Final Round Interview Bain/BCG

Hello,

For Bain and BCG prep, target interviewee-led cases with more exhibits (looks like you've gotten a bunch of casebook recs here already).

Regarding chart interpretation and math practice, I would recommend sitting down with a bunch of cases and drilling those parts. Have your interview partner read the prompt, then skip the framework and qualitative questions (or briefly skim for context), and go straight to the math. Tap out of interview mode, and take your time to solve the question. Ask yourself: what data do you need to solve the question? do you have the data in front of you? what calculations do you need to perform, and in what order? Once you are satisfied that you understand the process, take your time and do the math, then give your answer to your interview partner.

Another tip is, when you're done with a mock case, go back and review the math and exhibits (and any other parts that gave you trouble). Was there something you didn't see immediately? Could you have used a more efficient calculation? Was your thought process correct? This should help you take away some learnings that you can then implement in later cases.

Preparing for final round interviews at top consulting firms like Bain and BCG requires practicing a diverse range of case types and sharpening specific skills. Here are some suggestions for the best cases and casebooks, as well as resources for improving complex chart interpretation and financial math:

Best Cases and Casebooks:

Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng: This book offers a comprehensive guide to case interviews, including frameworks, problem-solving techniques, and examples of various case types.

Case in Point by Marc Cosentino: A popular resource, this book covers different case interview formats and provides practice cases with detailed explanations.

BCG Potential Test Practice Cases: If you are applying to BCG, practice their potential test cases to get a feel for the format and improve your problem-solving speed.

Bain Case Interview Guide: For candidates targeting Bain, Bain & Company provides a detailed case interview guide on their website, which includes sample cases and tips.

MBA Casebooks: As you have already downloaded MBA casebooks, continue to work through them, focusing on complex chart interpretation and financial math cases.

Improving Complex Chart Interpretation:

Publicly available annual reports: Seek out annual reports of companies across various industries and practice interpreting complex financial charts and data from these reports. Focus on understanding financial statements, performance metrics, and trends.

Financial news articles: Read financial news articles and analyze the accompanying charts and data to build your ability to extract valuable insights from real-world data representation.

Data visualization resources: Websites like Tableau and Data.gov offer interactive data visualizations that can help you practice interpreting complex data in an engaging way.

Improving Financial Math Skills:

Online courses and tutorials: Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and Khan Academy offer courses on finance, accounting, and financial math, covering topics like discounted cash flow analysis and financial statement analysis.

Finance textbooks: Look for finance textbooks that cover the topics you want to improve on. Some recommended titles include "Principles of Corporate Finance" by Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, and Franklin Allen, and "Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs" by Karen Berman and Joe Knight.

Investment banking interview guides: Resources designed for investment banking interviews often include financial math practice questions that can be applicable to consulting interviews.

Practice problems: Search online for practice problems related to financial math and perform calculations to enhance your skills and speed.

Remember, consistent practice and targeted improvement are crucial. Allocate time each day to work on complex charts, financial math, and regular case interviews. Seek feedback from case partners or mentors to identify areas for improvement and focus on honing those skills. With dedication and practice, you'll build the confidence and proficiency needed for your final round interviews at Bain and BCG. Good luck!

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application processes with BCG and Bain thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, regarding your question on casebooks for final round interviews at BCG and Bain, please keep in mind that the final interview round typically focuses much less on chart interpretation or other purely technical skills and much more on strategic thinking. As such, while continuing chart interpretation might be meaningful as part of continued case study practice in total, I do not see any benefit for the final interview round specifically.
• Moreover, your struggle with structuring and performing quantitative questions is something to address urgently. Given this is a rather basic skill in case interviews, I would highly advise you to consider getting help from an experienced coach to improve on this dimension quickly.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

One great resource is practicing old McKinsey PST tests (what they were giving before the current game). 

These are basically business cases that are simplified structurally so you can only focus on one type of exercise at a time. 

Aside from this, I'd suggset some of the cases on the PrepLounge library that are specifically for the 2nd round:

• https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/advanced/stylescape-responds-to-customer-feedback-mckinsey-final-round-295
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/advanced/greenlife-bank-expands-into-asia-mckinsey-2nd-round-296
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/intermediate/element-mobile-expands-into-refurbished-phones-mbb-2nd-round-302
• https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/advanced/mbb-second-round-codewave-employee-turnover-challenge-304

Also, here are some of the things to keep in mind in terms of what makes final interviews different from first round and how you should prepare for them:

1. Work on the feedback provided in the previous rounds. Most firms communicate the feedback from the previous rounds to the final interviewer. It's important then to show the final interviewer that you have a growth mindset and are reactive to feedback. This matters immensely. Make sure you are clear on your development areas and that you get the right support to polish them before the final interview.
2. Expect less structure. Senior interviewers already have the confidence that you are a decent candidate, your skills having been already vetted by their younger colleagues. They are rather more interested in your as a person and your way of thinking. So they might present you with an unusual case, or one that is created on the spot or no case altogether. Expect anything.
3. Focus on excellent communication. Senior interviewers care a lot about how clearly you communicate and how you manage to forge a connection with the interviewer. It's important to be top-down and concise as much as possible with your answers, while allowing the conversation to flow in a natural way.
4. Put yourself in their shoes. The one question senior interviewers are asking themselves throughout the interview is what will happen when they'll put you in front of a client they've groomed for years? Make sure that even based on this first impression you seem somebody who can be trusted and who can work with any client regardless of how difficult they might be.

Best,
Cristian

Math: Math drills dot com and Rocketblocks

Casebooks:

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

1. Columbia
   1. Cases by Firm
   2. Cases ranked by difficulty of Math, Structure, AND Creativity
2. Stern
   1. Cases by interviewer vs interviewee-led
   2. Ranked by difficulty
3. Haas
   1. Cases by interviewer vs interviewee-led
   2. Ranked by difficulty
4. Darden
   1. Cases by Firm
   2. Cases ranked by difficulty across quantitative, qualitative, and overall

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!

Here's some more reading ot help you with casing:

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

Hello,

This is for which location and which potential start date if you don't mind me asking?