Consulting Q&A – Ask Questions about Your Career

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Estimate the number of whatsapp messages sent per day?

estimation guess-estimates Market sizing
Most recent answer on Jan 24, 2024
The best answer (on Apr 15, 2020) is from:
Clara
Expert
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut
Clara
Expert
gave the best answer on Apr 15, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut
Hello PK, I have alredy answered to some of your questions regarding market sizing, they are truly interesting. I believe tought you always have the same flaw: you only consider one of the two big segments (person ... (read entire answer)
19
Answers
5.0 k
Views
98
Total Upvotes
on Jan 24, 2024 on Jan 24, 2024
Last Activity

Top Down vs Bottom Up (Estimations)

estimation Market sizing
Most recent answer on Nov 06, 2023
The best answer (on Nov 01, 2023) is from:
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 Nov 01, 2023
McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers
Hello! The top-down method for market sizing is typically quicker and provides a general estimate promptly. However, it's often not as precise as the bottom-up approach.  In a real consultancy setting, the top-down meth ... (read entire answer)
7
Answers
461
Views
48
Total Upvotes
on Nov 06, 2023 on Nov 06, 2023
Last Activity

Market sizing at BCG

BCG estimation First Round Market sizing
Most recent answer on Oct 12, 2023
Anonymous gave the best answer on Apr 26, 2019
The very simple answer to your question is "YES IT IS VERY IMPORTANT" You even can face a market sizing question as your overall case interview at any round. Cheers Serhat
6
Answers
5.8 k
Views
12
Total Upvotes
on Oct 12, 2023 on Oct 12, 2023
Last Activity

How many electric charging stations are there in Germany?

brainteaser estimation guess-estimates Market sizing
Most recent answer on Apr 19, 2023
The best answer (on Apr 19, 2023) is from:
Cristian
Expert
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach
Cristian
Expert
gave the best answer on Apr 19, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach
Hi there,  You have a sound approach.  For market sizing questions, I'd recommend you also try and have some fun with ChatGPT. Try asking for several approaches and try to learn from how it chooses to do the sizing diff ... (read entire answer)
3
Answers
636
Views
35
Total Upvotes
on Apr 19, 2023 on Apr 19, 2023
Last Activity

market for cannabis in Germany

brainteaser estimation market estimation Market sizing
Most recent answer on Apr 16, 2023
The best answer (on Apr 16, 2023) is from:
Ian
Expert
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Ian
Expert
gave the best answer on Apr 16, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Hi there, About a 6 out of 10 here. #1 Thing Missing: HOW you got to these numbers. You need to make sure you are never guessing for numbers. Rather, you are making estimates based on your knowledge of the world. So: Ho ... (read entire answer)
3
Answers
683
Views
23
Total Upvotes
on Apr 16, 2023 on Apr 16, 2023
Last Activity

how many light bulb are on at any given time in the USA

estimation Market sizing
Most recent answer on Apr 11, 2023
The best answer (on Apr 11, 2023) is from:
Hagen
Expert
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years
Hagen
Expert
gave the best answer on Apr 11, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years
Hi Theresa, I would be happy to share my thoughts on it: First of all, I would approach this market size estimation from a bottom-up perspective by estimating the number of households in the US, and the average number o ... (read entire answer)
4
Answers
762
Views
46
Total Upvotes
on Apr 11, 2023 on Apr 11, 2023
Last Activity

Estimate the sales in volume of instant coffee in UK for the next 4 years

estimation Guessestimation market estimation
Most recent answer on Mar 13, 2023
The best answer (on Sep 16, 2018) is from:
Angelo
Angelo gave the best answer on Sep 16, 2018
Hi, I think that the correlation to GDP is a good point but it is not the only factor. Try to develop the problem by using more Marketing notions (customer segments, competition, trends for each factor etc.).
4
Answers
2.5 k
Views
27
Total Upvotes
on Mar 13, 2023 on Mar 13, 2023
Last Activity

Car-related estimation questions

estimation
Most recent answer on Mar 06, 2023
The best answer (on Mar 06, 2023) is from:
Hagen
Expert
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years
Hagen
Expert
gave the best answer on Mar 06, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years
Hi there, I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it: Personally, I would approach the first question from a demand-based perspective (i.e., ... (read entire answer)
4
Answers
364
Views
35
Total Upvotes
on Mar 06, 2023 on Mar 06, 2023
Last Activity

How to estimate the number of daily bank transfers in a day

estimation guess-estimates Market sizing
Most recent answer on Jun 24, 2022
The best answer (on Jun 23, 2022) is from:
Ian
Expert
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Ian
Expert
gave the best answer on Jun 23, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Hi there, You'll learn a lot more from this by trying it out yourself first! Why don't you post your approach here and we can provide commentary? How to approach market sizing It's very simple: Do the approach the is th ... (read entire answer)
5
Answers
1.1 k
Views
54
Total Upvotes
on Jun 24, 2022 on Jun 24, 2022
Last Activity

How many passengers is at the airport at noon?

Case Interview estimation Market sizing Partner Interview
Question edited on Mar 11, 2022
The best answer (on Mar 11, 2022) is from:
Maikol
Expert
BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780
Maikol
Expert
gave the best answer on Mar 11, 2022
BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780
In general, when these kinds of questions are asked, it would be great to see your full reasoning, not only what you said to the interviewer and what he/she replied. I also doubt that it is true that an interviewer just ... (read entire answer)
2
Answers
1.2 k
Views
30
Total Upvotes
on Mar 11, 2022 on Mar 11, 2022
Last Activity

Market sizing: Estimate revenue from a sports-outlet store

estimation Market sizing market sizing assumptions
Most recent answer on Dec 31, 2021
The best answer (on Oct 14, 2019) is from:
Vlad
Expert
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School
Vlad
Expert
gave the best answer on Oct 14, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School
Hi, Define the time it takes for a single person to pay Define max number of people paying in a singly cashier line per shift Multiply by the average utilization of the cashier line Multiply by the number of l ... (read entire answer)
3
Answers
4.4 k
Views
3
Total Upvotes
on Dec 31, 2021 on Dec 31, 2021
Last Activity

Marketing sizing - Pay TV Market

estimation Market sizing
Most recent answer on Oct 25, 2021
The best answer (on Oct 24, 2021) is from:
Clara
Expert
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut
Clara
Expert
gave the best answer on Oct 24, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut
Hello! I would recommend you to add more flavor by segmenting the market, since it would allow you do double click on the different rate than different customer segments would pay for the TV.  Given that market sizing c ... (read entire answer)
3
Answers
858
Views
14
Total Upvotes
on Oct 25, 2021 on Oct 25, 2021
Last Activity

Estimate world salmon market

estimation
Most recent answer on Oct 02, 2021
Anonymous B gave the best answer on Sep 29, 2021
Hi,  I'm thinking this can be broken into the following issue tree (high-level): Step 1: Total number of salmons sold in a year x avg. price of a salmon Step 2: (calculating the number of salmons sold): # consumers x av ... (read entire answer)
5
Answers
592
Views
20
Total Upvotes
on Oct 02, 2021 on Oct 02, 2021
Last Activity

Market size: What is the market size (in terms of revenue) of ATMs in your country?

estimation Market sizing
Question edited on Sep 05, 2021
The best answer (on Sep 12, 2019) is from:
safa
Proficient
safa
Proficient
gave the best answer on Sep 12, 2019
Hi Anonym, I would like to add to Marco's answer the following, I think that is required to have a complete answer. As Marco mentioned, one component to calculate the Market size of ATMs is the Number of ATMs in you ... (read entire answer)
2
Answers
4.9 k
Views
12
Total Upvotes
on Sep 05, 2021 on Sep 05, 2021
Last Activity

Market Sizing: Nb of Sim cards sold to expats in Dubai

estimation marketsizing
Question edited on Sep 05, 2021
The best answer (on Sep 05, 2021) is from:
Marco-Alexander
Expert
Former BCG | Case author for efellows book | Experience in 6 consultancies (Stern Stewart, Capgemini, KPMG, VW Con., Hor
Marco-Alexander
Expert
gave the best answer on Sep 05, 2021
Former BCG | Case author for efellows book | Experience in 6 consultancies (Stern Stewart, Capgemini, KPMG, VW Con., Hor
1
Answer
1.8 k
Views
6
Total Upvotes
on Sep 05, 2021 on Sep 05, 2021
Last Activity

Are Estimations/Market Sizing questions still being used?

BCG McKinsey and Bain estimation Market sizing
Question edited on Aug 26, 2021
The best answer (on Jun 07, 2020) is from:
Udayan
Expert
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience
Udayan
Expert
gave the best answer on Jun 07, 2020
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience
Yes they are - it's not as common and often buried within a case but they are definitely a tool that people use.
14
Answers
3.1 k
Views
36
Total Upvotes
on Aug 26, 2021 on Aug 26, 2021
Last Activity

Does McKinsey do market sizing

estimation
Question edited on Aug 17, 2021
The best answer (on Aug 17, 2021) is from:
Florian
Expert
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets
Florian
Expert
gave the best answer on Aug 17, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets
Hey there, ----- UPDATE I have written a detailed insider perspective on the McKinsey case interview here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-interview ----- For McKinsey, market sizing is only relevant as part of a ... (read entire answer)
4
Answers
1.3 k
Views
45
Total Upvotes
on Aug 17, 2021 on Aug 17, 2021
Last Activity

Was asked to size the total addressable market of robots in an interview, how would one go about that?

estimation Market sizing
Question edited on Jul 21, 2021
Anonymous A asked on Jul 20, 2021
1
Answer
922
Views
0
Total Upvotes
on Jul 21, 2021 on Jul 21, 2021
Last Activity

How can number of pets be 1.5

estimation
Most recent answer on Jun 29, 2021
The best answer (on Jun 29, 2021) is from:
Ian
Expert
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Ian
Expert
gave the best answer on Jun 29, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
In the exact same way that a birthrate can be 1.2 in a country, or the average children/cars per household can be 1.5! Essentially what this means is that, for every 2 households, there are 3 pets. (e.g 1 household ha ... (read entire answer)
4
Answers
749
Views
28
Total Upvotes
on Jun 29, 2021 on Jun 29, 2021
Last Activity

Estimation/ Market size

Bain BCG Boston Consulting Group estimation market size Market sizing MBB McKinsey McKinsey & Company Oliver Wyman
Most recent answer on May 19, 2021
The best answer (on May 17, 2021) is from:
Ian
Expert
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Ian
Expert
gave the best answer on May 17, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Hi there, Overall I think this approach is good! A few thoughts: You should go with the segment that is most directly correlated to the outcome. I think both age and income work. Trust your gut here. You can als ... (read entire answer)
3
Answers
1.8 k
Views
1
Total Upvotes
on May 19, 2021 on May 19, 2021
Last Activity
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