case study example for accounting interview

By Mike Simpson

Updated 6/11/2022.

When you’re trying to land a new accounting position, the accounting interview questions you’ll face can be doozies. While you’re going to see some classic ones – like the infamous “ Tell me about yourself ” – you’re also going to have to tackle some surprising ones.

Luckily, preparing for the unexpected isn’t as challenging as you’d think. If you want to bend those accounting interview questions to your will, here’s how to make that happen.

How to Answer Accounting Interview Questions

Before we dig into the actual accountant interview questions you’ll tee off against, let’s spend a moment on something that’s equally important. You need to know how to answer these questions properly, particularly because you could face stiff competition.

Overall, there are 1.32 million people working in accounting jobs in the US, so at least a few of the other candidates likely have strong skills. So, how do you make sure you get these questions right? By embracing a winning strategy.

To begin, consider what the hiring manager is trying to find. Trust us; they have a perfect candidate in mind. What you need to do is position yourself as close to that ideal as possible while ensuring you remain genuine and honest.

While every accounting role can be a bit different, much of what the hiring managers want to find is the same. They are looking for critical thinkers with superior math skills and strong communicators with prior experience using key pieces of software. Candidates with time management and organizational skills are always going to be favored, as well as those who can work well as part of a team but also handle their responsibilities independently. Having an understanding of relevant laws and regulations is also critical.

IMPORTANT: These are skills and qualities that are usually desirable in an accountant. But as we often discuss on this blog, you need to find out what skills and qualities your specific company/firm is looking for. The best way to do this is by going over your accountant job description with a fine-tooth comb.

Now that you have a solid idea of what the hiring manager is looking for, you have to find a way to convey those details during your interview. Plus, you have to find opportunities that let you stand out from the competition, particularly since most will have credentials similar to yours.

Usually, behavioral interview questions are where you’ll have a chance to shine. But these frequently seem like the trickiest ones to answer. You have to discuss your past experience or how you think you’d act if you encountered various scenarios. Technically, there is no right or wrong answer. However, that doesn’t mean some responses aren’t better than others.

Nailing behavioral interview questions typically requires a two-step approach. First, it’s time for the STAR method . With that approach, you can turn your interview answers into compelling stories, making them tons more engaging than your typical response.

But you can’t stop there. If you want your response to stand out like the north star in the sky, take it up a notch with the Tailoring Method . With that, you can personalize your answers and speak to the company’s or hiring manager’s needs. You are highlighting your capabilities in a way that brings them value, and that’s critical if you want to make a genuine connection.

In fact we we wanted to let you know that we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview. After all, hiring managers will often ask you more generalized interview questions!

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1. How do you track incoming accounting legislation and regulatory changes?

Laws and regulations that impact the accounting world change surprisingly often. With this question, the hiring manager is trying to ensure that you do your part to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

“I’ve found that using a multi-faceted approach allows me to track upcoming accounting legislation and regulatory changes effectively. First, I subscribe to several industry publications and am also a member of a professional organization that sends out newsletters regarding these topics. Second, I follow thought leaders, publications, and specific regulatory bodies on social media, all of which help me stay informed.

“Finally, I created Google Alerts that include keywords relating to these topics. That way, I receive a notification when an article is posted that aligns with the criteria, helping me catch breaking news stories quickly.”

2. How would you explain a complex accounting concept to someone who isn’t as familiar with the field or the terminology?

In many cases, accounting professionals need to convey complex concepts to stakeholders that don’t work in accounting. As a result, the hiring manager wants to know that you can do so effectively.

“Generally, I find the best approach is to use analogies if a term isn’t widely used outside of the world of accounting. I try to relate it to a topic that may feel familiar to them. For example, I may describe a ledger as a record-keeping system that’s not unlike a database, as most people are familiar with databases, at least conceptually.

“For topics that don’t translate well into other areas of expertise, I may also use examples. In my past role, I created samples of many common forms and reports that featured descriptions and definitions for various terms. That allowed me to provide handouts to those who could benefit from the information.”

3. Errors can be detrimental in accounting. How do you reduce the chance that you’ll make a mistake?

As the question suggests, making mistakes in an accounting role leads to trouble. Here, the hiring manager wants to know that you are diligent about avoiding mistakes and can check your own work with ease.

“I use a multi-step approach to help reduce my chances of making an error when inputting financial information. First, I always double-check any entries. Usually, that only takes a moment, and it allows me to catch the vast majority of typos before I complete the given task.

“Second, many accounting solutions have built-in checks that I make sure to take advantage of when there’s an opportunity. Finally, I always review any outputs caused by the information I added, as incorrect numbers may lead to calculation results that are clearly incorrect, signaling to me that there’s a mistake I need to address immediately.”

47 More Accountant Interview Questions

Here are 47 more interview questions for accountants you’ll likely cross paths with:

How would you define the role of an accountant?
Which skills do you think are essential for accountants?
What accounting software solutions are you familiar with?
Can you describe an accounting process that you helped develop or improve?
Tell me about a time you were able to reduce the cost of a critical process or procedure?
Can you tell me about a time when you had to work with a particularly difficult client? How did you handle the situation?
Describe a past experience where you were faced with an incredibly tight deadline. What did you do to make sure you could hand over the deliverable on time?
Tell me about a time when you had to discuss a complex accounting concept with someone who wasn’t familiar with it. How did you make sure they understood?
Please define and describe the three kinds of financial statements and what they contain.
If you spot an error in another accounting professional’s work, what do you do?
Can you tell me about a time when you made a mistake? What did you do once it was spotted?
What is the difference between public and private accounting?
What impact do you think AI and automation will have on accounting?
Do you have prior experience with ERP systems? If so, which ones?
Describe one of the biggest challenges in the accounting field and how you strive to overcome it.
Please describe your experience with Microsoft Excel.
Why did you choose accounting as a career?
What is the difference between accounts payable and accounts receivable?
Do you have any certifications? Do you plan to get any in the near future?
When tax season arrives, are you open to working long hours?
Which accounting skill do you like using the most? What about the least?
Describe your experience with developing business metrics.
Can you tell me about a time you and another accountant did not see eye to eye? How did you handle the situation?
In your previous positions, what processes have you used to estimate bad debt?
Describe your auditing and fraud analysis experience.
What are two types of special journals?
With double-ledger accounting, what ledger elements need to be equal?
What is the minimum number of ledgers a company needs if it has four bank accounts for payment processing?
Why is fraud easier to perpetrate with journal entries instead of ledgers?
What role do you think blockchain will play in the future of the accounting field?
Why is compliance vital in accounting?
Describe your business metrics monitoring experience.
How does a major equipment purchase impact a company’s financial statements?
How can accounting professionals benefit from big data knowledge?
Describe the difference between accounting and auditing.
How do you determine the reliability of accounting information that’s given to you by an outside party?
How do you stay on top of emerging trends in accounting?
Do you believe you work best when you’re on-site, or is remote work a better fit?
What attracted you to this firm?
Did you learn anything unexpected while studying accounting in college?
If you weren’t working in accounting, what field would you pursue instead?
What about accounting do you enjoy most?
Do you dislike anything about accounting?
If you saw a colleague intentionally alter a client’s books to reflect inaccurate information, what would you do?
What kind of management style helps you stay motivated?
Which do you prefer, formal training or a mentor/mentee approach to learning?
If you had a chance to acquire any accounting skill that you don’t currently have, what would it be and why?

5 Good Questions to Ask at the End of an Accounting Interview

As your interview begins to draw to a close, you should get a chance to ask the hiring manager a few questions. Make sure you are ready for this. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the job and if it’s actually right for you.

Plus, as Indeed puts it, “Having your questions prepared shows the interviewer that you researched the company and the position.” That makes you seem more enthusiastic about the role, and that matters.

If you can’t figure out what to ask, here are some questions that can work in most situations.

Can you describe a typical day in this accounting role?
How will this accounting job change over the next 12 months? What about three years?
What trait do you think is essential for those who want to succeed in this accounting role?
Are there any major accounting projects on the horizon?
How many accounts/clients will this role support?

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, landing an accountant interview is exciting, but it’s also okay to be a bit nervous about what’s to come. A new job usually means taking a step forward in your career, and that can be a lot of pressure, particularly with the types of interview questions for an accountant you’ll usually face.

But, by making use of the tips above and reviewing the accounting interview questions, you can be ready. You’ll have a strategy that showcases you as an amazing candidate, allowing you to demonstrate to the hiring manager why you’ll be a great addition to their team.

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Download our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you word-for-word sample answers to some of the most common interview questions including:

What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
What Is Your Greatest Strength?
Tell Me About Yourself
Why Should We Hire You?

Click Here To Get The Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet

case study example for accounting interview

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

Case interview examples - McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.

One of the best ways to prepare for case interviews at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples.

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

McKinsey examples
BCG examples
Bain examples
Deloitte examples
Other firms' examples
Case books from consulting clubs
Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
Profitability case with ex-McKinsey manager (by IGotAnOffer)
McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

Foods Inc and GenCo case samples (BCG website)
Chateau Boomerang written case interview (BCG website)
BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
BCG live case interview with notes (by IGotAnOffer)
BCG mock case interview with ex-BCG associate director - Public sector case (by IGotAnOffer)
BCG mock case interview: Revenue problem case (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
Written case interview tips (Bain website)
Bain case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
Digital transformation case with ex-Bain consultant
Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
Retail Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
Finance Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
Footloose written case (by Deloitte)
Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

Case interview example video walkthrough (L.E.K. website)
Market sizing case example video walkthrough (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

Transit oriented development case webinar part 1 (Roland Berger website)
Transit oriented development case webinar part 2 (Roland Berger website)
3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1 (Roland Berger website)
3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2 (Roland Berger website)
Roland Berger case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

Case interview example video walkthrough (Capital One website)
Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

12. EY Parthenon case interview examples

Candidate-led case example with feedback (by IGotAnOffer)

14. Consulting clubs case interview examples

Berkeley case book (2006)
Columbia case book (2006)
Darden case book (2012)
Darden case book (2018)
Duke case book (2010)
Duke case book (2014)
ESADE case book (2011)
Goizueta case book (2006)
Illinois case book (2015)
LBS case book (2006)
MIT case book (2001)
Notre Dame case book (2017)
Ross case book (2010)
Wharton case book (2010)

Practice with experts

Using case interview examples is a key part of your interview preparation, but it isn’t enough.

At some point you’ll want to practise with friends or family who can give some useful feedback. However, if you really want the best possible preparation for your case interview, you'll also want to work with ex-consultants who have experience running interviews at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.

If you know anyone who fits that description, fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

Here's the good news. We've already made the connections for you. We’ve created a coaching service where you can do mock case interviews 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from MBB firms . Start scheduling sessions today!

What Is a Case Study?

What is a case study interview, how to prep for a case study interview, case study interview example questions, during the case study interview.

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A man answering a case study interview question

Forage puts students first. Our blog articles are written independently by our editorial team. They have not been paid for or sponsored by our partners. See our full editorial guidelines .

A case study interview isn’t your average interview. While most interviews ask you to give examples of how you use your skills on the job, in a case study interview, you’ll use those skills in front of the interviewer to solve a real-life problem.

It’s like auditioning for the school play. But instead of showing you can sing and dance, you’re using a case interview to show how you provide innovative solutions to pressing business problems. Not sure how to get ready for this kind of interview? We’ve got you covered. This guide explains how to prep for a case study interview.

Case studies are used across a variety of industries — everything from business to medicine. They are an in-depth examination, analysis, and critique of a real-world scenario the company experienced. People discuss the situation and explore what they learned while forming new solutions to try when they face a similar situation in the future and hope to improve their performance.

For example, doctors and nurses use case studies to improve how they diagnose and treat patients. Using real patient information, the medical team analyzes the case to see what the team may have missed and why they missed it. Learning from these errors helps the team better prepare for similar cases in the future to improve patient care.

While many industries use case studies to iterate and improve their performance, not every company uses case study interviews. This type of interview is very common at consulting companies (no matter what kind of consulting it is). But it’s not unusual for companies outside of consulting to use case interviews for marketing or operations roles.

In a case study interview, you’re given a real-world situation the company has faced and are tasked with analyzing it and suggesting a course of action.

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Skills you’ll build: Prioritizing, planning, data analysis, error spotting, communication, strategic thinking

Businesses use case study interviews to assess your abilities in real-time. While you’ll probably draw on a variety of skills, most case study interviews assess:

Strategic thinking
Analytical skills
Common sense

The advantage of a case study interview is that the interviewer can evaluate your ability in each of these areas and see how you’ll actually use them on the job.

What Is a Fit Interview?

Some people use “case study interview” and “fit interview” interchangeably. While a fit interview and a case study interview both ask behavioral interview questions , they are not the same thing.

A case study interview assesses your ability to do the job. It primarily evaluates how you approach business problems and use your skills to solve them. A fit interview is about company culture fit. The interviewer asks questions that assess how well you’ll fit into the company, like asking you questions about what motivates you or how you lead .

Fit and case interviews are important parts of the evaluation process. Getting the job done is just as critical as getting along with coworkers and supporting the company’s mission. Depending on where you interview, you may have one fit interview and one case study interview, or the fit interview may be a smaller part of the case study interview.

What You’ll Learn in a Case Study Interview

A case study interview allows the hiring manager to see your skills in action and how you approach business challenges. But it also teaches you a lot about the company (even if you’re doing most of the talking).

In a sense, you’re behaving as an employee during a case study interview. This gives you a peek behind the curtain, allowing you to see the company’s inner workings, like how they approach business problems and what they expect from you and your performance.

For example, you may offer a novel approach to solving a problem during a case interview. How does the interviewer react to it? Are they impressed? Surprised? Is there a scowl or frown on their face? Their reaction gives you insights into how the company will likely receive your solutions.

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Skills you’ll build: Critical thinking, creativity, brainstorming

Depending on the specific company, you may have the case study interview questions in advance, but you may not. Whether you do or don’t, here’s how to prepare for a case study interview.

Conduct Deep Research

Good interview prep for any interview means researching the company. That includes things like learning more about the company’s mission and the challenges the industry faces. But when you’re preparing for a case study interview, your research needs to go deeper.

When you answer a case study question, your answer has to be specific to the company’s clients or business objectives. For example, if you’re interviewing for a role in strategy consulting , your answer shouldn’t focus on aspects of human resources consulting (unless it’s particularly relevant).

Your research needs to include the kinds of clients the company works with and what types of problems the company solves. For example, the company may only consult for Fortune 100 companies that need accounting advice. Keep these facts in mind as you prepare for the interview.

Case Study Interview Formats

There are four types of case study interview formats:

Candidate-led: The interviewer asks you a specific question (or gives you a prompt), and you walk the interviewer through a detailed answer.
Employer-led: The interviewer leads you through a series of specific (and predetermined) prompts and questions, no matter your answers.
Presentation: You’re given a problem in advance to create and present a detailed case study.
Video: Similar to a presentation case study interview, you’ll create a video presentation of the case study.

Most companies will tell you in advance which style of case study interview you should prepare for. But if they don’t, reach out to your recruiter or check the company’s website. Many include the essential details you need to prepare for the case study interview.

Seek Out Company-Specific Tips

Speaking of companies and their websites, not only do many companies that use case study interviews tell you the format, they often include helpful tips and tricks to help candidates prepare. This includes what to expect, what the company is looking for skill-wise, and what kinds of responses they want. They may even have a few practice questions and videos you can use to help you prep.

Unlike other common interview questions , it’s not as easy to prepare an answer to case study interview questions. Even though you know it’s a case study interview, you don’t necessarily know the specifics of the case or what problems you’ll be asked to solve.

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Skills you’ll build: Risk management frameworks, cause analysis, risk impact assessment, system security

That said, it’s likely your case study interview questions will cover one or several of these concepts:

Entering new markets
Increasing profits
Cutting costs
Turnarounds
Mergers and acquisitions
Pricing strategy
Developing new products
Industry analysis
Competitive response

While there are many ways to answer case study interview questions, a few basic prep tips can help you get ready for every question.

In addition to what you usually bring to a job interview , make sure you bring a notepad and pen or pencil to a case study interview. Taking notes will help you better understand the questions and formulate your answers. It also gives you a place to calculate numbers and figures if you need to. Not every case study interview allows calculators, so you’ll need to be ready to do your calculations manually.

Ask Specific Questions

As you’re working through the case study, you can and should ask any clarifying questions you need. The interviewer wants to hear specific, detailed answers that solve the problem. So, whenever you’re unclear, ask a follow-up question to not only get what you need but to give the interviewer what they need.

That said, your question(s) should be very specific. You need to verify exactly what the interview is asking so you can create an appropriate answer. Say the interviewer gives you a broad question: The client’s revenue is falling. How do you help them increase it? You can follow up with a very specific question or two to make sure you understand what the interviewer is asking:

You’re asking how I would help the client raise revenue, correct? Are you also asking how I would help them increase their profit and cut costs?

>>Related: 5 Top Questions to Ask in an Interview (and Why You Should Ask Them)

Talk Them Through It

A big part of the case study interview is seeing you in action. However, in this case, “see” really means “how you think.” Since the interviewer can’t hear your inner monologue, you’ll need to practice thinking out loud.

While the interviewer wants to hear your solution, they also want to hear how you got there. That means talking through your entire thought process. Instead of saying, “I’d do X,” you have to explain how you arrived at your decision while you’re getting there.

Because not everyone thinks out loud, it may feel unnatural to you, and you likely won’t be expected to do it on the job. But it’s crucial to practice this skill — and it is a skill — because the interviewer is expecting you to do it in a case study interview.

Want to give a case study a shot? Try out a Forage consulting virtual simulation program and gain the skills you’ll need to ace a case study interview.

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Accounting Interview Questions Guide

List of commonly asked accounting interview questions:, more interview prep, accounting interview questions.

The top accounting interview questions from CFI

We’ve compiled the most frequently asked accounting interview questions along with what we believe are the best answers. The key to acing an interview is practice, so be sure to check out our interview guides for finance , FP&A , equity research , and more.

#1 Walk me through the three financial statements.

The balance sheet shows, at a point in time, what a company owns (assets), what it owes (liabilities), and what is left over (shareholders’ equity). The income statement illustrates the company’s revenues and expenses over a period, usually a quarter or year. The cash flow statement shows the cash flows generated or used in operating, investing and financing activities.

#2 If I had only one statement and wanted to review the overall health of a company, which statement would I use and why?

“Cash is king” is a common true saying in the finance and accounting world. Therefore, the cash flow statement would be the best answer. It gives a true picture of how much cash a company is generating. That being said, it’s important to note that all three statements are required to get a full picture of the health of a company. Learn more about how the three financial statements are linked .

#3 What immediately happens on the income statement if inventory goes up by $10?

Nothing. This is a trick question. The only immediate impact will be on the balance sheet and cash flow statement .

#4 What is working capital?

Working capital is typically defined as current assets less current liabilities. In banking, working capital is normally defined more narrowly as current assets (excluding cash) less current liabilities (excluding interest-bearing debt).

#5 What does having negative working capital mean?

Negative working capital is common in some industries, such as grocery retail and the restaurant business. For a grocery store, customers pay upfront, inventory moves relatively quickly, but suppliers often give 30 days (or more) credit. This means that the company receives cash from customers before it needs the cash to pay suppliers. Negative working capital is a sign of efficiency in businesses with low inventory and accounts receivable. In other industries, negative working capital may signal a company is facing financial trouble. In this case, negative working capital implies a company may be unable to meet its near-term obligations.

#6 If cash collected from customers is not yet recorded as revenue, what happens to it?

It usually goes into “Deferred Revenue” on the balance sheet as a liability if the revenue has not been earned yet.

#7 What’s the difference between deferred revenue and accounts receivable?

Deferred revenue represents cash received from customers for services or goods not yet provided. Accounts receivable represents cash due from customers for goods/services already provided.

#8 When do you capitalize rather than expense a purchase?

If the purchase will be used in the ongoing operations of the business (generally for greater than one year), it is capitalized and depreciated/amortized. However, there are some exceptions: land is not depreciated and goodwill is not usually amortized.

#9 Under what circumstances does goodwill increase or decrease?

When a company buys another business for more than the fair value of its net assets (its equity), goodwill is created. Therefore, if goodwill increased, it’s because the company acquired another company. Since goodwill is not usually amortized, it must be tested for impairment . If goodwill is impaired it must be written down. However, please note that IFRS allows for an upward revaluation of previously impaired goodwill; US GAAP does not allow for this.

#10 How do you record PP&E and why is this important?

There are essentially four areas to consider when accounting for PP&E on the balance sheet : 1) the initial purchase, 2) depreciation, 3) additions (capital expenditures) and 4) dispositions. In addition to these four, you may also have to consider revaluation (IFRS only, not US GAAP). For many industries, PP&E is the main capital asset that generates revenue, profitability and cash flow.

#11 How does an inventory write-down affect the three statements?

On the balance sheet, the asset account of inventory is reduced by the amount of the write-down, and so is shareholders’ equity. The income statement recognizes an expense in either COGS or a separate line item for the amount of the write-down, reducing net income. On the cash flow statement, the write-down is added back to operating cash flows as it’s a non-cash expense, but it must not be double-counted when calculating the changes in non-cash working capital.

#12 What are three examples of common budgeting methods?

Examples of common budgeting methods include zero-based budgeting , incremental budgeting, and value-based budgeting. Learn more about the various types in CFI’s budgeting and forecasting course .

#13 Please explain the Revenue Recognition and Matching principles of accounting

The revenue recognition principle dictates the process and timing by which revenue is recorded and recognized as an item in the financial statements based on certain criteria (e.g., transfer of ownership). The matching principle dictates the timing of expenses be matched to the period in which the associated revenue is incurred, as opposed to when the expenses are actually paid.

#14 If you were CFO of our company, what would keep you up at night?

Step back and give a high-level overview of the company’s current financial position, or companies in that industry in general. Highlight something on each of the three statements. Income statement: growth, margins, profitability. Balance sheet: liquidity, capital assets, credit metrics, liquidity ratios. Cash flow statement: short-term and long-term cash flow profile, any need to raise money or return capital to shareholders.

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to accounting interview questions. If you want to land the accounting job of your dreams then interview prep is key. That’s why we’ve designed special guides to help you prepare with practice questions and answers.

More interview guides you will find helpful include:

Investment Banking Interviews
Behavioral Interview Questions
Finance Questions and Answers
FP&A Interview Questions
See all career resources
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10 Questions You’ll Get in Your Next Accounting Interview—and How to Answer Them

It’s happening! You’re finally invited to interview for that accounting role you’ve been searching for. You’re not sure what to expect, but you know you want to put your best foot forward by getting prepared and knocking this interview out of the park.

You can start by reviewing the most common interview questions . But don’t stop there—you should also make sure to be ready for some more accounting-specific interview questions.

SEARCH OPEN JOBS ON THE MUSE! See who’s hiring here , and you can even filter your search by benefits, company size, remote opportunities, and more. Then, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll deliver advice on landing the job right to you.

How do I know? Some might call me a “recovering CPA”—I used to work as one at a Big Four accounting firm. And before becoming a career coach, I spent years handling recruiting efforts at a public accounting firm for five offices spanning up and down the East Coast. I worked directly with leadership to identify top talent, built recruiting processes, and screened candidates for accounting opportunities. Based on my experience, I have some advice on how to answer the most common accountant interview questions and what qualities recruiters are looking for when they ask them.

What Are Recruiters Looking for in Accountants?

According to recruiters in the accounting industry, the most desirable candidates have experience working in public accounting for a large firm. But if you don’t have that, don’t let it deter you! There are many other skills and experiences that you can demonstrate to set yourself apart.

When interviewing for accounting roles specifically, it’s important to demonstrate a healthy mix of both technical acumen and soft skills. One of the biggest myths I hear about accountants is that they sit behind a computer for hours, looking at numbers and ridiculous formulas in Microsoft Excel with no human contact, ever. On the contrary: Accountants must demonstrate skills in a variety of areas to be successful in the job hunt, such as communication, client engagement, data analysis, and time management.

Here are the five main skills that I found most valuable as a recruiter:

Written Communication: Hiring managers will want to know that your writing skills are on point—after all, you may be drafting audit reports, creating workpapers, developing and editing financial statements, and providing updates to your internal or external clients as needed.
Verbal Communication : Strong verbal communication skills are important to your success in accounting as you’ll be speaking with clients, internal or external, in just about every aspect of your work.
Time Management and Prioritization: Accountants take on a great variety of tasks, especially during month-end, quarter-end, and year-end accounting. Just in one day, you may be in and out of client meetings, drafting workpapers, reviewing financial documentation, and walking through your clients’ accounting processes. It’s important to be able to work well when there are many things going on at once and know how to organize your work so your tasks get done on time.
Technical Experience : There’s no doubt that accounting is a pretty technical role. Aisha Holt, a corporate accounting recruiter at Tradesmen International, makes sure to gauge candidates’ experiences with various accounting tools and software. Accounting programs are used to prepare financial statements, make journal entries, perform account reconciliations, and complete other important accounting procedures. You’ll find yourself working with these tools every single day, so recruiters want to see that you’re knowledgeable and up-to-date on the latest emerging technologies of the profession.
Attention to Detail: Maintaining accurate reporting with zero errors is crucial in accounting. Can you imagine the financial implications if an account was overstated or understated by $1 million dollars and an auditor didn’t pick up on the error? The work of an accountant is to maintain high integrity, as the public is dependent on ethical reporting, and there are also a slew of regulations that accountants must uphold. As such, candidates need to show that they do sweat the small stuff and aren’t likely to make or miss an error that leads to a massive loss.

Here are 10 questions that you may be asked in your accounting interview so that recruiters and hiring managers can see whether or not you have the skills and experience needed to do the job—plus advice on how to answer them.

1. Tell Me About Your Background.

This might feel like a broad or vague question, but here recruiters want to understand the depth of your accounting experience, Robbins says, as well as how you think and talk about your career trajectory. If you’re interviewing for a tax role, what type of returns have you worked on? If audit, what was the size of your client and industry? What type of projects have you worked on?

How to Answer

Don’t tell your whole life story; briefly summarize your career and the work that you’ve done at a high level. The recruiter will most likely ask follow-up questions based on what you share in your response. Think about using stories of how you gained an interest in the field and what led you to the roles you pursued. This is also a great opportunity to share your future goals and further express your interest in the company. If there was something specific about the company or position that caught your attention, say what it was! Share how your prior experience has prepared you for the position you’re interviewing for. Remember, it’s all about relevance and connecting the dots.

For example:

“I’ve always had a love for numbers and really enjoyed my accounting courses in college so I’ve known this was the path for me since I was young. I started my career in public accounting with a Big Four firm in audit. Audit allowed me the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and industries. I focused on testing controls, writing audit reports, and overseeing the work of my audit team. I also trained our new hires and interns. I got a lot of experience auditing complex accounts such as derivatives and statement of cash flow. What I’ve enjoyed most throughout the course of my career is building relationships with my clients and helping them understand their financials better. I also am up to date on my CPA license and recently obtained my Masters in Accounting, and I’m looking for a position that will allow me to use my experience auditing financial statements to have a hand in creating financial statements.”

2. What Accounting Processes Are You Most Familiar With?

Recruiters typically ask this question to get an idea of what type of functions you’ve performed within accounting—as it looks different from department to department and company to company—and how the work you’ve done is relevant to the work you would be doing in the new role.

Think about your past and current responsibilities as they relate to performing technical accounting work. For example, if you worked as a staff accountant, you may be responsible for month-end close procedures and can share what that work entailed. If you worked in a financial accounting role, you may be responsible for reviewing quarterly financial statements and cross-referencing workpapers.

You’ll want to go as in-depth as possible for the recruiter to understand the significance of your role. You would want to include the accounts you’re responsible for (i.e. accounts receivable, derivatives, accounts payable, or cash) or, if you’re responsible for specific parts of the financial statement, share which parts as well as which financial statements (i.e. balance sheet, income statement, or cash flow statement). Include dollar amounts of accounts (if it’s not confidential) or the number of accounts you worked with to further substantiate that you were a key player on the team.

This would also be the perfect time for you to share with the interviewer any processes you improved or implemented, especially if your changes minimized error. If you do this, back up your response with examples and numbers.

One possible answer might be:

“In my current role, my company wants us to get the month-end close done in six days. I focus on reconciling accounts, posting closing journal entries, and reviewing general ledgers. I also work with my leadership to look at analytics and assess uncommon fluctuations, primarily for high-risk accounts. I work for a large organization, so I’ve also spent a lot of time working with my internal clients or business group leaders to request documentation necessary for processing and completing my tasks. While there is a lot of technical work involved, there’s quite a bit of communication that I handle between coordinating with my team and other business groups and reporting back to my supervisor. As part of my day-to-day responsibilities, I handle the books for accounts of up to approximately $2 million.”

3. What Is Your Technical Experience With Accounting Software?

The interviewer will ask this question to assess your experience using accounting tools and software in your day-to-day work. Bonus points if you have experience using the specific software that the company you’re interviewing with uses. Some companies use common industry software while others might have customized software—this varies by company size and industry.

To prepare yourself to answer this question, take a look at the job description of the role to see which software and tools the company uses. You’ll want to be prepared to speak to your experience with using the ones specified in the job description. But you won’t know every system out there and that’s OK, so emphasize the experience that you do have with specific tools and with learning new tools—especially if you can show that it will help you succeed in the role you’re applying for. Also think about how your technical background has positively impacted your team or company.

For example, your answer might sound like:

“I have seven years of experience working with SAP and Oracle with clients in the healthcare and financial services industries. I also used QuickBooks in a former role. Along with these accounting tools, I have been using Microsoft Excel throughout my entire career and have become very adept with it, often teaching myself new things and bringing them back to my team. For example, in my current role, I create pivot tables and use the VLOOKUP function to get our financial analysis and budgeting done more efficiently. I’d be excited to share my Excel expertise with a new team here and to quickly get up to speed on your proprietary software—as I have with other tools in the past.”

4. What Is Your Background Working in Various Industries?

Recruiters want to see if your experience aligns with the company's size and industry, says Chris Robbins, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist with Dixon Huges Goodman, a top 20 public accounting firm. Since accounting is such a vast profession, rules and processes differ across industries.

For this answer, you want to think about the role and company you’re interviewing for. If you’re interviewing to be a private, or internal, accountant, hiring managers primarily want to hear about your experience and interest in the company’s industry. But if you’re interviewing for a public accounting role, they’ll want to hear about your experience across industries since you’ll likely have clients of different types.

In either situation, be sure to emphasize your experience in and tailor your answer to the industry or industries relevant to the role. If you aren’t sure what those are, this is a great opportunity for you to ask the interviewer.

One answer might sound like:

“While my experience has ranged across manufacturing, energy, and financial services, I found myself most interested in manufacturing due the complexity of the work. In my last job, I prepared taxes for a number of manufacturing clients and got to learn about the many intricacies of that industry—so much that I became the go-to person to ask when my colleagues had questions about manufacturing clients. And the large manufacturers that your website mentions as clients are actually what initially drew me to this role. ”

5. Do You Have Your CPA?

The Certified Public Accountant license is the ultimate certification, and it shows commitment to the profession. If you have your CPA, it will make you stand out against the competition. However, there are many other certifications in accounting that you could pursue—having a CPA isn’t the only way.

There are no tricks to this one. Tell the interviewer briefly and straightforwardly about your CPA or other certifications or your progress toward them:

“I don’t have my CPA license yet but I am actively working toward it. I have passed two out of four parts—BEC and FAR—and am planning to take the other two sections within the next six months.”

On the other hand, if you have a CPA, you might answer like this:

“I obtained my CPA during the first two years of my career and have maintained it ever since—keeping up with the CPE annual requirement by attending trainings and conferences. I am also pursuing my CFE as I’ve developed an interest in forensic accounting and that certification will be valuable for the direction my career is going in.”

6. How Do You Handle Challenging Situations or Difficult Conversations With Others?

Accountants don’t work in silos and will be working with internal or external clients to get the books in order. There may be times when you encounter a discrepancy with a client or when an account reconciliation is inaccurate and you have to confront your colleague about the error. Recruiters want to see that you have no issue handling difficult conversations and are efficient at quickly solving problems that may arise, especially if you’re under a tight deadline. Be sure to avoid badmouthing your company or colleagues as this could reflect poorly on you as a future employee or coworker.

For behavioral questions such as this, the STAR method is a great approach to follow to ensure you answer the question completely, emphasize your specific contribution to handling the situation, and describe the outcome. Hey, if it helps, you can literally say these four words (situation, task, action, and result) in your interview like in this sample answer:

“I handle difficult conversations with others by making sure I address the problem directly with the right people while maintaining a solutions-oriented and collaborative approach. I have quite a bit of experience with this, because in my current work it’s not out of the ordinary to find problems in the financial statements or with payroll that have to be rectified before an audit is complete.

“In one situation in particular, I served as the In-Charge Auditor for a large public filing client. I had a team of two staff auditors who reported to me, and I also handled the budget and schedule and served as the main point of contact for the client relationship. The client was upset since the entire audit team had changed more than once, so he would be working with new people each year after he had grown to trust the prior year’s audit team. He was frustrated and seriously considering taking his business to another firm.

“I was tasked with getting him on board with our audit team and assuring him that we would handle the audit effectively and professionally—so that we could keep his business.

“I took actions to resolve this matter by setting up a meeting with him and the rest of company leadership to run through the schedule and answer questions they had going into the audit, followed by a lunch with the entire audit team. I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable and confident in our capabilities to get the audit completed. I also set up weekly one-on-one check-ins with the client as the team worked through the audit to keep him up to date on progress and any high-level issues.

“This resulted in a strong relationship with the client, and we had good communication throughout. By the end of the audit, we celebrated with the client. It was great to see the relationship completely turn around, and he is still a client of ours four years later.”

7. How Do You Organize and Prioritize Your Day?

There are many moving pieces in an accounting role, so the interviewer will want to understand how well you balance and prioritize your work when things get busy.

The work of an accountant is driven by processes, impending deadlines, and a ton of cross-functional collaboration. So organization, time management, and healthy communication between your team and clients are all super crucial to demonstrate here. According to Holt, it’s important for accountants to explain how they are able to keep track of their schedule and effectively split time between accounting procedures, client check-ins, and team check-ins.

For instance, how often are you checking in with your clients? And when you do, are you sending them updates on documentation needs or where things may be held up in the process (if you’re waiting on something from them)? Do you keep a running to-do list, use a checklist, or note due dates on your calendar? There’s no right or wrong answer here—share what has worked for you to stay on task and on time.

So you could say something along the lines of:

“I like to stay as proactive as possible, especially during busy times such as month- or quarter-end close. I keep a running to-do list and have each task marked as high, medium, or low priority, as well as how many hours it will take to complete. I also give myself deadlines for my tasks, especially those that need to get sent over to another team member—for example, budgeting has to get done before the financial analysis can be created, so I’d make sure to complete my work in plenty of time to set my colleague up for success. I also check in with my leadership often to make sure things are on track and communicate with my team regularly to understand any potential delays or risks to completing our work within the allotted time frame. ”

8. Tell Us About a Time When You Were Up Against a Tight Deadline. How Did You Handle It?

Time management is a crucial skill for any job in the accounting world as there are many regulations that companies must abide by for compliance measures. Working with a short or difficult-to-meet deadline at some point is almost inevitable, and interviewers want to see that you’re up to the task.

This is the perfect time to show that you’re solutions-focused and don’t mind stepping up to the plate when duty calls. Remember the STAR method again for this behavioral question. Choosing which story to tell can be difficult, so before the interview you’ll want to prepare a story about a time you stepped up and successfully navigated the situation by demonstrating your leadership and time management skills.

“I was getting through a quarter filing and someone on my team fell sick halfway through, so we were down one person. We had to make it work with our timeline since there was no flexibility with it. I was tasked with getting our team through the filing period and keeping team motivation and engagement high while we were short-staffed.

“I rearranged our work to spread it out evenly and based on everyone's expertise. I held weekly team meetings—twice a week closer to the deadline—to discuss any areas where we were struggling, lagging behind, or running into issues and to support each other and brainstorm solutions. I also set up a shared calendar with reminders for important milestones to help everyone stay on task.

“This resulted in us building strong communication even after the filing was successfully completed on time. We motivated and supported one another through the process and each person felt valued as a member of the team. This actually worked out so well that I plan to use this approach with my teams going forward to ensure future projects run smoothly.”

9. How Have You Added Value to Your Company Outside of Your Client Activities?

Depending on the company or path you’re on within accounting, and especially if you’re an external auditor, hiring managers might want to understand how well-rounded you are and how committed you’d be to getting involved internally.

This is a fairly easy and straightforward question and a great way for you to show leadership skills beyond the day-to-day requirements of your accounting work. If you've helped with business development activities to grow the practice or led a committee or initiative, those are positive factors to demonstrate your versatility.

One possible answer would be:

“Outside of my daily responsibilities, I have gotten involved on the recruiting side by serving as a company representative during on-campus recruiting events. This includes volunteering at career fairs, conducting mock interviews, or taking candidates out to lunch during in-office interviews. I also lead our office social committee, so I am responsible for planning community outreach events and social events for staff.”

10. Why Are You Interested in This Company?

As an accountant, there are a plethora of paths, fields, and organizations to choose from. Whether you want to work at a nonprofit, corporation, or university, you have quite a few choices. A recruiter will want to assess how committed and enthusiastic you are about joining this company in particular.

This is when you connect those dots between your career goals and the company. You should show your interviewer that you’ve done your research : Always check out the company’s website and social media for insight and take the time to make sure your professional goals and values align with the company’s. For example, is one of your goals to work with a specific company size or industry? Have you been fascinated by this organization’s approach? Are you passionate about their mission? If so, you will want to share that during your interview.

Not only should you speak to how the company is aligned with your goals, but you can also reiterate how your experience is ultimately the best fit for what they are looking for in a candidate.

This might sound like this:

“I’m interested in working for the XYZ Art Museum because I’ve long been passionate about art—art history was my minor in college!—and would be so excited to have the chance to bring my accounting skills into an environment where everyone is similarly enthusiastic about the visual arts and uses their expertise (whether they’re curators or accountants like me) to advance this mission of introducing more people to modern art. I’ve worked at a couple of large nonprofit organizations that function similarly to a museum and spent a few years volunteering at ABC Museum’s outreach events back when I lived in Chicago—which only makes me more certain this would be an environment where I could thrive and contribute.”

Would you like a 4 day work week?

15 Accountant Interview Questions with Sample Answers (2023)

7 sep, 2023.

Interview Questions

Dive into our curated list of Accountant interview questions complete with expert insights and sample answers. Equip yourself with the knowledge to impress and stand out in your next interview.

1. could you discuss a time when you helped reduce costs at a previous company.

When preparing for this question, reflect on a specific instance where you were able to identify inefficiencies or unnecessary expenditure in a company's books. The interviewer wants to understand your capacity for critically assessing financial data for the benefit of the company.

In my previous role, I noticed that the company was consistently exceeding its budget in a few areas. Upon closer examination, I found that we were using premium services where cost-effective alternatives would serve the purpose. I brought this to the attention of management and, after careful consideration, we switched to more economical options, saving the company approximately 20% annually.

2. How have you maximized tax deductions for a corporation?

This question assesses your understanding and application of tax laws. Interviewees should demonstrate their ability to apply these laws effectively, and provide specific examples of how they maximized tax deductions.

I once worked with a company that was not fully leveraging tax credit opportunities. After a thorough review of their financials, I introduced them to a few underutilized tax credits related to their industry. This resulted in significant tax savings for the company.

3. How do you ensure accuracy when preparing and reviewing financial statements?

Accuracy is fundamental in accounting, and the interviewer wants to gauge how you achieve this in your work. Provide specific methods or systems you use to ensure accuracy in your work.

I follow a methodical process when preparing and reviewing financial statements. This includes double-checking my work, using reliable accounting tools, and periodically cross-referencing with original documentation. This multi-level review process helps ensure accuracy in the financial statements I prepare.

4. Describe a complex financial project you have managed. What was the outcome?

This question allows you to showcase your project management skills in a financial context. Be sure to discuss the complexity of the project, your role, and the results achieved.

I managed a complex project involving the financial integration of two merging companies. It involved reconciling numerous accounts, aligning financial strategies and ensuring regulatory compliance. Despite its complexity, we successfully completed the project on time and within budget, achieving a seamless financial integration.

5. How have you adapted to changes in financial regulations?

Accounting is a field subject to frequent changes in financial regulations. The interviewer wants to understand your adaptability and how you keep abreast of these changes.

I regularly follow industry news and attend webinars and workshops to keep updated with changes in financial regulations. For instance, when the tax law changes came into effect, I attended several seminars to understand the implications, ensuring I could efficiently implement these changes in our work.

6. Can you discuss a time when you had to explain financial information to non-financial staff?

The ability to communicate financial information to non-financial staff is a critical skill for Accountant s. The interviewer wants to see how you simplify complex information for wider understanding.

I once had to explain the financial implications of a proposed project to the marketing team. I broke down the cost components and highlighted the impact on the company's bottom line. This helped them understand and make informed decisions on their marketing strategies.

7. How do you stay updated with the latest accounting software and technologies?

This question assesses your familiarity with accounting tools and how proactive you are in learning new technologies. Discuss specific tools you have used and how you stay up-to-date with technological developments in the field.

I use a combination of methods to stay updated with the latest accounting software and technologies. This includes subscribing to relevant newsletters, attending industry-specific tech webinars, and experimenting with new tools on a trial basis to gauge their effectiveness.

8. How do you handle tight deadlines and high-pressure situations?

Accounting often involves working under pressure to meet strict deadlines. The interviewer wants to understand your stress management skills in these situations.

I prioritize and break down tasks into manageable parts to effectively handle tight deadlines. In high-pressure situations, I maintain focus on the task at hand while ensuring accuracy in my work. I also believe in proactive communication with my team to ensure we collectively meet our goals.

9. How have you improved financial reporting efficiency in the past?

This question allows you to demonstrate your innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. Discuss how you've utilized tools, methods, or processes to improve the efficiency of financial reporting.

In my previous role, I noticed that the financial reporting process was time-consuming due to manual data entry. I introduced and implemented an automated system that significantly reduced the time spent on data entry, improving overall efficiency.

10. Can you discuss your experience with budget forecasting?

Budget forecasting is a crucial aspect of accounting. The interviewer wants to understand your experience and expertise in this area. Share a specific example of a budget forecast you've handled.

At my previous job, I was responsible for creating quarterly budget forecasts. I used historical data, company objectives and industry trends to project revenues and expenses. My accurate forecasts helped the company plan and allocate resources efficiently.

11. Have you ever identified a problem that resulted in significant cost savings?

This question assesses your problem-solving skills and your impact on the company's bottom line. Provide an example where your actions led to significant cost savings.

At my former company, I identified outdated vendors still being paid due to an oversight. Upon my discovery, we ceased payments and backtracked the unnecessary costs, resulting in substantial cost savings.

12. How do you handle confidential information?

Accountants often have access to sensitive company information. The interviewer wants to understand your ethics and integrity when dealing with such information.

I treat all company information as strictly confidential, regardless of its nature. I follow all company policies and legal regulations concerning confidentiality and data protection, and am committed to preserving the trust and integrity of my role.

13. How have you used data analysis to inform business decisions?

Data analysis is increasingly important in accounting. The interviewer is interested in how you use data analysis to inform and influence business decisions.

I regularly used data analysis to provide insightful reports to the management team at my previous job. These reports included profitability analysis and expense trends, which guided strategic business decisions and performance improvement measures.

14. Can you describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision and what was the outcome?

This question aims to understand your decision-making skills and integrity. Discuss an instance where you faced a challenging decision and the reasoning behind your choice.

Once, I had to decide whether to write off a significant bad debt that impacted our annual performance. After thorough analysis and considering all factors, I chose to write it off, as it was ethically right and financially prudent in the long run.

15. How do you ensure continuous professional development?

Professional development is essential in the ever-evolving field of accounting. The interviewer wants to see your commitment to learning and staying current in your field.

I am committed to continuous professional development. I regularly attend industry conferences, engage in webinars, and participate in skill-enhancing courses. I also read industry literature and maintain active memberships in professional accountant networks.

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Accounting Interview Questions

Published on :

21 Aug, 2024

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Deloitte Interview Process

The Deloitte interview process typically consists of two rounds of interview that include case interviews, a group case interview, and behavioral or fit interview questions. The entire interview process can take anywhere from one week to a few months.

Given its size, Deloitte may have a different interview process depending on the country or the office that you are interviewing for. However, the most common interview process consists of two rounds of interviews following the submission of your Deloitte resume .

First round interviews : you will have one 30 to 45-minute behavioral interview and one or two 30 to 45-minute case interviews.
Final round interviews : you will have a 30 to 45-minute behavioral interview, a 30 to 45-minute case interview, and a one hour group case interview

There are three important distinctions between your first round Deloitte interview and your final round Deloitte interview.

One, your interviewers will likely be more senior people at Deloitte. This means that the case interviews you receive may be a bit less structured and more qualitative in nature. The case interview may feel more like a discussion where you and the interviewer are discussing your opinions and ideas on a business problem.

Two, there will be more of an emphasis on assessing your fit with the firm. The first round interview is primarily used as a screener to determine whether or not you can solve case interviews effectively and whether or not you have the potential to be a great consultant.

Final round interviews will also continue to assess this, but interviewers will also be determining whether or not you would be a great fit with the office. Are you coachable and easy to work with? Are you collaborative? These are a few of the qualities that interviewers want to see.

Three, your interviewers may read the notes that your interviewers wrote during your Deloitte first round interview. If there was a particular area of the case interview that you struggled with, interviewers may want to test you again on it to make sure that it is not a significant weakness.

What is a Deloitte Case Interview?

A Deloitte case interview, also known as a “case” for short, is a 30 to 60-minute exercise in which you and the interviewer work together to develop a recommendation or answer to a business problem.

These business problems can be anything that real companies face:

How can Amazon increase its profitability?
What can Apple do to increase customer retention?
How should Tesla price its new electric vehicle?
Where should Disney open another Disneyland theme park?

Deloitte case interviews simulate what the consulting job will be like by placing you in a hypothetical business situation. Cases simulate real business problems that consulting firms solve for their clients. Many Deloitte case interviews are based on actual projects that interviewers have worked on.

While consulting projects typically last between 3 to 9 months, case interviews condense solving the business problem into just 30 to 45 minutes.

Deloitte case interviews can cover any industry, including retail, consumer packaged goods, financial services, energy, education, healthcare, government, and technology.

They can also cover a wide range of business situations, including entering a new market, launching a new product, acquiring a company, improving profitability, and growing revenues.

Although Deloitte case interviews cover a wide range of industries and business situations, no technical or specialized knowledge is needed. Unless you are interviewing for a consulting firm that specializes in a particular industry or function, cases are designed to be solved by someone that has general business knowledge.

Nailing your Deloitte case interviews is critical to get a job at Deloitte. There is no way to get a Deloitte job offer without passing your case interviews.

What Does a Deloitte Case Interview Assess?

Deloitte case interviews assess five different qualities or characteristics: logical and structured thinking, analytical problem solving, business acumen, communication skills, and personality and cultural fit.

1. Logical and structured thinking : Consultants need to be organized and methodical in order to work efficiently.

Can you structure complex problems in a clear, simple way?
Can you take tremendous amounts of information and data and identify the most important points?
Can you use logic and reason to make appropriate conclusions?

2. Analytical problem solving : Consultants work with a tremendous amount of data and information in order to develop recommendations to complex problems.

Can you read and interpret data well?
Can you perform math computations smoothly and accurately?
Can you conduct the right analyses to draw the right conclusions?

3. Business acumen : A strong business instinct helps consultants make the right decisions and develop the right recommendations.

Do you have a basic understanding of fundamental business concepts?
Do your conclusions and recommendations make sense from a business perspective?

4. Communication skills : Consultants need strong communication skills to collaborate with teammates and clients effectively.

Can you communicate in a clear, concise way?
Are you articulate in what you are saying?

5. Personality and cultural fit : Consultants spend a lot of time working closely in small teams. Having a personality and attitude that fits with the team makes the whole team work better together.

Are you coachable and easy to work with?
Are you pleasant to be around?

All of these five qualities can be assessed in just a 30 to 60-minute Deloitte case interview. This is what makes case interviews so effective in assessing consulting candidates.

How to Solve Deloitte Case Interviews

Deloitte case interviews are candidate-led. You will be in the driver’s seat of the case interview and will be expected to ask the right questions, probe for data, and propose each next step to solve the case.

In a Deloitte case interview, you are not assessed on whether or not you have the correct answer. Instead, Deloitte uses case interviews to assess six different qualities:

Problem solving : Can you decompose a problem into smaller, more manageable questions?
Analytical ability : Can you draw the right insights from data and information?
Strategic thinking : Do you have a sharp business acumen and practical business judgment?
Logical thinking : Are you structured, organized, and rational in the way that you think?
Creativity : Can you generate interesting or unique ideas and solutions?
Professional demeanor : Are you calm, confident, and articulate?

Our step-by-step guide to case interviews is presented in the video below. We highly recommend watching that video in its entirety.

On Deloitte's case interview website , they recommend taking five steps to solve a case interview:

1. Understand the issue and ask clarifying questions

The most important part of the case interview is to make sure you understand the business issue and the objective of the case. The quickest way to fail a case interview is to answer or address the wrong business problem.

Therefore, if either the business issue or objective of the case is unclear, make sure to ask clarifying questions.

2. Identify the underlying assumptions

Next, you’ll need to decompose the overall business problem into smaller, more manageable issues. Identify what would need to be true in order for you to recommend a particular course of action.

To do this, it will be helpful to put together a framework, which is a tool that helps you organize your ideas and thoughts into different categories. For a complete guide on how to create tailored and unique frameworks for each case, check out our article on case interview frameworks .

3. Summarize specific issues and findings

Afterwards, you’ll begin investigating different issues or areas of your framework. After investigating each one, it is important that you summarize the key takeaways or insights that you uncovered.

Connect these findings back to the overall business problem and explain how your findings impact your potential recommendation.

4. State your recommendations

Once you have gathered enough evidence and support for your recommendation, you will need to present your recommendation in a clear and concise way.

Start by giving a firm recommendation. Then, provide the three major reasons that support your recommendation. This should summarize most of the important findings from the case.

5. Outline next steps and the expected results or impact

After delivering a recommendation, you should propose potential next steps that you would take if you had more time or data. What would you need to know to further strengthen your recommendation or make you more confident in your answer?

You can also talk about the expected results or impact of your recommendation. This may also have implications on potential next steps, such as analyzing the risks or quantifying the financial benefits.

The Different Types of Deloitte Case Interviews

There are three different types of Deloitte case interviews, one type for each of Deloitte's consulting groups:

Strategy & Operations : primarily focused on corporate strategy, supply-chain improvement, business model transformation, and process improvements. The work that this group does is most similar to the work that McKinsey, BCG, and Bain do
Business Technology : primarily focused on digital strategy, delivery of information technology programs, and building tech-based solutions for clients
Human Capital : primarily focused on organization transformation, change management, corporate learning and development, and diversity and inclusion

The type of case that you get depends on what group you are interviewing with.

For example, If you are interviewing with the Strategy & Operations group, you’ll get a strategy or operations case . You may be asked to determine whether to enter a new market, launch a new product, or make an acquisition.

If you are interviewing with the Technology group, you’ll get a technology or IT case. You may be asked to determine whether to roll out a new IT system, how to assess different technologies, or how to best coordinate an IT transformation.

If you are interviewing with the Human Capital group, you may be asked to determine the optimal organization structure, how to better incentivize employees to perform better, or how to save payroll costs.

Examples of Deloitte Case Interviews

Below are practice cases created by Deloitte. We recommend working through these so that you know exactly what to expect in your Deloitte case interview.

For undergraduates:

Engagement Strategy: Federal Agency V (strategy case)
Recreation Unlimited (strategy case)
Strategic Vision: Federal Benefits Provider (strategy case)
MedX: The Smart Pill Bottle (business technology case)
Architecture Strategy: Federal Finance Agency (business technology case)

For advanced degree students:

Finance strategy: Federal Health Agency (strategy case)
Talent Management: Federal Civil Cargo Protection Bureau (strategy case)

For more practice, check out our article on 23 MBA consulting casebooks with 700+ free practice cases .

Deloitte Case Interview Tips

Below are eight of Deloitte's case interview tips to help you improve your case interview performance.

Tip #1: Take notes

While the interviewer is providing you with the case background information, take notes on the most important pieces of information. Pay particularly close attention to the context, company, and case objective.

Tip #2: Make sure you understand the case question

Answering or addressing the wrong business problem is the quickest way to fail a case interview. The most important thing is understanding what the business issue is and what overall question you’ll be expected to answer at the end of the case.

Tip #3: Ask questions

Do not be afraid to ask questions. You will not be penalized for asking questions that are important and relevant to the case.

Great questions to ask include asking for the definition of an unfamiliar term, asking questions that clarify the objective of the issue, and asking questions to strengthen your understanding of the context or company.

Tip #4: After you develop a framework, develop an initial hypothesis

A hypothesis is an educated guess on the answer based on the data and information that you have so far. It helps guide your analysis and keeps you on the right track.

After developing a framework, try to develop a hypothesis to help you decide what area of your framework you should explore first.

Tip #5: Take time to structure your thoughts

When asked a question in a case interview, don’t always start answering immediately. Instead, take the time to process the question and develop an organized and structured way to answer it. It is acceptable to ask the interview for a brief moment to collect your thoughts.

Your answer will likely be much stronger if you give yourself time to think.

Tip #6: Present a clear, logical story for your recommendation

Remember that consultants need to convince clients to follow their proposed recommendations. Being articulate and persuasive are necessary skills for management consultants .

When you deliver your recommendation, try to make it a coherent story. This will make your recommendation easier to follow and more compelling.

Tip #7: Walk the interviewer through your thinking and explain assumptions

You do not get any points for the ideas and thinking that you do not communicate. Therefore, you should make every effort to talk through your thoughts out loud.

Walk the interviewer through what you are thinking. Explain why you have made particular decisions. State your assumptions. This makes it easier for the interviewer to provide feedback or hints to help you out.

Tip #8: Engage the interviewer in a business conversation

Remember that a case interview is a collaborative exercise. You should not be dismissing the feedback and suggestions that the interviewer provides you. They may be trying to help steer the case in the right direction or provide you with hints when you get stuck.

Treat the interviewer as your teammate and turn the case interview into a business conversation.

How to Prepare for Deloitte Case Interviews

There are seven steps to preparing for Deloitte case interviews.

1. Understand what a case interview is

The first step in preparing for Deloitte case interviews is to understand exactly what case interviews are.

When you are familiar with what case interviews are, it is important to know what a great Deloitte case interview performance looks like.

Knowing what a great Deloitte case interview performance looks like will facilitate how quickly you learn case interview strategies in the next step.

Before continuing onto the next step, you should be familiar with:

The overall objective of a case interview
The structure and flow of a case interview
The types of questions you could get asked
What a great case interview performance looks like

2. Learn the right strategies

Now that you have sufficient background knowledge, the next step in preparing for Deloitte case interviews is to learn the right strategies to build good case interview habits.

It is much more effective to learn the right case strategies the first time than to learn poor strategies and try to correct them later.

The quickest, most efficient way to learn these strategies is to go through our Comprehensive Case Interview Course .

If you prefer reading case interview prep books instead, the three I recommend are:

The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook
Case Interview Secrets

Hacking the Case Interview provides strategies on exactly what to do and what to say in every step of the case interview. It is a concise and straight to the point guide. I recommend this book as the first book to read for beginners.

Case Interview Secrets teaches core concepts such as the issue tree , drill-down analysis, and a hypothesis driven approach. It illustrates these concepts through stories and anecdotes. If you have read Hacking the Case Interview, I recommend also reading this book to get perspectives from a second author. Check out our full review of Case Interview Secrets .

Case in Point provides a ton of specific and complex frameworks. However, you likely won’t be using many of these in an actual case interview because many of them are overly complex and specific. If you have time, it may be useful to skim through this book. Check out our full review of Case in Point .

At the bare minimum, read either the first or second book. If you have the time, read the first two books so that you can get strategies from two different authors.

Make sure to spend sufficient time learning the right strategies before starting to practice cases. It is ineffective to practice cases if you have no idea what strategies to practice and refine.

Before moving onto the next step, you should at least have strategies for the following parts of a case interview:

Developing unique and tailored frameworks
Solving quantitative problems
Answering qualitative questions
Delivering a recommendation

3. Practice 3-5 cases by yourself

Once you have learned the right strategies, the next step in Deloitte case interview prep is to practice.

When practicing case interviews, it is usually better to practice with a case interview partner than to practice by yourself . Casing with a partner better simulates the real case interview experience.

However, when you are just starting to practice, I recommend doing the first 3 – 5 cases by yourself.

There are three reasons for this:

You can get the hang of the case interview structure and format much more quickly working by yourself rather than having to wait to schedule a time with a partner
There are many aspects of case interviews that you can practice without a partner, such as structuring a framework and solving quantitative problems. You can get much more practice working through these parts by yourself
You may have difficulty finding a case interview partner if you are a complete beginner. Without having done any cases, you likely won’t know how to properly give a case or provide good feedback

4. Practice 5-10 cases with a partner

The next step in preparing for Deloitte case interviews is to case with a partner.

Casing with a partner is the best way to simulate a real case interview. There are many aspects of case interviews that you won’t be able to improve on unless you practice live with a partner.

When practicing cases with a partner, ensure you are spending enough time after cases to deliver feedback.

For a case that takes around 30 – 40 minutes, spend at least 15 – 20 minutes for feedback. Much of your learning and improvement will come from these feedback sessions.

Do not move onto the next step until you have done at least 5 – 10 cases and are beginning to feel comfortable with case interviews.

5. Practice with a former or current consultant

At this point, I highly recommend asking former or current consultants to give you a practice case. This will significantly help you prepare for case interviews.

Doing a mock case with a former or current consultant is highly advantageous because they know exactly how to run cases and give feedback. You’ll receive incredibly helpful feedback that your previous case partners likely missed.

If you feel that you are plateauing with your case partner, that is a sign you should do a mock case interview with a former or current consultant.

You can find former or current consultants among:

People you met during the consulting recruiting process
Your broader LinkedIn network

I would not ask a consultant that is involved with the consulting recruiting process for a case too prematurely. Although these practice cases are not evaluative, some firms will actually make note of how well you perform during the practice case.

At this point, you will have accumulated a long list of improvement areas from all of the different people you have cased with.

6. Work on your improvement areas

In this step of preparing for Deloitte case interviews, you will work on strengthening and fine-tuning your improvement areas. Examples of common improvement areas include:

Creating a more complete and mutually exclusive framework
Performing math calculations quicker or more smoothly
Providing more structure to your qualitative answers
Leading the case more proactively
Delivering a more succinct recommendation

Try to focus on improving one thing at a time. This is much more effective than trying to improve everything at once.

For some areas, such as math, it will be better to work independently. For other areas, such as learning to proactively lead the case, it will be better to work with a case partner.

If you are looking for more cases, look at the resources listed in step four. If you are looking for specific drills or practice problems for a particular part of a case interview, check out The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook .

Do not move onto the next step until you have finished working on all of your improvement areas.

7. Stay sharp

If you have progressed this far, congratulations! You have almost finished preparing for Deloitte case interviews.

Once you feel that you have no more improvement areas to work on, the key is to not burn yourself out by doing too many unnecessary cases.

While each case that you do makes you slightly better, there is a point when doing too many cases can create case fatigue right before your interview. Case fatigue can negatively impact your interview performance.

On the other hand, you also don’t want to go weeks without having done a case. You may end up forgetting strategies or become rusty and slow.

Once you have achieved case mastery, I recommend doing no more than 2 cases per week in the weeks leading up to your interview. This ensures that you remain sharp for case interviews, but don’t have case fatigue.

How to Solve the Deloitte Group Case Interview

Deloitte is one of the few consulting firms that uses group case interviews in their final round of interviews. They conduct group case interviews because Deloitte’s work culture has a huge emphasis on teamwork and culture fit.

Here’s what to expect:

You’ll be put into a group with 3 to 5 other candidates
The interviewer will hand out case materials
You’ll be given 10 minutes to review the case materials and prepare
The group will have a discussion for 20 minutes
During this discussion, interviewers will be observing candidates and will not interfere
Afterwards, the interviewer will ask the group specific questions for another 20 minutes

Group case interviews can be challenging to prepare for because it is difficult to replicate the exact conditions to practice them. However, if you prepare for case interviews well, you will be in a great position to succeed in group case interviews.

Your goal in a group case interview is to add value to the group. There are six different ways that you can add value:

Lead or facilitate the discussion : You can propose what topics to discuss, the order they should be discussed in, and how much time should be allocated towards each topic. If the group gets off track, you can bring the group’s focus back together.
Expand upon other people’s ideas : If a group member suggests a great idea or raises a good point, build upon it and make it even better.
Synthesize information : You can summarize information that other people have said and reconcile different viewpoints and ideas together.
Keep track of time : You can volunteer to keep track of time and make sure that the group is on track.
Play devil’s advocate : You can help your group develop strong ideas by testing the team’s thinking by considering potential risks or downsides of their ideas.
Take notes: You can keep track of what other people are saying so that you can recall what has been discussed if any group members have questions.

Follow these five tips to shine during your Deloitte group case interview.

Tip #1: Treat your group members as teammates, not competition

The group case interview is not an exercise in which you are competing with others. Interviewers are trying to assess whether you would be a great teammate. Multiple people or even all people in your group can receive job offers.

Therefore, focus on adding value to the group rather than making yourself look better than your teammates.

Tip #2: Don’t speak too much, but don’t speak too little

If you speak too much, this may be seen as being too aggressive or controlling. If you speak too little, you may come off as shy or timid.

If you were to rank all of the members in your group by how much each person spoke, you would want to be roughly in the middle. This would be the perfect balance of speaking and listening.

Tip #3: Don’t interrupt or talk over your group members

Interrupting others when they are speaking is rude and disrespectful. You do not want to be inconsiderate or a jerk. Be nice and respectful to your group members.

Tip #4: Involve other people

If you observe that someone has not spoken much, ask them for their thoughts or opinions. If you notice that someone has been cut off when they were speaking, ask them to finish their thoughts after the person interrupting them has finished what they have to say.

These are easy ways to show interviewers that you are a considerate and helpful teammate.

Tip #5: Speak only if you are adding value to the group

Just because you are speaking a lot during the group case interview does not mean that you are doing well. Interviewers are not assessing you purely on the quantity of what you say. They care more about the quality.

Great teammates know when to speak and when to listen. Therefore, you should speak only if you are adding some kind of value to the group. Interviewers can tell when people are speaking for the sake of getting air time.

For a full guide on group case interviews, check out our consulting group case interview step-by-step guide .

Deloitte Behavioral and Fit Interview Questions

In addition to case interviews, you will likely be asked a few behavioral or fit interview questions. There are ten questions that are most commonly asked.

1. Why Deloitte?

How to answer: Provide your three biggest reasons why you’re interested in working at Deloitte. You could mention that you loved the people that you have met from Deloitte so far. You can talk about Deloitte’s massive global presence, their expertise in nearly any industry or function, or their professional development opportunities.

2. Why consulting?

How to answer: Again, provide three reasons for why you’re interested in consulting. You could mention the fast career progression opportunities, the learning opportunities to develop soft and hard skills, or the level of impact that you can make right away in consulting.

3. Walk me through your resume.

How to answer: Provide a concise summary of your work experience, starting with the most recent. Focus on emphasizing your most impressive and unique accomplishments. At the end, tie your experiences to why you are interested in consulting and why you would be a great fit for Deloitte.

4. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

How to answer: Choose your most impressive, unique, or memorable accomplishment. Structure your answer by providing information on the situation, the task, the actions you took, and the results of your work. Explain why the accomplishment is so meaningful to you and what qualities that reveals about you as a person.

5. Tell me about something that is not on your resume.

How to answer: This is a great opportunity to highlight an accomplishment that is not related to your professional work experience. Perhaps there is a non-profit that you volunteer at, a side project or business that you work on, or a hobby that you have won awards or recognition for. Select an accomplishment that is impressive and interesting.

6. Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team.

How to answer: If possible, choose a time when you directly managed a person or a team. For this question and the following similar questions, make sure that you structure your answer. Provide information on the situation, the task, the actions you took, and the results of your work. This is known as the STAR method and is the most common way of answering behavioral or fit interview questions.

7. Describe a time when you faced conflict or disagreement.

How to answer: When answering this question, focus on emphasizing the steps you took to resolve the conflict or disagreement. Speak about the interpersonal skills you had to use in order to mediate the situation. Interviewers want to know that you can handle conflict in a constructive way.

8. Give an example of a time when you successfully persuaded someone.

How to answer: Choose a time when you were able to change someone’s mind who originally disagreed with you. Focus on emphasizing the steps that you took to persuade that person and what impact this had on the organization. Interviewers want to know that you are a great communicator and have strong people skills.

9. Tell me about a time when you failed.

How to answer: Choose a time when you failed to meet a deadline or did not meet expectations. You do not want to pick a failure that is too big or embarrassing. Focus on emphasizing what you learned from the experience and how you used that experience to deliver even better results in the next opportunity that you got. Interviewers want to see that you strive to learn from your past failures and are always working to get better.

10. Are there any questions that you have for me?

How to answer: This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know the interviewer on a more personal level. Ask them questions about their experience in consulting. Ask what their favorite case was or what they are looking to do next in their career. The more you can get the interviewer talking about themself, the more likely they will be to have a positive impression of you. People love talking about themselves, so make sure to listen attentively and ask follow-up questions.

For a step-by-step guide on how to best answer all of these questions and more, check out our complete guide on consulting behavioral interview questions .

Recommended Deloitte Case Interview Resources

To prepare for Deloitte case interviews, you can use a variety of different case interview prep books, online courses, and coaching. We'll cover each of these different categories of resources in more detail.

Deloitte Case Interview Prep Books

Case interview prep books are great resources to use because they are fairly inexpensive, only costing $20 to $30. They contain a tremendous amount of information that you can read, digest, and re-read at your own pace.

Based on our comprehensive review of the 12 popular case interview prep books , we ranked nearly all of the case prep books in the market.

The three case interview prep books we recommend using are:

Hacking the Case Interview : In this book, learn exactly what to do and what to say in every step of the case interview. This is the perfect book for beginners that are looking to learn the basics of case interviews quickly.
The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook : In this book, hone your case interview skills through 65+ problems tailored towards each type of question asked in case interviews and 15 full-length practice cases. This book is great for intermediates looking to get quality practice.
Case Interview Secrets : This book provides great explanations of essential case interview concepts and fundamentals. The stories and anecdotes that the author provides are entertaining and help paint a clear picture of what to expect in a case interview, what interviewers are looking for, and how to solve a case interview.

Deloitte Case Interview Courses

Case interview courses are more expensive to use than case interview prep books, but offer more efficient and effective learning. You’ll learn much more quickly from watching someone teach you the material, provide examples, and then walk through practice problems than from reading a book by yourself.

Courses typically cost anywhere between $200 to $400.

If you are looking for a single resource to learn the best Deloitte case interview strategies in the most efficient way possible, enroll in our comprehensive case interview course .

Through 70+ concise video lessons and 20 full-length practice cases based on real interviews from top-tier consulting firms, you’ll learn step-by-step how to crush your Deloitte case interview.

We’ve had students pass their Deloitte first round interview with just a week of preparation, but know that your success depends on the amount of effort you put in and your starting capabilities.

Deloitte Case Interview Coaching

With case interview coaching, you’ll pay anywhere between $100 to $300 for a 40- to 60-minute mock case interview session with a case coach. Typically, case coaches are former consultants or interviewers that have worked at top-tier consulting firms.

Although very expensive, case interview coaching can provide you with high quality feedback that can significantly improve your case interview performance. By working with a case coach, you will be practicing high quality cases with an expert. You’ll get detailed feedback that ordinary case interview partners are not able to provide.

Know that you do not need to purchase case interview coaching to receive a consulting job offer. The vast majority of candidates that receive offers from top firms did not purchase case interview coaching. By purchasing case interview coaching, you are essentially purchasing convenience and learning efficiency.

Case interview coaching is best for those that have already learned as much as they can about case interviews on their own and feel that they have reached a plateau in their learning. For case interview beginners and intermediates, it may be a better use of their money to first purchase a case interview course or case interview prep book before purchasing expensive coaching sessions.

If you do decide to eventually use a case interview coach, consider using our case coaching service .

There is a wide range of quality among coaches, so ensure that you are working with someone that is invested in your development and success. If possible, ask for reviews from previous candidates that your coach has worked with.

Summary of the Best Deloitte Interview Resources

To prepare for Deloitte interviews as well as interviews from other consulting firms, we recommend the following resources:

For help landing consulting interviews

Resume Review & Editing : Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

For help passing case interviews

Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.
Case Interview Coaching : Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.
Hacking the Case Interview Book (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.
The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

Behavioral & Fit Interview Course : Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.

Land Multiple Consulting Offers

Complete, step-by-step case interview course. 30,000+ happy customers.

35 Case Interviews Examples from MBB / Big Four Firms

Studying case interview examples is one of the first steps in preparing for the management consulting recruitment process. If you don’t want to spend hours searching the web, this article presents a comprehensive and convenient list for you – with 35 example cases, 16 case books, along with a case video accompanied by detailed feedback on tips and techniques.

A clear understanding of “what is a case interview” is essential for effective use of these examples. I suggest reading our Case Interview 101 guide, if you haven’t done so.

McKinsey case interview examples

Mckinsey practice cases.

Diconsa Case
Electro-Light Case
GlobaPharm Case
National Education Case

What should I know about McKinsey Case interviews?

At McKinsey, case interviews often follow the interviewer-led format , where the interviewer asks you multiple questions for you to answer with short pitches.

How do you nail these cases? Since the questions can be grouped into predictable types, an efficient approach is to master each question type. However, do that after you’ve mastered the case interview fundamentals!

For a detailed guide on interviewer-led cases, check out our article on McKinsey Case Interview .

BCG & Bain case interview examples

Bcg practice cases.

BCG – Written Case – Chateau Boomerang

Bain practice cases

Bain – Coffee Shop Co.
Bain – Fashion Co.
Bain – Mock Interview – Associate Consultant
Bain – Mock Interview – Consultant

What should I know about BCG & Bain case interviews?

Unlike McKinsey, BCG and Bain case interviews typically follow the candidate-led format – which is the opposite of interviewer-led, with the candidate driving the case progress by actively breaking down problems in their own way.

The key to acing candidate-led cases is to master the case interview fundamental concepts as well as the frameworks.

Some BCG and Bain offices also utilize written case interviews – you have to go through a pile of data slides, select the most relevant ones to answer a set of interviewer questions, then deliver those answers in a presentation.

For a detailed guide on candidate-led cases, check out our article on BCG & Bain Case Interview .

Deloitte case interview examples

Deloitte practice cases.

Undergrad Cases

Human Capital – Technology Institute
Human Capital – Agency V
Strategy – Federal Benefits Provider
Strategy – Extreme Athletes
Technology – Green Apron
Technology – Big Bucks Bank
Technology – Top Engine
Technology – Finance Agency

Advanced Cases

Human Capital – Civil Cargo Bureau
Human Capital – Capital Airlines
Strategy – Club Co
Strategy – Health Agency
Technology – Waste Management
Technology – Bank of Zurich
Technology – Galaxy Fitness

What should I know about Deloitte case interviews?

Case interviews at Deloitte also lean towards the candidate-led format like BCG and Bain.

The Deloitte consultant recruitment process also features group case interviews , which not only test analytical skills but also place a great deal on interpersonal handling.

Accenture case interview examples

Accenture divides its cases into three types with very cool-sounding names.

Sorted in descending order of popularity, they are:

These are similar to candidate-led cases at Bain and BCG. albeit shorter – the key is to develop a suitable framework and ask the right questions to extract data from the interviewer.

These are similar to the market-sizing and guesstimate questions asked in interviewer-led cases – demonstrate your calculations in structured, clear-cut, logical steps and you’ll nail the case.

These cases have you sort through a deluge of data to draw solutions; however, this type of case is rare.

Capital One case interview examples

Capital One is the odd one on this list – it is a bank-holding company. Nonetheless, this being one of the biggest banks in America, it’s interesting to see how its cases differ from the consulting ones.

Having gone through Capital One’s guide to its cases, I can’t help but notice the less-MECE structure of the sample answers. Additionally, there seems to be a greater focus on the numbers.

Nonetheless, having a solid knowledge of the basics of case interviews will not hurt you – if anything, your presentation will be much more in-depth, comprehensive, and understandable!

See Capital One Business Analyst Case Interview for an example case and answers.

Other firms case interview examples

Besides the leading ones, we have some examples from other major consulting firms as well.

Oliver Wyman – Wumbleworld
Oliver Wyman – Aqualine
LEK – Cinema
LEK – Market Sizing
Kearney – Promotional Planning
OC&C – Imported Spirits
OC&C – Leisure Clubs

Consulting clubs case books

In addition to official cases, here are a few case books you can use as learning materials.

Do keep in mind: don’t base your study on frameworks and individual case types, but master the fundamentals so you can tackle any kind of case.

Wharton Consulting Club Case Book
Tuck Consulting Club Case Book
MIT Sloan Consulting Club Case Book
LBS Consulting Club Case Book
Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book
INSEAD Consulting Club Case Book
Harvard Consulting Club Case Book
ESADE Consulting Club Case Book
Darden Consulting Club Case Book
Berkeley Consulting Club Case Book
Notre-Dame Consulting Club Case Book
Illinois Consulting Club Case Book
Columbia Consulting Club Case Book
Duke Consulting Club Case Book
Ross Consulting Club Case Book
Kearney Case Book

Case interview example – Case video

The limitation of most official case interview examples is that they are either too short and vague, or in text format, or both.

To solve that problem for you, we’ve extracted a 30-minute-long, feedback-rich case sample from our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program .

This is a candidate-led, profitability case on an internet music broadcasting company called Pandora.

In 30 minutes, this candidate demonstrates the exact kind of shortcoming that most candidates suffer during real case interviews – they come in with sharp business senses, then hurt their own chances with inadequate techniques.

Here are seven notable areas where the candidate (and you) can improve:

Thanking Throughout the case, as especially in the opening, he should have shown more appreciation for the time the interviewer spent with him.

Structured opening The candidate’s opening of the case feels unstructured. He could have improved it by not mixing the playback and clarification parts. You can learn to nail the case in a 3-minute start through this video on How to Open Any Case Perfectly .

Explicitness A lot of the candidate’s thought process remains in his head; in a case interview, it’s better to be as explicit as possible – draw your issue tree out and point to it as you speak; state your hypothesis when you move into a branch; when you receive data, acknowledge it out loud.

Avoiding silence The silence in his case performance is too long, including his timeout and various gaps in his speech; either ask for timeout (and keep it as short as possible) or think out loud to fill those gaps.

Proactivity The candidate relies too much on the interviewer (e.g: asking for data when it can easily be calculated); you don’t want to appear lazy before your interviewer, so avoid this.

Avoiding repeating mistakes Making one mistake twice is a big no-no in consulting interviews; one key part of the consulting skill set is the ability to learn, and repeating your mistakes (especially if the interviewer has pointed it out) makes you look like someone who doesn’t learn.

Note-taking Given the mistakes this candidate makes, he’s probably not taking his notes well. I can show you how to get it right if you watch this video on Case Interview Note-Taking .

Nonetheless, there are three good points you can learn from the candidate:

The candidate sums up what he’s covered and announces his upcoming approach at the start and at key points in the case – this is a very good habit that gives you a sense of direction and shows that you’re an organized person.

The candidate performs a “reality check” on whether his actions match the issue tree; in a case interview it’s easy to lose track of what you’re doing, so remember to do this every once in a while.

The candidate prompts the interviewer to give out more data than he asked for; if anything, this actually matches a habit of real consultants, and if you’re lucky, your interviewer may actually give out important pieces you haven’t thought of.

These are only part of the “ninja tips” taught In our Case Interview E2E Secrets Program – besides the math and business intuition for long-term development, a key feature is the instant-result tips and techniques for case interviews.

Once you’ve mastered them, you can nail any case they throw at you!

For more “quality” practice, let’s have a mock case interview with former consultants from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Oliver Wyman, Strategy& and many other consulting firms. They will help you identify your problem areas and give you actionable feedback, making your preparation much easier and faster.

Hi! This is Kim and welcome to another performance in the Tips & Techniques part of our amazing End-to-end program. You are about to hear a really interesting performance.

There is a common Myth that Profitability cases are easier. Well, for beginners, that’s may make sense, but I would argue that Profitability cases can be really tricky and candidates without good foundation will make about the same level of mistakes regardless of type of cases given.

The profitability case we are about to watch will show that. It’s a very unconventional

Profitability. It started out like a typical one but getting more and more tricky toward the end.

The candidate is fairly good in term of business intuition, but the Tips & Techniques aspect needs a lot of fine tune! Now let’s go ahead and get started!

It’s actually a little better to playback the case information and ask clarifications. The candidate does not distinguish between the two and do both at a same time. Also, the candidate was asking these clarifications in an unorganized and unstructured fashion. This is not something terrible, but could have been better, especially when this is the very first part of the case, where the crucial first impression is being formed.

My pitch would sound like this:

“That’s a very interesting problem and I am happy to get the chance to solve it. First of all let me tell you my understanding of the case context and key objectives. Then I would like to ask a few clarifying questions regarding a few terminology and concepts. Both of these are to make sure that I will be solving the right problem.

So here is my understanding of the case: The client is ABC. Here are some DEF facts about the situation we just talked about. And the key case question is XYZ.

Does that correctly and adequately summarize the case?”

Once the interviewer confirms, I would move to the clarification part as follows: “Now I would like to ask a few clarification questions. There are three of them: No 1, … No 2, … and No 3, …”

You may see above pitch as obvious but that’s a perfect example of how you should open any cases. Every details matters. We will point out those details in just a second. But before we do that, it’s actually very helpful if you can go back, listen carefully to the above pitch, and try to point out the great components yourselves. Only after that, go back to this point and learn it all together.

Alright, let’s break down the perfect opening.

First of all, you hear me say: “That’s a very interesting problem and I am happy to get a chance to solve it”. This seems trivial but very beneficial in multiple ways:

1. I bought myself a couple of seconds to calm down and get focused. 2. By nature, we as human unconsciously like those who give us compliments. Nothing better than opening the case with a modest compliment to the interviewer.

And (c) I showed my great attitude towards the case, which the interviewer would assume is the same for real future consulting business problems.

You should do that in your interviews too. Say it and accompany it with the best smile you can give. It shows that you are not afraid of any problems. In fact, you love them and you are always ready for them.

Secondly, I did what I refer to as the “map habit”, which is to always say what you are about to do and then do it. Just like somebody in the car showing the drivers the route before cruising on the road. The driver would love it. This is where I said: “Let me tell you my understanding of the case context and key objectives. Then ABC…”.

Third, right at the beginning of the case, I try to be crystal clear and easy to follow. I don’t let the interviewer confused between playing the case vs. asking clarification questions. I distinguish between the two really carefully. This habit probably doesn’t change the outcome of how the case goes that much, but it certainly significantly changes the impression the interviewer has of me.

Fourth, in playing back the case, each person would have a different way to re-phrase. But there are three buckets to always include:

1. Who is the client 2. The facts regarding the client and the situation and (c) The key question and the objective of the case.

Fifth, after playing the case context and objectives, I pause for a second and ALIGN with the interviewer: “Does it correctly and adequately summarize the case?”. This is a habit that every consulting manager loves for young consultants to do. Nobody wants first-year folks to spend weeks of passion and hard-work building an excel model that the team can’t use. This habit is extensively taught at McKinsey, Bain and BCG, so therefore interviewers would love somebody that exhibits this habit often in case interview.

Lastly, when asking clarification questions, you hear me number them very carefully to create the strong impression that I am very organized and structured. I said I have three clarifying questions. Then I number them as I go through each. No.1, No.2, and No.3.

Sometimes, during interviews it’s hard to know exactly how many items you are going to get. One way is to take timeout often to carefully plan your pitch. If this is not possible in certain situations, you may skip telling how many items you have; but you should definitely still number your question: No.1, No.2; and so on.

Just a moment ago, the candidate actually exhibited a good habit. After going through his clarification questions, the candidate ended by asking the “is there anything else” question. In this case, I actually give out an important piece of data.

Though this is not very common as not every interviewer is that generous in giving out data. But this is a habit management consultants have to have every day when talking to experts, clients, or key stakeholders. The key is to get the most data and insights out of every interview and this is the type of open-ended question every consultant asks several times a day.

To show of this habit in a case interview is very good!

There are three things I would like you to pay attention to:

First, it took the candidate up to 72 seconds to “gather his thoughts”. This is a little too long in a case interview. I intentionally leave the 72 seconds of silence in the recording so you get an idea of how long that is in real situations. But it’s worth-noting here is not only that. While in some very complicated and weird cases, it’s ok to take that long to really think and gather ideas. In this case, the approach as proposed by the candidate is very simple. For this very approach, I think no more than 15 to 20 seconds should be used.

No.2, with that said, I have told I really like the fact that this candidate exhibits the “map” habit. Before going straight to the approach he draws the overall approach first.

No.3. You also see here that the candidate tried to align the approach with me by asking my thoughts on it. As I just said on the previous comment, this is a great habit to have. Not only does it help reduce chance of going into the wrong direction in case interviews, but it also creates a good impression. Consulting interviewers love people doing it often!

Here we see a not-really-bad response that for sure could be much better. The candidate was going into the first branch of the analysis which is Revenue. I would fix this in 3 aspects:

First, even though we just talked about the overall approach, it’s still better to briefly set up the issue tree first then clearly note that you are going into one branch.

Second, this is not a must, but I always try to make my hypothesis as explicitly clear as possible. Here the candidate just implicitly made a hypothesis that the problem is on the revenue side. The best way to show our hypothesis-driven mindset is to explicitly say it.

Third, you hear this a ton of times in our End-to-End program but I am going to repeat it again and again. It is better to show the habit of aligning here too. Don’t just go into revenue, before doing that, give the interviewer a chance to agree or to actually guide you to Cost.

So, summarizing the above insights, my pitch would sound something like this:

“So as we just discussed, a profit problem is either caused by revenue or by cost. Unless you would like to go into cost first, let’s hypothesize that the problem is on revenue side. I would like to look deeper into Revenue. Do we have any data on the revenue?”

And while saying this, you should literally draw an issue tree and point to each as you speak.

There is an interesting case interview tip I want to point out here. Notice how the candidate responds after receiving two data points from me. He went straight into the next question without at least acknowledging the data received and also without briefly analyzing it.

I am glad that the candidate makes this mistakes… well, not glad for him but for the greater audience of this program. I would like to introduce to you the perfect habit of what you should react and do every time you have any piece of data during case interviews. So three things you need to do:

Step 1: Say … that’s an interesting piece of data. This helps the interviewer acknowledge that you have received and understand the data. This also buys you a little time. And furthermore, it’s always a good thing to give out modest compliments to the interviewer.

Step 2: Describe the data, how it looks, is there any special noteworthy trend? In this case, we should point out that revenue actually grew by more than 50%.

Also notice here that I immediately quantified the difference in specific quantitative measurement (in this case, percentage). Saying revenue went up is good, but it’s great to be able to say revenue went up by more than 50%.

Step 3: Link the trend identified back to the original case question and the hypothesis you have. Does it prove, disprove, or open up new investigation to really test the hypothesis? In this case, this data piece actually opened up new investigating areas to test the hypothesis that the bottleneck is within revenue.

My sample pitch for this step 3 would sound like this: “It’s interesting that revenue went up quite a bit. However, to be able to fully reject our hypothesis on the revenue, I would like to compare our revenue to that of the competitors as well.”

Then only at this point, after going through 3 steps above, I ask for the competitors’ revenue like the candidate did.

Notice here that I ended up asking the same question the candidate did. This shows that the candidate does have a good intuition and thought process. It’s just that he did all of these implicitly on his head.

In consulting case interview, it’s always good to do everything as explicitly as possible. Not only is it easier to follow but it helps show your great thought process.

… the rest of the transcript is available in our End To End Case Interview

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Preparing for case interviews is a hard task when you only have 1 week, so the first part you need to learn during this time is fundamentals of case interview

Case interview in consulting is difficult with the passing rate is around 10%. This is because big consulting firms keep an extremely high recruitment standard

A case interview is where candidates is asked to solve a business problem. They are used by consulting firms to evaluate problem-solving skill & soft skills

50+ Case Interview Questions and Examples From Top Firms

Discover over 50 case interview questions and examples from top consulting firms. Prepare effectively for your next interview with expert insights and tips!

Posted August 22, 2024

Featuring Samantha G.

Management Consulting: Ask Me Anything

Starting tuesday, september 10.

10:00 PM UTC · 30 minutes

Let’s face it, consulting interviews can be intimidating, especially with their complex case questions. These questions are designed to assess your problem-solving skills, analytical ability, and strategic thinking, crucial competencies for success in the consulting world. Recognizing the types of case interview questions and mastering them can significantly elevate your chances of landing your dream job in prestigious firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain.

This article serves as a comprehensive guide to mastering case interview questions, providing insights into the most common consulting case interview questions and detailed case interview examples from top consulting firms. From McKinsey case interview questions to unique challenges posed by firms like Deloitte and Accenture, we've got you covered. We will also share tips on how to ace your case interview and how to prepare for different types of case interview questions effectively.

By the end of this article, you'll have a well-rounded understanding of what to expect and how to showcase your problem-solving prowess when it matters most. Let’s begin!

List of Case Interview Questions, Practice Cases, and Examples

In preparing for your consulting interviews, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with the most common types of case interview questions. On this list, we will provide sample questions from the top consulting firms.

McKinsey Case Interview Examples

To excel in McKinsey case interviews , it's crucial to practice with specific examples that mirror the real challenges you might face. Here are some detailed scenarios from McKinsey to guide your preparation:

1. Beautify Case

Sample Question #1 : Beautify is excited to support its current staff of beauty consultants on the journey to becoming virtual social media-beauty advisors. Consultants would still lead the way in terms of direct consumer engagement and would be expected to maintain and grow a group of clients. They would sell products through their own pages on beautify.com, make appearances at major retail outlets, and be active on all social media platforms.

What possible factors should Beautify consider when shifting this group of employees toward a new set of responsibilities?

Sample Question #2 : One of the key areas that Beautify wants to understand is the reaction of current and potential new customers to the virtual social media-beauty advisors.

Imagine you are a current Beautify customer and you mostly shop at your local department store because you enjoy the high-touch service offered by in-store consultants. What features would make you consider switching to a mostly virtual sales experience?

See more questions here .

2. Diconsa Case

Sample Question #1 : What should the team investigate to determine whether the Diconsa network could and should be leveraged to provide a range of basic financial services to Mexico’s rural population?

Sample Question #2: The team has estimated that it currently costs a family 50 pesos per month in transportation and food to make the journey to collect benefit payments. The team also estimates that if benefits were available for collection at local Diconsa stores, the cost would be reduced by 30 percent.

Twenty percent of Mexico’s population is rural, and of that number, half currently receive state benefits.

You can assume that Mexico has a population of 100 million.

You can also assume that families in Mexico have an average four members, and that this does not vary by region.

If every family could collect state benefits at their local Diconsa stores, how much in total per year would be saved across all Mexican rural families receiving state benefits?

3. Electro-Light Case

Sample Question #1: What key factors should SuperSoda consider when deciding whether or not to launch Electro-Light?

Sample Question #2: SuperSoda executives believe that the company's position as a top-three beverage company gives it strategic impetus toward achieving the desired market share. However, they ask the team to outline what would be needed to achieve the target 12.5 percent share of the electrolyte-drinks market. What would SuperSoda need to do to gain the required market share for Electro-Light following its launch?

4. National Education System Transformation

Sample Question #1: What issues would you want to investigate in diagnosing the current state of the Loravian school system?

Sample Question #2: One of the clients at Loravian’s educational department mentions neighbor country “C” as an example, because it’s outperforming all of Loravia's economic peers and neighbors in the international assessment. She believes that the more concentrated school structure in this country is a big reason for better outcomes in the international assessment. She suggests that having larger, less fragmented schools allows for more effective teacher selection and training, leading to improved education outcomes for students. Finally, she shares that 15 percent of Loravia's population is currently attending school.

What would be the reduction in the total number of schools in Loravia if it were to achieve the same average school size as neighbor country C?

5. Talbot Trucks Case

Sample Question #1: What information would you want to collect to understand the attractiveness for Talbot Trucks in producing and selling eTrucks in Europe?

Sample Question #2: After running focus groups with Talbot Trucks’ customers, the team concluded that the total cost of an eTruck needs to be the same as a diesel truck to be considered attractive to customers. Currently, a Talbot Trucks diesel truck costs €100,000.

Assuming that the figures above do not change, what is the maximum price Talbot Trucks can charge for its eTruck so that the total cost of ownership is equal to that of a diesel truck?

6. Shops Corporation Case

Sample Question #1: What types of factors would you want to explore to understand how Shops Corporation might improve its diversity within senior leadership?

7. Conservation Forever Case

Sample Question #1: What factors could the team consider when choosing one of the three specific geographies on which to focus the conservation efforts?

Sample Question #2: The director of CF likes these initial projections, but is not convinced that the assumptions are realistic. They tell the team, “According to your model, there are three levers we need to focus on to generate revenue from ecotourism in Peru: number of visitors, length of stay, and spending amount. What are your best ideas for how to maximize each lever? And how about some ideas outside of the constraints of this model?”

Your team is meeting in ten minutes to generate ideas in preparation for a workshop with leaders from several coastal communities, and you are jotting down some notes.

What ideas do you have to generate revenue linked to ecotourism?

McKinsey offers case interview examples that cover various industries and problem-solving scenarios, helping you prepare for any interview question. Engaging with these cases will not only boost your confidence but also enhance your ability to approach complex business problems with innovative solutions.

BCG Case Interview Examples

At BCG , the case interview process is designed to simulate the real-world problems that client teams face, allowing you to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and specialized skills relevant to the role. Embracing the challenge with enthusiasm will not only make the experience rewarding but also provide a true taste of consulting life at BCG. Here are some of their case interview examples:

Here are a few examples of common case questions:

Should a company enter a new market?
Should a company pursue a new product line?
How can a company improve its profitability?
How can a company reduce costs?
How can a company improve its customer satisfaction?

Read: How to Prepare for Boston Consulting Group Management Consulting Case Interviews?

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Bain Case Interview Examples

During your preparation for Bain case interviews, it's essential to delve into specific examples that reflect the real challenges you may encounter. Here's are five examples of practice cases and mock interview tips provided by Bain to guide your preparation:

Coffee Shop Co. Practice Case
FashionCo. Practice Case
Associate Consultant Mock Interview
Consultant Mock Interview
Written Case Interview Tips

Read : Bain Case Interviews: A Comprehensive Preparation Guide

Deloitte Case Interview Examples

Deloitte provides a rich array of materials and interactive case studies designed to prepare you for the rigors of their case interviews. These examples reflect real client engagements, offering insights into the complex problems you may face and the analytical, creative, and strategic thinking required to solve them.

Deloitte Case Examples

Footloose Case Study sample questions:

How big is the work boot market (expressed in euros)? Does Duraflex get more of its revenue from work boots or casual boots?
Explain why Badger is outperforming Duraflex in the work boot market.
What changes would you recommend to Duraflex’s work boot strategy? Why? Would you recommend they introduce a sub- branded boot line?

Engagement Strategy: Federal Agency V sample questions:

To begin an engagement strategy, how might you establish a baseline to measure employee engagement against?
What characteristics would you look for in external organizations to use as potential benchmarks?
What are the various populations of the workforce and how would you engage them?
How will you use Deloitte’s relationship with, and institutional knowledge, of Agency V to develop your deliverables?

Recreation Unlimited sample questions :

What are potential reasons for Recreation Unlimited's poor eCommerce performance relative to competitors?
In order to win digital customers, Recreation Unlimited wants to find ways to improve and differentiate their digital customer experience. What are some potential ways to improve the customer experience and how does improving customer experience create value for the customer and value for the business?
As part of the digital strategy that Recreation Unlimited is considering, they are debating whether to improve the website experience or increase digital marketing. Since they are not sure they will have the budget for both, they want you to help them decide. How would you approach this question?

Strategic Vision: Federal Benefits Provider sample questions :

What steps should the Deloitte team take to develop a 10-year strategic roadmap for the Agency?
What are the components or metrics of a business case that should be considered to justify the development of a 10-year strategic roadmap?
In building the 10-year strategic road map, the Deloitte team realizes there are several key challenges that pose impediments to implementing the Agency’s vision. What is the cost of each challenge to the Agency?
Leaders in the various departments remain skeptical that the 10-year vision can positively impact their unique operations, while employees are largely unaware of the 10-year vision initiative. How might Deloitte develop an impactful change management strategy to institutionalize the goals of the 10-year vision and ensure buy-in across the Agency’s diverse workforce?

Talent Management: Federal Civil Cargo Protection Bureau sample questions:

What data would you want to have to be able to move forward?
What immediate steps would you take to review screening processes and training procedures?
How would you incorporate things like job descriptions and competencies in your review in order to build a new human capital strategy?
How will you engage and develop leadership given the Chief Administrator is new to the role and has a different background?

Click here to practice a consulting case interview.

Read : Best 30 Free Resources to Get into Management Consulting

Accenture Case Interview Examples

Accenture's case interviews serve as the final hurdle to becoming a consultant at the firm. These interviews are uniquely structured to assess a candidate's ability to solve complex business problems. The format includes both interviewer-led and candidate-led cases, providing a comprehensive evaluation of your problem-solving capabilities.

Learn more about Accenture’s Case Interview Workbook here .

OC&C Case Interview Examples

OC&C , a globally recognized but relatively smaller strategy consulting firm, is known for its rigorous case interviews that reflect real-life client challenges. These interviews are designed to assess a wide range of skills, from analytical thinking to business acumen, tailored to the firm's focus on private equity clients and seven key industries.

1. Leisure Clubs Case sample questions:

What factors might you analyze to determine what is going to happen to demand for leisure clubs?
What is likely to happen to demand for leisure clubs?
What is the critical issue for our client?

2. Important Whisky in an Emerging Market Case sample questions:

What information would you require to help explain the slowing down of growth?
What is driving profitability down?
What are the potential strategic options?

Oliver Wyman Case Interview Examples

Oliver Wyman's case interviews are designed to uncover how you approach unstructured challenges and evaluate data to build comprehensive solutions. The firm encourages candidates to think critically and creatively, using logical components to break down complex problems.

See how Oliver Wyman can help you with interview preparation by explaining conversational and case interviews, as well as sharing interview tips and explaining what the role of the case interview is.

A.T. Kearney Case Interview Examples

A.T. Kearney's interview process is notably rigorous, tailored to assess a wide range of abilities from analytical thinking to strategic problem-solving. Take a look at A.T. Kearney’s case example and case book to help you how to prepare effectively:

Promotional Planning Case example
Consulting Case Book and Tips for Interviewing

Strategy& / PWC Case Interview Examples

Strategy& / PWC focuses on executive-level strategic issues, such as capability identification, market positioning, and operational efficiency. This branch's case interviews are designed to simulate real business challenges, helping to prepare candidates for the demands of strategic consulting roles. Here's a closer look at the types of questions you might encounter:

Sample Question 1: Market sizing

Estimate the size (by value) of the UK grocery retail market

Sample Question 2: Market sizing

Estimate the size (by value) of the UK retail cooking sauces market

Sample Question 3: Interpreting information and drawing conclusions

Look at the chart on the following slide
Interpret the meaning of the chart
How are things changing? Who's winning and who's losing?
Given your knowledge of the UK grocery market, why might this be?

Learn more about case interview preparation by reading through Strategy& / PWC’s presentation .

L.E.K. Consulting Case Interview Examples

The case interview process at L.E.K. Consulting is rigorous – designed to evaluate a candidate's ability to solve complex business problems. The interviews are structured across multiple rounds, each focusing on different aspects of your analytical and strategic thinking abilities. Here's what you need to know to prepare effectively:

Interview Preparation
Market Sizing Case Example Video Walkthrough

Roland Berger Case Interview Examples

The case interviews at Roland Berger are designed to evaluate your ability to display key personality traits, with a notable preference for candidates who have international experience, as this is explicitly stated by the firm. Roland Berger has provided two case webinars on their website. Each example provides a case scenario, problem, and tips on how to answer the questions.

3D Printed Hip Implants Case / 3D Printed Hip Implants Case 2 sample questions:
Based upon the explanation process: Which are the most important costs to consider?
Is additive manufacturing of the hip implant – based upon the given information – lucrative?
Which measures could increase the economic feasibility of the product?
Transit Oriented Development Case / Transit Oriented Development Case 2 sample questions:
How would you split the 416 stations between little, medium, and large revenue potential?
How can the public transport operator of Munich increase its revenue through focusing on its existing rail stations?

Capital One Case Interview Examples

The structure of a Capital One case interview typically involves three key sections: outlining the business situation and framework, tackling quantitative questions, and formulating a recommendation based on your calculations. Expect scenarios that might not strictly adhere to the MECE principle (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive), which is often a staple in consulting case interviews. This approach reflects the real-world ambiguity you might face in business situations, requiring a flexible and adaptive problem-solving strategy. Here's a video walkthrough on everything there is need to know about Capital One case interview:

Strategy Analyst - Case Study Guide

EY Parthenon Case Interview Examples

EY-Parthenon case interviews are designed to mimic real-life challenges, providing a glimpse into the practical work of a consultant. The interviews are candidate-led, similar to styles seen at BCG or Bain, and focus on several key areas including analytical thinking, structured problem-solving, and effective communication. The EY-Parthenon behavioral interview questions are comparable to those you would encounter in interviews for other top-tier management consulting firms. Be prepared to answer the following questions:

EY-Parthenon Case Interview Behavioral/FIT Questions

Tell me about yourself.
Why are you interested in consulting, and why specifically EY-Parthenon?
Describe a time when you worked on a team project. What was your role, and how did you contribute to the team’s success?
Can you provide an example of a challenging problem you faced at work and how you solved it?
How do you handle tight deadlines and pressure? Can you give an example?
Tell me about a time when you had to influence someone to achieve a goal.
How do you prioritize tasks when you have multiple projects to manage?
Describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
What is your greatest professional achievement so far?
Give an example of a time when you had to learn something new quickly.
Why do you think you would be a good fit for EY-Parthenon’s culture?
Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake. How did you handle it?
Can you provide an example of a project where you demonstrated leadership?
How do you handle feedback and criticism?
Are there any questions that you have for me?
Your answer for this question must be a resounding “YES”. The more you have questions for them, the better because that shows that you’ve researched the company. You may ask about a particular previous project they did or something in particular to their operations.

Online Case Interview Examples from Consulting Clubs

Mastering the case interview is essential in consulting, and consulting clubs are key in this preparation. NYU, Duke, and Kellogg Consulting Club, for instance, provide free various interview cases, both individual and group, that mimic real consulting challenges.

NYU Stern MCA 2020-2021 Casebook
Columbia Business School 2021 Casebook
The Duke MBA Consulting Club Casebook 2021-2022
UCLA Case Book 2019 – 2020
Darden School Of Business 2021-2022 Casebook
Kellogg Consulting Club 2020 Casebook
Cornell MBA Johnson Consulting Club Casebook 2020-2021
Notre Dame Casebook 2022
FMS Consulting Casebook 2021-22
INSEAD Consulting Club Casebook 2021
IIMC Consulting Casebook 2021-22
IIM Lucknow Casebook 2022
Harvard Business School Management Consulting Club Case Interview Examples
Berkeley Haas School of Business Consulting Club Interview Preparation Guide and Case Interview Examples 2019

How to Ace Your Case Interview

To excel in your case interview, it's crucial to demonstrate a blend of problem-solving skills, analytical ability, strategic and logical thinking, and comfort with ambiguity. These elements are essential as they reflect real client projects that you might handle at firms like Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Read : The 15 Most Common Consulting Interview Questions — With Answers

Step-by-Step Approach to Case Interviews

Understand the Issue : Start by clarifying the case question. Ensure you fully grasp the problem before proceeding.
Develop a Framework : Articulate a framework and initial hypothesis to explore. This helps in structuring your response and guides your analysis.
Analytical Execution : Engage in logical storytelling. Walk the interviewer through your thought process and explain your assumptions. Take notes and structure your analysis clearly.
Recommendation and Next Steps : Conclude with a strong recommendation based on your findings. Outline the next steps and expected results or impacts.

Read : Mastering Consulting Cases: A Step-by-Step Approach

Tips on How to Prepare For Your Case Interview

To excel in your case interview preparation, it's essential to engage in extensive practice with a variety of case types. Successful candidates often practice with dozens of case interview scenarios, treating the preparation process with the same rigor as studying for finals or the GMAT. Here are key steps to enhance your preparation:

Diverse Practice Cases : Ensure the practice cases you use cover a broad spectrum of problems, including profitability, market sizing, and business expansion scenarios. This variety prepares you for any curveballs and helps develop flexibility in applying different frameworks.
Quality of Practice Materials : Select high-quality practice cases from trusted sources. The content and structure of these cases should closely mimic the types of cases presented in actual interviews at top consulting firms.
Framework Mastery : Rather than memorizing frameworks, focus on understanding and adapting them to fit different case scenarios. This approach helps in crafting tailored solutions during your actual interview.
Time Management : Practice managing your time effectively during mock interviews. Top consulting firms like Bain appreciate candidates who can efficiently organize and analyze information under time constraints.
Engage with Realistic Simulations : Participate in mock interviews and case sessions that simulate the actual interview environment. This practice helps you refine your problem-solving approach and improve your communication skills under pressure.
Continuous Learning and Adaptation : Stay informed about new trends and changes in the consulting interview landscape. Engage with resources that provide updates and insights into evolving interview formats.

Personalized Coaching : Consider working with an experienced coach who can provide personalized feedback and guidance. Coaching can significantly enhance your performance by focusing on areas that need improvement.

Practice with Experts from Leland

Through an extensive exploration of the various aspects of case interviews across prestigious consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture, and others, it's evident that thorough preparation and an adaptable mindset are critical for success.

Leland offers comprehensive case study interview preparation tailored to help you excel in consulting case interviews. Our experienced consultants provide personalized coaching, realistic case simulations, and strategic feedback to enhance your problem-solving skills and boost your confidence. With our expert guidance, you'll be well-prepared to tackle any case interview challenge and make a lasting impression.

What questions should you consider asking during a case study interview?

In your case study interview, it's crucial to ask insightful questions to understand the context fully. Consider asking about how the interviewee discovered your company, the timeline of their engagement, their initial experiences with your company, the challenges they aimed to address, and whether they considered any competitors or alternative solutions.

What strategies can enhance your performance in a case interview?

To excel in a case interview, start by taking a moment to organize your thoughts before responding. Structure your response logically, guiding the interviewer through your thought process and clarifying any assumptions you make. Maintain composure and treat the interview as a professional conversation, which can help alleviate pressure.

How can you excel in a case study interview?

To perform well in a case study interview, make sure to take detailed notes throughout. Even if you are not familiar with the industry, focus on demonstrating your analytical skills and how you approach problem-solving. Communicate clearly and ensure you have a thorough understanding of the problem you're asked to analyze.

What types of questions are typically asked in case interviews?

Case interviews generally include questions from nine key categories, such as framework or issue tree questions, market-sizing and guesstimate questions, valuation inquiries, brain teasers, chart interpretation, value proposition analysis, informational queries, and mathematical problems.

Preparing for consulting recruiting and/or case interviews? Here are some additional resources to help:

Top 3 Tactics to Ace Your Case Interview
A Comprehensive Guide to McKinsey & Co., Bain & Co., and Boston Consulting Group
From No Offers to Multiple Offers - How to Take Your Casing to the Next Level
Soft Skills for Consulting: Why They Matter and How to Develop Them
Five Tips to Break Into Management Consulting

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How to prepare for financial services case interviews

This article was written by Wasim Tahir , a former Oliver Wyman and BCG consultant who has worked in several financial institutions, including Credit Suisse, Lloyds Banking Group, and CDC Group (impact investing). Wasim has coached many candidates for case interviews with firms such as American Express, Capital One, and Credit Suisse.

Case interviews are a long-standing feature of the interview process at both financial institutions and consulting firms that serve financial services clients, like Oliver Wyman .

These employers use case interviews to assess candidates against the same dimensions as the world’s top management consulting firms. However, the content of the cases that they give is very different.

In this article, we explain these differences and provide some guidance on how to prepare.

What’s unique about financial services cases?

Financial services institutions and consulting firms like Oliver Wyman require candidates to demonstrate a solid understanding of the financial services industry. They assess this by using case interviews focused on financial services and by including questions about technical topics such as financial regulations, technology, and financial metrics.

Here are some examples of the kinds of questions you might be asked in a financial services case interview:

What is the size of the market for credit cards in the UK?
A leading online trading platform is looking to expand into new geographies. How would you decide which market to enter?
A major bank is considering entering the cryptocurrency market. How would you evaluate the opportunity and risks involved?
A bank is planning to launch a new credit card targeted at young professionals. How would you go about deciding the features of the card?
A regional commercial bank has seen its profitability decline, despite stable revenue. How would you turn the situation around?
A leading financial services company is looking to grow its personal loan business. How would you help it develop a customer acquisition strategy?

How should you prepare for a financial services case interview?

As a baseline, you should be able to excel in all the dimensions assessed in a case interview . The video lectures in CaseCoach’s Interview Prep Course cover all of these dimensions. The course also includes sample interviews, case material, and practice tools designed to support your preparation.

In addition, you should take the following measures to prepare for financial services interviews specifically:

Form a helicopter view of how the financial system works in order to fulfill its key objective: intermediating capital.
Learn about the role that different types of financial institutions and instruments play in the financial system (as shown in the illustration below).
Understand the operating model of the type of financial institution you’re interviewing for. For example, the operating model of a lender – which will be different to that of a transaction bank or an investment bank – can be broken down into three key areas: underwriting, distribution and collections, and recoveries.
Know the unique structure of financial statements and the metrics that financial institutions use to measure performance. These include key ratios such as Net Interest Margin and Tier 1 Equity.
Be aware of the major economic, regulatory, and technological drivers that affect the industry.

Elements comprising the financial system

Preparing for the assessment dimensions of the case interview and deepening your knowledge of the financial services industry should stand you in excellent stead for succeeding in a financial services case interview.

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Financial Statements Examples – Amazon Case Study

Financial Statements are informational records detailing a company’s business activities over a period.

Austin has been working with Ernst & Young for over four years, starting as a senior consultant before being promoted to a manager. At EY, he focuses on strategy, process and operations improvement, and business transformation consulting services focused on health provider, payer, and public health organizations. Austin specializes in the health industry but supports clients across multiple industries.

Austin has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration in Strategy, Management and Organization, both from the University of Michigan.

What Are Financial Statements?

Amazon’s Balance Sheet

Amazon’s income statement, amazon’s cash flow statement, usage of financial statements, amazon case study faqs, what are financial statements.

Investors need financial statements to gain a full understanding of how a company operates in relation to competitors. In the case of Amazon , profitability metrics used to analyze most businesses cannot be used to compare the company to businesses in the same sector.

Amazon remains low in profitability continuously to reinvest in growing operations and new business opportunities. Instead, investors can point to the metrics signified in Amazon’s cash flow statement to demonstrate growth in revenue generation over the long term.

There are three main types of financial statements, all of which provide a current or potential investor with a different viewpoint of a company’s financials. These include the following below.

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet represents a company’s total assets, liabilities, and shareholder ’s equity at a certain time.

Assets are all items owned by a company with tangible or intangible value, while liabilities are all debts a company must repay in the future.

Shareholders' equity is simply calculated by subtracting total assets from total liabilities. This represents the book value of a business.

Income Statement

The income statement represents a company’s total generated income minus expenses over a specified range of time. This can be 3 months in a quarterly report or a year in an annual report .

Revenue includes the total money a company makes over a set time.

This includes operating revenue from business activities and non-operating revenue, such as interest from a company bank account.

Expenses include the total amount of money spent by a company over time. These can be grouped into two separate categories, Primary expenses occur from generating revenue, and secondary expenses appear from debt financing and selling off held assets.

Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement represents a company’s total cash inflows and outflows over a specified time range, similar to the income statement. Cash in a business can come from operating, investing, or financing activities.

Operating activities are events in which the business produces or spends money to sell its products or services. This would be income from the sales of goods or services or interest payments and expenses such as wages and rent payments for company facilities.

Investing activities include selling or purchasing assets, which can include investing in business equipment or purchasing short-term securities. Financing activities include the payment of loans and the issuance of dividends or stock repurchases.

Key Takeaways

Financial statements have information relevant for investors to understand the operations and profitability of a business over a specified time.
Fundamental analysis typically focuses on the main three financial statements: the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement.
Although analyzing business financials can provide an unaltered outlook into the operations of a business, the numbers don’t always demonstrate the full story, and investors should always conduct thorough due diligence beyond pure statistics.
Investors must ensure all of a company's financial statements are analyzed before forming a thesis, as inconsistencies in one sheet may be caused by an unusual one-time expense or dictated by a global measure out of the company’s control (ex., COVID-19).

Now that we have a general understanding of the financial statements, we can begin to take a look at Amazon’s most recent quarterly filing.

Company filings can be found by using EDGAR (database of regulatory filings for investors by the SEC) or from Amazon’s investor relations website.

Before we begin analyzing this sheet, it is important to take note of the statement just below the title, indicating that the data is being displayed in millions.

This can throw off newcomers, who may be very confused upon seeing Amazon’s revenue is $53,888. Amazon’s quarterly revenue is indeed $53.8 billion as calculated in millions.

When looking at Amazon’s assets, it is important to note the difference between current and total assets. Current assets are categorized separately due to the expectation that they can be converted to cash within the fiscal year.

Current assets can be used in the current ratio to analyze Amazon’s ability to pay off its short-term obligations. The current ratio formula is:

Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities

Amazon’s current ratio sits at 0.92, which is below the e-commerce industry average of 2.09 as of March 2023 (Source: Macrotrends ).

This could mean that Amazon is potentially overvalued compared to competitors, but this is only one metric and should ultimately be all of an investment decision, especially considering the capital-intensive nature of Amazon’s business model.

It is also important to understand all of the vocabulary used to detail items in Amazon’s balance sheet. Some of the major items’ definitions can be found below:

Assets are classified as follows.

Cash and cash equivalents: Assets of high liquidity, such as certificates of deposit or treasury bonds.
Marketable securities: Liquid securities can be sold in the public market, such as stock in another company or corporate bonds.
Accounts receivable (A/R): Money owed to the company that has not been received yet, such as from items previously bought on credit.
Inventories: Unsold finished or unfinished products from a company that has yet to be sold.
Property and equipment (PP&E): Assets owned by a company that is used for business activities. It may include factory assets or other types of real estate.
Operating leases: Assets rented by a business for operational purposes. Calculated as the net present value on the balance sheet.
Goodwill: Calculates intangible assets that cannot be sold or directly measured, such as customer reputation and loyalty.

Liabilities are of the following types.

Accounts payable (A/P): Obligations accrued through business activities that must be paid off shortly.
Accrued expenses: Current liabilities for a business that must be paid in the next 12 months.
Unearned revenue: This represents revenue earned by a business that has not yet received. Prevents profits from being overstated for a specific period.
Long-term debt: Debts in which payments are required over 12 months.
Lease liabilities: Payment obligations of a lease taken out by a company.
Stockholders’ equity: Net worth of a business/asset value to shareholders.
Retained earnings: Net profit remaining for a company after all liabilities are paid.

Amazon’s next statement in its quarterly filing is the income statement. The income statement is useful for comparing a company’s growth over time and matching it up against competitors in the same or different sectors.

An essential factor to note when looking at a company’s income statement is whether its revenue and net income are consistently growing year over year. Investors should also be aware of Wall Street expectations, as they can heavily influence the business’s share price.

Many important ratios are used when analyzing a company’s income statement. Some of the most notable ones include:

EV/EBITDA = (Market Capitalization + Debt - Cash) / (Revenue - Cost of Goods Sold - Operating Expenses)
Gross Margin = (Revenue - Cost of Goods Sold) / Revenue
Operating Margin = Operating Income / Revenue
Net Margin = Net Income / Revenue
Return on Equity (ROE) = Net Income / Average Shareholder Equity (End Value + Beginning Value / 2)
Earnings Per Share = Net Income / Shares Outstanding

Let’s use these ratios to conduct a comparables analysis between Amazon and eBay, a company at a much lower valuation relative to the e-commerce giant. Here are their ratios side-by-side, as of Amazon’s Q1 2023 and eBay’s Q1 2023 filings:

Ratio Analysis: Amazon Vs. eBay
Ratio	Amazon	eBay
	25.3x	8.4x
Gross Margin	46.8%	72.1%
Operating Margin	3.75%	29.1%
Net Margin	2.49%	22.6%
	-1.86%	-24.6%
Earnings Per Share	-$0.27	$1.05

* = EV/EBITDA ratios sourced from finbox.com , March 2023 trailing twelve months (TTM)

Looking at these statistics on paper, it is clear to see that Amazon seems overvalued compared to eBay due to lower margins, negative earnings per share, and an EV/EBITDA multiple over three times as high as the business.

However, pure stats on an income statement cannot fully justify purchasing one company or another. The statement merely shows what a company is doing without a corporate spin.

One thing to note that is unique about Amazon’s business model is how the company invests huge amounts of capital into R&D and technology to expand its operations continuously.

Their numbers don’t account for the massive cash flows and growth opportunities that the business takes advantage of.

When conducting fundamental analysis, an investor must consider all aspects of a business beyond the financial statements, including comparing business models to competitors and setting benchmarks encompassing the overall sector.

Amazon’s cash flow statement is where the company begins to shine compared to its competitors in the online commerce sector. The company has consistently increased cash flow from operating activities and constantly returns value to shareholders in the form of capital appreciation.

It is notable for focusing on what the company is doing inside of its cash flow statements to get a better picture of why its income or stock price is trending a certain way.

For example, an explosive drop in net income in an otherwise stable company could be due to mismanagement or hampered growth but is most likely due to M&A activity charged in a quarter that may be skewing the numbers. The cash flow statement clears this up.

Compared to 2022, Amazon has increased its annual cash from operating activities by over 38% from the previous year based on a 12-month rolling basis.

This increase has also resulted in an 11.7% increase in investment expenditures, which should allow Amazon to continue growing faster than similar companies.

In comparison, according to eBay’s most recent 10-K filing , the company generated an 82% growth in operating cash flow (OCF), however, this stat can be very misleading due to the company’s lack of investment in processes such as R&D and SG&A.

In 2022, the company reported $92M in investing activities, representing only 26% of operating cash flows. Amazon reported over $37.6B in investing activities representing approximately 88% of its OCF.

The income statement can misrepresent how well a company is doing, as while eBay has a higher net income, Amazon strategically reinvests its cash flows into R&D and other expenses to produce more over time continuously.

What makes the cash flow statement so essential to fundamental analysis is the fact that it is tough to manipulate its numbers through financial engineering or clever accounting.

The statement purely shows precisely where all of the money a company makes is being used. Many investors use the cash flow statement to tell the true financial health of a business, as profits can often not be indicative of a growth company's value.

The stock price of a company can easily be swayed by sentiment or the market cycle , and the income statement can be skewed through large one-time transactions or large amounts of financed revenue. The amount of money in the possession of a company is very hard to adjust.

Amazon currently has much better growth prospects than eBay and thus sells at a higher premium in the open market , but you wouldn’t understand why unless you took in the full picture of the company.

Everything You Need To Master Valuation Modeling

To Help You Thrive in the Most Prestigious Jobs on Wall Street.

Financial statements are excellent tools to learn more about a business in terms of an overall market or sector of operation. Using financial statements to determine the current value of a business is essential for understanding a company’s stock price.

Along with the ratios mentioned, analysts often form their methodologies over time to focus on companies that are strong in specific financial circumstances.

Tools such as stock screeners can sort millions of companies by certain factors. For instance, some investors may seek defensive companies with consistent dividend growth over long periods, while others may seek growth companies with the most innovative new technology.

Investors should keep all of this information in mind, as well as pay attention to the reports of analysts with varied performance outlooks. It is essential to seek out the opinions of multiple sources before establishing an opinion on a business.

Looking at reports from analysts specializing in the industry can also ensure that your expectations are reasonable compared to industry experts.

If your thesis results in Amazon growing its revenues by 20% a year while analysts across the country are only expecting growth in the range of 5-7%, it could be a sign that you may have overlooked a key factor in your due diligence .

The overall goal of using financial statements is to fully understand the company you are investing in to justify a position. Although your views may slightly differ from experts, quality due diligence can result in somewhat varied outcomes based on an investor’s outlook for the future.

Using EBITDA instead of net income strips away the capital structure and taxation of a business to analyze the pure earnings potential of a business. This is more practical for investors to see the general trajectory of a company’s income over time.

For example, companies may decide on completing a merger or acquiring another company. This will require a company to report its current and acquired assets on its balance sheet .

Over time, these assets must be recorded as expenses through the use of depreciation, which is the process of deducting from gross revenue to account for the decreasing value of company plant assets.

If these assets increase in value over time, this could decrease revenues over time not due to company performance but because of increased prices for equipment outside of the company’s control.

Without looking at EBITDA, company financials may paint a completely different picture with the use of net income that may or may not be justified at all.

ROE is an important metric to distinguish how good a company is at generating profits with investor capital compared to its share price and competitors. It is yet another indicator used to analyze the trajectory of a business over time.

Using ROE can also demonstrate how much financing a company requires to generate its revenue and if investors are really getting a great return for the amount of money shareholders contribute.

A startup that has recently gone public on the stock exchange may have a very low to negative ROE compared to an established company. Still, the startup may have the margins and growth to justify its valuation .

Much like every financial ratio, ROE doesn’t demonstrate the entire story of a business, and the full picture of a business must be considered to decide on an equity investment.

To proliferate and take market share from competitors , Amazon undercuts prices on many products to decrease competition and remain the top player in the industry.

Amazon, like many other companies recently since the pandemic, has also faced significant increases in operating expenses , thus lowering operating and net margins in the short term. Once Amazon begins to slow expansion, these margins are expected to rise.

Amazon’s net income is very low for many of the same reasons. The company is profitable yet is constantly reinvesting into new businesses and products to further grow cash flows for future expenditures.

Amazon investors are not focused on income but rather on its ability to continuously grow in the long term. Growth companies like Amazon do not issue dividends because they believe that the money is better reinvested in business operations.

Everything You Need To Master Financial Statement Modeling

To Help you Thrive in the Most Prestigious Jobs on Wall Street.

Researched and Authored by Tanner Hertz | LinkedIn

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Case Study Interview Examples: Questions and Answers

What would be your approach for introducing a product into a foreign market? What are the risks and benefits to consider i.e. producing in your own country vs producing in the new country, etc?
Company ABC is struggling, should it be restructured? Identify the three main problems it's facing. What is the most important problem the company is facing? How would you recommend the company address this problem? How would you turn this company around? Provide your reasoning for your recommendation(s).
A toy company has been experiencing decline sales for the last two seasons. Research suggests that introducing several new product lines is the solution. Develop a marketing strategy for the company's largest product line, including pricing, product packing, etc.
A large chain of retail clothing stores is struggling with profitability. Bases on your review fo the company's financial statements, what problems can you identify? Can this company be turned arounds? How would you go about deciding?
A new Eddie Bauer Store is being opened up in London. Discuss all the marketing issues regarding the opening of this new location.
Take in information quickly and remember what you hear.
Identify key issues, prioritize and logically solve problems.
Make quick, yet accurate, decisions.
Manage time efficiently.
Perform under pressure.
Be aware of resource constraints.
Identify customer needs.
Be original and creative.
Please provide the total weight of a fully loaded Jumbo Jet at the time of take off.
How many light bulbs are there in the United States?
How many photocopies are taken in the United Kingdom each year?
How much beer is consumed in the city of New York on Fridays?
How many people sell AMWAY products in the United States?
If there are 7,492 people participating in a tournament, how many games must be played to find a winner?
How many golf balls will fit in the Empire State Building?
How many car tire are sold in Canada each year?
Given thhe numbers 5 and 2000, what is the minimum number of guesses required to find a specific number if the only hint you're given is "higher" and "lower" for each guess made?
How do you determine the weight of a blue whale without using a scale?
Take time to think before you answer the question.
If given a pen and paper, take notes and write down key information. Use the paper to make calculations, write down ideas and structure your answer.
Ask additional questions if you feel you are missing information. The interviewer is often expecting you to ask to find missing information.
Use lateral thinking and be creative. There isn't always just one right answer. Just make sure your answer is backed up by sound logic and numbers that make sense.
Make sure you know your math. At minimum you'll need to perform some basic arithmetic or mathematical calculations.
These quesitons are often used to test your ability to structure, as well as your ability to think laterallly, make logical links and communicate clearly.
Make mental calculations quickly by making sensible estimates and rounding numbers up or down.
Does your answer make sense? If you're answer doesn't make sense, chances are you've made a bad assumpation, estimate or calculation. Go back and carefully check your work and provide a new answer.
You can use business frameworks (SWOT, Porter's Five forces, etc.) or mind mapping to support your analysis and answers, as long as it makes sense.
Many market sizing questions revolve around issues being faced by an organization or industry. Commercial awareness can be very important to answering market sizing questions.
How would you work with a subordinate who is underperforming?
You're consulting with a large pharmacy with stores in multiple states. This company has improved sales but experienced a decrease in revenue. As a result, it is contemplating store closings. Explain how you'd advise this client?
You are working directly with a company's management team. It is organizing a project designed to significantly increase revenue. If you were provided with data and asked to supervise the project, what steps would you take to ensure it's successful?
You have been assigned to work with a small company that manufactures a popular product. However, a competitor begins selling a very similar product which incorporates state of the art technology. What would you advise your client to do?
You have been assigned to advise a company with a large Western European market. Company management wants to open the Chinese market. What advice do you have for this company?
The firm has assigned you to consult a company intending to drop a product or expand into new markets in order to increase revenue. What steps would you take to help this company achieve its objective?
You have been assigned to consult a shoe retailer with stores throughout the nation. Since its revenue is dropping, the company has proposed to sell food at its stores. How would you advise this client?
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100 Best Case Study Questions for Your Next Customer Spotlight

Published: November 29, 2022

Case studies and testimonials are helpful to have in your arsenal. But to build an effective library, you need to ask the right case study questions. You also need to know how to write a case study .

marketing team coming up with case study questions

Case studies are customers' stories that your sales team can use to share relevant content with prospects . Not only that, but case studies help you earn a prospect's trust, show them what life would be like as your customer, and validate that your product or service works for your clients.

Before you start building your library of case studies, check out our list of 100 case study questions to ask your clients. With this helpful guide, you'll have the know-how to build your narrative using the " Problem-Agitate-Solve " Method.

What makes a good case study questionnaire?

The ultimate list of case study questions, how to ask your customer for a case study, creating an effective case study.

Certain key elements make up a good case study questionnaire.

A questionnaire should never feel like an interrogation. Instead, aim to structure your case study questions like a conversation. Some of the essential things that your questionnaire should cover include:

The problem faced by the client before choosing your organization.
Why they chose your company.
How your product solved the problem clients faced.
The measurable results of the service provided.
Data and metrics that prove the success of your service or product, if possible.

You can adapt these considerations based on how your customers use your product and the specific answers or quotes that you want to receive.

What makes a good case study question?

A good case study question delivers a powerful message to leads in the decision stage of your prospective buyer's journey.

Since your client has agreed to participate in a case study, they're likely enthusiastic about the service you provide. Thus, a good case study question hands the reins over to the client and opens a conversation.

Try asking open-ended questions to encourage your client to talk about the excellent service or product you provide.

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Case study questions about the environment before the purchase
Case study questions about the decision process
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Case study questions about customer success
Case study questions about product feedback
Case study questions about willingness to make referrals
Case study question to prompt quote-worthy feedback
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Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business

Knowing the customer's business is an excellent way of setting the tone for a case study.

Use these questions to get some background information about the company and its business goals. This information can be used to introduce the business at the beginning of the case study — plus, future prospects might resonate with their stories and become leads for you.

Would you give me a quick overview of [company]? This is an opportunity for the client to describe their business in their own words. You'll get useful background information and it's an easy prompt to get the client talking.
Can you describe your role? This will give you a better idea of the responsibilities they are subject to.
How do your role and team fit into the company and its goals? Knowing how the team functions to achieve company goals will help you formulate how your solution involves all stakeholders.
How long has your company been in business? Getting this information will help the reader gauge if pain points are specific to a startup or new company vs. a veteran company.
How many employees do you have? Another great descriptor for readers to have. They can compare the featured company size with their own.
Is your company revenue available? If so, what is it? This will give your readers background information on the featured company's gross sales.
Who is your target customer? Knowing who the target audience is will help you provide a better overview of their market for your case study readers.
How does our product help your team or company achieve its objectives? This is one of the most important questions because it is the basis of the case study. Get specifics on how your product provided a solution for your client. You want to be able to say "X company implemented our solution and achieved Y. "
How are our companies aligned (mission, strategy, culture, etc.)? If any attributes of your company's mission or culture appealed to the client, call it out.

How many people are on your team? What are their roles? This will help describe key players within the organization and their impact on the implementation of your solution.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Environment Before the Purchase

A good case study is designed to build trust. Ask clients to describe the tools and processes they used before your product or service. These kinds of case study questions will highlight the business' need they had to fulfill and appeal to future clients.

What was your team's process prior to using our product? This will give the reader a baseline to compare the results for your company's product.
Were there any costs associated with the process prior to using our product? Was it more expensive? Was it worth the cost? How did the product affect the client's bottom line? This will be a useful metric to disclose if your company saved the client money or was more cost-efficient.
What were the major pain points of your process prior to using our product? Describe these obstacles in detail. You want the reader to get as much information on the problem as possible as it sets up the reasoning for why your company's solution was implemented.
Did our product replace a similar tool or is this the first time your team is using a product like this? Were they using a similar product? If so, having this information may give readers a reason to choose your brand over the competition.
What other challenges were you and your team experiencing prior to using our product? The more details you can give readers regarding the client's struggles, the better. You want to paint a full picture of the challenges the client faced and how your company resolved them.
Were there any concerns about how your customers would be impacted by using our product? Getting answers to this question will illustrate to readers the client's concerns about switching to your service. Your readers may have similar concerns and reading how your client worked through this process will be helpful.
Why didn't you buy our product or a similar product earlier? Have the client describe any hesitations they had using your product. Their concerns may be relatable to potential leads.
Were there any "dealbreakers" involved in your decision to become a customer? Describing how your company was able to provide a solution that worked within those parameters demonstrates how accommodating your brand is and how you put the customer first. It's also great to illustrate any unique challenges the client had. This better explains their situation to the reader.
Did you have to make any changes you weren't anticipating once you became a customer? Readers of your case study can learn how switching to your product came with some unexpected changes (good or bad) and how they navigated them. If you helped your client with troubleshooting, ask them to explain that here.

How has your perception of the product changed since you've become a customer? Get the interviewee to describe how your product changed how they do business. This includes how your product accomplished what they previously thought was impossible.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Decision Process

Readers of the case study will be interested in which factors influenced the decision-making process for the client. If they can relate to that process, there's a bigger chance they'll buy your product.

The answers to these questions will help potential customers through their decision-making process.

How did you hear about our product? If the client chose to work with you based on a recommendation or another positive case study, include that. It will demonstrate that you are a trusted brand with an established reputation for delivering results.
How long had you been looking for a solution to this problem? This will add to the reader's understanding of how these particular challenges impacted the company before choosing your product.
Were you comparing alternative solutions? Which ones? This will demonstrate to readers that the client explored other options before choosing your company.
Would you describe a few of the reasons you decided to buy our product? Ask the interviewee to describe why they chose your product over the competition and any benefits your company offered that made you stand out.
What were the criteria you used when deciding to buy our product? This will give readers more background insight into the factors that impacted their decision-making process.
Were there any high-level initiatives or goals that prompted the decision to buy? For example, was this decision motivated by a company-wide vision? Prompt your clients to discuss what lead to the decision to work with you and how you're the obvious choice.
What was the buying process like? Did you notice anything exceptional or any points of friction? This is an opportunity for the client to comment on how seamless and easy you make the buying process. Get them to describe what went well from start to finish.
How would you have changed the buying process, if at all? This is an opportunity for you to fine-tune your process to accommodate future buyers.
Who on your team was involved in the buying process? This will give readers more background on the key players involved from executives to project managers. With this information, readers can see who they may potentially need to involve in the decision-making process on their teams.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business Case

Your case study questions should ask about your product or solution's impact on the customer's employees, teams, metrics, and goals. These questions allow the client to praise the value of your service and tell others exactly what benefits they derived from it.

When readers review your product or service's impact on the client, it enforces the belief that the case study is credible.

How long have you been using our product? This will help readers gauge how long it took to see results and your overall satisfaction with the product or service.
How many different people at your company use our product? This will help readers gauge how they can adapt the product to their teams if similar in size.
Are there multiple departments or teams using our product? This will demonstrate how great of an impact your product has made across departments.
How do you and your team currently use the product? What types of goals or tasks are you using the product to accomplish? Get specifics on how the product actively helps the client achieve their goals.
If other teams or departments are using our product, do you know how they're using it? With this information, leads can picture how they can use your product across their teams and how it may improve their workflow and metrics.
What was the most obvious advantage you felt our product offered during the sales process? The interviewee should explain the benefits they've gained from using your product or service. This is important for convincing other leads you are better than the competition.
Were there any other advantages you discovered after using the product more regularly? Your interviewee may have experienced some additional benefits from using your product. Have them describe in detail what these advantages are and how they've helped the company improve.
Are there any metrics or KPIs you track with our product? What are they? The more numbers and data the client can provide, the better.
Were you tracking any metrics prior to using our product? What were they? This will allow readers to get a clear, before-and-after comparison of using your product.
How has our product impacted your core metrics? This is an opportunity for your clients to drive home how your product assisted them in hitting their metrics and goals.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Buying Team and Internal Advocates

See if there are any individuals at the customer's company who are advocates for your product.

Are there any additional team members you consider to be advocates for our product? For example, does anyone stick out as a "power user" or product expert on your team? You may want to interview and include these power users in your case study as well. Consider asking them for tips on using your service or product.
Is there anyone else on your team you think we should talk to? Again, the more people can share their experience using your product, the better.
Are there any team members who you think might not be the biggest fans of our product or who might need more training? Providing extra support to those struggling with your product may improve their user experience and turn into an opportunity to not only learn about their obstacles but turn them into a product fan
Would you share some details about how your team implemented our product? Get as much information as possible about the rollout. Hopefully, they'll gush about how seamless the process was.
Who from your company was involved in implementing our product? This will give readers more insight into who needs to be involved for a successful rollout of their own.
Were there any internal risks or additional costs involved with implementing our product? If so, how did you address them? This will give insight into the client's process and rollout and this case study question will likely provide tips on what potential leads should be on the lookout for.
Is there a training process in place for your team's use of our product? If so, what does it look like? If your company provided support and training to the client, have them describe that experience.
About how long does it take a new team member to get up to speed with our product? This will help leads determine how much time it will take to onboard an employee to your using your product. If a new user can quickly get started seamlessly, it bodes well for you.
What was your main concern about rolling this product out to your company? Describing their challenges in detail will provide readers with useful insight.

Case Study Interview Questions About Customer Success

Has the customer found success with your product? Ask these questions to learn more.

By using our product can you measure any reduced costs? If it has, you'll want to emphasize those savings in your case study.
By using our product can you measure any improvements in productivity or time savings? Any metrics or specific stories your interviewee can provide will help demonstrate the value of your product.
By using our product can you measure any increases in revenue or growth? Again, say it with numbers and data whenever possible.
Are you likely to recommend our product to a friend or colleague? Recommendations from existing customers are some of the best marketing you can get.
How has our product impacted your success? Your team's success? Getting the interviewee to describe how your product played an integral role in solving their challenges will show leads that they can also have success using your product.
In the beginning, you had XYZ concerns; how do you feel about them now? Let them explain how working with your company eliminated those concerns.
I noticed your team is currently doing XYZ with our product. Tell me more about how that helps your business. Illustrate to your readers how current customers are using your product to solve additional challenges. It will convey how versatile your product is.
Have you thought about using our product for a new use case with your team or at your company? The more examples of use cases the client can provide, the better.
How do you measure the value our product provides? Have the interviewee illustrate what metrics they use to gauge the product's success and how. Data is helpful, but you should go beyond the numbers. Maybe your product improved company morale and how teams work together.

Case Study Interview Questions About Product Feedback

Ask the customer if they'd recommend your product to others. A strong recommendation will help potential clients be more open to purchasing your product.

How do other companies in this industry solve the problems you had before you purchased our product? This will give you insight into how other companies may be functioning without your product and how you can assist them.
Have you ever talked about our product to any of your clients or peers? What did you say? This can provide you with more leads and a chance to get a referral.
Why would you recommend our product to a friend or client? Be sure they pinpoint which features they would highlight in a recommendation.
Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. Your interviewee may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
What is your advice for other teams or companies who are tackling problems similar to those you had before you purchased our product? This is another opportunity for your client to talk up your product or service.
Do you know someone in X industry who has similar problems to the ones you had prior to using our product? The client can make an introduction so you can interview them about their experience as well.
I noticed you work with Company Y. Do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.
Does your company participate in any partner or referral programs? Having a strong referral program will help you increase leads and improve customer retention.
Can I send you a referral kit as a thank-you for making a referral and give you the tools to refer someone to us? This is a great strategy to request a referral while rewarding your existing customers.
Are you interested in working with us to produce additional marketing content? The more opportunities you can showcase happy customers, the better.

Case Study Interview Questions About Willingness to Make Referrals

How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or client? Ideally, they would definitely refer your product to someone they know.
Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Again, your interviewee is a great source for more leads. Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. They may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
I noticed you work with Company Y; do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.

Case Study Interview Questions to Prompt Quote-Worthy Feedback

Enhance your case study with quotable soundbites from the customer. By asking these questions, prospects have more insight into other clients and their success with your product — which helps build trust.

How would you describe your process in one sentence prior to using our product? Ideally, this sentence would quickly and descriptively sum up the most prominent pain point or challenge with the previous process.
What is your advice to others who might be considering our product? Readers can learn from your customer's experience.
What would your team's workflow or process be like without our product? This will drive home the value your product provides and how essential it is to their business.
Do you think the investment in our product was worthwhile? Why? Have your customer make the case for the value you provide.
What would you say if we told you our product would soon be unavailable? What would this mean to you? Again, this illustrates how integral your product is to their business.
How would you describe our product if you were explaining it to a friend? Your customers can often distill the value of your product to their friends better than you can.
What do you love about your job? Your company? This gives the reader more background on your customer and their industry.
What was the worst part of your process before you started using our product? Ideally, they'd reiterate how your product helped solve this challenge.
What do you love about our product? Another great way to get the customer's opinion about what makes your product worth it.
Why do you do business with us? Hopefully, your interviewee will share how wonderful your business relationship is.

Case Study Interview Questions About the Customers' Future Goals

Ask the customer about their goals, challenges, and plans for the future. This will provide insight into how a business can grow with your product.

What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for your industry? Chances are potential leads within the same industry will have similar challenges.
What are your goals for the next three months? Knowing their short-term goals will enable your company to get some quick wins for the client.
How would you like to use our product to meet those challenges and goals? This will help potential leads understand that your product can help their business as they scale and grow.
Is there anything we can do to help you and your team meet your goals? If you haven't covered it already, this will allow your interviewee to express how you can better assist them.
Do you think you will buy more, less, or about the same amount of our product next year? This can help you gauge how your product is used and why.
What are the growth plans for your company this year? Your team? This will help you gain insight into how your product can help them achieve future goals.
How can we help you meet your long-term goals? Getting specifics on the needs of your clients will help you create a unique solution designed for their needs.
What is the long-term impact of using our product? Get their feedback on how your product has created a lasting impact.
Are there any initiatives that you personally would like to achieve that our product or team can help with? Again, you want to continue to provide products that help your customers excel.
What will you need from us in the future? This will help you anticipate the customer's business needs.
Is there anything we can do to improve our product or process for working together in the future? The more feedback you can get about what is and isn't working, the better.

Before you can start putting together your case study, you need to ask your customer's permission.

If you have a customer who's seen success with your product, reach out to them. Use this template to get started:

Thank you & quick request

Hi [customer name],

Thanks again for your business — working with you to [solve X, launch Y, take advantage of Z opportunity] has been extremely rewarding, and I'm looking forward to more collaboration in the future.

[Name of your company] is building a library of case studies to include on our site. We're looking for successful companies using [product] to solve interesting challenges, and your team immediately came to mind. Are you open to [customer company name] being featured?

It should be a lightweight process — [I, a product marketer] will ask you roughly [10, 15, 20] questions via email or phone about your experience and results. This case study will include a blurb about your company and a link to your homepage (which hopefully will make your SEO team happy!)

In any case, thank you again for the chance to work with you, and I hope you have a great week.

[Your name]

If one of your customers has recently passed along some praise (to you, their account manager, your boss; on an online forum; to another potential customer; etc.), then send them a version of this email:

Hey [customer name],

Thanks for the great feedback — I'm really glad to hear [product] is working well for you and that [customer company name] is getting the results you're looking for.

My team is actually in the process of building out our library of case studies, and I'd love to include your story. Happy to provide more details if you're potentially interested.

Either way, thank you again, and I look forward to getting more updates on your progress.

You can also find potential case study customers by usage or product data. For instance, maybe you see a company you sold to 10 months ago just bought eight more seats or upgraded to a new tier. Clearly, they're happy with the solution. Try this template:

I saw you just [invested in our X product; added Y more users; achieved Z product milestone]. Congratulations! I'd love to share your story using [product] with the world -- I think it's a great example of how our product + a dedicated team and a good strategy can achieve awesome results.

Are you open to being featured? If so, I'll send along more details.

Case Study Benefits

Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.
Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.
Case studies are easily sharable.
Case studies build rapport with your customers.
Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

1. Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.

If you haven't noticed, customers aren't always quick to trust a brand's advertisements and sales strategies.

With every other brand claiming to be the best in the business, it's hard to sort exaggeration from reality.

This is the most important reason why case studies are effective. They are testimonials from your customers of your service. If someone is considering your business, a case study is a much more convincing piece of marketing or sales material than traditional advertising.

2. Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.

Your business isn't the only one that benefits from a case study. Customers participating in case studies benefit, too.

Think about it. Case studies are free advertisements for your customers, not to mention the SEO factor, too. While they're not promoting their products or services, they're still getting the word out about their business. And, the case study highlights how successful their business is — showing interested leads that they're on the up and up.

3. Case studies are easily sharable.

No matter your role on the sales team, case studies are great to have on hand. You can easily share them with leads, prospects, and clients.

Whether you embed them on your website or save them as a PDF, you can simply send a link to share your case study with others. They can share that link with their peers and colleagues, and so on.

Case studies can also be useful during a sales pitch. In sales, timing is everything. If a customer is explaining a problem that was solved and discussed in your case study, you can quickly find the document and share it with them.

4. Case studies build rapport with your customers.

While case studies are very useful, they do require some back and forth with your customers to obtain the exact feedback you're looking for.

Even though time is involved, the good news is this builds rapport with your most loyal customers. You get to know them on a personal level, and they'll become more than just your most valuable clients.

And, the better the rapport you have with them, the more likely they'll be to recommend your business, products, or services to others.

5. Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

Data is the difference between a case study and a review. Customer reviews are typically based on the customer's opinion of your brand. While they might write a glowing review, it's completely subjective and there's rarely empirical evidence supporting their claim.

Case studies, on the other hand, are more data-driven. While they'll still talk about how great your brand is, they support this claim with quantitative data that's relevant to the reader. It's hard to argue with data.

An effective case study must be genuine and credible. Your case study should explain why certain customers are the right fit for your business and how your company can help meet their specific needs. That way, someone in a similar situation can use your case study as a testimonial for why they should choose your business.

Use the case study questions above to create an ideal customer case study questionnaire. By asking your customers the right questions, you can obtain valuable feedback that can be shared with potential leads and convert them into loyal customers.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Achieving Chartered Status through the CIBSE Experience Route

We talked to Harry McDaid, Director at Ashton Fire, to discuss his professional registration journey via the new Experience route.

Harry McDaid BSc(Hons) CEng MCIBSE MI FireE MIEI

Can you give us an overview of your career?

I graduated from Letterkenny Institute of Technology (now known as Atlantic Technology University) with a BSc in Architectural Technology and a BSc (Hons) in Fire Safety Engineering. During my studies, I was also involved with the Donegal Auxiliary Fire Service. I moved to the UK in 2013, where I started my career as a Fire Engineer. In 2019, I co-founded Ashton Fire, which has grown to over 70 employees.

What does it mean to you to become a member of CIBSE and achieve the Chartered Engineer (CEng) status?

Professional recognition is significantly important within Fire Engineering and so I am very proud to become a Chartered Engineer and a member of CIBSE. I look forward to utilising my status to mentor and support my colleagues and fellow fire engineers in the industry to achieve their own CEng status and become members of CIBSE.

How did you find the process of gaining membership and professional registration via the new Experience route?

The entire process has been excellent. The support provided from CIBSE throughout the entire process, specifically the transparency, responsiveness and consistency were refreshing. Even during the interview process, the interviewers actively tried to reduce any anxiety and created a welcoming environment. I am very grateful for being given the opportunity to pilot the new Experience route and I actively encourage all my colleagues and fire engineering peers in industry to apply with CIBSE so they too can experience the supportive, transparent and professional culture from a well-renowned international institution.

To learn more about achieving professional registration with CIBSE, visit cibse.org/registration and follow the steps.

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(PDF) Case Studies in Financial Accounting Software
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49 Free Case Study Templates ( + Case Study Format Examples + )
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47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)
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Accounting Interview Questions and Answers (33 Samples)
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KPMG case interviews are all candidate-led. You will be in the driver's seat of the case interview and will be expected to ask the right questions, perform the right analyses, and decide the direction of the case. Follow these four steps to solve any KPMG case interview or case study interview: 1. Understand the case.
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Share how your prior experience has prepared you for the position you're interviewing for. Remember, it's all about relevance and connecting the dots. For example: "I've always had a love for numbers and really enjoyed my accounting courses in college so I've known this was the path for me since I was young.
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Question #10 - Explain the difference between working capital and available cash/bank balance. Working capital is the day-to-day funds requirement for any business. Cash and bank balance are a part of any organization's total working capital availability. However, working capital is more than just cash and bank balances.
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Here are some case study interview examples. You can utilise these samples to gain a better sense of how interviewers may pose case interview questions and what subjects they may address: 1. A hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a customer of a corporation. Their core consumer base consists primarily of international visitors.
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To be successful during a case study interview, be mindful of potential questions an interviewer may ask. Knowing these questions can serve you as a guide to help prioritize the most important elements asked in an interview. 4. Practice interviewing with different use cases and the delivery of your responses.
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1. Beautify Case. Sample Question #1: Beautify is excited to support its current staff of beauty consultants on the journey to becoming virtual social media-beauty advisors. Consultants would still lead the way in terms of direct consumer engagement and would be expected to maintain and grow a group of clients.
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Amazon reported over $37.6B in investing activities representing approximately 88% of its OCF. The income statement can misrepresent how well a company is doing, as while eBay has a higher net income, Amazon strategically reinvests its cash flows into R&D and other expenses to produce more over time continuously.
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Store. Answering this problem just requires some simple algebra. If we assume the cost of celery = x, then the cost of onions = 2x, and cost of the carrots is 4x, such that the total cost of all vegetables = x + 2x + 4x = 7x = 21 dollars. Consequently, x = 3 dollars. Hence, the onions cost 6 dollars. Piano.
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The entire process has been excellent. The support provided from CIBSE throughout the entire process, specifically the transparency, responsiveness and consistency were refreshing. Even during the interview process, the interviewers actively tried to reduce any anxiety and created a welcoming environment.


Opening Value	Additions	Deductions	Closing Value	Opening Value	Depreciation for the year	Deductions	Closing Value	Opening Value	Closing Value
A	$ 100	$ 10	-	$ 110	$ 40	$ 10	-	$ 50	$ 60	$ 60
B	$ 200	-	$ 70	$ 130	$ 50	$ 10	$ 30	$ 30	$ 150	$ 100

Top 50 Accountant Interview Questions and Answers (Examples Included)