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Deep Dive on Bain Interviews

Bain
New answer on Dec 15, 2020
3 Answers
1.3 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Oct 17, 2020

I'm curious about what makes a Bain interviews different vs other top firms like McKinsey or BCG. What are the particular skills and personalities interviewers would be looking out and testing for and how? Any general advice on how to stand out?

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Henning
Expert
replied on Oct 17, 2020
Bain | passed >15 MBB interviews as a candidate

Generally, the interviews are very similar to the other companies. The difference lies more in the relative weihs of skills, than in a structural difference. In my perspective, there are two main differences between Bain and some of the other firms:

  • FIT is often (but depends on the office) a bit less formal than at other firms. Aim to demonstrate passion for the job, drive and ambition n your career decisions and extracurriculars. Make sure you're well prepared, but don't come across very rehearsed.
  • You need to take control of the situation: Think of the case as a role lay: You're the consultant, the interviewer is the client: Just as a client would want the consultant to suggest what they will be doing and then guide them through the case execution, you should take clear leadership: Tell the interviewer what you're going to do, what data you need and then execute against your plan. This aspect is different, especially from the interviewer led case that other firms are deploying and you must not approach it in the same way.

DIfferences do exist across offices and between interviewers, so think of this as a general directional difference. Generally, I would say if you are comfortable with the Bain style of interviews, it is easier to succeed in the interviews of other firms than vice versa.

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Oct 17, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

In general, I wouldn't try to play that game. In aggregate, companies are somewhat different in what they do. I.e. generally Bain is known to have more charts, be candidate-led, be more PE/VC focused.

However, that's in aggregate. Every interviewer is different and no two cases are the same. You need to learn to learn, or, put another way, learn how to think about and approach any case/interview rather than get prepared for a few specific things.

Casing is about flexibility/adaptability!

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Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 15, 2020
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi there!

Mostly all the Interviews have a very similar structure, so you need to prepare for a typical Round Interview. The main aspect of the preparation is that you need to improve your logical and maths skills, knowledge of economics, creativity, and leadership - these are the main skills.

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GB

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