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PhD in Medicine/Immunology. Looking for prep partners.
I am preparing for a written case interview at the BCG. It is expected to prepare 5 slides within 2 hours and to make a 15 min oral presentation of the results (to a client). What are the requirements for a consulting presentation to a client? Could you advise, please? Thank you!
I am preparing for a written case interview at the BCG. It is expected to prepare 5 slides within 2 hours and to make a 15 min oral presentation of the results (to a client). What are the requirements for a consulting presentation to a client? Could you advise, please? Thank you!
Prepare for a regular case interview - it helps a lot. Basically, prep lounge website is about it
Practice reading cases fast and prioritizing the information. I found useful two sources:
Written cases you'll be able to find in google or in case books. I've seen a couple in "Vault Guide to the Case Interview" and "Insead Business Admission Test"
Harvard cases - either buy or try to find online. You can find a couple of MIT cases here for free: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/LearningEdge/Pages/Case-Studies.aspx Unfortunately free cases don't have the prep questions.
Good luck!
Hi,
Here I've uploaded some written case samples (incl BCG)
Prepare for a regular case interview - it helps a lot. Basically, prep lounge website is about it
Practice reading cases fast and prioritizing the information. I found useful two sources:
Written cases you'll be able to find in google or in case books. I've seen a couple in "Vault Guide to the Case Interview" and "Insead Business Admission Test"
Harvard cases - either buy or try to find online. You can find a couple of MIT cases here for free: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/LearningEdge/Pages/Case-Studies.aspx Unfortunately free cases don't have the prep questions.
Good luck!
(edited)
Hey Vlad! Thanks a lot! The material in your Dropbox is amazing :-) —
Katharina on Mar 13, 2018
Hey Vlad, do you have a password for the dropbox, please? Thank you in advance! —
Will on Mar 17, 2018
Hello Vlad, could you share the password to the dropbox resources you shared? Thank you for sharing! —
Willie on Mar 27, 2018
Hello Vlad, thanks for your insights, would it be possible to have the password to access your dropbox files? Thank you in advance —
Valentine on May 09, 2018
Hey Vlad! Do you possible have a password for the dropbox you are sharing? —
Luba on May 25, 2018
Hello Vlad, could you share the password to the dropbox resources you shared? Thank you for sharing! —
Guillaume on Jun 01, 2018
Hello Vlad, thanks for sharing! Could you send me the password for the Dropbox? Thanks in advance! —
maher del-lero on Jun 07, 2018
Hi Vlad! Thank you! Could you please share dropbox password? Thanks —
Tair on Jun 08, 2018
Hello Vlad, could you share the password for the dropbox you shared? Thank you in advance :) —
Thomas on Jul 16, 2018(edited)
Hello Vlad, could you share the password to the dropbox resources you shared? Thank you anyway! —
Anonymous on Sep 04, 2018(edited)
Hi Vlad! Can you also send me the password for the dropbox please? Thank you! —
Martine on Sep 11, 2018
Hello Vlad! Thank you for sharing! Could you please also send me the password? Thanks in advance! —
Yerkebulan on Sep 13, 2018
Hi Vlad, could you share the password to the dropbox link you shared? Thank you so much! —
Gefei on Oct 06, 2018
Thanks Vlad. Could you share with me the password for dropbox? —
Torrey on Oct 23, 2018
Hi Vlad, would you mind sharing the password for the Dropbox folder? Thanks! —
Alex (Fan) on Oct 27, 2018
Hi Vlad, could you kindly share the password? Thanks so much! —
Debbie on Jan 11, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you kindly share the password? —
Anonymous on Jan 24, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password for the Dropbox? Thanks :) —
Elin on Feb 24, 2019
Hey Vlad! Thank you for sharing these recourses, but could you, please, provide me with the password? —
Ksenia on Feb 28, 2019
Hey, Vlad! Could you share the password to the dropbox resources you shared? Thank you for sharing! —
Ksenia on Feb 28, 2019
Hi Vlad, would you mind sharing the password? Thanks!! —
Ed on Mar 05, 2019(edited)
Hello, Vlad! Could you please share Dropbox password? Thanks :) —
Liza on Mar 24, 2019(edited)
Hey Vlad! can you please send the password to the Dropbox link. Thanks —
Damilare on Mar 27, 2019
Hi Vlad. Is it possible to have the password to your dropbox content please? Thank you in advance —
Hubert on Apr 08, 2019
Hi Vlad! Can you also send me the password for the dropbox please? Thank you! —
Phil on Apr 20, 2019
Hey Vlad, any chance you could send me the password? —
David on Apr 22, 2019
hi, thanks in advance for sharing password to your dropbox link. Also, not sure if there's some payment to be made in order to get the access. I didn't ask this on my earlier request. but in case there is, please let me know how to do it. thank you, Vlad! —
Wili on Jun 07, 2019
Hey vlad could you please share the password to the dropbox please? —
L on Jun 19, 2019
Hey Vlad, could I please get the password too —
Ja on Jun 20, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you send me the password please? Thanks in advance! —
David on Jun 22, 2019
Hello, Vlad! Could you please share Dropbox password? Thanks :) —
Brice on Jun 26, 2019
Hello, Vlad! Could you please share the Dropbox password and give me access? Thank you ! —
Anton on Jun 30, 2019(edited)
Hi Vlad! Could you please send me the password for your DropBox shared file? Thank you! —
Paul on Jul 15, 2019
Hey Vlad, do you Hello Vlad - Would it be possible to send password for your Dropbox shared file? Thank you in advance! in advance! —
Metin on Aug 05, 2019
Hi Vlad - Can you share the password please? —
John on Aug 19, 2019(edited)
hi Vlad, can you share the password please? —
burcu baskin on Aug 27, 2019
Hi Vlad - could you please share the password? Thanks! —
Jef on Aug 27, 2019
Hi Vlad, can you share the password please? —
Maxim on Sep 07, 2019
Hi Vlad, could I get the password please? —
Jinesh on Sep 21, 2019
Hi Vlad, would you mind sharing your password with me please? —
Artur R. on Sep 24, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password? Many Thanks —
Luís on Sep 25, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password? Thanks! —
Jason on Sep 29, 2019
Hi Vlad, can I get the password please? Thank you. —
Hande on Oct 03, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you share the password to the dropbox resources you shared? Thank you for sharing! —
Jessica on Nov 04, 2019
HI Vlad could you please share the password for the dropbox?. Thanks so much —
Anonymous on Nov 25, 2019
HI Vlad could you please share the password for the dropbox?. Thank you! —
Makkah on Nov 27, 2019
Hi Vlad - If you could share the password me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you! —
Jack on Dec 28, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password with me. Thank you! —
Annie on Jan 06, 2020(edited)
Hi Vlad, is it possible to have the password please? Thank you —
Fadi on Jan 08, 2020
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password? Thanks! —
Mattia on Feb 25, 2020
Hello Vlad, could you please share the password to access the dropbox resources? Thank you —
Thomas on Mar 02, 2020
Dear Vlad, Thank you for your help. Can you please share the password so that I can access the dropbox written cases? —
Shaini on Mar 13, 2020
Hi Vlad, could you share the Dropbox password? Your help is much appreciated! —
M B on Nov 26, 2020
I had a written interview at BCG in the decision round just a couple of weeks back.
They put you into a room and give you a memo along with a bundle of papers. The memo is an e-mail from your senior colleague, basically saying that a new client has appeared who wants data presented tomorrow. The senior colleague is a bit too busy and needs you to summarise the data and send it to him/her asap.
The bundle is a body of around 30 slides that has a lot of info about the client. Some useful, some not.
Your goal is to distil what is important from all of this and use it to formulate an executive summary.
You won't have to 'present' in front of an audience but will discuss it with the Partner/Principal along with your rationale.
Look out for quant - if you're not calculating, you're doing something wrong.
My advice would be to begin writing the executive summary first, and fill it out as you find relevant data. WRITE DOWN YOUR RATIONALE cos under pressure you won't remember it.
Out of the 30 slides, only around 10 of mine were useful. The Principal then scrutinised my decision-making process and rationale.
It won't be easy so be sure to budget your time and keep an eye on the clock!
Good luck.
Hi,
I had a written interview at BCG in the decision round just a couple of weeks back.
They put you into a room and give you a memo along with a bundle of papers. The memo is an e-mail from your senior colleague, basically saying that a new client has appeared who wants data presented tomorrow. The senior colleague is a bit too busy and needs you to summarise the data and send it to him/her asap.
The bundle is a body of around 30 slides that has a lot of info about the client. Some useful, some not.
Your goal is to distil what is important from all of this and use it to formulate an executive summary.
You won't have to 'present' in front of an audience but will discuss it with the Partner/Principal along with your rationale.
Look out for quant - if you're not calculating, you're doing something wrong.
My advice would be to begin writing the executive summary first, and fill it out as you find relevant data. WRITE DOWN YOUR RATIONALE cos under pressure you won't remember it.
Out of the 30 slides, only around 10 of mine were useful. The Principal then scrutinised my decision-making process and rationale.
It won't be easy so be sure to budget your time and keep an eye on the clock!
Good luck.
(edited)
Hi! Thanks for sharing! Do they ask fit questions during written case interview? —
Yerkebulan on Sep 13, 2018(edited)
Hey, thank you for the information! What kind of case did you get for a written case interview? —
Katy on Oct 23, 2018
I agree with Guilherme; as for how to approach the written case I would suggest the following steps:
Step 1: allocate the time
The first thing you should do in a presentation case is to define a plan and allocate in the best possible way your time. With 2h for the analysis, a good approach would include:
initial quick reading – 10-20m
structure the approach – 10m
make slides/answer to the questions adding detailed analysis and math – 1h20m-1h30m
final review – 20 min
You should then practice to stick to the time allocated, in order to maximize your final performance.
Step 2: structure your slides
There are three basic components for slides:
Title
Chart or data
Label for chart
Many people structure the title as the mere description of what the chart is telling. A great title, instead tells the implication of the graph. Eg say the graph is showing a cost structure for a division. A bad title would be: Cost structure from 2005 to 2015. A good title would be: Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable”. A great title would be Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable due to ABC, assuming you have insides on the cause. The rule of thumb for the title is that if you read all the titles of the slides together you should get a clear idea of what is going on.
Step 3: present the slides
When you present, I would suggest the following steps for each slide:
Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
Present the main message of the slide: “As you can see, we have a cost structure which makes for us not feasible to be competitive in this market”
Provide details: “The graph, indeed, shows how our fix cost is XYZ, while competitors can benefit from economies of scale. Indeed…”
Below you can find additional tips to prepare on the presentation:
I agree with Guilherme; as for how to approach the written case I would suggest the following steps:
Step 1: allocate the time
The first thing you should do in a presentation case is to define a plan and allocate in the best possible way your time. With 2h for the analysis, a good approach would include:
initial quick reading – 10-20m
structure the approach – 10m
make slides/answer to the questions adding detailed analysis and math – 1h20m-1h30m
final review – 20 min
You should then practice to stick to the time allocated, in order to maximize your final performance.
Step 2: structure your slides
There are three basic components for slides:
Title
Chart or data
Label for chart
Many people structure the title as the mere description of what the chart is telling. A great title, instead tells the implication of the graph. Eg say the graph is showing a cost structure for a division. A bad title would be: Cost structure from 2005 to 2015. A good title would be: Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable”. A great title would be Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable due to ABC, assuming you have insides on the cause. The rule of thumb for the title is that if you read all the titles of the slides together you should get a clear idea of what is going on.
Step 3: present the slides
When you present, I would suggest the following steps for each slide:
Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
Present the main message of the slide: “As you can see, we have a cost structure which makes for us not feasible to be competitive in this market”
Provide details: “The graph, indeed, shows how our fix cost is XYZ, while competitors can benefit from economies of scale. Indeed…”
Below you can find additional tips to prepare on the presentation:
answering to your question number 2, quoting a previous answer, this is what I would suggest for a written case:
Step 1: allocate the time
The first thing you should do in a presentation case is to define a plan and allocate in the best possible way your time. With 2h for the analysis, a good approach would include:
initial quick reading – 10-20m
structure the approach – 10m
make slides/answer to the questions adding detailed analysis and math – 1h20m-1h30m
final review – 20 min
You should then practice to stick to the time allocated, in order to maximize your final performance.
Step 2: structure the slides
There are three basic components for slides:
Title
Chart or data
Label for chart
Many people structure the title as the mere description of what the chart is telling. A great title, instead tells the implication of the graph. Eg say the graph is showing a cost structure for a division. A bad title would be: Cost structure from 2005 to 2015. A good title would be: Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable”. A great title would be Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable due to ABC, assuming you have insides on the cause. The rule of thumb for the title is that if you read all the titles of the slides together you should get a clear idea of what is going on.
Step 3: present the slides
When you present, I would suggest the following steps for each slide:
Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
Present the main message of the slide: “As you can see, we have a cost structure which makes for us not feasible to be competitive in this market”
Provide details: “The graph, indeed, shows how our fix cost is XYZ, while competitors can benefit from economies of scale. Indeed…”
Below you can find additional tips to prepare on the presentation:
answering to your question number 2, quoting a previous answer, this is what I would suggest for a written case:
Step 1: allocate the time
The first thing you should do in a presentation case is to define a plan and allocate in the best possible way your time. With 2h for the analysis, a good approach would include:
initial quick reading – 10-20m
structure the approach – 10m
make slides/answer to the questions adding detailed analysis and math – 1h20m-1h30m
final review – 20 min
You should then practice to stick to the time allocated, in order to maximize your final performance.
Step 2: structure the slides
There are three basic components for slides:
Title
Chart or data
Label for chart
Many people structure the title as the mere description of what the chart is telling. A great title, instead tells the implication of the graph. Eg say the graph is showing a cost structure for a division. A bad title would be: Cost structure from 2005 to 2015. A good title would be: Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable”. A great title would be Cost structure of Division XYZ is not sustainable due to ABC, assuming you have insides on the cause. The rule of thumb for the title is that if you read all the titles of the slides together you should get a clear idea of what is going on.
Step 3: present the slides
When you present, I would suggest the following steps for each slide:
Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
Present the main message of the slide: “As you can see, we have a cost structure which makes for us not feasible to be competitive in this market”
Provide details: “The graph, indeed, shows how our fix cost is XYZ, while competitors can benefit from economies of scale. Indeed…”
Below you can find additional tips to prepare on the presentation:
First of all, congratulations for reaching this stage!
Second, there is a common presentation structure that can help you delivering the messages and also guide your thought process:
First slide: This should be your executive summary of the case. I suggest you to use the left column to restate the problem the client is facing and the right column to put your conclusions/recommendations/impact estimation if possible
Second, third and fourth slides should have the analyses to back-up the right column of your first slide
Fifth slide should contain the next steps (like deeper analyses in one topic and/or implementation plan)
Hope this can help you and wish you all the best in your interview!
Best
Guilherme
Hi Elena,
First of all, congratulations for reaching this stage!
Second, there is a common presentation structure that can help you delivering the messages and also guide your thought process:
First slide: This should be your executive summary of the case. I suggest you to use the left column to restate the problem the client is facing and the right column to put your conclusions/recommendations/impact estimation if possible
Second, third and fourth slides should have the analyses to back-up the right column of your first slide
Fifth slide should contain the next steps (like deeper analyses in one topic and/or implementation plan)
Hope this can help you and wish you all the best in your interview!
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