Final round at Roland Berger - 30 minute case interview

Hi there, 

Congrats on getting to the final round! That's a confirmation of your high potential as a candidate. 

In terms of the adjusted format for the interviews, don't be too concerned about it. Different offices can adopt different processes. This doesn't reflect on you as a candidate. If anything, now knowing that you only need to focus on the case should be a cause for joy. 

My number one recommendation - in terms of your preparation for the final round - would be to work on the development feedback they provided in the previous rounds. Consider also getting expert support to help you unlock these last levels of your development so you maximize your chances of getting the offer.

Aside from this, here are a couple of other things you can expect from a final-round interview:

1. Expect less structure. Senior interviewers already have the confidence that you are a decent candidate, your skills having been already vetted by their younger colleagues. They are rather more interested in you as a person and your way of thinking. So they might present you with an unusual case, or one that is created on the spot or no case altogether. Expect anything.
2. Focus on excellent communication. Senior interviewers care a lot about how clearly you communicate and how you manage to forge a connection with the interviewer. It's important to be top-down and concise as much as possible with your answers, while allowing the conversation to flow in a natural way.
3. Put yourself in their shoes. The one question senior interviewers are asking themselves throughout the interview is what will happen when they'll put you in front of a client they've groomed for years? Make sure that even based on this first impression you seem somebody who can be trusted and who can work with any client regardless of how difficult they might be.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

1) The initial 2x1 hour partner interviews I was expecting have been changed to a single 30-minute interview, with a focus on casing. Has anyone encountered a similar situation and may shed a light on whether there is a significance behind this change?

There could be several reasons for that. I think the most likely could be:

1. Scheduling issues for partners
2. Good performance in previous rounds

2) Also, is there any specific advice on how to prepare for final-round interviews in such a short timeframe?

For general prep tips, I would recommend the following:

▶ How to Prepare for a Consulting Interview

In case you don’t feel ready, you can ask if there is an option to postpone as well.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Nothing to worry about here! Just has to do with availability of partners.

No need to change any prep on your end. Still just go in and do your best!

Hi,

sometimes there are short-notice scheduling changes. Back when I was interviewing in the final round, I was supposed to have 3 partner interviews, then got told 2 days before that I will only have one interview. On the day I showed up, I received an update that another partner happened to be at the office who would also like to talk to me. So I ended up having two interviews. 

If you only have a 30-minute case now, it might mean that you are potentially not being interviewed by a partner but maybe by a principal or senior manager. In any case, everything you did to prepare for your first round interviews still remains relevant.

If you know the name of your interviewer ahead of time, look them up online to learn more about the topics they are involved in - that often makes for relevant conversational topics.

Best of luck

Hello,

It's a little strange that they're changing the interview format on such short notice, but my guess is that it has to do with interviewer availability and/or maybe a need to make a decision in a certain time frame. In any case, I don't think this has anything to do with you as a candidate.

If you've been told that your interview will be focused on casing, I would recommend doing some live case practice! How best to do this varies for each candidate, so it's important to go for a prep approach that really fits your needs and preparedness level. In general, my two cents would be: I don't know how comfortable you feel with cases at this stage (I assume fairly comfortable since it's the final round?), but I would go in and do a couple of live cases in the first few days, figure out what your main areas of improvement are, spend some time exclusively focusing on those, and then do a few more live cases. I would also really recommend taking some time to relax and do something fun before the interview, to ensure you are well-rested and able to perform your best. Good luck, and feel free to get in touch if you have any more questions!

Don't know your specific situation, but there's a reason for candidates in Germany always saying:

“NEVER GO BERGER”

There's no significance. They just want to be as efficient as they can. Start immediately with a case. Probably a short case. And then done with it.