Is Porter’s book good for case interview prep

Question

Hi,

i am trying to prepare for cases and I would like to know whether Porter’s book is good for management consulting interview. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi,

Just my two cents on this.

Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy is a good textbook (still very valuable today) for MBAs or for your general interest / knowledge.

I think you can gain much more in terms of the ratio effectiveness / time by using other sources, specifically thought to prepare you for the interviews

I will cite the obvious, from my point of view

General Intro

1) Mark Cosentino - Case in Point

2) Victor Cheng - Case Interview Secrets

3) US MBA Casebooks, in particular - Wharton CaseBook - they have mock cases solved and a general introduction "101" part to really give you the basics about a consulting interview - very helpful in my opinion

4) Victor Cheng - Look over my shoulders (recording) - these are very advanced, in my opinion and only useful as a "polishing/finishing" tool once you are proficient

5) PrepLounge resources online - very to-the-point and helpful

Hope this helps,

feel free to shoot me a message, should you want to go deeper in the topic.

Regards

Paolo

Answer 2

Hi,

Agree with Paul. 5 forces is a good book for general knowledge, however, the purpose of the book is not the interview prep. It's more on the academics side.

Best