Hi there,

Congratulations on getting to the final round. In terms of your questions:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1) What should I expect beyond the general case interviews? 

The final round has the same structure as the first (fit + case+ your questions); however in a final round, partners may:

1. Spend more time on fit questions and your alignment with the company.
2. Check more closely your communication (eg how you react to challenging questions).
3. May not have a “proper” structured case to present – during one of my finals I had one interview which was made by two market sizing questions and a brainteaser, without any business case. That's because during the final they know you can structure and crack a case (you passed 1 or 2 rounds already) and are more interested in your logic, personality and fit with the company.

So in order to prepare I would concentrate on the following:

• Review in detail your fit stories – they could matter more than in the first round. In some finals I had almost exclusively behavioral questions.
• Work on your communication (reaction under pressure, how to gain time when you do not have a structure ready, connect with the interviewer, etc). This is something you can do almost exclusively in interviews with peers.
• Prepare cases as you did for the first round. If you got feedback on a specific area, focus more on that part.

Extra reading:

▶ Case Prep Tips

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2) Will it be more quantitative-heavy?  

Not necessarily

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

3) Any tips on how I carry a strong and memorable conversation with senior leadership? Any experiences people could share would be super helpful!

Partners often give cases related to the industries they cover. If you know their sectors, it is a good idea to review those industries / read their research papers on that / do cases related to that sector.

For questions at the end: generally speaking, good questions to ask should:

1. Not be related to something you could easily find online or that shows you don’t know much about consulting
2. Not be related to the firm per se (eg how is XYZ at Bain), but to the experience of the partner (How did you find XYZ in your experience?)
3. Be related to a positive experience (ie avoid questions related to negative emotions. Instead, let him/her talk about successes in the past)

At the following link you can find some examples:

▶ Questions to Ask at the End of a Consulting Interview 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you are interested in the exact questions, I have a DB with 1500+ MBB questions for 60+ offices, you can check on my profile if I include them for the office you are interviewing with.

Good luck!

Francesco

(editiert)

Hi there,

Prepare to be surprised! This will get you in the right mindset. Trying to predict things is the opposite of that, which you're currently trying to do and which isn't helpful.

Partners can take the interview in any direction they want and you'll just have to run with it! For example, they could:

• Do a standard case and fit, by the book
• Non-standard case that will really throw you off
• Drill down on a singular testing dimension (e.g. quant) through any means they can think of
• No case at all, just a random conversation about your experiences and expectations
• Random talk about random stuff that will leave you wondering what the hell just happened

The list goes on but it's obviously a big spectrum. The best you can is just be your best, confident self and run with whatever they throw at you!

Best of luck!

Hi there, 

You can expect it to be very similar to the first round. 

There are three additional things to keep an eye one. 

1. Improve on the feedback you were given after the first round. That is something they will be looking at, so make sure that you got better on those points.
2. Senior leaders in consulting firms value brevity. So be straight to the point, don't talk more than necessary. Focus more on connecting with them, than trying to impress them with knowledge.
3. Expect the case to be unusual or created on the spot. Second round cases tend to be more unstructured than first round cases.

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

Try to not predict things!

If might be all charts/exhibits or there might be none. It might be a 40 min case or a 2 min brainstorming. It might be all quantitative or it might be all qualitative.

Make sure you're ready for anything. Building up the skillsets required (math, chart reading, structured thinking, objective-driven approach, business knowledge, clear communication etc.), and practice reacting/responding to anything…then you won't have to worry about trying to control that which you cannot - the interviewer!

Here's some reading to improve your fit interview: https://www.preplounge.com/en/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

And some reading to improve your case interview: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

(editiert)

If its a generalist interview, case will depend a lot on the partner and the problems they are working on. In my experience, if its a private equity partner you could get a acquisition focused case (market estimation, deal rationale, risks etc.) , if  O&G partner then a case focused on oil industry.

Generally, partners would be testing your executive presence. Its a difficult attribute to measure or explain but in practical terms you want to speak with clarity , be concise and project an aura which is action-oriented . Adopt a answer-first with supporting arguments approach (pyramid principle). Practice saying “Z would be better, considering X, Y, Z.” or “I would recommend ”Z", based on X,Y,Z" ,  rather than saying, “I wonder if…” 

Francesco already gave a comprehensive answer so I will just add one point - it can be helpful to be up to date on current affairs and macro events that might impact the practice of the partner. It is not a big deal but it will help you with some of the small talk that helps you build their impression of you as being knowledgeable and up to date.