R1 LEK + Kearney

Hi there,

If you have already built a solid preparation base, I would not worry too much about adapting everything to each firm at this stage. A good case preparation should give you enough flexibility to adjust to the interview as it unfolds, different interviewer styles, different case types and different levels of guidance.

A few things I would keep in mind:

• Do not over-focus on predicting the exact case format or trying to learn too many firm-specific tricks. There is always variation by office and interviewer. For Kearney, I would simply make sure you are comfortable with some operations / industrial-type cases, but I would not redesign your whole preparation around that.
• Since these are first-round interviews, I would expect the focus to be more on the fundamentals: clear structuring, solid analysis, good communication, fit, and staying calm and logical throughout the case. Later rounds can often become more dependent on the individual Partner or senior interviewer and their personal style.
• Keep practising, but focus your remaining time on the areas where you already know you are weaker. If your preparation is good, sharpening those specific gaps will give you much more confidence than trying to add lots of new techniques at the last minute.

Most importantly, trust the work you have already done. If you are well prepared, you should be able to adapt to whatever version of the interview you get. That confidence and consistency will matter a lot more than trying to perfectly predict each firm.

Good luck with both interviews!

Best,
Carlos

Hi there,

I've supported a number of candidates with Kearney in the US (and successfully interviewed there myself!). Feel free to reach out.

In general, your prep is no different than other case prep. That is, be ready/flexible/adaptable to any case type/industry.

Now, I'm assuming you've already asked HR? If not...just ask!

For LEK, LEK is generally candidate-led.

However, regardless, you should always default to candidate-led. You'll know if it's ever interviewer-led (they will drive the case and ask you to do specific things).

However, no matter what, assume it is candidate-led AND even in an interviewer-led case, you need to be really clear where you are going and why.

For Kearney, the invitation already tells you that both interviews will mix behavioral and case questions. Prepare for both rather than expecting a fixed split.

That said, please don't go in with deadset expectations - you truly never know, and having hard expectations just leaves you unprepared to react!

I would expect you have some fit to start off the case, but I've also seen interviews that were 5 min case and 35 min behavioral, and the reverse.

Given that you have two firms next week and need both case and fit preparation, my Full Interview Mastery Bundle may also be useful.

Some articles that will help:

• The Most Common Pitfalls in Case Interview Preparation
• How to Shift Your Mindset to Ace the Case
• Candidate-Led Cases: What to Expect
• Dos and Don'ts in a Case Interview

Finally, advice that's generic in nature is bad in nature. The advice for how YOU should prep is different to the advice on how someone else should prep. Get a coach so you can get tailored advice based on your strengths, weaknesses, etc.

Hi there,

With 2 back-to-back 60-minute interviews at Kearney and an LEK round in the same week, I would not spend that week reverse-engineering what makes an LEK case distinctive. The format you do not know is rarely the thing that costs you the offer.

A few things I would do with the days you have:

- Email your recruiting contact at both firms and ask directly how each interview is structured, including the fit and case split and whether any part is written. Early round structures vary by office and role, and your invitation is the only authoritative source on your own process. Very few candidates ask, and the answer is usually given.

- Prepare 3 stories, not one per question. You will face 2 different interviewers in a single Kearney sitting, so the same material has to hold up against different prompts without sounding recited the second time.

- Rehearse the handover from fit into case inside one hour. Composure drops at the transition, not inside the analysis, and it is the part almost nobody practices.

- Bank your energy for the second Kearney interview. Candidates routinely give their best hour first and arrive flat for the interviewer who is equally able to sink the round.

If the LEK invitation does mention a written or data heavy exercise, I would let that reshape your preparation, and otherwise I would treat both firms as one case standard with 2 different conversations attached. Knowing a firm's format and being able to perform inside it are 2 different problems, and only one of them can be solved in a week.

Use the interview invitations and recruiters as your source of truth, because the format can vary by office. For Kearney, you already know both interviews mix case and behavioral questions. Practise that transition: answer a fit question, reset, and start a case without carrying tension from one section into the next.

Prepare four flexible stories covering leadership, conflict, impact and a setback. For cases, keep the core standard the same across both firms: clarify the objective, build a tailored structure, explain your reasoning, and commit to a recommendation.

For L.E.K., ask the recruiter about the number and length of interviews. Then practise one quantitative case and one strategic case. L.E.K.'s own guidance emphasizes reaching and defending a conclusion while adapting to new information.

Finally, simulate Kearney's two interviews back to back. Managing your energy for the second hour matters.

hey there :)

for both, I’d focus on solid case fundamentals rather than trying to memorize firm specific frameworks. For Kearney, the behavioral part can be quite conversational, so have clear stories ready around leadership, teamwork, conflict, impact and why consulting/Kearney. Their cases often have a strong quantitative and operations angle, so practice driving the case yourself and always connect the numbers back to the business implication.

For LEK, I’d especially practice market sizing, market entry, growth and commercial due diligence cases. They tend to value strong quantitative reasoning and the ability to form a clear hypothesis from limited information. Also make sure you have a very crisp Why LEK.

If you want, I’m happy to help you prepare for either interview and can also run a realistic R1 case with you.

best,
Alessa :)