BCG Interview

Would like to add on that in terms of case types, BCG cases tend to be a bit more open / ambiguous in most regions - and you will be the one driving the direction. 

To navigate through the ambiguity, robust, MECE structuring and full process control throughout the case are key and should be drilled sufficiently - pay particular attention to the two as you switch from interviewer-led cases. Once you get these right, the degree to which a case is candidate- vs. interviewer-led (in reality this is a spectrum, not binary - every interviewer is a bit different) won't matter that much anymore, as you'll do well in either scenario.

Sorry to hear about the McKinsey interview but sounds like you already have other options lined up.

The key difference between BCG and McK is how you approach the case. McKinsey cases are interviewer led which means you don't have to worry about knowing where the case is headed. For BCG cases you are the one that leads where the case is going and so it is a lot more hypothesis driven, and you need to ask for more data and information before deciding on next steps. I STRONGLY suggest you practice a lot of interviewee led cases for the BCG interview.

There are also the following additional nuances

• PEI - McK PEI is a LOT more involved and thorough whereas BCG PEI need not be 6-8 mins long and are more straightforward
• Structuring - The initial structuring question for McK is very involved and detailed. For BCG the purpose of the structure is to guide your interview so how you structure and communicate the structure will differ a little

In general, the prep for both interview types is 80% the same, the small differences however are critical and you do need to spend some time on these.

Udayan

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about this, but hopefully you can make BCG happen!

I'm honestly a bit concerned that you're only just now switching to candidate-led. This is a short timeline and you'd be best suited with a coach to help you navigate this.

Ultimately, the main difference is in the wording…you have the lead (or drive) the case. This means you have to ask the right questions to “unlock” the case and the whole time you have to understand where you're going - it's no easy feat!

Good luck!

The major difference as you have rightly pointed out - is candidate-led vs interviewer-led.

Typically the first question in an McK interview will require you to build out the core framework of the case - which would be essentially the same thing that you would do in a candidate-led interview.

However, after that, in BCG you would need to determine the next step yourself. Do you want to size the market first? Do you want to check the costs and revenues first? Or do you want to understand market trends first? etc. etc. The choice will be yours.

How efficient and precise your framework is - will determine how well you go forward in the case - for candidate-led interviews.

Yes, they are different. You need to learn how to drive a case. Also, if your structure is not great, it will be difficult to recover from that, because in Mck they will give you a new question and you can “restart” from there. With interviewee-led cases, it is actually you the one who needs to reach the next question (although the interviewer may help), so getting the objective or the structure wrong will hurt you badly.