Structuring
Hypothesis
Your best early guess at the answer, which you then test.
Last reviewedWhat does Hypothesis mean?
A hypothesis is a clear, early statement of what you think the answer might be, made before you have all the facts. Leading with a hypothesis means you pick the most likely answer first and then test it, instead of analyzing everything blindly. Good consultants say "I think the problem is probably X, let me check" and change the hypothesis when the data says so.
Where does it come up in case interview prep?
- The case, start to finishLesson in What a case interview is, and how to prepare
- Cracking any estimation promptLesson in Guesstimates and market sizing
- Hypothesis first, and frameworks as toolsLesson in How to structure any problem
- Diagnosing a profit decline: the reference caseLesson in Profitability
- Several exhibits at once, and the next hypothesisLesson in Charts and data in depth
- Working with AI inside a case interviewLesson in AI-assisted case interviews
- Switching careers: why leave, and how to turn industry depth into case strengthLesson in Your situation: switching careers, adjustments, and support programmes
- Non-standard and creative casesLesson
Related terms
- Issue treeA branching diagram that breaks a problem into smaller parts.
- Top-down communicationSay the answer first, then the reasons.
- MECEBuckets that do not overlap and together cover everything.
- Driver treeAn issue tree built from the numbers that drive an outcome.
- Sensitivity analysisChanging one assumption at a time to see which matters most.
- Pareto principle (80/20)A small share of causes often drives a large share of results.