Demystifying Case Interviews

This book aims to demystify case interviews and give you guidelines and advice about how to prepare for them.

Preface

1. Why do consulting fi rms use case interviews?
1.1 What do recruiters look for?
1.2 What types of case interviews will I face?
1.3 And besides … case interviews are not the whole story

2. How do I prepare for and approach case interviews?
2.1 Prepare for interview
2.1.1 Review methods and frameworks
2.1.2 Renew your tables and practice mental arithmetic
2.1.3 Practice cases with fellow students
2.2. How to crack cases

3. Getting down to cases
3.1 A real-life case example
3.2 Examples of cases, solutions and approaches
3.2.1 Business case
3.2.2 Estimation case
3.2.4 Interpersonal case
3.2.5 Brainteasers

Appendix A: Frameworks

Appendix B: Sources of additional information

About Quartz Strategy Consultants

Many candidates are nervous about case interviews. The specific case cannot be prepared for in advance – you don't know what the case will be – so many candidates feel they are more challenging than traditional job interviews.

Yet case interviews are increasingly used to recruit master candidates. Consultancies led the way in using them, but more and more companies are adding case interviews to the recruiting process.

Why? Because more and more candidates are doing project-related work, and because the case interview is an effective tool for judging a candidate's ability to approach and solve real-life issues.

This book aims to demystify case interviews and give you guidelines and advice about how to prepare for them.

The authors have extensive experience in using case interviews for recruiting – and have a rich understanding of how candidates perceive case interviews. So we feel fully equipped to sort out the myths and realities of case interviews as seen from a candidate perspective.

We hope to help you become comfortable with case interviews, so that they can help show your true potential.

We hope that you will find this book accessible and helpful in preparing for case interviews.