Hello,
I’ve been practicing McKinsey style cases for some time now and I’m sometimes confused when to start building the structure.
The interviewer usually reads the prompt which finishes with something like “the client hired McKinsey to find ways to increase profits in 3 years”. Then sometimes the person pauses which sounds like the time to recap, ask clarifying questions and build the structure. However, sometimes this is not the first question and the person tells me to wait for the question which is sometimes very similar, sometimes less, e.g. it can ask eg what do you think are the possible drivers of the profit decline
My question is: in the interview, will it be clear when to start building the structure? Is there a time to recap the case and ask clarifying questions before you hear the first question of the case or will the interviewer read the prompt plus the first question and then give you time to recap, clarify and build the structure?