Spending 3 minutes writing out my initial structure - is this too long?

Hi,

In general, it's OK for training but not ok for the interviews.

Here are some guidelines:

• 1-2 min for initial structure. But the faster the better
• Up to 1 minute for the conclusion. Again, the faster the better. But always take the time! Your conclusion should be very well structured and your arguments should include supporting numbers and you need time to collect them
• 30 sec - 1 min for questions on creativity. It's really hard to be creative "On-the-go"

It's a bit more tricky with taking time during the case:

• It's not OK to take 30 seconds and then come up with just 1 or 2 ideas. And then if the ideas are not correct to keep the science again. This is called "Guessing"
• It's OK to take 30 seconds, draw a new structure (or continuation of your previous structure) and come up with a structured way to approach the problem further.

Best,

Vlad

Let me add a little bit to what Sidi said (which I agree with: practice makes speed, and a good intro will make the interviewer largely forget you took "forever").

First, 60 to 90 seconds is indeed more standard and "better/best practice". I don't mind 2 minutes even, but you better be darn good if you take so long. Taking 3 minutes and only giving me a couple of layers on the structure is not good enough

Second, start breaking it down as you practice. For example, 30 seconds to build a general story, 30 seconds to detail the second layer, 30 seconds to start thinking of the 3rd layer + some risks... Time yourself, and see where you spend time. This is practice, so you can't go wrong.

If you take 3 minutes currently, I'm willing to bet you a wasting some time on basic stuff that you will quickly learn to automate - or even more likely, you are wasting time thinking of the time you waste :)

Practice doesn't make perfect; focused practice does. Measure yourself, you'll improve quickly. Good luck!