BCG Final Round Decision

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer and on conducting all interview rounds with BCG!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, while I can completely understand your ambition to control the situation, I would highly advise you not to do so since you essentially no longer control it.
• Moreover, generally speaking, your performance will be assessed holistically, including both final round interviews. Depending on how severely your arithmetic errors are seen, this might result in a rejection or not. In very rare cases, if the interviewers are truly indecisive, you might be offered an additional interview where the interviewer focuses only on the area of doubt.
• Lastly, I would highly advise you to distract yourself in the meantime by spending time with family and friends, pursuing a hobby, or applying, preparing, and interviewing with other strategy consulting companies.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Congratulations on the T2 offer. In terms of your question:

Q: One case didn't go well, am I automatically out of the game?

All interviewers should agree that you should move forward to get an offer. If they have doubts, you may be offered to have a third final-round interview to check your performance there.

Your perception could also be biased – sometimes candidates think they did badly when the performance was ok and the other way around.

Although I understand your desire to get a clear answer on your performance, the only thing you can do now is to act on what is in your control, that is (i) prepare for other interviews/ apply to other companies and/or (ii) wait for the results.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there, 

Sorry to hear that the interview didn't go according to your expectations, but you don't need a flawless performance to pass.

I made mistakes in both my interviews and somehow still made it through. I also noticed that candidates usually tend to assess themselves more harshly than the interviewers do. So no, not all is lost. 

Basically, if you're borderline the interviews from across both rounds get together to discuss your profile. They often give people an offer even if they're borderline if they see potential. 

Congrats also on the offer you already have! Sharing with you two materials you might find useful to review so you can make the most of your first year in the industry:

• What being an entry-level consultant is like
• How is lifestyle in consulting

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Firstly, congratulations on making it to the final round of interviews with BCG and receiving an offer from a Tier 2 consulting firm in Dubai!

In the final round of interviews at MBB firms like BCG, decisions are typically made based on the overall performance of the candidate across all interviews, not just on a single case. The interviewers will evaluate you on various dimensions, including problem-solving, interpersonal skills, and fit with the firm. After the interviews, they will generally discuss your performance and make a collective decision.

While a poor performance in one case interview might be a concern, it does not automatically disqualify you from receiving an offer. If you performed well in the other interviews and demonstrated a strong overall fit with the firm, it's still possible to receive an offer.

In your situation, it seems that you had a positive experience in the other interviews. The fact that you only struggled with one case (primarily due to calculation errors) may not be enough to significantly impact the final decision. The interviewers may take into account your overall performance, considering your strengths and potential to grow within the firm.

Please also remember something important: This is now out of your control

In general in life, if you can't control something, stop wasting time/energy on it :) 

The die have been cast. Now you need to wait :)

You should ask the T2 to give you some additional time to decide (say you're interested but just need to work out a few things). And, if BCG does not respond in 1-2 weeks you can tell them (politely) that you have another offer but prefer BCG, and ask if there's any chance they can speed up the decision process.

Hi there,

I feel with you and let me tell you that there's many candidates experiencing exactly the same as you are. In fact, I myself experienced something similar back in the day when I interviewed with McKinsey.

Here's my take on your situation:

• Nothing is lost yet. Assessment is done on the basis of the entire round and not single interviews i.e., you pass/fail a round and not individual interviews. Hence, don't get too hung up on one data point out of the many data points that were collected.
• You don't have to be perfect and math especially is a stepping stone for most. If you did poorly in one interview but amazing in the others, a case can be made that you generally have what it takes in that dimension.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Moritz

It really depends on how ‘badly’ you did in the first case, and how ‘well’ you did in the others. I put it in quotation marks as to be honest it's pretty hard for you to tell, especially in partner interviews. They test you to see how far you and your thinking can go, so while you might think it's gone really badly, it may actually have gone quite well. 

Try not to predict the result - I've got everything crossed for you!

Hello! Did you end up getting it? I am in the same exact position/ 

They take everything into consideration. If a single mistake was just that, a single mistake, there isn't much of an issue. If you showed limitations in previous interviews on the same topic, then it's not a single mistake but a confirmation of a weakness.

Hope it was the first case.