Typically, candidate led. As least judging by the experience of my candidates at several European offices.
But I encourage all candidates to think of all interviews as being candidate led. The distinction is too old school to be still relevant. Regardless of the interview type, you as the candidate should at least signal that you're willing to lead the case towards the solution.
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
Horváth interviews are generally interviewer-led. The interviewer will guide you through the case step by step, asking focused questions on specific areas such as costs, KPIs, operations, and implementation. You’re not expected to drive the entire case independently, but you do need to give clear, structured answers to each prompt and show practical, hands-on problem solving. Strong synthesis and clear recommendations at the end still matter, even in a more guided format.
Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out
Best
Evelina
Cristian is spot on and consistent with what I know. You should operate under the assumption that you own the case structure, regardless of the firm, but let me clarify what "candidate-led" actually means in a functional interview setting.
Here's the reality: You are expected to drive the case, meaning you must present your framework, state your hypotheses, request data, and manage the clock. However, no modern, high-stakes consulting interview will let you stick perfectly to your script. The interviewer's job is often to act as a stress test—they will purposely introduce a non-sequitur, cut you off before you finish an analysis, or send you down a rabbit hole just to see if you can pivot cleanly and quickly return to your overall structure.
If you treat the case as rigidly candidate-led, you fail the moment the interviewer redirects you. Instead, view the process as candidate-owned structure plus required adaptability. Horváth, especially in European offices, values both technical rigor and commercial agility. Demonstrate ownership by always summarizing where you are, why you are moving to the next step, and—critically—how you are accommodating the interviewer’s interruption without losing sight of the core objective. This integrated approach is what truly separates successful candidates.
All the best with the preparation.
