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!

Validating Assumptions for market sizing

Analytical Skills
New answer on Aug 13, 2021
2 Answers
1.1 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Aug 12, 2021

If you’re trying to calculate number of school buses and you’re not sure if school busses are used by people up to 4- 12 years of age or even up to 17 years of age..is it fine to ask the interviewer? Can we validate all the assumptions we make and ask if they sound reasonable? Or are you expected to run the numbers without any validation from the interviewer 

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Aug 12, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Unfortunately no you cannot!

One of the main points of market sizing is to assess whether you can approach the problem and make reasonable assumptions on your own.

To help, what might be a way to figure out if school buses are used by those aged 4-12? Have you ever seen a school bus? Talked to someone with kids? What do you think happens?

Was this answer helpful?
Sophia
Expert
replied on Aug 13, 2021
Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

You shouldn't really be asking for data in market-sizing questions. But don't worry - the interviewers care more about your thought process than the accuracy of the assumptions you use. So do your best to make an educated guess about who would be using a school bus, and go from there.

Was this answer helpful?
Ian gave the best answer

Ian

Content Creator
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
1,097
Meetings
77,726
Q&A Upvotes
232
Awards
5.0
151 Reviews