10 examples of questions for a case interview (Plus Tips on How To Answer Them)
If you want to be a management consultant or work in a similar field, you may have to go through a case interview. During a case interview, a candidate’s analytical and “soft” business skills are put to the test. The best way to make a good impression and show that you would be a good fit for a job in consulting or something similar is to prepare for a case interview.
In this article, we’ll look at 10 examples of case interview questions and talk about how to answer them.
What happens in a case interview?
In a case interview, the candidate is given a business situation and asked to think of a way to deal with it. Case interviews are usually used to get jobs in investment banking or management consulting. Candidates are put through these kinds of interviews to see how well they can think critically and solve problems. Preparing for a job interview is often an important step in the job search process, but case interviews often take more time to prepare for.
Case interview question examples
Here are 10 different kinds of questions for a case interview. You can learn more about how case interview questions are asked and what they might be about by looking at these examples.
A business has a client that is a hotel in New York City, New York. Most of their customers are tourists from other countries. What would these people want to find in a hotel? What about the client’s hotel might make them want to stay there?
This type of question is called a “market-sizing/guesstimate” question, and it is used to see how well a candidate can figure out what qualities or traits an entity or client would value most in a given situation.
How much is Amazon worth right now on the stock market?
This case interview question is about figuring out the value of a business line or company. Its purpose is to see how well a person can analyze and figure out the value of something.
Every year, how many cars are bought in New York?
In case interviews, this is a common question about estimating the market. The question could be about any of these things, and it is used to see how well a candidate can estimate the market by asking smart questions.
XYZ Company is thinking about buying a rival company. Would it be good for XYZ Firm’s business to do this?
You could use this business case question as a case interview question. This kind of question can help an interviewer find out how good a candidate is at making business decisions. For this type of question, you’ll need to ask a few questions that will help you figure out if the business decision is a good one or not.
What do you think has caused the pharmaceutical industry to shrink over the last ten years?
This type of business case question is used to see how well you can analyze information and use it to come up with a good answer about a business trend.
A business just opened to the public, and the owner is trying to figure out what kind of hand dryer to put in the bathroom for customers. You can choose between hot air dryers, paper towels, and roller towels. What questions should the owner ask herself if she has to make a decision this week?
This is a problem-solving question that may be asked during a case interview to see if the candidate can use a hypothesis-driven analysis to come up with a solution. In this case, it would be hard to figure out how to dry your hands.
What would you change to make it easier to use the Bank of America mobile app?
This is another business case question. In this case, the question is asking the candidate to look at an existing product (a mobile app) and figure out what marketing strategies could be used to make it more user-friendly and, therefore, more successful for the client (Bank of America).
Why are the tops of manholes round?
This is a question that is meant to make you think. Brainteasers give the interviewer a chance to see how well you can solve problems and be creative, even if they seem to have nothing to do with the job.
A company that makes different kinds of soda has found that even though it is making a lot of money, it is losing money. What could have caused this to happen?
This is a business case question that can be used to see how well you know business in general and how well you can use your business knowledge in a logical way to answer common questions about organizations.
How many grocery stores are there in the United States?
This question also asks you to estimate the size of a market. To answer this question, you’ll need to answer questions about statistics and use that information to guess a number that best answers the question.
How to answer questions about a case study in an interview
Even though each case interview question is different and may depend on the company and industry where you are interviewing, you can use the following tips to answer most case interview questions:
Take notes:
To make sure you don’t forget anything important, you should write down what you hear about the case interview question. You should also try to rephrase the question to make sure you understand it, and you should write down anything you think you may need to ask more questions about.
Ask questions
Many interviewers expect candidates to ask more than one question when asked to answer a case interview question. Don’t be afraid to ask questions that will help you figure out how to solve the problem best. In fact, you show that you can think critically when you ask smart, well-thought-out questions.
Plan out how you will answer.
Having a well-organized answer is almost as important as giving the right answer. Making sure your answer is clear shows that you know how to get your point across. It can also show the interviewer how you got to your conclusion, which is an important part of case interviews.
