The consulting case interview is the cornerstone of every strategy consulting firm’s interview process due to the ability to replicate the problems and challenges of the work they do.
To score well in an EY-Parthenon case interview, you must meet the criteria laid out above and you can do this following a structured approach to case interviews. The structure of an EY-Parthenon case interview is as follows:
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Situation and problem
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Hypothesis validation
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Framework development
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Root cause analysis
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Mathematical calculation (sometimes)
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Creativity test (sometimes)
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Recommendation
At the start of the case, the interviewer will outline the context and the problem to be explored. An example might be:
“A high street retailer wants to cut costs by 30% in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, how would you approach this?”
You would then be expected to put forward an initial hypothesis on the answer and explain your intention to prove or disprove it.
From there you will be expected to develop a framework to conduct your analysis and test it with the interviewer.
If your framework is MECE ("mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive") and you explore it correctly then you will find the root cause of the issue for the client (in this case where costs can be reduced) and begin calculations if relevant.
The creativity test is when the interviewer asks you for an alternative to your findings or recommendation e.g. “Okay, the client says they do not want to shut stores, how else can they reduce cost?” They may ask this more than once and it tests the candidate's ability to think of alternatives, even if their answer is appropriate.
Finally, you will be asked to provide a recommendation whereby you need to synthesize your findings and give a clear and concise proposal.
For more information on how to approach and solve case interviews, read our full guide here.