Module 0: Consulting Foundations
What a Case Round Is (and What Happens in the Room)
Case interview: working definition
A simulated 30-40 minute business problem, usually in a consulting job interview. The interviewer (often a consultant at the firm) reads you a prompt about a real company facing a decision. You ask clarifying questions, build a structure, test a hypothesis with data they provide, do math out loud if needed, and end with a top-down recommendation.
You are graded on HOW you think, not on one correct number. Two candidates can reach different conclusions and both pass if their logic is clean.
Note
What a case round is NOT
Not a trivia quiz. Not a finance exam. Not memorising Porter's Five Forces or the 4Cs and forcing them onto every prompt. Not a test of whether you already know the industry. The interviewer expects you to reason from first principles using structure and judgment.
| Role | What they do in the room |
|---|---|
| Interviewer | Reads the prompt; answers your clarifying questions; releases data or exhibits when you ask; pushes back on your logic; scores five skills (structure, communication, quant, judgment, presence) |
| You | Restate the prompt; clarify scope; present an issue tree; hypothesise early; request specific data; interpret numbers; compute out loud; recommend top-down with risks and a next step |
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MECE: Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive
MECE (pronounced "mee-see") is how consultants split a problem so the parts do not overlap and nothing important is left out.
Mutually Exclusive: each branch is a different cause. In a profitability case, "Revenue" and "Cost" do not double-count the same driver.
Collectively Exhaustive: the branches together cover the whole problem. If profit = revenue - cost, Revenue and Cost at level 1 leave no third bucket.
An issue tree is the diagram you present: level 1 comes from the governing equation for the case type; level 2 and 3 drill into the branch you will test first. Full MECE method is in Module 0, chapter C.
Minute-by-minute timeline (typical 30-min case)
1
0:00-1:30 Clarify
Take notes silently. Restate the prompt. Ask 2-3 questions whose answers would change your structure (goal, scope, constraints).
2
1:30-5:00 Structure
Ask for a minute. Present a MECE issue tree built from the governing equation for this case type.
Profitability: level 1 is Revenue vs Cost (profit = revenue - cost). Under Revenue, a MECE level 2 is Price vs Volume. No overlap, no gap.
Market sizing: level 1 is Population x Penetration x Frequency x Unit price. Each factor is its own branch.
Before you finish, run two checks out loud: (1) could any driver sit in two branches? If yes, fix overlap. (2) is anything missing? If yes, add a branch or rename level 1.
Say which branch you will test first; that sets up the hypothesis step.
3
5:00-8:00 Hypothesise
State which branch you think holds the answer and why. Name the single piece of data that would confirm or kill it.
4
8:00-20:00 Test and update
Receive data from the interviewer. Interpret it against your hypothesis. Pivot openly if contradicted. Go one level deeper on the branch that matters.
5
20:00-25:00 Math (if needed)
Sizing, margin math, or breakeven: write the equation first, round aggressively, talk through each step, sanity-check the result.
6
25:00-30:00 Recommend
Lead with the answer in one sentence. Three prioritised reasons with numbers. Two risks with mitigations. One concrete next step.
| Stage | What happens | India campus note | Global 1-year MBA note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-round networking | Coffee chats, firm events (optional but common) | IIM/ISB: Aug-Oct before finals window | INSEAD/LBS: often starts within weeks of programme start |
| Round 1 | 1 case + 1-2 behavioral questions (~45-60 min) | Often phone or video first at some firms | Similar; cover letter may be read more carefully |
| Round 2 | 2 cases or 1 deep case + extended fit | MBB India finals: 2-3 day compressed window | 2-4 rounds over 4-8 weeks; no summer internship round for 1Y programmes |
| Final / partner | Case + culture fit with senior interviewer | Partner round common at MBB India | Partner or principal round; offer within days to 2 weeks |
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