29 full cases from consulting firms

A collection of 29 sample cases from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture & more.

Emma Rovit, ex-Bain Consultant, ex-Instacart Published: July 16, 2020 | Last updated: April 1, 2024

McKinsey | BCG | Bain | Deloitte | Accenture | LEK | Oliver Wyman | Roland Berger | OC&C | RocketBlocks

Familiarizing yourself with the case interview format is a key part of preparing for consulting interviews.

This post will give you resources to learn about the format itself and 29 real case examples from leading firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain and Deloitte.

First, we recommend you get familiar with the format of a case interview. We've compiled a list of super helpful resources below.

• Bain's mock interview videos are a great place to start. Watching them is like being a fly on the wall for an actual Bain case interview. Check out this associate consultant example and this consultant level example.
• Check out our case interview 101 post, which offers a great into to the format and how you can best prepare.
• Watch our series of videos on the case interview format: Starting Strong, Probing for Info, and a full Market Sizing Case where we compare and contrast 3 different versions of an answer to the case.

Once you're comfortable with the format, we recommend reading the tips that the firms themselves provide. We've highlighted a few key ones below to get you started.

• McKinsey interview tips
• BCG interview tips
• Bain interview tips
• Our Consulting Guide has a ton of more detailed information and tips, including case fundamentals, fit fundamentals, and the interviewer mindset

Practice case library

Great, now you're ready for the sample cases!

Most consulting firms, including the market leaders McKinsey, BCG and Bain, have entire sections of their websites dedicated to recruiting, and more specifically preparing for interviews.

These practice cases are great opportunities for you to go through realistic cases and see how each firm would suggest approaching them. They typically include one or more sample answers to illustrate the thought process they expect to see in a star candidate to take.

Below, we've pulled together links for practice cases from each firm's website, along with the intro to the case itself, so you can quickly read through and decide where you want to focus your efforts.

McKinsey practice case interviews (Top)

1. Diconsa, case type: product launch. In this case study, the Gates Foundation asked McKinsey to design a basic financial-services offering for inhabitants of remote communities in Mexico.
2. Electro-Light, case type: product launch. The client is SuperSoda. SuperSoda is a top-three beverage producer in the United States and has approached McKinsey for help in designing a product-launch strategy.
3. GlobaPharm, case type: mergers & acquisitions. GlobaPharm has engaged McKinsey to evaluate the BioFuture acquisition and to advise on its strategic fit with GlobaPharm's biologicals strategy. Our overall question today, therefore, is "Should GlobaPharm acquire BioFuture?"
4. Edu transformation, case type: organizational transformation. The government of Loravia wants to achieve major improvements in both the quantity and quality of education for its children. They’ve asked McKinsey to provide advice on how they can achieve this transformation in its school system.

BCG practice case interviews (Top)

1. Low cost carrier, case type: profitability. Help the client (a low cost carrier in Asia) remain profitable despite a recent fuel price hike. How would you approach this problem and ensure profitability for years to come?
2. Drug Co., case type: pricing strategy. Help the Client (a drug manufacturer) set a suitable price for their new drug that addresses deep vein thrombosis, given there’s a direct competitor in the market.
3. Gen Co., case type: growth strategy. Your client is GenCo, a large, international, diversified company with a health care division that produces a wide variety of medical instruments and related services. They’re looking for new ways to increase revenue
4. Foods Inc., case type: distribution strategy. Your client is the sugar cereal division of Foods Inc., a U.S.-based distributor and manufacturer of packaged foods. They’re looking to re-evaluate their distribution strategy in light of a changing landscape

Bain practice case interviews (Top)

1. Coffee Co., case type: market entry. Your friend wants your help in determining whether opening a coffee shop outside of London is a good idea.
2. Fashion Co., case type: profitability. FashionCo has experienced declining revenues each year for the past five years. What is causing this and what can they do to drive revenue?

Deloitte practice case interviews (Top)

1. Footloose, case type: market entry. Help management decide if they should focus their efforts on competing with Badger in the work boot sector, or focus their resources on further strengthening their position with casual boots.
2. Club Co., case type: market sizing. Club Co., a warehouse club retailer, has asked Deloitte to assess options for offering members mobile phones, service and accessories through a third party kiosk.
3. FHA, case type: strategy. Our client is a Federal Health Agency responding to a growing Ebola epidemic. We’re tasked with determining allocation of funds and assessing effectiveness in a structured way.
4. Tech Institute, case type: mergers & acquisitions. Help the Technology Institute of the West develop a strategic vision and future org structure for the upcoming merger of 6 smaller educational institutions.
5. Fed Agency V, case type: organizational behavior. A federal agency is looking for strategies to increase employee engagement, with the ultimate goal being an improvement in customer satisfaction
6. Federal Benefits Provider, case type: strategy. A federal agency providing benefits is looking to develop a 10 year vision as well as a strategic roadmap to support the forecasted increase in demand for their services.
7. Extreme Athletes, case type: strategy. Deloitte is working with the COO of the Extreme Athletes World Game to develop a 4 year budget and strategic business plan to support their fundraising needs.
8. Green Apron, case type: product launch. Green Apron is a chain of grocery stores looking for support in designing and implementing a new e-commerce platform in a competitive market.
9. Big Bucks, case type: distribution strategy. Big Bucks, a US bank has hired Deloitte to help assess and potentially implement a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system for managing their interactions with current and future customers.
10. Top Engine, case type: data analytics. Deloitte has been engaged to partner with Top Engine in developing a solution that addresses the requirements of project 'Clear Sky', a portal for receiving and sharing external data.
11. Federal Finance, case type: IT architecture. Deloitte has been hired to assist with the analysis of the current systems and develop an implementation plan for a new, shared enterprise architecture solution for all IT systems.

Oliver Wyman practice case interviews (Top)

1. Wumbleworld, case type: profitability. WumbleWorld, an amusement park in China, has asked Oliver Wyman to identify the reasons for their company's declining profits and develop suggestions for how to reverse this trend.
2. Aqualine, case type: profitability. Our client is Aqualine, a manufacturer of small powerboats. Its CEO has hired Oliver Wyman to determine the factors behind a sales’ slowdown and identify sales growth opportunities.

OC&C practice case interviews (Top)

1. Leisure clubs, case type: growth strategy. The client wants to know what they should do with their leisure clubs division. Look at the market trends and assess competition in the leisure clubs industry.
2. Whisky blues, case type: profitability. A manufacturer and distributor of whisky has experienced a slowdown in growth and profitability. Help them understand what’s driving this and how to reverse it.

Roland Berger practice case interviews (Top)

1. Transit development part I, part II, case type: profitability. Guided video of a case focused on increasing revenue and profits for a local public transport operator in Germany.
2. 3D Hips part I, part II, case type: market entry. Guided videos of a case assessing whether additive manufacturing and selling of 3D hip implants is a lucrative business.

Accenture practice case interviews (Top)

1. Case workbook, case type: n/a. In-depth resource with tips, case format descriptions, and practice cases (skip to page 19 for these).

LEK practice case interviews (Top)

1. Case tips, case type: n/a. Video with advice and a three sample case prompts which are included toward the bottom of the web page.

Full Cases from RocketBlocks (Top)

1. The RocketBlocks Casebook, we have created dozens of self-paced, peer-practice and video cases to review during your prep.

Summary

The good news is: there are a lot of resources out there!

We recommend taking full advantage of all the practice cases, insiders tips, and prep materials you can get your hands on. Go through as many cases as you can prior to the actual interview, as you will become more comfortable with each attempt.

Once you're familiar with the case interview format, make sure all your ready for all the key components: structuring the case, analyzing data and nailing the mental math. If you need a little extra support, RocketBlocks has you covered with our drills and coaching services.