Bain First Round Interview Tips

Hi there, my input as a Bainie:

Most of what Vlad has said is true, although it varies by office and some of the most recent developments:

• On the "PEI/Competency side": Some offices (i.e. lLondon) have been piloting a new type of interview, called the "behavioural interview". This is 1 dedicated interview only for behavioural questions. While format is different, it is basically Bain's version of the PEI. Several questions are asked, a mix of backwards looking questions about previous experiences, and forward looking questions about hypothetical scenarios they might encounter at Bain and how to deal with them. Note that this means that, in the other case interviews, there will be a very limited (if any) presence of competency questions
• In terms of industries, I would definitely agree PE cases are common. Further than that, especially first round will have a lot of either profitability or growth cases. Newer cases are also likely to have an element of "digital disruption" - e.g. how to sell goods online, so you should read up on these recent digital/e-commerce trends to be ready.
• Case interviews in recent times have become more interviewer than interviewee led, with several prompts throughout the case. A good example of a the cadence of a typical bain case is shown in this video, along with examples of good/bad answers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nib4_5_4afA
• First round typically also involves a pure market sizing case (although this varies by office). More specifically, these first rounds are usually "bottom-up" examples - e.g. revenue of a gas station, rather than a "top-down" case -e.g. how many mattresses are bought in the UK every year
• Bain places a very strong emphasis on "personality/fit", possibly more than BCG and McKinsey. Therefore, it's important you understand what Bain is looking for in terms of people, and trying to reflect that in the interview. Key traits are being a self-starter, showing humility, confidence without arrogance, empathy, and having a "one team" attitude.

Good luck!

Alessandro

Hi,

There is no difference from the other rounds. The only difference - at the first round they may forgive you some mistakes / inefficiency. Other than that - you have the whole Q&A part of the site to read=)

Some general tips:

1. Bain does not have a lot of PEI questions (Tell me about yourself, why consulting, why Bain, your questions)
2. Bain cases are mostly about airlines, Retail, CPG, Private Equity
3. Bain gives a lot of tables / charts 
4. A lot of Bain cases are not open-ended and you have to come up with a certain number in the end

Feel free to reach me for prep. I have over 100 real Bain cases in my library.

Best

Hi there,

please find below the answers to your questions:

Could anyone give me a general idea of what types of questions to expect in the first and second rounds? Which rounds will have more personal experience questions and which have the case interview type questions?

The structure of the interview is the same in first and final:

• Fit questions
• Case
• Your questions for the interviewer

In final round they normally pay more attention to fit and communication.

With the case interview questions am I more likely to get health industry/ pharma/ biotech related questions especially given my background and the current corona pandemic?

Not really, you may get also other industries, interviewers usually have their favorite cases that will give to you independently form your background. I recently helped a candidate with healthcare background and the interviewer told her “Since you have a background in healthcare, let’s test you on a different area” and gave her a case completely unrelated to healthcare.

Does the case interview structure for experienced hires at Bain follow the same structure as for every one else?

Yes, the structure is the same described in the first answer.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,
the structure of the 2 rounds is similar (each of them will be composed by 2-3 interviews). Each interview will be structured in 3 parts:
- Personal Experience Interview: fit and CV questions to assess your personal impact, leadership skills, and entrepreneurial spirit
- Case Interview: typical business case to evaluate your structure in approaching problems, problem-solving skills, and business sense
- Your final questions to the interviewers

Feel free to text me for some tips about the preparation. I have supported tens of experienced professionals in crafting impactful stories and structuring business cases.

Hope it helps,
Antonello

Hello!

I love seeing other "unique" profiles here, I am an Architect and I was also the only one! Furthemore, I am atm coaching a nurse, and as I always tell her, coming from uncommon backgrounds can really turn into your asset!

Regarding the interviews, you will have: 

• FIT interview
• Business Case
• Q&A 

The 2 last points are in common for all sorts of candidates, regardless of backgrounds, etc. 

The part that is going to be very tailored to you is the FIT, consisting on a mix motivational and behavioural questions. 

Feel free to PM me if you want to further talk about this!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hello,

The general structure of the interview is the one mentioned by Antonello (Fit Part, Case interview and Q&A session). In your case, considering that you are applying for a consultant position, the Fit part is even more important and it's probably gonna take more time, especially in the second round with partners.

Regarding the second part, unless you will not assigned to a specific practice, cases can vary a lot both as industries and typologies. The best way to guess about the topic of the case is to have a look at the Linkedin profile of your interviewer: most of the times cases are related to old projects of the interviewer.

Feel free to text me if you want to discuss this further in details, I had a colleague that was a medical doctor as you before joining BCG.

Best,
Luca

Hi! the structure of an interview is similar to MBB, which means: 

• Fit
• Business case

Best,

Daniel

Hi,

I had one recently and was rejected on creativity reasons. What they mean by this is to ask about the business (qualitative questions) and bring these factors into your answers and recommendation (what is the impact of the financial numbers, qualitatively?).

Good luck

Vlad gave a great answer to your question (as usual), I would just add that Bain interviewer expect you to drive the conversation. You are responsible for deciding what problem you want to tackle first. Often the interviewer also expects that you are able to wrap the case up once you have come to a preliminary conclusion.

Secondly, remeber the importance of Bain's 'hypothesis first' approach - you should try to come up with an initial hypothesis early during the case and should revisit it several times to check if your initial assumptions still hold true

Hi there,

The interviews for both 1st and 2nd rounds would be quite similar. Expect both to have FIT, Case and Q&A. 

Be prepared that you might be given a case from a totally different industry though. When I interviewed with Bain (and I got the offer), the interviewer on purposely gave me a football case knowing that I almost knew nothing about how football club works. The point was to test whether I can stay calm and solve an unfamiliar problem regardless. Not to say this would happen but just be mentally prepared it might. The fundamental problem solving remains the same though, so as long as you prepare well, you should be able to crack the case. 

Best,

Emily

Hello!

 For the FIT -particularly relevant with BAIN-:

On top of the insights already shared in the post, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes, since we still have some left from the launch!

Hope you find it useful!

Best,

Clara