I made math mistake and the interviewer didn’t correct me

Hi there,

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

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

• First of all, I would highly advise you not to overthink the situation, besides no one can say for sure.
• Moreover, focus your energy on further preparation, whether for the final interview round with BCG or other interview processes.

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 BCG final round interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

I’d suggest you don’t overthink about this particular detail. It sounds more likely that the interviewer had already collected enough data points to form a view on your performance, and therefore no need to go through the additional step. I cannot say whether the view on your performance is good or not, without being in the room. 

You will know which way it goes when they get back to you (there is possibility that you did well enough so he didn’t need to correct you ?). Meanwhile, focus on what you have control – prepare well for the other interview in your pipeline, or your other life priorities besides BCG interview. 

Good luck!

Best,

Emily

Hi there,

An interview don’t follow a strict format, meaning each interviewer has its own style and personality, that ultimately impact how the content of the case is delivered.

Therefore, try to not overthink. I know is hard, but it is not possible to infer your result based on this situation. I suggest you to distract yourself with good things, and prepare for the next interview.

Good luck!

Mari

Hi there,

Q: So I am wondering why he didn’t correct me when I didn’t include the # of appraisals that can be reimbursed. Does it mean that he’s tired with me?

The quick answer is that we don’t know. Most likely, he already had enough information to make a decision on the outcome of the interview. I would say it is not a great sign, but you also cannot really infer much from it.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hey there ?,

First of all, don’t overthink it! Interviewers at BCG (or any MBB firm) rarely correct math mistakes unless they are testing how you think rather than just checking for calculation accuracy.

1️⃣ Why Didn’t the Interviewer Correct You?

✅ They’re Testing Your Thought Process, Not Just Math Skills – BCG interviewers care more about how you approach problems than whether every number is perfect. If they nudged you in other areas (like refining your framework or double-checking calculations), that was likely where they were focusing their evaluation.

✅ They Want to See If You Catch Your Own Mistakes – If you didn’t realize it during the case, they might have let it slide to see if you would self-correct later.

✅ Not Every Mistake is a Dealbreaker – If your logic was sound and you communicated your approach well, one math error won’t necessarily ruin your chances.

2️⃣ Does This Mean a Bad Outcome?

? Not necessarily! Finishing in 45 minutes and still having time for Q&A means you worked at a good pace. Also, if the interviewer was engaged and guiding you, that’s a positive sign—they wouldn’t bother nudging you if they thought you weren’t a fit.

? However, if they skipped the recommendation step, it could mean they felt you weren’t progressing well enough to need it—but it could also be due to time constraints or their evaluation approach.

3️⃣ What Can You Do Now?

• Don’t stress over one mistake—even strong candidates make them.
• Reflect on whether you clearly explained your logic—this is more important than just getting the numbers right.
• If you advance to the next round, focus on double-checking calculations quickly and asking yourself, "Does this number make sense in context?"

Overall, if the rest of your case went well, one math slip-up won’t ruin your chances. Let’s wait for the feedback, and if you need help prepping for round two, let me know!

Best, Alessa ?

Hi there,

It's hard to say for sure from the outside, but it likely wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things. A few possibilities:

• It may not have been a critical factor in the case outcome, so the interviewer didn’t feel the need to correct you.
• They might have already made their decision - whether positive or negative - based on your overall performance. If they spotted other issues, they may have felt it wasn’t worthwhile to dig deeper into this specific one.
• They were assessing how you structured your thinking, not just whether you got every detail right. Since they engaged actively earlier (nudging you on framework, calculations, etc.), they may have wanted to see how you reason through things rather than spoon-feed corrections.
• Fatigue or disengagement is possible, but less likely if they were actively involved throughout.

Since you completed the interview in 45 minutes, asked three questions, and weren’t pushed for more brainstorming, it could mean they felt they had enough data to evaluate you. But don’t overthink it now - the best thing you can do is wait for feedback and focus on the next steps!

Fingers crossed,

Florian

When I am interviewing a candidate, they may misinterpret or miss a detail. In a real setting, of course someone would point out the information they missed. In an interview setting, I will assess whether it is an "honest mistake", i.e., a different interpretation or a small communication issue, vs. a relevant gap in the candidate's thought process.

Sometimes I may not correct because it would slow us down and it is not a big deal... in other cases I think it is important and I bring the information again to see how the candidate adjusts to the "new information", and in other cases I want the candidate to understand that they actually did a mistake (so that a rejection doesn't come off as a surprise).

To sum up: in your case, we don't know. 

Hi there, 

I would not stress about it. Might also be that the interviewer did not consider this vital enough to correct you and rather wanted to keep going with the case to see how you progress and think about the rest. 

Keep in preparing for the potential further rounds or other interviews you might have. 

Best, 
Sebastian