How many live cases after self-studying 60 cases?

Hi there,

I would be careful with statements such as “main types of cases.”

There are no main types of cases, even though this is how most common case interview resources on the web and the 2 books that are still the industry standard for some reason make it out to be. Cases at all top firms have become much more creative over the last 10 years and there are no common frameworks or case types that will set you up for success.

It is also not about the number of live cases to be ready. You are approaching it from the wrong end/with the wrong outcome in mind.

A great candidate is not someone who has done 100 live cases but someone who internalizes the right habits and thinking techniques and seeks out strong practice cases, drills, and case partners PLUS tracks their performance and weaknesses rigorously and makes sure to improve over time.

I ran cases with people who did 50 peer practice cases before and got it completely wrong due to

• overreliance on case books and frameworks
• non-actionable or wrong feedback by case partners who did not know better

Once they see how a real case unfolds, they get stuck because they never learned how to think a problem through on their own/for themselves.

On the contrary, I also ran cases with people who did 5 peer cases before but had a strong performance to build on right from the start because they approached case interviews as a problem-solving exercise (e.g., through learning first-principles thinking to problem deconstruction) and not a numbers game or memorization game.

I know this might not be the answer you were hoping for/expecting but if followed will put you on a much more efficient and successful path to interview preparation.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there, 

You might find it unsurprising that there's no set number of cases you should be aiming for. 

What I'd suggest instead is to reflect on whether you feel like you've hit a slump in your growth, i.e., each additional case that you're doing isn't improving your abilities. If that's the case, I'd suggest getting an expert review so you have a clear understanding of where you are, what your strengths are, and what are your areas of development (and how to work on them). It's a very very worthwhile investment when you compare it with the boost in your success rate. 

Best,

Cristian

Great job on getting through that much self study material on your own.

A consulting interview is like a tennis (or any other sport) match. You can practice as much as you would like on your own but the real test is how you perform with others (i.e. an interviewer). It is easy to solve a case by yourself but the stress of an interview can change how you approach even the most basic of questions.

The best step now is to book cases with peers or anyone else familiar with the interview process and get good at practicing a case with them

There is no magical number here. Aim for 20+ and focus more on what is going well that you can hold on to and what changes from self practice that you need to improve on. Once you truly understand your performance you will be good at adapting to your case interview.

Udayan

Congrats on self-studying 60 cases, this is by no means a small achievement in itself!

That being said, it is important to practice live cases with other candidates or coaches as this helps prepare you for curveballs and the unique direction a real-life interviewer might want to get the case to; furthermore, it is often difficult to be a good judge of personal performance, and obtaining feedback from an interview partner is definitely helpful

Given your level of experience, I would aim for at least 1 case of each major type & industry, along with 2-3 unique market sizing cases. That would be approx. 15 live cases as a benchmark, with potentially more cases required based on your performance

I would be happy to guide you and support you in your journey if you want to practice cases along with an expert, and would be available for a free introductory call if you want to discuss further,

thanks,

Petros

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the perseverance so far!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• It is important to practice and gain experience through live cases in order to hone your case-solving skills and become more confident in your abilities. Rather than focusing on a specific number of live cases, it may be more beneficial to reflect on your performance after each one and continue to practice until you feel confident in your ability to solve a variety of case types.
• Additionally, it's also important to gain valuable feedback on areas where you can improve, for instance, from a coach.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

You should aim for the # of cases you require in order to feel comfortable with the unknown.

As in, once you start to be able to comfortably be hit with a “scary” and unknown case question/topic/industry and know how to breathe and solve the case effectively, then you have done enough cases.

Some people need 10. Some need 50. Some need 100.

Hello!

I don't think you can accurately measure your level of preparation by the inputs (e.g., cases done, number of minutes studied…) but the outputs (how ready you really are). In order to do so, doing real cases with other candidates and ideally a coach is the only way. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

uh. Sorry to say this, but if you are trying to setup a structure per case type you are approaching this the wrong way.

Your approaches have to be specific to the objective (and context) of the case. That means customized, objective-driven approaches.

I am afraid to say that if you proceed with that strategy you will look like having memorized frameworks.

_________________

Regarding doing live cases… as many as you need to feel comfortable with this. Can be from 10 to 30. Usually people that go beyond this either really love doing cases, or are doing it wrong.

Hi there,

Some people do 100 live cases and fail, others do a handful and succeed.

Not sure how much you got out of doing 60 cases by yourself, but it can't be a lot. Live practice is a different ball game and I would encourage you to expose yourself to live partners and their feedback.

Lastly, you should always consider coaching if you want to increase your odds dramatically and get through your preparation with efficiency and efficacy.

Let me know if you'd like to explore coaching, happy to help!

Best,
Moritz