Preparing for BCG interview in one week. Help.

Question

So, funny story, I applied and never thought I would receive an interview. The thing is, I actually do have an interview...next week. I have not studied in the slightest and, to top that off, I am a college student with three exams in the coming week which I also need to study for.

This is not the place for "you can't", I am a skilled crammer with a 4.0 GPA, and I simply have no other option. I just want to devise the best plan. I have access to Management Consulted case studies and the beginning of the book Hacking the Case Interview was also recommended to me to learn structures. Are these good enough? What should I focus on?

Now, my biggest worry is the whole no calculator thing. I am not blessed with natural mental math capabilities and need any and all math tricks, hacks, resources, and, at this point, prayers with that part.

Thanks in advance:)

Answer 1

Hi there,

If you have done zero preparation then I highly suggest you to ask to defer your interview by a month. Being invited to do an interview is not an opportunity to overlook and you must grab this chance and do it when you are more prepared.

You can frame it around your academic schedule and explain that you want to make sure you can give the interview the focus it deserves and perform at your best. Most recruiters are understanding if you’re upfront, and it’s better than going in underprepared and risking your chance. You can share that once your exams are done, you’ll be able to focus fully preparing for the interview.

During this time, you need to get started on practicing cases, mental math, and frameworks, which will make a big difference.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Hi there,

With just 7 days, the fastest way to progress is to get straight into live case practice – don’t spend too much time just reading frameworks. Doing cases (even with peers, or by talking through them aloud yourself) will give you the basics and help you see patterns quickly. Each case you do will improve your structuring, math, and communication more than hours of passive study.

If you’re disciplined, you can absolutely get interview-ready in a week. I’ve seen candidates make huge leaps in this timeframe – it’s about focused practice, not volume of materials. Start with one case a day to get the basics right, then ramp up to two or more once you’re comfortable. Combine this with daily math drills and a quick review of your PEI stories.

I’ve helped place 4 candidates at BCG since January, so I know this is achievable if you’re consistent.

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out!

Best,

Evelina

Answer 3

Hi there,

Yes, one week is enough to get to “good enough” if you focus.

1. Structures (1–2 days): Read the intro of Hacking the Case Interview or Management Consulted. Stick to the basics: profitability, market entry, growth. Don’t try to learn every framework.

2. Math (15–20 min daily): Drill quick tricks — rounding, splitting numbers (e.g. 1200 ÷ 6 → 120 ÷ 6 then add a zero), estimating instead of exact decimals. Speak your math out loud so the logic is clear even if the numbers aren’t perfect.

3. Cases (1–2 per day): Focus on depth, not volume. After each case, review structure, math clarity, and final synthesis.

4. Closing & fit: Practice 1-minute recommendations daily and prep 2–3 STAR stories for leadership/impact.

Management Consulted plus Hacking the Case Interview is enough for a crash prep. Keep it tight, structured, and practice out loud.

Best of luck!

Answer 4

Hi,

would echo what Jenny said. If really at 0 prep at this point, ask them to move the interview. This happens a lot and they are usually accommodating these kind of requests without any question.

In parallel, read the resources you mentioned plus some free resources on preplounge while also practicing math and starting with real practice (ideally with a professional coach who knows BCG well).

Let me know if you need help!

Best,
Lukas

Answer 5

'skilled crammer' - love it :)

Yes, I would start by saying that it's a tough timeline. It's important to know that while you can't postpone exams, you can postpone BCG interviews without that affecting you in any way. So I would reach out to the recruiter to explain the situation and politely ask if they could reschedule the interview. This is a common practice, btw.

If not, then use the materials you mentioned, try peer practice with experienced casers, and at least an expert assessment. This last point will help you get a sense of how to close the gap to interview readiness.

Sharing below also a couple of materials you might find useful:

Best,
Cristian

Answer 6

Please don't use "Hacking the Case Interview" to learn structures. It is a decent book, but the part on the structures is by far the weakest link, as it tells you to memorize a pre-made framework, which is a sure way to... fail the interview. In other words, using their framework does more harm than good.

Also, their case examples are not realistic. Once again, pretty decent book for everything else.

I suggest instead you get a coach, use Stern MBA case book, and try to come up with approaches on your own. Also, don't prepare just for the "approach" part. The whole case has many parts (Hacking the Case Interview will explain you that), and make sure you are ready for all of them.

But here's my plan:

1. Ask for more time, explain you have 3 exams that week.

2. Skim through the book you mentioned [Ignore completely the framework part. I cannot stress this enough: Steer away from anything suggestion you use buckets or that promises to provide you with frameworks.] The objective of this is to make sure you understand the very basics.

3. Do a couple of cases on your own here at Preplounge.

All of the previous should be done in 1 day / one afternooon+evening.

4. Book a session with a great senior coach (a.k.a. Pedro) to speed up the process for the next day.