Case interview prep courses have become increasingly available over the past decade, and for good reason. The case interview is the most difficult interview to pass in the corporate world, and requires intense, focused prep. Case interview prep courses have risen in popularity to address this need. These prep courses help build the communication, critical thinking, logic, and mental math skills needed to excel. Perhaps most importantly, they teach you how to be structured – but not too much! – as you engage in the interview. In this article, we’ll explore the best case interview prep courses and summarize what to look for in case interview coaching.
[optin-monster-inline slug="ouhpmyekffzkfmipzxhs"]
Best Case Interview Prep Courses
As you approach your consulting case prep, keep in mind that practice makes perfect. But not just any kind of practice will get you ready for the interview. The best case interview prep courses help you practice the right way. The best case interview prep courses do the following:
- Include live, 1:1 case interview coaching
- Offer a mix of videos, exercises, drills and coaching
- Quickly identify your specific gaps
- Get you practicing out-loud, early on
- Improve your mental math and chart interpretation skills
- Expose you to different types of cases (e.g., interviewer vs. interviewee led, math-based vs. creative, etc.)
- Push you to be structured across the case, not just in the beginning (i.e., you need to develop structure for math, structure for brainstorming questions, etc.)
- Teach you how to apply structure without force-fitting frameworks to every case
The Black Belt case prep program is, in our mind, the gold standard in case interview prep courses. It includes all the above – 1:1 case coaching, 500 practice cases, math and structure drills, and 8 video courses. Thousands of folks have gone through Black Belt and landed offers with the most prestigious consulting firms including McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, and more. Check it out now.
We also have our free case interview prep course. It gives a really good overview and understanding of what a case interview is, and how to do one well. Yet, it doesn't give you access to all the digital resources that the Black Belt program does. Additionally, the expert coaching is what really makes a world of difference for your case interview prep. They'll tell you where you're strong, and what to do to bring up your weak areas. Invaluable feedback that could quite literally land you a six figure job!
What to Look for in Case Interview Coaching
The best case interview coaching follows the principles of deliberate practice. Whether you are learning how to read, ride a bike, play the guitar, or ace a case interview, this is the type of practice that has been scientifically proven as the best way to develop expertise in any domain. Deliberate practice is characterized by the following features:
- Having a specific goal in mind
- Breaking a process down to its fundamental elements and mastering each in turn
- Pushing yourself to your limits, out of your comfort zone
- Focusing intensely on the task at hand
- Using mental representations of the situation (interesting, the use of framework and structure in case interview is itself a form of the use of mental representations)
- Learning from feedback
- Getting expert coaching to support all of the above
If you are planning on working with a case interview coach, you are already on the right track. Simply having a private coach is an important step in building skill in any domain. But not all case interview coaches are created equal.
First, you should look for a case interview coach with substantial experience. There should be a reason why you can call them an “expert.” Even a current consultant who went through the case interview process is not guaranteed to be a suitable coach. Teaching a case is a different skill than being able to go through one.
Your classmate who is going through the process also doesn’t qualify. The case interview is a complex undertaking, and you want to work with someone who has given hundreds of case interviews. Ideally, they have also hired dozens of consultants and been in the room as case performances were evaluated.
Next, you should look for a coach who provides highly personalized feedback. If you work with a case interview coach for an hour and hear the same advice you can get from a YouTube video, that should be a red flag. Third, your coach should be giving you real-time feedback. Were you off on your math because you are bad at calculating, or because you didn’t recap the problem properly? An expert coach will be able to give you this type of insight, which is the key to getting better at cases.
You should be doing cases with your coach and getting feedback for most of each session, not listening to him or her talk about cases or their previous experiences with them. Finally, a case interview coach should not be astronomically expensive. A case interview coach charging anything from $100 to $250 is a good investment.
Conclusion
The consulting case interview is an effective mechanism for management consulting potential, and almost all consulting firms (as well as a growing number of tech companies, banks, and Fortune 500 companies) continue to rely very heavily on them. Acing the case is key to landing a management consulting job. The base case interview prep courses offer you multiple ways to prepare and should offer at least an hour or two with a professional case interview coach. If you’re ready to get to work today on your case interview prep, join our Black Belt prep course.
Additional Reading:
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- Consulting Cover Letter: Ultimate Guide
- Cultural Fit Interview Questions Ultimate Guide
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide