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Consulting Finance
Consulting Finance

Get Ready for Brainteasers of Any Kind

Coin in a Bottle
Brainteaser: Coin in a Bottle
If you were to put a coin into an empty bottle and then insert the cork into the neck. How would you remove the coin without removing the cork or breaking the bottle?
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The Marathon Runner
Brainteaser: The Marathon Runner
You're running a marathon. 487 meters before the finish line you pass the third-placed athlete. What is your place now?
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Clock Quiz
Brainteaser: Clock Quiz
A watch with a dial has at least two hands – the small one is the hour hand, the large one the minute hand. Of course, the big hand moves faster than the small one, and we assume that the watch works correctly. How often is the small hand surpassed by the big hand between 12 o'clock at noon and 12 o'clock at night?
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Money Distribution
Brainteaser: Money Distribution
Julian and Sabrina have 20 Euro and should divide it among themselves in such a way that Julian gets one Euro more than Sabrina. How much money does Julian get?
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Brainteasers are a helpful exercise to train your logical thinking.
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The Bus Ticket
Brainteaser: The Bus Ticket
The day ticket for the bus costs 1 Euro. A single ticket costs 50 Cent. A man unknown to the bus driver enters the bus and gives him 1 Euro without a word. The bus driver hands him a day ticket without hesitation. Why? How did the bus driver know that the man wanted a day ticket (and not a single ticket)? Note: The man did not have any other people with him, did not communicate via signs and rode this bus for the first time.
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The Journeyman and the Wizard
Brainteaser: The Journeyman and the Wizard
In a dark cave, there was a treasure hidden which was guarded by an evil magician. He turned anyone who approached this cave into an insect, a spider or another creature. One day a traveling journeyman happened to pass by and was scared to death when he suddenly saw the dreaded wizard in front of him. He said: "I will enchant you, but since I am in a good mood, you can choose whether I will turn you into a mosquito or a spider. Make a statement: "If it is right, I will turn you into a mosquito; if it is wrong, you will live as a spider". The journeyman thought for a while, and he succeeded in making an assertion that he could neither be transformed into a mosquito nor into a spider. What did he say?
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Red Balls & Green Balls
Brainteaser: Red Balls & Green Balls
You have two boxes. One contains 50 red balls, the other 50 green balls. You may draw a ball from one of the boxes with your eyes closed. If it is a red one, you win; if you catch a green one, you lose. But before that, you can spread the balls over the boxes to increase your chances. What do you do?
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Train by Train
Brainteaser: Train by Train
A train is 100 meters long and takes 30 seconds to cross a 400-meter-long bridge. It travels at a constant speed. How many kilometers per hour does the train travel?
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Spaghetti Party
Brainteaser: Spaghetti Party
Carl and Ella, two friends meet to cook spaghetti. Carl contributes 300 grams of noodles and Ella brings 200 grams of noodles. When the spaghetti is cooked (al dente), Bruno comes by and invites himself to dinner. Carl, Ella, and Bruno each eat exactly one-third of the whole meal. Bruno gives the other two 10 Euro as a contribution towards expenses. How do Carl and Ella divide the money fairly among themselves?
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The Burning Cord
Brainteaser: The Burning Cord
You've got two fuses of different lengths. Each one burns for exactly one hour. But the fuses are not identical and do not burn constantly. There are fast-burning sections and slow-burning sections. How can you stop 45 minutes just by using the fuses and a lighter?
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The Barrel
Brainteaser: The Barrel
Two sailors stood around a barrel arguing: One of them claimed that the barrel was more than half full, the other was convinced that it was less than half full. They didn't have a measuring instrument at hand, but after some consideration, they found out which of them was right. How?
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The Gatekeepers
Brainteaser: The Gatekeepers
You're in a labyrinth. There are two exits. One way leads to freedom, the other to certain death. In front of each exit, there is a gatekeeper. You know from a sure source that one of these two guards always tells the truth when asked a question and the other always lies. You have a single question that you can ask one of the two guards to find out which way leads to freedom. What is this question and how do you behave?
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Poor Dachshund
Brainteaser: Poor Dachshund
A dachshund runs from Brussels to Paris and starts with a speed of 1 m/s. Bad boys have tied a can to his tail. Every time the dachshund hears the can hit the ground, he doubles his speed. At what final speed does he arrive in Paris?
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Job Choice
Brainteaser: Job Choice
Two companies are looking for a new employee. The advertised positions are the same, but the salary is different. Company A will pay €100,000 a year and the salary will be increased annually by €20,000. Company B pays €50,000 every six months and increases the salary by €5,000 after every six months. Which company should you choose when it comes to money?
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Ten Pills
Brainteaser: Ten Pills
A patient has been prescribed ten pills. From now on, he has to swallow one of them every day – in a very specific order. Since the pills all look the same, the man decided to number them. How many pills does the man have to at least number if he wants to take them in the right order?
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Logical Thinking – Series of letters
Brainteaser: Logical Thinking – Series of letters
What is the last letter in this series of letters?
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The mountaineers
Brainteaser: The mountaineers
Two mountaineers in Austria have a lunch break and want to eat their sandwiches. One mountaineer has 5 sandwiches with him, the other one 3. A hiker stops by and asks if he could join them. The mountaineers agree. During the meal everyone eats the same amount of sandwiches. After eating, the hiker gets up and pays the mountaineers 8 euros as a thank you for the food. How can this amount be fairly distributed among both mountaineers?
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The Smith Family
Brainteaser: The Smith Family
In the Smith family, every son has the same number of sisters and brothers. But every daughter has twice as many brothers as sisters. How many sons and daughters does the Smith family consist of?
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Weekdays
Brainteaser: Weekdays
What day is tomorrow if the day after Monday was the day before yesterday?
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Baking Bread
Brainteaser: Baking Bread
A machine in a bread factory turns 100 grams of dough into bread. However, there is always a little dough left over during the production process. After every fifth bread that the machine processes, there is enough dough left to form an additional loaf of bread. How many loaves of bread can we make in total if we have 2.5 kg of dough?
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Socks
Brainteaser: Socks
Sophie overslept and has to hurry to get to work fast. In her bedroom, the light bulb has broken, which is why it is very dark in her room. Sophie's socks are all individually in her laundry basket, including 36 white and 58 black socks. How many socks does she have to pull out in the dark to get a pair of socks of the same color?
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1 2 3 4 7 11 15
1 2 3 4 5 7 11 15

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions
We are happy to answer the most frequently asked questions.

Brain teasers in the form of math problems and logic puzzles can still appear in interviews, but they are quite rare. More common now are market sizing guesstimates, such as “How many tennis balls can fit into a smart car?” These questions may also be referred to as brain teasers. In general, brain teasers test your creativity and ability to think outside the box.

Brain teasers are uncommon in interviews, and there is no specific rule regarding when an interviewer may choose to use one. However, they are more typical in final rounds and can be asked either before or after the main case discussion.

Market sizing guesstimates are often referred to as brain teasers as well. They are more common in interviews and consist of questions that ask you to determine a specific quantity, such as “How many golf balls can you fit into a passenger Boeing 747?” These questions test your ability to define a problem, break it down into assumptions, and use math to solve it.

Always prioritize case studies and the personal fit portion in your interview preparation, as these are the crucial aspects of your interview! Once you feel more comfortable with those, you can integrate some brain teaser practice into your preparation. This may give you the advantage you need to stand out among other candidates! You can use our brain teaser library to challenge your creative thinking. Have fun!

Brain Teaser – Challenge Your Logical and Numerical Thinking

A brain teaser is a riddle or puzzle designed to challenge your logical thinking. In interviews, interviewers may use them to gain insights into your logical and creative thinking skills, which are valuable in various careers. The most important aspect here is not just the answer but how you approach the problem. Practice our brain teasers to prepare yourself for any interview situation!

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