What are interviewers looking for when you answer brainstorming questions during cases?

Brainstorming questions are not about idea quantity. They are about how you think under ambiguity.

What interviewers are actually testing

• Can you impose structure when none is given
• Can you prioritize instead of listing
• Can you connect ideas to the case economics
• Can you be creative within constraints

What a great answer looks like

1. Set a clear structure first
   • eg. revenue vs cost, short term vs long term, customer vs operations
   • This shows control before creativity
2. Anchor ideas to value
   • Explain why each idea could move the P&L
   • Rough sizing beats clever wording
3. Go deep on a few ideas
   • 3–5 strong, distinct levers
   • Not 10 shallow ones
4. Show judgment
   • Call out which ideas you would test first and why
   • Mention feasibility, risk, or time to value

What weak answers do

• Jump straight into lists with no structure
• Give generic ideas that fit any case
• Never prioritise
• Treat it like a creativity contest

Bottom line
A great brainstorming answer shows you can:

• Create order from ambiguity
• Think commercially
• Make decisions, not just suggestions

AKA: no laundry lists 

Brainstorming questions look simple but they're actually testing a lot.

Here's what I look for when I ask these:

Structure, even in creativity. Don't just throw out random ideas. Group them. If I ask for ways to improve profitability, I want to hear "on the revenue side... on the cost side..." or "short-term quick wins... longer-term initiatives..." Show me you can think in buckets even when brainstorming.

Breadth and depth. Give me a range of ideas across different categories, but also go one level deeper on each. Don't just say "increase prices." Say "increase prices on premium products where customers are less price-sensitive." That shows you're thinking, not just listing.

Relevance to the case. Your ideas should connect to what we've discussed. If we just spent 20 minutes figuring out that the client's costs are high because of supply chain issues, your brainstorm should reflect that. Generic ideas that could apply to any company feel lazy.

Practicality. I'm not looking for crazy moonshot ideas. I want things the client could actually do. Bonus points if you acknowledge trade-offs or implementation challenges.

Prioritization. After listing a few ideas, tell me which ones you'd focus on and why. This shows business judgment. Anyone can list ten ideas. Knowing which two matter most is what consultants actually do.

What a great response looks like:

"I'd think about this in three buckets: revenue, costs, and operational efficiency. On revenue, we could look at pricing adjustments for the premium segment where we saw less price sensitivity, or cross-selling to existing customers since acquisition costs are high. On costs, given the supply chain issues we identified, renegotiating supplier contracts or consolidating vendors could help. On efficiency, automating the manual processes we discussed could reduce overhead. If I had to prioritize, I'd start with the supplier renegotiation since that's where we saw the biggest cost gap and it's relatively quick to act on."

That's structured, relevant, specific, and shows judgment.

Hi there, 

Think of them as the second structuring exercise in the case, but under much tighter time pressure than the initial framework.

What interviewers are actually testing:

• Structured thinking under constraint
  You usually get very little time to think, so they want to see whether you can still organize ideas clearly instead of listing random points.
• Ability to build on the case context
  Strong answers explicitly tie back to what has already been discussed. This shows you understood the case and can draw relevant, meaningful conclusions rather than generic ideas.
• Creativity with discipline
  The goal isn’t originality for its own sake, but generating options that make sense within the realities of the case.
• Clear communication
  Even when asked to “brainstorm,” interviewers expect you to speak in a structured, top-down way.

What a great answer looks like:

• Starts with a quick organizing logic (e.g., revenue vs. cost, short vs. long term)
• Prioritizes a few high-impact ideas over a long list
• Connects each idea back to case facts or insights

That is a truly critical question, and how you approach these open-ended brainstorms is what separates the candidates who get "dinged" versus those who get an offer. Most people assume the goal is to list twenty ideas, but that’s not what the interviewer is grading.

Interviewers are primarily testing two things: structured creativity and commercial prioritization. They want to see that you don't just vomit ideas, but rather organize them logically (e.g., by internal levers vs. external opportunities; short-term fixes vs. long-term strategy; or a supply chain framework). If the case was about low margins, your brainstorm should directly address the drivers of cost or revenue identified in the previous steps—not just generic market ideas.

A "great" response means taking 30 seconds to structure your thoughts before speaking. Deliver your response in categories (3-4 groups), list 4-6 high-impact ideas across those groups, and then pivot quickly to judgment. You should select the top 1-2 ideas and briefly explain why they are the most attractive levers (e.g., highest impact for lowest required investment, or fastest time-to-market). This shows that you understand implementation and risk, which is far more valuable than sheer volume.

Keep practicing your categorization. All the best.

Hi there,

Interviewers are not looking for a long list of random ideas. They are assessing how you think under ambiguity.

A great brainstorming answer shows three things:

1. First, a clear structure upfront. You group ideas into a few logical buckets instead of listing them one by one.
2. Second, business judgment. You prioritize the most impactful ideas and briefly explain why they matter.
3. Third, breadth with control. Enough ideas to show creativity, but not so many that it feels unfiltered.

If brainstorming feels hard, that is normal. It is a separate skill from frameworks and math. Crafting Cases has dedicated brainstorming courses and drills that are very good for this, because they teach you how to build idea trees, prioritize on the fly, and avoid sounding generic. Many candidates underestimate this part and lose points there.

So aim for structured, prioritized, and business-relevant thinking, not idea volume.

When receiving brainstorming questions there are a few things to always consider.

-Are you ready to go on the fly? or is it better to ask for a short moment to collect your thoughts. If all you need is 5-7 seconds to develop a strong answer, my recommendation would be to take the time.

- Always have structured categories when brainstorming so that you don't end up with a laundry list. These could be 'internal vs external', 'financial vs non financial', 'short term vs long term'. Not only does it clarify and make your answer more exec level when you have categories it is often easier to brainstorm more items in each bucket as we have a guideline for what we are thinking about.

-When presenting always do top-down
 

That's a great question but too broad to give you a proper answer in a Q&A thread. 

In short:

1 structure

2 creativity

3 depth 

4 pragmatism

5 tailoring

These are a few of the most important ones. 

You might also find this guide useful:

• Expert Guide: Mastering Structuring & Brainstorming

If you also need help to get really good at this, reach out. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

They're trying to see whether you can add structure to an ambiguous and open-ended question, as well as test your creativity.