Want to work for Revolut? Then you’ll probably encounter their problem‑solving interview: a significant and demanding part of the hiring process.
In this article, Coach Mariana will walk you through exactly how the interview works, what skills it tests, and how you can prepare to stand out. Whether you're new to case-style interviews or just want to sharpen your skills, her goal is to help you approach Revolut’s process with confidence and clarity.
Revolut is a UK-based fintech company founded in 2015. It offers digital banking services such as current accounts, international transfers, cards, and investment options, and is now active in more than 35 countries.
At Revolut, the problem-solving interview is a core step in the hiring process. You’ll be asked to tackle a real or realistic business situation in 30–40 minutes, working through it live with your interviewer.
The purpose isn’t to see whether you know the “right answer.” In most cases, there isn’t one. Instead, the focus is on how you think: can you bring structure to an ambiguous question, work with data, do the math, make reasonable assumptions, brainstorm solutions, and communicate clearly?
I know this sounds a bit conceptual right now, but don’t worry! I’ll break it down for you in a moment! 🙂
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What Will Revolut’s Problem-Solving Interview Assess?
The Revolut problem-solving interview usually covers six main areas:
Structuring – Breaking down a broad problem into clear, logical components while being MECE.
Chart Reading – Interpreting data exhibits to extract relevant insights connected to the case objective.
Case Math – Performing calculations to support arguments. Don’t worry about mental math; so far 100% of my clients were allowed to use calculators or Excel, just confirm this with your HR point of contact. 😉
Brainstorming – Generating creative yet practical ideas within a structured MECE framework.
Communication – Explaining your thought process in a clear, confident, top-down way.
Breaking Down Each Component of Revolut’s Problem-Solving Interview
Let us now take a look at each component of Revolut’s problem-solving interview:
Structuring
What it means: Turning a broad question into an organized, step-by-step plan (MECE).
MECE stands for Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. It means your breakdown should have no overlaps and should cover all relevant points.
A basic example could be: Internal factors vs. External factors. (Just to illustrate the concept, don’t use it blindly without context!)
Typical questions include:
“Why might Revolut’s card transactions be declining in one market?”
“How could Revolut grow its revenues next year?”
“How could we improve the onboarding process of new clients?”
Step-by-step method
Repeat the prompt to confirm you understood it correctly, even if it’s simple.
Clarify the scope and success criteria, as you would in a real project. Think like an executive who needs clear boundaries and high-level context.
Draft 3–4 broad categories that are MECE.
Add sub-categories under each to guide your analysis.
Explain your structure out loud, linking your rationale back to the case objective.
State explicitly what your next step will be, that’s what makes it a candidate-led interview.
Use your structure as the roadmap for the rest of the case.
Why it makes sense
Imagine you lost your wallet at home. A MECE approach would be to search room by room until you’ve covered the entire house. That way, you know the wallet must be found within that scope.
Prioritization then comes into play: if you just walked in, the most likely places are the entryway or living room. If you have a playful baby (like I do), you might check unusual spots, like the washing machine! 😉
Applied to a business case related to profitability in a tech company:
If profits are down, breaking the problem into revenues and costs guarantees you’ll find the answer, because the issue must lie within that scope.
Chart Reading
What it means: Extracting insights from data exhibits like tables, bar charts, or line graphs.
Typical questions:
“Here’s a breakdown of revenues by product line. What stands out?”
“This chart shows churn by age group. What do you observe?”
Step-by-step method
Take 15–20 seconds to read silently, then confirm your understanding with the interviewer.
Look for trends, outliers, and comparisons. Don’t narrate line by line.
Identify key insights connected to the case objective. (Remember: you’re solving for the “wallet,” not random objects.)
State the findings clearly, avoiding a full narration of every number.
Link insights back to your structure, then say what your next step will be.
To exercise this skill, I recommend you to take a look into McKinsey and Bainarticles in their official websites. There are plenty of exhibits for you to interpret. Make sure to not take a peek into their main insights described in the article before trying to figure them out by yourself.
Case Math
What it means: Doing calculations to size a problem, test scenarios, or evaluate options.
Typical questions:
“If Revolut launches a premium product, how would you calculate annual revenue?”
“How many customers would Revolut need for this feature to break even?”
“What’s the market size for fintechs in Germany?”
Step-by-step method
Repeat the prompt and given numbers.
Write out the formula before plugging in numbers, confirm your logic first.
Perform the math step by step. Use a calculator/Excel if allowed and share your screen.
Round where it makes sense (say it explicitly).
Check if the result seems realistic.
Always ask: “So what?” → link the number back to the case objective.
Brainstorming
What it means: Coming up with a structured list of ideas to solve a challenge, often after analyzing data.
Typical questions:
“What strategies could Revolut use to increase user engagement?”
“What options could Revolut explore to reduce fraud?”
Step-by-step method
Pause and set a structure before listing ideas.
You can use contrasts (internal vs. external), processes (customer journey), or frameworks (Ansoff, 4Ps, BCG) depending on the case.
Generate ideas within each category. Cover obvious options first, then push for creative ones.
Explain why each idea could matter.
Prioritize based on rationale (context, feasibility, impact).
Example:
“You’re advising a restaurant that wants to increase revenue without changing its business model. What ideas do you have?”
Communication
Even the best analysis fails without clear communication.
Tips to keep in mind:
Speak in short, structured points.
Use signposting (“There are three reasons. Reason 1…”).
Summarize frequently.
End with a confident recommendation.
Example – Non Top-Down:
“So, the company has been facing revenue issues. Region A dropped by 15% and we don't know why, Region B actually grew, but its impact is irrelevant. Marketing spend increased $10M but unclear ROI so far, definitely need to check further. Retention also fell by 5%. So overall, there are a lot of moving parts.”
Example – Top-Down:
“The company’s profitability problem stems from 3 main factors:
Sales dropped 15% in Region A.
Marketing spend increased $10M with no clear ROI.
Customer retention fell 5%.
Since Region A’s decline represents 40% of the impact, I suggest we focus there first. As a next step, I’d like to understand…”
In short: stay structured, stay top-down, and remember: your interviewer wants to follow your thinking, not solve a riddle. 🙂
Revolut’s Candidate-Led Interviews: Taking the Driver’s Seat
Revolut uses a candidate-led format. The interviewer won’t guide you step by step (though they may nudge you in a direction).
How to handle it:
Start strong with a clear structure.
Be proactive in asking for data.
Always connect findings back to the case objective.
Drive the discussion forward, don’t wait for hints.
Summarize progress regularly so the interviewer can follow your logic.
👉 Practice candidate-led interviews with our wide selection of practice cases in our Case Library. You can easily filter between candidate-led and interviewer-led formats!
The client, VacuLuxe Innovations, is a manufacturer for vacuum pumps, e.g. rotary vane pumps, cryogenic pumps located in Germany. The company has grown from a start-up to a major corporation over the last 50 years. However, after benchmarking the economics of their business, the client discovered that their direct spend (i.e., COGS supplier spend) represented a higher percentage of their revenue than their closest competitors.The client's top management has engaged the SCM and procurement specialized consultancy Inverto to advise the company in this critical situation.An initial meeting with the CPO of VacuLuxe Innovations will be conducted tomorrow. VacuLuxe Innovations aims to discuss optimization potentials in the current collaboration with suppliers as well as levers to improve the supply chain resilience & carbon footprint. Unfortunately, VacuLuxe Innovations has only submitted the following high level data for their direct spend yet.
We have been hired by the CEO of Comfort Chairs, a company that manufactures complex powered wheelchairs. Comfort Chairs has headquarters in Sweden with manufacturing in Sweden and sales all over Europe. The company enjoys a strong market position and is known for being a pioneer in its industry. It was recently acquired by a leading global private equity firm that is interested in driving the international growth of Comfort Chairs. Especially, the US market looks very interesting.The CEO has hired you to help him with two things:1. Determine the size and the growth of the US market for complex powered wheelchairs.2. Analyze whether entering the US market is attractive.
Your client is part of AtoZ Ltd., a diversified multinational company with a health care division that produces medical instruments and related services. Three years ago, AtoZ expanded into health care software industry by acquiring HappyHealth SE, which is selling administrative IT systems to large hospitals in Europe. While they provide strong support systems for back-office processes, their products do not offer physician or technical support nor a patient management system. The software division has continued to disappoint in growth rates, making it hard to justify the premium AtoZ paid to acquire HappyHealth three years ago. As shareholders rally to demand solutions, the devastated Head of Operations of HappyHealth turns to you and asks for potential strategies to increase revenue.
Your client is BS Systems, a defence contractor situated in the US.They have contacted our company to advise them in the selection of the location for a new plant, producing Apache helicopters. Three sites are in consideration: Canada, UK and US.The profits for each plant location over the next 5 years should be calculated.
Our client is Unified Health, a health care company in the US. It insures patients and provides health care services. Employers pay a premium to UH for their employees and UH covers all necessary medical costs. UH has 300,000 patients enrolled. It has 300 salaried physicians covering 6 health centers which aren't owned by UH, but UH contracts local hospitals. If a patient needs medical care not covered by a UH physician, the patient is reffered outside the network and UH pays for all costs.Over the past 6 months UH has suffered declining profitability and you are hired to figure out what is wrong.
Our client is a leading TV/film studio. They are concerned about the part of their business that provides post-production services internally as well as externally.The profits of this division have stagnated in the recent time.Your task is to find ways to increase the profitability of the business.
Your client, REA, is a reinsurance company.REA recently acquired another reinsurance company (approximatively same size): the choice of this company was notably based on its product portfolio as well as its market presence which appeared complement with REA.However, the acquisition is not well received by the market. The acquisition price is considered too high and the transaction has not been well graded. REA management asks you to evaluate the transaction.
We are a Canada bus transport service operating between major cities. We have been losing money for the past 5 years. Our new CEO thinks that we need to aggressively cut costs in order to return to profitability. We also suspect the over-operated routes as well as the new routes to be the cause of the loss. How do you suggest we should face this problem?
Your client tk Commodity Trade (tk ComT) is a global materials trader - they buy and sell raw materials. tk ComT had stable EBITDA margins in recent years. They consider expanding their target market and entering the Lithium (electric vehicle battery grade) trade, due to the current high demand for electric cars and Lithium-ion batteries. The client is concerned about minimizing the cash spending and about improving the payback period for this market-entry campaign, due to corporate cash policy.As a consultant, you are expected to calculate the size of the Lithium market and to assess the payback periods for an organic market entry (with own resources) as well as for the acquisition of an established company. Finally, the client expects a proposal about the best market entry strategy and potential opportunities and risks.
Your client is a leading retail coffee chain. They are present in several countries globally and are a popular brand in most of the markets that they operate in, with several thousands stores in operation.A key focus of the company currently is diversity & inclusion. In their biggest market which is the US, 1 in 4 people have some sort of disability. One realization the client has had is that their retail stores are not as inclusive to individuals with disabilities. McKinsey has been brought on to help them design more inclusive spaces in their retail stores.
As a consultant at Mercedes-Benz Management Consulting (MBMC), you are actively shaping the future of automotive mobility. While you are contributing to decisive projects that design the future of the world’s No.1 premium carmaker, you also develop your own career path, and you have the unique possibility to build your personal brand and cultivate relationships with the top management.Your client on your current project is the head of product strategy who reports directly to the CEO. She asks you to explore new profit pools and business opportunities regarding innovations and monetarization strategies.Initially, you shall structure and explore potential business models, and discuss necessary conditions and implications of these business models. In a next step, you shall quantitatively analyze possible options and prepare them for decision. And of course, the client is interested in your recommendation.
Your client, ChemInt, is a global chemicals company that manufactures Ponsulene in some locations around the world.It has several joint ventures (JV) in Asian markets and in total 5 plants in China, Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan, all of which serve the local markets as well as neighboring markets including China.Due to the strong demand for Ponsulene and profitable margins in China, a number of new Chinese players are entering the market in China as well as in the neighboring countries. ChemInt has called in your company to estimate the influences on their business by these happenings.
Der Automobilhersteller YourCars denkt zunehmend darüber nach, wie er seine Kosten senken und gleichzeitig seinen ökologischen Fußabdruck minimieren kann. Eine mögliche Lösung besteht darin, die Prinzipien der Kreislaufwirtschaft, insbesondere die „5Rs" – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle – in seine Produktionsprozesse zu integrieren. Hauptziel dieser Überlegungen ist es, den Verbrauch und die Verschwendung von Ressourcen zu minimieren, die Lebensdauer von Produkten und Materialien zu maximieren und letztendlich einen nachhaltigeren und effizienteren Betrieb zu gewährleisten. Zu diesem Zweck beauftragt die Geschäftsführung eine Unternehmensberatung mit der Erarbeitung erster Ansätze.Du als Unternehmensberater:in sollst der Geschäftsführung die Chancen und Risiken des Kreislaufwirtschaftsansatzes erläutern. Darüber hinaus möchte die Geschäftsführung wissen, in welchen Bereichen Einsparpotenziale bestehen. Schlussendlich sollst du basierend auf der Analyse eine Empfehlung aussprechen.
Your client is the Government of Indonesia, specifically a joint committee formed between a few key ministries including the Ministry of Marine Affairs & Fisheries, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Environment & Forestry. Indonesia is one of the largest developing countries in the world, with a population of about 285M people and an average monthly income of only USD 500. Located in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is actually a vast archipelago comprised of 17,000 islands, giving it one of the longest and most complex coastlines in the world. It is also part of the Coral Triangle, an area demarcated by scientists as the global epicenter of marine diversity. Your client tells you that Indonesia's once pristine coral reefs have seen a rapid decline over the past decade. They have come to you for help and want to figure out what is causing the problem.
Our client is madflix.com, a website similar to Netflix. The biggest difference is however that Madflix targets mainly men and provides a majority of “mad movies”, such as action, horror, or science-fiction movies.Clients sign up online, order online, receive the movie and mail it back. Madflix is not satisfied with the profit margin, as it has declined over the last two years.The CEO has hired us to recommend a solution.
You are part of the Strategy & Operations team at Revolut.Revolut has had significant growth over the past couple of years, with customer base growing 20-30% per year. Our apps have also been highly rated in the various app stores - be it GooglePlay or on the Apple store.Revolut's current customer strategy is to segment customers based on their subscription tiers/plans. Standard: FreePlus: $3.99/mthPremium: $7.99/mthMetal: $14.99/mthUltra: Ultra $55/mthKey differentiation between the plans are in the pricing and features. Namely, the more expensive tiers like Metal and Ultra have additional features such as personalized and premium card design, free access to lifestyle apps (e.g. Financial Times, Class Pass etc), better FX rates and priority customer support.It's great that Revolut has been expanding rapidly, but we are starting to see some stresses on our existing operations and processes. One key area of concern is in customer service, our satisfaction scores have started to trend down and call center headcounts and costs have been increasing in recent years, but we are struggling to handle the load of incoming requests and tickets.You have been tasked to lead a project to solve this problem without ballooning costs.
Sensorio Hightech GmbH is a leading manufacturer of technically advanced consumer electronics sensors based in Germany with EUR 500 m in revenues. It is a successfully growing affiliate with technically advanced consumer electronics sensors as its main business. Sensorio Hightech GmbH is looking at the smart home market for further growth. In addition, the company is aiming to tap into new regional markets. You are a member of a consulting team mandated by Sensorio Hightech GmbH to:assess possible new target segments in the smart home market(optional – if there’s time left: recommend go-to-market measures)The company is looking for a recommendation answering the following questions, taking into account Sensorio’s capabilities and current situation in various regions, the overall market environment, and smart home ecosystem:Smart home market segmentation & attractiveness analysis (qualitative & quantitative)What are relevant market segments of the smart home market?What are potential factors that determine the market segment's attractiveness for Sensorio Hightech GmbH?Which market segment(s) is/are most attractive for Sensorio Hightech GmbH to enter, and why?(Optional: Entry strategy (qualitative))How does the strategy to successfully entering the target segment(s) look like?What are the crucial factors Sensorio Hightech GmbH needs to get right?What parts of the value chain does Sensorio Hightech GmbH want to cover?
Your client is a D2C (direct to customer) online fashion business in a developing country. It is a new brand, launched about 2 years ago and founded by ex-investment bankers. Their brand focuses on trendy, edgy design that is less main-stream (versus big brands like H&M, Uniqlo, Zara etc) for adult men. While they have been growing fast, they want to understand how they can further improve their sales.
MeGrain is a co-operative of 5000 farmers in the central part of India. As a co-operative, the farmers came together to sell the grains to retailers and wholesalers. They are the 3rd largest grain sellers in India and sell 10million quintals of grains annually. They have operations in 4 regions in India, and head office in Mumbai. MeGrain mainly deals in 3 types of grains. Viz. Rice, Wheat, and Maze. The grains are collected from the farmers attached to the co-operative. The grains are sorted, packed, and stored at storage facilities spread across towns in the region. MeGrain sales team brings orders by visiting retailers and wholesalers across the country and abroad. The grains are dispatched directly from the storage facilities to the customers. Customers make the payment to the MeGrain co-operative, which then is forwarded to the bank accounts of the individual farmers.MeGrain management has observed that the FMCG market, including foodgrains, is changing rapidly in India. Mom and pop stores have given ways to supermarkets. Consumers are adopting branded products rapidly. Although there is no branded grain product yet, the management believes that there is a huge scope for a branded product in the grain market as well. Management is contemplating about launching a MeGrain branded grains in the Indian market. They have called you to advise them whether they should launch their own brand in the Indian market.
The Revolut problem-solving interview is demanding but highly learnable. By practicing each of the 5 components, structuring, chart reading, math, brainstorming, and communication, you’ll be ready to handle ambiguity and pressure.
Approach each question step by step, stay MECE in your thinking, and keep your communication top-down and crisp. That’s how you show Revolut you can think and act like one of their strategists from day one.
If you have come this far, congratulations!
👉 Want to put these methods into practice? Book a case session with me and let’s work through real Revolut-style problems together.
#1 coach for Revolut | ex Mckinsey ex Nubank | Consulting & Fintech | Clients hired by Revolut, McKinsey, Kearney & more
Case coach with over 200+ sessions experience
Personal Storytelling and Behavioral Interview/PEI Prep
Languages: English, Portuguese
Mariana is a case interview coach on PrepLounge and a former McKinsey consultant. She supports candidates throughout the consulting recruiting process – from crafting impactful CVs to mastering fit and case interviews – with a strong focus on structure, communication, and confidence.
