Not all consulting case interviews follow the same format. Some focus on market sizing, while others dive into growth strategies or M&A scenarios. Understanding the unique nuances of these specialized cases can make or break your interview performance.
1. Market Sizing
- Approach: Start by clarifying the customer segment, geography, and any constraints. Then use top-down or bottom-up methods to calculate the market size.
- Key Skills: Quick math, logical assumptions, and clear presentation of thought process.
- Common Mistakes: Inconsistent assumptions, overlooking critical segments, or ignoring potential growth factors.
2. Growth Strategy
- Approach: Identify core revenue drivers, potential new markets or product lines, and assess internal vs. external expansion options.
- Key Skills: Combining frameworks like the 4Ps with creative thinking to propose practical growth levers.
- Common Mistakes: Lack of prioritization among growth options or ignoring resource constraints.
3. Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Approach: Evaluate strategic fit, synergies (revenue and cost), deal structure, and potential risks.
- Key Skills: Financial acumen, understanding synergy realization, and awareness of cultural integration challenges.
- Common Mistakes: Focusing solely on financials while neglecting operational alignment or integration complexities.
4. Operations Improvement
- Approach: Pinpoint the bottlenecks in the value chain—be it procurement, production, logistics, or after-sales. Apply lean principles or cost-analysis frameworks to propose efficiency measures.
- Key Skills: Familiarity with operational KPIs, root-cause analysis, and process redesign.
- Common Mistakes: Over-simplifying operational issues or failing to factor in change management efforts.
Tailoring your method to the specific case type allows you to demonstrate both depth and versatility. By preparing for these specialized scenarios, you'll showcase your ability to tackle diverse, real-world challenges that consulting firms handle every day.
Strengthen your case interview arsenal with our guides on MECE structure fundamentals and mental math mastery. These core skills will help you excel across all case interview types, from market sizing to M&A analysis.