Navigating the complexities of BCG case interviews can be simplified with the right approach and preparation techniques. With over 30,000 candidates successfully guided through this process, we understand that the journey typically begins with rigorous resume screening, where a staggering 90% of candidates face elimination. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the essential steps and skills you need to master, ensuring you move from uncertainty to confidence in securing your dream role at BCG.
BCG Case Interview Tips
BCG case interviews don’t have to be complicated. Over the years we have managed to develop a simple step-by-step system to get you from ‘What are case interviews like at BCG?’ to ‘I am confident I can get a job at BCG’. We have helped more than 30,000 candidates prepare for their consulting interviews, and in this guide, we have summarised the most important things you need to know to prepare for your BCG case interviews.
The first step towards getting an offer at BCG is understanding the process you will go through and the skills BCG will be testing you on. In most countries, this process entails three steps: resume and cover letter screening, first round interviews, and second round interviews. Initially, recruiters will look at your resume and assess if your experience matches the open position. This is the most competitive step in the process—we’ve found that 90% of candidates don’t make it past this stage.
Moreover, BCG will also test your creativity and business sense. As a consultant, you will often have to generate innovative ideas to solve the business problem at hand which is why consulting firms want to test you on this. For instance, your interviewer could ask you to generate ideas on how to attract more visitors to an amusement park, or how to decrease the park’s costs.
Case interviews can be challenging; however, they can be broken down into seven different types of questions. If you can consistently solve each type, you will be able to crack cases successfully, which will help you secure an offer at BCG. Therefore, learning to solve each type of question should be your primary objective as you prepare for interviews.
Additionally, every time you answer one of your interviewer’s questions, you should suggest a next step. For example, “To summarise, I think we should look into revenues and costs to solve this problem. As a next step, my suggestion is to analyse revenues in more detail.” By making this suggestion and asking for more information, you demonstrate leadership on the case.
Preparing for a BCG case interview can feel daunting, and landing an offer may seem like a landmine. If you don’t know where to start and how to structure your preparation, this chapter provides a comprehensive preparation plan with three mandatory phases:
- Discovery: Understanding the landscape and the rules of the game.
- Practice: Practice case interviews and transform your knowledge into skills.
- Mastery: Get feedback to fine-tune your skills.
Case interviews are indeed challenging, but they’re far from insurmountable with the right approach. Start early, ditch memorized frameworks, develop consistent routines, build your business sense, seek qualitative feedback, and practice with those who’ve been in your shoes. Time is of the essence; preparing for a case interview isn’t something you can cram into a week. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You need to develop a range of consulting skills that meet the high standards of firms like BCG.
It’s important to ditch the memorized frameworks; memorization kills your chances. You may be tempted to memorize frameworks to tackle case questions, but don’t. Learning frameworks by heart stifles your creativity and limits your adaptability. Real-world cases are complex and varied; a one-size-fits-all approach won’t be effective.
Furthermore, develop the right routines—consistency is key. Think of it as training for a sport. Practicing mental calculations should be a daily routine, and maintaining a consistent practice schedule is essential to build and refine the skills needed for the BCG case interview.
So what’s the best way to prepare for your BCG case interviews? First, become really confident at maths; you don’t have to have a perfect GPA or GMAT score to succeed at case interview maths. Also, familiarize yourself with case frameworks and the kind of analysis you will be asked to do in the interview. You can find case examples in this booklet and on our website.
In addition, the best way to prepare for BCG case interviews is to practice, practice, and practice some more! Live practice will enable you to better understand the flow of a BCG case and build your competency.
Lastly, here are some tips for the BCG written case interview: Show your synthesis skills by including an executive summary with your key takeaways at the beginning. Also, research BCG thoroughly; understanding BCG’s work, their approach to consulting, and their values will help you tailor your application effectively.
BCG Case Study Frameworks
BCG Case Study Analysis Examples:
- VF Case Study: VF offers a compelling example of a company using a sharp focus on value creation to chart its transformation course. In the early 2000s, VF had a strong management but limited organic growth. Its “jeanswear” and intimate-apparel businesses, although responsible for 80 percent of revenues, were mature, low-gross-margin segments. The transformation comprised:
- A Strong Commitment to Value Creation as the Company’s Focus
- Relentless Cost Management
- A Major Transformation of the Portfolio
- The Creation of a High-Performance Culture
- Leading CPG Player: A leading consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) player struggled to respond to challenging market dynamics. A comprehensive transformation was needed, including several cost-reduction initiatives. The company saved 10 percent on logistics in the first 12 months and launched initiatives in targeted distribution that drove a 4 percent jump in gross sales.
- European Bank Transformation: A leading bank in Europe is undergoing a multiyear transformation of its operating model. Using an end-to-end process approach, all activities broke down into roughly 250 processes. Employees from different functions actively participated in improvements, achieving a consistent 15 to 25 percent increase in productivity.
- Barmer GEK Case: Barmer GEK launched a major transformation effort to fundamentally improve customer experience. The first step involved a delayering program that streamlined management layers, leading to significant savings and enhanced accountability.
- Supply Chain Transformation Approach: BCG’s approach emphasizes the importance of coordination, digital enablement, and speed. Understanding dependencies enables each function to perform its own design, building, and execution in coordination with other teams.
- End-to-End Supply Chain Blueprint: To manage the complexity of supply chain transformation, companies need a blueprint that clarifies how each function’s assumptions affect transformation and others. Dependencies between distribution and ordering should be visible to all participants.
- Innovation for Global Retailer: BCG supported the end-to-end supply chain transformation of a global retailer facing strain due to rapid growth. Key limitations were identified in cross-functional coordination and data enablement, crucial for realizing ambitious growth plans, including international expansion.
BCG Case Study Frameworks:
- BCG is a global management consulting firm, recognized as a leading advisor on business strategy. It partners with clients across various sectors.
- Five real-world examples illustrate the benefits for companies successfully implementing transformation strategies.
Case Study Example: BCG Expensive Oil Case.
What is the price per litre the company should charge to maximize profits on gasoline sales? Options: €1.5, €1.6, €1.7, €1.8.
Examples of BCG Case Studies
A luxury retail company had been growing market share by opening walk-in stores in upscale shopping malls around the world.
When shareholder return leveled off, the retailer commissioned an external review. The report was candid—and bleak. The company had systematically neglected its marketing operations and now faced increased competition. Profitability was down 10% year-on-year, and the company’s premium brand value was eroding.
Initially, leaders planned a narrow effort: trimming EBITDA margins by closing stores and moving the core retail business online. However, a full review revealed such moves would hamper future growth and impair long-term performance. They could no longer rely on foot traffic and the halo effect from shopping mall placements next to luxury brands.
Instead, the company adopted a more ambitious idea: decentralize its operating model and rebuild the brand. Merchandising authority moved to regional decision-makers, who understood local customer preferences and sourced locally at less expense.
To cut costs, the company streamlined its distribution and order-taking processes. Savings were reinvested to regain the brand’s emotional impact. Ultimately, with a holistic cost transformation, the company saved $400m off its run rate costs within a year. They set aside $100m in savings and improved the topline enough to reinvest $450m in growth efforts for two consecutive years.
Only a few months after their IPO, the leaders of a technology hardware company were stressed. They had set ambitious targets, promising B2B and B2C revenue growth. After missing those targets for two consecutive quarters, the company’s share price dropped 40%.
The company responded by rolling out a busy portfolio of initiatives targeting improvements but gained little traction. Recognizing their fragmented efforts, the team held a two-day meeting to think strategically and make difficult choices.
Analysis showed they could not address both consumer and industrial applications effectively. The design and sales efforts required distinct expertise. The solution was to increase focus on home security products and deprioritize B2B offerings.
With this decision made, the company could work through prioritized initiatives with greatest impact on the consumer market. This new direction calmed investors and bought time for eventual B2C expansion. They developed a short-term roadmap with action steps for prioritized initiatives, assigning teams and defining deliverables.
This improved focus catalyzed support from the organization and built momentum for the revised program. By year-end, the share price had increased seven-fold.
The impact of an external shock, like a supply chain crisis or a disruptive competitor, may seem limited to one part of the company. Leaders often instinctively try to address the most obvious pain point in isolation, providing only temporary fixes.
Better alternatives involve identifying underlying issues causing problems. If shock is symptomatic of a complicated issue, solutions calling for broader transformations are essential.
A leading bank in Europe is in the process of a multiyear transformation of its operating model.
Barmer GEK, Germany’s largest public health insurer, has a successful history spanning 130 years and has been named one of the top 100 brands in Germany.
Nokia’s leader-driven transformation reinvents the company, showcasing its journey from dominating the mobile-phone industry to reinventing itself after exiting that business.
A case study of a leading global retailer emphasizes how BCG’s transformative end-to-end supply chain approach harmonizes disparate elements, fosters cross-functional alignment, and promotes transformation.
Two BCG case studies highlight impactful examples of successful SCCT deployments by government entities. Despite differing contexts, SCCTs served as effective tools for transformation in both cases.
Preparing for BCG Case Interviews
To prepare for the BCG interview process, use the following:
- A smartphone to record yourself.
- Zoom or our reliable video interview platform, which tests your skills and knowledge in specific industries.
- Practice using the STAR+R method for your answers and review your responses to enhance your interview skills.
The BCG online case assessment, known as the BCG Chatbot interview, involves solving a case study presented by a chatbot named Casey. This format helps BCG measure key consulting skills such as:
- Structuring
- Business sense
- Math skills
- Graph interpretation
- Problem-solving
Practice case interviews by studying previous BCG case studies for better online case assessment preparation. Use the SCQA framework to structure your responses for open-ended questions, ensuring clarity in your thought process.
It’s important to have a strong grasp of basic business concepts like:
- Profitability
- Market sizing
- Cost structures
The BCG Pymetrics tests evaluate your social, emotional, and cognitive traits through 12 games. Focus on being authentic and self-reflective, as this assessment measures your natural traits.
To pass the BCG numerical test, revise key math concepts such as:
- Percentages
- Graphs
- Averages
- Basic algebra
Practice with tests similar to the BCG quantitative reasoning test to familiarize yourself with the format, including various data representation forms like charts, graphs, and tables.
BCG’s case interviews simulate real consulting tasks. Expect to experience a written case study during the recruitment process, providing an opportunity for skill assessment.
Demystify case interviews with prep quizzes and top tips. For example, when tasked with building a business case to reduce environmental impact, expect questions that require thoughtful discussion.
This is the complete guide to boosting your BCG case interview prep in 2023, offering detailed strategies for effective preparation specific to BCG.
Prepare for your BCG interviews by running mock interviews and answering typical interview questions relevant to your application role.
