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Hi, what type of case/questions would I find for a big4 consulting (government and public sector) interview?
Overview of answers
Hi Bob,
Practice Cases
If you want some practice cases:
- Tepper 2008's "NGO Effectiveness"
- Colombia 2011's "MadeCasse"
Feel free to shoot me a message for more cases.
Approach / Case Types
Public sector cases are tricky because they can feasibly be any case type (Product Launch - new service for citizens; M&A - merging two departments; even Profitability - cost cutting mandate). For any public sector case, I recommend:
- First identifying the type of case it is.
- Second, leverage your knowledge of the public sector as constraints/considerations.
Considerations/Constraints
Regards #2, you know that public perception is particularly important to consider in any public sector move. Additionally, you can count on bureacracy/slowness in implementation. You should identify the goal/mission of the organisation as well and keep this top of mind (if it loses money, but achieves it's goal of helping the poor, no problem). Howvever, just because the government sector doesn't have profit as a target, doesn't mean you should ignore the profit tree altogether - governments are still obliged to take into costs (and sometimes revneues) in decisions (example: setting up a public transport initiative). Don't get tricked into thinking you can't consider the economics of the case!
Other items to consider include, but are not limited to:
- Politlcal landscape (i.e. upcoming elections, special interest groups)
- Sustainability
- Private-public partnerships
- International vs governmental vs state vs local partnerships/alignment
- Income = taxes/budgetary landscape
- Digitialization of government
Framework Resource
In terms of resources, the UPenn Wharton 2011 casebook has a framework for public sector. It's split into:
- Strategic rationale (Mission of organisation and stakeholder reactions)
- Deal economics (planned investment and returns, if any)
- Other (Required capabilities and risks)
Hope this helps, and please don't hesitate to ask any follow-up/clarifying questions!
Hi Bob,
It's hard to say, might be completely different cases today and tomorrow. I've trained many candidates for BIG4, feel free to contact me if you need any advice.
The interviews are structured in a similar if not the same way in all the consultancies. As it has been said here already, you might wanna pay more attention to the data and your analysis, but you don't really need any profound knowledge of any industry.
Maybe you'll find these cases useful if you want to freshen up your case solving skills.
For Intermediate level:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/admin/cases.php?action=preview&id=226
For Intermediate level:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/intermediate/grain-co-operative-brand-launch-217
For Advanced level/the real one and used for final rounds:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/advanced/mbb-final-round-case-non-profit-museum-revenue-increase-219
Cheers,
GB
(edited)
Hello Bob!
A priori, and without knowing more about the context, I would not recommend you to focus solely on goverment/public sector cases. On top of those, you should practice as much as you can, and ensure that you cover:
- 1. Profitability cases- basic profitability framework.
- 2. Idea generation cases: for any specif issue
- 3. Growth cases: market penetration, new product launch, product mix change, etc.
- 4. Pricing cases
- 5. M&A cases
- 6. Valuation cases
- 7. Value chain cases
Furthermore, overall, some pieces of advise:
1. Practice cases with partners asap, as many as you can do.Find experienced partners who can provide a good feedback
2. Practice your math skills, both in your cases and with ad hoc exercisess, such as:
- 1. Multiplying double digit numbers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ndkkPZYJHo
- 2. Leveraging math tools (Mimir math for iOS), Math tool on Viktor Cheng website to practice
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Hey there,
A common misconception is that the case question is necessarily related to the industry or practice. The follow-up mistake that many candidates make is to try to guess what kind of case they would get during the interview and tailor their preparation towards it.
This is risky, animates faulty thinking, and could lead to nasty surprises during the interview (e.g. your interviewer might have transitioned from a different industry and is using this context for your case, or the interviewer is using a case created by someone else, etc.).
Regardless of the context or question of the case, I'd recommend you to focus on your problem-solving prowess, mindset, and a proper approach, which works for every case.
Industry frameworks and cases were applicable in the 2000 years, the era of Victor Cheng and Case in Point. Firms haves long caught up on this and the cases you will get during the interviews are tailored in a way to test your creativity and ability to generate insights, not remember specific frameworks.
In fact, it will hurt you when you try to use a framework on a case that calls for a completely different approach. Also, it gives a false sense of security that will translate to stress once you figure out how your approach won't work during the real interview - I have seen this so many times...
Your goal should be to learn how to build issue trees no matter the context, industry, or function of the case. I have a system that teaches you exactly this approach + a ton of exercises I give my coachees to progress their ability to come up with deep, broad, and insightful frameworks for each case individually.
Happy to help if needed!
Cheers,
Florian
Hi Bob,
Feel free to send me a message with some details- which practice (strategy or operations) & office location. Am currently helping someone prepare exactly for this & have cases suited for this style.
Hello Bob,
I agree with Florian here. Cases typology is rarely correlated with the practice you are applying for. An interview for McKinsey Digital was about choosing between a Chihuahua and a St. Bernard, just to give you a quick example.
Best,
Luca
Hi Bob,
the interview will be structured in 3 parts:
- Personal Experience Interview: fit and CV questions to assess your personal impact, leadership skills, and entrepreneurial spirit
- Case Interview: typical business case to evaluate your structure in approaching problems, problem-solving skills, and business sense. I recommend reading Cosentino's or Cheng's book and solve 30-40 cases with peers here in the platform
- Your final questions to the interviewers
Feel free to text me for some tips about the preparation. I have supported hundreds of candidates in crafting impactful stories and structuring business cases to achieve multiple offers
Hope it helps,
Antonello
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