What is expected of undergraduate (and ug non business) candidates in terms of knowledge concerning economics, business concepts, finance concepts/technical knowledge etc?
Overview of answers
Upvotes
Best answer
Hi A,
At a high-level you should demonstarate 2 things during the interview:
- Problem-solving - be able to deep dive into a problem and understand root-cause
- Structured communication - be able to explain things easily, result-oriented, matured in terms of physical presence (use hands while talking, eye contact)
Nobody expects specialised knowledge in case you come from non-business related program. You should know the basics: how businesses work and which business model is used in different industries. This will help you a lot during the case interview.
To boost your business accumen you can use the following resources:
-
Wharton casebook 2010- you can check how all industries work there (airlines,
retail etc)
-
Case-in-point – you can check what frameworks exist, try to practice and learn
them (product launch, M&A etc.) - pages 36-38
-
Web-sites of consulting companies: BCG, McKinsey and Bain - check them to gain some industry insights and deep dive into specific industry
Those resources would be sufficeient to be well-prepared for your interviews.
Kind regards,
Egor
Was this answer helpful?
Related Cases
Company case by Bain & Company
Style:
You have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery that has been family-owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.Half of the eleven hectares are used to grow white grapes, the other half to grow red grapes. They are grown in a conventional way, i.e. they
...
You have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery that has been family-owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.Half of the eleven hectares are
...
(Open whole case)
118.1k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Company case by Bain & Company
Style:
Our client BeautyCo is a large European perfumery company with 500 shops across Europe. However, BeautyCo has been struggling with a decrease in profitability for some time and would like to work with us to understand what the causes and possible actions could be. Therefore, as a first step the clie
...
Our client BeautyCo is a large European perfumery company with 500 shops across Europe. However, BeautyCo has been struggling with a decrease in profitability for some time and would like to
...
(Open whole case)
16.9k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadv
...
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many stude
...
(Open whole case)
31.6k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Luca
Espresso Whatelse is an Italian company that produces coffee and espresso machines since 1908. It is the Italian market leader and has a strong presence overall in Europe. In 2019, Espresso Whatelse has increased its revenues but it has seen declining profit margin.Your client wants to understa
...
Espresso Whatelse is an Italian company that produces coffee and espresso machines since 1908. It is the Italian market leader and has a strong presence overall in Europe. In 2019, Espr
...
(Open whole case)
17.4k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Ian
[PLEASE NOTE: This is a technically difficult case and should only be completed by those coming in as a Technology specialist, i.e. recruiting for McKinsey Digital, BCG Platinion, etc.]Our client is a multinational oil and gas company. While they are vertically integrated and have upstream, midstrea
...
[PLEASE NOTE: This is a technically difficult case and should only be completed by those coming in as a Technology specialist, i.e. recruiting for McKinsey Digital, BCG Platinion, etc.]Our c
...
(Open whole case)
13.9k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Collected McKinsey & BCG offers/ Ex-McKinsey consultant/Harvard/WBS/MSU
7
Meetings
207
Q&A Upvotes
1
Award
2 Reviews
Related Products
McKinsey Solve Game Simulation Package by Francesco
Premium Membership (1 week)
Break Into Consulting - Strategy Consulting Firm's All-In-One by Alexandre
Break Into Consulting - Industry Overviews by Alexandre
Break Into Consulting - Frameworks I wish I knew by Alexandre
BCG Online Case Combo: Software Simulation by Francesco
BCG Online Case Secrets by Francesco
Imbellus Solve Combo: Guide + Videos by Francesco
Imbellus Test at McKinsey – Guide by Luca
McKinsey Imbellus Solve Game Secrets by Francesco
The Secret McKinsey PEI Cheat Sheet by Robert
BCG Potential Test #2 by Gaurav
BCG Potential Test #1 by Francesco
Prep Guide for McKinsey PST by PrepLounge
McKinsey PST #3 by Riccardo
McKinsey PST #2 by Gaurav
McKinsey PST #1 by PrepLounge
