This is a 2 part question:
1. Are case interview books like Victor Cheng actually useful? Or is it the same as the contents that we see for example on this platform?
2. If not what books do you recommend for someone like me without MBA background to gain an understanding of business in general and improve for the interview?
Case Interview Books Like Victor Cheng: Case interview books like those authored by Victor Cheng, such as "Case Interview Secrets," can be valuable resources for preparing for consulting interviews, especially if you're new to the field. They typically provide structured frameworks, tips, and practice cases that can help you understand the fundamentals of case interviews and improve your problem-solving skills. While some of the content overlaps with what you might find on platforms like PrepLounge or other consulting interview prep websites, these books often offer a structured approach and detailed explanations that can be particularly helpful for beginners.
Pros:
Cons:
Recommended Books for Business Understanding and Interview Prep (Without an MBA Background): If you're looking to gain a better understanding of business fundamentals and prepare for consulting interviews, here are some recommended books:
"Case in Point" by Marc P. Cosentino: This book is another popular choice for case interview preparation. It offers a variety of cases and frameworks.
"The Personal MBA" by Josh Kaufman: While not specific to case interviews, this book provides a comprehensive overview of key business concepts, making it valuable for someone without an MBA background.
"The McKinsey Way" by Ethan M. Rasiel: This book offers insights into the consulting industry and McKinsey's problem-solving approach, which can be informative for interviews.
"HBR's 10 Must Reads on Strategy" (Harvard Business Review): This collection of articles covers essential topics in business strategy, a crucial area for consulting interviews.
"Crack the Case System" by David Ohrvall: Another book focused on case interview preparation, it provides a structured approach and practice cases.
Hello!
1. Are case interview books like Victor Cheng actually useful? Or is it the same as the contents that we see for example on this platform?
Although Cheng's book provides a good understanding of the case solving process, some concepts in the book are dated and overused (e.g. a Business Situation framework). It won't hurt to read it.
Case in Point - I suggest you skip it.
2. If not what books do you recommend for someone like me without MBA background to gain an understanding of business in general and improve for the interview?
Reading books is passive learning which is the least efficient method to learn anything. To progress quickly, I suggest you take an active learning approach (in the following order):
1. Getting coaching when you are a complete beginner to learn the basics;
2. After you've learned the basics, practice cases with peers to polish your case solving process and acquire understanding of a wide range of industries and problem types;
3. Before the interview, ask a few acting consultants to give you cases in a mock-interview format to assess your readiness.
Good luck!
Nick
Hi there,
In general, simply reading has rapidly diminishing returns.
Books like Case in Point and casebooks are good for beginners. However, if you want to truly process to intermediate/advance, you need to very much move into live cases with peers and other practice (charts/exhibits, math, daily reading, etc.)
Here's some reading important reading for you:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation
https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case
https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/dos-and-donts-in-a-case-interview
https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/candidate-led-cases-what-to-expect-and-example-cases
1. Are case interview books like Victor Cheng actually useful? Or is it the same as the contents that we see for example on this platform?
USeful just for early stages. Mostly similar to what you'll see elsewhere.
Be careful though: Most online materials just teach the what.
A lot of my candidates come to me and have learned incorrectly because they have learned how to memorize but now how to think.
2. If not what books do you recommend for someone like me without MBA background to gain an understanding of business in general and improve for the interview?
All of them and none of them.
What matters most is your caser. Most cases are somewhat unrealistic and no case perfectly matches what will happen in the interview.
Rather, you need to get wide exposure to all types of case (both standard and nonstandard ones) and all types of interviewers.
Now, that said, these are ones that I particularly like
Now, remember, much more important than just reading a "hard" McKinsey case or having a friend case you in it, is actually how you're cased. I can make the easiest case be your worst nightmare (as can any other coach). Make sure that, if you're really trying to get pushed hard and get prepared for the toughest cases, you're looking at hiring a coach...delivery is truly key here!
Hi there!
I used Victor Cheng when I was practicing and found it helpful at the time because I was a complete novice.
Now I wouldn't really reocommend his book, mostly because it puts a misleadingly large emphasis on having a hypothesis right from the beginning. That doesn't really make sense in consulting and as a consequence doesn't even make sense during interviews.
Still, it's worth a read. Now you can also use tools like chatGPT to give yourself a crash course into these books.
Sharing with you a couple of guides to use as a crash course:
Aside from this, try the following cases which include detailed answers:
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
Let me add some additional perspectives for a well-rounded preparation:
Best of luck with your preparations!
Alberto
Hi there,
I am happy to share my perspective.
1. Are case interview books like Victor Cheng actually useful? Or is it the same as the contents that we see for example on this platform?
You can of course read books like Case in Point and consult casebooks from target universities (available for free online). However, if you are short on time, a complete beginner and prefer a hands-on approach, I would take advantage of all the offerings available on PrepLounge (e.g., see the sections Case practice, coaching, resources, and consulting Q&A).
2. If not what books do you recommend for someone like me without MBA background to gain an understanding of business in general and improve for the interview?
I also don't have an MBA, but found this book quite useful: https://www.amazon.com/Visual-MBA-Shortcut-World-Class-Education/dp/0241386683
I also completed several trainings and certifications on platforms such as edX, Coursera, Udemi and LinkedIn to get a better grasp of essential business and financial concepts that come in handy when casing.
I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck!
Best,
Margot
I think for someone with 0 information about casing any basic book like case in point is a good way to get an introduction to the case interview style and what to expect. They are a good start, but they are not enough to get you good enough for landing the job itself. For that you need extensive practice with peers who have experience with the interview process, alumni of MBB firms or coaches.
You can read Victor Cheng's book (or watch the videos, although the video is more complete). It's a decent introductory book. It explains most of the consulting mindset and interview process well. Unfortunately, is quite subpar in terms of explaining how to structure, and tries to sell a kind-of “one size fits all” approach which is a road to failure. So you will need to learn how to structure in a different place, but as a started material is very good.
Please avoid Case in Point at all costs.
Unfortunately a significant number of books were written by people who spent only a couple of years in consulting as analysts, and most of them never managed projects and have not even recruited themselves. This is a limitation, because they didn't really learn how to solve (real) cases properly.
Hi,
My take on this is that books (like any other resources) are just one component of improving and getting better at the case interview.
The case interview is meant to test candidates on the skills that are used on the job. And on the real job, a lot of learning is actually apprenticeship based: you try a task out, you make a mistake, you get feedback, and you also get to see what good looks like from your manager/partner.
So a big part about improving is actually practicing and getting quality feedback.
If there is one useful book to start reading that will help you in communication and also logical thinking - I can recommend The Pyramid Principle. Other than that, there are plenty of online resources that will tell you how to improve or do the case interview. The tough part about casing is that it sounds easy/straightforward, but it rarely is :)
All the best!
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