Hi Anonymous,
the initial structure you use in a case depends on the case itself – thus just knowing the position is for a FinTech Consultant role doesn’t make possible to suggest a specific one you could use. It is likely you will find operations cases given the role, but there are no guarantees.
I agree with Vlad and would try to reschedule the interview – many candidates prepare for case interviews in tens of hours and you would be at disadvantage compared to the competition if you don’t do a minimum of 25-30 cases before the first interview. If that’s impossible, I would recommend to still practice as much as possible with experiences peers or experts before the day of the interview.
In terms of specific suggestion for the prep, I would recommend the following:
- Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before your expected interviews, then allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the following points.
- Read Case In Point or Case Interview Secrets for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. Don’t focus on the structures proposed in the books though, as they are not good enough nowadays.
- Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (Insead is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insides. Try to read at least a new case per day – in this way you will absorb a lot better the information with constant learning. Structure your remaining daily preparation with at least 5-10 minutes per day for each of the following: market sizing, fit questions and mental math.
- After you have read the first 10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only. Keep track of your mistakes and see if you repeat them. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback of experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both fit and case.
- Once you feel you are not improving anymore, if you have a tight time constraint or if you want a realistic assessment of your level, consider using support from experts to strengthen your performance
- Before the interview, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer –great way to show you prepare in advance and to connect more with the interviewer for a good final impression.
Best,
Francesco
Thanks for the advise, I'll take that into consideration.