BCG ADC final round - what to expect?

Question

I have a final round coming up at BCG as an ADC candidate this Friday. There isn't a lot of time to prepare (I do know how to case and have done final rounds at other MBB already), and I'm not very familiar with the BCG casing style. The ADC R1 was just a fit interview plus Casey, so no live case at all.

What are some last-minute tips I can use to be a little more prepared? Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi there,

In all the fundamentals, BCG casing is not that different than the other MBBs. The things that matter the most: structure communication, hypothesis driven problem solving, top-down communications will be the same.

Any other differences would come from the fact that at BCG interviews define their own cases rather than choosing from a database of cases. In practice, this means that you will have a higher variety of cases in terms of industry and style (some cases with senior partners can be very "free-style").

It is also said that BCG interviewers appreciate more creative "frameworks" - my personal opinion is that no interviewer likes learned frameworks anyways.

Long story short, I think if you did well in final round in other MBBs you should be doing well at BCG as well; any areas from improvement would most likely be linked to some fundamental. If anything, BCG cases tend to be more creative and require an equally creative problem solving (but this is oversimplification).

Good luck

Ariadna

Answer 2

Hi there!

The BCG casing style is similar to the Bain style (if you have other final rounds before) except the answer-first principle. Hence, you should expect the interview to be very similar as well.

If you have limited time:

Get a coach to align your performance and create a tailored prep plan if possible
Work on your strengths to create performance spikes and lift your weaknesses up to meet the minimum requirements à mainly work on individual drills of case sections as this helps you internalize the right habits, communication and thinking techniques much more quickly compared to peer practice and always thinking through cases end-to-end
Don’t forget market sizing as BCG cases sometimes include it.
Spend around 6-8 hours a day on it
Talk through some of your fit answers (especially prepare the reasons for BCG and think about challenging items as well like past failures)
Rest the day before the interview

All the best,

Florian

Answer 3

Hello there,

Congratulations on making it this far!

Considering you have limited prep time left, I'll focus on pragmatic last minute tips:

Review fit stories: Ensure you practice your responses to the classic fit questions and the stories that can be re-engineered to answer different prompts. You can record and listen to yourself for any blunders but getting a coach would be more effective within this short timeframe
Review case prep notes: Take another look at your notes from past cases to remind yourself about any tips, your typical errors and how to avoid them
Conduct case segment and math drills: Lean towards practicing case segments in modules especially those you feel there might be some persisting weaknesses (e.g., lack of structure while brainstorming)
Ensure max. situational awareness: Be present in the interview so you can capture everything said and unsaid by the interviewer. For example, an interviewer might ask whether you're sure more than once to nudge you into reviewing your calculations
Maintain sangfroid: Try as much as you can to remain cool, calm and unpertubed throughout the interview even when you make any mistakes. A minor mistake is typically not the end of the world

All the best with the interviews!

Fathu