Case Interviews
Case Interviews for Consulting Careers
Consulting is a business practice used to solve individual and organization problems and to provide expert-level guidance and advice on organizational challenges. Consulting firms hire consultants who work with a client to identify and solve various problems and create and implement new strategies to achieve organizational goals. Types of consulting include management, strategy, operations, human resource, financial advisory and IT.
Case Interviewing
A case interview is a job interview technique commonly used by consulting firms, investment banking, and tech firms. Case interviews require candidates to think logically and strategically under pressure, utilize effective analytical, problem-solving and communication skills to explore a problem, build understanding and share the structure of next steps.
‘Case interviews are designed to simulate real-world problems faced by client teams, so you’ll be able to experience the type of work we do, show off your ability to problem-solve, and demonstrate any technical or specialized skills related to the role for which you’re applying.’ -BCG
‘Case interviews represent real client engagements giving you insight into our approach and the work we do. It also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate clear thinking, practical judgment, and a professional demeanor, while helping us assess your thought process, creativity, and comfort with ambiguity.’ -Deloitte
Management Consulted – Case Preparation Platform
Management Consulted (MC) was founded and is operated by former McKinsey, Bain, and BCG consultants; MC is the leading resource on all things related to consulting and case preparation. The platform is designed to help candidates create a strong consulting resume, ace case interviews, learn about firms and opportunities, become familiar with business and industry basics and more. MC maintains a vast library of articles, videos, drills and preparation tools, and frequently hosts webinars and workshops.
All students can access Management Consulted for free!
Explore Management Consulted to:
- Learn about types of consulting firms (strategy, operations, technology, industry-specific)
- Learn about consulting recruiting timelines, including application deadlines for intern and full-time opportunities
- Assess whether consulting is a fit for you
- Develop tailored application materials
- Prepare for case interviews
Additional Resources
- Read books that can help you prepare, such as Case in Point, Crack the Case System, Case Interview Secrets, and Vault Guide to the Case Interview.
- Watch case videos and learn how to “crack the case” with tutorials from case interview coach, David Ohrvall.
- Caseinterview.com includes workshop videos from former McKinsey Associate and Case Interviewer, Victor Cheng.
- Access the Guide to Consulting and the Guide to Case Interviews on Vault (Provided by College of Natural Sciences, Open to All Majors).
- In addition to practicing your case interviewing skills, use Big Interview, a free to UT online mock interview prep system, to practice and record behavioral interviews, which focus on the “tell me about a time when” format. UT also offers free access to Exponent, an online prep platform focused on interviews for tech roles and offers a framework for technical industries.
Learn case interview prep from the experts:
Explore sample frameworks at:
Case Interview Preparation Appointments
Visit your college or school’s career services office to book an interview prep appointment.