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Chart Reading Resources

Charts reading interpreting charts

Most recent answer on Jan 31, 2024

David

Expert

Case Coach | Bain & Company | PwC M&A Deals Advisory | INSEAD MBA | SG & SEA

David

Expert

gave the best answer on Dec 15, 2023

Case Coach | Bain & Company | PwC M&A Deals Advisory | INSEAD MBA | SG & SEA

Hi there, The most useful materials to be honest are those research papers and articles published by MBBs. The reason is that they are typically prepared by consultants themselves and these charts resemble the charts yo ... (read entire answer)

7
Answers

278
Views

77
Total Upvotes

on Jan 31, 2024 on Jan 31, 2024
Last Activity

Useless information on exhibits

analytics Case Interview Charts reading

Most recent answer on Oct 27, 2023

Sidi

Expert

McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers

Sidi

Expert

gave the best answer on Oct 24, 2023

McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers

Almost always. :) It is the very reason why you get presented with an exhibit - to test your ability to identify the relevant information and how it helps to answer the core question. The classical mistake committed by ... (read entire answer)

13
Answers

433
Views

83
Total Upvotes

on Oct 27, 2023 on Oct 27, 2023
Last Activity

what to do when you completely don't understand a chart

Charts reading

Most recent answer on Mar 06, 2023

Francesco

Expert

#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Francesco

Expert

gave the best answer on Mar 06, 2023

#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there, Q: Can anyone tell me what you see from this chart? The graph shows that the “Sweeps week” increased the variable on the Y axe (which should be clarified as the label is missing and title is unclear) during t ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

663
Views

61
Total Upvotes

on Mar 06, 2023 on Mar 06, 2023
Last Activity

Looking for exciting discussions from the community?

Charts / Exhibit Communications

Charts Charts reading How to Read Charts and Data in Case Interviews interpreting charts

Most recent answer on Apr 01, 2022

Paul Matthew

Expert

Ex-BCG Interviewer | Stanford MBA | 1st Consultant Hired in BCG Philippines | 100+ students coached

Paul Matthew

Expert

gave the best answer on Mar 29, 2022

Ex-BCG Interviewer | Stanford MBA | 1st Consultant Hired in BCG Philippines | 100+ students coached

Hi, My advise is: First, understand the axis and elements of the chart - Before you jump into communicating initial observations about the chart, make sure you are reading it right (e.g. is axis sales or profit? does i ... (read entire answer)

7
Answers

685
Views

66
Total Upvotes

on Apr 01, 2022 on Apr 01, 2022
Last Activity

Chart interpretation preparation materials

Charts reading

Recent activity on Jan 30, 2022

gave the best answer on Jan 29, 2022

You don't need to look at complicated charts. Usually the ones presenting in case interviews are not complicated at all. Moreover, the real issue is not finding “hidden” insights in the chart, i.e., insights that are ha ... (read entire answer)

4
Answers

769
Views

40
Total Upvotes

on Jan 30, 2022 on Jan 30, 2022
Last Activity

Chart calculations

Charts reading

Most recent answer on Jul 25, 2021

gave the best answer on Jul 25, 2021

Hi there, In my view you should do both (caveat: depends on the case/prompt). I would immediatedly flag the key trend/issue in $ and # (oh, wow, x unit sells a lot of units but for not much $...this could be an issu ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

994
Views

24
Total Upvotes

on Jul 25, 2021 on Jul 25, 2021
Last Activity

How to interpret Waterfall charts?

Charts Charts reading How to Read Charts and Data in Case Interviews interpreting charts

Most recent answer on Apr 15, 2021

Anonymous gave the best answer on Apr 15, 2021

Not quite. The waterfall chart breaks down the difference between the left total bar and right total bar into it's drivers. Meaning: Margin deterioration decreased ROE by 1.8% between 2014 and 2015 Higher risk cos ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

1.4 k
Views

45
Total Upvotes

on Apr 15, 2021 on Apr 15, 2021
Last Activity

To intro or not to intro, that is the question

chart Charts Charts reading

Most recent answer on Dec 31, 2020

gave the best answer on Nov 22, 2020

Hi there, I'm going to go ahead and interpret your question. 1) Yes, you should repeat the case prompt back to the interviewer...but do so in your own words and only with the pieces of information that matter 2) Y ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

806
Views

41
Total Upvotes

on Dec 31, 2020 on Dec 31, 2020
Last Activity

Chart and Graph Reading

Case Case Interview case question Charts Charts reading exhibits Graph MBB McKinsey Table

Most recent answer on Aug 14, 2020

Anonymous gave the best answer on Jul 19, 2016

A little late for this question, but thought I give it a shot, since I use charts in my cases often. What's the biggest mistake I see? Looking for patterns in values. To give an example: Let's say, I show a simple bar ... (read entire answer)

28
Answers

45.8 k
Views

129
Total Upvotes

on Aug 14, 2020 on Aug 14, 2020
Last Activity

Chart Reading and Data Sensitivity

big data Charts reading McKinsey case interview

Most recent answer on Feb 08, 2020

Francesco

Expert

#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Francesco

Expert

gave the best answer on Feb 03, 2020

#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous, I would recommend the following three-step approach to properly read graphs: 1. Read the graph Ask for one minute of time to understand the graph. Summarize what the graph is about. Read in parti ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

1.7 k
Views

7
Total Upvotes

on Feb 08, 2020 on Feb 08, 2020
Last Activity

Creativity while analyzing charts?

Charts reading Final Round McKinsey

Recent activity on Jan 07, 2019

Sidi

Expert

McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers

Sidi

Expert

gave the best answer on Jan 07, 2019

McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers

Hi Serdar, let me answer to the first part of the feedback. To be honest, this sounds like it hints to a very typical problem that candidates have who prepare using sources such as Victor Cheng's approach ("Business S ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

3.2 k
Views

11
Total Upvotes

on Jan 07, 2019 on Jan 07, 2019
Last Activity

11 results

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