Hi,
I wanted to know out of the 4 case types: Profitability, Market Entry, M&A, Private Equity investments; is there any specific case type that tends to be asked more /less frequently during the Bain AC interview process ?
The answer to this question will help me target those cases better given the limited time.
Sorry - wrong mindset here.
You get 4 cases in an interview process.
Each case can be about anything. Even if you “guess” a “case type” it doesn't mean you'll be able to get the case sub-type.
There are no good shortcuts for case preparation. Shortcuts are about memorization and frameworks.
But cases test problem solving ability, which is about crafting a unique approach to the SPECIFIC problem.
So you don't need to learn how to solve 2, 3 or 4 different types of cases. Not even 20 different types of cases, if you had the time. What you need to learn is how to solve business problems. That's not 20 things, but 1. But you have to learn that one.
It may have relevant subparts which you can practice (market sizing, chart interpretation, communication, break even analysis, etc.). Learning those is more relevant that learning a case type.
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Let me tell you a story about a “Request for Proposal” I made as a client. I made it to the 3 main strategy consulting firms, and to 1 other firm which is more on the management consulting.
The management consulting firm provided us with generic pre-made frameworks in their initial presentation that could apply to a multitude of situations. We dismissed that proposal right away, and it was less than half the price…
Your approach risks doing the same thing. You learn how to apply a generic framework for a given type of case. But you forget to think about the specific problem. Every time you do that, it's game over. I'd rather see a not so good framework that shows ability to think about the specific problem than a decent but generic one. In the first case I know you can think by yourself; on the second one, I know you avoid thinking by yourself.
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If you don't have the time to prepare: ask for more time to prepare. If you don't get time to prepare… don't focus on case types. Focus on the key aspects of a case.
Hi Bhumika,
I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:
If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming Bain interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
Best,
Hagen
(edited)
Yes!
Here's the #1 question you can expect: “Startup company doing last mile delivery with drones. Goals to hit $20M in revenue and to be profitable. We need to evaluate pilot options - chosing between suburb and city pilot launch.”
(Please note, the above is a joke in order to hit a point home)
Stop predicting the case type
Stop expecting that you will ONLY get Profitability, Market Entry, M&A, Investment.
Seriously, the above prompt I gave you was a real case give from Bain.
That case can be found here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/advanced/based-on-bain-1st-round-case-2023-last-mile-delivery-297
Another candidate of mine was given a case where they had to figure out the best distribution channels for a hardware manufacturer.
Please stop memorizing and expecting x and y. These firms are literally targeting eliminating candidates by figuring out who is memorizing instead of thinking.
Here's some reading to help: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case
https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation
Thanks for the on-point answer.
My pleasure Bhumika and good luck!
Hello,
There's no way of telling - ex ante you are equally likely to get any of those cases, plus many others that don't neatly fit into these categories. My advice would be to prepare widely, and get comfortable with doing different cases that don't neatly fit pre-specified frameworks.
Hi there,
In short - No.
You can expect any case.
In fact, MBBs are now changing the types of cases they give to more unstructured ones.
They are basically trying to get a better understanding of how candidate think on the spot, instead of seeing if they've learned the typical framework.
Needless to say, consultants don't use any ‘typical frameworks’ in real-life so the interview is now trying to get a more genuine understanding of the potential of applicants to do the actual job.
Sharing with you a few cases you can try that are closer to what you can expect in the interview:
Best of luck and feel free to reach directly if you have any questions!
Cristian
Hi there,
All 4 types you mentioned are very common and there isn't really a strong tendency you can rely on.
That said, some of the other coaches already talked about this - please don't try to anticipate the case - don't intend to sound rude, but it's a classic rookie mistake to do so. There is no point in doing so as you will not be consistent throughout an entire interview process, if you try to take shortcuts.
While you might get lucky once or twice, you will only be able to land offers, if your casing is versatile and reproducable. So suggest you focus on building strong foundations, rather than just cover select standard frames, if you want to maximize probability of success.
Hope this helps.
Regards, Andi
Thanks this is helpful.
