Foundation · Start here
What a case interview is, and how to prepare
Start from zero. What a consultant does, why firms use the case interview, what is being judged, how a case runs from the first sentence to the last, and how to practice with another person.
Key takeaways
- A case interview is a short simulation of a consultant's job. The interviewer plays the client with a problem.
- Behind all five abilities, the interviewer wants to see a real problem solver: someone who understands the actual problem, keeps it simple, focuses on what needs solving, and reasons clearly to an answer.
- Every case follows the same eight moves. Know them, and you always know what to do next, even on a problem you have never seen before.
- Reading about cases is not enough. You get good by doing cases out loud, with another person, and getting honest feedback.
- A plan you can keep for eight weeks beats a sprint you abandon after two.
- Explain in one sentence what a management consultant does
- Name the five things an interviewer scores
- Run a case from the opening to the close, step by step
- Practice with a partner and give useful feedback
Lessons
The job, and the small simulation of it
What consultants do, and how a case interview is a short version of that work.
What is really being judged
The five things every interviewer scores, and the mindset that matters more than any framework.
The case, start to finish
The eight moves of a case: the opening, the summary, clarifying questions, asking for time, the structure, driving, mid-case summaries, and the close.
How to practice: running cases with a partner
Finding partners, being the interviewer with the worked cases on this site, a feedback scorecard, and how many cases to do in what order.
Pacing your prep and recovering from a bad week
How much to practise, how to prepare alongside a job or a degree, the signs you are overdoing it, and a five-step reset after a bad week.