How would I know whether my question works as a clarifying question or not?

Hi there,

Great question — this is a subtle but important skill.

A simple rule of thumb is:

A good clarifying question should change how you structure or approach the case.
If it doesn’t affect your structure, it’s probably too detailed or too early.

Here’s how to think about it.

What clarifying questions are for

They are meant to clarify:

• The objective (What does success look like?)
• The scope (Geography, product, customer segment?)
• The time frame
• Any major constraints

These are “high-level alignment” questions.

What they are not for

They are not for:

• Specific data points (“What are current margins?”)
• Deep diagnostics (“What are fixed vs variable costs?”)
• Detailed operational information

If the information is something you would analyze after presenting your structure, it’s probably too early to ask.

That’s when interviewers say:

• “We’ll come to that later.”
• “There’s an exhibit for that.”

Practical test before asking

Before you ask, quickly ask yourself:

1. Will this answer change my top-level structure?
2. Am I clarifying the problem, or am I already trying to solve it?

If it’s about solving — wait.

Example

Good clarifying question:  “Are we focusing on one country or globally?”

Too early: “What’s the breakdown of costs by supplier?”

The first defines scope. The second belongs in analysis.

Final mindset shift

You don’t need many clarifying questions. In most cases, 1–2 sharp ones are enough. After that, move confidently into your structure.

If you’re getting “too early” feedback often, it likely means you’re jumping into diagnosis before laying out your approach.

Happy to help you practice a few examples if useful.

Best,
Evelina

Hi! A clarifying question is only strong if it’s necessary for you to build the logic of the case.

If it doesn’t change how you structure your approach, it’s probably premature.

That’s the core filter.

Most candidates ask clarifying questions because they feel they’re “supposed to ask some.” But that’s the wrong mindset. You’re not trying to show activity, you’re trying to ensure you can build a rigorous decision logic.

Here’s where things usually go wrong.

1. You’re asking for analysis inputs before defining your logic

For example, early in a market entry case, people ask about competitors, growth rates, margins, etc.

But at that point, you haven’t even defined:

• What has to be true for entry to make sense
• What criterion you’ll use
• How you’ll test it

So from the interviewer’s perspective, you’re jumping ahead.

Clarifying questions are not there to gather data. They’re there to make sure your structure is valid.

2. The question doesn’t influence your structure

Suppose you’re about to structure a “Should we do X?” case.

You can already define:

• The core decision
• The criterion (e.g., does it create sufficient value?)
• The main conditions (financial logic, capabilities, risks)

None of that requires knowing specific numbers yet.

If your question doesn’t affect one of those elements, it’s probably not needed at that stage.

A good self-check is:

If the interviewer answered this question, would my structure change?

If not, it’s not a clarifying question, it’s curiosity.

3. You’re asking something that logically comes later

In diagnostic cases especially, candidates often jump to broader explanations before isolating the numerical driver.

But until you know where the issue sits in the driver tree, most high-level questions are noise.

Strong process discipline means:

1. Define the focus metric.
2. Break it down.
3. Identify the mathematical driver.
4. Only then go qualitative.

If you skip step 3, you’ll feel slightly out of sync with the interviewer.

So what are strong clarifying questions?

They typically fall into three categories:

A) The objective isn’t operationalized.
If the goal is something vague (e.g., market share, quality, productivity), you need to clarify how it’s defined. Otherwise you can’t build a driver tree.

B) The success criterion is unclear.
If you can’t define what “good” looks like, you can’t define your decision rule.

C) The business model isn’t clear.
If you don’t understand how the company makes money, you can’t break down profit or revenue correctly.

Notice the pattern:
All of these affect your logic. None of them are about gathering data for analysis.

A simple rule of thumb

Before asking anything, run this quick test:

• Does this change how I structure the case?
• Does this affect the decision criterion?
• Does this clarify the focus metric?

If the answer is no to all three, wait.

Once you start thinking this way, you’ll notice two things:

• You ask fewer clarifying questions.
• The ones you do ask feel sharp and senior.

And interviewers react very differently to that.

They’re not looking for someone who collects information.
They’re looking for someone who can build a clean logic before touching data.

I hope this helps! :)

Sidi

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Dr. Sidi S. Koné