Principal/Partner’s Cases vs Normal Cases

There isn't one. 

The difficulty of the case is rather adjusted by the interviewer. 

Second round interviews tend to be tougher sometimes because the interviewer is more senior and they can probe deeper into your abilities. They also know how to make the case tougher. 

But it's not like in McKinsey for instance they have two enveloped, one with final round, one with first round and the interviewers pick accordingly. 

Best,
Cristian

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This is not quite the right question. The right question is "How do interviews with partners / principals" differ from earlier round interviews? They differ in a few ways.

1. Fit: Partners have been in the firm a long time (many since University or Business School) and consider it a very special place. They put more emphasis on "Why consulting" and especially "Why their firm".
2. Experiences / Personal Impact: Partners are looking for candidates that will become future partners and view your past experiences as indicative of future performance in the firm. So, they are looking for examples of past experiences that paint the picture for them of how you are going to perform in the firm and how that is going to make you succeed all the way to partner
3. Cases: First, unlike more junior consultants that interviewed you in the 1st/2nd round, Partners usually haven't been through interview training. So, they are less apt to "go by the book" in their scoring. The cases they use don't always come from the active case library and can be based on their current projects or current events. Second, they are trying to transpose your performance to a client situation. For instance, during a quantitative problem, they judge the setup and walkthrough as importantly as coming up with the right answer because they are trying to imagine you walking their long-time client through a quantitative session (e.g., how we got to the -3% cost reduction figure) and assessing whether you would confuse the client or the client would come out confident in the #s.

So, whereas #3 is most important in early rounds, more emphasis is placed on #1 and #2 in final rounds. 

Dear A, 

Interview with partners depends on how you performed in the 1st round. Different scenarios are possible:

1. In case you performed well in the 1st round and didn’t get any advices on particular skills improvement (e.g structure, calculations etc.) Interview will be less structured: discuss variety of different topics, during which partner will assess your social skills, creativity, approach to different things to understand how you behave in front of a client and what your values are. What is more, short case is a part of such interview as well: market sizing or brainstorming.
2. If a candidate lacked a particular skill, or there was a fit issue in the 1st round, then the second interview round might test specifically for that issue. Cases partners use might be similar to the first round with a push towards specific skill you lack (structuring/calculations). Partners will ask more analytical questions and the business cases will be more detailed: for example more deep-dives in a structure. Furthermore, partners might use cases from their personal experience, as they are owners.

Hope this was helpful.

All the best,
Egor

Hi,

I would strongly suggest that you do not anticipate. At BCG, there are standardized interview guidelines for all interviewers for both rounds.

Sometimes, Partners tend to not follow the guidelines and go ‘off script’ so to say, but even then, you should always be prepared for the ‘worst’ so to say.

Lastly, don't forget that the same skills are always being tested and they are looking for the same core abilities, no matter what or how the question is asked.

In my final round interviews, 1 partner went ‘off script’ and just drew a graph on the board and asked me to discuss it, but the other partner gave me a standard case with math etc.

Hello!

Congrats for moving to final round!

As it has been outlined, its very similar, but :

• Cases you can expect are more "free riding" - less organized than the ones your found in the 1st round or most prep pages
• Stronger emphasis in the FIT part, as outlined before by other coaches.

If you are interested in deepening your knowledge and preparation on the FIT part, 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.

Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation: 

- Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200

- Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

- Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!