Consulting Interview Preparation

Introduction

In this set of notes I have tried to collate the material and understanding that I think would have been useful for me, as I got started with my consulting interview preparation. You are likely to find more popular resources, which are better targeted at case solving. This notebook contains a slightly wider range of topics that should help right from the first day of B-school, up until the interview itself. I have also tried to keep each section a little crisp, since this is only a guide to preparation, and you will need to spend enough time preparing, outside of just reading this. That being said, I do believe that following each step of this guide will put you in the strongest possible position for securing the internship / position of your choice.
Below are the contents of this notebook, along with the recommended timeline for each phase. I have assumed that the term would start on the 1st of August and that the interview would be on the 1st of December. If that is not the case, do adjust your planned timelines, with the key reference point being the date of the interview.

1. understanding the process (from the firm's PoV) - First 2 weeks of August

  1. Shortlisting
  2. Buddy calls
  3. Dinners
  4. Interviews

2. foundations (basic preparation) - Full month of September

  1. Resumes and applications
  2. Communication
  3. Structuring
  4. Guesstimates

3. case preparation - End of September to middle of October

  1. 3 parts of a case (clarifying, solving, synthesising)
  2. 4 types of case (profitability, market entry, pricing, unconventional)
  3. Solving cases (walkthrough for all case types)
  4. Giving cases
  5. Tips & Tricks (writing, recapping, communicating, presenting)
  6. Frameworks

4. shortlist stage - Middle of October to end of November

  1. Case groups
  2. Sourcing cases (where/whom, how, how many)
  3. Buddies
  4. Dinners

5. personal interview preparation - Briefly read in August and then thoroughly in the last 2 weeks of November

  1. Story lining
  2. Short and long versions
  3. Useful questions
  4. Polishing up

6. interview day - Last 2 weeks of November

YouTube Playlist

The majority of the content covered in these notes has also been covered in video format, and is available on youtube. The youtube playlist is not as comprehensive as the notes, but is more illustrative (especially for guesstimates & cases), and provides an easier run through of all of the contents in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
YouTube playlist link:

Strategy Consulting Interview Preparation