Bain interviews

Bain & Company
New answer on Oct 31, 2020
4 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on May 23, 2019

Hi Everyone !

Do you know if Bain interviews involve also public sector cases ? What are the preferred Bain cases during the interviews (both 1st and 2nd round)?

Thanks!

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Vlad
Expert
replied on May 24, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

Here is some information according to 100+ Bain cases my candidates had on the interviews. However it may be not representative geographically, but according to my experience:

Most common types of case:

  • Private equity (due diligence)
  • Synergies
  • Profitability + market sizing as a part of a case
  • Market Entry

Most common industries:

  • Retail
  • CPG
  • Airlines
  • HORECA - hotels, restaurants, coffeeshops, etc
  • Diamonds (Might be specific to the particular office)
  • Agriculture (No specifics, closer to CPG)

Still, you can expect a public sector case. It's a roulette

Best

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Anonymous updated the answer on Jun 03, 2019

Hi,

Bain tends to do less public sector cases in general. Also, see the following discussion:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/bain-public-sectorgovt-work-3178

Overall, Bain likes to give PE-related questions, i.e. cases that involve entering a new market, buying a company etc. which generally means that you need to understand the market (common to all interviews) but also understand the dynamics of a PE deal.

You can find a video on Bain's website where they present common interview cases given by Bain:
https://www.bain.com/careers/interview-prep/case-interview/

Hope that helps :)

Best regards

(edited)

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 31, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

As it has been outlined, difference between 1st and 2nd round consist in:

  • Cases you can expect are more "free riding" - less organized than the ones your found in the 1st round or most prep pages
  • Stronger emphasis in the FIT part, as outlined before by other coaches.

If you are interested in deepening your knowledge and preparation on the FIT part, 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.

Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

- Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200

- Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

- Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

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

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Serhat
Expert
replied on May 31, 2019
BCG | Kellogg MBA |82% Success rate| 450+ case interview| 5+ year consulting | 30+ projects in ~10 countries

Hi there,

One of my coachees very recently had a public sector case at Bain.

Cheers
Serhat

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Vlad gave the best answer

Vlad

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School
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