Ways to Ace Your Consulting Case Interview Questions

The case interview prep page stated that practice is essential to passing your consulting interview.

There are some case interview questions to practice, so you’ll need some examples to work with. We asked five top consulting firms with expertise centered in three different industries to offer their best advice for what it takes to ace your case interview questions.

Tips on How to Use Case Interview Questions for Consulting Firms

Interview Preparation Is a Critical Step in Your Case-Specific Preparation.

You’ll need to practice many case interview questions to get a top consulting company job offer. Save your time during an interview. 

Be Careful to Only Read Straight Through Sample Interview Examples or Passively Watch Videos.

Some people may think reading as many case interview examples as possible is a way to improve the chances of passing a case interview. This is not the case.

You will never pick up a racket when you read about how to play tennis. For example, to improve at tennis, you need actually to pick up a ball and be active. Your interview preparation is also the same. 

Take the time to think about each step of the interview question. Give your answer and say it out loud. Drive each part of the case interview example yourself. 

Take Care of Practice Case Interviews With a Few Partners.

It would help if you prepared now for teamwork. You should find a case interview practice partner, preferably someone else applying for consulting industry jobs, since they’ll know what recruiters are looking for. 

Working with a partner allows you to get feedback on what you’re doing well and what needs improvement. Additionally, watching your partner solve sample case studies will provide you with plenty of information. 

Be Aware of Their Practical Approach and What You Could Do Better.

Your consulting interview experience will feel more real after working with a partner. Like you need a tennis partner to experience what it’s like to play tennis. A case partner must experience the excitement of a possible interview. 

Practice the Parts of the Case Interview.

The case interview has four parts: Introduction, structure, analysis, and conclusion. Practice these four parts in case interview examples to ensure you are strong at them. 

Avoid Burnout

You got into consulting because you liked working with intelligent, passionate people to solve complex business problems. As you practice how to answer case interview examples for hours, you can become a zombie if you practice too much. 

A case zombie is someone who has grown tired of doing so much. It’s just that their answers feel like rehearsals, not conversational.

Some may appear bored and not participate in solving the problem. They will be less creative in their solutions. The airport test is not for them to pass! 

How to Ace Your Consulting Case Interviews: the Difference Between Average & Excellent

•  You can ask “dumb” questions initially because you don’t have to know much about the client. In this case, your goal is to learn about the client, their business, and what will help you do well.
• Don’t hesitate to ask for clarifications that will make you better understand the problem and solve it. If you need to learn how life insurance works and what you are looking for is life insurance, then ask. 
• Understanding where the client stands and their problem is essential, and then asking about their successes is vital.
• Clients may want to explore alternatives to growth, for instance. Do they want to double their business or increase revenues by 5%? 
• Your goal will be to deliver a solution that meets their expectations, not one that could be more impressive when you evaluate success. 
• Ask more probing questions to analyze the client, their business, and any constraints before you begin solving the case. 

Conclusion

A case study preparation course can be a valuable part of your pre-interview toolkit, but there are other ways to prepare.

Recruiters have been known to shy away from hiring applicants with a degree in business management or another field. Because they have memorized specific responses.

You can better understand the situations their compansies are hiring for and what the employer’s expertise is to create a tailored, intelligently persuasive response.