I have an interview with Bain NY for the Product Management & Innovation Summer Associate role. It's mentioned that there would be a business case and a technical round. I had 2 questions: 1. Would business case be simliar to MBB? 2. What to expect in the technical round? Thanks

Great move targeting the P&I track in NY—it’s a fantastic, high-growth area for Bain, but the recruiting process is definitely tailored to specialized roles, which means the interviews reflect the day-to-day work.

For your first question, the business case will feel familiar to standard MBB prep: you still need structured frameworks, strong quantitative skills, and MECE logic. The crucial difference is the context. You won't get a typical cost-cutting case; your case studies will focus specifically on product economics, digital strategy, and platform growth. Think market sizing for a B2B SaaS launch, or assessing the profitability of a new feature set. The underlying skill is still structured thinking, but applied to the lifecycle of digital assets.

Regarding the technical round, you won't be asked to code or draw detailed system architecture. For a consulting PM role, "technical" is essentially code for "Product Sense and Execution." They are testing your ability to think strategically about how a product is built and improved. Expect questions on defining KPIs (e.g., identifying a North Star Metric for a given platform), product design (e.g., "How would you redesign the onboarding flow for X application?"), and prioritization methodologies (e.g., RICE, MoSCoW). The goal isn't deep engineering knowledge; it's demonstrating that you can translate business strategy into actionable product roadmaps.

The key across both rounds is to use a structured, consulting-grade framework (e.g., Users, Needs, Goals, Solutions) even when discussing an ambiguous product problem. Articulate the strategic rationale behind every design or feature decision you propose.

Best of luck!

On the business case, yes it's similar to standard Bain cases but often with a product or tech lens. Expect questions around product strategy, market entry for a tech product, pricing, or growth. The structure is the same: be clear, logical, and drive the case. But the context will likely involve product decisions, customer needs, or technology choices.

On the technical round, this isn't about coding or deep engineering. It's about whether you can think through technical concepts and translate them for a business audience. Expect questions like:

• How would you design a product or feature to solve X problem?
• Walk me through how you'd prioritize a product roadmap.
• How would you measure success for a product?
• Explain a technical concept to a non-technical stakeholder.

They want to see structured thinking, product sense, and the ability to bridge business and tech. If you have experience building or managing products, be ready to discuss it in detail. They want people who understand the intersection of strategy and product, not just one or the other.

Good luck.

Hi there,

Good questions — this role is a bit different from a classic Bain consulting interview, so worth clarifying.

1. Business case
   The business case is usually similar in structure to MBB, but with a product and innovation lens. You’ll still be tested on structured problem solving, prioritization, and synthesis, but the case is more likely to involve product decisions such as go-to-market, user adoption, feature prioritization, or value proposition rather than pure profitability or market entry. Expect something more practical and customer-centric than a traditional strategy case.
2. Technical round
   This is not a pure software engineering interview. Instead, it typically tests product and technical fluency, for example:

• How you think about product design and trade-offs
• Working with engineers and understanding technical constraints
• Interpreting data or metrics (e.g. funnels, usage, KPIs)
• Basic system or product architecture at a conceptual level
• How you translate business needs into product or technical requirements

They’re looking for structured thinking, comfort with technical concepts, and the ability to communicate clearly with technical stakeholders — not deep coding or algorithms.

Overall, prepare like an MBB case interview but layer in product thinking, user focus, and basic technical judgment. Being clear, pragmatic, and structured matters more than technical depth.

Best,
Evelina

1 Yes. The business cases will be MBB-style. Do try to validate with the recruiter whether all the cases will be from consumer, innovation, etc., or whether they can be from other industries as well.

2 Ask the recruiter about the technical interview, as it is run differently depending on the role. In most situations, it also includes a case, but it goes much deeper in testing your actual knowledge that you would need for the role. 

Best,
Cristian

1. You are recruiting for Bain, so if they mention a business case, they are referring to an "MBB" type of case.

2. Technical round - this would be related to the role you are applying to. Try to search over glassdoor or other specialized tools to see if you can find examples of previous questions / interviews for that particular role (regardless of seniority).

hey there :)

For the Bain Product Management & Innovation role, the business case is similar to a typical MBB case, structured problem-solving, clear logic, and recommendations, but often with more focus on product, growth, or tech strategy. The technical round usually tests your product sense, analytics, and sometimes coding or data interpretation skills depending on the team; expect questions on product metrics, prioritization, and how you’d tackle real-world product challenges. Practicing mini product cases and reviewing metrics frameworks helps a lot.

best,
Alessa :)