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I have passed the first round at Bain and now have my second interview in January. Thus, I have around 4 months to prepare for the 2nd round. The feedback I got was:
1. Need to improve my prioritization skills (while looking at key elements of the structure to analyze first)
2. Diving into the data (graphs), not taking enough time to analyze it and missing some things.
Can you give me some tips on how to improve on this, given that I have ample of time?
Also, I am afraid of suffering from burnout or overpreparing. Can you suggest me some ways to tackle that?
Thank you!
Hi,
I have passed the first round at Bain and now have my second interview in January. Thus, I have around 4 months to prepare for the 2nd round. The feedback I got was:
1. Need to improve my prioritization skills (while looking at key elements of the structure to analyze first)
2. Diving into the data (graphs), not taking enough time to analyze it and missing some things.
Can you give me some tips on how to improve on this, given that I have ample of time?
Also, I am afraid of suffering from burnout or overpreparing. Can you suggest me some ways to tackle that?
At the first level of your analysis try to maintain the levels in your structure correctly. Imagine you have a team and each bucket of your analysis is a dedicated person. The question to ask yourself is: "Is this bucket of analysis worth to be a workstream for a dedicated person on a real project?". (E.g. if you are acquiring a company you should analyze the company and the product will be just a sub-bullet in the company analysis. On the contrary - if you are launching a new product, you should have a dedicated person looking at the product first)
Try to prioritize quantitative over qualitative. E.g. Instead of asking about regulation when analyzing the market, start with size and growth rates. The reason is - the chances of finding the insight in qualitative questions are much higher, which is crucial when the time for the case is limited
Be very specific in your questions. E.g. when asking about the competition don't ask "Who are the competitors" or "How many players we have?". Be specific and ask what are the market shares of the competitors and their growth rates.
With the charts / tables you can use the following approach:
Take a minute to look at the graph
Read the graph title
Look at the graph type and define the type (pie chart, line chart, etc)
Look at the legend (ask for clarifying questions if necessary)
Identify whats going on on the graph. Look for: Trends, % structures,
Look for unusual things - correlations, outliers,
Make 3-4 conclusions from the graph. Think of potential hypothesis on what could be the root cause / what are the consequences
Prioritize the most important for your current analysis and move forward with the case
Sources to learn from (prioritized):
Study "Say it with Charts" book by Barbara Minto
Learn basic statistics (Any GMAT or MBA prep guides)
Check all available MBB presentations and publications. Practice to derive conclusions and check yourself with the actual ones from the article / presentation
GMAT IR part (Official guide and Manhattan prep)
"Consulting Bible" and "Vault guide for consulting" - check the chapters on cases with graphs in these books
Good luck!
Hi,
Several tips re prioritization:
At the first level of your analysis try to maintain the levels in your structure correctly. Imagine you have a team and each bucket of your analysis is a dedicated person. The question to ask yourself is: "Is this bucket of analysis worth to be a workstream for a dedicated person on a real project?". (E.g. if you are acquiring a company you should analyze the company and the product will be just a sub-bullet in the company analysis. On the contrary - if you are launching a new product, you should have a dedicated person looking at the product first)
Try to prioritize quantitative over qualitative. E.g. Instead of asking about regulation when analyzing the market, start with size and growth rates. The reason is - the chances of finding the insight in qualitative questions are much higher, which is crucial when the time for the case is limited
Be very specific in your questions. E.g. when asking about the competition don't ask "Who are the competitors" or "How many players we have?". Be specific and ask what are the market shares of the competitors and their growth rates.
With the charts / tables you can use the following approach:
Take a minute to look at the graph
Read the graph title
Look at the graph type and define the type (pie chart, line chart, etc)
Look at the legend (ask for clarifying questions if necessary)
Identify whats going on on the graph. Look for: Trends, % structures,
Look for unusual things - correlations, outliers,
Make 3-4 conclusions from the graph. Think of potential hypothesis on what could be the root cause / what are the consequences
Prioritize the most important for your current analysis and move forward with the case
Sources to learn from (prioritized):
Study "Say it with Charts" book by Barbara Minto
Learn basic statistics (Any GMAT or MBA prep guides)
Check all available MBB presentations and publications. Practice to derive conclusions and check yourself with the actual ones from the article / presentation
GMAT IR part (Official guide and Manhattan prep)
"Consulting Bible" and "Vault guide for consulting" - check the chapters on cases with graphs in these books
Good luck!
Anonymous replied on Jul 25, 2020
Dear A,
I would recommend you to keep practicing, and doing it not mechanically but with self-analysis. Constantly asking yourself where you can improve more.
Also I would recommend you to work on your mind concentration. Our silly mistakes are because of lack of concentration.
For avoiding burnout I would recommend you to learn your personal limits. For this roadmap of preparation will help you ad defined indicators by which you can measure your success.
If you need help with any of this things, feel free to ask.
Best,
André
Dear A,
I would recommend you to keep practicing, and doing it not mechanically but with self-analysis. Constantly asking yourself where you can improve more.
Also I would recommend you to work on your mind concentration. Our silly mistakes are because of lack of concentration.
For avoiding burnout I would recommend you to learn your personal limits. For this roadmap of preparation will help you ad defined indicators by which you can measure your success.
If you need help with any of this things, feel free to ask.
It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:
It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:
The case study is the most important element of the case interview, which you'll have to nail in order to get into strategic consulting. Here you can learn the specific skills and concepts necessary to solve them.
Bain case: Asian lubricants producerLubricantsCo, a very successful Asian premium producer of lubricants in their native region, would like to further increase their revenue and profit. The product range ranges from lubricants in the automotive sector (e.g. motor and gear oil) to industrial applications (e.g. fats, heavy-duty oils).
According to preliminary examinations, further growth potentials in the Asian core market are rather limited. Thus LubricantsCo would like to investigate options to internationalize in the passenger car business – also outside the premium segment which is given priority.
Therefore your consulting firm was instructed to elaborate a market entry strategy for the European market.
LubricantsCo, a very successful Asian premium producer of lubricants in their native region, would like to further increase their revenue and profit. The product range ranges from lubricants in the automotive sector (e.g. motor and gear oil) to industrial applications (e.g. fats, heavy-duty oils).
... Open whole case
Bain Case: Old WineryYou have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery which has been family owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.
Half of the eleven hectares are used to grow white grapes, the other half to grow red grapes. They are grown in the conventional way, i.e. they are not organically farmed and certified. The vine stocks are in a good condition regarding age and care. Overall, only ¼ of the harvest is made into wine by the winery itself; the rest is sold.
Your grandfather never wanted to change the image of the winery and left the managerial and administrative task to a young and energetic wine-maker. Due to the not so well-known brand , the demand for the “Old Winery” wine is currently rather low.
You do not intent to run the winery operatively, given your limited knowledge of wine making, but find the idea of owning a winery exciting. Your plan is to give the winery some fresh impetus.
You have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery which has been family owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.
Half of the eleven hectares are used to grow white grapes, the other half to grow red grapes. They are grown in the conventional way, i.e. ... Open whole case
Bain Questions
Tell me about a difficult situation you had to cope with.
Tell me of a task which you didn’t like doing and explain why you performed it nevertheless.
Why do you do things?
What do you like doing most / What is your favorite hobby?
Walk me through a situation where you showed leadership skills.
Tell me about a difficult situation you had to cope with.
Tell me of a task which you didn’t like doing and explain why you performed it nevertheless.
Why do you do things?
What do you like doing most / What is your favorite hobby?
Walk me through a situation where you showed leadership skills ... Open whole case
MBB Final Round Case - Smart EducationOur client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.
The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadvantaged areas.
The client is considering starting operations for its services in the Chicago area. They hired us to understand if that makes sense. Due to the nonprofit regulation, SmartBridge should operate on its own in the market, without any partnership.
How would you help our client?
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.
The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadvant ... Open whole case
Hot WheelsProblem definition: Our client is Korean Car Parts (KCP), a multi-national original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of car parts based in Korea. They've recently seen a decline in profits and have brought us in to understand how to address this falling profitability.
Problem definition: Our client is Korean Car Parts (KCP), a multi-national original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of car parts based in Korea. They've recently seen a decline in profits and have brought us in to understand how to address this falling profitability.
Open whole case
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