Ace the case from Bain & Co

An interview case study consists of a business problem taken from a real-life business situation, or an example drawn from your resume. It focuses on your analytic approach to the problem, rather than specific business knowledge.

The objective of the interviewer is to take the candidate through a series of steps and see how he/she can tackle the various levels. The steps can range from identifying a critical issue, to breaking a problem into component parts, to finally identifying one or more solutions.

Case preparation
First and foremost, you can succeed in a case interview without specific industry experience. Don't panic if the case you are given is based on an industry with which you are unfamiliar. Remember, we are interested in how you analyze the problem, not how much you know about the industry.

Practicing for the case interview is helpful. Practice by constructing examples from your resume and walking through steps 1—5 below or try an online practice case.

For more tips on the case interview and example questions and answers for the five steps, download the "How to ace the case interview (PDF)." The answers mentioned in this brochure demonstrate only one way to respond to the case; there is no single standard, best answer.

Step 1: Big picture thinking
The interviewer lays out the facts and asks the candidate to articulate the critical issues facing the business. "Big picture thinking" requires a focus on the key issues and not a "laundry list" of every problem facing the business. The interviewer then asks why the candidate chose the answer he/she did.

Step 2: Problem-solving logic
The interviewer asks the candidate to lay out all the elements of the problem: What factors should be considered?

Step 3: Focus on value
The interviewer then lets the candidate choose which avenues to pursue, leaving the discussion open-ended: without suggesting focus, the interviewer determines if the candidate is instinctive about which path to choose and then asks why the candidate selected this path.

Step 4: Depth and breadth—business intuition
After getting the recruit to focus on a key area, the interviewer asks the candidate some probing questions about how he/she would analyze that area.

Step 5: Results orientation
The interviewer returns to a key area of discussion, asking the candidate how he/she would implement his/her solution. The interviewer could pose a tricky or hostile client situation and ask how the candidate would get results in a difficult environment.