What is a case interview?

A case interview is the analysis of a business question. Unlike most other interview questions, it is an interactive process. Your interviewer will present you with a business problem and ask for your opinion. Your job is to ask the interviewer logical questions that enable you to make detailed recommendations. In this context, the interviewer is attempting to assess your ability to synthesize the elements of the problem into a coherent and cohesive solution.

Case interviews evaluate your skills in several areas:

How you approach a problem

  • Structured, logical thinking
  • Organization and detail orientation
  • Mathematical analysis skills

How you engage with people 

  • Ease of communication
  • Confidence and poise

  • Enthusiasm for problem-solving

What you know about business

  • Understanding of funamental business concepts and frameworks
  • Ability to apply business analysis to new problems

What happens during a case interview?

During the interview, you will likely be asked to answer at least one of three types of questions:

  1. Brain Teasers: For instance, “Why are manhole covers round?”
  2. Market Sizing: For instance, “How many dry cleaners are there in New York City?”
  3. Business Cases: For instance, “Your client is one of the leading manufacturers of bathroom taps and fixtures. Recently, it has noticed a decline in profits. Why are the profits declining? What can the client do?”

How should I approach the case interview?

Use RASCALS — Repeat, Ask, Stop, Construct, Answer, Loosen Up, and Summarize

Repeat

  • Listen to the question.
  • Rephrase what you hear.
  • Make sure you and the interviewer are on the same page about the question.

Ask

  • Ask clarifying questions about the problem.
  • Show your enthusiasm for the subject through your questions. If the product you are discussing is tires, get interested in tires. Dive deep mentally into the topic and ask what are the important questions in this industry. 

Stop

  • Ask your interviewer, “Do you mind if I take 30 seconds to step back and collect my thoughts?”
  • Pause and think. It may feel awkward, but your interviewer will see this as a sign of maturity and confidence.

Construct

  • Structure your response before presenting it.
  • Write down your ideas. Draw diagrams to illustrate process. Create charts to organize data. 
  • Organize your answer. Think of each point you want to make as the topic sentence in a paragraph.

Answer

  • Use headlines to describe what you are thinking—i.e., talk in topic sentences.
  • Converse with the interviewer about the approach you have devised.
  • Let your answer feel like a conversation, as if you are making a recommendation to a client.

Loosen Up

  • Relax and smile.
  • Show confidence in your answer.
  • Show enthusiasm in the topic.
  • Express interest in feedback from the interviewer on your approach.

Summarize

  • Articulate your conclusion.
  • Reiterate your main points.
  • Highlight the most important parts of the conversation, so the interviewer remembers them!

How should I prepare?

  • Join a Columbia consulting club: Some clubs engage with the consulting industry and provide opportunities to connect with alumni in consulting. These clubs are also a chance to practice case interviews with peers and receive feedback.

  • Research the consulting industry: Spend time exploring consulting firms’ websites, consuming industry news, and listening/watching others’ case interviews. Many organizations, such as Bain & Company and Kearney, also have resources in navigating the case interview.

  • Build your network: As an industry, consulting is focused on relationship building and management. Make learning from others’ case interviewing experiences and getting their advice a part of your networking goals.

  • Gather case interviewing resources: Listed in the section below are resources for practicing case interviews. As mentioned above, many consulting firms have interviewing resources on their websites.

  • Practice case interviewing: Practice solving business questions and delivering your responses. Whenever possible, practice with another person — a peer, friend, mentor, or anyone from your network. Consulting firms are not only evaluating the substance of your response but also your presentation, thought process, and poise.

  • Become familiar with digital assessments: Many consulting firms now offer some sort of digital assessment as their first screening. For example, Accenture has what looks like an online, multiple-choice version of a case interview. For BCG, you might play pymetrics games, and for McKinsey you might do two gamified assessments where you’ll design an ecosystem and play a tower defense game. Watch videos and read online tips to familiarize yourself with the platform, and in the case of the McKinsey assessments, to understand the rules of the game and the qualities being assessed. 

  • Prepare for behavioral interviews too: Though case interviews are most central to consulting interviews, don’t forget about behavioral interviews! Review behavioral interviewing tips on consultings firms’ websites, prep independently on Big Interview or with friends, and schedule a 30-minute practice interview with a career counselor to get feedback. 

What else can I read?