case study example interview

47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

One of the best ways to prepare for   case interviews  at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. 

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

• McKinsey examples
• BCG examples
• Bain examples
• Deloitte examples
• Other firms' examples
• Case books from consulting clubs
• Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

• Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
• Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
• Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
• GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
• National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
• Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
• Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
• Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
• McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• Profitability case with ex-McKinsey manager (by IGotAnOffer)
• McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

• Foods Inc and GenCo case samples  (BCG website)
• Chateau Boomerang written case interview  (BCG website)
• BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG live case interview with notes (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview with ex-BCG associate director - Public sector case (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview: Revenue problem case (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

• CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
• FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
• Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Written case interview tips (Bain website)
• Bain case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)
• Digital transformation case with ex-Bain consultant
• Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

• Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
• Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
• Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
• Retail Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Finance Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Footloose written case  (by Deloitte)
• Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

• Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
• Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

• Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
• Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

• Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

• Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
• Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
• AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

• Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
• Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough   (L.E.K. website)
• Market sizing case example video walkthrough  (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

• Transit oriented development case webinar part 1  (Roland Berger website)
• Transit oriented development case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• Roland Berger case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough  (Capital One website)
• Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

12. EY Parthenon case interview examples

• Candidate-led case example with feedback (by IGotAnOffer)

14. Consulting clubs case interview examples

• Berkeley case book (2006)
• Columbia case book (2006)
• Darden case book (2012)
• Darden case book (2018)
• Duke case book (2010)
• Duke case book (2014)
• ESADE case book (2011)
• Goizueta case book (2006)
• Illinois case book (2015)
• LBS case book (2006)
• MIT case book (2001)
• Notre Dame case book (2017)
• Ross case book (2010)
• Wharton case book (2010)

5. How to practise case interviews

We've coached more than 15,000 people for interviews since 2018. There are essentially three activities you can do to practice case interviews. Here’s what we've learned about each of them.

5.1 Practise by yourself

Learning by yourself is an essential first step. We recommend you make full use of the free prep resources on our consulting blog and also watch some mock case interviews on our YouTube channel . That way you can see what an excellent answer looks like.

Once you’re in command of the subject matter, you’ll want to practice answering cases. But by yourself, you can’t simulate thinking on your feet or the pressure of performing in front of a stranger. Plus, there are no unexpected follow-up questions and no feedback.

That’s why many candidates try to practice with friends or peers.

5.2 Practise with peers

If you have friends or peers who can do mock interviews with you, that's an option worth trying. It’s free, but be warned, you may come up against the following problems:

• It’s hard to know if the feedback you get is accurate
• They’re unlikely to have insider knowledge of interviews at your target company
• On peer platforms, people often waste your time by not showing up

For those reasons, many candidates skip peer mock interviews and go straight to mock interviews with an expert. 

5.3 Practise with experienced MBB interviewers

In our experience, practising real interviews with experts who can give you company-specific feedback makes a huge difference.

Find a consulting interview coach so you can:

• Test yourself under real interview conditions
• Get accurate feedback from a real expert
• Build your confidence
• Get company-specific insights
• Learn how to tell the right stories, better.
• Save time by focusing your preparation

Landing a job at a top consulting company often results in a $50,000 per year or more increase in total compensation. In our experience, three or four coaching sessions worth ~$500 will make a significant difference in your ability to land the job. That’s an ROI of 100x!

Click here to book case interview coaching with experienced MBB interviewers.

Related articles:

Hacking the Case Interview

We’ve compiled 50 case interview examples and organized them by industry, function, and consulting firm to give you the best, free case interview practice. Use these case interview examples for practice as you prepare for your consulting interviews.

If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course . These insider strategies from a former Bain interviewer helped 30,000+ land consulting offers while saving hundreds of hours of prep time.

Case Interview Examples Organized by Industry

Below, we’ve linked all of the case interview examples we could find from consulting firm websites and YouTube videos and organized them by industry. This will be helpful for your case interview practice if there is a specific consulting industry role that you are interviewing for that you need more practice in.

Aerospace, Defense, & Government Case Interview Examples

• Agency V (Deloitte)
• The Agency (Deloitte)
• Federal Finance Agency (Deloitte)
• Federal Civil Cargo Protection Bureau (Deloitte)

Consumer Products & Retail Case Interview Examples

• Electro-light (McKinsey)
• Beautify (McKinsey)
• Shops Corporation (McKinsey)
• Climate Case (BCG)
• Foods Inc. (BCG) *scroll to bottom of page
• Chateau Boomerang (BCG) *written case interview
• PrintCo (Bain)
• Coffee Co. (Bain)
• Fashion Co. (Bain)
• Recreation Unlimited (Deloitte)
• Footlose (Deloitte)
• National Grocery and Drug Store (Kearney)
• Whisky Co. (OC&C)
• Dry Cleaners (Accenture) *scroll to page 15
• UK Grocery Retail (Strategy&) *scroll to page 24
• Ice Cream Co. (Capital One)

Healthcare & Life Sciences Case Interview Examples

• GlobaPharm (McKinsey)
• GenCo (BCG) *scroll to middle of page
• PrevenT (BCG)
• MedX (Deloitte)
• Medical Consumables (LEK)
• Medicine Company (HackingTheCaseInterview)
• Pharma Company (Indian Institute of Management)

Manufacturing & Production Case Interview Examples

• Aqualine (Oliver Wyman)
• 3D Printed Hip Implants (Roland Berger)
• Talbot Trucks (McKinsey)
• Playworks (Yale School of Management)

Social & Non-Profit Case Interview Examples

• Diconsa (McKinsey)
• National Education (McKinsey)
• Conservation Forever (McKinsey)
• Federal Health Agency (Deloitte)
• Robinson Philanthropy (Bridgespan)
• Home Nurses for New Families (Bridgespan)
• Reach for the Stars (Bridgespan)
• Venture Philanthropy (Bridgespan)

Technology, Media, & Telecom Case Interview Examples

• NextGen Tech (Bain)
• Smart Phone Introduction (Simon-Kucher)
• MicroTechnos (HackingTheCaseInterview)

Transportation Case Interview Examples

• Low Cost Carrier Airline (BCG)
• Transit Oriented Development (Roland Berger)
• Northeast Airlines (HackingTheCaseInterview)
• A+ Airline Co. (Yale School of Management)
• Ryder (HackingTheCaseInterview)

Travel & Entertainment Case Interview Examples

• Wumbleworld (Oliver Wyman)
• Theater Co. (LEK)
• Hotel and Casino Co. (OC&C)

Case Interview Examples Organized by Function

Below, we’ve taken the same cases listed in the “Case Interview Examples Organized by Industry” section and organized them by function instead. This will be helpful for your case interview practice if there is a specific type of case interview that you need more practice with.

Profitability Case Interview Examples

To learn how to solve profitability case interviews, check out our video below:

Market Entry Case Interview Examples

Merger & acquisition case interview examples.

Growth Strategy Case Interview Examples

Pricing case interview examples.

New Product Launch Case Interview Examples

Market sizing case interview examples.

To learn how to solve market sizing case interviews, check out our video below:

Operations Case Interview Examples

Other case interview examples.

These are cases that don’t quite fit into any of the above categories. These cases are the more unusual, atypical, and nontraditional cases out there.

Case Interview Examples Organized by Consulting Firm

Below, we’ve taken the same cases listed previously and organized them by company instead. This will be helpful for your case interview practice if there is a specific company that you are interviewing with.

McKinsey Case Interview Examples

BCG Case Interview Examples

Bain Case Interview Examples

Deloitte Case Interview Examples

Lek case interview examples, kearney case interview examples, oliver wyman case interview examples, roland berger case interview examples, oc&c case interview  examples, bridgespan case interview examples, strategy& case interview examples, accenture case interview examples, simon kutcher case interview examples, capital one case interview examples, case interview examples from mba casebooks.

For more case interview examples, check out our article on 23 MBA consulting casebooks with 700+ free practice cases . There additional cases created by MBA consulting clubs that make for great case interview practice. For your convenience, we’ve listed some of the best MBA consulting casebooks below:

• Australian Graduate School of Management (2002)
• Booth (2005)
• Columbia (2007)
• Darden (2019)
• ESADE (2011)
• Fuqua (2018)
• Goizueta (2006)
• Haas (2019)
• Harvard Business School (2012)
• Illinois (2015)
• INSEAD (2011)
• Johnson (2003)
• Kellogg (2012)
• London Business School (2013)
• McCombs (2018)
• Notre Dame (2017)
• Queens (2019)
• Ross (2010)
• Sloan (2015)
• Stern (2018)
• Tuck (2009)
• Wharton (2017)
• Yale (2013)

Consulting casebooks are documents that MBA consulting clubs put together to help their members prepare for consulting case interviews. Consulting casebooks provide some case interview strategies and tips, but they mostly contain case interview practice cases.

While consulting casebooks contain tons of practice cases, there is quite a bit of variety in the sources and formats of these cases.

Some practice cases are taken from actual consulting interviews given by consulting firms. These are the best types of cases to practice with because they closely simulate the length and difficulty of an actual case interview. Other practice cases may be written by the consulting club’s officers. These cases are less realistic, but can still offer great practice.

The formats of the practice cases in consulting casebooks also vary significantly.

Some practice cases are written in a question and answer format. This type of format makes it easy to practice the case by yourself, without a case partner. Other practices cases are written in a dialogue format. These cases are better for practicing with a case interview partner.

MBA consulting casebooks can be a great resource because they are free and provide tons of practice cases to hone your case interview skills. However, there are several caveats that you should be aware of.

• Similarity to real case interviews : Some cases in MBA consulting casebooks are not representative of actual case interviews because they are written by consulting club officers instead of interviewers from consulting firms
• Quality of sample answers : While consulting casebooks provide sample solutions, these answers are often not the best or highest quality answers
• Ease of use : Consulting casebooks are all written in different formats and by different people. Therefore, it can be challenging to find cases that you can consistently use to practice cases by yourself or with a partner

Therefore, we recommend that you first use the case interview examples listed in this article and wait until you’ve exhausted all of them before using MBA consulting casebooks.

Case Interview Examples from HackingTheCaseInterview

Below, we've pulled together several of our very own case interview examples. You can use these case interview examples for your case interview practice.

1. Tech retailer profitability case interview

2. Airline profitability case interview

3. Ride sharing app market entry

4. Increasing Drug Adoption

How to Use Case Interview Examples to Practice Case Interviews

To get the most out of these case interview examples and maximize your time spent on case interview practice, follow these three steps.

1. Understand the case interview structure beforehand

If case interviews are something new to you, we recommend watching the following video to learn the basics of case interviews in under 30 minutes.

Know that there are seven major steps of a case interview.

• Understanding the case background : Take note while the interviewer gives you the case background information. Afterwards, provide a concise synthesis to confirm your understanding of the situation and objective
• Asking clarifying questions : Ask questions to better understand the case background and objective
• Structuring a framework : Lay out a framework of what areas you want to look into in order to answer or solve the case
• Kicking off the case : Propose an area of your framework that you would like to dive deeper into 
• Solving quantitative problems : Solve a variety of different quantitative problems, such as market sizing questions and profitability questions. You may also be given charts and graphs to analyze or interpret
• Answering qualitative questions : You may be asked to brainstorm ideas or be asked to give your business opinion on a particular issue or topic
• Delivering a recommendation : Summarize the key takeaways from the case to deliver a firm and concise recommendation

2. Learn how to practice case interviews by yourself 

There are 6 steps to practice case interviews by yourself. The goal of these steps is to simulate a real case interview as closely as you can so that you practice the same skills and techniques that you are going to use in a real case interview.

• Synthesize the case background information out loud : Start the practice case interview by reading the case background information. Then, just as you would do in a live case interview, summarize the case background information out loud
• Ask clarifying questions out loud : Just as you would do in a live case interview, ask clarifying questions out loud. Although you do not have a case partner that can answer your questions, it is important to practice identifying the critical questions that need to be asked to fully understand the case
• Structure a framework and present it out loud : Pretend that you are in an actual interview in which you’ll only have a few minutes to put together a comprehensive and coherent framework. Replicate the stress that you will feel in an interview when you are practicing case interviews on your own by giving yourself time pressure.

When you have finished creating your framework, turn your paper around to face an imaginary interviewer and walk through the framework out loud. You will need to get good at presenting your framework concisely and in an easy to understand way.

• Propose an area to start the case : Propose an area of your framework to start the case. Make sure to say out loud the reasons why you want to start with that particular area
• Answer each case question out loud : If the question is a quantitative problem, create a structure and walk the interviewer through how you would solve the problem. When doing math, do your calculations out loud and explain the steps that you are taking.

If the question is qualitative, structure your thinking and then brainstorm your ideas out loud. Walk the interviewer through your ideas and opinions.

• Deliver a recommendation out loud : Just as you would do in a real case interview, ask for a brief moment to collect your thoughts and review your notes. Once you have decided on a recommendation, present your recommendation to the interviewer.

3. Follow best practices while practicing case interviews :    

You’ll most likely be watching, reading, or working through these case interview examples by yourself. To get the most practice and learnings out of each case interview example, follow these tips: 

• Don’t have notes or a calculator out when you are practicing since you won’t have these in your actual interview
• Don’t take breaks in the middle of a mock case interview
• Don’t read the case answer until you completely finish answering each question
• Talk through everything out loud as if there were an interviewer in the room
• Occasionally record yourself to understand what you look like and sound like when you speak

4. Identify improvement areas to work on

When the case is completed, review your framework and answers and compare them to the model answers that the case provides. Reflect on how you could have made your framework or answers stronger.

Also, take the time to reflect on what parts of the case you could have done better. Could your case synthesis be more concise? Was your framework mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive? Could your math calculations be done more smoothly? Was your recommendation structured enough?

This is the most important part of practicing case interviews by yourself. Since you have no partner to provide you feedback, you will need to be introspective and identify your own improvement areas.

At the end of each practice case interview, you should have a list of new things that you have learned and a list of improvement areas to work on in future practice cases. You’ll continue to work on your improvement areas in future practice cases either by yourself or with a partner.

5. Eventually find a case partner to practice with

You can only do so many practice case interviews by yourself before your learning will start to plateau. Eventually, you should be practicing case interviews with a case partner.

Practicing with a case partner is the best way to simulate a real case interview. There are many aspects of case interviews that you won’t be able to improve on unless you practice live with a partner:

• Driving the direction of the case
• Asking for more information
• Collaborating to get the right approach or structure
• Answering follow-up questions

If you are practicing with a case partner, decide who is going to be giving the case and who is going to be receiving the case.

If you are giving the case, read the entire case information carefully. It may be helpful to read through everything twice so that you are familiar with all of the information and can answer any question that your partner asks you to clarify.

As the person giving the case, you need to be the case expert.

You should become familiar with the overall direction of the case. In other words, you should know what the major questions of the case are and what the major areas of investigation are. This will help you run the mock case interview more smoothly.  

Depending on whether you want the case interview to be interviewer-led or candidate-led, you will need to decide how much you want to steer the direction of the case.

If your partner gets stuck and is taking a long time, you may need to step in and provide suggestions or hints. If your partner is proceeding down a wrong direction, you will need to direct them towards the right direction.

Where to Find More Case Interview Examples

To find more case interview examples, you can use a variety of different case interview prep books, online courses, and coaching. We'll cover each of these different categories of resources for more case interview practice in more detail.

Case Interview Prep Books

Case interview prep books are great resources to use because they are fairly inexpensive, only costing $20 to $30. They contain a tremendous amount of information that you can read, digest, and re-read at your own pace.

Based on our comprehensive review of the 12 popular case interview prep books , we ranked nearly all of the case prep books in the market.

The three case interview prep books we recommend using are:

• Hacking the Case Interview : In this book, learn exactly what to do and what to say in every step of the case interview. This is the perfect book for beginners that are looking to learn the basics of case interviews quickly.
• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook : In this book, hone your case interview skills through 65+ problems tailored towards each type of question asked in case interviews and 15 full-length practice cases. This book is great for intermediates looking to get quality practice.
• Case Interview Secrets : This book provides great explanations of essential case interview concepts and fundamentals. The stories and anecdotes that the author provides are entertaining and help paint a clear picture of what to expect in a case interview, what interviewers are looking for, and how to solve a case interview.

Case Interview Courses

Case interview courses are more expensive to use than case interview prep books, but offer more efficient and effective learning. You’ll learn much more quickly from watching someone teach you the material, provide examples, and then walk through practice problems than from reading a book by yourself.

Courses typically cost anywhere between $200 to $400.

If you are looking for a single resource to learn the best case interview strategies in the most efficient way possible, enroll in our comprehensive case interview course .

Through 70+ concise video lessons and 20 full-length practice cases based on real interviews from top-tier consulting firms, you’ll learn step-by-step how to crush your case interview.

We’ve had students pass their consulting first round interview with just a week of preparation, but know that your success depends on the amount of effort you put in and your starting capabilities.

Case Interview Coaching

With case interview coaching, you’ll pay anywhere between $100 to $300 for a 40- to 60-minute mock case interview session with a case coach. Typically, case coaches are former consultants or interviewers that have worked at top-tier consulting firms.

Although very expensive, case interview coaching can provide you with high quality feedback that can significantly improve your case interview performance. By working with a case coach, you will be practicing high quality cases with an expert. You’ll get detailed feedback that ordinary case interview partners are not able to provide.

Know that you do not need to purchase case interview coaching to receive a consulting job offer. The vast majority of candidates that receive offers from top firms did not purchase case interview coaching. By purchasing case interview coaching, you are essentially purchasing convenience and learning efficiency.

Case interview coaching is best for those that have already learned as much as they can about case interviews on their own and feel that they have reached a plateau in their learning. For case interview beginners and intermediates, it may be a better use of their money to first purchase a case interview course or case interview prep book before purchasing expensive coaching sessions.

If you do decide to eventually use a case interview coach, consider using our case coaching service .

There is a wide range of quality among coaches, so ensure that you are working with someone that is invested in your development and success. If possible, ask for reviews from previous candidates that your coach has worked with.

Summary of the Best Consulting Interview Resources

Here are the resources we recommend to land your dream consulting job:

For help landing consulting interviews

• Resume Review & Editing : Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

For help passing case interviews

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.
• Case Interview Coaching : Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.
• Hacking the Case Interview Book   (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.
• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course : Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.

Land Multiple Consulting Offers

Complete, step-by-step case interview course. 30,000+ happy customers.

35 Case Interviews Examples from MBB / Big Four Firms

Studying case interview examples is one of the first steps in preparing for the  management consulting  recruitment process. If you don’t want to spend hours searching the web, this article presents a comprehensive and convenient list for you – with 35 example cases, 16 case books, along with a case video accompanied by detailed feedback on tips and techniques.

A clear understanding of “what is a case interview” is essential for effective use of these examples. I suggest reading our  Case Interview 101  guide, if you haven’t done so.

McKinsey case interview examples

Mckinsey practice cases.

• Diconsa Case
• Electro-Light Case
• GlobaPharm Case
• National Education Case

What should I know about McKinsey Case interviews?

At McKinsey, case interviews often follow the interviewer-led format , where the interviewer asks you multiple questions for you to answer with short pitches.

How do you nail these cases? Since the questions can be grouped into predictable types, an efficient approach is to master each question type. However, do that after you’ve mastered the case interview fundamentals!

For a detailed guide on interviewer-led cases, check out our article on McKinsey Case Interview .

BCG & Bain case interview examples

Bcg practice cases.

• BCG – Written Case – Chateau Boomerang

Bain practice cases

• Bain – Coffee Shop Co.
• Bain – Fashion Co.
• Bain – Mock Interview – Associate Consultant
• Bain – Mock Interview – Consultant

What should I know about BCG & Bain case interviews?

Unlike McKinsey, BCG and Bain case interviews typically follow the candidate-led format – which is the opposite of interviewer-led, with the candidate driving the case progress by actively breaking down problems in their own way.

The key to acing candidate-led cases is to master the case interview fundamental concepts as well as the frameworks.

Some BCG and Bain offices also utilize written case interviews – you have to go through a pile of data slides, select the most relevant ones to answer a set of interviewer questions, then deliver those answers in a presentation.

For a detailed guide on candidate-led cases, check out our article on BCG & Bain Case Interview .

Deloitte case interview examples

Deloitte practice cases.

Undergrad Cases

• Human Capital – Technology Institute
• Human Capital – Agency V
• Strategy – Federal Benefits Provider
• Strategy – Extreme Athletes
• Technology – Green Apron
• Technology – Big Bucks Bank
• Technology – Top Engine
• Technology – Finance Agency

Advanced Cases

• Human Capital – Civil Cargo Bureau
• Human Capital – Capital Airlines
• Strategy – Club Co
• Strategy – Health Agency
• Technology – Waste Management
• Technology – Bank of Zurich
• Technology – Galaxy Fitness

What should I know about Deloitte case interviews?

Case interviews at Deloitte also lean towards the candidate-led format like BCG and Bain.

The Deloitte consultant recruitment process also features group case interviews , which not only test analytical skills but also place a great deal on interpersonal handling.

Accenture case interview examples

Accenture divides its cases into three types with very cool-sounding names.

Sorted in descending order of popularity, they are:

These are similar to candidate-led cases at Bain and BCG. albeit shorter – the key is to develop a suitable framework and ask the right questions to extract data from the interviewer.

These are similar to the market-sizing and guesstimate questions asked in interviewer-led cases – demonstrate your calculations in structured, clear-cut, logical steps and you’ll nail the case.

These cases have you sort through a deluge of data to draw solutions; however, this type of case is rare.

Capital One case interview examples

Capital One is the odd one on this list – it is a bank-holding company. Nonetheless, this being one of the biggest banks in America, it’s interesting to see how its cases differ from the consulting ones.

Having gone through Capital One’s guide to its cases, I can’t help but notice the less-MECE structure of the sample answers. Additionally, there seems to be a greater focus on the numbers.

Nonetheless, having a solid knowledge of the basics of case interviews will not hurt you – if anything, your presentation will be much more in-depth, comprehensive, and understandable!

See Capital One Business Analyst Case Interview for an example case and answers.

Other firms case interview examples

Besides the leading ones, we have some examples from other major consulting firms as well.

• Oliver Wyman – Wumbleworld
• Oliver Wyman – Aqualine
• LEK – Cinema
• LEK – Market Sizing
• Kearney – Promotional Planning
• OC&C – Imported Spirits
• OC&C – Leisure Clubs

Consulting clubs case books

In addition to official cases, here are a few case books you can use as learning materials.

Do keep in mind: don’t base your study on frameworks and individual case types, but master the fundamentals so you can tackle any kind of case.

• Wharton Consulting Club Case Book
• Tuck Consulting Club Case Book
• MIT Sloan Consulting Club Case Book
• LBS Consulting Club Case Book
• Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book
• INSEAD Consulting Club Case Book
• Harvard Consulting Club Case Book
• ESADE Consulting Club Case Book
• Darden Consulting Club Case Book
• Berkeley Consulting Club Case Book
• Notre-Dame Consulting Club Case Book
• Illinois Consulting Club Case Book
• Columbia Consulting Club Case Book
• Duke Consulting Club Case Book
• Ross Consulting Club Case Book
• Kearney Case Book

Case interview example – Case video

The limitation of most official case interview examples is that they are either too short and vague, or in text format, or both.

To solve that problem for you, we’ve extracted a 30-minute-long, feedback-rich case sample from our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program .

This is a candidate-led, profitability case on an internet music broadcasting company called Pandora.

In 30 minutes, this candidate demonstrates the exact kind of shortcoming that most candidates suffer during real case interviews – they come in with sharp business senses, then hurt their own chances with inadequate techniques.

Here are seven notable areas where the candidate (and you) can improve:

Thanking Throughout the case, as especially in the opening, he should have shown more appreciation for the time the interviewer spent with him.

Structured opening The candidate’s opening of the case feels unstructured. He could have improved it by not mixing the playback and clarification parts. You can learn to nail the case in a 3-minute start through this video on How to Open Any Case Perfectly .

Explicitness A lot of the candidate’s thought process remains in his head; in a case interview, it’s better to be as explicit as possible – draw your issue tree out and point to it as you speak; state your hypothesis when you move into a branch; when you receive data, acknowledge it out loud.

Avoiding silence The silence in his case performance is too long, including his timeout and various gaps in his speech; either ask for timeout (and keep it as short as possible) or think out loud to fill those gaps.

Proactivity The candidate relies too much on the interviewer (e.g: asking for data when it can easily be calculated); you don’t want to appear lazy before your interviewer, so avoid this.

Avoiding repeating mistakes Making one mistake twice is a big no-no in consulting interviews; one key part of the consulting skill set is the ability to learn, and repeating your mistakes (especially if the interviewer has pointed it out) makes you look like someone who doesn’t learn.

Note-taking Given the mistakes this candidate makes, he’s probably not taking his notes well. I can show you how to get it right if you watch this video on Case Interview Note-Taking .

Nonetheless, there are three good points you can learn from the candidate:

The candidate sums up what he’s covered and announces his upcoming approach at the start and at key points in the case – this is a very good habit that gives you a sense of direction and shows that you’re an organized person.

The candidate performs a “reality check” on whether his actions match the issue tree; in a case interview it’s easy to lose track of what you’re doing, so remember to do this every once in a while.

The candidate prompts the interviewer to give out more data than he asked for; if anything, this actually matches a habit of real consultants, and if you’re lucky, your interviewer may actually give out important pieces you haven’t thought of.

These are only part of the “ninja tips” taught In our Case Interview E2E Secrets Program – besides the math and business intuition for long-term development, a key feature is the instant-result tips and techniques for case interviews.

Once you’ve mastered them, you can nail any case they throw at you!

For more “quality” practice, let’s have a mock case interview with former consultants from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Oliver Wyman, Strategy& and many other consulting firms. They will help you identify your problem areas and give you actionable feedback, making your preparation much easier and faster.

Hi! This is Kim and welcome to another performance in the Tips & Techniques part of our amazing End-to-end program. You are about to hear a really interesting performance.

There is a common Myth that Profitability cases are easier. Well, for beginners, that’s may make sense, but I would argue that Profitability cases can be really tricky and candidates without good foundation will make about the same level of mistakes regardless of type of cases given.

The profitability case we are about to watch will show that. It’s a very unconventional

Profitability. It started out like a typical one but getting more and more tricky toward the end.

The candidate is fairly good in term of business intuition, but the Tips & Techniques aspect needs a lot of fine tune! Now let’s go ahead and get started! 

It’s actually a little better to playback the case information and ask clarifications. The candidate does not distinguish between the two and do both at a same time. Also, the candidate was asking these clarifications in an unorganized and unstructured fashion. This is not something terrible, but could have been better, especially when this is the very first part of the case, where the crucial first impression is being formed.

My pitch would sound like this:

“That’s a very interesting problem and I am happy to get the chance to solve it. First of all let me tell you my understanding of the case context and key objectives. Then I would like to ask a few clarifying questions regarding a few terminology and concepts. Both of these are to make sure that I will be solving the right problem.

So here is my understanding of the case: The client is ABC. Here are some DEF facts about the situation we just talked about. And the key case question is XYZ.

Does that correctly and adequately summarize the case?”

Once the interviewer confirms, I would move to the clarification part as follows: “Now I would like to ask a few clarification questions. There are three of them: No 1, … No 2, … and No 3, …”

You may see above pitch as obvious but that’s a perfect example of how you should open any cases. Every details matters. We will point out those details in just a second. But before we do that, it’s actually very helpful if you can go back, listen carefully to the above pitch, and try to point out the great components yourselves. Only after that, go back to this point and learn it all together.

Alright, let’s break down the perfect opening.

First of all, you hear me say: “That’s a very interesting problem and I am happy to get a chance to solve it”. This seems trivial but very beneficial in multiple ways:

1. I bought myself a couple of seconds to calm down and get focused. 2. By nature, we as human unconsciously like those who give us compliments. Nothing better than opening the case with a modest compliment to the interviewer.

And (c) I showed my great attitude towards the case, which the interviewer would assume is the same for real future consulting business problems.

You should do that in your interviews too. Say it and accompany it with the best smile you can give. It shows that you are not afraid of any problems. In fact, you love them and you are always ready for them.

Secondly, I did what I refer to as the “map habit”, which is to always say what you are about to do and then do it. Just like somebody in the car showing the drivers the route before cruising on the road. The driver would love it. This is where I said: “Let me tell you my understanding of the case context and key objectives. Then ABC…”.

Third, right at the beginning of the case, I try to be crystal clear and easy to follow. I don’t let the interviewer confused between playing the case vs. asking clarification questions. I distinguish between the two really carefully. This habit probably doesn’t change the outcome of how the case goes that much, but it certainly significantly changes the impression the interviewer has of me.

Fourth, in playing back the case, each person would have a different way to re-phrase. But there are three buckets to always include:

1. Who is the client 2. The facts regarding the client and the situation and (c) The key question and the objective of the case.

Fifth, after playing the case context and objectives, I pause for a second and ALIGN with the interviewer: “Does it correctly and adequately summarize the case?”. This is a habit that every consulting manager loves for young consultants to do. Nobody wants first-year folks to spend weeks of passion and hard-work building an excel model that the team can’t use. This habit is extensively taught at McKinsey, Bain and BCG, so therefore interviewers would love somebody that exhibits this habit often in case interview.

Lastly, when asking clarification questions, you hear me number them very carefully to create the strong impression that I am very organized and structured. I said I have three clarifying questions. Then I number them as I go through each. No.1, No.2, and No.3.

Sometimes, during interviews it’s hard to know exactly how many items you are going to get. One way is to take timeout often to carefully plan your pitch. If this is not possible in certain situations, you may skip telling how many items you have; but you should definitely still number your question: No.1, No.2; and so on. 

Just a moment ago, the candidate actually exhibited a good habit. After going through his clarification questions, the candidate ended by asking the “is there anything else” question. In this case, I actually give out an important piece of data.

Though this is not very common as not every interviewer is that generous in giving out data. But this is a habit management consultants have to have every day when talking to experts, clients, or key stakeholders. The key is to get the most data and insights out of every interview and this is the type of open-ended question every consultant asks several times a day.

To show of this habit in a case interview is very good!

There are three things I would like you to pay attention to:

First, it took the candidate up to 72 seconds to “gather his thoughts”. This is a little too long in a case interview. I intentionally leave the 72 seconds of silence in the recording so you get an idea of how long that is in real situations. But it’s worth-noting here is not only that. While in some very complicated and weird cases, it’s ok to take that long to really think and gather ideas. In this case, the approach as proposed by the candidate is very simple. For this very approach, I think no more than 15 to 20 seconds should be used.

No.2, with that said, I have told I really like the fact that this candidate exhibits the “map” habit. Before going straight to the approach he draws the overall approach first.

No.3. You also see here that the candidate tried to align the approach with me by asking my thoughts on it. As I just said on the previous comment, this is a great habit to have. Not only does it help reduce chance of going into the wrong direction in case interviews, but it also creates a good impression. Consulting interviewers love people doing it often!

Here we see a not-really-bad response that for sure could be much better. The candidate was going into the first branch of the analysis which is Revenue. I would fix this in 3 aspects:

First, even though we just talked about the overall approach, it’s still better to briefly set up the issue tree first then clearly note that you are going into one branch.

Second, this is not a must, but I always try to make my hypothesis as explicitly clear as possible. Here the candidate just implicitly made a hypothesis that the problem is on the revenue side. The best way to show our hypothesis-driven mindset is to explicitly say it.

Third, you hear this a ton of times in our End-to-End program but I am going to repeat it again and again. It is better to show the habit of aligning here too. Don’t just go into revenue, before doing that, give the interviewer a chance to agree or to actually guide you to Cost.

So, summarizing the above insights, my pitch would sound something like this:

“So as we just discussed, a profit problem is either caused by revenue or by cost. Unless you would like to go into cost first, let’s hypothesize that the problem is on revenue side. I would like to look deeper into Revenue. Do we have any data on the revenue?”

And while saying this, you should literally draw an issue tree and point to each as you speak.

There is an interesting case interview tip I want to point out here. Notice how the candidate responds after receiving two data points from me. He went straight into the next question without at least acknowledging the data received and also without briefly analyzing it.

I am glad that the candidate makes this mistakes… well, not glad for him but for the greater audience of this program. I would like to introduce to you the perfect habit of what you should react and do every time you have any piece of data during case interviews. So three things you need to do:

Step 1: Say … that’s an interesting piece of data. This helps the interviewer acknowledge that you have received and understand the data. This also buys you a little time. And furthermore, it’s always a good thing to give out modest compliments to the interviewer.

Step 2: Describe the data, how it looks, is there any special noteworthy trend? In this case, we should point out that revenue actually grew by more than 50%.

Also notice here that I immediately quantified the difference in specific quantitative measurement (in this case, percentage). Saying revenue went up is good, but it’s great to be able to say revenue went up by more than 50%.

Step 3: Link the trend identified back to the original case question and the hypothesis you have. Does it prove, disprove, or open up new investigation to really test the hypothesis? In this case, this data piece actually opened up new investigating areas to test the hypothesis that the bottleneck is within revenue.

My sample pitch for this step 3 would sound like this: “It’s interesting that revenue went up quite a bit. However, to be able to fully reject our hypothesis on the revenue, I would like to compare our revenue to that of the competitors as well.”

Then only at this point, after going through 3 steps above, I ask for the competitors’ revenue like the candidate did.

Notice here that I ended up asking the same question the candidate did. This shows that the candidate does have a good intuition and thought process. It’s just that he did all of these implicitly on his head.

In consulting case interview, it’s always good to do everything as explicitly as possible. Not only is it easier to follow but it helps show your great thought process.

… the rest of the transcript is available in our End To End Case Interview

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Preparing for case interviews is a hard task when you only have 1 week, so the first part you need to learn during this time is fundamentals of case interview

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A case interview is where candidates is asked to solve a business problem. They are used by consulting firms to evaluate problem-solving skill & soft skills

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280 Free Case Interview Examples

Do you want to get access to over 280 free case interview examples (with answers)?

If you have interviews planned at McKinsey ,  The Boston Consulting Group , or any other consulting firm, you are probably looking for case interview examples.

So, to help you prepare, I have compiled a list of 280 free case interview examples:

• Over 30 free case interview examples (+ interview prep tips) from the websites of top consulting firms
• More than 250 free case interview examples from top business school case books

Moreover, you’ll get  my take on which case studies you will likely have in interviews.

In short, the resources listed hereafter will be very helpful if you are starting out or have already made good progress in preparing for your case interviews.

One last word : check out this free case-cracking course to learn how to crack the most recent types of case questions consulting firms use in actual interviews.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Get the latest data about salaries in consulting, mckinsey: tips and case interview examples.

McKinsey & Company’s website is definitely one of my favorites.

Because this gives so much insightful information about the role of a consultant and what the hiring process looks like.

Therefore, I highly recommend spending time on their website, even if you are not targeting McKinsey.

In the meantime, here are 8 McKinsey case interview examples

• Electro-light
• GlobaPharma
• National Education
• Talbot trucks
• Shops corporation
• Conservation forever

Check out the McKinsey Hub : A library of 20+ free resources that cover everything you need to secure a job offer at McKinsey.

Besides, here is another McKinsey case interview example.

This case interview question has been recently asked in a real interview:

𝘦𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘊𝘰, 𝘢 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉2𝘉 𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉2𝘊 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘊𝘰’𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘌𝘖 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

How would you approach this business problem?

When ready, check this video below where I present how to approach this problem.

BCG: Tips And Case Interview Examples

The Boston Consulting Group website  states something very important: the goal of the hiring process is to get to know you better, which means, in the context of Consulting interviews, understanding how you solve problems .

Remember this: in case interviews,  to show how you think is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than to find an answer to the case .

As a result, you will have case study questions to showcase your problem-solving skills. Likewise, fit interviews have the same purpose: to show what problems you faced and how you resolved them.

• BCG interview prep tips
• BCG’s interactive case tool
• BCG case interview example: climate change challenge
• BCG case interview example: GenCo
• BCG case interview example: FoodCo

Check out the BCG Hub : A library of 20+ free resources that cover everything you need to secure a job offer at BCG.

Bain: Tips And Case Interview Examples

Bain & Company’s website highlights something very important: successful applicants manage to turn a case interview into a conversation between two consultants .

In other words, you don’t want to appear as a candidate but as a consultant !

To do this, you need to master the main problem-solving techniques that consulting firms want to see.

• Bain interview prep tips here and here
• Bain case interview examples: coffee , fashioco
• Bain case interview sample videos: a first video , a second video

Check out the Bain Hub : A library of 20+ free resources that cover everything you need to secure a job offer at Bain & Company.

Deloitte: Tips And Case Interview Examples

As for the BCG’s section above, the Deloitte website clearly states that in case interviews , it is much more important to show how you think and interact with your interviewer than to find the right answer to the case.

• Deloitte interview prep tips
• Deloitte case interview examples: here (more than 15 case interview examples)
• Deloitte case interview example: Federal Agency
• Deloitte case interview example: Recreation Unlimited
• Deloitte case interview example: Federal benefits Provider
• Deloitte case interview example: Federal Civil Cargo protection Bureau

Get 4 Complete Case Interview Courses For Free

You need 4 skills to be successful in all case interviews: Case Structuring, Case Leadership, Case Analytics, and Communication. Join this free training and learn how to ace ANY case questions.

Oliver Wyman: Tips And Case Interview Examples

Like the Deloitte website, Oliver Wyman’s website points out that, above all,  you must demonstrate your ability to think in a structured, analytical, and creative way.

In other words, there are no right or wrong answers, but only showing how you solve problems matters.

• Oliver Wyman interview prep tips
• Oliver Wyman case interview examples: here (Aqualine) and here (Wumbleworld)

Kearney: Tips And Case Interview Examples

Now it’s time to tell you something you could have heard a hundred times.

Yet too many candidates do it.

Do NOT force your solution to adapt to a standard framework . As a result, this will only take you to a place you don’t want to go: the pool of rejected candidates .

To learn more about this, check the “What Not To Do” section on the AT Kearney website .

• Kearney interview prep tips
• Kearney case interview examples: here and here
• Kearney case book: here

Strategy&: Interview Prep Tips

Strategy& doesn’t provide case study examples on its website, but it shares insights on career progression, which I recommend reading when you prepare for your fit interviews.

• Strategy& interview prep tips

Roland Berger: Tips And Case Interview Examples

I like the examples of case studies presented on the Roland Berger website .

Because the two examples of case studies are very detailed and illustrate the kind of solutions your interviewers expect during case discussions.

• Roland Berger interview prep tips
• A first Roland Berger case interview example: part 1 and part 2
• A second Roland Berger case interview example: part 1 and part 2

Alix Partners: Interview Prep Tips

Like Strategy&, Alix Partners doesn’t provide case study examples on its website.

However, they give an overview of what they are looking for: they want entrepreneurial, self-starter, and analytical candidates, which are skills that all consulting firms highly appreciate .

• Alix Partners interview prep tips

OC&C: Interview Prep Tips

Here are two case study examples from OC&C:

• Imported spirit
• Leisure clubs

253 Case Studies From Business School Case Books

Most of these 253 case study examples are based on case interviews used by consulting firms in real job interviews .

As a result, you can have a good idea of the case study questions you can have when interviewing at these firms .

The Full List Of 253 Free Case Study Examples

• Chicago business school
• Australian Graduate School of Management
• Columbia business school
• Harvard business school
• Wharton business school (2009)
• Wharton busines school (2017)
• Darden business school

Do you want to practice a specific type of case study? Now you can…

I have sorted this list of 253 case studies by type:  profitability, market expansion, industry analysis, pricing, investment or acquisition,  and guesstimates (also known as market sizing questions).

Bonus #1: Know The Types Of Cases You Are Likely To have During Your Interviews

• Profitability cases (29% of cases from that list)
• Investment cases (19% of cases from that list)
• Market sizing questions (15% of cases from that list)

As a result, assuming you’ll have 6 interviews (and therefore 6 case interviews) during the recruitment process:

• “Profitability cases are 29%”  means that chances to have 2 profitability case studies during your recruitment process are very high
• “Investment cases are 19%”  means that chances to have 1 investment case study during your recruitment process are very high.
• “ Guesstimates are 15%”  means that chances of having  1 market sizing question during your recruitment process are high.

Bonus #2: The 10 Cases I Recommend You Doing Now

Over 250 examples of case interviews are a great list, and you may not know where to start.

So, I’ve compiled a list of my 10 favorite case studies.

The 5 case studies I recommend doing if you are a BEGINNER

1. stern case book: drinks gone flat (starting at page 24).

This is a good introduction to a common type of case (declining sales here). I liked the solution presented for this case, particularly how it started by isolating declining sales (what range of products? Volumes or prices, or both?).

2. Stern case book: Sport bar (starting at page 46)

This is an investment case (should you invest in a new bar). Even if the solution presented in this case book is not MECE , it covers the most common quantitative questions you might have in such a case. I recommend doing this case.

3. Stern case book: MJ Wineries (starting at page 85)

This is a profitability case. I liked the solution presented in this case because it illustrates how specific good candidates should be. The case concerns wine, so a good candidate should mention the quality of lands and grapes as important factors.

4. AGSM case book: Piano tuners (starting at page 57)

This is a typical market sizing question. How to answer this type of question is a must-know before going to your interviews.

5. Darden case book: National Logistics (starting at page 49)

Again, this is a very common case (how to reduce costs). I liked the broad range of questions asked in this case, covering key skills assessed by consulting firms during case interviews: brainstorming skills (or creativity), quantitative skills, and business sense.

The 5 case studies I recommend if you are more ADVANCED in your preparation

1. stern: the pricing games (starting at page 55).

This case study asks you to help your client assess different business models. I liked this case because the range of issues to tackle is quite broad.

2. Wharton 2017: Engineer attrition at SLS Oil & Gas Services (starting at page 55)

I liked this case study because the case prompt is uncommon: your client has been facing a very high attrition rate among its population of Engineers. As a result, it’s very unlikely that your solution fits a well-known framework, and you’ll have to demonstrate your problem-solving skills by developing a specific solution.

3. Wharton 2017: Pharma Company Goes International, Outsources Benefits, Integrates New Technology (starting at page 95)

This case is about a client considering outsourcing a part of their activity. Even though I don’t know if this type of case study is very common, I had many case studies like this when I passed my interviews a few years ago. And I always found them difficult!

4. Insead: Gas retail case (starting at page 73)

The question in the problem statement is very broad, making this case difficult. So, only good candidates can have a structured case discussion here.

5. Darden: Fire Proof (starting at page 84)

This is a market entry case. Try to solve it by developing a structure as MECE as possible.

CareerInConsulting.com's Free Resources

Access my exclusive free training to help you prepare for your case interviews .

Besides, you can learn my step-by-step guide to answering market sizing questions .

You’ll get my formula to solve all market sizing questions.

Moreover, if you are a beginner, you can read my article on how to solve business cases (+ a 4-week prep plan to get case interview ready).

Also, check these 11 must-know frameworks to ace your case interviews.

Finally, you can read the articles in the blog section of my website.

That’s quite a list.

To complete this list, check this free case interview course , where you’ll find case questions recently asked in actual interviews.

Now, I’d like to hear from you.

Which key insights were new to you?

Or maybe I have missed something.

Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below.

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Crafting Cases

Case Interview Examples: The 9 Best in 2024 (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.)

February 7, 2024 By Julio Tarraf

Today I’m gonna show you a curated list of the 9 VERY BEST Case Interview Example videos from all around the web.

So you don’t have to go through the same pains I did back when I was preparing:

• I watched TONS of videos on YouTube, but most of my time was WASTED because many weren’t helpful at all.
• I couldn’t tell which cases were realistic and which were unrealistic, or which were hard and which were easy.
• I couldn’t even tell whether each answer by the candidates was good enough to pass the interview or not (my best proxy was their confidence, which I later found was NOT a good proxy).

So that brings us to this article.

What's in for you:

Every hour you spend on the examples in this article is the equivalent of spending 3-5 hours browsing YouTube on your own, reading Case in Point, or going through piles of casebooks.

This article is the result of...

24 of those videos didn’t make it to the list: they were  a mix of poorly recorded, unrealistic and even   misleading .

I curated just the best so you wouldn’t have to waste your own 20+ hours to find them.

Table of contents:

• #1. Playworks market entry  [Best for beginners]
• #2. Agricultural chemicals product launch [Advanced candidates only]
• #3. A+ Airlines’ reaction to competitor’s change
• #4. Auto manufacturer profitability decrease  [Best profitability case]

#5. Swift fox population decrease

• #6. Bed and Bath e-commerce acquisition  [Best for solo practice]

#7. FlashFash acquires LaMode

#8. medical supplies manufacturer demand decrease.

• #9. Pepsi’s LA bottling plant
• #10. 1930’s gangster growth strategy

#1. Playworks market entry

• Easy case, with one Estimation, one Quantitative Analysis, and one Chart Interpretation questions within. Overall, good to practice and to get a feel for case interview dynamics
• You can’t see the Exhibit the candidate is shown, but you can find it in this link provided by Yale SOM Consulting Club  (go to page 9)

CANDIDATE’S PERFORMANCE

• Stellar framework, touching on all relevant issues and showing a plan to solve the problem from beginning to end
• Great job performing a spontaneous reality check to his estimation
• I would expect more reasoning behind some of the key assumptions (# of high schools and colleges in the US). He was, however, close to the real values – his background as a teacher could have played a role, but as an interviewer I would still have needed to see his reasoning behind those numbers
• Big mistake inadvertently converting square yards to square feet (~10x difference in final answer) combined with math confusion within the Estimation and inefficiencies in Analysis: his analytical skills would have to be tested more thoroughly in a third interview or in a next round

The next case is mostly useful for its framework question.

It’s a high-quality, nuanced case question, similar to the ones you’ll get in McKinsey, Bain and BCG interviews.

The problem with this case is…

It requires either a well-structured answer or a ton of business sense, and the candidate solving it had neither.

As a result, he missed so many great insights, which made the video poor where it could have been rich for those who are practicing: business insight.

To spice up your practice, I’ll list those insights after the video under a spoiler alert, so you can add them to your own business sense library.

Given all of this, I would recommend this video for advanced candidates only .

(To understand what elements a perfect answer would need and how to create one for any case, check out our free course, Case Interview Fundamentals.)

#2. Agricultural chemicals product launch

Product launch

Candidate-led

• Tough case. Full of nuance, and suitable for an MBB first-round (perhaps even for a final-round).
• The analysis at  26:15  is a tough one, great practice for advanced students looking to improve their quantitative skills. Don’t forget that  you need to provide an insight after getting to the numerical answer.
• Right from the start, you can see that you’d need to (1) size the financial benefits orchards would get from using your product and (2) run viability and pricing analyses. The candidate fails to see this until the interviewer suggests it.
• The candidate missed several other important insights which would have been impressive. Can you spot any? Read them below, under the spoiler alert.

As I said, I’ll quickly go over the insights this candidate missed, as I think they could greatly add to your business sense library.

1) The one and most important is the pricing and viability analysis.

• One of the first questions that need to be answered when solving this case is, “what’s the size of the financial benefits of this product to the buyer, how much can we capture of it, and does it covers the manufacturing and distribution costs?”.
• The reason is simple: this analysis can be run entirely on data we most likely have (from research while developing the product), and it will quickly tell us if the product isn’t viable or if we need a strategy pivot.
• When guided, the candidate eventually runs this analysis, but the fact that this isn’t even explicit in his initial structure is still a red flag.
• Here’s what I would expect from a top-2% candidate. This analysis should have been outlined in the initial structure, along with a quick brainstorming of how this product might bring increased profits for the buyer.

2) There are several other potential sources of increased ROI that the launch of this product could yield that he didn’t even consider:

• Cross-selling opportunities to these same clients, once we’re selling Mango Maker to them.
• The possibility of selling this product in several other countries (thus potentially decreasing the costs of production with scale gains.)
• The possibility of selling this product to producers of other tropical fruits (to his credit, he did mention this when pressed, by the end of the video).
• The possibility of acting towards increasing the patent duration.
• The possibility of having some cash flow from the product after the patent expires.

The key to getting to those insights would have been to build a more robust initial framework. More business sense would help for sure, but  structuring techniques  are more feasible to practice and develop.

Lastly: the interviewer says, by the end of the video, that the interviewer would pass his first-round MBB interview with this performance. I do not agree with her.

While it is possible that his interviewers would pass him and let partners decide whether or not he’s suitable for the firm, the risk is just too high.

Some interviewers might pass him, but many others definitely would not.

Before we move on…

Did you know there are ONLY 6 types of questions an interviewer will ask you in a case?

Join our FREE 7-day case interview course to…

• Learn what these six types of questions are…
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• And get several in-depth examples taylored for solo practice.

Now to the next video…

Yale SOM Consulting Club and Elaine Dang deserve congratulations on the two videos they made.

It’s super high quality work. 

Both of their video examples are similar to real case interviews in format and content, and they’re even superior to some made by case interview prep websites.

#3. A+ Airlines' reaction to competitor's change

• Questions and difficulty realistic for McKinsey, Bain, or BCG
• A real case might have more Brainstorming questions within the case
• Negative: you can’t se the exhibits the candidate is shown
• Great: all of her answers were backed by at least one layer of structure
• Insights provided after calculating every new number, which is super important  (learn more)
• She did a good job keeping the interviewer on board by doing her math out loud at all times
• One thing she could’ve done better was to not constantly come back to the “cash tied up in the cash box” idea – she should’ve tested it once and definitively as to whether that is relevant or not (it isn’t) – a partner would have certainly challenged her on that

Featuring next: me reviewing my own video from a neutral point of view.

Yes, I know that can’t possibly be unbiased.

But here’s why I think this video will get you ahead of other candidates and why you should ABSOLUTELY NOT miss out on this :

• The case comes nearly straight from my own Bain final round.
• My question in the end is difficult (even for McKinsey, Bain or BCG’s standards), and Bruno’s answer is impressive.
• Bruno’s solution is not perfect, and this gives us both an opportunity to openly discuss how it could’ve been better by the end.

#4. Auto manufacturer profitability decrease

• Average-difficulty profitability case in the first half, and a difficult question at 15:44
• Full realistic drill-down to find the real root cause of the problem, which is a common thing in case interviews that you’ll only find in this video
• Bruno should have presented his answer as a plan before diving into the profit tree , which is an advanced skill that makes you sound more like a consultant and less like a candidate
• Efficient and organized drill-down in the profit tree, a must-master habit for all candidates
• Super insightful answer to the second question because it shows second-order level thinking

If you’re mainly looking to improve your performance in profitability cases, there are two pieces of content worth checking out:

• This video: 5 Tactics To Stand Out In Your Profitability Case Interviews
• And this article, the state-of-the-art in profitability trees: Profitability Trees: The Complete Guide

What I love about the next case is that the first question is on diagnosing a client’s issue, but it’s not a profitability case.

It’s actually a public sector case!

Most beginners think you only use issue trees and drill-down analysis when solving a profit problem, but as you’ll see in this case, this is not true at all.

The candidate’s answer is good, so you can compare your own answer to his.

• This is a difficult, realistic diagnostics case, great for advanced candidates to step up their practice with hard cases
• You are not shown a critical exhibit the candidate gets in the middle of the case, making it unsuitable for practice from then on
• The candidate’s initial structure is insightful because it breaks down the population problem into its key drivers
• The insights the candidate provided on the exhibits are spot-on, but I would expect next-steps after the conclusions (e.g. after 10:33 , he could have said  “And to figure out whether this really is the cause of the population decrease, the next thing I would do is…” )
• But he doesn’t make the same mistake twice – at 23:20 , he gets to a number the interviewer asked and, this time, he leads the case perfectly: he comes up with a conclusion (the insight), and then proactively leads the case with next steps

The next video is THE SINGLE BEST in this list for solo practice.

You will see Bruno’s reaction to challenges most people only face in their actual interviews. Mock interviews hardly prepare you for this at all:

• How should you react when an interviewer asks you for more ideas after you’ve given everything you have?
• What do you do when your interviewer asks for a recommendation having given you nearly no data?

Go ahead and see for yourself.

(And how would a real candidate do in this case? I interviewed a candidate with this very same case and recorded it so you could see for yourself. )

#6. Bed and Bath e-commerce acquisition

• Pay special attention to how I made spontaneous challenges to Bruno after his answers. Most mock interviews, even with consultants, don’t have that. So candidates end up getting surprised by them in their actual interviews. You might even want to show this to your peers so they’ll do more realistic mock interviews with you
• In 9:00 I challenge Bruno to see if he’s sure whether customer loyalty was good (higher customer lifetime value) or bad (harder to increase market share) for the acquisition
• In 16:22 I challenge Bruno to find even more ideas other than the ones he had already given
• Due to being interviewer-led AND having great benchmark answers, this is the best video in this list for solo practice
• Super structured brainstorming, which showed me he would not leave any important area behind and helped him give me a ton of creative, insightful ideas
• Insightful framework answer (e.g., 99% of candidates would not talk about whether running this business would be attractive to the friend, much less in depth like he did)

The next case is one of the unmissable videos in this list for two main reasons.

Number one, the candidate’s answers are great, good enough to be benchmarks to your own.

Number two, it’s a difficult M&A case (which is not as exciting as watching the last Avengers movie, I get, but still…).

• Realistic, challenging interviewer-led case for McKinsey, Bain and even BCG (as some interviewers there have been doing this type of case recently)
• Quality answers make it great for solo practice
• Insightful, well-built framework, definitely a benchmark
• Notice how the candidate shows his structure for the quantitative analysis before diving into the math – that’s a great habit you definitely want to copy

I chose this next video mostly due to the quality of the initial case question. Here’s why.

Most profitability cases in casebooks are simple: “industry Y, profits fell. Why?”

But the truth is, in real MBB interviews, the case question almost always has more nuance than that.

That’s what this next video’s initial case question shows.

Just a quick heads up: I would not pass this candidate, as I wasn’t a fan of his initial structure nor of his business sense in general. Your initial structure should be more robust than his.

Profitability

Below average

• The nuances of the case question make it a realistic one for MBB first-round interviews.
• This case could be way more interesting and insightful if the candidate had followed a different path, like finding different sources of revenue, different segments they could cater to at a higher price point, or new markets they could enter with the resources they have.
• Your answers to the initial case question and to all the other brainstormings in the case could (and should, if you’re aiming for the moon) be 5X more robust than this candidate’s. Don’t base your answers off his.  (Learn how to create robust brainstorming structures here.)  
• The analysis he performs is good, structure and communication-wise.
• Great insight that buyers’ price sensitivity would be driven by the switching costs if there were any ( 19:30 ) 

The next video shows an operations case example.

It’s a wonderful use of process structures to diagnose an issue on production line.

I don’t really like its style for practicing for two main reasons.

First, it just doesn’t have the right tempo for you to pause and practice and then compare answers. 

Second, the comments in the middle break the flow.

Nothing wrong with those comments. They’re actually helpful.

The problem is they make this video good for learning a few new concepts, watching a good structure put to use, but not really to practice by yourself.

If you’re an advanced candidate and your practice is up to date and you’re  just looking to learn something new, jump right in.

#9. Pepsi's LA bottling plant

• Only one person playing the interviewer’s and the candidate’s roles, which doesn’t give you an idea of how the case would flow
• Difficult case, great case for advanced candidates to increase their experience/library
• Not really tailored for you to pause and solve at each moment, doesn’t have a good tempo for that
• “Candidate’s” structure at 5:34 is a great example of a process structure put to use in diagnostics cases
• Super insightful brainstorming at 14:50 , with at least one idea you most likely wouldn’t think of

Want to learn to solve cases like the best interviewees in these videos?

Here’s the deal: you can watch as many of these great videos as you want, but they will only help you up to a point.

They’ll help you understand what a case interview is like…

And if you try to answer the questions as you watch them, these videos will even help you get some practice…

But examples of case interviews will never teach you HOW to do cases well.

And if you want to be outstanding at solving cases so that firms like McKinsey, Bain, or BCG are begging you to accept their offers, we have something for you!

We’ve created a free course that will teach you EXACTLY HOW to answer the 6 (and only six!) types of questions you will find in ANY case interview.

(You can even go back to ALL the questions asked within the 9 examples of this article… You’ll see that each of them can be answered using one of the six techniques.)

Just click the button below to get exclusive access:

Join the FREE course now!

Now, you might be asking yourself: is this even worth my time?

I get that! There’s so much content out there, and so little time to practice.

Well, here’s the kind of e-mail we get from candidates all the time… It speaks for itself:

Bonus video!

In the beginning of this article, I told you there’d be a video by the end that didn’t make it to the list.

It’s  not that good to make it to a “best of” list. 

Still, I want to add it as a bonus, as it will add value to you in its own way.

#10. 1930's gangster growth strategy

But first, a word of warning... .

This video has a comment that could be misleading. Do NOT watch it without reading the comments.

Sometimes the greatest lessons come from mistakes. This is one of those times.

There’s a comment in the video in which the interviewer suggests that a necessary step in every case is “getting to” a chart.

This gives candidates two false impressions:

False Impression #1) There is a chart in every case, and your goal as a candidate it to “get to it”.

False Impression #2) If your interviewer has given you all the charts they had, you’ve done a good job!

Your goal as a consultant is to find the relevant hypotheses to solve the problem in a structured way and to test them with data.

If you do that, you will have done a great job, and your interviewer may or may not have given you a chart along the way.

This is true for interviews and the consulting job alike!

• Interesting case, as it’s a growth strategy in an unusual “industry”
• It is one of the few cases available online that let you practice Chart Interpretation questions, a common type at McKinsey, Bain and BCG
• Unfortunately, it gives the impression that “getting to all the charts” is the overarching goal of solving a case
• In the first Chart Interpretation question, the candidate missed a critical insight: that they already have 100% market share in all markets.  While the interviewer downplays it , it was a big foul that would be hard to recover from in a real interview
• The candidate provided insight after reading each exhibit – good job. However, he’d never proactively give clear next steps, which is what a well-prepared candidate would do
• If you’re practicing by yourself, remember not to use this candidate’s answers as a quality benchmark

I hope this article was helpful to you 🙂

If it was, I think you’ll also enjoy our free course.  Check it out for yourself by clicking here .

• The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview
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• Cover Letter & Resume
• McKinsey Solve Game (Imbellus)
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• Kearney Recruitment Test
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Case Interview Examples (2024): A Collection from McKinsey and Others

Last Updated on November 20, 2024

Whenever you prepare for case interviews, you have to practice as realistically as possible and mimic the real case study interview at McKinsey , BCG , Bain , and others. One way to do this and make your preparation more effective is to practice real cases provided by the firms you apply to.

It will help you to understand what the differences are across firms, how they structure and approach their cases, what dimensions are important to them, and what solutions they consider to be strong.

Below is a steadily expanding selection of real case interview examples provided by different management consulting firms.

Before wasting your money on case interview collection books that use generic cases, use original cases first. Additionally, use professional case coaches, who interviewed for the top firms , to mimic the real interview experience and get real, actionable feedback to improve.

Please be aware that cases are just one part of a typical consulting interview. It is equally important to prepare for behavioral and fit interview questions .

McKinsey Case Interview Examples

• Loravia – Transforming a national education system
• SuperSoda – Electro-light product launch
• GlobaPharm – Pharma R&D
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – Diconsa financial services offering
• Beautify – Customer approach
• Shops – DEI strategy
• Talbot Trucks – Electric truck development
• Conservation Forever – Nature conservation

We have written a detailed article on the McKinsey application process, the McKinsey interview timeline, the typical McKinsey case interview, and the McKinsey Personal Experience interview here . You can expect similar cases regardless of your position (e.g. in a McKinsey phone case interview or interviewing for a McKinsey internship as well as a full-time BA, Associate, or Engagement Manager role).

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Case interview Examples

• Consumer Goods – Climate strategy
• Banking – Client satisfaction
• Consumer Goods – IT strategy
• Chateau Boomerang – Written case

Bain and Company case interview examples

• NextGen Tech
• FashionCo .

Ace the case interview with our dedicated preparation packages.

Deloitte Case Interview Examples

• Federal Agency – Engagement strategy
• Federal Benefits Provider – Strategic vision
• Apparel – Declining market share
• Federal Finance Agency – Architecture strategy
• MedX – Smart pill bottle
• Federal Healthy Agency – Finance strategy
• LeadAuto – Market expansion
• Federal Bureau – Talent management

Strategy& Case Interview Examples

• Strategy& tips and examples  (case examples included )

Accenture Case Interview Examples

• Accenture interview tips and examples (case examples included )

Kearney Case Interview Examples

• Promotional planning

Roland Berger Case Interview Examples

• Transit-oriented development Part 1
• Transit-oriented development Part 2
• 3D printed hip implants Part 1
• 3D printed hip implants Part 2

Oliver Wyman Case Interview Examples

• Wumbleworld – theme park
• Aqualine – boats

LEK Case Interview Examples

• Video case interview example (currently unavailable)
• Market sizing video example
• Brainteaser (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Simon Kucher Case Interview Examples

• Smart phone pricing

OC&C Case Interview Examples

• Imported whiskey in an emerging market – business strategy
• Leisure clubs – data interpretation

Capital One Case Interview Examples

• How to crack case interviews with Capital One (includes case examples)

Bridgespan Case Interview Examples

• Robinson Philanthropy – Strategy
• Reach for the Stars – Student success
• Home Nurses for New Families – Expansion strategy
• Venture Philanthropy – Charity

Consulting Clubs Case Interview Books

Contact us at [email protected] for a collection of consulting club case interview books (from Harvard, ESADE, LBS, Columbia, etc.).

How We Help You Ace Your Case Interviews

We have specialized in placing people from all walks of life with different backgrounds into top consulting firms both as generalist hires as well as specialized hires and experts. As former McKinsey consultants and interview experts, we help you by

• tailoring your resume and cover letter to meet consulting firms’ highest standards
• showing you how to pass the different online assessments and tests for McKinsey , BCG , and Bain
• showing you how to ace McKinsey interviews and the PEI with our video academy
• coaching you in our 1-on-1 sessions to become an excellent case solver and impress with your fit answers (90% success rate after 5 sessions)
• helping you ace your personal fit interview
• preparing your math to be bulletproof for every case interview
• helping you structure creative and complex case interviews
• teaching you how to interpret charts and exhibits like a consultant
• providing you with cheat sheets and overviews for 27 industries .

Reach out to us if you have any questions! We are happy to help and offer a tailored program to help you break into consulting.

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Florian spent 5 years with McKinsey as a senior consultant. He is an experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach, having interviewed 100s of candidates in real and mock interviews. He started StrategyCase.com to make top-tier consulting firms more accessible for top talent, using tailored and up-to-date know-how about their recruiting. He ranks as the most successful consulting case and fit interview coach, generating more than 500 offers with MBB, tier-2 firms, Big 4 consulting divisions, in-house consultancies, and boutique firms through direct coaching of his clients over the last 3.5 years. His books “The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview” and “Consulting Career Secrets” are available via Amazon.

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28 Case Interview Examples for Consulting Interview Prep (2024)

• Last Updated January, 2024

Rebecca Smith-Allen

Former McKinsey Engagement Manager

How to Use Case Interview Examples

Video Case Interview Example: Questions & Answers

Tips for Acing Your Case

Free Case Interview Examples (Consulting Firms)

Free Case Interview Examples (Consulting Clubs)

Practice is the key to passing your consulting interviews. To practice, you’ll need some examples of case interview questions and answers to work with.

We’ve got links to loads of them below.

In addition, we have:

• Tips on how to use case interview examples to prepare for your consulting interviews,
• A video case interview example with My Consulting Offer founder Davis Nguyen, and
• Insight into the difference between average and exceptional answers to case interview questions.

Get ready to dive deep into structuring your analysis of business problems, identifying the key issues, and recommending solutions!

Keep reading to find out how to use case interview examples to ace your case.

How to Use Case Interview Examples to Ace Your Case

1. start your case interview preparation early..

You’ll need to practice dozens of case interview examples to get good enough to receive an offer from one of the top consulting firms. This is not something you can cram the night before an interview.

Start as soon as possible.

2. Don’t Read Straight through Sample Case Interview Examples or Passively Watch Videos.

Some people think that the best way to improve their chances of passing a case interview is by reading as many cases interview examples as they can.

This is like reading about how to play tennis but never picking up a racket. To get better at tennis, for example, you need to actually pick up a ball and be active. The same applies to your interview preparation.

Stop and think at each step in the case interview question. Come up with your own answer and say it out loud. Practice driving each part of the case interview example yourself.

• How would you structure your analysis of the problem?
• What questions would you ask the interviewer?
• How would you set up the case math problem?
• What recommendation would you make to the client?

After you’ve developed your answer, compare it to the suggested answer for the case.

What did you get right?

How did your answer and the case interview example answer differ?

Are there things you miss consistently across multiple case interview examples?

The answers to these  case interview examples can look simple when you just read through them, but it’s not easy to come up with all the key aspects of the solution on your own.

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

3. Find Partners to Practice Case Interviews with.

Teamwork is an important part of consulting work, so get ready for it now. Find a case interview practice partner, preferably someone else who’s applying to jobs in the management consulting industry because they’ll know more about what recruiters are looking for.

Practicing cases with a partner provides the opportunity to get feedback from someone else on what you’re doing well and what you need to improve. Additionally, you’ll learn a lot by watching how your partner solves sample case studies.

Look for aspects of their approach that are effective as well as what they could do better. Working with a partner will make your consulting interview practice feel more real.

Similar to how you need a tennis partner to feel what is like to play tennis, you need a case partner to experience what a case interview is like.

4. Master the 4 Parts of the Case Interview.

In our article on Case Interview Prep , we discussed the 4 parts of the case interview: the opening, structure, analysis, and conclusion. As you practice with consulting case interview examples, practice each of these 4 parts to ensure you’re strong at them all.

5. Avoid Case Burnout.

A case zombie is someone who’s grown tired of casing from doing too much of it. Their answers feel rehearsed, not conversational. 

They may seem bored, not engaged in solving the problem. They’ll be less creative in their solutions. They certainly won’t pass the airport test!

Avoid becoming a case zombie by practicing smarter, not harder.

Video: Case Interview Examples – Questions & Answers

In the following case interview example, Davis Nguyen, founder of My Consulting Offer solves McKinsey’s SuperSoda case.  The video is broken into 4 parts of the case interview.

Remember, don’t just watch the video. Stop the video and provide your own answer before listening to Davis’s  answer to the case question.

Step 1: Case Interview Example Opening – Ensure you understand the client and the problem you’ll be solving in the case.

Step 2: case interview example structure – break the problem down into smaller parts. make sure you cover all key case issues., step 3: case interview example analysis – ask questions, gathering information from graphs and charts provided by the interviewer, do case math, and provide insight into the client’s business problem based on what you learn., step 4: case interview example recommendation – develop a rational recommendation for the client based on all you’ve learned throughout the case interview., tips for acing your consulting case interviews – the difference between average & exceptional, case interview opening.

The opening is a great point to ask “dumb” questions because, at this point, you’re not expected to know much about the client and their business. 

Here your goal is to understand the client, their business, and what a successful project will look like.

Don’t shy away from asking for clarification on things that will help you better understand the business problem and solve it. For example, if you don’t know how life insurance works and the case is about life insurance, then ask.

After ensuring you understand the client and their problem, the next thing to ask about is key metrics of success. 

For example, the client may want to find new avenues for growth. Are they looking for a 5% increase in revenue or to double their business?

Finding out what success looks like in the client’s eyes will ensure you work to deliver a solution that meets their expectations, not one that’s underwhelming.

After you find out what success looks like, ask further probing questions to better understand the client, their business, and any constraints on solving the case.

Examples of Relevant Questions to ask Your Interviewer 

Examples of relevant questions about the client might include the geography they operate in or the sector of their industry they are strongest in. 

Examples of relevant questions about their business might include what products or services are most profitable or most important to their customers. 

Examples of relevant questions about the problem might include whether there are any costs that can’t be cut or what the maximum amount the client is able to invest in developing a new product. 

Asking these types of questions up front will give you a better context for solving the client’s problem and make it more likely that you will solve the case interview.

Case Interview Structure

You’ll need a framework to make sure your analysis covers all key aspects of the consulting case. 

You can use one of the many standard Case Interview Frameworks we’ve outlined , but top interviewees develop their own framework for analyzing the case interview question. 

Their frameworks may include pieces of one or more of the standard frameworks but are tailored to the particular business problem they’re discussing. 

Good frameworks are hypothesis-driven, that is to say they can be tested similar to the science experiment, so that the answer is either a “yes” or “no.” For example, examining your bank account to see, “if I have $400 for a ticket” is an example.

Second, good frameworks cover all topics relevant to the answer. For example, if the client is opening up a new hotel in a foreign country, checking out the existing competition should be part of the framework.

As you study more about interactive case interviews and practice them you’ll develop a sense for what factors are relevant or not relevant to the case at hand.

Finally, a good structure will be  MECE  or mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.

This means the framework will break down the market or population being analyzed into segments that include every part of the whole (collectively exhaustive), and each segment of the market or member of the population will show up in one and only one category without overlap (mutually exclusive). 

For example, if you divide the target market for a retail product into segments by age, these segments would be MECE:

•  10-19,
• 40-49, etc.

The categories 15-25, 20-30, 27-35 would not be MECE because people could be counted twice. 

Case Interview Analysis

In the analysis phase of your case interview example, you’ll ask questions to get the information you need to solve the client’s business problem. Your questions will likely lead you to one of the 4 types of analysis that are common in consulting interviews: market sizing, brainstorming, quantitative reasoning (case math), or reading exhibits. 

No matter which of these types of analysis comes up, there’s a 4-step method that ensures you can crack the case. 

This 4-step method is:

• Ask for data,
•  Interpret the data,
•  Provide insight, and 
• Outline next steps. 

The data you ask for will depend on the case interview question you’re solving. For example, if the question is about profitability, you’ll need to know about the client’s finances: dig into revenues and costs. 

For example, if you find that the client’s revenues are flat while their costs have been rising, you’ll know that the problem is in the cost structure and that you’ll need to examine costs more closely.

Next, provide insight. As you examine costs further, you’ll find out why they’ve grown faster than revenues. 

This insight will naturally lead to the next steps. What does the client need to do to get costs under control and fix their profitability problem? 

You may need to go through this 4-step method a couple of times, focusing on different aspects of the client’s business problem. 

Once you’ve examined and developed insight into all key aspects of the problem, your next step will be to conclude the interview with a recommendation for the client.

Case Interview Conclusion

At this point, you’ve hopefully cracked the case and are ready to present your recommendations to the client (your interviewer). 

The best way to do this is to use the 5R approach:

• Recap – restate the business problem you’ve analyzed. In consulting this is done because a CEO might have hired 5 McKinsey teams and can’t remember which one you are on. 
• Recommendations – Provide the solution your analysis led to. We lead with the recommendation because it is the most important piece of information. Stating it first and clearly puts everyone on the same page.
• Reasons – Summarize the key facts and insights that lead you to your recommendations. 
• Risks – Outline any risks the client should be aware of as they implement your recommendations. No recommendation has a 100% probability of success. Clients need to be aware of business risks in the same way patients need to understand the side effects of drugs.
• Retaining the client – Provide next steps for how you can help the client ensure success. As consultants, we are paid for helping our clients. If there is a natural extension of the work as the client implements the team’s recommendations, we should tell them how we can provide further assistance (and ultimately make money for your firm). 

While most candidates will address their recommendations and possibly the reasons for their recommendations, few will hit all these points. 

In particular, outlining risks and further ways you can help the client will differentiate you from other candidates and help you to advance  to the second round of interviews or get the offer.

Free Online Case Interview Examples from 7 Top Consulting Firms

Now that you’re familiar with how you should use case interview examples and what differentiates an average answer from an exceptional one, you need sample questions to practice with.

Below, we provide links to dozens to help you hone your business problem-solving skills.

1. McKinsey Case Interview Examples

Disconsa – Help a not-for-profit develop better financial-service offerings for remote Mexican communities.

Electro-Light – Help a beverage manufacturer prepare for a new product launch.

GlobalPharm – Help a pharmaceutical industry client manage with its merger and acquisitions strategy.

Transforming a National Education System – Help a country’s education ministry develop a new strategy for educating the country’s children. 

2. BCG Case Interview Examples

Climate Challenge – Help a global consumer goods company reduce its environmental impact.

Driving Revenue Growth at a Healthcare Company – Help a medical devices and services company to increase revenues following an acquisition. (The same one that is highlighted above in our example)

3. Bain Case Interview Examples

Coffee Shop Co. – Help a friend decide whether they should open a coffee shop.

F ashionCo. – Help a fashion company understand why its revenues have been going down.

Private Equitas – Help a private equity company maximize its investment in a portfolio company.

4. Deloitte Case Interview Examples

Footloose  – Help a footwear company improve their market share in the boots category.

Recreation Unlimited – Help a global apparel and sportswear company improve its digital customer experience and its revenue.

Agency V – Help a large federal agency recover from a front-page scandal that sparked investigations and congressional hearings.

Federal Benefits Provider – Help a federal agency that provides benefits to millions of U.S. citizens prepare for a major expansion of its mandate.

5. AT Kearney Case Interview Examples

Promotion Planning – Help a national grocery and drug store chain improve its product promotion strategy.

6. PWC Case Interview Examples

Modernizing a Hotel’s Loyalty Platform – Help simplify and modernize the platform, providing customers with immediate access to their data.

Green Energy – Help an energy company transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Nonprofit Impact – Help a community organization respond to client needs during the pandemic.

Love at First Byte – Help a data management client comply with new regulations.

Prioritizing Ethics and Integrity – Help a software company leverage data analytics to comply with regulations.

7. Accenture Case Interview Examples

Sustainability – Help drive sustainability for an auto manufacturer.

IT integration strategy – Driving merger integration by linking technology systems.

We have more on how to Accenture Case Interviews in our article.

8. Capital One Case Interview Examples

Ice Cream Corporation – Help the president of Ice Cream Corporation grow profits.

9. Oliver Wyman Case Interview Examples

Wumbleworld – Help a China-based theme park operator identify the reasons for declining profits and develop options for reversing the trend.

Aqualine – Help a manufacturer of small power boats determine why its sales growth has slowed and identify opportunities to boost sales.

10. LEK Case Interview Examples

Theater chain – Help a large theater chain identify revenue growth opportunities.

Free Online Case Interview Examples from Consulting Clubs

Need more case interview examples? Here are links to MBA case books compiled by INSEAD, Harvard, Wharton, Darden, and several other business schools.

Recent Consulting Case Interview Examples

• Darden School Of Business 2021-2022 Casebook
• NYU Stern MCA 2020-2021 Casebook
• The Duke MBA Consulting Club Casebook 2021-2022
• Notre Dame Casebook 2022
• Kellogg Consulting Club 2020 Casebook
• FMS Consulting Casebook 2021-22
• INSEAD Consulting Club Casebook 2021
• IIMC Consulting Casebook 2021-22
• UCLA Case Book 2019 – 2020
• Columbia Business School 2021 Casebook
• IIM Lucknow Casebook 2022
• Cornell MBA Johnson Consulting Club Casebook 2020-2021
• Darden School Of Business 2020-2021 Casebook

Older Consulting Case Interview Examples

• 2019 Berkeley Haas School of Business Consulting Club Interview Preparation Guide and Case Interview Examples
• The Duke MBA Consulting Club Casebook 2018-2019
• 2017-2018 McCombs University of Texas at Austin Consulting Case Interview Examples
• Columbia Business School Management Consulting Association Case Interview Examples 2017
• Duke Fuqua School of Business MBA Consulting Case Interview Examples 2016-2017
• NYU Stern MBA MCA Case Interview Examples: 2017
• UCLA Anderson School of Management Consulting Association Case Interview Examples 2015-2015
• Darden Consulting Club Case Interview Examples: 2014-2015
• Yale Life Sciences Consulting Case Interview Examples 2014
• ESADE MBA Consulting Club Case Interview Examples 2014
• Darden Consulting Case Interview Examples: 2012-2013 Edition
• Kellogg Consulting Club Case Interview Examples and Interview Guide: 2012 Edition

Even More Consulting Case Interview Examples

• The Cornell Consulting Club Interview Interview Examples
• Harvard Business School Management Consulting Club Case Interview Examples
• The MIT Sloan School of Management Consulting Club Case Interview Examples and Interview Guide – October 2001
• The Berkeley MBA Haas Consulting Club 2006 Case Interview Examples
• London Business School – The 2006 Consulting Club Case Interview Examples 
• Columbia Business School Management Consulting Association Case Interview Examples – 2006
• Torch the Case – The NYU Stern Consulting Case Interview Examples – 2007 edition 
• Michigan – the Ross School of Business Consulting Club 2010 Case Interview Examples
• Wharton Case Interview Examples by the Wharton Consulting Club – December 2010
• The Duke MBA Consulting Club Case Interview Examples – 2010-2011
• Case Interview Examples by the ESADE MBA Consulting Club 2011  
• INSEAD Consulting Club Handbook and Case Interview Examples – 2011

Still have questions?

If you still have questions on case interview examples, leave them in the comments below. We’ll ask our My Consulting Offer coaches and get back to you with answers.

We have tons of other articles to help you get an offer from one of the top consulting firms. Check out our pages on:

• Case Interview Math
• Case Interview Types
• Case Interview Formulas
• Market Sizing Questions

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Case interview examples – mckinsey, bcg, bain (mbb), deloitte, etc..

Case interview examples – McKinsey, BCG, Bain (MBB), Deloitte etc.

Consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain ( MBB ), Deloitte etc. use the case interview process to assess candidates. It is very difficult to be invited to a consulting case interview, especially with McKinsey, BCG, Bain and Deloitte. And it is even more difficult to do well at case interviews without preparing for them properly. And there are a lot of free case interview examples out there, but it’s difficult to know where to start. So in this article we have listed some of the best free consulting case interview examples available, in one place.

We will cover interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview examples, case books, and materials developed by the team here at FIRMSconsulting.

Before we dive into business case examples, we would like to share with you 2 free resources we prepared for you as a gift, based on FIRMSconsulting book on brain teasers and another FIRMSconsulting book on solving business cases and overall consulting case interview preparation. These downloads include 20 brain teasers including explanations on how to approach solving each of those brain teasers. It also includes a comprehensive estimation cases guide. Estimation cases are very often used in consulting, either as a separate case or as part of a larger case. As part of your preparaton for consulting case interviews, you will certainly come across various estimation cases. It is crucial for you to learn how to solve them. You can get links to download copies of both resources below. It is completely free. Get it now and thank us later. Enjoy!

FREE GIFT #1

Bonus tutorial download, 20 brain teasers with answers and explanations.

1. McKinsey case interview examples

• Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
• Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
• Transforming a national Education system case interview (McKinsey website)
• GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
• McKinsey cost-benefit approach complex profit case interview example (by FIRMSconsulting.com)
• Comprehensive McKinsey hypotheses based case interview example (by FIRMSconsulting.com)
• Complex McKinsey Interviewer led profitability case in Pharma (by FIRMSconsulting.com) – See below

2. BCG case interview examples

• Interactive case questions (BCG website)
• Distribution strategy for sugar cereals Inc case sample (BCG website)
• Comprehensive BCG interviewer led market entry case interview example (by FIRMSconsulting.com) – See below

3. Bain case interview examples

• Written case interview tips (Bain website)
• Bain case interview questions (Bain website)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

• Finance Strategy Federal Health Agency case question (Deloitte website)
• Footloose case question (by Deloitte)
• Retail Strategy Club Co, case question (Deloitte website)

FREE GIFT #2

A comprehensive estimation cases guide, 5. accenture case interview examples.

• Case interview workbook (by Accenture)

6. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

• Presentation overview with sample questions and tips (by Strategy& PWC)

7. A.T. Kearney case interview example

• Consulting case book and case interview examples (by A.T. Kearney)
• Promotional planning case sample (A.T. Kearney website)

8. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

• Aqualine power boats case example (Oliver Wyman website)
• Wumbleworld theme park case sample (Oliver Wyman website)

9. OC&C strategy consultants case interview examples

• Imported Whiskey in an emerging market case example (by OC&C strategy consultants)
• Leisure Club data interpretation case sample (by OC&C strategy consultants)

10. Capital One case interview examples

• Case interview study guide for business analysts  (Capital One website)

FREE GIFT #3

Bonus download, proven strategies for effective leadership and results, 11. general case interview examples.

• A comprehensive approach to brainstorming in case interviews (by FIRMSconsulting.com)
• Framework for a Bain, McKinsey, BCG acquisition case (by FIRMSconsulting.com) – See below

• Comprehensive McKinsey, BCG, Bain operations case approach (by FIRMScnsulting.com) – See below

12. Consulting clubs case interview examples

• Harvard case book (2011) 
• MIT case book (2001)
• Wharton case book (2010)
• Berkeley case book (2006)
• Columbia case book (2006)
• Duke case book (2011)
• Duke case book (2014)
• Darden case book (2012-2013)
• Ross case book (2010)
• ESADE case book (2011)
• Goizueta case book (2006)
• Illinois case book (2015-2016)
• LBS case book (2006)
• Notre Dame case book (2017-2018)

Structured case interview preparation approach is needed

If you haven’t done so already, remember to get your copies of 2 free resources we prepared for you that will help you in your consulting case interview preparation. Free gift #2 also includes another free case interview example, an estimation case example with a detailed answer. Please see links below:

If you would like to fast track your case interview preparation and maximize your chances of getting an offer from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte etc, we welcome you to train with us. The Consulting Offer program, which is a part of Premium membership , was designed specifically for this purpose.

There is nowhere else in the world where you can see real candidates trained by former partners from major consulting firms. You will see the candidate’s progression through each step of the case interview preparation process. And you will see candidates receiving real offers from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte etc.

PREMIUM MEMBERS RECEIVE IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO:

FOUNDATIONAL PROGRAMS AKA CASE INTERVIEWS: TCO Solution Videos TCO I, Felix, McKinsey Offer TCO I, Sanjeev, joins BCG TCO I, Rafik TCO I, Samantha TCO II, Alice Qinhua Zhou joins McKinsey NYC, trained by Kevin P. Coyne TCO II, Michael Klein TCO III, Jennifer Nwankwo joins Bain TCO III, Zach Steinfeld joins Deloitte S&O TCO IV, Assel joins McKinsey TCO IV, Tom & The Experienced Hire Program TCO IV, Sizan & Prepares for McKinsey & BCG TCO V, Ritika Mohan joins McKinsey Insights from Coaching & TCO

CORE STRATEGY: DETAILED: How McKinsey, BCG et al. Runs an Engagement (275 videos) First 90 Days in Consulting Business Case Analysis

All conveniently available as: 900+ hours of partner-led training No Internet required. Sync videos to watch offline, or connect with Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G Push App to the background and play audio Streaming videos Automatically beam videos from your phone to your Chromecast or AirPlay-enabled devices Create playlists Pick up where you left off

It’s all included, every month that you choose to be a member.

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