GETTING STARTEDSo you want to be a consultant. And you know that case interviews are an important tool consulting firms use to gauge how candidates might perform on the job. Dont worry. These practice cases, a partner, and lots of practice, are all you need. Doing well in a case interview is a matter of practice and preparation. Case interview skills are something you learn, not something youre born with. This book will help you review key concepts and expose you to an array of business issues. By practicing these cases, you will learn to present a clear, concise, focussed, and organized flow of logical thoughts while analyzing a business problem. Remember that the field is growing and firms are starved for good candidates. All they need is a reason to hire you.HOW TO USE THESE CASESThese practice cases are designed to simulate the case interview experience for you and a partner. You should proceed as you would in an actual interview. This is your opportunity to sharpen your presentation, analytical and other critical skills while under fire. You should have a pen and a pad of paper on which to take notes, and a natural but professional disposition. Read the question, but only read the recommended solutions when you have first explored and exhausted all possible answers.ABOUT THE QUESTIONSMany of the questions presented are taken from actual case interviews with top firms. Others were developed specifically for this book. The questions vary in scope and length, and cover a broad range of industries and business problems. They are often intentionally vague. It is up to you to define the problems presented within the case materials. Only through practice will you develop a sense of the types of questions frequently asked. Acknowledgements and thanks go to the respective management consulting clubs of Chicago, Michigan, MIT, Stanford, and Wharton from which many of these cases are derived.ABOUT THE SOLUTIONSThere are no correct solutions per se, only effective and ineffective methods of investigating the problem. The solutions provided are only recommended (and in some cases only provide information and no solution at all), and provide you with some guidance as to what a typical answer might entail. Some may find the proposed solutions to be inadequate or factually incorrect. Your answers may be better. Also, information presented in solutions is not necessarily correct or factual.Solutions are often incomplete. It is up to the interviewer to provide additional information. Your partner, in administering the mock interview, should not necessarily adhere to the solutions too strictly. Instead, your partner should be creative and flexible to keep the experience real. While you are being tested for your ability to structure a solution, do not simply use a framework as a crutch. While practicing, learn to develop your own methods and frameworks. Finally, dont memorize answers you need are interview skills, not answers.YOUR ROLE AS THE INTERVIEWEEConduct mock case interviews as if they were live. You are a hunter sniffing for clues, a doctor determining where does it hurt. Do not to merely provide an answer to the question. Your goal is to investigate the question and expose problems, then examine solutions. You should demonstrate your ability to assess facts, prioritize information, organize lines of investigation, and present a thorough and transparent thought process. The purpose of the case interview is to test your analytical and presentation skills, and your mettle. Remain poised, calm, and enthusiastic. Never lose your temper or your cool, just remain professional and deal with adversity. You should make your thinking process available to the interviewer. S/he should know exactly what your are thinking and why. Too often, interviewees provide solid answers to difficult questions, but fail to adequately explain how they deduced their conclusions or why. As you practice, seek feedback on many aspects of your conduct, not merely whether or not you nailed the answer.YOUR PARTNERS ROLE AS THE INTERVIEWERConduct each mock case interview as you might a live interview. Vary your degree of aloofness and warmth, and the help you provide to your partner. Further, do not merely follow the suggested solution, use your creativity to fill in blanks. But keep your partner on track with helpful hints. Your main goal is to simulate the case experience for your partner, and to provide meaningful feedback that helps your partner improve her interview skills.SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT AS YOU BEGINLanding a job in consulting requires tremendous effort, case interview practice, persistence, and networking. And thats the easy part. The long hours, miles of travel, lack of personal life, and other drawbacks are not an exaggeration. Make sure you want consulting, and be prepared to explain why. Search yourself thoroughly. Can