Final round at Roland Berger - 30 minute case interview

Hi there,

1) The initial 2x1 hour partner interviews I was expecting have been changed to a single 30-minute interview, with a focus on casing. Has anyone encountered a similar situation and may shed a light on whether there is a significance behind this change?

There could be several reasons for that. I think the most likely could be:

1. Scheduling issues for partners
2. Good performance in previous rounds

2) Also, is there any specific advice on how to prepare for final-round interviews in such a short timeframe?

For general prep tips, I would recommend the following:

▶ How to Prepare for a Consulting Interview

In case you don’t feel ready, you can ask if there is an option to postpone as well.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Nothing to worry about here! Just has to do with availability of partners.

No need to change any prep on your end. Still just go in and do your best!

Hi,

sometimes there are short-notice scheduling changes. Back when I was interviewing in the final round, I was supposed to have 3 partner interviews, then got told 2 days before that I will only have one interview. On the day I showed up, I received an update that another partner happened to be at the office who would also like to talk to me. So I ended up having two interviews. 

If you only have a 30-minute case now, it might mean that you are potentially not being interviewed by a partner but maybe by a principal or senior manager. In any case, everything you did to prepare for your first round interviews still remains relevant.

If you know the name of your interviewer ahead of time, look them up online to learn more about the topics they are involved in - that often makes for relevant conversational topics.

Best of luck

Hello,

It's a little strange that they're changing the interview format on such short notice, but my guess is that it has to do with interviewer availability and/or maybe a need to make a decision in a certain time frame. In any case, I don't think this has anything to do with you as a candidate.

If you've been told that your interview will be focused on casing, I would recommend doing some live case practice! How best to do this varies for each candidate, so it's important to go for a prep approach that really fits your needs and preparedness level. In general, my two cents would be: I don't know how comfortable you feel with cases at this stage (I assume fairly comfortable since it's the final round?), but I would go in and do a couple of live cases in the first few days, figure out what your main areas of improvement are, spend some time exclusively focusing on those, and then do a few more live cases. I would also really recommend taking some time to relax and do something fun before the interview, to ensure you are well-rested and able to perform your best. Good luck, and feel free to get in touch if you have any more questions!

Don't know your specific situation, but there's a reason for candidates in Germany always saying:

“NEVER GO BERGER”

There's no significance. They just want to be as efficient as they can. Start immediately with a case. Probably a short case. And then done with it.