How does Oliver Wyman give cases differenly in Final round VS First round

Hi,

good questions, please see my answer below:

First round:

• Focuses more strongly on cases in general, but in particular on calculations and logical reasoning
• Typically, you do three interviews and one case per interview - level of difficulty will be rather high for all three of them
• After the first round the three interviewers will agree on whether you will make it to round two and what rather weak aspects to focus on during second round

Second round:

• Less foreseeable and depends on your performance in round one
• If there were slight weaknesses in your performance cases will focus on these, typically these include calculations, language, how to deal with pressure etc
• If there are no obvious weaknesses it may happen that the interviewer will skip the case part entirely and only do personal fit - the second round is much more (but not only) about personal connection
• However, never underestimate the second round - only because you made it to secound round doesn't mean you will receive an offer - it's essential to prove your potential to those who need to staff their own projects later on
• Ask yourself the following questions: Do I show my full potential? Would I send myself to a client meeting? Do I rather help or hinder a case team in achieving its goals? Would I like to spend (a lot of) time with me? Am I clear about my motivation and professional goals? Am I likely to make it to partner one day?

Hope this helps!

Best
Dorothea

Hi Anonymous,

While first round interviews are much more predictable and standard, final rounds can be the same but can be completely different.

Partners are smart and do whatever they think brings the most value at any given moment. Just be prepared to handle anything.

For preparation though, do the same from 1st rounds and focus in general more on personal fit prep and specifically on those areas which might not have been fully convincing in first-round interviews.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote below!

Robert

Hi there,

Final round interviews are similar than the ones of the first round in format. The only minor difference is that Partners tend to give more importance to the fit part, so make sure your personal experience stories are compelling & well-tailored!

All the best,

Mehdi

Hi there,

In general, the structure of the rounds is the same (fit + case+ your questions); however in finals there is usually more emphasis on communication and fit.

Specifically, the main differences you may find in a final round with partners is that at that stage they:

1. Spend more time on fit questions and your alignment with the company
2. Check more closely your communication (eg how you react to challenging questions)
3. May not have a “proper” structured case to present – during one of my finals I had one interview which was made by two market sizing questions and a brainteaser, without any business case. That's because during the final they know you can structure and crack a case (you passed 1 or 2 rounds already) and are more interested in your logic, personality and fit with the company

So in order to prepare I would concentrate on the following:

• Review in detail your fit stories – they will matter more than in the first round.
• Work on your communication (reaction under pressure, how to gain time when you do not have a structure ready, connect with the interviewer, etc). This is something you can do almost exclusively in interviews with peers.
• Prepare cases as you did for the first round. If you got feedback on a specific area, focus more on that part.

Best,

Francesco

In general, there's not much difference.

You should be ready for it to be potentially a little more intense, or to dive more into business concepts or be more unstructured, but it's all generally the same!

Additionally, if you received specific feedback on weaknesses, make sure to address/fix these!

Other than that, keep doing what you're doing it's you've passed the earlier rounds as it's obviously working!

Hello!

Congrats for moving to final round!

As it has been outlined, its very similar, but :

• Cases you can expect are more "free riding" - less organized than the ones your found in the 1st round or most prep pages
• Stronger emphasis in the FIT part, as outlined before by other coaches.

If you are interested in deepening your knowledge and preparation on the FIT part, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

- Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200

- Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

- Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!