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How to make an oral presentation of the case analysis at the BCG written case interview?

BCG Case case interview preparation MBB presentation written case

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!

 Recent activity on Oct 31, 2017
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Originally answered:

BCG written case + 45 min presentation

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Hi,

Here I've uploaded some written case samples (incl BCG)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zor4m49eyx5qxal/AABeUN6mtiGkWhEklRjszX2Oa?dl=0

The best way to prepare is the following:

  1. Check if the calculator is allowed. So far it was. If not - you have to train mental math. I posted the main tips here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/tips-to-do-big-multiplications-in-my-mind-726#a1422
  2. Prepare for a regular case interview - it helps a lot. Basically, prep lounge website is about it
  3. 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)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zor4m49eyx5qxal/AABeUN6mtiGkWhEklRjszX2Oa?dl=0

The best way to prepare is the following:

  1. Check if the calculator is allowed. So far it was. If not - you have to train mental math. I posted the main tips here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/tips-to-do-big-multiplications-in-my-mind-726#a1422
  2. Prepare for a regular case interview - it helps a lot. Basically, prep lounge website is about it
  3. 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)

20 Book a coaching with Vlad

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

Show 48 more comments

Originally answered:

BCG written case + 45 min presentation

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.

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)

6

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

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Hi Elena,

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:

  1. Title
  2. Chart or data
  3. 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:

  1. Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
  2. 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”
  3. 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:

http://bit.ly/2hs3GtS

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi Elena,

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:

  1. Title
  2. Chart or data
  3. 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:

  1. Introduce the slide: “Let’s move to slide 2, which will show us why we have an issue with this division”
  2. 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”
  3. 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:

http://bit.ly/2hs3GtS

Hope this helps,

Francesco

(edited)

5 Book a coaching with Francesco

A big thank-you, Francesco! An incredible insight! I am immensely grateful. Elena — Elena on Nov 01, 2017

Show 1 further answer by Francesco

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!

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!

Best

Guilherme

5

Hi Guilherme, — Elena on Oct 29, 2017

Thank you for your reply and support! This is very helpful, indeed. With many thanks, Elena — Elena on Oct 29, 2017

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