I have recently received my feedback on a case interview, the interviewer mentioned that my performance in the case was great. However, it felt rehearsed and lacks creativity. What does it mean that it felt rehearsed?

Hi, 

Assuming this is a new case for you, not a repeated one, usually it meant the following:

• You force fit a framework into the case and didn’t customize it enough. Case interviews these days are more and more flexible. Off the shelf frameworks won’t fit perfectly and needs significant customization.
• Answers to brainstorming questions were not “out-of-the-box” enough. This is less likely compared to the first possibility though
• Least likely, but possible comments for some interviewers: your composure or way you communicated came across you’ve done this case before. Meaning “it was too perfect to be the first time you came across this case”. Consulting interviews are conversational, and I always encourage candidates to take it as an opportunity to build a relationship with the interviewer. 
   

Feel free to reach out for a chat if you have further questions! It’s best to talk through these to know which scenario is more likely and find the targeted resolution.

Best of luck!

Han

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I would highly advise you to contact the interviewer again and clarify to know for sure. Only the two of you were in this interview, and if you don't know, it's unlikely that an outside person will know better.
• Moreover, generally speaking though, when an interviewer mentions that your performance "felt rehearsed and lacked creativity", it often means that while your answers were technically correct and well-structured, they may have lacked adaptability to the client situation at hand. Therefore, I would advise you to work on your communication skills and creativity, i.e. your brainstorming skills.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Without the specifics, here are a few possible drivers for that comment: 

• Framework wasn’t tailored: you identified the right business drivers (e.g., low customer retention, increasing competitive insensitivity) but dig into the specifics of the client/industry or situation at hand in enough detail
• Didn’t identify enough options: when brainstorming, you missed some big opportunities or explanations to a problem
• Didn’t make it a conversation: your transitions (prompt, questions, framework, analysis, rec) were robotic and you didn’t engage the interviewer in the problem solving 

I’d be happy to work with you to address this feedback. In my experience, candidates go through phases: 1) you have no clue what you’re doing; 2) you learn the “formula” and sound robotic; 3) you realize the formula doesn’t always work and freak out; 4) you master the case interview process and feel at ease in any situation. It sounds like you’re in step 2 — let’s get your to 4, so you can secure that offer!
 

Hello! 

While it's difficult to say exactly what caused them to say that the performance felt 'rehearsed and lacked creativity', it could be that you relied too much on a standard framework or provided some basic/generic solutions (e.g., solutions that could be applied to any industry/client vs. specific to the industry/client in the case).

Here are a few tips that could help you improve creativity and have your cases feel less rehearsed:

1. Practice brainstorming: Find non-standard questions (business or non-business) and answer them by creating a framework to determine the solution space (e.g., why did prices for tuna increase in Japan?). This will help you learn how to break down a problem into its core variables and how to find a structured solution set based on those variable
2. Read the news: If you have access to WSJ / FT / Economist, make it a habit to read the news on a regular basis, as this will help you learn more about various industries (e.g., various solutions to problems companies face across industries) and you will then be able to apply that knowledge during case interviews
3. Read books (this is more time consuming, but a great habit to have even after you get the job): This could include business books, as well as other genres. Reading a broad range of book genres (or news / magazines) will give you knowledge that you can apply cross-industry or cross-field (e.g., some solution found in the world of medicine that you can apply to the world of business). This will make your answers more creative

Best,

Maria  

Hello there!
Unfortunately it is hard to say exactly what they meant, but in my experience, when an interviewer says your case "felt rehearsed," they’re likely referring to how you approached the problem in a way that seemed too structured or predictable, as though you were following a set script or formula rather than adapting dynamically to the case, or your communication was robotic. In consulting interviews, while structure and clarity are important, interviewers also want to see your ability to think creatively and flexibly as new information is introduced or the case evolves. See if you have made one of the following mistakes:

? Over-Reliance on a specific (and maybe well known) framework:

Using a well-known framework (like the 3Cs, 4Ps, or Porter’s Five Forces) without modifying it to fit the specifics of the case can come off as "rehearsed." While frameworks are useful, they should feel like tools to guide your thinking, not a rigid structure to plug into every case.

? Lack of creativity:

In consulting, creativity often comes into play when you’re faced with ambiguous or novel situations. It may be that you only brought obvious answers or too simplistic ones. Interviewers want to see how you think through unique challenges and bring original insights to the table. This could mean generating new hypotheses, asking creative questions, or thinking about solutions that go beyond standard approaches. (That’s gold!)

? Robotic communication:

The case interview follows a known process, so after doing a lot of cases we may get the habit of approaching its different parts with the same type of communication and lack of excitement, in a robotic way. It is important to think the interview is a mock of a real conversation between you and your manager/team member or you and a client. One must show interest for the problem at hand and under the rights circumstances, make it sound more like a collaborative effort rather than a task to be finished.

I hope this helps you, and if you have additional questions please feel free to contact.

Hey there,

It sounds like you gave correct answers (technically) but they felt "pre-packaged" and not I'll break that feedback into 2 parts (answering at face value):

• Felt rehearsed
  • Answers came across as pre-planned and did not consider the nuances and specific elements of the case / discussion
  • It could be that you already expected a similar question and had prepared a answer for it and gave it without tailoring it
• Lacks creativity
  • Answers were one of the following (or a combination of being) basic, shallow / surface level, and obvious
  • Solutions / answers / recommendations are unlikely to excite client, nor be ground-breaking, revolutionary or class-leading 

Hope that helps

All the best

Get back to your interviewer and ask!

From an external perspective, this feedback might suggest that you’re providing standard or obvious solutions, especially in frameworks and brainstorming.

Focus on developing highly tailored solutions and unique ideas that align with each case’s specific context.

Happy to help you practice that—just drop me a message.

Best,

Alberto

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Explore my latest case inspired by a real MBB interview: FastFashion - Customer Loyalty