Hi Preplounge,
first of all - thank you very much for all the great content offered for aspiring consultants like me.
Since I have a monitor deloitte interview´in a german office coming up, I wanted to know: are calculators allowed in their case interviews? I would assume that they are not, however I have seen a couple of interview ratings on glassdoor that indicated they were given a calculator.
Thanks for you help!
Hi!
Yes, you are allowed to use a calculator! It is provided by the company (a really basic one).
The format of the Monitor case interview is quite different from MBB. You get information in written form, then you have about 15 minutes time. Then the interviewer comes back in and asks you to walk through your thinking. E.g., How do you view the market, why do you see this firm as a competitor and not this firm? Which segment to concentrate on going forward? Etc.
Cheers, Sidi
Hi,
In general, the calculators are not allowed for a live case. They can be allowed for a written case. If you have a live interview I would not rely on Glassdoor feedbacks and practice fast math. Several sources that can help you:
1) Learn how to multiply double digit numbers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ndkkPZYJHo).
2) Learn how to work with zeros. You've mentioned - always use 10^power instead of zeros
Example:
300x9000 = 3*10ˆ2 x 9*10ˆ3=3x9*10ˆ(2+3)=27*10ˆ5
Handwritten it looks not that complicated. If you get used to writing all the numbers that way, you will never loose zeros and all multiplications/divisions will be replaced with + or -.
3) Learn the division table up to 1/11 (i.e. 5/6 = 83.3%). It will help you calculate any percentage problems
Good luck!
I would be shocked if calculators are allowed (unless it's a written case). Prepare for no calculator!
Furthermore, if other decisions like this come up, remember that it's always better to be prepared for the "worst" - it never hurts to be ready for anything.
Expert case by