Any experience in BCG 2nd round, not necessarily in Madrid?
Thanks!
BCG 2nd round in Madrid. An experience or tips?
Overview of answers
Upvotes
Best answer
A bit late for Alex, but hopefully useful for someone else. That depends whether the second round is the final – the one with the partners – or just an intermediary step. In case it is an intermediary step, you will go through an interview similar to the one in the first round, that is, covering:
- Introduction: are you able to summarize the information and clarify the goal?
- Structure: can you present an appropriate structure for the case?
- Graph analysis (not always present at BCG): can you interpret tables/graphs and provide insides on them?
- Math: are you able to go through a math exercise under pressure, structuring it?
- Sum up: are you able to provide a concise recommendation for the CEO/client?
The main difference you will find in a final round with partners is that at that stage they (i) spend more time on fit questions and (ii) may not have a “proper” structured case to present – during my final at BCG I had one interview which was made by two market sizing questions and a brainteaser, without any business case. That's because at the final they know you can structure and crack a case (you passed 1 or 2 rounds already) and are more interested in your logic, personality and fit with the company.
Best,
Francesco
Was this answer helpful?
I want to say the following regarding the final rounds, since I have broad experience in preparing candidates specifically to the final round,
•. Final round is about 'depth' and not about 'breadth'. Initial round interviews are broad. Several fit questions, cases with multiple analysis etc. Because the intention is to test the candiate on as many aspects as the interviewer can. Final round is different. It is about testing the depth. Partners typically ask very few quetions but probe every answer to a great depth.
• Candidate needs thorough preparation to tackle 'why-how-translatability' probing questions by partners. Candidates need to be ready to justify their answer in a consulting compliant way.
• Final round is 'unpredictbale'. Final round interviewers, Partners, are known to throw curve balls. There have been interviews where Partners have just taken fit questions and business discussion, on the other hand there have been interviews where Partners have given detailed cases to the candidates. You never know what Partners can pull out of their hat.
Candidates need to be extra prepared. Especially, for question formats that they have not encountered in earlier rounds viz. Partner converting project from candidate's CV into a case, partner starting discusion on recent business event, advice seeking on business issue that the Partner says he is facing. Through all these variety of discussions, Partners try and test the candidature thoroughly.
Was it helpful for you?
If you need any further help, feel free to reach out.
GB
Was this answer helpful?
Hello!
Congrats for moving to final round!
As it has been outlined, its very similar, but :
- 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!
Was this answer helpful?
Related Cases
Expert case by Francesco
Topics:
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.
The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadva
... (Open whole case)
21.1k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Luca
Topics:
Espresso Whatelse is an Italian company that produces coffee and espresso machines since 1908. It is the Italian market leader and has a strong presence overall in Europe. In 2019, Espresso Whatelse has increased its revenues but it has seen declining profit margin.
Your client wants to unders
... (Open whole case)
13.0k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Ian
Style:
Problem definition: Our client is Korean Car Parts (KCP), a multi-national original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of car parts based in Korea. They've recently seen a decline in profits and have brought us in to understand how to address this falling profitability.
... (Open whole case)
6.8k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Giulia
Style:
Our client is the government of an imaginary country which is suffering from strong protests and riots by its own population. The client would like to understand the reason for these protests. In a second step, the client wants you to make suggestions for improvement to end these protests.
... (Open whole case)
5.8k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Ian
Topics:
[PLEASE NOTE: This is a technically difficult case and should only be completed by those coming in as a Technology specialist, i.e. recruiting for McKinsey Digital, BCG Platinion, etc.]
Our client is a multinational oil and gas company. While they are vertically integrated and have upstream, mids
... (Open whole case)
5.3k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
