Hi there,

Love what the other coaches have said.

Basically, don't sweat it. You've caught the mistake which is a good thing! Just say “ah, just need to adjust x to be y”. And move on! That's it :)

The thing that gets lost when preparing for interviews is that they are testing for skills you would bring into client situations as a consultant. There are many occasions where you'll have to revise your work based on new information and it will be a little challenging to communicate it to the client but it is the best thing to do. 

Similarly, apply that logic here. You made a mistake, it happens. Own up to it, say that you realized you made an error and would like to go back to fix it (assuming that this is before it is pointed out to you). Most interviewers will be happy about you handling the situation in a calm frame of mind. 

Hello!

Something I always tell my coachees is that IS NOT ABOUT NOT MAKING MATH PROBLEMS, we all make them at some point, but about knowing how to not let this sink your interview. 

Often times, is not the mistake itself, but the way it affects the interviewee, that gets blocked completely and looses the case from then on. 

There are a few techniques to implement, that for me are musts in order to successfully interview - since, as we said, everyone makes mistakes, and even more the day of the interview in which you are very nervous. Feel free to reach out!

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi there,

It's hard to guide people on how not to be awkward. 

Fundamentally, you have no reason for it. Catching a mistake is a very good thing to do in an interview and is very close to real life, where the final deliverable is always polished but the way there is paved with all kinds of mistakes. In my opinion, it's a non-issue because a bit of awkwardness is very forgivable in comparison to a math mistake that isn't corrected.

And if you ever do miss a mistake that the interviewer needs to correct, make the corrected number, equation, etc. your own and run with it confidently. Again, very close to real life where people help each other out by spotting each other's mistakes, which is perfectly fine. I always thought highly of candidates that didn't crumble when that happened and showed some mature  attitude.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Hi there,

Q: How do I tell an interviewer that I know I made a mistake and would like to fix it? 

I guess you are catching the mistake when you do the double-check.

I don’t think you need a very specific script.

Something like “Let me do a quick double check.. actually I think there was an issue with the math here, it should have been X and not Y” should work well.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hello,

Don't worry about this too much - the key is that you caught it and corrected yourself. Something like “oh, actually X should be Y because of Z” conveys that you have caught the mistake and understand why your initial answer was wrong. It might feel a little abrupt, particularly if it has been a little time since the mistake was made, but that's ok! Just point it out quickly and continue with the case.

Hey there,

As with everything else in a case interview 

1. Be transparent
2. Overcommunicate
3. Don't overthink it
4. Don't stress

You know what, I just figured that these numbers do not make any sense. Let me just get back to my approach/calculation to fix it. I'll be right back with you.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there, 

Making small mistakes is not a big deal. So just think of it as being not a big deal. If you happen to make one, try to re-adjust quickly, be open about it to the interviewer and move on. Consultants also make mistakes in real-life - what makes the difference between the good and bad ones is how elegantly they recover.

Best,

Cristian