BCG Fit interview: how long the answers have to be on average? Shall shall I prepare for it?

Hi,

Sharing my perspective having been an interviewer for BCG for 5 years.

• Generally, try to keep your story to about ~3mins
• Follow a clear structure (many out there, pick one that you feel comfortable with)
• Be prepared for follow-up questions - interviewers may probe and dive deeper on interesting junctures of your case

Hope this helps!

Usually the fit questions of your interview will be approximately 10-15minutes long. The answers may differ greatly - it’s not about the amount of time you answer, but rather the quality. 

Answers should always be structured, start with the direct answer to the question and then build into greater detail to give concrete examples or further details to what your initial statement was. Always be sure to back it up! For example, don’t just say you’re a team player, make sure you also say why you are one. 

Prepare by making a list of usual fit questions and preparing your personal answers for them. 

Choose topics that complement what your interviewer already knows about you through your resume and cover letter. 

Hope pé it helps,

João 

Hi,

The length is related to your story and additional questions your interviewer may ask. 

I recommend using the STAR framework:

• In Situation, you should briefly provide the context, usually in 1 or 2 sentences
• Task usually includes 2 or 3 sentences describing the problem and your objective.
• Then you provide a list of specific actions you took to achieve the goal. It should take 1 or 2 sentences per action (Usually 3-4 actions). Note that the interviewer can stop you any minute and ask for more details.
• The results part should have 1 or 2 sentences describing the outcomes. This part is finalizing your story - make sure it can impress the interviewer and stay in the memory.

It is important that the Interviewers will drill down into your story to understand the dynamics, your reactions and decisions and most of all the rationale behind them. They will follow up with other questions as you tell your story to make sure they understand it in enough detail. I recommend preparing for these additional questions in advance.

Best,

Vlad

Hello!

On top of the insights already shared in the post, next week will be pusblished in PrepLounge´s Shop material related. 

In concrete, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB". It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally,  as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Hope you find it useful!

Hi A,

Your answer should not be too long, 1-2 minutes is what you should aim for non-PEI questions. For PEI-questions it usually takes a bit longer (2-4 minutes). It is mostly about quality, not quantity.

I would recommend using the following structure:

1. Start with 1 sentence summary of your background.
2. Bring out the problem.
3. Talk about 3-4 of your roles (may be professional, educational, extracurricular), 3 sentences each.
4. Shortly explain how you resolved that.
5. Tell what you learned from that.

If you can make your answer shorter without losing the key points of your story, do it. Just keep it concise and consistent.

Best, André