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BCG - 2nd Round Interview - Business Case

2ndround BCG InterviewPartner
New answer on Oct 28, 2023
4 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Apr 13, 2019

Any suggestions for the 2nd round interview at BCG (2 x 45 minutes business case interview with partner/principal)?

Which are the most common industries to be dealt during the business case? Any real examples?

What about the most common case problem type?

Thanks a lot!

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Benjamin
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 28, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

Sharing perspective on this having come from BCG.

  • For many offices, interviewers are free to build and give their own cases
  • This means that interviews often give cases based on projects they have done before
  • But the key point is to never anticipate the industry because
    • Interviewers may give a case from their ‘generalist’ days that has nothing to do with their current industry focus
    • Interviewers may also choose to ‘make up’ a case based on whatever they want to

I had a coachee who interviewed with partner for their final round - and the interview question was totally not related to their industry :)

 

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Vlad
Expert
replied on Apr 13, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

Most common industries in the following priority (sorted by probability of getting a case): 1-retail, CPG, Horeca; 2-airlines; 3-Telecom; 4-banking; 5-natural resources;

Actually all types of cases:) Below you can find a list of the most common case types and some high-level recommendations on structuring:

  • Market sizing - Market sizing can be either a separate case or a part of the case. Structuring from the supply or demand side. Structuring using a formula or using an issue tree.
  • Profitability - basic profitability framework. Remember about different revenue streams and product mix
  • Market context cases (Market Entry, New product, Acquisition, etc). Always start with the big picture "market". Finish with something specific to the case (e.g. How to enter?"). Structure it as if you are defining the work streams for the real project.
  • Operational math problem (e.g. Should we increase the speed of an elevator or just buy a second one? How should we reduce the queues? Etc.) - Structuring as a process / value chain, with inflows, operations, and outflows
  • Cost cutting - I provided the recommendations on structuring it here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/operations-cases-mck-1105#a2134
  • Valuation - Purely financial structure with cash flows, growth rate, WACC / hurdle rate, etc.
  • Synergies - revenue synergies (price, qty, mix) and cost synergies (value chain).
  • Social / economics cases (e.g. How to improve the quality of life in the city? How to increase the revenues of the museum?) - huge variability. Practice 3-5 social cases before the interview

Best

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Clara
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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!

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!

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Gaurav
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Content Creator
replied on Nov 27, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360 coach(Ex-McKinsey + Certified Coach + Active recruiter)
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Benjamin gave the best answer

Benjamin

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