Hey there,

1. Generally, it is ok to ask the interviewer to clarify or repeat if you did not understand something. However, if this is something you are struggling with consistently you need to spend some extra effort here to overcome it. A few tips below:

• Do not write out everything in full
• Make use of bullet points instead of full sentences
• Focus on the core details of the prompt
• Use abbreviations

For instance, the interviewer might tell you: Our client's profit has been decreasing by 5% per year over the last 5 years.

This could translate into P 5%↓ p.a. 5 yrs

2. You need to practice to become more comfortable with it. The whole case interview is about being comfortable with someone looking into your thinking (hence, you also need to overcommunicate at each step to show the interviewer your thought process). You can practice this

• either on your own with drills. Make sure to time yourself here to create a stressful atmosphere
• by doing cases with peers or coaches

You will only overcome this by exposing yourself to such situations. The real interview situation will be even more stressful than any mock interview so keep that in mind.

Cheers,

Florian

1. Although generally speaking, it is in the interviewers interest to communicate the case in a way that you are able to follow and understand, if it's a consistent issue then it's something you should definitely spend time practising. Clarifying your understanding is fine but constantly asking your interviewer to repeat and struggling to follow could be seen negatively. As an interviewer I would be thinking: "I'm not confident that I can have this candidate in front of my client and be able to follow the discussion...".

2. If you have such issue, I would encourage you to ask for time and do the math on your own as opposed to doing it as you go while discussing the case. I'm not sure they are actually starting at YOU but their role is to try and follow your approach and guide you where neccessary. Instead, if you ask for time, I would expect that most interviewers will just check their phone/emails while you do the math. Having said that, if you are getting the wrong appraoch, I think this says more about your current performance with the quantitative section of a case than the issue of someone watching you.

Overall, both struggles sound to me like you just need to spend more time with your case preparation. You're definitely doing the right thing by practicing with different case partners!

Hi there,

In regards to #1 yes you do need to fix this. That said, for both #1 and #2 you can absolutley practice to make perfect!

Notetaking

1) Decide physical vs virtual - are you a faster typer or writer?

2) If virtual, pick the best tool - try outlook draft emails (so you can store/organize with your email), try notepad, try a tablet so you can write on it, etc....find the one that works for you

3) Only write down what is important - you should know this! You don't need to capture everything. Just like in a case, figuring out what information is not needed is just as valuable as figuring out what information is needed.

4) And then, what you do write down, write it in shorthand!

I.e. If I say "Your client is Bills Bottles. They earn $800M in profits each year by manufacturing bottles to soda companies in the US and Europe. Over the past two years they've seen profits falling and have brought you in to investigate"

You should write:

• Bills Bottles
• Manufacture
• Client = soda comp
• 800M P
• P [down arrow] 2 yrs
• US + Europe
• Obj: Fix P

You should write:

• Bills Bottles
• Manufacture
• Client = soda comp
• 800M P
• P [down arrow] 2 yrs
• US + Europe
• Obj: Fix P

===============================================================

Improving Your Math

1. 100% Recommend Rocket Blocks. It's exactly what you're looking for 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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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