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Bain Round 1 interview

What's the likelihood of passing R1 at bain given the following :

  1. Market sizing - did very well
  2. Case - lot of prompting and steering from the interviewer and below average performance
  3. Fit - very positive and went well 

The above is a self assessment/reflection. How would the 3 interviews be weighed when making the decision? Would they carry equal importance?

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Top answer
Ian
Coach
on Feb 12, 2024
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

It depends on so many factors.

Could you have passed? Yup

Did you not pass? Also possible (generally, this is more likely all things equal)

Generally you need to do well across the interview and have a strong overall profile. I'd argue case + fit have a stronger weighting than Market Sizing, but it's all hollistic.

Regardless, your actions are the same moving forward:

  1. Keep applying to lots of firms
  2. Keep case/interview prepping

The Most Common Pitfalls in Case Interview Preparation
 

Dos and Don'ts in a Case Interview
 

How to Shift Your Mindset to Ace the Case
 

Candidate-Led Cases: What to Expect With Example Cases

Florian
Coach
on Feb 12, 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

All three interviews need to be scored well, and, as far as I know, they are equally weighted. That is also the reason for this new format (including the blank resume approach in this round) and split between cases and fit into distinct interviews so that more interviewers can see distinct elements and not one interviewer everything.

Given your description, it could all come down to the different areas of the case you needed support:

  • Was it throughout the case or individual elements?
  • The market sizing, which analyzes similar skills and dimensions as the case, could help you out here and lead to a 2nd round with a question mark on some dimensions.

Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!

Florian

on Feb 12, 2024
#1 rated McKinsey Coach

Hi there!

You had these as 3 separate interviews or merged into one interview? 

Overall, assuming the market sizing and fit went really well, they would give you another chance to see if you improve with the case in the following round. 

Don't be discouraged if the case doesn't go according to expectations. They rarely do. All candidates make mistakes. Interviewers don't expect a flawless performance.  

Make sure that when they reach out with feedback, you actually ask questions to understand in detail what they believe you should improve. 

Hope you get good news!
Best,
Cristian

Pedro
Coach
on Feb 29, 2024
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

They are decent, unless you had the same issues on all 3 interviews. Consistent low performance on the same one dimension rules you out of the recruiting process.

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