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Anonymous A

on Jan 14, 2024

Global

Question about

children born 7 years ago

Hi, I'm not sure to understand why you calculate #of children born 7 years ago using the 4% growth rate ?
If we assume an equal distribution of population per age, can't we say that the number of babies born/year (4.67M) equals the # of children of 7 years old ?

900+

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Top answer

Hagen

Coach

on Jan 14, 2024

#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience

Hi there,

I would be happy to provide the solution:

In case there was no growth in total population, your assumption would right.
However, given the 4% growth rate, you first need to understand what total population and thus total children born 7 years ago was.

Best,

Hagen

Ian

Coach

on Jan 14, 2024

Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Hagen is exactly right. This is testing your knowledge of growth rate. Which, inherently means that the # chances each year.

Cristian

Coach

on Jan 15, 2024

#1 rated McKinsey Coach

You're right in terms of how to calculate the static number of people in each age cohort (assuming normal distribution across all ages).

However, in this particular exercise, you are also asked about the growth rate (4%), which means that you need to take this into account as well.

Needless to say, this initial assumption that all age cohorts are equal is purely a simplification since, in reality, there are booms in births every few decades that influence the distribution.

Best,
Cristian