Still struggle with cases, what to do

Hi there,

lot of good suggestions from other coaches. Would just add, that the reason why you do not progress could be related to the lack of an MISTAKE ROOT-CAUSES ANALYSIS AND COUNTERMEASURE DISCOVERY PROCESS in place in your coaching/your sessions.

What I mean is:

- Creating, mantaing an uber-structured error log + use additional tricks (record sessions, …) to record the errors in a structured way for each interaction/session/topic

- Spending time analysing to spot patterns and thus diagnose underlying rootcauses (the real one below the surface - challenge yourself - if you are familiar about the 5 WHY framework - use that - it is powerful!)

- Deep dive on one type of error at a time (e.g. math) via dedicated sessions etc… to try to find a sustained countermeasure

- Constantly update the error log to show progress (if any - if not - re-start from the root causes part).

Hope this helps.

Regards

A good coach will explain you what “good looks like”, and how to think about problems. Drills only help if you know what you are aiming for.

A good coach will not just give a case + feedback and drills, but instead explain how you can approach things different, how you can optimize your mindset, and the process to come up with a good performance in each part.

Coaches don't do magic. But they should be able to do the above - and you should be able to do a good self-assessment of your own abilities to perform well (vs. “what good looks like”) after a couple of coaching sessions.

Furthermore, there are multiple parts where one can really become good with just practicing the right way. Market sizing, brainstorming, quantification, exhibit interpretation - all of those are highly repeatable skills one can learn through practice (if you know what good looks like). Structuring is a harder one, but still it can be learned, just may take longer for some people (and should be much easier once you understand how to make your life easier during the “clarification questions and goals” phase of the case.

Hope this helps.

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear you're still struggling with it. What parts exactly do you feel like you are struggling with? If you provide a bit more detail about what the issues are, we can help suggest some targeted fixes.

There's no need to give up if you're still interested in consulting jobs! The case interview format is very idiosyncratic and it takes people different amounts of time to get comfortable with it.

Hi there,

Q: I have practiced 30+ cases, but still struggle with it. What to do? Should I give up?

Not necessarily. However we would need more information on what you think are your areas of improvement for specific feedback. 

For general tips, you can find some suggestions below:

▶ How to Prepare for a Consulting Interview

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Sorry to hear you’re struggling. Growth is never a linear process so maybe it just takes a bit more time for you to make a jump.

I’m surprised to hear coaching didn’t help. Have you tried giving feedback to your coach? Have you considered trying another one? 

Best,

Cristian 

Hi there,

There are two possibilities here:

1. It's not your thing (there is some sort of blocker in your capabilities)
2. You picked the wrong coach (did you go with a beginner or cheaper coach?)

Definitely reach out to Tyrion. 

Also feel free to reach out to me.

A lot of coaches just give cases. That's not the way to teach/train people.

This reading might help: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

And this one: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

Hey!

Don't give up!! Solving cases is never easy, but you're probably better at it than you think. You might be surprised. 

At this stage, what I would do is interview at 3-4 firms you don't want. This will give you excellent practice, and real life feedback on your case solving (as well as on your fit). In parallel, continue practicing with some other candidates and on PrepLounge. 

Hope this helps!

Dear candidate, that is a great start,  then do some cases next that you really enjoy and arrive at the answers easily. Then learn to structure, synthesize, make conclusions after each section drive the case and bring it to the next level, practice how to discuss your assumptions and then practice speed.

Best regards, Pope

Hi,

Have you tried CraftingCases courses ? I purchased all three courses. It really helped me improve my skills in the middle of my preparation, and eventually got me an offer.

You might also want to spend more time doing solo exercises (drills, etc.). I cannot recommend enough the “rocket block” platform with lots and lots of exercices (and not very expensive for the quantity and quality of drills).

Best of luck,

Jonathan

I likely can help. I invite you to PM me.

Don't give up. Happy to help (PM).

If you really want to know how to solve cases, book coaching sessions with Sidi!!