In-Person Final Interview

Congrats on making it to the final round.

With only 30 minutes, it probably won't be a full case. They might ask a short business question or mini-case, but it won't be a full structured case. More likely they'll ask your opinion on something, test your thinking briefly, or discuss a current business topic. 

Expect it to be mostly conversational. The MD wants to get a sense of who you are, whether you'd fit the team, and if they can see you in front of clients.

Fit will be the main focus. Why consulting? Why this firm? Why now? What do you want from your career? Be clear and genuine. At this stage, they want to see the real you.

A few tips:

• Be yourself. You've passed the hard rounds. Now just show them you're someone they'd enjoy working with.
• Know your story cold. Be ready to talk about your background, your motivation, and what you bring to the table. Keep it tight and confident.
• Prepare good questions. With a short interview, your questions matter more. Ask about their experience, the team, or where the firm is headed. Make it a real conversation.
• Match their energy. MDs are busy and direct. Be confident, concise, and engaging. Don't ramble.

You're almost there. Stay calm, be genuine, and finish strong.

Good luck.

Hi!

A 30-minute final with an MD is quite common, so I wouldn’t overthink the duration.

Typically, this kind of interview is:

• Fit-focused
• More conversational than structured
• A final sense check on whether they want to work with you

There may be a light case or a short problem to see how you think, but it’s usually not a full, end-to-end case like earlier rounds. Many MDs rely heavily on feedback from prior interviewers and use this session to form their own judgment.

Feel free to reach out to the recruiter to ask what to focus on, but from my experience, it'll depend on how the MD would want to run it, and the recruiter might not know (I had a recruiter telling me it's just a chat on fit, but the interviewer gave me a case anyway). Since you're already doing it, you might as well be prepared for both.

How to prep:

• Polish your fit stories (impact, leadership, conflict, judgment)
• Be crystal clear on why this firm, why now
• Be ready to discuss your experience at a high level, focusing on decisions and outcomes
• Practice 1-2 cases just to stay sharp and familiar

All the best and good luck with the final round!

Hi there,

A 30-minute in-person final with an MD is very common and usually a positive signal. At this stage, it’s rarely about re-testing core case skills.

What to expect:

• A high-level, conversational discussion rather than a full case
• Focus on judgment, maturity, and fit at a senior level
• Questions around your motivation, decision-making, leadership, and how you’d represent the firm with clients
• Possibly a short business scenario or market discussion, but light and qualitative

They’re essentially asking: “Would I be comfortable working with this person and putting them in front of clients?”

You generally don’t need to ask the recruiter what to prepare for — the expectation is that you come ready for a senior conversation. Reaching out can sometimes signal uncertainty.

Tips:

• Be crisp and confident in your answers
• Have a clear, authentic why this firm / why now
• Be ready to discuss your career choices and how you think, not just what you’ve done
• Prepare thoughtful questions about the firm’s direction or the MD’s perspective

Think of it less as an interview and more as a final sense-check conversation.

Best,
Evelina

Congratulations on clearing the first three gates—that’s a huge validation of your structure and case mechanics. The 30-minute final round is extremely common, and frankly, it's a huge compliment to how well you performed in the earlier interviews.

Here’s the reality of the Partner/MD round: They hold the ultimate veto, but they are not there to re-test your technical ability. Your previous interviewers have already certified that you can case and communicate. The Managing Director’s time is extremely expensive, so they are looking for chemistry, confidence, and the "spike." This is the high-stakes "Airport Test"—they want to see if they can put you in front of a difficult client next month and trust that you will handle the room with executive presence.

You should expect the conversation to be almost entirely fit and high-level behavioral, potentially touching on a recent leadership experience, why you chose this firm specifically, or your view on a major industry trend. You might get a very short, conceptual scenario (e.g., "If we win this major bid, how would you approach the first week of staffing?"), but you will not be asked to structure a traditional market-sizing problem.

Regarding the recruiter, do not reach out to ask for a specific focus area. At this stage, that signals insecurity. Instead, use your preparation time to hone your most compelling 2–3 leadership stories. Make sure these stories are highly polished, focusing explicitly on the impact you had and the insight you provided, delivered concisely in under four minutes each. Go in confident; you’ve already proven you belong.

All the best!

Congratulations on making it to the final round!

By the time you make it to the final round, your credibility on the essential skills for consulting including analysis, problem solving and communicating your answers etc has been well established. At this stage, the main aim is to ensure that you will be a good fit culturally and for the partner to also assess in their own way any particular skills they want to dig deeper into (especially to compare vs your peers).

In terms of preparation - all that you have done has served you very well so continue to prep accordingly. In addition, make sure you are now preparing for the softer side of interviewing as well. This includes understanding firm culture, being able to hold a conversation well, being able to present yourself in a polished and professional way while staying authentic etc. 

Best,

Udayan

Expect two possibilities. Being more of a conversation, more on motivation and previous experience, although you may  have a fit question. You may be asked your opinion on a everyday topic or general business topic. And you may have a mini-case, most likely a "brainstorming" question (i.e. qualitative question).

Or you may have a full case and fit interview, as always, and the interview may extend beyond the 30 minutes.

Yes, ask the recruiter. 

Congrats on getting this far, btw!

What this last, shorter, round will consist of depends on the firm. 

You could just have a 30 min chat, that's more of a vibe check from a senior interviewer.

Or it could be a case. 

Or a market sizing exercise.

Or a set of fit questions. 

Do ask. That's the best thing that you can do. Then come back and I'm happy to provide a tailored suggestion of how to approach it. 

If you're looking to practice for your final round, reach out. 

Best,
Cristian

hey there :)

For a 30-minute final with an MD it’s usually mostly fit and alignment, sometimes a very short case or discussion of your prior cases, but not a full case. They want to see your thinking, motivation, and how you handle high-level business conversations. You can reach out to the recruiter politely to confirm focus, it’s totally fine and shows proactivity. Be ready to clearly articulate your story, why the firm, why the role, and one or two strong examples of impact. Keep answers concise and structured since time is short.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

You should definitely reach out to the HR for clarifications. My sense is 30 min would not include a case, but would be more behavioral and high-level brain teasers to see your thought process.

Prepare for anything and everything. 

i had a 25 min chit chat and a 20 min sudden case for my final round even though it was originally scheduled for 30 min. Totally threw me off guard