Hi
Does anyone know which casebooks are the best to practice non-traditional cases? The majority of cases I have seen are pretty standard (market entries, product launch, profitability analysis, private equity, growth)
For example I would like to know where I can find cases similar to the ones available on the Mckinsey Website.
Many thanks!
Hi,
I'm sure others can point out specific case books with ‘non traditional’ questions, but the reality is that they will always be the minority in case books, and I have not seen any with a majority of ‘non traditional questions’ (but maybe other coaches can give some good suggestions here).
Even in interviews - most interviewers use actual cases they've worked on, which tend to be similar to the ones you've listed. Hence that's one of the reasons why MBA case books are that way as well.
More importantly, despite the majority of actual interviews being along the ‘traditional’ type of cases, the reality is that only a very small minority of candidates manage to pass it / do well
So, 2 points for you:
All the best!
(edited)
Hi there,
Love that you're doing this - I'd say over half of cases are now unconventional.
I specialize in unconventional cases/frameworks, so feel free to reach out for support here.
Most casebooks have a combo of traditional an unconventional. I like Stern, Columbia, Darden, and Haas.
Here's some reading to hopefully help in your mindset shift for solving unconventional cases: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case
I've also created a ton of unconventional cases myself (again, because I view it as so important). Check them out!
Hi there,
Actually, check out the ones here on the platform in the coaching library. The ones I wrote are based on actual McKinsey interviews and they'll almost all non-standard.
Best,
Cristian
Dear candidate,
Preplounge offers great cases, also if you are intersted in unique cases and brainteasers feel free to PM, other great sources (if fine to mention here) are Case Coach and Victor Cheng, there are also websites that offer you to download multiple case books from B schools freely like Yale, etc. ( These are old versions but great to practice). Regarding cases try to structure your answers early on and synthesize a lot, deduce the so what's and for your conclusions mention your underlying assumptions so your interviewer can follow. One angle to try might be entrepreneurial cases, these can be very interesting and might be great for you. Best regards, Pope
Hello,
I definitely agree with the other coaches here re: importance of ‘non-traditional cases’. That said, have you taken a look at PrepLounge's casebank? You should be able to find rarer/more niche cases there. Here's a McKinsey-style case that I like, which has a ‘non-traditional’ element in that it looks at a nonprofit (but also invokes traditional case interview analysis like market entry): https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/advanced/mbb-final-round-case-smart-education-198
HI there,
I side with Benjamin and the other coaches. The typical framework systems and case serve the purpose to build the “mentality” to problem-solve any case.
It takes time, but after a while you will be able to have your own problem-solving and customized system to react to most of the business problems including some “curveballs” :).
Practicing with coaches helps - each one has a treasure of “strangest” cases possible to test you - if you can afford - do a bit of coaches roadshow to discover those.
