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Hello!

The BCG Potential test is a multiple choice computer test with ~20 questions to be answered in ~45 minutes. It's not a standard business case, but there are several GMAT-like questions that asks you to read charts and to do qualitative reasoning.

For practice, I would use GMAT. There are free exams in the internet that you can use for practice (the one of LBS MBA page, Verits prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (https://gmat.economist.com/)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi Kaschayar,

Can you please clarify for the community – was your interview with BCG scheduled for May and got postponed?

Best,
Daniel

Hi there,

very good look for your preparation and next interviews, here below you can find my answers on your questions:

• Steps for BCG selection process in Europe: by entering right after the graduation you have 2/3 rounds intervews. In italy they stop to do the numerical test online.
• Should I apply for an internship or for a full-time position? Actually you can apply for both. In most of the situations, BCG decides the position in which you start working depending on your CV/experience and projects on going
• What are the differences between Internship and Visiting Associate? Actually are pretty the same they test you for a period of time (from 2 to 6 months) for a future full time position. in both, if you work well they'll turn that position in a full time. If MBBs hire for internship means that they'll have available fulltime position. So if you fit with BCG they will confirm the full time position 100%
• Last question, is BCG still accepting applications right now? As far as I know they posted even on linkedin many job positions in the last period. So they are still hiring, the consulting sector was booming until the last February.

For further clarification/suggetsions do not hesitate to contact me in private

Dear anonymous,

Your feeling is really common and you shouldn't worry too much about this. The most effective way to prepare is to practice both with other candidates and coaches that can give you a reliable feedabck.
Regarding what you wrote, you don't have to try to remember something by heart. If you do that you could get in trouble, because a small difference in the statement is enough to invalidate the solution of the similar case that you are trying to remember. Plus, you would look quite academical in your resolution, without any "outside-the-box" idea.

The only thing that you should try to learn and remember are the initial frameworks, because they give you a good base to start with in the highest pressure part of the interview. Write down your own framework for each case typology and everytime that you solve a new case, test your framework and eventually enrich it with new useful segments.

Regarding the general preparation, I suggest the following approach:

• Read the Case in Point (Cosentino) in order to get a first approach with the Case interviews
• When you have read most of it, start doing cases on yourself practicing with frameworks, math and structure of the interview.
• Practice with other people (candidates/coaches)
• Read some chapters of the Case Interview Secrets
• Listen to the recordings of the LOMS program

While you are practicing for your cases, you have to consider also some time to prepare your CV/Cover Letter and the Fit Interview that is a fundamental part of the interview.
Consider that you will need around 1.5/2 months to prepare and at least 40/50 cases.

Feel free to contact me if you want to have some help to stucture your workplan.
Best,
Luca

Hi! I'm sorry to hear about that, I imagine this is very frustrating. I agree with Vlad, the hiring will be reduced now and the bar will be set higher. So, use your time to prepare and remind them of your existance from time to time.

Best,
Daniel

Hello!

At this point, the situation is evolving so fast that it´s difficult to predict, since the situation changes day after day.

Logic sais that, as well as clients are slowing down... so will consulting companies. This will inevitbly lead to a slow-down in hiring -but not a total freeze, as there was not a total freeze after the fall of Lehman-.

For people who are currently in the recruiting process, as per what I am seeing with my coachees, interviews are not being cancelled. They are either being posponed (with a determined date, not in an undefined way) or they are being shifted to video-conference.

Given that you are not still in the pipeline, little can be done. You can maximize your chances by getting a referral -this would at least ensure that your CV ends up in HRs desk instead of in the black hole of CVs-.

Feel free to PM me with your CV and CL for review.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello Rana,

Don't be stressed about this, it's just a chance to know HR and the work environment and will not influence your possibility to enter BCG in a significant way. Just prepare a good story about yourself, be nice and try to seem motivated.

In addition, prepare some smart and unconventional questions that you can ask whenever you have the chance to steer the conversation.

Good luck!
Luca

Hello!

It is very bizarre since, as far as I know, is the consultnts who decide -by unanimity, yes- if you pass round or not.

I could only thing of the firm not having openings any more... but that would not imply a "no" for you either.

Sorry that I cannot be more insightful!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello!

Regarding the interviews, it´s going to be the usual: FIT + Business Case + Q&A. The topic of each case, as well as the style in which it is conducted, will totally depend on the interviewer. Hence, each person will have a completly different experience.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello!

Don´t worry about that. Once you have your MBA, particularly from a target school, the previous experience does not matter. I know plenty of examples to show.

MBB also rely on the selection criteria from the MBAs schools, and once you pass that... you are fine.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello!

Hasn´t changed much actually even since the time I did it myself!

• Takes overall 45 min
• It´s done with a laptop
• Emcompasses about 20-25 questions
  • It´s a test on a "business case", single choice system
  • You are given information both in texts and in figures (e.g., graphs, table)
  • Requieres both match skills and "strategic" skills

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello!

Unfortunately no, but BCG indeed has info in the web (https://www.bcg.com/en-ca/careers/roles/consulting/interview-resources.aspx), did you check it out?

Cheers,

Clara

Hello!

At this point, I don´t think anyone can give you a certain answer -we are living a situation without precedents and it´s evolving by the day, so everyone, companies included, and in the wait-and-see attitude.

Personally, I think that it´s very very unlikely that this happens. However, not so unlikely that they ask some of the BAs/associates to start some months later, if there is not staffing for all.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello!

Precisely as you outline, all the recruiting process (from tests to former face-to-face interviews) have moved to online.

Hence, nothing changes in terms of the approach in case of the test.

What it does change is the interviews, where you need to take an extra-active role with your commuication, walking your interviewer through your thoughs, validating a lot... but this will come only after.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi Arty,

first of all, congrats for the startup offer.

I would personally make these considerations:

Is it your 1st work experience?
- In this case, if you are very young (fresh from uni), consider the importance of having a strong brand (if you don't have any) on your resume. That will help you in the future. This could be either a good startup (VC-backed or PE-backed) or a company like Accenture.

Is this your first full time job?
- Spend time on finding the right fit and understand if you are interested to start right away in an entrepreneurial environment vs a consulting environment. They tend to be quite different settings.

To answer your question about rejecting the startup offer
It is a matter of professionalism. But considering the fact that startups need very passionate people, better to leave the startup rather than staying there, but not being committed anymore because you are more interested about working in consulting.

Good luck!
Federico

Hi! See a reply from Vlad in this thread https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-prepare-for-bcg-online-case-1098

Hi,

The question you need to ask is this: in which job will you get more responsibilities, more opportunities to prove yourself and more exposure to the senior management? I would go for a position in a small team where as a junior team member you can make a real difference. This kind of experience you can then really sell to MBB as your value proposition. On the contrary, if you work in a big team with hierarchical structures and little exposure beyond your immediate boss – this will be a hardly unique growth experience. So, in a nut shell: think of which one of those will be more exciting for you and which one will boost your professional development more and go for it. As regards the function it doesn't really matter that much.

As a general rule it's good to demonstrate that you are able to do things in 80/20 way during your personal fit interview.

What is 80/20? It’s a rule which basically states that 80% of the results come just from 20% of your efforts. So, in practice it means that you need to be able to prioritise and make trade-offs to complete more work in a given time vs striving for perfection in one specific task.

The 80/20 principle is very important in consulting industry, because in most cases you don’t have time to do things perfectly (there are literally not enough hours in a day).

So, when preparing for your personal fit interviews make sure you think about situations where you had to make sacrifices along the way (meaning applying 80/20) and make sure to bring those situations up during the interview.

A few generic examples of 80/20:

• you wanted to do your internship but at the same time you were completing two degrees, so you persuaded the company to take you in for less hours than what they usually offer their interns;
• you were working on the project with your team and wanted to complete everything on time but then encountered a major problem – instead of killing the team and making them work night shifts, you pivoted the project and achieved some results (maybe not the results you wanted, but some results);
• you were training for a marathon, which was very important to you, but then your team member got sick and you needed to take over his workload – instead of killing yourself by overtraining and overworking, you chose to do a marathon in another city 3 months later, which was a mentally difficult decision but in the end the right one, because you managed to succeed in both;

So, once during your interview you get a question about challenges on the way, unexpected problems and issues, think about 80/20 :)

Congrats on getting your offer. In my experience, people that do the following really stand out and typically secure a returning offer

1. Be proactive, don't wait for the project manager to give you instructions. Try to suggest things you could do and when you incur a problem, go back to your manager with a suggestion for a solution not just with the issue

2. Be precise and quality check your outputs before sending them out. Check for language, labels, anything.

3. Take notes and share them with the team as and when required

Hope it helps!
Marco