I have my interviews with Mastercard advisors coming up and I don't know what to expect. Only info that I was able to get was that I can expect market sizing in the first round and then some cases later on.
Does anyone have information on their interview process? I am concerned that the cases will be highly related to the payments industry, of which I don't have extensive knowledge.
Thanks!
[Please answer only if you have knowledge specific for their process or cases]
(editiert)
Hi there,
I can advise here based on both colleagues and candidates that interviewed with Mastercard.
You should absolutely prepare like you would for strategy consulting. What this means is, make sure you know how to case effectively and do market sizing. Equally, prepare in a similar manner for the fit portion of the interview (resume walkthrough, why Mastercard, 5 stories, etc.)
The difference here is that you'll have to be more familiar with Mastercard businesses. So, familiarize yourself with various payments systems and their models, the finance/banking industry etc. etc.
Furthermore, you may or may not receive data from which you need to gather insights.
Well, I think this sums it up already quite well.
In any case, you'll need to spend significant time preparing for these interviews. Expect a time of 4-8 weeks of regular practice and a total number of 20-30 cases to practice over this time.
Hi,
First of all - a lot of Matercards consultants are MBB alums, so you should expect a similar approach
Secondly - payments knowledge is a must. You can use the following sources:
Best
Thanks Vlad, that's really useful! Their 10K reports were my starting point :-)
Hello!
Although I did not interview myself, almost all their consultats are ex-MBBs, which is great, since it tells us exactly what to expect.
Hence, as when interviewing with other consulting firms, you have 2 main workstreams ahead:
1. FIT INTERVIEW
The "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)
It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
You can see plenty of reviews from candidates who purchased it already.
Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:
Feel free to PM me for disccount codes, since we still have some left from the launch! :)
2. BUSINESS CASE
You don´t have any more time to the classics of Viktor Cheng, "Case in point" book, etc. You need to get hands on asap:
1. Practice cases with partners asap, as many as you can do.Find experienced partners who can provide a good feedback
2. Practice your math skills, both in your cases and with ad hoc exercisess, such as:
1. Multiplying double digit numbers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ndkkPZYJHo
2. Leveraging math tools (Mimir math for iOS), Math tool on Viktor Cheng website to practice
3. Ensure you have a good overview of the most common case types:
1. Profitability cases- basic profitability framework.
2. Idea generation cases: for any specif issue
3. Growth cases: market penetration, new product launch, product mix change, etc.
4. Pricing cases
5. M&A cases
6. Valuation cases
7. Value chain cases
Given you are under this much time contraint, consider working with a coach to foster speed and ensure you have a tailored plan to be very targeted. PM me interested!
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
