Self Study-Case

Agree - this is not ideal. Solving cases is not about your brainpower and capacity to solve a riddle, but it's a practical skill that you can't practice on yourself.

If you don't have another chance, try to make this as real and "conversational" as possible:

• Set yourself a timer and don't take longer than you would in a real interview.
• Talk out loud and present your framework like you would present it to an interviewer
• Talk an imaginary interviewer through your math part and through a data request that you'll need for the right input
• Present your conclusion in a structured way within a dedicated time of 60 seconds
• Record the hole thing on video and review it carefully afterwards

But even better: dont do it at all and schedule another interview with another candidate.

If you are practicing by yourself (which is NOT ideal) follow these guidelines

• Practice your answers in front of a mirror so you are not lookingt at a book and it simulates to some small extent what a conversation looks like
• Look at videos as well as books - especially videos of people going through a case end to end
• DO NOT look at answers before answering the question and do not attempt to change your answer once you have looked at the solution
• Record a video of yourself answering the questions and review the video afterwards to see how you can improve

Udayan

Hey,

For casebooks, dont invest too much time in these. If you have read the key ones (e.g. Case in Point) and browsed those available online (just google search), its more than enough. PrepLounge also has a huge collection of cases (with answers).

Its important to practice as much as you can ideally with a case partner and even better with a coach. 2-3 sessions with a coach of your choice can save you lot of time.

If you are practicing solo, then I agree with what other coaches have mentioned already. In addition start by doing cases on topics/industries you find interesting or are passionate about. This will help your momentum and confidence before you transition to more advanced cases.

All the best.

Hi there,

I perosnally think there are far better uses of your time (daily reading of FT/Economist/BCG insights, revieiwng old cases, fast math, rocketblocks, industry research, live cases, etc.) you've asked a question so I'll answer!

1. I personally like Stern, Kellogg, Ross, and Columbia

2. I don't think you can. That's why I don't reocmmend it! That said, the "best" way is in a similar way you would do flashcards. I.e. "hide" the answers at each stage. Try and answer outloud every question/framework, state your key questions, etc. before moving on and revealing the answer.

Good luck!

Hello!

It´s not ideal, but it´s not bad either whenever you have already a lot of practice!

Have you seen the cases here in the library? They are ideal since the solution part is hidden, so you can give it a shot and then double check.

Also color coded parts to know which info you should receive. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hey there,

I always recommend candidates to practice case skills in between sessions. You can do this either by

• practicing with a case partner
• practicing by yourself

For the latter, you can use any case you find on the internet (ideally real cases from companies) or even create them yourself with newspaper articles. The important thing is that you use the cases as drills and go question by question until you reach a recommendation. For candidate-led interviews, this is not ideal since you miss the important part of drilling down to find the problem. For interviewer-led McKinsey-style interviews, this can be done almost like practicing with a case partner since each question stands for itself.

However, this is much more effective once you have a true and tested way of how to solve

• structure and brainstorming questions
• chart interpretation questions
• math questions

for each of which I'd recommend going over with a coach. Once you learned the habits to deal with each, you can set off on your own and spend a weekend going over drills. Then treat it like a real case interview and apply the habits (e.g. take time to think, structure it, communicate out loud, etc.).

Cheers,

Florian