Hi there,

Q: I'm still confused if I should focus on presenting the framework (like the interactive case interview) or the recommendation and analysis.

In general, I would recommend starting the presentation with the direct answer to the question they asked in the written case.

Overall, this is what I would recommend for the presentation part.

A) Structure of the presentation

Normally the structure for a 5-slide presentation is the following:

• 1st slide – summary of the questions and your answers
• 2nd, 3rd and 4th slides - supporting arguments for the first slide
• 5th slide - risks and next steps

B) Content of each slide

There are 3 basic components for most slides:

1. Title
2. Written content 
3. Graphs / Tables

Many candidates structure the title as a mere description of what the chart is about.

A great title instead shows the implication of the graph as well.

Example: 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 insights on that.

The rule of thumb is that if you read all the titles of the slides, you should get a clear idea of the message of the presentation.

C) Presentation of the slides

When you present, I would recommend 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 it unfeasible 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…”

You can find more on written cases below:

▶ How to Prepare for a Written Case

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with this consulting firm thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, it is essential to understand the expectations. If they have specifically asked for a structure, I would advise you to prioritize that. If not, the recommendation and analysis become more central.
• Moreover, while presenting a structure can help steer your thoughts and your analysis process, the final recommendation and your rationale behind it are typically more important. This is where you demonstrate your ability to derive insights from data and information provided.
• Lastly, regardless of the focus, I would highly advise you to prioritize clarity in communication. Make sure your slides or flip chart pages are easy to follow, with a clear flow from problem statement to recommendation.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

(edited)

Hi there!

You need to do it top-down. 

Meaning, answer first.

Meaning, tell them what they want to know (give them the answer), then the supporting evidence for it. 

It's great that you're asking this question. Written cases are a lot more about ‘how’ you present than ‘what’ you present so having the right focus and knowing what to expect from the interview is key. 

Best,
Cristian

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Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> SoyTechnologies  

Hi there,

depends on the exact case question(s) you are given. In general, often useful to have an exec summary upfront (situation, problem + analysis, recommendation, next steps) and then double-click on each.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Hello,

The approach to presenting a long written case is sort of the reverse of the interactive case interview. Start with your recommendation, then explain how you derived it in detail, and then go through risks/next steps if applicable.

Hi,

in this situation you want to present your recommendation and how you derived it. With this much time given, you are expected to show a solution to the case and not just an approach. Naturally, you will need to use a certain approach and analyses to derive your solution. When presenting, you want to highlight the case questions and provide the answer in a top-down manner. 
 

“The recommendation is XYZ and here is why - first (…), second (…), third (…) etc”

The interviewers will ask questions as they see fit. But try to structure your presentation in a way that they always know what part of the case you are talking about exactly.

Best of luck 

Hi there,

Firstly, I have 20+ real written case studies from MBB and Tier 2s - used for real interviews. Several of these also have answers/sample presentations.

You need to focus on your recommendation/conclusion, but this needs to be supported by your analysis/charts/exhibits and a “Framework” in the sense of articulating your approach.