctly is the MECE principle.MECE stands for "mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive." Simply put, segmenting a group of data according to the MECE principle means forming subgroups that do not overlap but collectively cover the entirety of the data, meaning no data is missing. An example useful for market sizing questions is dividing a country's population into age groups (as different age groups often behave differently).Below is a breakdown into Group 1 in the age range 0 to 14, Group 2 in the age range 15 to 64, and Group 3 for everyone over 65: Note that none of the groups overlap, so no age is counted twice, but also no age is overlooked. Now that the population is correctly segmented, we can treat each group differently. If we had divided the population of the United Kingdom into the aforementioned groups, we could estimate clothing expenditures per person in these groups in online retail. Common sense suggests that expenditures per person in the 0-14 age group are lower than in the 15-64 age group. We can justify this estimation by noting that the majority of 0-14-year-olds do not purchase their clothing online. 
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