26 Interview Questions the Top 10 Consulting

Firms Ask
by Phil Stott | November 21, 2013

My Vault

The key to any good interview is preparationand there's no better preparation than
knowing the kinds of questions that you're likely to face. With that in mind, I took a look
through the thousands of responses from our 2013 consulting survey and selected some of
the most representative questions that successful candidates had to navigate. For this post,
I limited my research to questions from firms that made the top 10 in the Vault Consulting
50 this yearin a follow-up, I'll focus on questions from different types of firms: boutiques,
firms with particular practice area specialties, and so on. In the meantime, feel free to test
out your answers to any of the belowor to provide feedback on others' answersin the
comments.

Situational & Personal Questions

These are the standard questions that almost every professional in any walk of life will have
to negotiate successfully if they're to find themselves getting a job offer. However, just
because they're not specific to the consulting industry doesn't mean that you should take
them lightlytripping up on a question about your long-term career goals can do your
application just as much harm as blowing the case interview portion. Some examples:

1.

"Please describe your most important leadership experience and the impact that you
had as a leader."

2.

"Describe a problem that you would like to tackle at [this firm], why and how would
you pursue it."

3.

"If I were to speak to your colleagues from your most recent internship (or friends in
school), what would they say about you? What are the strengths and weaknesses they
would share?"

4.

"Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn about yourself and how
did you change as a result?"

5.

"Why our firm instead of your current firm? What do you know about us compared to
your firm?"

6.

"Tell me about a project that didn't go well and why and what you would do differently
next time?"

7.

"How do you quantify a lead?"

8.

"Can you describe your brand?"

9.

"How have you dealt with low team morale in the past? Provide an example of when
you had to give a bad performance review."

10.

"Describe a project which challenged you. Describe a client relationship which was
challenging."

Market Sizing/ Estimates

Market sizing and estimation is a crucial skill in the consulting world, and is also something
that is conveniently easy to test for in interviews. In fact, every single firm in the top 10and
a clear majority of the firms we survey every yearask candidates to estimate the size of
something, whether it's ice cream cones sold in Beijing in a day, or the potential market for
electric cars in the United States. Regardless of what you're asked to figure out, you should
always start by explaining your assumptionspopulation size, percentage of the population
likely to use said product (and why you've settled on that percentage), and any other factors
that are likely to have a significant effect on the estimate. Indeed, showing that you can

logically approach the problem is far more important than whatever number you might
eventually arrive at, so be sure to do the bulk of your reasoning out loud, and make the
process a conversation with the interviewer, so that they can follow your thought process.
Here are some sample market sizing questions from this year's survey:
1.

"How many airplanes leave from Boston's Logan Airport on Monday?"

2.

"How many lightbulbs are there in Manhattan?"

3.

"What is the market size for a cancer diagnostic technology in the U.S.?"

4.

"How many passengers fly through LAX in a calendar year?"

Case Questions
No consulting interview would be complete without case interview questions that test a
candidate's ability to think strategically about problems. Answering them is all about
preparation (that's why you're at business schooland why there's no shortage of guides to
help prepare) as well as a continuation of the approach for market sizing questionsmake it
a conversation, and explain every step of your thinking/process along the way. Again:
showing that you can arrive at a solution after thoughtful questioning and analysis is far
more important in these questions than being able to throw out a brilliant new strategy on
the fly, so focus on the process, and allow it to lead you to a solution. Some examples:

1.

"Client X is deciding how best to enter a new market. They have a choice of buying
an existing company, or developing the technology in-house. How would you think about
advising them to make the best decision?"

2.

"How should a nuclear plant deal with waste products?"(Hint: the same person who
submitted this question told us that the answer "involves heavy analytic calculation about
the recycling of plutonium, various storage option with different cost structures, and
recommendations taking into account various green initiatives and business risks.")

3.

"An online brokerage is growing well but can't seem to reach their profitability goals;
what could be going on?"

4.

"You're discussing a contemplated divestiture with the CFO of a large corporation.

What are some of the points you'd want to make in considering how our firm can potentially
assist him or her? What key themes would you want to hit on?"

5.

"Your client is a Fortune 50 aerospace and defense company interested in entering

adjacent markets through organic or inorganic expansion. Which markets should she enter
and how?"

6.

"How would you go about advising a hypothetical client on commercializing a

teleportation device that they have invented?"

7.

"Should I open Chick-Fil-A on Sunday?"

8.

"Should I put Wi-Fi on my airline?"

9.

10.

"Our client is thinking of acquiring a company that makes a certain type of medical
device; what do they need to consider in making their decision?"
"Our client wants to enter the wine market; how should they go about doing so?"

Brainteasers/ Random Knowledge

While it's now rare for consulting firms to ask the "golf balls in a 747"-type questions that
were in vogue a few years ago, there are occasional interviewers who like to stretch
candidates to see how they perform under pressure. Here are a couple of questions that
stood out in this category.
1.

"You are sitting on a camel on the edge of the Sahara desert. How far can you see?"

2.

"Who is Sancho Panza?"

Related:
For examples of interview questions from specific consulting firms, check out the profiles of
the firms in our consulting rankings by clicking the firm's name in the rankings.

BCG Behavioral & Fit Interview Questions (2)

Interview Type: Behavioral and Fit Interviews.
Consulting Firm: Boston Consulting Group (BCG) first round job interview.
Industry Coverage: None
Number of Questions: 274
201. If your best friend had to use three adjectives to describe you, which would they be?
202. In one word: describe yourself.
203. In one word: what is the best thing about life?
204. Initially no support during the case study. the intention was to watch us figuring it out by ourselves
205. Insurance company strategy
206. Interview question client offers pensions plans. firstly work out from data presented whether theyre
making a profit or loss each year. secondly, what should the CEO do?
207. Interviewer 1 basically wanted a history of my working life since undergrad, and then he asked a few
follow up questions. he wanted to know why i wanted to go into consulting and why i wanted to work for
BCG. His case started as a basic profit = revenue cost case with some deeper issues that involved
further calculations and poorly made graphs. Interviewer 2 asked when i led people and had an impact
and what that impact was. I answered that, though it was impossible to gauge if it was sufficient. she also
asked about a time when i had to redo work or take another approach because my first approach didnt
work (or something like that); which was sort of odd because she also asked about a major setback which
is in a similar realm of questioning.
208. Interviews were quick (45 min), a short fit interview (tell me about a time when or walk me
through your resume), but the focus was a case interview. hardest question was a complicated
mathematical brainteaser.
209. It firm expanding to new city how would this work? what would we think about?
210. Its an online test with 23 questions and time limit 45 minutes
211. Know basic terms such as COGS cost of goods sold.

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465. Why do you want to work for us?

466. Why do you want to work in consulting compared to m&a?
467. Why is bcg the one for you?
468. Why management consulting, why bcg, most memorable past experience, and qualitative cases, not

a lot of maths.
469. Why move from a consulting company to another consulting firm.
470. Why real estate?
471. Why should we hire you?
472. Why this particular position?
473. Work out complex revenues/costs.
474. Write a QA plan.

Answers to behavioral questions in

consulting interviews
Disclaimer: All answers posted below are based on my personal
experiences. Feel free to use them but it in no way implies that
these are the correct answers. Also, I have not had any formal
training on how to answer these types of questions. There are
other sites that teach/coach aspirants on how to answer these
questions. (Check outmanagementconsulted.com a blog written
by ex-McKinsey consultants on how to crack behavioral as well as
case questions in consulting interviews)
I hate these questions because I mostly feel fake and insincere
answering these types of questions. Also I am totally scared of giving
generic (eye roll yeaa.. like I havent heard that one before) or
stupid (really thats the best you can come up with?) answers. A
combination of both has often led me into nervous panic attacks.
Also feel free to comment if you have opinions/questions or feel
that I should have answered these questions differently.
Tell me about yourself?
The simplest and yet the most dangerous of them all. 120% likely
hood of getting this question in every interview round. I dread this
question, mostly because I never know how to answer it. I mostly
combine with a brief personal & resume based history leading to
why I want to go into consulting.
ex.

 I grew up all over the world.

Did an Engineering undergrad.
Worked for a year.
Wanted to go into business.
Did a masters in Operations Research.
Wanted to go into a field which combines thorough research &
analytical skills (from engineering), management &
communication skills (from my work experience) and interest
in business => AHA =>CONSULTING!!!
And nowadays it always helps if you have had some global exposure.
Especially in consulting, since you will probably work with brilliant
people from all over the world. Or you may have to work across
continents for the same client.
Why do you want for McKinsey/BCG/Booz/Bain etc.?
What I really wish I could say Because it is
McKinsey/BCG/Booz/Bain etc. DUH!!
What I end up saying (and I honestly, personally, sincerely do mean
all of my points below)
I know I want to work in the consulting industry, and Firm
Name is one of the best management consulting firms in the
world today.
I personally thrive in an environment which promotes
intellectual curiosity and a zest for success.
Firms international presence gives me a chance to work in a
global environment and scope.

 Firm has Clients in every field/sector/industry which can

provide me with the learning and exposure that no other firm
can.
Firm has come up with so many ground breaking
management theories/solutions/articles (read up company
case studies, white papers etc. to learn the new ideas floating
around), I would like to be a part of this innovation and
creative thinking.
I will get to work with some of the best minds in the industry
Why do you want to work with us as opposed to Other
Firm?
Because Other Firm isnt hiring me!! =) Generally, I believe its the
smaller firms that ask this question. I would like to take it as a
compliment. You are so good that this small firm cant believe you
would think of joining them as opposed to a McKinsey!!
I personally work in a small consulting firm. Definitely not my first
choice, but now that I am here, I can see why someone would want
to work in a small firm as opposed to a large firm. Some reasons are

I have an entrepreneurial streak. I want to work in an

environment where I can experience all aspects of a business
operations.
In a smaller company, you often have to go over and beyond and
take on greater responsibility than whats specified in your job
description. Just as an example, you might start recruiting and
interviewing people a lot earlier in a smaller firm than in a
McKinsey.
I want to be a part of the companys growth.

Smaller firms normally have the fervor & passion to prove

themselves. You also move up faster within a small firm especially if
its growing and hiring aggressively.
The relatively flat organizational structure.
You will have a better chance of interacting & learning from senior
management in smaller firms. Furthermore, you also get to interact
with top client heads a lot more just because the upper
management may be too busy marketing and trying to rope in new
clients.
Why do you want to do consulting?
Sometimes this seems like a no-brainer. I mean why else would you
be giving the interview right?
The thing is, most people dont know what theyre in for when they
choose to go into consulting. This is more so for students who arent
business majors. The employer wants to know if you really know the
consulting industry. Are you getting in just for the money? Or
because it sounds cool? Or you dont know any better?
Even if the above is true, you should appear to be a well researched
individual who knows what he/she wants. A lot of consulting is
about marketing yourself/your company/your skills take your
pick. And this starts at the interview level.
I generally take the EDII approach to answer this. The 4 reasons
why I wanted to go into consulting.
Exposure The learning never ends. You tend to gain a wealth of
industry knowledge and business issues depending on the project
you are working on. You interact and work with the most talented
and brilliant minds in the business.

Depth Every new project provokes a different thought process,

new ideas and innovation.
Impact Millions of dollars of savings for clients is quite an
impact. Also, you get to build strategies to assist organizations
improve their performance and attain new levels of productivity
from their business processes
Internal Most consultants love their jobs and lifestyle. If you can
deal with it, Consulting is a profession which provides job
satisfaction like none other.
Why should we hire you?
The cynic Like seriously, wtf!!! Doesnt my resume ratify my
awesomeness already????
The braggart Get ready to be blown away with my
awesomeness!!!
The doubter In shock that I am giving this interview.
To answer this question right, you first have to know what are the
qualities that make a good consultant. And second, why you will be a
good fit for the company.
Company Name should hire me because I have great
Analytical/Quantitative/Interpersonal
(Teamwork)/Communication skills. Elaborate with a short
example.
Its easy to be led away with this question, and one can keep harping
how great they are. The thing to remember is that this will only form
your first point so keep it simple and succinct.

 I have a keen desire and determination to succeed in every

endeavor. If you hire me, I promise you will receive nothing
short of a stellar performance from me.
Or something to that effect. Basically show enthusiasm for the job.
You can probably couple this with the first point.
I will be a good fit for the company. Elaborate on how/why.
Read up the job posting. What qualities is the company looking for?
(They are mostly generic, you can turn anything into a skill set that
the company is looking for)
What is your definition of success?
Totally not expecting this because it isnt one of the more generic
questions. I didnt hesitate at this one though, because I know what
makes me happy and the things that tick me me off. Basically know
thyself!! =)
To me success is honestly when I feel like I have made an impact.
Even the smallest of all impacts. In fact my favorite success story is
one during my undergrad years. I was a Teaching Assistant for an
Advanced Calculus class. Now I love math, especially calculus, and I
put in a great deal of effort into my lectures, drawing and visualizing
concepts so that other students could understand it as naturally as I
could. At the end of one semester, a bunch of students came up to
me and told me that I was the best TA they had ever had and that
they got an A in the class because of me. Despite the millions of
dollars of savings that I have achieved for my clients, that has been
the most rewarding experience of my life and I truly felt successful
at that moment.
This case success = impact.
Another success story that I use is one where I overcame my
personal fears. I hate talking on the phone, calling up clients etc.

(This can be deadly if you are in consulting because there is can be a

lot of cold calling and phone interaction with random people) I
interned at a plastics manufacturing company one summer and my
boss wanted me to call up potential clients and sell our
product. (Now I am an awful sales person, I cant even market
myself well during interviews). With the help and encouragement
of my boss, I did finally manage to get over my fear and hesitation
and managed to rope in a client which could lead to a $20k
profit (okay so it was a small client)
This case success = overcoming personal obstacles
Whats your greatest strength/weakness?
Thank God I never got this question. I have way too many strengths
and no weaknesses. I truly believe that I am Gods gift to mankind.
Only wish others could see that too. =)
But I have thought about these questions, and here is how I would
answer them if they are thrown at me.
Strengths honestly my greatest strength would be the ability to
adapt. Adapt to different philosophies, ideologies, cultures,
atmospheres and be able to mingle with and relate to people from
all over the world.
I would like to emphasize a strength that would differentiate me
from the rest. Not that having no international exposure is a
drawback. But I think one should set themselves apart by
highlighting the cool factor in their personality arsenal. I
personally like the whole international outlook thing and believe
that this is especially important in todays world as businesses get
more globally interlinked.
Weakness (even tough I admittedly have none =) my habit of
spreading myself too thin. I have a variety of interests and love to
take on additional responsibilities. This has often led me to lose

focus and burning out prematurely. However, I am learning to eat

one spoon at a time and not bite off more than I can chew. I have
learned that it is not worthwhile to be a jack of all trades, yet master
of none. Elaborate (again) with a story.
Wow, that was pretty cheesy, filled with metaphors and idioms. I
would also advise against excessive use of these, unless spewing
philosophy comes to you naturally. Also note that most other
interview experts would advise against using my example above
as a weakness. It seemingly comes across as a strength portrayed
as a weakness. Personally, I feel its a major weakness if you take
on way too much and lose sight of the big picture. (Think of a time
when you did intramural sport, were president of the debate team,
volunteered to help out mentally challenged kids and screwed up
your loaded 18 credit semester) I kinda did that. And I dont have
any other flaws. =)
Tell me of a time when you influenced/persuaded a group.
DO you know how hard it is to convince a group? And what are you
supposed to say if your persuasion skills are worse than Sarah
Palins and you have failed to influence anyone in your life?
You sort of embellish the truth. Maybe you influenced a small
group (like maybe 2) to do something your way. It doesnt really
matter. The point is, firms are looking at your approach. Are you
dictatorial? Or do you just let brilliant ideas go by just because you
are too timid to voice out your opinion? Consulting firms
unfortunately want intellectual barbies geniuses with high EQs
and leadership abilities.
So how do you influence a group? Here is what I usually say,
based on my undergrad experiences and anecdotes.
Had a brilliant idea (could be anything from changing cafeteria
food vendors to implementing a mentorship or student
counseling program)

 Governing body and other higher ups didnt like my idea

because of stretched resources/no solid plans/plain pigheaded
I came up with a detailed plan to implement my idea, using
minimal resources and highlighting its benefits
Gathered support of student body
Was persistent
Eventually Governing body saw my way and approved my idea
after minor modifications
Or something to that effect. It could be as simple as you persuading
your project team to work on another topic. The point is to see
approach a situation where your ideas are not easily accepted.
Basically a plan (highlighting the advantages of your idea) and a
little persistence. Without shoving your idea into everyones faces.
Tell me of a time when you lead a team.
I love telling people this story, mostly because I really did step up to
the occasion on this one. I also love being team leader!! It comes
from my time in high school when I was the head of my house. (For
North Americans who dont get this its like Prefects in Harry
Potter. If you havent read the HP series, you are missing out on the
best series written in this century I am a huge fan!!)
I was part of a team which had to organize an event to showcase
Indian Culture. (For those not familiar with Indian work ethics, we
pretty much jerk off till we get threatened) True to our stereotype,
we were pretty disorganized, with lots of people contributing great
ideas, but no one takes on the responsibility or the initiative to do
anything about it. 10 days before the event, I overhear someone
commenting that Indians were the most lethargic group that they
had ever seen. With my national pride on the line, I decided to step
up and get the show running.

The hardest part of leading a team is motivating people to work.

Also, it is extremely difficult to inspire a bunch of volunteers who
have little incentive to work. In this case, it is best to use subtle
tactics hand out responsibilities, reward people with appreciation
and admiration when they get the work done. You also cant get mad
at people who dont perform because you arent running a firm
where you can kick out a shoddy worker. You have to shake sluggish
people into being more productive by giving them only as much as
they can handle and letting them know that you believe that they
are the best for the job and that you trust them to get it done on
time.
Point is a leader stays calm during stressful times especially when
approaching deadlines or when team members start to play the
blame game. The interviewer wants to see how you manage these
types of situations.
Tell me of a time when you resolved a team conflict.
Again, a personal story.
Was set up in a team of four for a course project.
Project was broken into 2 modules so we decided to split the
team into 2.
Nobody wanted to work with one of the team members
because her programming skills were extremely weak.
Team was on the verge of splitting up because of this.
I realized that she had better writing skills than any of us &
could help out majorly by writing out the report (was 20% of
our grade)
I decided to work with her on the simpler module and split the
work so that I could program and she could test & debug it.

 Came to a compromise where everyone was happy!!

Team friction happens often due to differing schedules, skill sets
and mostly because of unequal motivation levels amongst members.
Every group has the know it all genius, slacker, person who
talks a lot but brings nothing to the table Keep in mind one of the
times when you had to deal with such a person in a group and
elaborate on how you resolved the issue. Consulting firms are
looking for leadership abilities as well, and they certainly wont hire
someone who sits in a corner while other team members resolve
issues.
Important Consultants often work in teams and human
interaction is a huge part of the job!!
Tell me of a time when you had a conflict with your Boss.
I have never had a conflict with my boss. Even they get my
brilliance. =) But I have had some tiffs with a PhD student who I
was helping out with a research project during my undergraduate
years.
I was given a lot of work during peak mid term season
PhD student had his thesis deadline and had promised to end
my life if I did not deliver
I told him to give me 3 weeks & I would give him his results
He threatened to tell the supervising professor because he
thought I was slacking off
I decided to talk to him in front of my professor. I agreed to
allocate at least an hour everyday towards his research &
update him every other day on my progress

 In return, the grad student agreed to be less overbearing and

demanding. He was a lot more helpful once he realized that I
am putting in the effort despite my hectic workload.
In the end, everything worked out just fine!!
Imagine that you are married. You are a consultant at
some firm. After weeks of hard work, you finally take a
day off and plan an anniversary dinner with your spouse. 2
hours before your dinner, your client calls you and tells
you that he wants a report by tonight. What are you going
to do?
This was a creative one. My immediate response to this one was I
hope my future husband is very understanding =)
After some smiles, I thought about the question, completely
bewildered. I tried to go towards lets make a compromise route.
Well, I would try to negotiate with the client. Let him know that I
am busy tonight but that I will get him the report as soon as
possible.
The client is not happy to hear this, not ready to
compromise and demands that he wants the report
tonight.
In that case, I would ask my team members if they can help me
out. If the clients demands are too unreasonable, then I could
perhaps talk to my manager to resolve this issue.
The interviewer smiles!! Jackpot!!
And yea that is the correct answer. When in a tough spot,
especially with your client (FYI client = king in Consulting), do not
try to take him head on. Try to compromise, and if that doesnt
work, get help from team members and/or your manager who will

be more experienced to handle such issues. You may be a great

mediator amongst your friends, but never try to resolve a client
sensitive issue all on your own!! Or at least tell the interviewer that
=)
Answering Behavioral Questions
I think the best way to come up with a sincere and meaningful
answer would be to research the company, more than what you read
on the website. Reach out to current employees, perhaps some grads
from your university. I feel that Analysts will be more than happy to
give their views and perspectives. Also, recruiters like to see that you
have taken the extra effort to meet with people from the firm and
warm up more quickly.
Another thing it is important to prepare for these behavioral/fit
interview questions. All the big firms want you to come prepared
with answers for these questions, and then pretend that you heard
these questions for the first time in the interview. Also try to come
up with stories/anecdotes for each type of question. Sometimes
interviewers keep pressing you on for specific details. Its important
that you highlight your capabilities and what exactly you did in
the story.
Other behavioral interview questions:
Tell me of a time when you were part of a team working on a
project, and the project did not go as well as you would have
hoped for it to have gone.
Tell me of a time when you client gave you a very high level
strategy and not much direction with respect to the project.
Tell me of a time when you faced high pressure and tight
deadlines.
Check out the links below for more behavioral questions!

http://www.jsdconsult.co.uk/candidate/questions.htm
http://www.graduate-consulting.com/interview/competencyquestions