Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 452,000 Peers!

Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!

How does the Consulting Q&A work?

Anyone can ask a question

Anyone can write an answer

Upvotes let answers rise to the top

How to write my case notes in a more structured/organised manner?

Notes notetaking organizingnotes

Question edited on Jul 31, 2022

Anonymous gave the best answer on Jan 21, 2021

Note taking is of course a critical piece of a strong case delivery, so it will pay off to practice this early on in your preparation. Whatever system you chose (and practice), it needs to fulfill 3 main purposes: ... (read entire answer)

7
Answers

3.8 k
Views

63
Total Upvotes

on Jul 31, 2022 on Jul 31, 2022
Last Activity

Note taking

notetaking

Most recent answer on May 15, 2022

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 May 14, 2022

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

Hi there, I would recommend the following. FIRST PAGE I would suggest to divide the first page into 4 parts as below: Top-left: client name/type Bottom left: initial information Top right: objectives Bottom right: struc ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

772
Views

39
Total Upvotes

on May 15, 2022 on May 15, 2022
Last Activity

Using shorthand

notetaking

Most recent answer on Jun 26, 2021

gave the best answer on Jun 25, 2021

You need to figure out the key shorthand terms! For example, R and C for costs, pie symbol for profit, up/down arrows for increases, etc. etc. For example, if I say "Your client is Bills Bottles. They earn $800M in pr ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

711
Views

42
Total Upvotes

on Jun 26, 2021 on Jun 26, 2021
Last Activity

Looking for exciting discussions from the community?

Best approach to notetaking

Notes notetaking

Most recent answer on Jan 21, 2021

Vlad

Expert

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Vlad

Expert

gave the best answer on Aug 24, 2019

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi, I recommend the following approach- split the main sheet into 2 parts and then the left part into 2 quadrants: Upper left - initial information given at the beginning of the interview and while asking clarifyi ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

1.8 k
Views

6
Total Upvotes

on Jan 21, 2021 on Jan 21, 2021
Last Activity

Tips for taking initial notes?

approaching a case notetaking

Most recent answer on Jan 21, 2021

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 08, 2019

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

Hi Anonymous, in order to write better notes, my recommendation is to divide the paper into 4 areas as reported below for the first page; when taking notes, you can then put the information in the appropriate box. Som ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

2.1 k
Views

3
Total Upvotes

on Jan 21, 2021 on Jan 21, 2021
Last Activity

How to take better, clearer notes during case interviews?

Case Interview McKinsey Notes notetaking organizingnotes Structure Taking Notes Written

Recent activity on Jan 21, 2021

Anonymous gave the best answer on Jun 26, 2017

This is definitely an underrated (but important) skill to develop when working on cases. Usually, the people I've worked with have adopted the same format you currently have with some minor tweaks: - Position of pape ... (read entire answer)

13
Answers

31.6 k
Views

72
Total Upvotes

on Jan 21, 2021 on Jan 21, 2021
Last Activity

Note-taking techniques

brainstorming Case Interview notetaking organizingnotes

Most recent answer on Jan 21, 2021

Anonymous gave the best answer on Apr 25, 2018

Hi Anonymous, Using two sheets, one for clean and one for "dirty" work is generally a good idea to separate your structure and thinking from rough calculations. To answer your questions: 1) You will not be evaluated ... (read entire answer)

6
Answers

6.7 k
Views

24
Total Upvotes

on Jan 21, 2021 on Jan 21, 2021
Last Activity

How to improve notes taking during case interview

Case Interview Notes notetaking Taking Notes

Most recent answer on Jan 12, 2021

gave the best answer on Jan 11, 2021

In regards to #1, skip the one you miss. The moment you miss something, forget about it. Draw a quick line so you know to ask about it, but move on. Don't let missing 1 thing cause you to miss all the rest. In regards ... (read entire answer)

6
Answers

2.0 k
Views

88
Total Upvotes

on Jan 12, 2021 on Jan 12, 2021
Last Activity

Notetaking with Pen and Paper during BCG Potential Test?

BCG Potential Test notetaking paper

Most recent answer on Oct 22, 2020

Anonymous B gave the best answer on Oct 16, 2018

I recently took the BCG Potential Test. You are put in a room with a computer to do the test as well as pen and paper. Depending on the office you might be able to use a calculator, you can ask the HR about that. ... (read entire answer)

2
Answers

2.5 k
Views

5
Total Upvotes

on Oct 22, 2020 on Oct 22, 2020
Last Activity

Links to be best notetaking resources?

Case Interview notetaking

Most recent answer on Sep 13, 2020

Vlad

Expert

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Vlad

Expert

gave the best answer on Feb 10, 2019

McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi, Several things here: If you don't have enough time, it is always fine to ask the interviewer in a polite manner to repeat what he just said. Basically, you have no choice. Another way is to increase the spe ... (read entire answer)

5
Answers

2.6 k
Views

9
Total Upvotes

on Sep 13, 2020 on Sep 13, 2020
Last Activity

Taking notes and documenting daily diaries - Who do you do it?

interpersonal skills Notes notetaking organizingnotes soft skills Taking Notes

Most recent answer on Aug 03, 2020

Jasper

Expert

Expert Financial Services | ex-FinTech Unicorn Manager | 250+ real interviews | 14y+ int work exp | ESCP Business School

Jasper

Expert

gave the best answer on Jul 30, 2020

Expert Financial Services | ex-FinTech Unicorn Manager | 250+ real interviews | 14y+ int work exp | ESCP Business School

Hi Mike, excellent question for consultants as it's both very structured and about meeting goals! To answer you're questions: ad 1.: Yes, I start with a coffee too ;-) and then I write down what you want to to t ... (read entire answer)

4
Answers

1.3 k
Views

26
Total Upvotes

on Aug 03, 2020 on Aug 03, 2020
Last Activity

On note taking during case interview

Case Interview Notes notetaking

Most recent answer on Jul 31, 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 Jul 29, 2020

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

Hi there, I can't see any problem in a virtual interview (the interviewer won't probably even notice). In a real one, it could look a bit strange to the interviewer but if it is useful for you I don't think there co ... (read entire answer)

7
Answers

1.5 k
Views

29
Total Upvotes

on Jul 31, 2020 on Jul 31, 2020
Last Activity

Do you have a question for our consulting experts, too?

Note paper - Is it okay to prepare before the interview?

Case Interview Notes notetaking organizingnotes paper paper screen

Recent activity on Jan 09, 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 08, 2019

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

Hi Anonymous, I would clearly advise against this! It will come across overly robotic and generic! A case interview should first and foremost be a DISCUSSION (albeit a very structured and analytical one). As an interv ... (read entire answer)

3
Answers

2.0 k
Views

10
Total Upvotes

on Jan 09, 2019 on Jan 09, 2019
Last Activity

Taking Client-Friendly Notes

notetaking

Recent activity on Oct 22, 2018

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 Oct 22, 2018

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

Hi Anonymous, if you have too many pages as notes, it could be that: you are leaving blanks in the page - which means the structure for the notes can be improved you are writing too large you are writing too m ... (read entire answer)

4
Answers

2.0 k
Views

9
Total Upvotes

on Oct 22, 2018 on Oct 22, 2018
Last Activity

14 results

Consulting Q&A – Ask Questions about Your Career

In this overview, you will find all the questions asked so far by the PrepLounge community. Anyone can ask questions and write answers. Our coaches are also happy to share their expertise. If you like an answer, give it an upvote so that it rises to the top. Here you can also find our guidelines and FAQs for the Consulting Q&A.