Case Interview Prep Timeline

Recommended Prep Duration: 4–6 Weeks

WEEK 1

  • Familiarize Yourself with Case Interviews
    • Get a sense of how case interviews flow using resources here
    • Read sample cases on firm websites
    • TIP: Alumni and students that have gone through the process can be good resources for tips, practice cases, and lessons learned.
  • Learn How to Tackle Each Part of the Case
    • Read OCS’  “Management Consulting and the Interview Process Overview” here
    • Optional: Read “Case in Point”
    • TIP: Keep a casing notebook with structures, shortcuts, formulas to memorize and refer back to it frequently
    • TIP: Research the interview style of the firms you are interviewing for. Do they give market sizing or strategy cases? Are they interviewer or interviewee-led?
  • Ongoing – Build Business Knowledge
    • Keep up with daily digest of news from podcasts and/or newsletters to stay up to date on business and industry trends and developments. Some suggestions here

WEEKS 2 & 3

  • Improve Skills
    • Once you have completed a few cases, read industry primers to understand common driving forces for different industries here. Identify weak areas in casing and continue practicing on CaseCoach.
    • TIP: Recommend taking around 8-10 cases before doing a mock case with a firm representative. While you will not be penalized for doing poorly, mock cases are an opportunity for firms to identify and track outstanding candidates in the recruiting process.
    • TIP: Keep track of the cases you have done. Bonus: document case difficulty and key feedback areas to track your progress.
  • Practice
    • Practice each component of the case by doing cases and drills on CaseCoach and by using “Case in Point”.
    • Schedule a mock case via Yale Career Link (“select appointment type: case prep”).  Appointments begin in September.  Make sure you’ve done at least 3 cases in “case mode” on CaseCoach before scheduling.
    • Practice cases with classmates following case book prompts or sample online cases. Aim for 2-3 cases per week. Find a classmate  on the peer networking page.
    • TIP: Take notes on your feedback and redo the case on your own.

WEEKS 4-6

  • Continue refining your casing skills by doing full cases with OCS and peers, and by doing drills and cases on CaseCoach. Work on difficult cases!
  • Test your skills by doing cases about unfamiliar industries. Learn frequently used formulas, frameworks, etc. by heart.
  • Develop the confidence to bring in business knowledge and recover from mistakes.
  • TIP: Make sure to spend time practicing consulting behavioral interviews as well. Some starter information can be found here.