Interview Process

We use a case study to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your problem-solving skills. Because the case is likely based on a real client project your interviewer has worked on, you will gain a unique insight into what strategy consulting at BCG is like. 

The case study will feature a business problem that you and the interviewer will seek to solve together. It will not require extensive knowledge of specific industries or processes, and often our cases have no right or wrong answers. Your questions and thought processes are more important to us than coming up with an actual solution.

We hope that you will find the discussion of the case study intellectually stimulating. There is no better way to simulate what we do than to work through one of our cases.

To prepare for the case study discussion, you can review some practice cases at www.bcg.com/careers. The website examples will give you an idea of what to expect in the case study portion of the interview.

While there are no set rules on how to solve a case, we have found that some advice can help you succeed. You should:

• Avoid rushing to a solution without first making sure that you understand the problem

• Ask questions to get all the relevant information you need and rely on your interviewer to help you get on the right track

• Make assumptions, but be transparent about the assumptions you are making

• Perform a sanity check when doing calculations—you will score extra points for this

• Take hints from the interviewer; we want you to succeed, and we don't play games

• Be flexible: if your approach is not leading to a solution, pause, rethink the key issues and adjust your approach

• Explore what is important and what is not; focus on the former and don't let yourself be held up by the latter

• Resist the urge to rely on a textbook approach or conventional wisdom

• Seek creative and innovative approaches to solving the case

One last piece of advice: be yourself and have fun discussing the case. If you find this an exciting and entertaining experience, you'll likely enjoy being a consultant at BCG.