Hello everybody,
What are the five most common case interview frameworks that I should definitely master? I know that for example market entry and profitability cases are very common. What would be the top 5 from your experience? Thank you in advance!
Hi there,
One way to figure this out is to look at the ‘Topics’ filter in the Case Library on PrepLounge. There you should see all the main types of cases and frameworks.
It's good to get an understanding of the main types of frameworks but think of it as the additional wheels you put on a kid's bike to learn them to ride it. Ideally you should get rid of them as soon as possible in order to ride the bike properly. Otherwise they risk getting in the way.
Hey there, please do not approach casing and frameworks in this fashion! I simply can't stress enough that you won't get very far otherwise!
To give an example of why your approach doesn't work: there is no “market entry” framework. That's because you may enter markets for different reasons under completely different circumstances. The right framework depends entirely on the actual question being asked by the interviewer. If you just give them your standard “market entry” framework, you will loose any hope of progressing then and there.
Instead of learning frameworks by hard, learn how to THINK for yourself and take it from there. Building good frameworks is a skill you can develop with good training. It requires, among other things:
Hope this helps. Let me know if you'd like to learn more!
I don't know a single person who got an offer because he/she learned frameworks by heart.
As other experts said, you should learn how to think. This means:
That said, it is important to understand the dynamics (not frameworks) of the most important topics you will likely discuss.
So you have to understand how a P&L works, how you sell products (direct salesforce vs distributors vs e-commerce), how a product launch works, how a PE fund evaluates an investment, how you cut costs (e.g., reduce purchase prices vs reduce demand vs change specs). Start with those topics, keeping in mind the above 5 points.
If you want to deep-dive, let's talk.
Best,
M
Okay, but what does thinking for yourself actually mean?
The approach I like to use when coaching is: If it was your billion dollars, what would you like to before you made the decision? Then just structure that in a MECE way and communicate it well.
This is the approach I used myself after miserably failing 95% of case interviews in school and finally succeeding in getting hired by McKinsey as an experienced hire.
Happy to explain more,
Allen
Hi there,
Not the way to learn, but I'll humour you :)
I fully agree with Moritz! Save yourself the time and effort in memorizing frameworks and invest in learning how to properly solve cases.
100% agree with what other coaches have said. Please dont memorise frameworks, rather use them as reference to guide your thinking.
Just forget frameworks. That doesn't work.
There's 90% candidates memorizing frameworks to “pretend" they know how to solve problems. It doesn't work, it's obvious to every interviewer, and it also absolutely prevents one to distinguish oneself from every other candidate. It's a recipe for failure.
Just follow Allen's suggestion. You'll have to solve it by yourself, and shouls start practicing that as soon as possible.
To get ideas that you can use when coming up with your own approaches, you can go to the “Bootcamp” section in the Resources section of Preplounge.
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