How many practice cases should I do?

Most successful candidates do somewhere between fifteen and thirty live cases with a partner, spread over several weeks.

Can I use a standard framework?

Use them as a checklist in your head, not as a script. A structure tailored to the specific problem scores better than profitability-tree-by-default.

What if I make an arithmetic mistake?

Catch it, say so, correct it and carry on. Interviewers accept errors far better than a candidate who plainly knows and hopes they missed it.

How important is the fit interview?

It is genuinely scored and often decides between candidates who both handled the case well.

Management consultant interview questions and preparation

A consulting interview has two halves: a case interview, where you structure and solve a business problem out loud, and a fit interview, where your motivation and past evidence are assessed. Both are scored; candidates usually underprepare the second.

Written by Ace Editorial · Published 23 September 2026 · Last updated 23 September 2026

How does a case interview work?

You are given a business problem, you ask clarifying questions, lay out a structure, work through it with the interviewer's data, and finish with a recommendation.

Clarify the objective and the success measure
Lay out a structure and say how you will use it
Work through branches, doing arithmetic out loud and cleanly
Synthesise: recommendation first, then the two or three reasons

What is scored in a case interview?

Structure, numeracy, judgement about what matters, and whether you can be led without losing the thread.

A memorised framework applied rigidly scores badly. Interviewers want a structure built for this problem, even a simple one, and stated before you dive in.

How do you answer a market sizing question?

Start from a population you can defend, apply explicit assumptions in a visible chain, and sanity-check the answer at the end.

Example

"Roughly 28 million UK households, about 60% with a car, an average of 1.3 cars each — about 22 million cars. Say a tyre lasts three years and there are four per car, that's around 29 million replacement tyres a year. I'd sanity-check that against fleet data if I had it."

What is the fit interview and what is asked?

A structured conversation about leadership, impact and motivation: why consulting, why this firm, a time you led, a time you persuaded someone, a time you failed.

Firms expect two or three well-prepared stories with your personal contribution and a measurable result, told in around two minutes each.

How should you prepare?

Do live practice cases with another person — twenty or so — and write out your fit stories in full before you rehearse them.

Reading case books alone does not prepare you for being interrupted, which is most of what happens in a real case.

What questions should you ask?

Ask about the kind of work in the office you are joining, how staffing works, and what the first year actually looks like day to day.

Frequently asked questions

How many practice cases should I do?: Most successful candidates do somewhere between fifteen and thirty live cases with a partner, spread over several weeks.
Can I use a standard framework?: Use them as a checklist in your head, not as a script. A structure tailored to the specific problem scores better than profitability-tree-by-default.
What if I make an arithmetic mistake?: Catch it, say so, correct it and carry on. Interviewers accept errors far better than a candidate who plainly knows and hopes they missed it.
How important is the fit interview?: It is genuinely scored and often decides between candidates who both handled the case well.

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