What is the difficulty level of Bain consulting interviews.

Hi, I confirm it depends on the geography but the level of difficulty and the type of cases is comparable with other tier1&2 firms. 5 of my current candidates have just received offers from Bain, happy to share how I have supported them into it 

Best,
Antonello

Hi there,

Bain is generally aligned to the other MBB in terms of difficulty. Most of its competitiveness depends on the fact that MBB get more applicants, thus the success rate is usually lower.

Having said that:

• In many offices Bain pays less attention than McK and BCG to the fit part. I know offices for which they didn’t ask any behavioral questions at the beginning
• In some offices Bain has a unique structure for case interviews, quite different from McK and BCG. In Italy for example you are very likely to get market sizing questions, which are less common at McK and BCG

As for point 2, questions are office-dependent. If you need help please feel free to PM me, I know 170+ real questions for 20+ offices.

Best,
Francesco

Hi there,

Bain is as hard as any other consulting firm. There's really no comparing across firms...they're all tricky. Of course, MBB is far more competitive on top of that.

In terms of the cases that you receive from other PrepLoungers, they're generally easier than the real this. This is generally because there's a bit of "blind leading the blind" going on here are people are too lenient. (Of course, practicing with others is still hugely helpful).

Of course, if you're looking to truly understand what's waiting for you, there's no better way than having a professional coach give you a mock!

Hello!

The difficultly leve (i.e., the bar that you need to meet or rise) is the same one, or very similar, across MBBs. 

However, it´s also true that in places like Madrid, where the Bain office is small, it "seems" even trickier, since there are little places. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hello, 

I think you are referring to extracts sharred in the latest time that were taken from written cases. The actual case interview of Bain is completely aligned with other firms. There aren't significant differences among companies and stronger brand does not imply harder case. The hardest interview I have ever done was for Alvarez & Marsal, just to give you an example.

Best,
Luca  

I agree with Francesco:

• The general style and structure of a Bain case interview is roughly in line with the other firms and similar to the practice cases that you'll find here and other sources on the internet.
• The difficulty is no part of the case itself, but result of competition. The objective of every Bain interview is that you solve the case and leave the interview with a positive feeling. The decision is not based on whether you found the right answer or not. It is made by assessing your structure, the approach you took for solving the case, your leadership while driving the case. All in relation to the dozens or hundreds of previous interviews that the interviewers have done with their cases. As a confidence, if an interviewer has a case in which the content feels easier, it's automatically scaled by the strong performance of all your predecessors.
• The one thing I would highlight is the importance that Bain puts on you driving the case actively. You need to think of a Bain case as a role play in which you are the consultant and the interviewer is the client. A client will not test your knowledge, but expects you to solve their problem for them. You will need to take full control of the conversation and take the client through your approach and then execute with confidence.

I agree with all coaches. Bain is, per average office, as difficult as other MBB. You should not debate or focus too much on those outside-in views - the truth is: statistically speaking the vast majority of people will not pass MBB interviews - the competition is intense and given the increasingly available case prep industry, candidates tend to be better prepared leading to increased performance. 

If you want to maximize your potential while managing (not minimizing) risk, go above and beyond in your prep - your competition will certainly do so.

Best,
Denis

Hi there, 

Bain interviews are on the same level as the other consulting companies, but at the same time - they all are tricky sometimes and highly depend on the interviewers. 

Just keep on practicing and get accustomed to different cases. With time, you'll be able to orientate fast:)

Of course, if you want to boost up your skills, talking some sessions with an experienced coach is preferable, but having a case partner doesn't hurt, either.

If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.

Cheers, 

GB

Hey there,

Very good answers already. I'd like to add that the answers to your question should not have an impact on your preparation since the exact same skills are evaluated with the same means as for McK and BCG. 

They are looking for the same types of candidates, with the same skillset and operate in the same space after all. :-)

Cheers,

Florian