How should I prepare for interviews with partners at Bain

Hi there,

congratulations on making it this far in the process.

In terms of case prep, you should prepare the same as you prepared for the other rounds. Some partners will give you a case, others will just figure that you have been tested on casing sufficiently enough in the prior rounds that they rather focus on something else. However, there is no guarantee - partners pretty much can do whatever they feel like when it comes to them interviewing candidates.

In addition to your previous rounds, I would prepare with respect to the specific industries the partners you are talking to are active in. They might be more inclined to talk with you about that and pick your brain on trends etc than giving you a formal case.

Ultimately, a partner will try to determine the answer to three main questions during the interview:

• Is the candidate competent?
• Does he/she fit into my team?
• Would I feel comfortable putting them in front of a client?

So keep that in mind when you get asked personal fit questions.

Best of luck

All my Bain candidates recently had a case, even in the final round, so I wouldn't exclude this. 

But don't leave it to guesswork.

This is exactly the sort of question you should be asking the recruiter / HR. 

That's why they're there; that's part of what they're being paid for. 

And it's not like you're asking them what the content of the interview is. You're asking about the structure so you can prepare in a more targeted way.

Best,
Cristian

It's a regular case interview. May be a full case, may be a small case… doesn't really make a difference in your preparation. Prepare for a case and a fit/behavioral interview!