Best Casebook to Practice Math Structuring

Hi there,

Most casebooks have a section on math...but I wouldn't rely on this for your prep.

1. 100% Recommend Rocket Blocks. https://www.rocketblocks.me/
2. Online "Drills": https://www.jetpunk.com/quizzes/fast-math-multiplication-quiz
3. Math sheets (print these and do them on paper): https://www.math-drills.com/
4. In addition to that, you can ask other PrepLoungers to case you on math-heavy cases. You can also search for those case types here and work through them yourself.

Some key formulas/concepts:

• Breakeven
• NPV (with + without growth, perpituity + 1-2 years from now)
• % Change
• ROI
• Margin
• Markup
• Inventory turnover

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Some great answers from a variety of angles have already been asked. Check these out!

Mental Math

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/mental-math-help-7962

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/is-quick-mental-math-a-skill-that-can-be-learned-5210

Conceptual/Contextual Math

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/materials-for-practicing-conceptual-case-math-8016

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/math-concepts-6951

Key Math Equations

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/math-equations-their-use-7934

Math Practice

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/case-math-practice-6877

Hi there,

I personally like INSEAD as casebook – including for math problems.

In terms of how to approach math in the case, this is what I would recommend:

1. Repeat the question – sometimes candidates do mistakes answering the wrong question
2. Ask for time and present how you would like to proceed from a theoretical point of view
3. Perform the math and present the interim steps to keep the interviewer aligned – don’t just say the final number
4. Continue with the computations until you find the final answer
5. Propose next steps on the basis of the results you found

In terms of general math tips and avoiding mistakes, I would recommend the following:

1. Use correctly 10^ powers in your math computation. For example 3.2B/723M can be transformed in 3200*10^6/732*10^6, which makes it easier to deal with math
2. Ask if it is fine to approximate. When you have to deal with math in market sizing - and sometimes even in business cases - you are allowed to approximate math to simplify the computation. In the previous example you could transform the computation in 320*10^7/70*10^7
3. Keep good notes. One of the reasons people do mistakes with big numbers is that they don't keep their notes in order and forget/misreport numbers
4. Divide complex math in logical steps. This is something you can use for big numbers after the application of the 10^ power mentioned above. For example: (96*39)*10^6 à 96*40 - 96*1 = 100*40 - 4*40 - 96*1 = 4000 – 160 – 100 + 4 = 3744*10^6
5. Use shortcuts for fractions. You can learn by heart fractions and thus speed up/simplify the computation - the most useful to know are 1/6, 1/7, 1/8, 1/9.

I would also recommend to practice math under pressure - not just math. Many candidates are totally fine doing 67% of 67 in normal conditions, but freeze if you ask this suddenly in a case interview.

In order to do so, try always to use a timer with a strict time constraint when you practice math – this will create pressure and help to replicate the actual conditions of the interview.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi there!

I would recommend you to use:  

1) PrepLounge´s Mental Math Tool - https://www.preplounge.com/en/mental-math.php
2) Books for the GMAT preparation, especially pay attention to the Integrated Reasoning section
3) McKinsey PST 
4) Take a session with a career coach to improve your math structuring and case solving overall

Hope it helps!

All the best,
GB

Hey there,

80% of interviewees struggle with case math. Hence, it should always become a big focus of your interview preparation.

My approach to case math question would be the following:

1. Listen. Carefully and actively listen to what your interviewer tells you
2. Clarify. Before you dig into the quantitative problem at hand, slow down: clarify the objective and numbers you heard from the interviewer or extracted from charts or data tables. This is especially important in the era of Zoom calls.
3. Draft your logic. Set up your planned approach to the calculation while asking for some time. Draft your logic on the piece of paper you have been handed by the interviewer
4. Communicate your approach. Lead the interviewer through your approach. This way you’ll make sure that mistakes are spotted early
5. Calculate. When the interviewer agrees with your approach, follow through with the calculations – alone and in peace. Again, ask for some time and use the paper
6. Sanity check your results. Make sure there are no mistakes in your calculations. Do the numbers make sense?
7. Communicate your results top-down. Summarize the result(s) you got in a confident and assertive manner - top-down communication!
8. Come up with a hypothesis. When you get a final result, DON’T STOP THERE. Quickly explain and interpret the numbers. Relate the numbers to the problem at hand. Remember why you set up the calculation in the first place. It is important to discuss the ‘so what’ of your quantitative analysis.

I have written a very detailed and long (free) article on case math here and also developed a math video academy with 25 tutorials and a prep book with almost 2,000 practice exercises (which is key to train and prime your brain to come up with math questions): 

https://strategycase.com/case-interview-math-the-ultimate-guide

Cheers,
Florian

In addition to Ian's suggestions, the McKinsey Problem Solving Test (https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/interviewing) is another great source to practice the underlying quantitive skills behind a case including structuring, exhibit reading, back-of-the-envelope math). It's no longer commonly used as part of the selection process but I still believe it's a terrific resource for practicing!

Hello!

Precisely for the high amount of questions (1) asked by my coachees and students and (2) present in this Q&A, I created the “Economic and Financial concepts for MBB interviews”, recently published in PrepLounge’s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/prep-guide/economic_and_financial_concepts_for_mbb_interviews).

After +5 years of candidate coaching and university teaching, and after having seen hundreds of cases, I realized that the economic-related knowledge needed to master case interviews is not much, and not complex. However, you need to know where to focus! Hence, I created the guide that I wish I could have had, summarizing the most important economic and financial concepts needed to solve consulting cases, combining key concepts theorical reviews and a hands-on methodology with examples and ad-hoc practice cases.

It focuses on 4 core topics, divided in chapters (each of them ranked in scale of importance, to help you maximize your time in short preparations):

• Economic concepts: Profitability equation, Break even, Valuation methods (economic, market and asset), Payback period, NPV and IRR, + 3 practice cases to put it all together in a practical way. 
• Financial concepts: Balance sheet, Income statement/P&L and Performance ratios (based on sales and based on investment), +1 practice case
• Market structure & pricing: Market types, Perfect competition markets (demand and supply), Willingness to pay, Pricing approaches, Market segmentation and Price elasticity of demand, +1 practice case
• Marketing and Customer Acquisition: Sales funnel, Key marketing metrics (CAC and CLV) and Churn, +1 practice case

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the guide, and I hope it helps you rock your interviews! 

All the GMAT prep materials work great. In addition, Rocketblocks is a great resource for all of these case interview skils you need to prepare for.

Hi,

In addition to the casebooks suggested, in interviews the aspect which causes more errors is pressure: start to solve calculations with strict time constraint. For longer formulas always share the calculation structure with interviewer before starting to write down the numbers: this helps to take time, to reduce the pressure and gives you the opportunity to receive a first feedback by the interviewer avoiding wrong calculations.

I recommend practicing with:

• Preplounge math tool: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mental-math.php
• Youtube channels with math tricks: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjbxBzUM6SLlx_x8UABAdAB7Rbg9feqYa

Best,
Antonello