I am expecting interviews at Oliver Wyman for the DACH offices. What type of cases should be my focus and how does the process look like?

I can share my personal experience with the Oliver Wyman interview process in DACH. My interviews were around five years ago, so some details may have changed since then. I applied as a Young Professional for Financial Services. Today, I’m a Senior Manager in management consulting with around 8 years of experience and regularly conduct interviews myself.

My process looked like this:

• HR screening: CV, motivation, and alignment on the appropriate entry level.
• 1st round: Two ~60-minute interviews at Manager level, including classic, industry-non-specific cases + fit.
• 2nd round: Two interviews with more senior colleagues – one industry-independent case and one Financial Services case. Personal fit also became more important; I particularly remember a discussion with a Partner around the Oliver Wyman values and how well they matched my own.
• Final round: Partner/Senior Manager level, again fit + cases, with a stronger FS focus in my case. One example started with an open question: Which dimensions/KPIs would you use to compare banks? I first had to develop my own structure, then analyze a table of KPIs and derive a clear conclusion.

For preparation, I would focus on three things:

1. Be confident with classic, industry-independent cases.
2. If you are applying for a specific practice/industry, understand its key business models and KPIs.
3. Don’t underestimate personal fit – especially Why Consulting? Why Oliver Wyman? Why this Practice/Office? and the Oliver Wyman values.

From my experience, the later rounds become less about simply applying a memorized framework and more about whether you can think in a structured way, interpret data, develop your own hypotheses, and translate them into a clear management recommendation.

Hi there,

Few tips on what you can expect, based on my early years at OW and what I've heard from recent candidates:

• Process: a numerical test up front, then 2-3 interviews moving from engagement managers/associates to principals and partners. Every interview mixes fit and case. Cases are candidate-led, closer to BCG or Bain than McKinsey, so you drive the structure and analysis yourself.
• Fit: not a formality at OW, which weights personality, communication and culture fit heavily. Prepare clear STAR-style stories on why consulting, why OW, and classic questions on leadership, teamwork under pressure and conflict.
• Case focus: cases tend to be quant heavy and interviewers use their own cases (no central database). Expect the sectors OW is strong in across DACH: financial services at its core, alongside automotive, energy and transportation.

Exact round structure shifts by office and level, so confirm the details with your recruiter once you are scheduled.

For a solid overview to anchor your prep, PrepLounge's own OW guide is worth reading: https://www.preplounge.com/en/blog/consulting/firms/oliver-wyman

Hope it helps, and feel free to reach out if you'd like to go deeper on any of this!

Federico

Oliver Wyman's process varies a bit by office, but for the DACH offices I'd prepare for classic strategy consulting cases rather than trying to guess niche topics.

I'd focus on:

• Profitability
• Market entry
• Growth strategy
• M&A / commercial due diligence
• Pricing
• Operations / cost optimization

OW interviewers also tend to appreciate candidates who are hypothesis-driven and comfortable making reasonable assumptions rather than trying to analyze every possible angle.

For the process, you can typically expect a mix of fit and case interviews. The fit is important, so make sure you have solid answers for:

• Tell me about yourself
• Why Oliver Wyman?
• Why consulting?
• Leadership and teamwork examples
• Times you dealt with ambiguity or difficult stakeholders

One piece of advice: don't overcomplicate your framework. A simple, logical structure that you adapt to the case is much stronger than trying to memorize a dozen frameworks. Clear communication and good business judgment usually matter more than having the "perfect" structure.

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from Oliver Wyman!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, contrary to what other coaches have said, I would strongly advise against trying to optimize the preparation effort, besides that it's useless, because there really are no more or less common case study question types. Instead, you should prepare in a way to be ready to solve any case study. Also, case studies are not any more or less quant-heavy than with any other consulting firm - it depends on the specific case study.
• Moreover, contrary to what other coaches have said, Oliver Wyman does not solely focus on behavioral personal fit questions in the personal fit part; you equally need to be prepared for general personal fit questions, e.g. walk them through your resume, share strengths and weaknesses aso.
• Lastly, unfortunately, it is unlikely to receive precise answers on the current interview process in this forum. Instead, it is your task to reach out to the recruiter and inquire about it - if they haven't told you upfront, it's up to you to find out.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming Oliver Wyman interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Oliver Wyman DACH focuses heavily on candidate-led cases.

Your primary focus should be financial services, risk, restructuring, and profitability cases, as OW's DACH practice is steeped in banking, insurance, and heavy industry. Practice market sizing and sharp quantitative estimation early on, as they test mental math rigor.

The process typically spans two main rounds:

1. First Round: Online assessment followed by two 45-minute candidate-led case interviews with senior consultants.
2. Final Round: Two to three partner interviews combining candidate-led cases, behavioral fit, and occasionally a written case presentation.

OW expects commercially grounded, pragmatic operational logic.