As third-year students, passing out of Shri Ram College of Commerce, after a rigorous placement season, our team wanted to pass on the knowledge that we gathered throughout this year, to aspirants stepping into our shoes in the coming years.
After extensively preparing for consulting companies in the last two years and cracking interviews of multiple corporate giants including the likes of Kearney, Accenture Strategy, ZS Associates & Zomato, we decided to go ahead with the preparation for consulting companies as our main subject.
This book happens to be University of Delhi's first Consulting Case Book, having details pertaining to the case interviews of the big shots in the space. We have gathered resources from our experience and from our fellow candidates placed at McKinsey & Co., Kearney, BCG, Dalberg, L. E. K. Consulting, Kepler Cannon, Accenture Strategy, Zomato, Bain & Company, etc. This book contains end-to-end transcripts from the case interviews mentioned above, frameworks related to different case types, and all other details for a candidate to secure a job in the consulting space.
We put our heart and soul into our journeys of preparing for these interviews because of how much we aspired to achieve our goals. Naturally, we also faced roadblocks at every step. We felt the need to come up with this case book because one of the major roadblocks was that there were next to no case books at the undergraduate level, as most of the case books are by post-graduate students for their college placements only. We had to look for interviews online and contact seniors to know about their interviews. We decided that we wouldn't want our juniors to spend time and energy in collating these resources before they started their actual preparation.
With our aim to reach out to every student, regardless of their background, we will make our book available free of cost so that it is just a click away for anyone who needs it.
Lastly, we would also like to recommend other resources that we used for our preparation - we found Case Interviews Cracked and IIM-A's case books to be useful references.
Guide to use this casebook
Form a case group
In order to prepare for case interviews, candidates are recommended to form their own case groups, ideally with not more than 4 people in the group. Solve the cases in pairs. One person usually takes on the role of the 'interviewer' and the other, the 'interviewee'. Only the interviewer must go through the case to understand the problem. After this, the 'interviewer' gives the case to the 'interviewee' who makes an attempt to solve the case. Other members of the case group can also be a part of the process by observing the interview. Finally, the members can discuss the case and give their individual insights. The interviewee's solution can be compared to the one in the book to analyze things which could have been approached differently.
Do not read the cases on your own
One of the most important things that a candidate should keep in mind is to never read the case transcripts on their own. The case format involves an interviewer and an interviewee because that methodology is best suited to understand how an actual interview will be like. Reading cases without actually solving them with a partner will not allow a candidate to tweak frameworks and bring in their own element of creativity which is highly rewarded in a case-interview setting. It also gives away answers to most case problems which renders them invalid for further use as you already know the answer to the problem.
Be flexible when it comes to frameworks
There are no strait-jacket solutions to solve a case problem. Frameworks in this book can serve as a guiding tool but are in no way exhaustive for all case types. As a result, try to work with them and incorporate them in your approach for a more structured solution but never try to squeeze a framework where it does not belong. Eventually, as you practice more, you will be able to incorporate finer details in the frameworks that are best suited to how you would like to solve a problem. This is a recommended practice that all candidates should try and adopt; it can be crucial for differentiation when you are competing against other candidates.
Give honest feedback
A setting where honest, constructive feedback is appreciated is important in order to develop case-solving skills. Be open to peer feedback and consult a senior who has gone through the process in case of any clarifications required. Make sure you incorporate the feedback going forward.
Optimal solutions in this book
As authors and editors, we were debating whether the case in this book should be in an as-close-to-perfect form or a direct live transcript. Ultimately, we decided to go ahead with the former. The idea is that when you are practicing these cases yourself or even doing them in interviews, you will never be perfect – and that's alright. But, in your quest to get over the mark, you will need access to information on the best possible solutions, which helps you notice the gaps in your approach. So, fret not if your solutions aren't identical to those in the book, that's by design.
Every case in this book is accompanied with:
Clarifying questions
These are a list of important preliminary questions which should be asked in the context of the case. Similar cases have similar preliminary questions. However, it is important to contextualize the questions with respect to every individual case.
Brownie points
One effective way to catch the interviewer's eye is to mention facts related to the case that not everyone would think of. This demonstrates your knowledge of the world and ability to think in the moment. Although this is not necessary, it makes you stand out, giving you an edge over other candidates.
Keep in mind
These are tips that you can incorporate in the way you approach cases. As and when you solve more cases, you will realize there are certain unsaid rules in the solving process. The 'keep in mind' boxes are a good way to improve the way you communicate your solution to the interviewer.