Overview of process for Oliver Wyman Private Capital

Hi,

Am not an interviewer for OW private capital team, but I used be part of BCG PIPE team. 

To answer your questions:

• Yes - you should definitely ask if its possible to take some time to prepare. The worst that could happen is that they say no and give you a hard timeline
  • How much time you need - this really depends on where you are right now.. but if the process has already been started, i would say asking for more than ~1 month (maybe 2 months max) would feel abit too long
• In terms of preparing for the interview, PE practice interviews at BCG either consisted of very specific PE type case questions, and also a mix of generalist cases (because the expectation is that you have the tablestakes problem solving abilities expected any BCG consultant)

You may find my following articles helpful for you:

What Is Private Equity Consulting?

5 Reasons Why Experienced Hires Fail the Interview

Using AI for Case Preparation 

Hi there, 

I've prepared candidates for OW before, though I don't have an overview of whether they were in the London Private Capital team.

Nevertheless, I strongly recommend you reach out to the recruiter so they can walk you through the process and answer any of your questions. Nobody else can give you an accurate understanding of the interview format than the recruiter who is in charge of your process (since the process can differ significantly between offices and roles). 

And yes, they are flexible with timing, almost always - unless there's a specialist position for which they want to hire somebody quickly or if they're recruiting as part of a cohort and interview everybody around the same time. 

Good luck with the process, and do reach out if you have any questions!
Best,
Cristian

The process is pretty standard OW. CV screen, online assessment, first round with 2 interviews, then Superday with 3 to 4 interviews including a Partner. Usually 6 to 10 weeks total from application to offer.

On the pre-interview assessment, it's a mix of numerical, logical, and verbal reasoning, sometimes with a personality questionnaire too. For Private Capital specifically, it leans more numerical given the financial focus. Best way to prep is GMAT or GRE quant for fluency, and Practice Aptitude Tests for free drills. Always use a timer, the assessment is genuinely time-pressured.

On asking for prep time, yes totally okay, recruiters expect this. 1 to 2 weeks for the assessment and 2 to 3 weeks for first round interviews is pretty standard. Just ask politely once with a short reason. Don't ask multiple times to keep pushing back, that signals unreliability.

One more tip, build the PE vocabulary properly before interviews. EV, IRR, MOIC, EBITDA bridges, value creation levers, deal structure. Speaking the language signals fit fast.

Good luck.