5 Benefits of case interview practice partner

Case Interview is a part of consulting recruitment process where the candidate has to structure and solve a business problem in discussion with the interviewer. It is a very peculiar and important skill that one needs to develop if they are interested in pursuing a career in consulting.

Just like any other skill development journey, developing case interview skills should start with grasping the basic concepts followed up by the rigorous practice of implementing those concepts.

Several candidates resort to practising by reading sample cases from case books or just watching youtube videos of case interviews. However, the best and most effective way of developing case interview skills is to practice the case with someone – ideally, a fellow candidate who is also preparing for the interview or a current/ex-consultant who is ready to help.

There are just too many benefits of this way of practising – jotting down top 5.

1. Better Simulation: In the real interview, you will have to solve a case with the interviewer across the table. Practice with a partner is a good simulation of that situation

2. Feedback: The fastest way to improve is to receive feedback on your performance. Reading/watching cases won’t help here. You need a partner who will tell you what you did well and where you need to improve

3. Different perspective: Business problem can be solved in several ways. You might come up with one way but your partner might suggest another way. This way in a single practice session, learning gets maximised

4. Time management: In the case interview you need to understand the problem, structure it, analyse it, brainstorm solutions and recommend one. To achieve all these in 30-40min, you need to manage your time. Your practice partner can keep track and help you manage your time.

5. Motivation and accountability: Case interview skill building is a marathon and one needs to be consistent in practice. However, life happens and be it exams in university or a project crunch in the office, the practice schedule gets affected. When you have a practice partner, it is always easier to motivate each other, hold them accountable for their progress and help them bounce back.

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