Preparing for consulting interviews? Your peers are here to help! For an update to our consulting interview tips, we reached out to some experts—students who have successfully gone through the process.
Read on for their tips and advice on casing, digital assessments, and behavioral interviews.
Student-Vetted Casing Resources
- Crafting Cases: If you’re just getting started with case prep, this free 7-day course may be for you.
- RocketBlocks: Well-structured, free guides on consulting cases, the MECE principle (mutually exclusive, completely exhaustive), consulting career paths, and the future consulting.
- Prep Lounge: If you have some time to try it out, you can use their free case partner sign-up to find fellow aspiring consultants to practice with. We hear from students that it can be a bit hit or miss, but that if you stick with it you may be able to find long-term case prep buddies.
If you’re unfamiliar with what a case might look like in practice, we definitely recommend watching a few examples on firm websites or YouTube.
Student Tips on Consulting Interviews
1. Live practice is key.
Whether you’re practicing for a case interview or a behavioral one, be sure to practice aloud—when possible, with another person. In interviews, consulting firms are not only evaluating you on the substance of your responses, but in how you deliver them. Practicing aloud is the best way to ensure that you can effectively communicate your thought process, show your poise, and convince the interviewer that you’re someone who they can imagine working directly with clients.
2. Don’t neglect your behavioral interview prep!
Though case interviews are central to most consulting processes, don’t forget about behavioral interviews! At McKinsey, for example, the Personal Experience Interview counts for 50% of your evaluation as a candidate. Read through firm tips on this interview, prep independently on Big Interview or with friends, and schedule a 30-minute practice interview with a career counselor to get feedback.
3. Doing a digital assessment? Familiarize yourself in advance, but Don’t stress too much.
Many consulting firms now offer some sort of digital assessment as their first screening. For example, for Accenture, this looks like an online, multiple-choice version of a case interview. For BCG, you’ll play pymetrics games, and for McKinsey you’ll do two gamified assessments on the Imbellus platform, where you’ll design an ecosystem and play a tower defense game.
Students recommend watching videos and reading tips online to familiarize yourself with the platform and, in the case of the McKinsey assessments, understand the qualities being assessed and the rules of the game in advance. For the ecosystem game, you may want to use a spreadsheet to keep organized. If you’ve played games like Civilization, Sim City, Bloons Tower Defense, or Plants vs. Zombies, these assessments may feel somewhat familiar.
Finally, students who have been through it admitted that the assessment process is opaque, so try not to stress too much. Don’t wait until the last minute to do the assessments, and make sure that you’re in a quiet place with a good internet connection. (If it’s during the work day, you can request an interview room in advance at CCE.)
Got More Tips?
Are there other resources you’ve found particularly helpful for your consulting interview prep? Let us know!
