BCG London R2 exp hire

Hi there,

I can’t comment on London specifically but in my experience in Canada and the Middle East, R2 interviews are typically with Managing Directors with cases that are a bit more ambiguous or where they push your thinking further. 
 

Best tip for prep is to try and get feedback on R1 performance and address any challenges or comments.

Good luck!

Hi there,

Now, first thing's first: Check with HR as to the format. It may be fit + behavioral, or just one of them. If may have market sizing or it may not. It may be with Partners or with Managers/Vice Presidents.

That being said, in reality, you need to be prepared for anything and everything. Here are some tips that may help.

Fixing your Weaknesses

They have made a note of areas you showed strengths/weaknesses in. Look for them to test you weaknesses to see if they're 1) A fluk or 2) Workable.

So, focus on improving in areas you know you underperformed in.

Fit/Behavioral

You should be more prepared for a pretty in-depth fit interview. I highly recommend you expect "loose" or "random" questions and practice this scenario with a coach. They are less likely to just ask you 20 "tell me about a time" questions. They may have a bit more of a chat, ask you to brainstorm, ask things like "How would you setup x type of project", etc. etc. You need to prepare to be flexible here!

Broader topics/case variability

In terms of being MECE, try out a wide range of "unique" questions to test your MECE structure!

For example, if you were a farmer and had to pick between buying a cow, chicken, or pig, how would you think about which to buy?

Or, if you were a thief, which store between a, b, c would you rob?

Practice breaking these down into MECE structures so that the concept really hits home.

Good luck!

There will be at least 1 interview in R2 with a partner (known in BCG as Managing Director & Partner).

Cases can be a bit less textbook-like since partners can at times customize the case on the fly owing to their experience. But in most cases, R2 cases are not more difficult or challenging vs R1 cases. It is the evaluation bar itself that goes up. For the same performance that got you through R1, you might or might not clear R2 since the bar will be higher.

Happy to help you improve that final 1% of skills required to clear Round 2. Let me know.

Hi there. In additional to basic case skill, R2 differs from R1 in the following aspects:

- Partners will use real cases (modified version) from their past projects, as opposed to in R1 usually the cases are from the case library, meaning your analysis and recommendation need to be more practical. If you're experience hire, this is even more important

- Your communication skills will be tested more, as partners need to know that you're client ready so they can put you to a project immediately after you're hired. Treat the partners as clients, instead of interviewers, will help you tremendously 

- There could be more unexpected situations, for example, some candidates don't receive case at all (partner simply chatted with him on completely irrelevant subjects, like world economy, politics, etc), or sometimes you may encounter an aloof interviewers who (may be pretending) is not listening to what you're saying. Make sure you walk into that meeting room with mindset of adaptability and flexibility, and be prepared to handle any unexpected situation (just like in real life!)

Hope this helps!

Hi!

Good questions!

1) For sure, one differentiating element is the seniority of the interviewers, usually Associate Partners and/or Partners. In terms of cases, I would say there is no clear pattern - R2 might have more critical thinking than R1.

2) The key part here is to really focus on the areas of improvement highlighted after R1 feedback.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Anto

Hello,

It will vary somewhat by office, but generally the biggest difference between R1 and R2 is that your R2 interviews will be conducted by more senior consultants (Partners and Associate Partners). 

The format itself should be similar to an R1 interview (unless you've been told otherwise) and consist of a combination of case + behavioral. The cases might be based on a real-life case the partner worked on. 

As other experts have pointed out, it is very important to work on whatever you got feedback on in R1 to make sure you improve those areas for R2. Improvement will show in the interview notes and will look good for you as a candidate. Beyond that, the preparation process is the same.