Tips for exhibit reading during case interviews

Question

Does anyone have tips on reading exhibits during case interviews and producing insights? A few problems I’m experiencing right now include:

Being too slow in digesting the content
Being overwhelmed with the amount of information given, particularly when it’s a large complex graph with footnotes and many different components, and an unfamiliar industry context. I find it difficult to fully understand the graph in 30 seconds, and to be able to give commentary and accurate next steps
Not knowing the level of detail in insights. Some exhibits require only a brief interpretation, while for other exhibits, the interviewer expects you to develop calculations and deeper insights from it. I find it hard to know what level of detail I should gather from an exhibit. Sometimes they expect a calculation from the exhibit and I just give qualitative insights. Other times, they expect a simple interpretation but I overcomplicate it.

This throws me off a lot during interviews, and I’m finding it hard to improve even after 30-40 cases. Any tips would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

hey there :)

I practice a 3-step approach with my mentees: first, scan for axes, units, and trends to get the story in 10–15 seconds; second, identify what the interviewer is likely asking, look for anomalies, big changes, or comparisons; third, decide quickly if a calculation is needed or if a high-level comment suffices. Verbally narrate your thought process as you go, it buys time and shows structured thinking. With practice, you’ll get a sense of when to dive deeper versus give a quick insight. Doing timed drills on complex graphs outside of cases helps a lot too.

best,
Alessa :)