Where to start to prepare for my case interview? (CS background)

Hi there,

So, there is absolutely a syllabus AND a grading rubric. Unfortunately you do generally have to pay for these across platforms (hard to find good free resources). I'm more than happy to provide you with a preparation plan and grading rubric as part of a session, but, in general you need to make sure to cover the following:

• Background industry knowledge
• Math
• Chart/Exhibit interpretation
• Frameworking/structuring
• Driving a case
• Fit/Behavioral
• Market Sizing

How to get prepared

1) An initial planning session with a coach: 1 hour with a coach now will have a productivity multiplier effect on all your efforts moving forward. They will figure out what materials are best for you, guide you towards the best ways to learn, and come up with a preparation plan with you.

2) Leverage free resources first: PrepLounge Q&A and case library, Poets and Quants, SpencerTom, Google, etc.). Leverage these options, read-up, and over time you'll get a feel for what you really need and where you really need to invest your hard-earned $

3) Case with other PrepLoungers: Casing with other PrepLoungers is free. Not only do you get to practice casing, but you get direct feedback. Additionally, you learn a lot just from casing others. Finally, from other PrepLoungers you'll learn which materials/coaches are helpful.

In summary, while free options don't beat paid options, you can use them for a while to get a feel for what works for you. Have an initial coaching session to get you on the right track, then go the paid route when it's clear either 1) You are stuck or 2) It's clear the paid route will improve your productivity/progress

(edited)

Hallo there,

Since you were asking specifically about the cases, I will not go into the PEI part of the interview. 

Especially when you had no prior touchpoints with the case interview format it can seem daunting in the beginning. However, a good or even great performance in a case interviews is to a large extent a matter of the right training. 

Cases are a combination of different mental exercises that require you to demonstrate certain skills. All cases can typically be broken down in 5-10 different sub-skills. Depending on the case type, the emphasize on the type of skill tested shifts.

For instance, some cases are designed to test your math (e.g. logic path in setting up equations, intuition with numbers) while others will focus more on your conceptual thinking and structuring ability (e.g. breaking down complexities, hypothesis development and prioritization). A team on interviewers will typically align upfront who will test you on what.

In order to master these skills you'll need to
(a) know about them,
(b) know how to recognize when they are being tested and
(c) know a few techniques to deliver when tested.

From experience, the part where many candidates struggle to perform on a consistently high level is the structuring or initial part of the problem solving process. And to be fair many junior consultants have a hard time with this in the beginning of their consulting careers as well. Here it makes sense to really rely on resources from the companies that you are targeting (e.g. cases from actual interviews, ex-consultants).

I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out in case you have any questions.

All the best!

Hi there,

I would recommend the following steps to maximize the likelihood of an offer:

1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Check the deadlines for the applications. Then identify how many hours you have before that and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the points below. Many people need 100+ hours to be ready before the interview so you can keep that as a benchmark.
2. Read Case In Point or Case Interview Secrets for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. Don’t focus on the structures proposed in the books, as they are not good enough nowadays.
3. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (Insead is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insights. Try to read a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
4. After the first 5-10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only. Keep track of your mistakes and see if you repeat them. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback from experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the behavioral part and the case part. The case part should also cover market sizing, math and graph analysis.
5. Before your application, be sure to review your CV and Cover, so that they are in the required format for a consulting application.
6. At least 3 weeks before the application deadline, start networking to find referrals for your target companies.
7. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer –great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression.

If you want to spend few hours only instead of 100+ and cover everything mentioned above, I developed a program to do precisely that. You can click on the following link to find more:

https://u.preplounge.com/63phuq

After this program, you will know exactly what to expect in your interview, what to work on, and how to focus on the real differentiators to land a top consulting offer.

Please feel free to PM me if you need more information. 

Best,

Francesco

Hi,
there are 4 aspects of the application process you have to focus on:

• CV and cover letter: prepare impactful documents that highlight your achievements, skills, and motivation.
• Test: you should understand if your office assesses candidates with PST, SHL or Imbellus, since every office can use one of these 3 standards.
• Personal Experience Interview: fit and CV questions to assess your personal impact, leadership skills, and entrepreneurial spirit. You should prepare impactful stories about your experiences that cover these 3 main pillars.
• Case Interview: typical business case to evaluate your structure in approaching problems, problem-solving skills, and business sense. This is the most time-demanding aspect to work on. I recommend reading Cosentino's Case in point to fix the theory. Then, what will be really important is practicing mock cases with other candidates here on Preplounge. If fully dedicated, 1 month can be enough, otherwise 2-3 months

I have supported hundreds of candidates in achieving multiple offers from consulting firms. Feel free to text me to know my approach.

Hope it helps,
Antonello

There will be better answers after me (and I'm pretty sure coach Adi will even give links to the similar questions asked here ;]) , but if there's one thing that I would advise you is: be open to all options you can get.

Study PrepLounge Bootcamps, watch YouTube videos and look at few casebooks out there. Try to find casing partners and have case practices. If you have time and prepare correct strategy, these can take you far.

(edited)

Lol! Anonymous B saved me some time from searching for existing links :).

There is so much prior advise on this question and there really isnt a need to write an essay here. If you are looking for a very tailored preparation advise, best is to write to some coaches of your choice but otherwise please search the Q&A forum.

All the best.