IIML Casebook 2018

Foreword
As companies worldwide get more and more concerned about hiring the right talent
for their key positions, candidate evaluation during interviews has become all the
more sophisticated. The case interview is unique in the sense that it presents the
candidate with a problem to be solved in the context of real-world business
situations and seeks solutions that tests both logical reasoning and creativity. It
allows the interviewer to evaluate the candidate’s skills in deconstructing a problem
and communicating their thought process, the ability to think on their feet, handle
ambiguity and assess their comfort with numbers. Although, traditionally used by
consulting firms in their recruiting processes, the case method is now increasingly
used for jobs across functions whether general management or investment banking.
The casebook by The Consulting & Strategy Club of IIM Lucknow documents the
various frameworks and techniques that can be used in a case interview and also
candidates’ interview experiences by different firms that have been hiring from the
IIM Lucknow campus over the years. These frameworks can be used as a starting
reference, but over time the candidate will have to develop his/her own approach
to problem solving. The ideal way to use this book would be for the candidate to
first arrive at a case solution employing his own approach and then enhance his
learning through comparison with the approaches documented in the casebook.
The Consulting & Strategy Club
Anurag | Ayush | Megha | Sourav | Supratik | Vatsal

Dhruv | Jasmeen | Jatin | Kashyap | Mudit| Sakshi | Shobhit | Srividya
Index
1. Basic case frameworks
a. 4 P’s Framework
b. Five forces Framework
c. Profitability Case approach
d. Market Entry Case Approach
e. Pricing Case Approach
2. 2018 Summers Interview Experiences

a. A. T. Kearney
b. Accenture
c. Alvarez & Marsal
d. Arete Advisors
e. Auctus Advisors
f. Bain and Company
g. Deloitte S&O
h. Deloitte Tech
i. MasterCard Advisors
j. McKinsey & Co.
k. Synergy Consulting
l. The Boston Consulting Group
3. 2018 Finals Interview Experiences
4. Previous Year Interview Experiences

Case Frameworks
Suggested Frameworks by Case category

Case Category Framework
Profitability Revenue-Cost Breakdown
Market Entry PESTLE, Five Forces
Pricing Pricing Tripod
Positioning Three C’s, 4P’s
Abstract -
4 P’s Framework
Five Forces Framework
Profitability Case Approach

Market Entry Case Approach
Pricing Case Approach

2018
Summers Interview
Experiences
IIM Lucknow | The Consulting & Strategy Club
A.T. Kearney
Deepak Giri
Undergraduate College & NSIT, Delhi
University
Field of Graduation Manufacturing Processes and Automation Engineering
Work Experience - Companies McKinsey (27 months)
Worked at Previously (include
months)
Work Experience - Domains Consulting
Work Experience Duration 27
(Months)
Company Name A.T. Kearney
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and "Principal"
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions What are your 3 strengths and weaknesses?, Why do you think you will be able
to fit in AT Kearney? Tell me more about your interest in Dancing ( I had a
box of " Dancing" in my CV)
Work Experience Questions You have mentioned very impressive impact during your tenure in McKinsey.
Would you really take the credit for it?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Our client is a coffee manufacturer based in India. The new CEO wants to
Guesstimate double the revenue in next 3-4 years. He has hired ATK to evaluate the
options and guide him.
Complete Case Transcript I started by asking basic questions about the business and clients preferences. I
(please try to be as descriptive divided the problem into parts and identified possible income streams and
as possible) used 80-20 rule to come up with few recommendations. I kept explaining how
I was trying to think and solve. The interviewer asked a few cross questions in
between which I was able to answer.
Please state any questions that I asked if it was a real case and what were ATK's recommendations.
you may have asked at the end
of the interview and the
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Subhendu Roy, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Where are you from? Asked about each line mentioned under academics in my
CV. What's your family background?
Work Experience Questions Why did you leave McKinsey?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Only CV and HR questions.
Guesstimate
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Confidence is the key. Try to have a good conversation with the interviewer.
the interview and the Day 0 Be genuine, they are smart enough to know when you fake. Know your CV in
and out.
2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences

Rituparna Das
Undergraduate College & NIT Warangal
University
Field of Graduation Electrical and Electronics
Work Experience - Companies VISA
months)
Work Experience - Domains Financial Services (Software developer)
Work Experience Duration 30 months
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Nishant Nishchal (Principal)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I: Tell me about yourself.
C: Introduced myself in chronological order. Spoke about student exchange
to Japan. (Few questions on that.)
I: Probed about a club(HAM Radio & electronics club) I was part of in
college.(CV based HR question)
C: Explained in detail.
Work Experience Questions
Case Problem Statement(s) / Problem Statement: Your client is the Road Transport and Highway
Guesstimate minister of India. You have to help him improve the logistics' efficiency.
Complete Case Transcript C: (Re-iterating the problem statement) Could you please clarify what
(please try to be as descriptive exactly is meant by logistics and efficiency in this case.
as possible) I: Focus on the freight transport logistics. And for efficiency what do you
think should be considered for that.
C: Broadly dividing the efficiency drivers into 3 buckets-
1. Time
2. Cost
3. Transit loss/damage
2nd level of branching involving the factors that affect the above 3 drivers-
1. Time - ( Wait time at tolls/check points, congestion in certain routes,

optimizing the freight loading/unloading process to save time, involvement
of 3rd party vendors)
2. Cost - (Hub and spoke model of logistics, optimizing "first-mile" & "last-
mile" options, #Labour requirements, #Type of freight, Mode of
transportation, capacity utilization of the transport.
3. Transit loss/damage- (Nature of goods(perishable/non-

perishable/fragile), Route map, skill of the driver/labours, type of vehicle,
mode of transport)
I: Why don't you consider only the time factor for now? And more
specifically the delay caused at the tolls and check-points?
C: Sure. The major issue at tolls is that there is queuing as the toll fee is paid
manually in cash to the toll gate-keeper. To eliminate/reduce this wait time
we can have the following solutions-
a)Pre-payment of tolls ( pre-paid accounts, which already have balance in it

and the person at the gate only has to note the vehicle number to deduct
from the balance).
Counter point by I: Routes are not pre-determined and it will require
checking of funds and that will still cause some delay)
b) Use of NFC (Near field communication) enabled cards, which the driver
can wave-pay-go at the NFC-complaint terminals (can even be unmanned) .
Similar to Apple/Samsung Pay. Visa already launched a pilot contactless
payment system at NHAI’s Manesar toll plaza.
Counter point by I: Good solution but too impractical, due to- huge initial
investment and poor network connectivity in India. Authorization and
settlement should happen real-time and would require net connectivity.

c) (Took some time to think for another alternative)

I : Think of a solution that will not require the vehicle to stop at all.
C: Use of trackers! RFID tags/stickers that get scanned as you go past each
toll/check point and you have to pay the cumulative amount at the end.
Hence no queuing and no delay at any check point.
(This was the answer he was looking for).
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Subhendu Roy (Partner)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions What are your hobbies?
Work Experience Questions Visa Europe and Visa Inc merger related questions
Case Problem Statement(s) / Case I-
Guesstimate I: If you had to start an ice-cream company in Lucknow what factors would
you consider?
Case II-
I: If I am a 60 year old person looking to implement blockchain technology
in my business, how would you explain it to me?
Complete Case Transcript Case I-

(please try to be as descriptive I: What is something that you like a lot?
as possible) C: Ice-cream (felt sheepish after I blurted out ice-cream)
I: A case on ice-cream. If you had to start an ice-cream company in
Lucknow what factors would you consider?
C: Internal- Product offering (PODs), Price point, Promotion channels,
Place, Consumer preference
External- Substitutes (like Gelato), Compliments ( near a restaurant),
Competition, Seasonality (demand is mostly seasonal)I few more random
things(don’t remember) which led to Blockchain.
I: If I am a 60 year old person looking to implement blockchain technology

in my business how would you explain it to me?
C: Spoke about how it is immutable, scalable and de-centralized. I also
spoke about the (cryptographic keys) public and private keys- digital
signature and blockchain in retail.
I: What is your long term goal? Who all are there in your family?
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for 1. Do not try to force-fit frameworks or connect the interview cases to your
the interview and the Day 0 prior cases. On day 0, it's mostly your sub-conscious that takes over.
2. Practice cases will help you develop confidence, but do not overdo as it
can limit your lateral thinking.
3. Confidence and clear communication are two other very important
factors which can be detrimental if not paid attention to. Case solving is just
a part of the judging criteria. Have an interesting conversation with the
interviewer, they always appreciate cheerful and composed people.

Shubham Sethi
Undergraduate College & IIT Delhi
University
Field of Graduation Textile Technology
Work Experience - Companies Xiaomi
months)
Work Experience - Domains Product
Work Experience Duration 22.5
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Mr. Siddharth Jain, Senior Principal
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I - Gave his introduction. Then asked me to introduce.
Case Problem Statement(s) / I - Our client company is in coffee business. Company has a new CEO.
Guesstimate CEO wants to double the revenues. Explore.
Complete Case Transcript C - Where is the company based out of?
(please try to be as descriptive I - India
as possible) C - Are the sales in India too?
I - No, 95% of sales are contributed by exporting to (some 3 countries)
C - What products does our client sell?
I - Coffee sachets made from premium coffee seeds and Normal coffee
seeds.
C - What are respective sales %, and is 95% export valid for both?
I - Assume to be 50 - 50%, Yes.
C - I want to understand the value chain for both the channel of sales.
I - For coffee sachets, client purchases coffee beans. Has its own
manufacturing and processing facilities and then sell it to major branded
retail outlets such as Starbucks. For coffee beans, client has its own coffee
plantation. These coffee beans are directly sold to (I don't remember who
the customer was).
C - Is it a growing industry?
I - Yes, moderate growth
C - Ok, one more question. What's the timeline to achieve this target?
I - 3 years
Asked for a minute to think. Interviewer said take 5 mins if I want and draw
the structure.
C - There are 2 parts to this situation: How do I increase my revenue &
client's capacity to produce more?
(I started with 1st part. I should've asked which part to focus on, as the
interviewer at the end mentioned he wanted me to focus on 2nd part since
that was the challenging part in actual case)
C - Possible avenues to increase revenue for both channels
* Increase revenue per existing customer.
* In the current markets of sale, expand to more customers.
* Expand into new markets
* Diversification opportunities i.e. instead of only selling coffee beans, client
can process it into its final product and sell those.
(Interviewer probed on how would I go about in each case. I gave relevant
ways)
(Couldn't discuss client's capability part due to paucity of time)
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Mr. Subhendu Roy, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something about yourself.
Why consulting?
Why A.T. Kearney?
(We changed our seats from formal chair setting to sofa to make it more
informal)
Work Experience Questions All conversation around my work experience
Case Problem Statement(s) /
Guesstimate

Complete Case Transcript C - I worked as Associate Product Manager for ecosystem products.
(please try to be as descriptive I - What are ecosystem products?
as possible) C - Explained in a structure manner.
I - Tell me Xiaomi's 10 ecosystem products
C - Divided this into: existing ecosystem products & upcoming ecosystem
products.
I - You mentioned water purifier in upcoming ecosystem product. How do
you decide to launch this?
C - I had a confident and structured discussion. Covered the overall market
size, online/offline split since Xiaomi is extremely strong in online channel,
current competition scenario, customer demands and pain points,
opportunity for us to disrupt the market, % overlap of Xiaomi's current
customer base and water purifier TG since we want to minimize our
marketing spends.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for - Consulting interviews are 50% about case solving skills & 50% about soft
the interview and the Day 0 skills. Don't ignore latter part.
- In majority of the cases I practiced, the crux of case laid in asking right
preliminary questions. So don't jump without fully clarifying your doubts. If
the interviewer feels you've already asked the right questions and remaining
ones won't be relevant to solve the case, he/she will give the cue.

Vaibhav Sinha
Undergraduate College & IIT Kanpur
University
Field of Graduation Engineering
Work Experience - Companies OYO (6 months), Loylty Rewardz Pvt Ltd (26 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Hospitality, Information Technology
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Partner and Principle
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me about yourself, OYO work experience
Work Experience Questions What did you do?
Case Problem Statement(s) / How would you pitch an idea of Marathon Run to CM of UP? What are the
Guesstimate cost heads of a typical marathon?
Complete Case Transcript - Asked Qualifying questions
(please try to be as descriptive - Explained the cost heads - Technology, Kits, Billboards, Runner's
as possible) Accommodation, Event Day Expenses (food, water, temp accessories) etc.
Pitched the idea to CM under two heads - Public Welfare and Publicity
Q - Who are the various stakeholders in a Marathon event? How will you
pitch the marathon to them in one line?
- CM
- Municipal Corporation
- Police
- Runners - General / Professional
- Celebrity (Ambassador)
- Organizing Staff
- Vendors
Q - How will you price a multi-functional shoe (one of my CV projects) ?

- Cost Based / Value Based / Competitive Pricing
- Value based pricing explored based on substitute pricing
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Principle
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions
Case Problem Statement(s) / Coffee Plantation Company - Increase Revenue
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript - Asked qualifying questions
(please try to be as descriptive - Number heavy - calculate market share with bean production and
as possible) conversion factor
- Fragmented market and export of goods in place
- The answer was to increase supply rather than demand as the market was
fragmented
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Confidence is the key element
the interview and the Day 0

Priya Garg
Undergraduate College & Delhi Technological University
University
Field of Graduation B.Tech (EEE)
Work Experience - Companies Citi, 23 months
months)
Work Experience - Domains Banking Technology
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and -
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions General Questions related to DCE-DTU/NSIT and new campus of DTU -
their location and differences.
Small chat around my hometown - Kolkata.
My favourite industry and why followed by a guesstimate related to e-
commerce industry (since I had mentioned that)
Why A.T.Kearney?
What are my aspirations in life?
Work Experience Questions None
Case Problem Statement(s) / Estimate the number of packaged bottles that would be sold in Kolkata at
Guesstimate present?
Complete Case Transcript I was asked to list various parameters that would affect my decision for
(please try to be as descriptive example, income, size of bottles, usage, etc. around 10-15 such parameters I
as possible) had to list.
Followed by a question to do a future estimation of the number of bottled
water which will be sold in Kolkata in next 5 years?
Again he was looking for varied decision-making parameters and different
ways I could think of and incorporate.
We had discussions on lifestyle, habits and culture of people in Kolkata and
how is it different from other metropolitan cities.
Please state any questions that
response received
Interview 2 N/A
Interviewer Name and N/A
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions N/A
Work Experience Questions N/A
Case Problem Statement(s) / N/A
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript N/A
(please try to be as descriptive
as possible)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Be confident throughout the entire process, right from the preparations and
the interview and the Day 0 smile.

Accenture
Jasmeen Kaur Chhabra
Undergraduate College & Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi
University
Field of Graduation B.Com (Hons.)
Company Name Accenture
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why consulting?
3. Why Accenture?
4. What is your role in The Consult Club?
Case Problem Statement(s) / My client has a business of agro-chemicals. He wants to understand the
Guesstimate revenue growth pattern and how can it be increased.
Complete Case Transcript C: I started with asking clarifying questions related to the types of agro-
(please try to be as descriptive chemicals-> if it is for rabi or kharif crops, business model (whether selling
as possible) directly to the farmers), revenue streams and growth pattern.
I: Gave numbers related to the trend of revenue growth of last 5 years and
its reasons.
C: Identified the reasons for the such trends-> focused on the revenue
drivers (includes the seasonality, regions in which the demand is high)
I: Satisfied and asked me to further give recommendations to increase the
revenue of the business
C: Divided the revenue growth into the agro-chemical business and other
revenue streams (in case the client is interested). I gave recommendations to
provide fertilizers according to the crops, land and soil fertility.
I: Happy with the structure and recommendations. Ended the interview by
asking about my hobbies.
Please state any questions that What are the sectors you are currently working in?
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Abhinav Mathur, Principal
Designation
2. Why Accenture?
Case Problem Statement(s) / My client is a luxury sofa manufacturer. The client is planning to enter India.
Guesstimate Suggest whether he should enter or not.
Complete Case Transcript C: I started by asking clarifying questions related to business, product line
(please try to be as descriptive and objective(s) to enter. I gave the structure which I was planning to
as possible) follow.
I: Asked me to focus on the modes of entry if planning to set up a retail
store
C: Divided it into online and offline modes.
I: Interrupted by asking to calculate the market size for sofa for the both the
modes.
C: After calculating that, I was being asked to consider the factors while
entering in luxury sofa business.
I: Find the adequate pricing range for luxury sofa and compare the prices of
luxury and normal sofa in India.
C: Did that
I: Recommend whether the client should enter into the business or not
C: I answered no and gave the reasons for the same.
I: Great! We also recommended the same thing to our client.
Please state any questions that Discussed about the case and his experience while doing this case.
response received

Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Sameer Amte, Partner
Designation
2. How has been your experience in IIM Lucknow so far?
3. Why consulting over finance?
4. Why Accenture?
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Be confident about your problem solving skills. Take time to clarify the
the interview and the Day 0 problem statement. Remember, interviewer is there to help you. Ask him if
you are stuck at any point. Stay clam!

Ayushi Aggarwal
Undergraduate College & Graphic Era University
University
Field of Graduation Computer Science Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Infosys Limited
months)
Work Experience - Domains Big Data, Quality Assurance
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and
Designation
2. Who is your role model in life?
3. What is your ultimate goal in life?
4. Why consulting?
Work Experience Questions What is sentiment analysis? What is coefficient of regression? How do you
do sentiment analysis on public tweets?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Guesstimate: Guesstimate the number of light bulbs in Delhi.
Guesstimate Case Problem Statement: I am a coffee manufacturer. Profits have been
declining. Why?
Complete Case Transcript I: Tell me something about yourself.
(please try to be as descriptive C: *Talked about hometown, education, research paper and YouTube
as possible) channel*
I: Very Interesting. I see a mix of talent in your CV. I am not able to
understand why would you want to do consulting. Why not go for some
other creative field?
C: Sir, my hobbies and interests form a huge part of who I am but besides
these, when I think of my ideal career choice, it would be consulting. My
interest lies in consulting majorly because of my previous work experience
which can be best described by two words: challenges and variety. Handling
various roles and responsibilities across multiple domains and industries and
faring well at these tasks have shaped my career choices in this direction.
I: What is your ultimate goal in life? Please do not talk about career growth
and money because everybody wants that. What is that you actually want
from your life?
C: Feeling satisfied with the work that I do and a state of mind which keeps
me motivated to wake up every day and face challenges that life throws at
me.
I: Who is your role model?
C: My father.
I: I am really impressed by your honesty. Now let’s discuss a case. Shall we?
C: Yes sir.
I: I am a coffee manufacturer. My profits have been declining. I want you to
tell the various avenues where I should look into?
C: There could be two reasons why the profits might be declining- either the
revenues have declined or the cost of manufacturing has gone up.
I: Assume that revenue generated is the same. There's no new competition
and the market share is constant.
C: Sir, then I would like to explore the value chain of coffee manufacturing
process to assess why the costs have increased.
I: Ok. Also, I would like you to explain the value chain for oil and gas
industry as well as value chain for retail manufacturing industry.
C: *Explained*
I: Show how a typical profit and loss statement look like.
C: *Explained*
After this an HR round of interview followed with basic questions on my
work experience.

Ayushi Bansal
Undergraduate College & ZHCET, Aligarh Muslim University
University
Field of Graduation B.Tech (Electronics)
Work Experience - Companies Reliance Jio
months)
Work Experience - Domains Telecommunications
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I - Tell me about yourself.
I - What do you know about table tennis in India? Tell their recent
victories.
(I had played table tennis at state level)
C - Told about the Asian games and common wealth games victory.
I - Who is the current National champion? Name some female TT players.
C - Told
I - Why Accenture?
C - Tried to leverage my work experience in telecom and digital to link with
their industries.
I - What is EBIDTA? What is gross margin?
C - I struggled at both of them
Work Experience Questions I - What do you think is the future of telecom sector and Jio?
Case Problem Statement(s) / NA
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript NA
as possible)
Please state any questions that What kind of projects are offered in Communication Media Telecom
you may have asked at the end industry?
response received
Interview 2
Designation
I - Why consulting?
C - Tried to link it with my past and future aspirations.
Work Experience Questions I - How long do you think would Jio be able to sustain such low prices?
C - Told how the new technology is helping in keeping the price low.
I - How easy do you think it is for any new player to enter the telecom
sector?
C - Told about the heavy investment required to setup the infrastructure, so
unless someone with deep pockets come in, it is difficult to enter.
I - Is Jio making any money? If yes, how much and how?
C - Told about the profits of Jio and how they have diversified in various
other products which is giving them revenue.
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1. SWOT analysis of Jio
Guesstimate 2. Sell Jio to me
Complete Case Transcript 2. Suppose Jio has access to all the people's data and I am a hardcore Airtel
(please try to be as descriptive fan. Sell Jio to me.
as possible) C - Tried to explain that with the people's data we can customise our
entertainment apps and then promote them and how for a consultant, who
is always on a move, entertainment is very important. (He kept on guiding
me throughout).
Please state any questions that How is a typical day in the life of a consultant?
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and MD
Designation
I - Please explain the meaning of being proactive and channelling hard
work.
(I had mentioned these things in my introduction)
C - Tried to explain by giving some examples.
I - Why Accenture?
Work Experience Questions I - How do you think about the price wars between all the telecom
operators is affecting the customers and the employees?
C - Tried to explain the benefits that customers will get from it. For
employees, told that they will have a good learning curve by working on
new technologies but at the same time they will have a constant insecurity
related to their job as the industry is very dynamic and many old companies
have already shut down and merged.
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that What is the difference between CN and IB roles.
response received
Interview 4
Interviewer Name and HR
Designation
I - Why Accenture?
I - Why do you want to do consulting after working in Jio?
I - What do you know about Accenture?
C - Told how they use digital technology to help clients. Gave one example
for the same. Tried to speak about their CSR activities.
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Be confident and smile

Devaki Dhamankar
Undergraduate College & Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
University
Field of Graduation Finance
Work Experience - Companies PwC (3 Years internship, 7 months job)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Statutory audit
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Ketaki Tendulkar
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Mainly questions around why consulting, background based - why MBA
after consulting.
Quite some discussion around PORs and ECAs from the CV
Work Experience Questions 95% of the interview based on work experience mentioned on CV. Detailed
questions line by line majorly on impact analysis. Multiple questions around
value addition made to the team.
Case Problem Statement(s) / No case asked
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that Asking questions is looked upon very positively for an Accenture interview.
you may have asked at the end Questions I asked-
of the interview and the 1. How could the skillsets which a CA brings to the table be applied in your
response received scope of work
2. The company has 2 main divisions - questions around how different they
are in functioning; core values being the same. Shows interest in the
company
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and MD, Accenture
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions He cracked a few jokes, kept it stress-free. Questions around how CA
involves a lot of studying already what motivates you to spend 2 years here.
Work Experience Questions None, one finance questions around the falling rupee
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that How is the synergy between the technological and finance arms at
you may have asked at the end Accenture?
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and HR (XLRI Graduate, batch of 2018)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Very conversational
Guesstimate
as possible)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Just stay calm and know your CV in and out
the interview and the Day 0 Whatever written in the CV must be backed by 2/3 examples to add
credibility to the point
Keep smiling and be extremely confident during the interview even if you
falter in answering a few questions

Harshit Sharma
Undergraduate College & BITS, Pilani
University
Field of Graduation B.E. (Hons.) Chemical
Work Experience - Companies ZS Associates - 21 months
months)
Work Experience - Domains Analytics & Consulting
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Not Sure - Senior Consultant
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Q1. Tell me about yourself.
Q2. Why Consulting?
Q3. Why Accenture?
Q4. Strength & Weakness
Q5. Basic Finance Questions - Ratios
Work Experience Questions Pharma based questions
Guesstimate
as possible)
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Not Sure
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Q. Tell Me About Yourself
Q. Why Accenture/Consulting after MBA - you could have directly
switched to another consulting firm from ZS?
Work Experience Questions Q. Who were some of your major clients? (Did not tell as DND agreement)
Q. Any Indian clients?
Q. How do you see Indian pharma sector shape up vs US Pharma sector?
Case Problem Statement(s) / ABC Ltd. is a FMCG company, thinking of diversifying in Pharma industry
Guesstimate in India. Should they do it? If so, how should they do it? (Typical Market
Entry Case)
Complete Case Transcript C: How old is the company? Diversification objective? Applied 3C+P
(please try to be as descriptive I: Can you please come directly to value chain?
as possible) C: Drew value chain of Pharma Industry
I: So, we want to focus on transportation - how you think it would be
different from FMCG
C: In Pharma, Drugs have to be stored at a particular temperature (Usually
around 0 or less) so we can't use road and due to expiry date issue we would
want to use air transport, if feasible.
I: Mentioned how it is the main issue in one of his ongoing projects.
(Did not let me complete the case - Switched to Fin questions)
I: What are the five things you would look in a P&L statement to compare
companies and comment on their current health?
C: Told Financial Ratios (D/E, RoE, P/E) and Dividend
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Not Sure (Partner)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Q1. Many people typically want to shift to Finance after Consulting as in
Consulting work hours are around 60 hrs per week and pay is comparatively
less. What are your thoughts?
(Possibly asked as I was able to answer Finance questions in Round 1 & 2)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for This is most relevant for people who not having MBBA shortlist
the interview and the Day 0 Do's:
1. Do not panic when doing cases with the people who have the above
shortlists - they are doing cases for a month. Accenture does not focus very
much not the case, it's more of a conversation.
2. All the practice, cases & HR prep will go out of the window two hours
into Day Z. Companies start to realize they may lose out on good
candidates so, they rush through interviews and even if you can able to
answer impressively for 3/5 questions - that is good enough.
3. Know your CV - in my case they just picked Pharma and went deep into
it. At the same time don't be too sentimental that you need to know how
you came to each and every number on your CV - If you know good
otherwise not needed - they just scan through the headers
4. Try to do at least 3-4 cases (Focus on Profitability & Market Entry)
before you enter the interview room so, that you have the basic structure in
place
Don'ts:
1. Do not take any company lightly - It may end up helping you in other
interviews. For me, A&M buddy call was a disaster as the buddy focused on
Financial statements & Ratios but the same came in handy during Accenture
2. Again do not panic - for MBBA, interviews are very different (very much
case driven - specially for people not in the hotlist). IIM entrance interviews
are much more difficult than Summers & you have cracked it. Remember
companies are much more desperate to select you than you are - just relax
and be confident.

Madhurima Kar
Undergraduate College & Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology & Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha
University University
Field of Graduation Mechanical and Automation Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Fluor Daniel India Pvt Ltd (35 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Oil and Gas
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Situation based que- Suppose you have a new next gen camera model
which can read things (for e.g. it can identify a bottle as a bottle and can also
act as translator) but is priced 3 times more expensive than the costliest
DSLR available in the market. Convince me to buy it.
2. Could you tell me in detail about what you did in AWIM( a project
mentioned in CV)?
Work Experience Questions 1. You have mentioned about VBA tool in resume. Could you elaborate?
2. Describe the process of technical bid evaluation (This point was
mentioned in CV).
3. Describe the KPI (Key performance indicators) of your field.
Please state any questions that I asked since Accenture has a division specially dedicated to digital, is
you may have asked at the end Accenture acquiring any companies or start-ups related to digital
of the interview and the transformation?
response received The interviewer explained about the various acquisitions the company was
currently involved in.
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Walk me through your resume.
2. What are your weaknesses?
Work Experience Questions 1. What are your biggest achievements in the workplace?
2. Explain about the dashboard that you created for the workplace (point
mentioned on CV)
Case Problem Statement(s) / Estimate number of cabs in Lucknow.
Guesstimate
as possible)
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Dr Krishna Murty, MD, Financial Services
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. What are your strengths? (Cross questioned on the examples quoted for
strengths)
2. The abovementioned question led to a discussion on hobbies, and
photography as a hobby was specifically discussed. ( He asked me to show
samples of my photographs)
3. Why should I hire you?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Estimate the number of people in the Delhi Airport at a specific point in
Guesstimate time.
as possible)
Interview 4
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Why are you interested in consulting?
2. Why Accenture?
3. How many employees does Accenture have, and what is its net revenue?
Please state any questions that I asked whether the projects are allotted on the basis of work experience.
you may have asked at the end The interviewer said that even if the initial project allocation might be on
of the interview and the the basis of work experience, there is lots of scope to be involved in other
response received projects as well.
Priyanka Panwar
Undergraduate College & IIT-BHU
University
Field of Graduation Ceramic Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Steel Authority of India ltd.(41 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Quality Control
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Nimish (Designation NA)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me any 3 things from your CV which you would like to discuss.
Where are you from? How has been the development in Indore in the last
10 years?
What are the nearby places to roam around? What is it famous for? Recently
it has been awarded as the best city, tell me the category.
Why Consulting? Why Accenture?
Work Experience Questions What were your responsibilities at your job?
Case Problem Statement(s) / The client is a cold drink manufacturer in Lucknow. Devise a strategy for
Guesstimate cost optimization.
Complete Case Transcript Started with general clarifying questions. Then came to saving costs in raw
(please try to be as descriptive materials as in glass, caps, ingredients etc. He wanted me to focus on the
as possible) factors which can directly affect costs. I suggested for creation of
warehouses in far-away cities as in Delhi, etc. Keeping inventory as minimal
as possible, applying concept of JIT delivery, as cold drinks come with
expiry issue. He was satisfied with that.
Please state any questions that How Accenture has been adapting and implementing the rapidly changing
you may have asked at the end technology and digitization in solving the real life business problems?
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and NA ( Supply Chain and Ops domain)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something which is not on your CV. Why should I not select you?
Work Experience Questions What was your job profile?
What did you do?
I mentioned about some tools in my CV and was probed on it and also
given a case based on that.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Case 1: Do FMEA of my phone. How will you proceed? What factors
Guesstimate would you consider?
FMEA is Failure Mode Effect Analysis which I mentioned in my CV. He
was from Operations background and knew about it and gave a case based
on that.
Case 2: The client is a Logistics firm in South Korea. He wanted to enter
into India. Devise the market strategy for them. Also, they are planning to
increase their market share 5 folds in the coming 10 years, how should they
go about it?
Case 3: The client is a toy manufacturer in Lucknow. The profits are going
down. How to solve the problem?
Complete Case Transcript Case 1: I started with all factors which can be the causes of failure of
(please try to be as descriptive mobile. Then the mode in which it can fail. How each factor was critical,
as possible) how many times it occurred, how severe it was, etc. Then recommendations
etc.
Case 2: General clarifying questions. Then considering each factor in the
value chain and discussing them.
Case 3: Same as Case 2
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and MD
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something that is not on your CV. What did you do in your college?
How will you be able to handle the pressure? Why Consulting?
Work Experience Questions What did you learn at your workplace? Give me the real reasons and not
prepared.
Case Problem Statement(s) / How can IIM Indore come into the same league as IIM A, B,C, L? What
Guesstimate factors will you consider?
Complete Case Transcript -
as possible)
Interview 4
Interviewer Name and NA ( 2017 pass out from XLRI)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Walk me through your CV. Why consulting when you have your profile
completely into operations? What attracts you towards it? Why Accenture?
Any locations constraint?
Case Problem Statement(s) / -
Guesstimate
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Just be confident and truthful while answering. They look for consistency in
the interview and the Day 0 your answers and each interviewer makes notes based on your answers. Be
thorough with your CV. They can ask anything. Do read about the latest
news about your city, workplace, college etc. Be interactive while solving
cases. They assess based on the approach and not on definite answer.

Sanya Khullar
Undergraduate College & Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
University
Work Experience - Companies EY
months)
Work Experience - Domains Risk advisory
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Manager
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Strengths, weaknesses
Work Experience Questions Explain P2P process. what are the risks associated with it?
Case Problem Statement(s) / How would you increase the parking space in Rajouri Garden (my
Guesstimate residence)?
Complete Case Transcript I- tell me something about yourself. Then basic work-ex related questions.
(please try to be as descriptive Questions from my academic projects and POR.
as possible) I- There is parking problem in Rajouri Garden. How would you tackle this
situation?
I- Why Accenture? What other domains Accenture is present in apart from
Strategy? Who is the chairman of Accenture?
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me about yourself.
Work Experience Questions What is SOX?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Guestimate the number of refrigerators in Delhi?
Guesstimate Devise a market entry strategy for a South Korean toy manufacturer in
India?
as possible)
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Why do you wish to work in consulting after already having worked in Risk
Consulting? What is the share price of Accenture?
Interview 4
Interviewer Name and Principal
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Why Accenture? Describe how your life would be 10 years down the line?
How are you finding life at IIML? What do you think is you learning here?
Consulting requires a lot of sacrifices. Would you be able to do that? What
motivates you?
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Do your research about Accenture. The HR guy really got pissed when I
the interview and the Day 0 was unable to answer the question about the share price of Accenture.
Prepare why Accenture and why consulting questions well.

Sneha Jain
Undergraduate College & Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, GGSIPU, Delhi
University
Field of Graduation B.Tech (ECE)
Work Experience - Companies Accenture (34 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Data Analytics
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and IIM L Alum with around 6 years of work-ex
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something about yourself. Why MBA? Why Accenture? Why
consulting? Your role preferences? Your take on work life balance? What
kind of work/opportunities you're looking for at Accenture? What
questions you have for us? What did you like the most about past
organisation? What did you learn? Thoughts about IIM Lucknow? What are
you doing as Team Disha?
Work Experience Questions Describe your role briefly. Your major responsibilities?
Case Problem Statement(s) / ITC has launched a new product category - Rice in one of the cities in South
Guesstimate India. They are following Direct-to-customer Model for selling. Calculate
the profitability for the company and suggest three ways in which it can be
improved (i.e. improvements in Direct-to-customer method)?
Note: The solution involved application of marketing concepts as well - like

STP and promotional strategies.
Complete Case Transcript I: Walk me through your CV.
(please try to be as descriptive C: Started from the city I belonged to, then followed chronological order -
as possible) school, college, work. Talked about hobbies and interests in the end.
I: Work-ex related questions like role, team, your take-away, what you liked
the most at work.
C: Explained all in simple and fluent manner.
I: How is life going at IIM Lucknow? How did 4 months go?

C: Talked about how it is my first experience at hostel; touched upon
academics, competition, committees, multi-tasking, prep etc.
I: Let's do a case solving. Took a case related to his area of work-ex i.e.
products (FMCG) in this case.
I: Any questions for me?

C: Asked about difference between Accenture Consulting and Strategy, IB
vs. CN at Accenture, his experience at work.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and MD, Accenture
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions The interviewer asked about my role preferences. Apart from that, no other
question from his side. Rather, he wanted me to shoot all my questions and
queries one by one, expected that I have read enough about the company &
roles and hence was expecting good quality relevant questions.
Complete Case Transcript I asked questions about project allocation, how digital and technology are
(please try to be as descriptive changing the face of consult and strategy, how trends in India and abroad
as possible) are different, how I can expect learning and growth cure/opportunities for
me.
It was conversational and one question led to another and went on for
around 20 min over phone.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Read well about company - recent trends/news + roles offered. Be prepared
the interview and the Day 0 with some good questions to discuss with Interviewer, HR and MD -
something that highlights your interest as well as knowledge. Focus on
learning and growth opportunities and keep them central to discussion.

Vinita Malayath
Undergraduate College & IGIT , GGSIPU
University
Field of Graduation B. Tech ECE
Work Experience - Companies SAP (34 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains IT
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Lady Senior Manager working in finance domain
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I: Tell me about yourself
I: Have you decided your specialization for next year?
I: Which subject do you like the most here at IIML? Which do you hate?
I: What extra-curricular activities have you been part of here at IIML?
Work Experience Questions I: What innovative work have you done in your last firm which required use
of latest technology?
I: Give me an instance of innovation done by you in the field of finance?
I: Questions related to machine learning models used by me in my past
project?
Case Problem Statement(s) / You are having an important meeting. There are 10 men and you are the
Guesstimate only woman. You feel they have a bias against you. What do you do?
Complete Case Transcript The Interviewer gave me a minute to jot down my points
(please try to be as descriptive I: Shall we start?
as possible) C: Yes Sure. So I feel that if my colleagues have a bias against me - it could
be due to personal or professional reasons. Since we all are mature adults
working in a professional environment, I feel it would mostly be due to
professional reasons and so I would like to explore that first. Shall I?
I : Yes sure that is a valid assumption
C: So in a professional working environment a bias could be project related
or non-project related. If we look at project work first. It could be related to
the projects I am handling or the ones my colleagues are responsible for.
For projects handled by me I would self-introspect on whether I have done
my work justice. If I have ensured my work does not impact anyone
negatively. If I have not led to any blockers...
I: So you'll introspect. Good, what next?
C: next I'll look at the projects handled by my colleagues, Have I given them
enough support for integration, have I been appreciative of their work
I : Ok so introspection from another perspective. Good.
C: next step would be communication.
I: You are saying you'll be okay asking your colleagues who are maybe your
seniors why they have a bias against you?
C: I am saying free communication is very important.
I: I am just kidding, you are right. Direct communication is often what is
required.
C: Yes. But I agree it can sometimes be difficult especially when talking to
your seniors, but then you can maybe present it differently. However, you
must never compromise on what needs to be communicated. Most of the
issues faced at a workplace can be easily resolved if we communicate openly.
I: I agree, thanks Vinita. Now before we end this interview is there anything
you would like to ask me?
Please state any questions that You have been associated with Accenture for a long time now. Can you tell
you may have asked at the end me what it is that has held you here?
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Piyush Manocha. Accenture India, Blockchain head
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions .
Work Experience Questions I: I see blockchain in your CV. If you were to give one issue that blockchain
addresses what would it be? Just one word. Tell me
C : I think efficiency
I : If I give you another chance . What would you say?

C: Efficiency
I : Its 'trust'. Main thing is trust. So you have done basic blockchain work ?
C: Told a bit on what I had done
I : Ok. You may go.
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Dr.Krishna (MD round)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I: Do you remember me?
C: Yes sir you had come for the Accenture ppt
I: Ok what is my name?
C: (Remembered after thinking for some time) Dr. Krishna
I: Why consulting?
I: So what is going on in the market?
I: What do you know about the market?
I: Tell me about the stock exchange?
I: You are from Kerala. Do you know about Guruvayoor?
I: Where in Kerala do you belong to?
C: Thrissur
I: What is Thrissur Pooram?
Work Experience Questions .
Case Problem Statement(s) / I: I want to set up a new IIM. And I will set it up. Don't analyse that
Guesstimate decision. I have to and will set up the IIM. Just tell me quickly what factors
should I consider while selecting the land. Don't take a lot of time. Don't
ask questions. Just tell me some factors.
Complete Case Transcript C: Ok there will be monetary and non- monetary aspects. So I will check the
(please try to be as descriptive rates at which land is available. I will look at how much area of land I can
as possible) get at what rates
I : Ok next
C: I will look at availability of labour for setting up the institute and also for
its functioning
I : fine next
C: I will look at its proximity to industry
I : How is that relevant
C: Because I would want more and more companies to come to recruit
students from the college. Also greater proximity would mean greater
chances of industry expert interactions, live projects, etc thus greater
exposure
I: Fair enough. Next
C : I will look at other premier MBA colleges in the area. If there is already
an IIM nearby then no point setting up another one.
I : Ok that’s good enough
Interview 4
Interviewer Name and HR Round
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions What was your work like at SAP?
What SAP modules did you work on?
Guesstimate
Please state any questions that I wish to explore different domains. I read somewhere that in Accenture
you may have asked at the end there is not much fluidity across domains and industries, can you please
of the interview and the clarify this?
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for The interviews were very short and fast. They were mainly looking at idea
the interview and the Day 0 generation and confidence. While solving cases don't spend a lot of time
asking clarifying questions. Show as many ideas, different perspectives as
you can. Be confident and interactive. Be thorough with your CV and work
ex.

R.Jananiya
Undergraduate College & VIT University, Vellore
University
Field of Graduation Biotechnology
Work Experience - Companies Dr.Reddy's Laboratories, entrepreneurial venture
months)
Work Experience - Domains Operations, business management
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me about yourself
Work Experience Questions Asked to explain some quantitative points on CV
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am a pharmaceuticals manufacturer, my costs are going up. Why ? (relevant
Guesstimate to my previous work ex)
Guesstimate the number of flights that take off from the Delhi airport in a
day
Complete Case Transcript Case - Value chain of manufacturing unit, identification of some factors that
(please try to be as descriptive could be increasing the cost such as in logistics, idle time, etc and finally
as possible) suggested a few solutions
Guesstimate - estimate no of working hours of the airport (peak and non
peak), capacity of the runway (2 runways), factor in time spent by each flight
on the runway.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Managing director
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Why Accenture?
Why consulting after having your startup? Why not just pursue that?
Tell me one thing you might not like about consulting?
Tell me one thing about yourself that you think you need to work on to be a
good consultant
What industry/domain would you be comfortable working in?
Work Experience Questions Asked about the entreprenuerial venture in detail.
Case Problem Statement(s) / None
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript None
as possible)
Please state any questions that About recent news that Accenture was involved in- Award for diversity and
you may have asked at the end inclusion.
of the interview and the How will the projects be alotted for summers?
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and HR interview
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Why Accenture?
Why consulting?
Work Experience Questions Explain what 6S method is in a very simple way.
What are the KPIs you considered before deciding on a location for the
startup? What were some of the challenged faced and what parts of the work
did you like the most?
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript None
as possible)
Please state any questions that The HR has said that he had joined the firm only a few months back from
you may have asked at the end college. So, made conversation about what he liked about the firm, learning
of the interview and the oppurtunities, etc
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Stay calm, smile and give the interviews confidently. The focussed on body
the interview and the Day 0 language, how well you can articulate things and put it forward.

Arshiya Tawakley
Undergraduate College & Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi
University
Field of Graduation B.A. Economics (Hons)
Work Experience - Companies Deloitte [9 months] and Safe Water Network [12 months] (International
Worked at Previously (include NGO)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Tax Consulting, Market Research
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why Consulting? 3. Why Accenture? 4. Why
MBA and not an MA?
Work Experience Questions 1. Explain your work in Safe Water Network and what did you learn from it?
2. Why did you switch jobs?
Case Problem Statement(s) / I’m a big Indian pharmaceutical company. I began operations a few years
Guesstimate back and have experienced rapid growth in my sales and market share. I have
recently noticed that the attrition rate of my sales force is ~40%. What
should I do?
Complete Case Transcript I started by reiterating the problem in my own words so that the interviewer
(please try to be as descriptive knows that I have understood and assimilated the problem. After that, I
as possible) clarified the objective and started off by asking about the company, their
products and customers.
Answer – A large pharmaceutical company that sells its products in India.
They have been in the market for nearly 10 years and have experienced
exponential growth over the years. The company has a range of products
that can be categorized into 2 – high margin products like cancer drugs and
low margin products like paracetamol (crocin).
Objective: to identify reasons for high attrition rate and give possible
solutions to reduce it.
After a few clarifying questions, I confirmed if it was an industry wide issue
that other companies were also facing or just our company. Also, that sales
force meant the lowest level sales people who interacted with the pharmacies
and doctors.
Without further ado, I delved into my structure and categorized the problem
into a) monetary and b) non-monetary issues. (I took 3-4 mins to make the
following issue tree and a minute or so to take the interviewer through the
structure seeking direction every step of the way)
• Under monetary, I categorized it into salary, commission & incentives and
reimbursements.
o I assumed salary to be only the fixed component and covered the
variable component in the next bucket
o I asked about the commission and incentive structure here. Assuming
that there would be a performance based incentive system
Answer - Yes, there is a different target set for every kind of medicine. If the
salesperson meets 50%, 80%, 90% and 100% of their target. They get a fixed
incentive accordingly.
In addition, they also get x% commission on high margin drugs and y%
commission on low margin drugs.
o Reimbursements included reimbursements on all expenditures such as
travel expenses, food expenses etc.
• Under non-monetary, I broke the bucket into work related issues and non-
work related issues.
o Work related issues were again further divided according to
stakeholders, i.e. external and internal.
- External issues related to all the customers: a) doctors, b) pharmacies,
c) wholesalers (I confirmed if wholesalers were relevant in our case and the
interviewer confirmed that it was).
- Internal issues related to colleagues and supervisor/boss.
o Non work related issues included issues such as a) recognition for work,
b) holidays, c) working hours, d) number of leaves permitted, e) company
policy such as maternity/paternity leave
The interviewer then asked me to look at the commissions and incentives.

We further discussed the incentive plan. I asked a few detailed questions and
arrived to the conclusion that there were multiple incentive plans being
implemented and the over lap and complex structure left the employee
dissatisfied as there wasn’t a standard procedure for implementation.
Please state any questions that Asked for a feedback on my case. Projects at Accenture.
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Senior Manager
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why Consulting? 3. Short term and long term
goals? 4. Learnings from setting up my own bakery. Why did I shut it down?
Work Experience Questions Questions about what I did at Deloitte and Safe Water Network.
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that N/A
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Sameer Amte, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. What do you hope to learn from Accenture? 2. How does Accenture fit
into your career plan? 3. Why MBA?
Guesstimate
as possible)
response received

Alvarez & Marsal

Manishit Chadha
Undergraduate College & Panjab University
University
Field of Graduation B.E Electronics and Communication Engineering
Work Experience - Companies KPMG (32)
months)
(Months)
Company Name Alvarez & Marsal
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Don't remember
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I. Tell me something about yourself
I. Some basic discussion on digitization and smart cities
Case Problem Statement(s) / Estimate the market for CCTV cameras in India
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript The interviewer was basically looking at the approach taken and wanted me
(please try to be as descriptive to identify the areas where CCTVs can be used. The focus was more on the
as possible) approach and the breadth of thinking rather than on the number.
For 4 areas he asked me to drill down on each of the usage area to identify
how will I estimate the demand of the CCTV cameras.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Manish Sehgal
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / A glass bottle manufacturer wants to estimate the demand of his product
Guesstimate for the next 10 years. Help the client.
Complete Case Transcript 1. Started by asking some clarifying questions. Came to know that the
(please try to be as descriptive company had pan India operations, majorly supplies glass bottles for soft
as possible) drink industry such as coke
2. Came to know that the industry had recently experienced a dip in the
sales of the glass bottles and was currently in recovery stage at a slower rate.
3. Post this the interviewer directly prompted me to identify the factors
which I will consider in identifying the demand of the product and form an
equation out of it.
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Niranjan
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Basic discussion on football (my passion)
Case Problem Statement(s) / Chai point wants to open a store in one of the malls in Lucknow. Estimate
Guesstimate the number of cups which they can expect to sell in a day.
Complete Case Transcript Number heavy guesstimate where he wanted me to reach at a number.
(please try to be as descriptive Asked me to take but state the assumptions I am making and arrive at a final
as possible) number.

Rubal Mittal
Undergraduate College & Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
University
Field of Graduation Chemical Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Vodafone India Limited (15 months) & Manthan Advisors (8 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains General management (Analytics, channel partner management), Consulting
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Rishav Jain; Director
Designation
Asked me what's more important - Hunger or Satisfaction.
Experience related to UPSC.
Conversation about tea vs coffee preference.
Why A&M?
Work Experience Questions I explained a bit about work experience in tell me about yourself. There the
conversation on Strategy internship with Hilti India and about Network
Operations with Vodafone India.
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1) Guesstimate: To calculate the market size for curtains in India
Guesstimate 2) Guesstimate: To calculate the revenue for a cinema hall in India
Complete Case Transcript 1) Market size for curtains in India:
(please try to be as descriptive Clarified what type of curtains are we looking at; and overall or for some
as possible) particular type;
Divided population into Rural and Urban ; He asked me to focus only on
Urban;
In urban - further divided it into Residential and Commercial;
For residential - calculated number of households (Averaging out urban
population as family of 5);
Divided them basis income groups: high, medium and low - and for each
income group household - number of rooms and thus curtain requirements;
In commercials - listed down various areas: Colleges/ Schools, Offices,
malls, government buildings,
Later - averaged out life of curtains and calculated replacement rate.
Thus found out new curtains and replacement rate.
2) Calculate revenue for a cinema - Asked only to list down factors and not
do the math;
Factors - City; Locality; next nearest cinema hall, Type of cinema hall (single
screen, multi); movies shown - Genre, regional/ national movies;
weekday/weekend; new releases/old movie shown Divided the working
hours of cinema hall from 9 am to 3 am; basis this calculated occupancy rate
of cinema hall. For weekend and movie releasing dates, rush would be
higher; also during night slots and evening slot. Other than ticketing also
suggested advertisements and food and beverage as revenue source. Was
asked to calculate FnB revenue; dependent on time of movie show;
occupancy rate; rates offered; variety offered; combos offered.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Niranjan Ramanan - Director
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions He joked about the fact that I visited other companies first; then asked me
to tell about myself - he had also stayed in Jaipur- so questions about
school, area I stay in, then was aware about Lucknow and I had done a
project here - so questions around that. Asked about my family, parents'
work, siblings.
Work Experience Questions Work around Manthan Projects; guessed all my clients correctly - but didn't
grill much!
Case Problem Statement(s) / Determine the potential for a water bottling plant to setup their base in
Guesstimate Lucknow.
Complete Case Transcript Clarifying questions: Water bottling means like Kinley; Client is already
(please try to be as descriptive making liquor; distribution network is well settled; 1 litre standard bottle -
as possible) only SKU; major 4 competitors; question was more centric around
estimating size of industry for the company and if it would be suitable for
them to start business.
Lucknow population -> Divided into residential and commercial; for
residential; income groups division; people who drink via bottled water; so
availability; accessibility, and affordability; divided consumption pattern for
summers winters; determined on an average how many bottles would be
consumed; for commercial - listed all avenues - offices, marriage halls,
conferences, in shops; malls; cinema halls; etc. Calculation done only for
residential; Then calculated percentage share for this company - basis
competition and brand association with liquor.
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Manish Saigal; Managing Director
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Asked about my day and nothing much; for the question perspective he
asked me if I drink.
Work Experience Questions Nope
Case Problem Statement(s) / He was asking everyone the same questions - to make an equation to
Guesstimate calculate the potential of glass bottled liquor
Complete Case Transcript Used the funnel down approach - first calculated how many people drink;
(please try to be as descriptive then how many people prefer drinking from glass bottle; then for this
as possible) particular brand - he just wanted the factors I would consider for each
funnel bottom; compared it with cans these days. Important thing was
reusability of bottles at home and then back to the industry.
Please state any questions that I told him as per my opinion, people drinking would remain same and just
you may have asked at the end might increase due to changing preferences; but people drinking from bottle
of the interview and the will decrease. He asked me to read up on it later. I asked him what's the
response received right question - he said it will increase overall.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for It was all guestimate and HR centric. Also Disha mentor was very helpful as
the interview and the Day 0 questions were being repeated and he helped in structure and approach.
Rest - Just remain calm and enjoy the process.

Shivam Saxena
Undergraduate College & IIT Roorkee
University
Field of Graduation Mechanical Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Tata Steel (22 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Manager (Operations & Maintenance)
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Q1) Tell me something about yourself ?
Q2) What drives you towards doing something ?
Q3) Given your motivation, why would you choose A&M ?
Q4) What is specific to you that you can give to A&M ?
Q5) What do you first consider in a race ?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Q) Number of chairs sold in India in a year ?
Guesstimate Q) Since you are from Bareilly, can you estimate the number of jhumkas
sold by a shop in Bareilly, take relevant assumptions.
Q) Estimate the Number of trees in Lucknow.
Complete Case Transcript Q) Chairs divided it into Residential and Retail and gave approaches for
(please try to be as descriptive calculating both.
as possible) Q) Gave some insights based on the city and what other factors will come
into play due to location.
Q) Divided city area into different parts and considered where all trees
could be presented. Gave detailed approaches for each area.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Director
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Q) First 15 mins CV related discussion about 2-3 PORs, how I handled the
different situations and overall experience in those PORs.
(Person Interviewing was a mechanical engineer and I had a POR related to
Off-Road Racing, so discussed about how the team went about executing
the whole designing and fabrication of the vehicle, how the funds, parts etc.
were arranged, overall experience.)
Case Problem Statement(s) / Q) Bata type store in Lucknow Gomti Nagar area - estimate the total
Guesstimate number of shoes sold (Men's formal – Rs.1000 shoe)
Complete Case Transcript Calculated the whole market for the Rs.1000 men's formal shoes for the
(please try to be as descriptive city. Divided it across market share of the company in that segment and the
as possible) number of stores in Lucknow and got the number.
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Q) So how desperate you are to join A&M ?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Q) Case related to a glass bottle manufacturer related to aerated beverages.
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript Had to give different factors which might affect the demand and what
(please try to be as descriptive would be the overall demand in the future for glass bottles.
as possible) Mostly a qualitative discussion focused on factors.
Majorly analyse across 3 verticals -
1) Demand for aerated drinks
(What pushes people to buy glass bottles and what drives companies to
supply drinks in glass bottles)
2) Reusability of glass bottles
3) External Factors and regulations.
Interview 4
Interviewer Name and All 3 interviewers from Previous Rounds
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Q1) So what other options do you have apart from consulting ?
Q2) What kind of work you did in previous jobs ?
Q3) How did you handle people ?
Q4) What was your approach towards people who were aggressive ?
Q5) Different situations given, how would you react ?
(Mostly out of the 20 questions that Disha provides)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Try to be assertive in an interview without being rude.

Arete Advisors
Swetabh Pranwit Kumar
Undergraduate College & BITS Pilani
University
Field of Graduation Electronics and Communication
Work Experience - Companies Accenture Management Consulting (33 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Management Consulting
(Months)
Company Name Arete Advisors
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Consultant
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Interview 1: One Panelist (P1)
P1: Hi! So Day-0 morning, feeling good?
S: Absolutely! First interview for me, and since it’s only morning, not a lot
of other interview feedbacks as well, hence slightly anxious but looking
forward to this.
P1: Nice! So why don’t we start with getting to know you a little bit?
S: Sure, so am Swetabh, I hail from New Delhi. I'm a 2015 graduate from
BITS Pilani in Electronics Engineering and post that I was with Goldman
Sachs initially, before shifting to Accenture Consulting where I worked for
2.5 years. At Accenture, I developed my inclination towards strategy
consulting and business problem solving since my role involved working on
diverse business problems like profitability, market entry, growth strategy
and cost optimization, for reputed clients across sectors like automobile,
software, retail and investment banking. From exposure to seasoned
consultants to domain knowledge and travel schedules, everything helped
me understand consulting better. On the extracurricular front, I'm an
internationally certified guitarist and have performed at state and national
levels. I've also written stand up acts professionally for the Viral Fever,
Kenny Sebastian, Garv Malik etc. In sports, I'm passionate about chess and
like to study the game actively.
P1: Viral Fever sounds really interesting, I like their content. So how’s been
the shift from BITS to IIM Lucknow overall? From 4 years there to 2
months here, how did you find IIM-L different from BITS?
S: Differences in the academic pedagogy and rigor, BITS 0 attendance
policy vs 80% mandate here, case based methodology vs traditional
engineering setups, level of diversity and peer group, different avenues for
various extracurricular activities.
P1: Relating to 2 years of serious academic rigor, how well do you think
these translate to industry readiness and professional excellence?
S: Talked about the need for a strong theoretical foundation prior to
practical application, followed by how case methodology at the top B-
schools expose the students to real world scenarios wherein the theory can
be practically applied and validated against actual industry situations.
P1: Good, so are you in the habit of reading newspapers? Can you list 3
major news items in the last month from India/globally? Views on impact
of Budget 2018-19 on the manufacturing sector.
S: Answered. (Statistics and Facts help)
Work Experience Questions P1: Okay, so you’ve come from management consulting and have dealt with
clients across diverse sectors. That’s good exposure for an engineering
graduate. So why MBA at all? And why consulting again? Won’t have
expected you to fall for the hype.
S: Why MBA: Lack of a structured academic framework to learn consulting
during B.E. Work-ex projects and exposure was good but learning from
scratch took time and was mostly limited to the problem or the industry at
hand. Colleagues who were top MBA graduates had a distinctly solid
foundation in case analysis and frameworks that helped their thought
process and problem solving. So I felt an academic setup to learn business
strategy could help me structure my learning, along with numerous practice
cases and the internship experience which are part of the MBA offering.
Why consulting:
a) Familiarity with this industry due to prior work-ex.
b) Inclination towards problem solving and brainstorming on solutions to
seemingly abstract/unstructured problem statements
c) Opportunity to gain cross domain/industry knowledge since each project
can deal with a new sector and can entail a new problem. Plus, the travel
component is also a good experience.
Case Problem Statement(s) / P1: How would you guesstimate the average width of a book at IIM-L
Guesstimate library?
Complete Case Transcript Logical Reasoning Puzzle:
(please try to be as descriptive P1: Okay, so there are 30 horses with unique speeds and 5 race-tracks.
as possible) Could you tell me how many minimum races I should conduct to find the
fastest 3 horses? You can use the paper here, but please keep explaining
your method as you work it out.
S: Solved interactively. (12-15 minutes with cross-questions, discussions)
Note: This is a variant of the popular 25 horses 5 track puzzle, available on
the web.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions P2: Hello! How’s it going?
S: Not bad actually, sir.
P2: Good then, seems like you’ve come from a consulting role. Consulting
is mostly about creativity and innovation in problem-solving, so I’d expect
you to be reasonably comfortable with cases, especially one we’re about to
do. That’s a fair expectation, right?
S: Yes sir, I’ll try my best.
Work Experience Questions P2: Good then, seems like you’ve come from a consulting role. Consulting
is mostly about creativity and innovation in problem-solving, so I’d expect
you to be reasonably comfortable with cases, especially one we’re about to
do. That’s a fair expectation, right?
S: Yes sir, I’ll try my best.
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1) Okay, so as a consultant, I’m interested in calculating the economic
Guesstimate feasibility of running cars on electricity within the next 10 years. From this, I
need the perspective pricing and projected recommendation on whether the
average Indian man will want to buy an electric car or not
2) How would you guesstimate the average width of a book at IIM-L
library?
Complete Case Transcript 1) P2: Okay, so as a consultant, I’m interested in calculating the economic
(please try to be as descriptive feasibility of running cars on electricity within the next 10 years. From this, I
as possible) need the perspective pricing and projected recommendation on whether the
average Indian man will want to buy an electric car or not.
S: So sir by cars you mean all cars across brands and type, I believe?
P2: Yes, all cars currently operational.
S: Sir I believe that just like fuel requirements are different for each car
category and size, electricity requirements would be different as well. This
then, calls for differential battery setups and charging infrastructure inside
different cars.
P2: Let’s assume for the time being, that I’m using a similar battery with
different power ratings as suited to different vehicles.
S: Okay, can I have a moment to structure my approach sir?
P2: Sure.
S: Okay sir, so If I understand correctly, we’re having differential
horsepower ratings for similar batteries to provide electric power for the
cars. So sir, can we assume the costs of general features like gear, brakes etc.
to be constant for the moment and focus on battery and charging expenses
first since that’s a new cost segment?
P2: Sure, assume all other component costs to be constant for now. Let’s
investigate batteries and charging.
S: So sir, looking at Tesla who were also working on electric cars, the
batteries used are lithium ion batteries. India usually sources these from
China and Japan I recall, but with a 10 year timeline, I think we could be
self-sufficient, given that a full scale Li-ion cell factory is already in planning
for Andhra Pradesh. Can I have some rough idea about the pricing of such
batteries sir?
P2: You’re right about the lithium ion batteries. For procurement pricing,
say the batteries are priced equivalent to X Rs currently.
S: Okay, so sir say a battery lasts for say 4000 charging/discharging cycles,
post which the battery, or the car would have to be replaced. Also sir, since
power requirements vary across vehicles, the same number of
charging/discharging cycles would suffice for different distances. So sir,
could I get any data with regard to the same?
P2: Assume that on an average across cars, one charging/discharging cycle
suffices for 100 kms.
S: Fine, so if I assume the average man in question travels, say, 25 km by car
daily, it’ll take him 4 days to exhaust one cycle. And if the car or the battery
last for 4000 cycles, this corresponds to 16000 days or about 42+ years!
42 years are typically more than the # of years an average man drives for, so
I think one car would suffice for his vehicle needs by this calculation, unless
he wants to change his brand preference or move to a different luxury
model etc.
P2: Can you substantiate a bit more considering the pricing aspect as well?
S: Sure sir, so as agreed, gears, brakes etc are fixed costs. Then we have the
cost of lithium batteries priced at X, the cost of charging points, cost of
internal safety infrastructure and the added cost of features that would be
added in the next decade. I think for an average mid-size car; the price could
go up significantly. That’s why I think the electric car would be feasible
since this will be a one-time expense if a single car lasts for 40+ years.
P2: Are you sure? How many people would drive the same car for that long?
If you have to make a term full of notes that are hardly 100 pages, would
purchasing a 10000 page register be beneficial practically?
S: That’s there as well, sir. I focused on longevity based efficiency and not
the actual usage percentage.
P2: Got it, thank you.
2) P2: How would you guesstimate the average width of a book at IIM-L
library?
S: Can I take a moment to think sir?
P2: Yes.
S: Sir I believe the dimensions of the racks are known, is that right?
P2: Yes, the width of each rack is known.
S: So if we figure out the number of books on each rack, then width of
rack/number of books would give us a ballpark figure, but since several
books might be issued and hence not kept there, I think it may be safe to
assume that racks have 80% occupancy on an average.
P2: Okay, but do you think there could be a more direct approach to this?
You think weighted average would work ?
S: No sir, since there are different sections in the library. Children’s room
could have thinner books, say of an inch’s fraction in width, while some
other biographies or study books might be quite thick. The range is
significant and there are variations within each range, so we cannot assign
weights arbitrarily to each of these multiple possibilities.
P2: Good, now think that if you have different sections like the children’s
sections or the biography section with significant variation in widths, but
you cannot use weighted averages, what is the other method to estimate the
thickness then?
S: Sir maybe we could sample books from each section based on some
appropriate statistical sampling method, but am not sure since we haven’t
covered methods of sampling yet in our curriculum.
P2: Yes, there is a specific type of sampling for this but if you say it hasn’t
been covered, it’s fine but do learn that as an important guesstimation tool
in the future.
S: Sure Sir, thank you.
Please state any questions that S: Sir, any particular domains to be studied as a prerequisite?
you may have asked at the end P2: No, we deal with companies across sectors so you could grasp that on
of the interview and the the go.
response received S: Thank you.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for 1) Practice guesstimates adequately
the interview and the Day 0 2) Solve good puzzles as well as part of prep, they were unexpected for me
at the time. Fortunately I was slightly familiar with that specific question.
3) Be aware of what's going on in the world, you can get conversational
questions around them or the stats/facts that you produce could impress
the interviewer during the case as well.

Swetha Tummula
Undergraduate College & Osmania University
University
Field of Graduation Electronics and Communication Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Deloitte - 24
months)
Work Experience - Domains Data Analytics
(Months)
Company Name Arete Advisors
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Unknown - Male
Designation
What do you know about Arete Advisors?
Why Arete Advisors?
Why a company of relatively of small size?
Work Experience Questions Elaborated on work experience while introducing myself. Asked one or two
follow up questions on work flow.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Risks involved in setting up a Micro finance institution in rural area.
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript Interviewer: Tell me about yourself.
(please try to be as descriptive Me: Talked about books towards the end.
as possible) Interviewer: Which is your favourite book?
Me: The Banker to the Poor. Explained why.
Interviewer: What are the risks involved in setting up a up a Micro finance
institution in rural area?
Me: Infrastructure, repayment risks, etc.
Interviewer: Elaborate more
We worked on it. He was helpful throughout giving a direction to my
thoughts. Discussed the case and implications in detail.
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Rithika
Designation
Work Experience Questions Elaborated on work experience while introducing myself. Asked one or two
follow up questions on work flow
Case Problem Statement(s) / In a 100 bed hospital, profits are declining. Determine why.
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript Interviewer: In a 100 bed hospital, profits are declining. Determine why.
(please try to be as descriptive Used the general profitability framework – Revenues, expenses. Directed to
as possible) delve deep into revenues first and then expenses. The final solution arrived
was that the hospital is located on a highway and all the 100 beds are not
being occupied, which led to increase in operating expenses. Also suggested
to establish hoardings from few kms away from the hospital to increase the
awareness.
Please state any questions that How does the company get its clients?
response received
Other interviews (Please write
about Interviewer,
HR/Conversation questions,
case problem statement, the
complete case transcript and
questions asked)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for The company was just looking for clarity of thought and organisational fit.

Auctus Advisors
Himanki Sahu
Undergraduate College & VNIT Nagpur
University
Field of Graduation B.Tech in Electronics and Communication
Work Experience - Companies Senior Business Analyst at EXL Service (31 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Banking Analytics
(Months)
Company Name Auctus Advisors
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell me something about yourself
2. CV Based Questions (Revolved around school and my native place)
3. Tell me in detail about your work ex
Work Experience Questions It began in continuation with the previous set of questions. Detail About my
both the projects - What was the problem and how did it actually get solved.
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1 Case - Not exactly profitability. But ways to maximize profits
Guesstimate 2. Guesstimate on one of the above sections of the problem
Complete Case Transcript It was a very generic case.
(please try to be as descriptive I : Do you have any experience in Metro Construction Projects?
as possible) C: No Sir
I : Okay! Doesn't Matter. Have you ever been to a metro station?
C: Yes Sir!
I: So I am working on a metro construction project. What all should I
consider while choosing the metro stations?
C: Proceeded like a normal case. Asked few qualifying question. Answer
revolved about how to choose the location of the metro station.
I: So this is fine. Now you have chosen the Location. What according to you
are the major revenue generating streams for a metro?
C: Answered. Covered a lot of areas. He chose Food and Beverage stream
and asked me to ways to maximize the profits for the same.
This wasnt a standard profitability case. It comprised more of the very
general but effective ways to increase reach of the commuters. (Actually
liked one of the suggestions)
I: This is fine. Now how much do you think would be revenue of a Food
and Beverage Stall in a particular Metro Station
C: It was a guesstimate problem. He didnt expect me to reach on the exact
figures. He just wanted to see my structure and approach.
I: Okay! Looks fine. Do you have any questions?
Please state any questions that C: I asked that is there any ongoing project with the firm related to the
you may have asked at the end metro construction!
of the interview and the I: The case that I asked you was a real one and we would like to impart
response received some of your suggestions :)
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell me about yourself
2. Went thoroughly line by line with the CV. Asked a lot of questions.
3. Work ex in detail
Work Experience Questions 1.Tell me about your projects in detail
2. One thing that you enjoyed in any one of your projects.
3. How do you think EXL is doing in the Industry? Why are the major
competitors like MU Sigma going ahead?
4. Future of Analytics Industry
5. Work Experience projects led to the questions on Prediction Analysis (
How will you predict Oil prices in near future)
Case Problem Statement(s) / No Case
Guesstimate

Complete Case Transcript The entire round was more of a discussion where one point led to another.
as possible)
Please state any questions that At the end I asked about the ongoing projects and what amount of
you may have asked at the end exposure do interns get in the same
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Dos : Prepare Your CV thoroughly. Your entire interview can be geared in
the interview and the Day 0 the direction you want to with this
Be natural in HR questions rather than too much mugged up
Remember, they look at the approach rather than the end result while
solving any problem.

Bain & Company

Chaitanya Jain
Undergraduate College & Hansraj College, Delhi University
University
Field of Graduation Commerce (B.Com Honours)
Work Experience - Companies
months)
Work Experience - Domains
(Months)
Company Name Bain and Company
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Ravi Swarup, Principal
Designation
Why consulting
Why Bain
Career goals
Case Problem Statement(s) / I'm a steel manufacturer producing wooden finish steel doors for homes.
Guesstimate Estimate my market size in India.
Complete Case Transcript A fairly long, number heavy case. The interviewer kept giving more and
(please try to be as descriptive more details, numbers and segmentation factors at every step. Key was to
as possible) include every data point given, think out loud about how you're going to use
various factors to zero in on your number, and show the interviewer your
attention to detail.
Please state any questions that Interviewer specific questions, based on the flow of the conversation
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Shuvo, Partner (not sure about name)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions About yourself
Why consulting
Why Bain
CV specific questions
Work Experience Questions What did you do in your internship?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Wire manufacturer wants to increase profits. Suggest all ideas/areas.
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript Classic profitability case. The difference was that the analysis wasn't in just
(please try to be as descriptive one vertical (costs/quantity/prices etc), but throughout the structure. Fairly
as possible) long interview, he wanted ideas and possible avenues under every single
bucket. In the end, he also tested MECE of my structure by coming up with
a couple of vague problems and asking me where (in which bucket
specifically) they would fit in the whole structure.
Please state any questions that Again, interviewer specific questions, based on the flow of the conversation
you may have asked at the end till then.
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Equally, or maybe even more important than problem solving, is how the
the interview and the Day 0 interviewer sees you as a person- your personality, communication, fit (in
consulting, and in the firm). So it becomes very important to smile, be
confident (even if you think you're going wrong), ask questions, and remain
calm. All the best!

Resham Bagaria
Undergraduate College & Shri Ram College of Commerce
University
Field of Graduation B. Com(Hons)
Work Experience - Companies The Smart Cube (24 months); Kinetics Consulting Services (17 months)
months)
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Rachna Bahadur, Manager
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I: Tell me something that is not there on your CV
C: Talked about hobbies. Mentioned baking as a hobby and the interviewer
was also interested in baking. Discussed on that for a couple of minutes
Work Experience Questions I: Tell me more about the type of projects you did in the firm
Case Problem Statement(s) / I have surplus cash and want to set up a restaurant business in Lucknow. I
Guesstimate have three options a) Fine dining b) Kiosk or c) Cafe. Please suggest which
option should I go for and what should be my strategy
Complete Case Transcript C: Do you have prior experience in restaurants? What is the objective?
(please try to be as descriptive I: No prior experience. I just have surplus funds with me and find this to be
as possible) a good opportunity
C: Okay. We can evaluate the options based on understanding consumer
needs and preferences, then requirements to service those needs and finally
where the benefit will be maximum to us
I: Okay. Fair enough. Let us start with consumer need analysis
C: Talked about culture specific and demographic factors affecting
consumer behaviour. Since consumers in Lucknow still are geared towards
traditional cuisines, cafes may not be very popular. Can explore fine dining
and kiosks further. We can create a fusion modern and traditional food to
cater to customer needs.
I: Okay, let us look at other considerations on the requirements
C: Resources required in terms of capital and labour will be another
important factor. Since, fine dining will be highly capital intensive, kiosks
may generate better returns.
I: What about growth prospects? How would you assess that?
C: We can look at ease of opening more such restaurants/kiosks and
economies of scale
I: Okay, where would you open the kiosk? How would you assess that?
C: Provided pros and cons of different types of areas - commercial
(Shopping), residential and office areas. Finally concluded on commercial
being a better option for the kiosk. Then further discussed the basis on
which different commercial areas would be assessed (competitors, pricing,
suppliers, customers)
I: Okay this seems good. Thank you
Please state any questions that What is an advice that you would like to give to students like me to have a
you may have asked at the end career like yours in the consulting space
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Megha Chawla - Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something about yourself
Case Problem Statement(s) / Guesstimate the palm oil production in Malaysia
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript I: Palm oil in Malaysia is produced by crushing a particular type of fruits.
(please try to be as descriptive Fruits are grown in specific farms/forest areas and are then transported to a
as possible) factory where they are crushed to get crude oil. Then the crude oil is refined
to get palm oil
C: What types of palm oil are produced in terms of quality? Is there any
wastage in the process?
I: Only one type of palm oil. There are no wastage.
C: Okay, so we can start by estimating the number of farms/forest areas,
type of areas and production of fruit.
I: How would you estimate the production of fruit?
C: Do we have data on number of fruits produced per a typical tree in a
typical farms and the number of trees in that farm?
I: No, we do not have this data and it would not be practical to get this data.
Think of another approach
C: Okay, then we can look at typical yield of crude oil in a farm
I: Correct. We have three types of farms, we know the number of farms of
each type and typical yield of crude palm oil for each type
Please state any questions that How has your journey been in Bain? What has been the most exciting part
you may have asked at the end of the journey?
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Be honest about what you have done and make sure you can talk about your
the interview and the Day 0 projects in detail

Samay Shah
Undergraduate College & VJTI, University of Mumbai
University
Work Experience - Companies Bank of America
months)
Work Experience - Domains Finance
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Vasundhara Jain, Manager
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions -
Work Experience Questions -
Case Problem Statement(s) / A mid-sized pharma company has declining margins. How would like to
Guesstimate analyse my costs?
Complete Case Transcript I was one of the last few to enter the Bain process so the interviewer went
(please try to be as descriptive about the process very swiftly. As soon as I entered the room, I was handed
as possible) a piece of paper and was asked to solve a case. There were no HR questions
whatsoever! The interviewer seemed very strict and didn't help me during
the case at all. I track the Pharma sector for CC (the committee) which is
why I was given a case on Pharma.
I: Let's do a case. A mid-sized pharma company has declining margins. How
would you like to analyse my costs?
C: Sure! I would like to know a bit more about the issue. By how much has
the profit margin declined and since when has the firm been facing this
issue? Has it been a sudden decline?
I: Assume that the costs have gone up by 25% compared to a year ago. This
has not been a sudden increase
(I asked a few clarifying questions about the company, product, customer
and competition. The client manufactured multiple drugs inhouse, was
facing the problem in all channels & products, and the problem was limited
to the client. Since I had a basic knowledge about the industry, I tried to use
as many jargons as possible and tried to understand the exact business
model)
C: I would like to analyse all the costs involved. (Laid out the value chain
and listed all the broad costs)
I: Alright
C: Do you want me to focus on any particular part of the value chain?
I: You can go about it as you please
C: Let's try to analyse the % breakdown of the costs and compare them
against our competitors. Wherever we are spending a larger chunk, we can
start with that.
I: My competitors are not public and getting this sort of data about them
would be difficult. How would you like to proceed? Is there any other way
to find out which cost head I should begin with?
C: Let's compare with our costs from the previous year and look at which
cost has increased
I: Let's assume I don't have the breakdown for last year. Now what?
C: I can't think of any other way. I would just like to begin with the first
stage of the value chain.
I: Are you sure there's no other way?
C: There could be. I can't think of one right now.
I: Okay then go ahead
C: Let's start with the procurement. The materials that we use would be
varied since we manufacture varied drugs. Do we source all these materials
from the same supplier?
I: What do you think?
C: I don't think that would be possible. We'll need multiple suppliers
I: Okay
C: Are all these domestic suppliers?
I: Some are domestic. We import the rest.
C: Does the problem exist between both domestic and international
suppliers?

I: I'm not sure. We don't have the data.
C: Okay let's look at the entire procurement process. (Basically said that the
costs for procurement would be RM costs, transportation, storage and costs
related to credit terms). Should I look at any particular one of these?
I: Okay. But what will you compare these costs against?
C: Since we don't have a lot of data, I don't know how to compare these
costs.
I: Okay then what would you like to do?
C: Let's try to look at the process and analyze if we can optimize anything
I: Okay
(Looked at the procurement process. Suggested things like reducing the
number of suppliers, looking at quantities procured, trying to go for
domestic suppliers to reduce transportation costs, perishability of the RMs,
credit terms)
I: Is this it? Anything else that I should try to optimize?
C: Can't think of anything else
I: Summarize the case for me
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Aditya Shukla, Principal
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Start of the interview:
Asked about what we do in Credence Capital, what my role is and how
much knowledge I have about the sectors I track. Asked if there are any
stocks which I would suggest in these sectors.
End of the interview:

Asked about my work experience and my love for football. Asked which
football club I support. He asked me whether I feel David Beckham is
overrated. We discussed in detail about Beckham's entire career. Looked at
his strengths and weaknesses, recalled all his important goals in detail -
When & how he scored the goal, against which team, significance of the
stage etc. I asked Aditya the same question and he said he concurs with my
thoughts.
Work Experience Questions Just a brief about what I used to do before coming to IIM Lucknow
Case Problem Statement(s) / Warburg Pincus wants to invest into PVR. What due diligence should be
Guesstimate done?
Complete Case Transcript The interviewer was very helpful and told me that we don't need to go
(please try to be as descriptive about the framework or use any paper. Said we'll discuss the various levers
as possible) involved in the industry and whether I think it's a profitable investment.
Spoke about the increasing mobile and internet penetration in the country.
Rise in alternate channels such as Netflix, Hotstar etc
Also said that footfalls at malls are declining and people prefer staying
indoors since they get all facilities in the comfort of their houses.
On the flip side, also spoke about decreasing screens sizes and increasing
content that can be broadcasted leading to greater number of shows. Spoke
about rise in regional content and how Marathi movies are becoming
popular in Mumbai. Spoke about rising ticket prices and F&B revenues.
I was asked how we can quantitatively analyze whether Netflix is eating into
PVR's market share. I said I can't think of one quantitative parameter which
can be directly attributed to the decline in viewership to Netflix. Occupancy
rates and footfalls at malls will prove that PVR's market share is declining.
I was told to look at occupancy rates in the different weeks for which the
movie is being run at theatres. I said that if the occupancy rates in the first
week decline over time along with the overall feedback, it's a clear indication
that people are willing to wait till the movie is released online.
He said it makes sense and that is something that has been noticed in the
industry.
After this discussion, I was asked if I would invest in PVR stock with a 5
year time horizon.
I spoke about the strong PAN India presence and market share. I then
listed down a couple of more risks including the rate at which Cineapolis is
expanding.
He said he just wants to know whether I would invest or not. I said I would
invest with a 3-5 year horizon in mind.
I asked him about his thoughts and he said that he feels the same way.

Sanchit Gupta
Undergraduate College & Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi University
University
Work Experience - Companies BlackRock
months)
Work Experience - Domains Asset Managment
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Megha Chawla, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me about yourself. Why consulting over finance? In the end I was asked
if I had any questions.
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1) Estimate the market size of Palm oil business in Malaysia
Guesstimate 2) Given post part 1; A palm oil company is looking to expand by either
merging with or acquiring a competitor in Malaysia, what do you think
could be potential sources of synergies?
Complete Case Transcript Part 1
(please try to be as descriptive I: Started by explaining the Palm oil business in detail and asked me to take
as possible) note of it. In brief: All major players are in Malaysia and Indonesia which
cater to almost entire world demand. Explained the value chain of the
business. I was asked to take a moment, digest the facts, and ask any
questions.
C: Clarified a few doubts regarding the business (no scoping questions)
I: Alright now that you have all the information, how would you estimate
the market size of Palm Oil industry in Malaysia?
C: Market size could be calculated by estimating the number of farms x
average area per farm x no. of trees per sq feet x no. of fruits per tree x
average amount of oil extracted per fruit x adjustment for wastage x price
I: What do you think how a farmer would estimate his production? Could
your approach be more simplified?
C: Discussed how a farmer would think and simplified the equation to - no.
of farms x average farm area x yield per sq feet x price.
I: Alright. So there are 3 types of farms: Large, Medium and Small. I was
given discrete data points about the three and asked to do calculations.
C: It was a simple sum-product
Part 2
I: Drew a Map and explained where and how the client (a palm oil company
in Malaysia) was operating. After confirming that I understood, gave the
problem statement. I was asked to assume the target to be similar to client.
C: Stated that there could be operational and financial synergies.
I: What is the difference between the two? Post answering, I was asked to
focus on operational synergies.
C: Started by evaluating each step in value chain given initially. Discussed
potential sources of cost saving such as process standardization, logistics,
capacity utilization, distribution channels, etc.
I: Right, the capacity utilization is not hundred percent, how would you
create synergies here?
C: Discussed the current setup geographically and operationally and
proposed to closed down a proportion of units.
I: Correct, that is the case.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Arjun, Manager
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / Our Client is a Private Equity firm looking to invest in a company in
Guesstimate refurbished smartphone business in India. Client wants answer to two
questions: 1) What is the market size? 2) Evaluate the target and whether
they should invest in it

Complete Case Transcript I: You are free to ask me any question, but since we are time constrained we
(please try to be as descriptive want answer to both the questions before ending
as possible) C: I asked scoping questions about the PE investment objectives, target
company, refurbished phone business and its value chain.
I: Right, now how would you size the market? Focus more on metrics you
would use than numbers
C: Took the demand side approach using income levels, need for change of
phone – new features, usage – price point and features of refurbished
phones
I: Well this is good but consider there is robust demand for such phones.
What do you think is much more important here?
C: Supply of used phones and percentage of which could be used
refurbished and resold
I: Right, what metrics would you consider while estimating the supply of
second-hand phones?
C: Usage of phone from the date they were purchased and rate at which a
new model is introduced
I: Okay, ignore the new models. Consider there are currently 100 phones
being used in the market. How would you project the supply for next 5
years (investment horizon)? Give me approach and values
C: Discussed estimating how much each phone has been used and added a
growth factor.
I: Right, we would look at the age of the phones. Alright, lets now evaluate
whether the client should invest in the company. Use the value chain drawn
initially for this.
C: Drew a more detailed value chain and started by discussing important
factors for consideration at each step
I: Since we are short on time, what you think is the most important factor to
be considered here?
C: As established, it is supply of second-hand phones and what the various
channels through which company is procuring them
I: Could you list those channels?
C: Discussed 4 channels - phone companies, physical retail chains/stores,
direct from consumer, online
I: Right, target is procuring only from flipkart. What do you think could be
sources of risk here?
C: Discussed concentration risk and possible entry into this business
becoming a competitor cutting on supplies
I: Right, what is a much bigger risk if flipkart enters this business, consider
they are still fulfilling target’s supplies?
C: The value of second-hand phones supplied will be affecting the margins
I: Right. What would you suggest the client?
C: No clear visibility of supplies, very risky proposition
I: Right, this is what we suggested the client. Since we are out of time, won’t
be able to take your questions. Hope you would have asked those to others
at Bain.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Always think first principles

Saumya Agrawal
Undergraduate College & BITS Pilani
University
Field of Graduation Computer Science and Mathematics
Work Experience - Companies Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore
months)
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Walk me through your CV
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am a big Chinese player in the mobile industry. My handsets and fit bands
Guesstimate are selling well in Indian market. I want to enter into digital medicine sector
too. Tell me if there is potential in the Indian market for it and if yes,
estimate it for me and tell me how I should go about it and also what all I
should include in the product bundle?
Complete Case Transcript I asked a few clarifying questions regarding the goal of this proposal and the
(please try to be as descriptive target group.
as possible) TG was the untapped low income group people who can switch to the
client's phones due to this proposition.
I did some guesstimate on the basis of income, age and fitness enthusiasts.
Given that no existing competitor in the market currently for tele-medicine.
I had discussion about the extent this proposition will entice lower income
group people and about expanding the TG to middle income groups too.
Talked about the legal regulations in entering into healthcare sector and
access to the confidential data and credibility of doctors.
For product bundle - Suggested bringing general physicians, specialists,
pharmacies and laboratories to the platform. Interviewer suggested bringing
insurance companies too. Had a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of
it given the Indian scenario and especially the lower income group.
Also suggested showing fitness related articles and recommendations for
marathon/cycling/yoga/other sports related events happening nearby on
the health app to increase user engagement.
Please state any questions that I saw on the website that a lot of work is being done in IoT sector and it is
you may have asked at the end contributing to around 22% revenue generation. Can you please tell me
of the interview and the about the projects you undertake in this domain and what kind of risk
response received analysis you do?
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions What do you do other than academics and work?
I talked about sports and had a discussion on cricket.
I was asked to select playing 11 for Indian test team from any era and give
their batting/bowling order.
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1. Estimate the revenue of a PVR outlet in Saket, Delhi for a day.
Guesstimate 2. A client has asked us to do PE due diligence for investing in the PVR
chain.
Complete Case Transcript Guesstimate for revenue. Took the case of weekday, weekend and a special
(please try to be as descriptive bonanza Wednesday. Divided into different time of the day and estimated
as possible) the capacity occupancy, no of screens, no of shows.
For the due diligence case, talked about
1. Shrinking market for cinemas due to substitutes like amazon prime,
Netflix , YouTube, torrent etc.
2. potential of growth of these avenues and shifting of prominent actors and
writers on these platforms.
3. Prevailing mindset of different sections of population towards cinemas
and its substitutes.
Please state any questions that 1. The story of Hardik Pandya that you promised (part of the initial
you may have asked at the end discussion)
2. One quality that keeps you going in consulting :)
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Stay confident.
the interview and the Day 0 Smile while talking.
Don't be nervous.
Don't rush to the answer. The points you bring to the table matter more
than the final answer.

Deloitte – S&O
Ashwini Muthineni
Undergraduate College & IIT Indore
University
Field of Graduation Electrical Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Qualcomm- 35 months
months)
Work Experience - Domains Software Engineer (Telecom)
(Months)
Company Name Deloitte S&O
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions C: Hi, How is your day? This is my first interview of the day so I am all
pumped up.
I: *Introduces herself*, tell me about yourself
C: Gave the much prepared intro
I: Tell me 3 accomplishments you are really proud of
I: Elaborate on your hobbies
I: How do you find the campus, which hostel do you stay in? ( I am an alum
of this campus, it's always exciting to come back here)
Work Experience Questions #VALUE!
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am diaper manufacturing company in Lucknow, guesstimate the number
Guesstimate of diapers I need to produce yearly
Complete Case Transcript C: Please give me a minute to structure my thoughts.
(please try to be as descriptive I: sure
as possible) C: I made the basic structure, confirmed with her if I should proceed with
the current structure.
I: Alright, go ahead.
C: Went ahead to expand the structure and considered parameters
necessary,
clarified with her if I was missing something.
I: She gave some suggestions and asked my opinion about them.
C: Discussed with her on the suggestions and took her suggestions into
account and completed the guesstimate.
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Arnav Choudary and another Senior Manager (M&A)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I1 and I2: Introduced themselves and asked me to give a brief about myself
which is not in my CV
C: Gave an intro, talked about my hobbies and my career interests.
I1: What motivates you?
C: Desire to be the best version of myself.
I2: Where do you see yourself 5 years down the timeline?
C: Talked about short term goals and how I plan on reaching them
Work Experience Questions I1: What were the challenges that you faced while you were leading a team
at Qualcomm? How did you handle them?
I2: What are the important projects that changed the game for you at
Qualcomm?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Case1
Guesstimate Company X is venturing into smart packaging for its products and wants to
be a market leader. What are the factors Company X should consider to
differentiate itself from its competitors in the market?
Case2
You are the product manager of Company Y and you have to choose
between the two of the following products to launch: 1)Automated order

placing machine for everyday household items 2)A beer cup that lights up
whenever it is filled. Consider pros and cons of launching both the products
Complete Case Transcript C: Please give me a minute to structure my approach.
(please try to be as descriptive I2: Yes please.
as possible) C: Asked clarifying questions mostly about the smart packaging.
I1: Gave a detailed explanation of the process and asked me what should
the company consider to be the market leader in.
C: Explained the supply side factors and the ease of handling the demand.
Proposed solution which the company could take up in addition to packing
it's own products.
I2: What if one of your suggestions fails? How should the company
recover?
C: Okay, lets look at where it could go wrong, had a discussion with both of
the interviewers about the idea and suggested alternatives.
I1: let's look at another case, (case2) just tell the ideas that come too your
mind.
C:(no time to structure now) Gave possible pros and cons to implement
both ideas. the feasibility and the markets they should consider before
launching the products.
* had discussion on the feasibility part*
I2: What do you think will be the major issues for launching these
products?
C: Gave two reasons each for the implementation and launching both
products
I1 and I2: That's fair. Do you have any questions for us?
C: This question is not evaluative right? :P
I1: smiles and says, no please go on
C: what do you think about the beer mug idea, it sounded funny in my head,
but I went on giving solutions. who are the actual customers for that
product?
I1: Laughs and says even I find it funny, it was a hypothetical case.
Please state any questions that What suggestion would you give to someone sitting on my side of the table
you may have asked at the end and attending the interview, because you were on this side years back.
response received
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something about yourself?
Why consulting?
Work Experience Questions Give a brief on performance evaluation metric at Qualcomm
Case Problem Statement(s) / You are the manager of a team, and you have been working with the
Guesstimate members for the past 10 years. Now because of budget constraints you need
to fire 2 members from your team, explain how you would do it
Complete Case Transcript C: proposed three different alternative ideas instead of firing, finding a place
(please try to be as descriptive in parallel teams where they could work, introducing a review program to
as possible) improve their performance, cut down on bonus to save costs.
I: the parallel teams won't accept the members, how would you convince
them
C: Explain to the team members about the budget issue and take everyone's
opinion into consideration, negotiate with resource management team to
extend the timeline so that the low performing members can improve.
I: You had given enough time to them, but in this project their technical
expertise of no use.
C: Find about openings in technical team which would need expertise of the
members of my team and transfer them to that team.
I: That idea wouldn't be feasible.
C: If I am in a managerial position, I would have contacts in other
organization. I would give a recommendation for these employees in those
tech firms, explain the situation to these two employees before I fire them.
I: Smiles and says I was just stressing you out. But honestly are emotions
important in business
C: Yes, in order to provide best solutions any Business should empathize
with the problem situation first. No matter how big the Business idea is
emotions are important.
I: Why are Indians like that?
C: May be it's the culture and environmental values that we are brought up
with.
I: Agreed .Do you have any questions for me?
C: What do you do in such a situation ?Fire them?
I: I had tried many solutions including the ones you have suggested, in the
end you got to do what you go to do.
C: May be I’ll learn how it goes in my journey ahead.
I: Trust me. You will.
C: What did you learn in your journey do far , something you could share as
a take home message for me.
I: Explains his story right from his graduation at IIMC to Deloitte.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for 1. Be cheerful throughout the interview and keep the interviewer engaged
the interview and the Day 0 2. They tend to look at what you write on the paper while solving the case
or guesstimate, so keep it presentable
3. Have a good night's sleep before the interview, presence of mind and a
lot of thinking on the feet is required while you give the interview.

Diksha Jaiswal
Undergraduate College & NIT Bhopal
University
Field of Graduation Material Science and Metallurgy
Work Experience - Companies EXL Analytics - 9 months
months)
Work Experience - Domains Analytics
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Jatin, Vertical head
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something about yourself. A general discussion about the city I
come from since the interviewer belonged to the same. How has your
experience been at IIML? How has your day been? Why consulting?
Work Experience Questions Did you like your time at EXL?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Estimate the number of shoes sold in a year.
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript The interviewer was really helpful and ensured to make me feel comfortable.
(please try to be as descriptive He helped me out with the guesstimate and the overall interview was more
as possible) conversational than a stress interview and it lasted for about 15 mins.
Please state any questions that I asked about how his experience has been at Deloitte.
you may have asked at the end Any suggestions for a newbie?
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Shweta and another panelist
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions What do you think worked out well for you in the last interview? What
didn't you do well? Why is it that you think communication Is important in
consulting?
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1. Given you are a beauty products company, if you have to move from
Guesstimate person to person sales to online channels, what options would you explore?
2. I was given a data sheet about different channels, profits and sales, costs
and labour requirement and was asked to identify two channels I would use.
3. Why would you use these channels? Calculate new profit, change in cost
and profitability across channels
Complete Case Transcript It started with a general conversation. They asked one plus and one minus
(please try to be as descriptive of my previous interview to which I said that communication skills was
as possible) positive and guesstimate was a let-down. Before jumping to the case, they
ensured I was comfortable and relaxed. The question was about moving
from personal selling to online channel exploration. I suggested YouTube
ads, Amazon, personal website and WhatsApp ads. They helped me out
with figuring out channels and wanted to know the rationale behind
choosing the channels. Then they gave me a sheet which had profit data,
different channels along with cost incurred, labour requirement and sales.
They first asked me to select to channels that would be most feasible to
implement in 2 yrs. I made a mistake there but they were nice enough to
help me identify it and reach the correct solution. Next, they asked to
identify why these changes would be perfect, the difference in cost as
compared to previous channels and the profit. They asked me to not use a
pen for calculation and I ensured to keep the process conversational. Also, I
made a couple of major mistakes while solving, like overlooking data, wrong
calculation, reading incorrectly but they guided me till the end and ensured
that I realize my mistakes and rectify them. I took the case with a good spirit
and didn't give up which I feel was an advantage. They were also extremely
patient, helpful and were making me feel at ease. At the end, they casually
asked how I thought I did the case.
Please state any questions that Any suggestions for the 2 months of internship and what all can I look
you may have asked at the end forward to.
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Vice President
Designation
Which dance forms have you learnt? Do you think there is a market for
classical dance in India given the commercialization. Are you a business
minded person or emotional person?
Work Experience Questions What was your project about?
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript It started with a general round of introductions. Since I my mentioned my
(please try to be as descriptive work-ex was in insurance industry, so we discussed that. I was asked about
as possible) my project as he also had experience in insurance domain. Looking at my
PoR, he asked if I have learnt any dance form. Then he asked, given the
commercialization, can classical dance forms bring in profitability. He was
frank about not wanting to listen to any diplomatic and globe answers. I put
forward my view how there can be a balance between profitability, and
promoting your culture. Also, I suggested alternate channels like YouTube
that can be explored as it can increase viewership of shows and if known
people promote local dance forms, it can lead to its popularity besides
promoting TV shows as well. He then asked if I was emotional since my
focus was less on point and hence I was less money minded. To this I
replied that I look at both the things and try to strike a balance since my
answer also reflected promoting dance forms along with keeping the TRP.
He seemed pretty impressed with the reasoning. Overall, it was a very
conversational round and just getting to know if you are a company fit. No
stress interview.
Please state any questions that What all should I be looking forward to learn in those two months as well as
you may have asked at the end post MBA?
response received
Other interviews (Please write
about Interviewer,
questions asked)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Be yourself and keep calm. The interviewers look for qualities that are more
the interview and the Day 0 than case solving and are helpful enough to guide you where you need.
Being prepared with the HR questions, being confident about oneself,
striking that conversation with interviewer and making that connect will be
the most helpful.

Vishnu Rajesh
Undergraduate College & NIT Surathkal
University
Field of Graduation Civil Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Thorogood Associates (25 months), Nuplanet Ventures India Pvt. Ltd. (2
Worked at Previously (include months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains IT Consulting, Entrepreneurship
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions None.
Work Experience Questions None.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Guesstimate the number of flights taking off from Lucknow on 15th
Guesstimate January.
Complete Case Transcript I: Let's get straight to the guesstimate. How many flights do you think take
(please try to be as descriptive off from the Lucknow Airport on a given day?
as possible) C: Do I take all possible flights or just the public ones?
I: Your choice.
C: Okay. I'll consider just the public ones in that case, ignoring the private
flights as they won't be too prevalent in Lucknow. What about the day? Can
i just consider it to be any random day in the year?
I: No, take it as 15th January.
C: I'll just take a few seconds here to gather my thoughts.
(Quickly drew my hub & spoke framework of 6 metros, 30 tier 2 cities and
84 tier 3 airports)
Okay, so instead of looking at how many travellers would use the airport, I'll
be using a hub & spoke model to estimate the number of flights that would
be taking off from Lucknow. There are 6 major airports in India (Bangalore,
Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad & Kolkata), 30 tier 2 cities (average 1
per state. Eg: Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow). Taking an average of 4 airports
per state, that leaves 84 tier 3 airports.
I: That's good. Please go on.
C: Divided the day into 12AM-6AM (1/4th day) where the frequency of
flights is low and 6AM to 12AM (3/4th day) when it's high. Then came up
with numbers of flights from tier 2 to tier 1,2,3 cities.
I: Please ignore tier 3 cities.
C: Okay. Came up with a number (which was around 160).
I: That looks good. However, you did not consider 15th January at all. What
do you think you would change?
C: If it were a weekend, I would increase the frequency of flights per hour
by a small margin. Also, there is a lot of fog in Lucknow in winter. So there
would be fewer flights in the morning.
I: Great. That would be all!
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and NA (2 interviewers)
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / Case: A company manufacturing beauty products has grown leaps and
Guesstimate bounds. They have $1.3 billion in sales. What has worked for them is over 1
million women promoting & selling their products door-to-door in their
neighbourhood. However, their sales have dipped 7% in the last 12 months
and their stocks have crashed by 35%. They are looking for a digital
transformation strategy to increase profitability in the short run.
Complete Case Transcript I: Read this case in 2 minutes and summarise.
(please try to be as descriptive C: (Summarised the case, pretty much like what is written above). Pointed
as possible) out how their selling model is like that of Tupperware/Amway.
I: Now come up with a brief digital strategy for the same.
C: Before I begin, I have some clarifying questions regarding the same.
I: Go ahead.
C: By profitability in the 'short run' are they not concerned about long run at
all?
I: No.
C: How long is short term?
i: 12 months.
C: Do they have any existing digital media presence?
I: No.
C: Okay. I'll just take some time to gather my thoughts here.
(Penned down the profitability = revenue + cost framework)
Is there any data on competitor data, so that I can judge whether it's an
issue with the industry or with the company itself?
I: The problem is with the company.
C: Okay. Then it's an issue with either revenue or cost. Have there been any
significant changes in cost?
I: No.
C: As expected it is an issue with revenue then. This could be because of
price or volume.
I: Yes, volumes have gone down. Now ignore this line of thought, and
focus on what digital transformation strategy you would implement.
C: (gave them my ideas - e-commerce, social media promotions, tabs with
women promoters, AR technology to show impact of products)
I: (gave me another sheet with lot of pie charts and extremely number-heavy
data on each of these ideas)
Using this data can you tell us which strategy should be used?
C: (Calculated profit through each stream. Involved a lot of calculation such
as incremental costs and additional labour in some streams, etc.)
I: First tell us which option you'd straightaway eliminate and why.
C: I would eliminate the option of using tabs, as costs are too high and don't
give adequate returns. (reinforced this by showing my calculations)
I: Okay. Which one would you chose?
C: The social media strategy. It gives them 'x' impressions per day at a
reasonable price and is getting them a y% boost in profitability. Also it is a
quick option (6 months). (The approximate time required to implement
each strategy was given)
I: Give us one number for each strategy, such that all we have to do is pick
the greatest one.
C: Calculated profit for each. Factored in implementation time. Gave
numbers.
I: Thank you!
Please state any questions that I asked them about the kind of projects they worked in, about the work-life
you may have asked at the end balance and about travel opportunities.
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and NA (2 interviewers)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell us about yourself
2. Tell us another candidate who you would certainly select if you were in
our position
3. Tell us something interesting that isn't on your CV
4. What went wrong in the case round? What would you do to improve it?
Work Experience Questions Tell us about your start-up experience.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Same as interview 2
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript I: Let's work with the same case as the previous round. All your calculations
(please try to be as descriptive are done. Now assume that we are the clients. This is an official meeting
as possible) wherein you have come to tell us about the strategy you have devised for us.
Begin.
C: Good morning Sir (shook hands with both) How are you doing today?
I: Good.
C: Okay, coming straight to the point. I have gone through all your data and
our team has churned the numbers and we have some interesting results for
you.
The social media strategy is one which we think can do wonders.
(used the approximate numbers I had calculated in the previous interview)
I: So you're ruling out the others?
C: The tabs option, yes. It does not make sense in the short run. The e-
commerce idea is a good one, although it doesn't seem to be as good as the
social media strategy (showed numbers). However, we aren't ruling it out
just yet. We would like to analyse it further. However, the social media
strategy is a sure go ahead.
I: Alright. Assume we are not clients for now.
What social media channels in your opinion should we target?
C: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat. Talked about why LinkedIn, twitter
wouldn't work.
I: And what all costs would we have to bear?
C: Promoted ads, digital marketing experts, content writers, creatives
professionals
I: Any thoughts on how we'd market on FB?
C: Yes. We shouldn't overcommit. Use FB analytics wisely. Come up with
strategy on number of posts, and what time of the day/week/year to post
more. Brand our creatives and content. and come up with hashtags and
contests and events.
Please state any questions that I asked for the interviewer's experiences at Deloitte and what has kept them
you may have asked at the end going in the company for so many years. I also asked them how easy/hard it
of the interview and the would be to change practices (say from M&A to tech) in Deloitte.
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for 1. The interviewers in all 3 rounds were extremely cheerful & nice. No
the interview and the Day 0 reason to be overly formal and sombre.
2. Don't hesitate to take time to gather your thoughts if you need it. I took
ample time gathering my thoughts and they didn't seem to mind.
3. Speak to them as if they are the client. "That's an interesting insight"
"Could you please..."

Deloitte Tech
Allamsetty Anurag
Undergraduate College & IIT(BHU) Varanasi
University
Work Experience - Companies 35 months [UnitedHealth Group (Optum)]
months)
(Months)
Company Name Deloitte Tech
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I - Tell me something about yourself
C - [Projected diversity and interest towards technology from Undergrad.
Gave brief about work-ex to link towards problem-solving and project
management]
I - Why consulting?
C - [Problem-solving examples from work-ex]
I - Why Deloitte?
C - [Focused on their work culture on how it's people-centric by quoting the
example of a friend who works in Deloitte USI]
I - What's the recent technology related article you read?
C - [News article on Elon Musk's comments on AI while balancing Pros
and Cons. Gave the example of Microsoft twitter bot which went rogue and
example of machine learning being powerful but invading privacy]
I - That's all, do you have any questions?
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that How does Deloitte train its employees?
you may have asked at the end Are there any technology specific projects?
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Director or Senior Manager
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I - (In serious tone)So I see you like to ask a lot of questions, this time I'll be
the one asking and you will answer. (Followed by a laugh). So tell me
something about yourself.
C - [Same answer as before]
I - Let's do a case
C - Sure
*After case*
I - What's the first thing you will do after you come to the Deloitte office?
A - Talk to people and meet my manager and maybe ask about my project.
I - Please don't ask about projects on day 1
Case Problem Statement(s) / There is an insurance firm with three business units and they have been
Guesstimate facing rising IT costs since last three years, what should we do?
Complete Case Transcript I - To add some details the firm has grown by acquiring a lot of smaller
(please try to be as descriptive firms and has many IT systems.
as possible) C - Is there any integration between the systems and do we know anything
about the technology stack?
I - Questions, 1. What's the preparation you would do before going?
2. What are the questions you would ask the client?
C - I'll find out about industry average costs, current technologies and how

the competitors are doing.
What is the part of the process that is eating up most cost and time?
What is the level of automation?
I - We don't know about cost but the business team is very agile compared
to the IT team and the process is really lacking. A lot of time is spent on
manual activities.
C - Is the client using the waterfall model and is there any sort of defect
triage procedure in place?
I - The client uses the waterfall model and there is no defect triaging. You
can now give the recommendations.
C - Short term: Analyse integration that can be done in short term, find
redundancies in processes (parallel processes), automate processes that can
be automated easily and do defect triaging to ensure quick fixes for critical
issues.
Long-term: Overhaul the system to create an integrated system. Build it in-
house as we have the capability to do so while ensuring maximum
automation. Move from waterfall to agile to ensure that IT team is in sync
with the business team.
I - That's all, do you have any questions?
Please state any questions that Do we get to go to the client's location? No, due to regulations.
you may have asked at the end Since we don't get to go to their location do we get to directly interact or is
of the interview and the it via an intermediary? Depends on the project.
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Partner S&O
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I - So I have not read your CV, could you please walk me through it
C - [Answered, added a bit of hobbies part]
I - Why Deloitte?
C - [Answered on similar lines as previous ones]
I - You have a high performing team but due to budgetary constraints you
have to fire two employees how would you go about it?
C - Am I allowed to forego my bonus to convert for their salaries?
I - Yes
C I'll ask my team if they are willing to do the same as only mine may not be
enough. If not I'll use my contacts to first try and place them somewhere
inside the company and if not then outside with my recommendation.
I - Why would someone take your bottom two employees?
C - I know that my team is one of the top performing teams, so even the
bottom two members of the team are really good. [Quoted example from
work-ex]
I - That's correct. So do you see yourself as an emotional person or a logical
one?
C - Depends on the situation, if it is something we as a team has committed
to then there is no place for infringing on deadlines due to trivial emotional
requirements. But if it is a genuine case then I try to empathise with the
person and try and understand their view.
I - That's all do you have any questions for me?
Please state any questions that I know that Deloitte does a lot of trainings, how true is the same for the
you may have asked at the end consultants?
of the interview and the Some technologies are quite niche how do consultants handle that? [We
response received have specialists who help with that]
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Act cheerful and interested. Write the case clearly and give responses in
the interview and the Day 0 structured buckets. The interviewer was constantly looking at what and how
I was writing.

Shubham Sangal
Undergraduate College & IIIT HYDERABAD
University
Field of Graduation B.TECH COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING
Work Experience - Companies Adobe (31 months) , Samsung R&D Bangalore (4 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Software Development
(Months)
Company Name Deloitte Tech
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Time was less. So no HR question as such were asked. The Interviewer
explained me as to how the round will happen. He said he would ask me
some technology cum business mix related questions to gauge my
knowledge. This will be more of a conversation.
Work Experience Questions You seem to work in xyz for 3 years. What did you exactly do? What was
your contribution?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Suppose, if you want to serve all the contents from your own cloud, what
Guesstimate are the possible steps in designing your own cloud network and analyse its
effectiveness in terms of cost?
Complete Case Transcript I started approaching the problem based on cost. I tried thinking on what
(please try to be as descriptive could be different points based on cost. The benefit of using current cloud
as possible) architecture is that there will be no setup cost and a lot of functionalities like
Load Balancing, alarming etc are provided by service providers But the
periodical costs might be too high. The billings of using these services are
very high and the bills can be too high for billing cycles.
I: Nice, but now what can be your approach for designing your own cloud
web service?
Now if we will be designing our own cloud architecture. We will need to
have manpower for maintenance and a lot of other costs. We need to
procure Servers and Data Centres which will be one time cost initially. Then
we need people who are expert in designing and developing this sort of
architecture. Getting them is not difficult for a good IT company. Then
there will be a lot of periodical costs like maintenance cost etc.
I: You are still missing an important cost head. Think on it for some time
and try.
I took a pause for a minute and made a guess: Licencing costs for OS – We
need to procure licences from various companies for running OS like Win,
MAC on servers. This will form huge chunk of our cost.
I: Correct. This was very important. Overall, the approach seemed good. It
would have been great if you would not have taken much time in coming
out with Licencing Cost. So Okay, I think we are done with the case here.
Anything you would like to ask me.
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions The interviewer introduced himself and asked me to introduce myself. Few
very good deep questions on my hobby. After working in tech , why
consulting and why Deloitte?
Work Experience Questions No
Case Problem Statement(s) / You have been working in the software industry. So let me ask you a
Guesstimate question based on that. Suppose you have a client who is a banking firm. It
does basic internet banking services. Its IT cost has been increasing greatly
in the past year since the number of customers are also increasing for it.
Suggest something as to how will you help them in bringing down the cost?
Complete Case Transcript From initial investigation, I discovered that the bank is managing its own
(please try to be as descriptive infrastructure with 6 data centres in different parts of world. So first I
as possible) suggested that we should check for utilization of all data centres. If all 6 are
properly utilized, if we can do with less, we should reduce data centres.
Then Location of data centres is also going to be a major issue. Some
countries have many regulations of data centres and data. We should decide
the Location of data centres very carefully because it can impact the overall
cost.
Now I suggested that we should try to leverage the services of web service
providers like AWS and Azure etc. because they can provide various
services as per our need and comparatively as low cost than running
everything on our own.
The interviewer comprehended this solution but pointed out some
difficulties in this. Generally, Banks are not that Tech savvy and they are
skeptical to make major changes because if there is any bug, it can cause a
lot of loss in revenue. Generally, they have a traditional mind set. They want
to run things with minimum changes. Then he said, Ok that this might be a
long-term solution but what can be an immediate short-term solution.
Then we came on VIRTUALISATION. If we can reduce data centres and
run virtual machines, we can reduce the cost in short run and in the
meantime, try migrating to private cloud and web service providers.
The interviewer felt satisfied with overall discussion.
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Designation – Senior Manager
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions The questions were general to check my awareness and logical thinking.
How would you design a campaign for the political party for next years
election?
Work Experience Questions NA
Guesstimate
as possible)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Prepare your CV related questions very well. All my interviews because
the interview and the Day 0 cases came out of my CV.

MasterCard Advisors
Shobhit Johri
Undergraduate College & Shri Ram College of Commerce
University
Field of Graduation Economics
Work Experience - Companies Aon Consulting
months)
(Months)
Company Name MasterCard Advisors
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and HR Head
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1) Help me run through your CV
Considering that I was one of the last ones to be interviewed, it was
important to keep the answer short, and hit the areas that I wanted to talk
further on. I therefore, focused my CV around my Consulting Work
Experience, and tried to build a story up to that point
2) Tell me something that is not in your CV
Focused on my Interests - Cooking and Cricket, also highlighted how I am
persistent about being innovative and think about alternate, better options to
my workings
3) Tell me about your family -
Emphasized about where they are working, kept it short
4) Why MasterCard Advisors -
Explained about the e-payments revolution, and how niche consulting
intrigues me, with MasterCard Advisors being the fore-runners in my choice.
Having a clear, and to the point answer helped.
Work Experience Questions Was asked some project specific questions around IoT.
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that MasterCard Advisors, tends to ask this question after every interview, which
you may have asked at the end I believe is evaluative.
of the interview and the The key therefore is to ask a relevant question, that could keep the
response received Interviewer involved. In this HR Round, I asked about the HR Policies and
framework that MasterCard has, while highlighting that my HR Consulting
Work experience, keeps me intrigued about that.
The question was well received, and she gave an honest, and descriptive
answer that covered a good portion of the interview round.
A poised, yet interested expression was also essential as it created a genuine

impression in the mind of the interviewer. Remaining confident, and patient
while answering the questions also helped.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Senior Consultant
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1)Tell me about yourself
2)Run me through your CV
Case Problem Statement(s) / Your Client is a European Airlines which is looking to launch a co-branded
Guesstimate Credit Card, to boost loyalty and customer base. Help your client decide,
which market to enter?
Complete Case Transcript In my experience, MasterCard Cases do not involve much cross-questioning
(please try to be as descriptive and constant involvement of the client, but the interviewee was expected to
as possible) create the whole structure of problem solving and then explain it in the end.
The transcript was therefore as follows:-

Interviewer (I) : Case Statement Given
Me (M): Asked a few clarifying questions in terms of: Where is the Airlines
Situated? What is the Customer Segment, both present and targeted?
Competition faced? What are the product specifications, and objective
behind the card launch?
I: Assume the Airlines is of the stature of Lufthansa Airlines, standard

competition, targeting medium to high-income customers. The Credit Card
was is a usual credit card that can be used for any transactions, but would
earn loyalty points on partner purchases. Main objective is to increase the
customer base.
Also, let's focus on building a structure here and you could then explain me
each component later.
M: May I please take a few minutes? (the interviewer stepped outside during
this time, which gave me the hint to draw the whole extensive market entry
structure).
I drew the structure tree by dividing it into three stages -
a) Market Selection (Disguised PESTLE, including demographic profiling for
risk)
b) Industry Decision (Porter's 5 forces, with modifications for a potential
new market)
c) Launch Evaluation - Risk, Costs, and Benefits
I: That is a fairly extensive structure, explain me these components.

(I was asked a few short probing questions on the elements I had
introduced)
That was a good case, do you have any questions for me?
Please state any questions that The Interviewer had prior experience in one of the best General
you may have asked at the end Management Consulting firms, I therefore asked what prompted him to
of the interview and the make a shift to a niche consulting environment of MasterCard.
response received
The interviewer was pleased with the question, and answered that he wanted
to specialize in the field of his choice, which coupled with other
commitments, made him choose MasterCard.
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Standard Introductions
Case Problem Statement(s) / The Interview had 2 short cases
Guesstimate 1. Big Bazaar has entered the Supermarket Retail Chain Market in Indonesia
by merging with the Second Largest Player. What are the risks that the
Market Leader will face?
2. The Largest Public Sector Bank in India has received mandate to convert
all its strip-based debit cards to chip-based cards. Create a strategy for them.
Complete Case Transcript Case 1:
(please try to be as descriptive M: Clarifying questions on the Market Leader, Second Largest Player and the
as possible) extents of the merger.
I: Let's focus on what will be the risk drivers according to you, basis the
information that you have received.
M: May I please take a few minutes.
I decided to break down this problem to short run and long run risk drivers
over Competition, Products, and Customers, which in long run would
become the Industry, Production Methods, and Customer Innovations.
I explained each component in brief.
I: Asked about the long-run and short-run difference and why did it matter?
M: Short-Run risks are immediate risks that could also be driven by

Hedonics because of an established foreign player entering the market,
whereas in the Long Run the production capacity itself could change both in
terms of finance, and backward linkages for the stores.
I: Okay, let's shift to the next case ( The next case was given)
Case 2:
M: This time, I instinctively decided to create a 2*2 matrix, with Rural-Urban

on horizontal, & Bank driven-Client driven on the vertical. I also highlighted
the exogenous variables to the structure in terms of Literacy, Technological
Capability, and Potential Lag.
I: The structure seems new, let's explore this (I was asked questions on 2
boxes, and where would a hypothetical scenario that he mentioned, would fit
in the matrix)
M: Stayed calm, and tried to be as much precise as possible, to ensure the

structure seems MECE.
The Interviewer passed a smile at the end of the interview.

Interview 4
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Do you have any questions for me?
Guesstimate
Please state any questions that This Interview was a very short one, and entailed a final conversation before
you may have asked at the end the offer was given.
response received I had asked a question to the same interviewer in MasterCard PPT, which he
remembered, I therefore took the opportunity to extend the same
conversation and asked a question about How MasterCard Advisors is
distinct from MasterCard Group in terms of the exposure?
The interviewer seemed delighted on the question, and gave a detailed

answer.
I was given the offer after a short waiting period.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for For MasterCard in particular, on the basis of my experience, the key is to
the interview and the Day 0 have an engaging, and energetic conversation with all interviewers. A clarity
in structures, which gives them something new as compared to other
interviewees, helps.
For Day 0, I think it is essential to stay confident, do not cloud your mind
with expectations about a company, or the cases you have prepared, or the
potential cases that could be asked. Staying in the zone is most important.
Even if there is some failure, keep that smile on your face, and don't
overburden yourself. There are friends to help, and seek help from, which
would eventually ensure, that Day 0 will be one of the most memorable ones
for you.

Apoorva Goel
Name Apoorva Goel
Undergraduate College & Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University
University
Field of Graduation Commerce
Work Experience Duration -
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Walk me through your CV.
Your interests as per your CV seem more inclined towards finance, then
why consulting?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Case: You have a client in Indonesia, who has retail stores (lets say like
Guesstimate lifestyle) and is the market leader with 500 stores. The 2nd largest player has
300 stores. An Indian player in the same business with 1000 stores operating
in India is entering Indonesia by acquiring your competitor. Should you be
worried and what would be your strategy?
Complete Case Transcript Clarified the basics of client's business.
(please try to be as descriptive Since they were well covered, the client wanted to focus on customer
as possible) retention. The Indian player, because of huge economies of scale was able
to offer lower prices and some new brands earlier not available in Indonesia.
Also the people were quite price sensitive.
Now there were 2 things to be done- a tactic move for short term to
prevent the customers from immediately switching. This involved
promotional offers to reduce prices in the short run. In the long run, the
client can focus on following 3 things-
1. Manage costs- reduce manpower wherever possible (logistics costs were
already optimised)
2. Go for a private label in addition to current brands available
3. Start providing post purchase services in order to differentiate yourselves
from the competitors.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Binay Ray, Senior Managing Consultant
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something about yourselves.
Why MasterCard?
Discussion on hobbies and extra curriculars
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1. A global dance academy wants to enter India. Advise them on whether
Guesstimate they should enter or not and how.
2. Calculate the market potential for this academy and how much of this
potential will it be able to capture over the next 5 years. Give me a number.
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Two things which are not there in your CV.
Why consulting?
Why MasterCard?
One weakness.
Finance vs Consulting
Interview 4
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Why MasterCard?
One habit/ behaviour that would want to immediately improve upon and
why.
Questions on an internship project done with an NGO.

Himshikha
Undergraduate College & Shaheed Rajguru College, University of Delhi
University
Field of Graduation Food Technology
Work Experience - Companies Hindustan Times - 5 months
months)
Work Experience - Domains Sales & Marketing
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Are you from Chandigarh (he asked because I did my schooling from
Chandigarh) ?
I mentioned about my army background. He discussed about my family for
around 10 minutes and my journey as a child. I mentioned a lot about
travelling.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Asked about hobby and then gave the case related to it.
Guesstimate Case - I m a leading Chocolate manufacturer of designer Chocolates. Give
me a strategy to enter India.
Guesstimate - To estimate size of customers I can target for the above
mentioned business in three years.
Complete Case Transcript I - I m a leading Chocolate manufacturer of designer Chocolates. Give
(please try to be as descriptive strategy to enter India.
as possible) C - Who are we? Where are we based? More about business model, market
share, product, USP, distribution model, pricing, market position & image?
I - We are market leader in chocolate business in UK. We deal in premium
chocolates and target High earning segment. We focus more on packaging.
(He asked to figure out rest on my own and come up with the strategy. He
asked. me to assume whatever I want.)
C - I defined the Indian chocolate industry initialy and then moved to STP
and 4P.
( He was more interested in approach and structure and didn't let me speak
much on each point.)
Please state any questions that I asked something related to last year's internship projects - about its
you may have asked at the end significance and implementation.
response received
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something about yourself and then I was asked to solve the case.
Case Problem Statement(s) / My client is an Europe based airlines and they operate globally. They are
Guesstimate facing decreasing revenues in ASEAN countries. They want to launch a co-
branded credit card in these countries to improve the situation. Suggest the
parameters to choose the best country out of these to launch that card.
Complete Case Transcript I - Case statement
(please try to be as descriptive C - Asked about airlines, motive behind the launch. More about business
as possible) model, market share, product, USP, distribution model, pricing, market
position & image?
I - (Gave a general answer, asked to take time and directly give a strategy.)
C- I gave parameters for country analysis, consumer analysis and swot
analysis of airlines in the country.
(We did a lot of discussion on country analysis)
Please state any questions that I asked about Master pass and how it is different from wallets.
you may have asked at the end He asked if I know about Mastercard business and I explained it.
of the interview and the I also asked about idea of Mastercard venturing into payments' bank.
response received
Interview 3
Designation

HR/Conversation Questions She gave her introduction, asked for my intro and then asked me if I had
any questions.
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that I asked questions related to company culture, project assignment and
you may have asked at the end mentorship.
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Focus more on company prep. This helps in asking questions.

Mahendra Singh Kaviya

Undergraduate College & IIT Bombay
University
Field of Graduation Structural Engineering
Work Experience - Companies RBL Bank (11 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains iLabs - Research & Development
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Interviewer 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me about yourself,
Questions on Hobbies and Social work
why consulting?
why MasterCard?
Work Experience Questions Projects & Team management related questions
Case Problem Statement(s) / Case - Have to bring Metro to a Tier-3 Indian city
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript Check for feasibility from demand, supply and cost side,
(please try to be as descriptive Give your recommendations.
as possible)
Please state any questions that Question about MasterCard project which a student did last year during
you may have asked at the end summers.
response received
Interview 2
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1) Case - We are Dates producer firm. Profits are declining, Find out the
Guesstimate reasons and give your recommendations
2) Guesstimate - No. of Electric Lights in IIML campus at a given time
Complete Case Transcript 1) We are a dates producer in India & export them to UAE.
(please try to be as descriptive Profits are declining compared to our competitors.
as possible) Look from Procurement, Transportation and distribution side.
2) Provide 3 approaches to guesstimate
Please state any questions that Questions about Payment Consulting, Company's focus on other areas to
you may have asked at the end expand business?
response received
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Introduction (including the interviewer's)
Why MasterCard?
2 Weaknesses and
questions from POR and ECA section.
Work Experience Questions Complete life cycle of a particular project (from idea to execution)
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that Asked the interviewer about his career choices and experiences.
response received
Interview 4
Designation

HR/Conversation Questions Why Consulting?
Name one skill you want to improve.
In which sector do you want to work at MasterCard?
Guesstimate
Other interviews (Please write Accenture -
about Interviewer, Case - I am a Gym owner. Profits are declining, find out the reason and give
HR/Conversation questions, your recommendations.
case problem statement, the Hint - Profits declining from the past 6 months compared to our
complete case transcript and competitors who are providing Addon services.
questions asked)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Take it as a conversation
the interview and the Day 0 Don't globe and Be honest.
Best of Luck.

S. Vaishnavi
Undergraduate College & NSIT
University
Field of Graduation Biotechnology
Work Experience - Companies N/A
months)
Work Experience - Domains N/A
Work Experience Duration N/A
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
Hobbies/ interests
Discussion about traveling
Why consulting?
Why MasterCard?
Guesstimate N/A
Complete Case Transcript Estimate the number of ATMs in India
(please try to be as descriptive Case: A retail bank in India is suffering a reduction in profitability since a
as possible) couple of years. Identify the problem.
The problem was that they had started lending to different segments and
college students which resulted in rise of bad debts
response received
Interview 2
Designation
Why consulting?
Why MasterCard?
N/A
Case Problem Statement(s) / Estimate the number of lights in the campus
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript 1. A leading departmental store chain in India wants to enter into a joint
(please try to be as descriptive venture with a counterpart in Indonesia for expansion. What are the factors
as possible) they should consider?
2. India has been witnessing a drop in tourism from a couple of years.
Identify the problem.
( The problem was a difficulty in issuing the visas for India)
response received
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Hr round
Questions from CV
Strengths and weakness
An incident in life which has impacted you
What led you to do an MBA
Guesstimate

McKinsey & Co.

Mudit Sinha
Undergraduate College & IIT Kanpur
University
Work Experience - Companies McKinsey and Company, 24 months
months)
Work Experience - Domains Risk Management
(Months)
Company Name McKinsey & Co.
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Misha Pratap Singh, AP
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. What do you do as part of Consult club?
2. Why do you want to come back again given that you have worked in a
similar role before?
3. What did you love most about the firm?
Work Experience Questions 3. Questions on one of the engagements I have done while working at the
firm- NPA management for European Banks
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am a private equity firm looking to invest in food truck business in India.
Guesstimate How should I go about it?
Complete Case Transcript I started out by asking scoping questions to understand the context (About
(please try to be as descriptive the private equity firm, basics of the business, why expand into this area).
as possible) The interviewer gave me inputs on the same and asked me to jump directly
into problem solving. Majorly he wanted me to look into the industry level
analysis that I will need to uncover.
I gave him the following inputs:
1. Since food truck business is a mix of food and logistics, I asked him
questions on food industry, how is it growing, expected growth rates,
disposable income of Indian consumers and some other higher level macro
indicators. On logistics, I suggested him to look into areas like road
connectivity levels within and between the cities. He told me to park
logistics for a while and focus on the food part.
2. Next I moved into the food truck industry- What is the current level of
competition, major geographies (metros, tier 1 etc.) driving demand, size of
market, typical menus offered by the food trucks. At this point, the
interviewer interrupted me and asked me to identify some more factors. I
kept thinking on the food truck level microeconomic indicators and
suggested 2-3 more. I think a communication gap happened at this point in
the sense that the interviewer wanted me to move ahead from industry level
factors to specific factors like key customers to target, mode of entry etc
(the general market entry structure).
Post this discussion, he turned the interview into a pricing case. He wanted
me to calculate the price of non-vegetarian dishes offered by the food truck
for break even and identify if the price made sense.
The numbers were:
CAPEX
Price of veg dishes- 1$
Non-veg dish raw material costs
Processing costs
Labour costs
2-3 other costs.
Time horizon
At this point, we heard a knock on the door which implied that we have to
wrap up the case in 2-3 minutes. I processed the data and quickly converged
to the price in a minute. The non-veg dish prize's price was at around $ 3.
The interviewer asked me if the price was right to do the operations. I
suggested that it does not sync with the veg menu pricing. In general, non-
veg dishes in India are priced 15-30% higher while this price was 300%
higher. This can result in two things:
a) The non-veg customers may perceive the food truck as charging
exorbitantly high prices when they compare it with veg menu and not go in
first place.
b) The veg customers may feel that the veg food offered by the truck is sub-
standard when they compare the veg price with NV.
He agreed to both the points and asked me if I had a question.

Please state any questions that What are the practice areas in which the interviewer worked and his
you may have asked at the end portfolio within the same?
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Nitesh Singh, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. While going to the interview room, he asked me how I felt about being
back with the people in the firm?
Work Experience Questions 1. Questions on key studies I did as part of the firm
2. Industries/practices that I will like to work in the firm if I get back again?
Reasons for the same.
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am a rich family who wants to invest in India. Tell me which sectors to
Guesstimate invest in.
Complete Case Transcript I started out with scoping questions. The interviewer quickly told me that
(please try to be as descriptive budget is not a constraint and he wanted me to identify the industry level
as possible) factors while entering into this market.
I told him that since India itself is growing rapidly, we can directly look into
the sector level factors:
i) Current size of the sector
ii) Market structure of the sector and expected market share
iii) Key market trends in each sector, disruption frequency, CAGR within
each sector
iv) Sector overlap with current businesses of the family to identify
operational synergies
v) Barriers to entry- FDI regulations and caps in each sector, Entry channel
partners
vi) Post entry, operating model within each sector- Dormant investor or
involvement in decision making as well.
vi) Operating margins, return on equity, revenue and cost projections, legal
and reputational risks of running the business
The interviewer seemed satisfied and asked me if I had any questions for
him. The interview lasted for 10-12 minutes.
Please state any questions that At what point in his career will an associate start gaining control over the
you may have asked at the end areas in which he works in?
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Suveer Sinha, Partner
Designation
Work Experience Questions Partners with whom I have already worked while at the firm?
Countries in which I worked in, kind of work delivered there?
The most interesting project that I did?
The most interesting thing that happened during the project?
Whether I will like to come back at the firm again? :p
Case Problem Statement(s) / It was a 5-6 minute interview. Interviewer only focussed on HR.
Guesstimate
as possible)
Please state any questions that None
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for The interview process is dynamic. Maintain your energy throughout the
the interview and the Day 0 process. During the interview, even if you feel things are not going in the
right direction, don't lose focus. 2-3 minutes of intense quality output from
candidate is good enough to take care of the rest 15-16 minutes.

Atharv Saxena
University
Field of Graduation B. Com(Hons)
Work Experience Duration
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Puneet Chandok (Partner)
Designation
What excites you about Consulting?
Why do you want to join McKinsey?
Case Problem Statement(s) / A young IT company wants to grow revenue from $3 Bn to $8 Bn in 4
Guesstimate years, how should they go about it?
Complete Case Transcript A young IT company wants to grow revenue from $3 Bn to $8 Bn in 4
(please try to be as descriptive years, how should they go about it?
as possible) I: A young IT company wants to grow revenue from $3 Bn to $8 Bn in 4
years, how should they go about it?
C: Asked preliminary questions regarding scale(small, compared to
established companies), geography in which they operate (Indian company,
major clients in USA, Europe), different revenue streams (remote server
maintenance, BPO service and software development), competition(high
since most companies outsource work to India and other emerging nations
like Philippines) and growth rate of industry which was 10% CAGR
I: Can you calculate the growth rate at which company must grow to
achieve 8Bn in 4 years?
C: Gave him the formula to calculate CAGR and plugged in the values
I: So what should the value be?
C: Gave him an approximate answer
I: Are you sure that’s right?
C: Took a minute and calculated the answer
I: That sounds fine, what should the company do to grow at this rate?
C: Started drawing out a structure to grow revenues by dividing revenue into
number of revenue streams, price and number of customers
I: I’m sure you can draw a structure, let’s just discuss the methods to grow
the revenues
C: Discussed various methods of growing the top line such as M&A,
geographical expansion, bundling products and growing number of revenue
streams. (Increasing prices was not a feasible idea since the industry was
highly competitive)
I: Great, Due to paucity of time, we will stop here.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Misha Pratap (Associate Partner)
Designation
Picked up a few questions based on my CV and asked questions about my
internship in research and extra-curricular activities.
Why do you want to join McKinsey?
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am the head of an equity research firm and have 2 research wings, one for
Guesstimate retail investors and the second for institutional investors. Should I merge
them?
Complete Case Transcript I: I am the head of an equity research firm and have 2 research wings, one
(please try to be as descriptive for retail investors and the second for institutional investors. Should I merge
as possible) them?
C: Asked about the company (Indian company servicing customers
domestically), size of the two teams(institutional team was small around 25
people whereas retail was more than 100) , differences in the deliverable
(specific information regarding small pool of equities for institutional and
focus on macro-economic impact, simple buy, hold, sell recommendation
for retail) and customers(institutional investors such as insurance
companies, mutual funds and FIIs, retail investors comprised of small
shareholders, HNIs, etc.), markets(EMEA markets for institutional
investors and domestic markets for retail investors), questions like on

whether or not other equity research firms have similar structures(no), etc.
I: Gave the relevant information and asked me how I would go about the
evaluation of the proposal
C: Laid out a broad structure highlighting the major steps in my evaluation
to understand whether or not a merger would be beneficial. Proceeded to go
through each bucket such as current scenario and benefits accrued from
present structure, synergies from a merger (content, channel, customers,
markets covered, HR, technology), feasibility (cost, HR compatibility,
regulation)
I: After having covered everything, do you think we should merge the 2
research arms?
C: Gave my rationale for why they should not be merged given the nature
of the industry and the importance of maintaining separate research arms
for different customers based on the information provided during the case
I: Great, we can end the case here
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Akash Lal (Senior Partner)
Designation
Why consulting?
What is Enactus, what was your role in social entrepreneurship?
What was your work during your internship at Way2Wealth?
Tell me about Credence Capital. ( (Akash Lal's area of expertise is financial
services so he was really interested in anything related to finance on my CV)
What do you want to do after McKinsey?
Guesstimate
as possible)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for It is important to keep a clear and level head after making a mistake, the
the interview and the Day 0 interviewer is willing to give you a second chance to correct it.
Try and pick up hints that the interviewer is giving, my first interviewer was
not interested in seeing the normal structure of profitability but rather
wanted a discussion on different methods of increasing revenues and how
to implement them
Focus on HR answers, most of my cases lasted only for 5-10 minutes while
HR took up 15 minutes on average.

Harshi Kher
University
Work Experience - Companies D.E Shaw (17 months), UBS Verity Knowledge Solutions ( 19 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Finance ( Investment Banking, Hedge Fund Risk)
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Akash Lal, Senior Partner- Financial Services (IIM-A alum)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions How are you feeling today? How is the mood in the campus? Walk me
through what you've done in life.
Work Experience Questions We had a long discussion regarding my time at Shaw. He wanted to know
what I exactly did and what my day looked like. When I spoke about
multiple stakeholder management, he asked me a couple of questions
regarding how I handled traders, specially the aggressive ones.
Case Problem Statement(s) / While we were discussing my finance experience, Aakash told me about a
Guesstimate meeting he had with a global investment banking firm that was just doing
offshore deals in the emerging markets and how they wanted to do more
direct deals with these markets. He then suddenly said, "Harshi what would
you suggest the firm do, which markets should they target and which
finance products should they focus on"
Complete Case Transcript As soon as I realized that we had shifted from conversation to a case, I
(please try to be as descriptive asked for a pen and paper and confirmed the problem statement. While I
as possible) took a minute to think about the factors a global bank would consider
before setting base in an emerging market ( Started with basics of
PESTLE..)
I : All this is fine, why do you think they would want to set base in the first
place?
What followed was a conversation sans pen and paper. Following markets
and current affairs helped immensely. We spoke about how the emerging
markets were doing right now, the risks involved with the same. Global
banks can bring in their expertise and existing customer base. Further, all
global banks in India have a common strategy to work with a few marquee
clients and get repeat business ( By now Aakash was smiling, he seemed
satisfied)
I : What do you think are the major risks here? Apart from the risk of failure
C: Spoke about 1. Cannibalization of their existing business 2. The

increasing regulatory compliance as we move away from globalization to a
more protectionist world where more local brands will be preferred.
I : That's really good. All the best for your second round
Please state any questions that The interviewer had not introduced himself before the interview. Hence, I
you may have asked at the end asked him his name and the practice he heads at McKinsey. He then
of the interview and the proceeded to tell me something about himself!
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Suveer Sinha, Partner (Interview via VC)
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions This interview was mainly HR with the case lasting for less than 5 mins.
Suveer asked me how my last interview was and then proceeded with the
usual tell me something about myself.
This round revolved around my public speaking awards. Suveer asked me to

speak about a topic I was really passionate about. Spoke about the power of
mentorship. He then asked me to tell him the best advice I had received in
the past 20 days! Post which he said " If I give you an offer right now, will
you accept it"

Case Problem Statement(s) / How will you improve the problem of mobility in the city of Pune. The
Guesstimate average speed of vehicles has gone down from 18kmph to 15 kmph.
Complete Case Transcript I clarified the objective, specifically whether he wanted me to find how why
(please try to be as descriptive the problem existed or to just jump into the solution mode. He asked me to
as possible) do both.
I divided this initially into Public Transport, Private Transport and other
stakeholders involved( Government, Corporate etc)
He gave me information on the current state of public transport ( No

metro, some buses , basic auto service etc)
He asked me to focus on the public transport.
I then took a minute and drew out a structure consisting of factors to be

looked at to analyze the current public transport scene and how to improve
it. ( Modes and Number, routes covered, frequency, fare, safety,
maintenance etc)
I read out my top structure and asked Suveer if he wanted me to expand on

a particular bucket.
Suveer : I think I know you can solve cases well. We are done here.

response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for 1. The one tip I had received all throughout was that McKinsey focuses a lot
the interview and the Day 0 on knowing you as a person. All the introspection and the HR prep turned
out to really helpful in my interviews, especially in the final round which was
95% HR based.
2. Reading the news- I felt this habit too paid off. Reading about businesses
gives you better insight while solving cases and I guess leaves a good
impression about you if you are able to leverage real life issues and connect
them to your case.

Renuka
Undergraduate College & NIT TRICHY
University
Field of Graduation B.Tech Instrumentation and Control
Work Experience - Companies Amec Foster Wheeler
months)
Work Experience - Domains Oil and gas
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Introduce yourself
Case Problem Statement(s) / How will you increase the number of gold medals for India in olympics?
Guesstimate
as possible)
Interview 2
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / How will you scale up a small restaurant in Chennai?
Guesstimate
as possible)
Other interviews (Please write Guestimate the number of cars running in Lucknow.
about Interviewer, What will be the revenue of a metro station?
questions asked)
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for

Simran Jindal
Undergraduate College & Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi
University
Work Experience - Companies KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd.
months)
Work Experience - Domains Management Consulting- Strategy and Operations
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Misha Pratap, Associate Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Why consulting?
Case Problem Statement(s) / A Private Equity firm is planning to invest in food truck chain industry.
Guesstimate How will you go about the evaluation of the same?
Complete Case Transcript I asked what exactly was meant by a food truck chain. I was told that it
(please try to be as descriptive basically meant companies who set up mobile food trucks selling products
as possible) like Tacos etc. Since the client was a PE firm, I confirmed if the objective of
the investment was profits only and if the firm had expectations of a certain
ROI. I was told that the company expected 15-20% profits on investment. I
also asked about the country where the company was present and was
informed that it is a US based PE firm. I was told to focus on factors to be
considered for assessment only.
I presented my structure which included deciding potential geographies for

investment based on economic analysis (Economic growth, FDI
regulations, taste and preferences etc.) and industry analysis (Industry size:
Average revenue and Concentrated/Fragmented, present/potential
substitutes like delivery services (Swiggy etc.), potential new entrants etc.)
and further identifying companies to invest in based on cost benefit analysis
and risks involved.
Once I mentioned cost-benefit analysis, I was presented with a sheet of

paper which had cost and revenue related data for a single food truck (List
of products, selling price, per unit cost, average volume sold per annum,
insurance cost, leasing cost, maintenance cost, labour requirements etc.). I
was asked to calculate the break-even point.
Post this, I was told that a new product (Meat Tacos) has been added to the
product list and I was asked to analyse the given data for the same. I said
that the new product had significantly higher volumes (expected) as well as
almost two times the profit margins of existing two products. This implied a
shift in truck’s product mix and a significantly higher revenue benefit. Also,
based on the data there would be no impact on existing consumption.
However, I mentioned two caveats to the same. Firstly, the demand
expectations might differ from actual consumption and hence the basis for
volume estimation needs to be analyzed. Secondly, a shift from a vegetarian
food truck to a non-vegetarian one might drive away existing customers
based on the culture of the country.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Nitesh Gupta, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions How was your previous interview experience?
What makes you fit for consulting?
Work Experience Questions Describe your experience and project involvement at KPMG.
Describe any experience where you had a feeling of accomplishment.
Describe an experience where you failed to achieve the desired objective.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Your client is an automobile OEM and their manpower cost as a percentage
Guesstimate of revenue is significantly higher as compared to their competitors. Identify
the issues and suggest solutions to the same.
Complete Case Transcript Interviewer mentioned that since I was following Automobile sector as part
(please try to be as descriptive of Credence Capital, he decided to give a case from the same industry.
as possible)
I clarified the problem statement further and asked since when they had
been facing the issue and quantitatively, how much higher is the ratio as
compared to competitors. The issue had been present for years and the
difference was ~20-25%. I asked what types of products (Commercial
Vehicles, Passenger Vehicles, Two wheelers, Three Wheelers) were they
manufacturing and if the problem was in any particular division.
At this point, I was asked to skip through the questions and instead explain
how I will approach the case and enlist the factors I’ll consider while
evaluating. I pointed out that there can be three dimensions to the problem,
either our absolute revenue base is really small or our absolute manpower
costs are too high or both compared to our competitors. I was asked to
focus on absolute manpower costs. I started by enlisting various
departments/ functions in the organization and assessing their manpower
dependence. I started with the R&D division and moved to others including
manufacturing/assembly, finance, sales and marketing, admin and IT
support, procurement. I asked specific questions like level of automation in
manufacturing division and if any of the above functions had been
outsourced etc. I moved to discussing the employee structure in each
department.
The interviewer asked me to pause and said that the issue is that the
organization is top heavy and most of the senior management had been
poached from other companies. I was asked to discuss the solutions. I said
that we should plan both short term and long term solutions to the same.
For short term, we can link a significant part of pay structure to
performance which can possibly lead to under-performers moving out of
the firm. In the long run, the firm needs to undertake proper succession
planning and training program to develop talent within the organization for
taking up senior management roles (While poaching, the firm had to offer
significantly higher remuneration as compared to competitors).
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Malcolm Gomes, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Why Consulting?
Why McKinsey?
What is your long term career plan?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Guesstimate the number of data scientists in India
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript As no interview room was empty at that time, this interview took place
(please try to be as descriptive walking in the back lawn of Chintan. I started the guesstimate by asking
as possible) what exactly do data scientists do. Once the same was clarified, I asked
about the scope of estimate as it can involve two aspects: Current data
scientist pool in India (Employed/Unemployed) and potential data
scientists. I was asked to estimate both.
In order to estimate employed data scientists, I began by looking at the

industries employing them including technology firms, Financial companies
(Investors), Conglomerates, Government departments like defence and
intelligence services etc. I suggested multiplying the number of companies in
each industry and average number of data scientist per company per
industry. Also, Industry averages would differ basis the type of industry
(Technology firms will have the highest number of data scientists and
Conglomerates the lowest) and average size of firms in each industry.
I was asked to move towards potential data scientists’ estimation. For this, I
started with identifying institutions that provide education for the same
which included engineering institutions (specifically computer science
course) and other special institutions teaching courses like statistics and
econometric and data science, information technology etc. I said that we can
divide these institutions based on their average batch size and then multiply
number of institutions in each bucket with the average intake of that bucket.
I mentioned that we need to take into consideration the average failure rate
as well and multiply the same as a factor at the end. This will give us the
yearly number of potential data scientists. Another caveat to the above
approach that I mentioned was students studying abroad who come back to
India in search of jobs in the above field.

Before I could move further, I was asked to stop and take a guess for the
above figure. (Since, I didn’t have access to pen and paper, no quantitative
analysis was asked so far). To this, I said that I can’t take a random guess
and instead I can populate numbers in the structure discussed so far and
give the estimate after that. The interview ended after this.
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Focus on HR questions

Sumit Goenka
Undergraduate College & St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
University
Field of Graduation Commerce
months)
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Malcolm Gomes - Partner
Designation
Why do you want to work in consulting?
Case Problem Statement(s) / I’m trying to figure out the number of data scientists that I can hire from
Guesstimate India. Estimate the number of people I can find.
Complete Case Transcript I: I’m trying to understand the number of data scientists that I can hire from
(please try to be as descriptive India. Estimate the number of people I can find.
as possible) C: Sure, first I would like to understand what exactly the job of a data
scientist is and what are the skills required to do the job.
I: They primarily work with data analytics and processing of big data to
derive insights from it.
C: So may I assume that the main skills that would be required to fit the
position would be:
1) Database management
2) Analytics
3) Proficiency in programming
I: That sounds about right, however the requirement for proficiency in
programming isn’t that stringent as the job doesn’t require advanced level
programming as such. You could probably teach someone the required
amount as long as they have had a reasonable amount of prior exposure
C: Thank you for clarifying that. I would like to take a few moments before
I start estimating the number we’re after (took 15-20 seconds and started
with the guesstimate). At the very outset I would like to split our approach
into two areas: potential data scientists and existing data scientists. Which
one would you like me to start with first?
I: Let’s look into the potential data scientists first.
C: Sure, in that case I would like to estimate the number of graduates who
could be employed without significant training. These would largely include
students from fields such as Computer Science, Data Analytics and other
technical backgrounds such as Mathematics and Statistics. *he nodded and
gestured to proceed*.
I decided on a top down approach and started with the population and
applied filters for literacy rate, age, income, rural-urban split and preference
for Engineering, Commerce and Humanities. I provided the rationale for
each of the filters as and when I applied them and discussed them with him.
Just as I was about to arrive at the final number, he asked me to shift to the
Existing Data Scientists portion.
I: Ok, so let’s look at the number of people I can hire as data scientists at
this moment.
C: Sure, first I would like to understand the growth and prevalence of the
profession in India. More specifically, how long the job has even existed
since, as per my understanding, this would be fairly new field of work.
I: You’re right, the job probably didn’t even exist a decade ago. It’s a fairly
new and upcoming profession with a pretty high demand.
C: Is it safe for me to assume that the existing pool of candidates would be
relatively small in that case?
I: Yes, but how would you estimate that?
C: We could look at the number of companies that require these data
scientists and try to make an estimate of the number of people in the
country who would be trained enough to hire directly.
I: Could you name a few companies where you would see data scientists?
C: Named a few tech giants such as Google and Microsoft, also mentioned

retailers such as Flipkart and Amazon which would have a significant
amount of information that they would like to derive insights from and
finally I named a few technology outsourcing firms such as TCS and Infosys
which could potentially offer these services to their clients.
I: Ok that’s good, that would be enough. *proceeded to ask me to self-
evaluate my performance*
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Akash Lal - Senior Partner
Designation
You seem to be interested in finance, why do you want to do consulting?
Case Problem Statement(s) / I represent an Indian Bank and I want to enter the wealth management
Guesstimate space. Help me understand if I should.
Complete Case Transcript I: I represent an Indian Bank and I want to enter the wealth management
(please try to be as descriptive space. Help me understand if I should.
as possible) C: Sure. Before we start I would like to understand the background of the
bank a little better. Could you tell me about the current presence of the
bank in India?
I: *proceeded to tell me about the operations of the bank and which
banking verticals it was present in – both corporate and retail*
C: *asked a few more questions on competitors (it was a fragmented
industry with no dominant player), the target customer (HNI’s with an
income over a specified threshold) and the exact service that the bank was
offering (primarily to clarify that my understanding of wealth management
was on the same page as what he was referring to)*.
C: Thank you for that. Is the bank a public sector or a private sector bank?
And is there any specific reason that the bank is looking to enter wealth
management?
I: Assume it is one of India’s largest private sector banks and that it is just
exploring potential verticals to drive growth
C: *took more granular information about growth prospects of the industry
and the current growth rate of the company*
I would like to take a few moments to identify the parameter on which we
can make the decision to enter the business vertical (took 15-20 seconds and
started with the rest of the case). I would first like to do an industry analysis
by looking at the kind of competition that exists, any significant barriers to
entry, the target customers and how they are currently managing their
money, and finally what alternate options are available to our target
demographic.
*proceeded to have a discussion on each of the above factors and moved on
to company specific factors such as brand, branch reach, customer base by
income etc.*
I: So with the amount of information I have given you, would you suggest I
enter the wealth management vertical?
C: *presented a principled argument for both entering and not entering
along with major caveats for both but after considering the limited
information I had, I suggested that we should enter*
I: Good. Could you identify some major risks that are associated with
entering?
C: Listed 3 major factors and explained them:
1) Possible brand dilution among HNIs if the venture fails to meet
expectations
2) Since the primary target for the wealth management business would be
HNI customers from other verticals of the bank, any negative impact would
directly impact the other verticals
3) Expended resources
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for My interviews were split equally between HR questions and the cases, so do
the interview and the Day 0 focus on both while preparing.

Syed Mohammed Nadeem

Undergraduate College & NITK Surathkal
University
Field of Graduation Mechanical
Work Experience - Companies 34
months)
Work Experience - Domains R&D
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Sudipta pal
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions About college, undergrad and fests
Work Experience Questions Nil
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am a hindi daily with market share decreasing. Help me understand why.
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript Went with the value chain framework, identified reason for decrease as
(please try to be as descriptive change in content, change in editor resulting in too difficult language for
as possible) people to understand.
response received
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Questions on background. How will you handle a client who has a lot of
experience in an industry and disagrees with what you are proposing? Why
consulting? Why McKinsey?
Work Experience Questions About Bosch and my work experience. How did it help me grow as a
person? Why MBA after a design job?
Case Problem Statement(s) / Your client is a private investor from us. Help them choose an industry to
Guesstimate invest in.
Complete Case Transcript First understood the motive to be a continuous long term profit. Defined
(please try to be as descriptive various factors which will impact decision such as market growth,
as possible) availability of a company to takeover, profitability, ease of entry n exit.
Please state any questions that Discussed work being done by the firm in the automotive industry, BS6,
you may have asked at the end electrification etc.
response received
Interview 3
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions General questions on interview experience. Why McKinsey? What do you
find different about our firm.?
Guesstimate
as possible)
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Key is to keep calm and think straight

Synergy Consulting
Aparna Gupta
Name Aparna Gupta
Undergraduate College & SRCC
University
Field of Graduation B.Com Hons.
Work Experience - Companies 0
months)
(Months)
Company Name Synergy Consulting
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Where do you live? What is the occupation of your parents?
2. Favourite subjects of Term-1
3. We have 80% engineers and you being from commerce background don't
have technical knowledge of the kind of our projects, still why should we
select you?
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript (Cases from FRA)
(please try to be as descriptive Prepare Profit and loss account and Balance sheet for 7 different situations
as possible)
response received
Interview 2
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions CV based questions
1. Difference between B.Com. Hons and normal B.Com. course
2. What does world bank do?
3. What is cash conversion cycle?
4. What do you know about our company?

The Boston Consulting Group

Dhruv Sehgal
Undergraduate College & Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi
University
Field of Graduation Bachelor of Business Studies
Work Experience - Companies AT Kearney (30 months)
months)
(Months)
Company Name The Boston Consulting Group
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Samita, Principal
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions (Completely Conversational) Discussion about college and campus and how
has the campus has evolved over the years.
Work Experience Questions Can you briefly explain the work that you did at AT Kearney? Detailed
questions about a couple of government projects that I had done at AT
Kearney. She spoke to me in-depth about the same asking counter questions
and my direct contribution to the same.
Case Problem Statement(s) / The client is a Bank. It wants BCG's help to undertake Branch network
Guesstimate optimization.
Complete Case Transcript I: The client is a Bank. It wants BCG's help to undertake Branch network
(please try to be as descriptive optimization.
as possible) C: (After clarifying the problem) Can you please explain the term Branch
network optimization.
I: With Branch network optimization, the Bank wants to rationalize the
number of branches it has. This would involve shutting down branches and
opening new branches.
C: I have a few clarifying questions.
I: Sure, go ahead
C: First, I would like to know more about the bank. What type of Bank is it?
What are its offerings?
I: Assume that it is a normal full service bank. It also has retail and business
customers.
C: How many Branches does it have? What is the Geographic scope?
I: Assume that you are doing this exercise for State Bank of India in the
Delhi region. Taking SBI in mind, you should proceed ahead in the case.
C: Sure, thanks for clarifying this, I would like to lay out a rough structure to
approach this. First, we need to identify the locations by customer and
geographic segments. Second, we need to understand the penetration in the
location (our bank and competitors). Third, we need to check for feasibility
of shut down or opening of new branch.
I: Sounds good. Go ahead.
C: In the first part, we need to identify the locations based on customer and
geographic segments. We can divide the types of customers based on
businesses/professionals, salaried employees and retired employees. Further
we can divide regions by different zones of Delhi and the income levels in
each zone and the corresponding potential of deposits and loans.
In the second part we see the penetration of our branches and ATMs in
those regions and those of our competitors. This way we can identify the
ideal pockets for branch shut down and new branches.
I: Great, this way we can identify the regions where we can shut down
branches or we can open new ones. Now can you move to the third point
and identify the factors affecting feasibility of opening new branch.
C: (After taking a couple of minutes) Listed down multiple factors such as
accessibility, business (Current and Savings accounts), land/lease/set-up
costs, safety(cash transit and lockers) etc.
Please state any questions that (Was asked a couple of govt. project related questions at the end, so based
you may have asked at the end on those) I asked more about the government projects that BCG was doing.
of the interview and the Specifically - Based on the work that BCG has done in education space with
response received the govt. of Haryana and Rajasthan, is BCG now considered the go-to

Consultant for the govt in the space. If yes, how can you ensure that such
projects can be replicated by the firm in other states as well.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Bitan Dutta, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell me something about yourself
2. Where in Delhi are you from?
3. A couple of basic questions to know more about my school and college
Work Experience Questions Give a brief on your projects at AT Kearney
Case Problem Statement(s) / The client is an global automotive OEM operating in India. Its aftersales
Guesstimate revenue in India is significantly lower than its competitors here and that of
global peers. How can we help them?
Complete Case Transcript C: (clarified the problem statement) I want to understand more about the
(please try to be as descriptive problem, the firm.
as possible) I: Sure go ahead.
C: Qualifying questions (answers):
Could you please clarify what all is included in aftersales revenue? (sales of
spare parts and components, does not include accessories)
Since when is the firm operating in India? (Around 15 years)
What is its geographic presence? (Pan-India)
What are the type of vehicles that it sells? (Hatchbacks)
Since when is it facing this issue? (since inception)
What is it's distribution model? (Company to dealers. During the time of
service, the dealers charge the amount from customers. A part of the spares
amount goes to dealers and remaining to the firm. The service charges solely
go to the dealer)
Are the competitors following the same distribution model? (Apart from
stocking the spare parts with Dealers, the competitors also have tie ups with
retailers which sell their products directly as well.)
C: Revenue is a function of Price and quantity. For prices, I would like to
clarify if we have any information if the prices are optimized? How can price
elasticity impact the overall revenues from aftersales?
I: We believe that the prices can be optimized further. For some products
such as xxx, prices can be increased and we feel the price elasticity would be
lower. For some other products, such as yyy the price elasticity is high and
these are replaceable by the local/competitor products, so we can reduce
prices to get more market.
C: Thanks. That's quite helpful. Thus, we have identified that we can
optimize prices to increase aftersales revenue. Next, I would like to explore
quantity. I would like to further subdivide quantity by quantity sold per
dealer/retailer and number of dealers/retailer. Do we have information if
the quantity sold per dealer can be significantly be improved or do we need
to improve touch points.
I: Quantity sold per dealer is optimized. Identify how we can increase the
dealer retailer network.
C: Sure. I would like to break this down into 3 parts. First, Identifying the
customer regions. Second, assessing the current presence of our dealers,
competition dealers and local workshops. Third, Feasibility of retail
partnerships in the region.
I: Alright. Focus on identification part.
C: We would need to map the sales of our cars and their respective
registrations by region. In each region, we further need to understand car
related factors and customer related factors. For car related factors we
would look at usage, frequency of issues etc. For customer related factors,
we would look at income level, willingness to use authorized service etc.
I: Good. But apart from usage, vehicle age is a direct metric that can be used
to determine which cars might face more issues.
C: Yes, sure sir. Next we'll look at current presence.
I: No issues, you can let that be. That's all from my side. Thanks
Please state any questions that Is this a real case? How did you go about solving this?
response received
Interview 3
Interviewer Name and Anuj Khandelwal, Partner
Designation

Case Problem Statement(s) / Client is a Grocery retail chain based in Gurgaon. It primarily deals in Fruits
Guesstimate and vegetables. It has not been in profit in the last 10 years. How can we
help them?
Complete Case Transcript C: I have a few questions to understand more about the retail chain.
(please try to be as descriptive I: Sure. go ahead.
as possible) C: What localities is it based in Gurgaon? (assume that its located in all
major central markets, malls and near residential complexes)
Is it facing issue in all its stores? (Yes, but for simplicity assume that we
need to get profits for only one store)
What all services do we provide? On-call/Website/App based orders and
delivery? (Yes, all services)
What is the competition it faces - directly i.e. other retail chains and
indirectly i.e. with fruit and vegetable markets/vendors (assume that it faces
significant competition from vendors. They are located below the residential
complexes and offer direct delivery services as well)
Are the target customer segments working professionals? (Yes)
C: So Profits are a function of Revenues and Costs. So do you want me to
start with Revenues first?
I: Yes, there are no issues in the costs.
C: The revenues are a function of price, average quantity purchased and no
of customers. I would like to understand if our prices are competitive. If
yes, are they significantly lower, thus reducing our margins significantly?
I: No. The prices are competitive. Also, the quantity purchased is fine. If the
customer comes to our store, they buy the products in decent quantity. The
problem is with the number of customers. They aren't coming to our store.
C: Sure. I'll lay down a structure to address this
I: Let's leave the structure and just talk. I want to know your thoughts on
this.
C: Sure. So the number of customers are not coming because they have the
same convenience with the vendor as with us. So we need a differentiated
offering.
I: Correct. So what can we offer that can attract the customers to us?
C: Can we increase the variety of fruits and vegetables that we offer?
Include more products such as Organic/exotic fruits and vegetables
I: Absolutely. Now we have people coming in and buying the exotic and
organic fruits and vegetables. But we feel that we are still losing out. This is
because they only buy exotic and organic stuff from the us. The high margin
and regular products such as onions and potatoes are still being bought
from the local vendors. Can we do something about it?
C: Sure. We can bundle the products together and sell them at a cheaper
price.
I: Correct. So now the customer has the bundled product offering that they
can buy. But they still buy the individual products i.e. exotic and organic
fruits and vegetables. Can we do something to change that?
C: Yes, can we increase the customization for bundles that we were selling?
This would involve the customers choosing what to buy in the bundle?
I: Apart from Bundling, is there something else that we can do?
C: Can we set a minimum purchase level or loyalty scheme for the
customers?
I: Yes. I think we should do that. Can you summarise the case.
C: (done)
I: Great! That's all from my side. Thanks
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for 1. Pace your prep - start early and put in extra hours at the start and reduce
the interview and the Day 0 the pace starting 2 weeks from Day 0. Stop 4-5 days before Day 0 whenever
you've done a case decently well
2. There will be lots of downs before ups - Don't get carried away by either
3. Be confident and feel on top of the world – At least 2-3 days prior to Day
0, be extremely confident of the effort that you've put in (whatever your
prep situation is). Go with nothing to lose mindset. That surely worked for
me.
4. Form an equally invested case group but don't get bogged down with
their level of prep
5. Try doing variety of cases. Increasing the number of cases does help you
(unlike what others will say) but only to solidify your structures and get you
confidence in your communication.
Jatin Mahajan
Undergraduate College & NSIT, DU
University
Field of Graduation Electronics & Communication Engineering
Work Experience - Companies McKinsey Knowledge Centre (12)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Research
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Name - Don't remember
Designation Designation - Principal, Consumer Retail practice (Lucknow Alum)
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Introduce yourself
2. What committee are you part of? Why not part of clubs?
3. Which club would you join? Why is it named 42?
Case Problem Statement(s) / The client is a 25-year old FMCG manufacturer, among the top 2 players in
Guesstimate the industry. It has identified that its salesforce's efficiency has stagnated
over the last 3 years. Answer the following: 1. Is this good, bad or ugly?
2. What needs to be done basis the answer given for Q1.?
Complete Case Transcript Qualifying questions:
(please try to be as descriptive Understood the product that we are specifically considering (haircare range),
as possible) built the value chain with the inputs from interviewer (R&D ->
manufacturer -> distributor -> retailer -> end consumer), asked which
segment was facing the issue mentioned (distributor), and understood what
is productivity (total sales generated (a)/ no. of distributor salesperson (b)).
Also asked if we have competitor data available for this.
Case:
To answer the first question, I asked whether (a), (b) or both had changed.
Found out that both had increased at the GDP growth rate in each of the
last three years. I was prompted to look for a metric to answer the first
question, to which I asked if we have any industry benchmark to compare
this growth rate with. I was told that the industry sales were growing at 15%
while the salesforce was being added at the GDP rate. This meant that the
company was losing market share and hence this was an ugly situation to be
in.
To answer the second part of the case, I broke down the efficiency into
(a)/(b) and suggested I look into why (a) was not increasing at the market
pace. The interviewer suggested I write a formula for sales based on my
understanding. TO this I replied (after taking 2 minutes),
Total sales in a day = Volume X Price = Total no. of salesforce X Total no
of operational hours in a day X No. of distributors visited per hour X %
conversion of distributors visited (meaning they'll stock your product) X
Total no of units sold X average sales price per unit sold
The interviewer asked me to focus on increasing the sales without changing
the price or the volume sold after verifying the formula. At first I was
confused, but then realized my folly that I had been looking at a daily sales
figure. I suggested we look at the frequency at which these products are sold
and if we can increase that. The interviewer replied it's a good thought, but
asked me to look at other factors.
I asked for a minute again and was about to tackle the average sales price,
when the P. Com came in to give a reminder. So the interviewer asked me
what I thought and I replied that we can probably increase our average sales
price by selling higher margin products to which he laughed and said it's
okay. You have done well. He suggested that we look at changing the
product mix and adding more SKUs into our product range.
Please state any questions that Asked about a specific question from his practice and one of my work-ex
you may have asked at the end projects
response received
Interview 2

Interviewer Name and Name: Anuj
Designation Designation: Partner (Lucknow Alum)
HR/Conversation Questions Discussed how I was one of the few candidates who belonged from
Gurgaon. Was quite amused because he was also from Gurgaon.
Case Problem Statement(s) / The client is a legacy (75-year old) motorcycle manufacturer. They have 60%
Guesstimate market share in India looking to diversify. Have identified Nigeria as a target
market and would like to know how to eat into the Nigeria's competitor
market share.
Complete Case Transcript Qualifying questions:
(please try to be as descriptive Asked what is the time horizon (as soon as possible), investment constraints
as possible) (none), objectives (getting market share), the revenue sources/ products that
they plan to sell in Nigeria (motorbikes - two variants: 100 and 250 CC).
Additionally, asked why Nigeria, to which he said don't bother about the
country analysis (PESTLE in my head). So I directly moved into the case
hoping to understand what the industry/competitor landscape was like.
Case:
Asked about our motorcycles - USP, features, price. At this point, the
interviewer explained that our motorcycles were functionally the same ones
as available in India - no special features or USP. In fact, the mileage was
also not a concern because oil was quite cheap in Nigeria (I categorically
asked for this as mileage is an important issue with motorcycles). However,
the company's prices were Rs. 35000 while the main competitor, a Chinese
player with 100% market share was selling at Rs. 25000. He reiterated that
the company wanted to get market share despite this price differential.
I suggested we take a customer lens ("let me think like a customer myself")
to understand how we can offer better value (hence get market share) at a
higher price to the customers. He was quite happy at this and asked what
the approach is.
After taking two minutes, I listed the following:
Need -> Options -> Awareness -> Availability -> (can add 'Trial
experience' here as is the case with most vehicle purchases. I forgot at that
stage.) -> Affordability & Credit availability -> Experience with the
motorcycle -> After-sales service.
I began with 'Need' and asked what the motorcycle is used for. Even
suggested that it might be used for travel or delivery purposes. The
interviewer replied that actually Nigeria uses motorcycles for taxi purposes. I
asked if this was like Uber Moto in Gurgaon and he chuckled at this.
So I suggested that since the Chinese competitor has 100% monopoly in the
market, it would be selling standard products with no differentiation and
hence we could probably serve the needs of the customers better. I asked if
we can look at customizing the bike - meaning more colours, better design,
better seating and so on and so forth. The interviewer picked on the seating
aspect and asked what can we do about that. I suggested that we can
provide better seating experience for the driver and the pillion by better
shock absorption, better clothing design and colours, and in fact we can
increase the size to add one more person. The interviewer agreed that this is
what he was looking for and would have liked me to get to adding another
seat suggestion more quickly.
(My heart sank a little here thinking the interview was over, but I was
offered an olive branch as follows)
He then asked that we have implemented this solution and have gained
market share also. But the company has struggled to get hold of the
mountain drivers’ customer segment (forms 50% of the total market). How
should we serve them better considering R&D dept will not add another
seat for these bikes since they may destabilize on the rough hilly roads.
I took a minute and thought of all that we could do to serve the mountain
riders. I suggested that we can offer additional storage for food and
clothing, better mileage for long distance travel, better lighting system for
visibility, improved tyres with better traction and better shock absorption.
He said these are all very good options, but can you think of what else will
be needed? At this stage, I took another minute and suggested that we need
more power to drive the motorcycle on the steep slope. To which he asked
how can we do that? I suggested immediately that we can offer the higher
powered engine - 250CC motorcycles to these folks and can further increase

this to suit the customer needs. He was quite happy with this and asked me
to summarize the case
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Interview -
the interview and the Day 0 As you may have noticed that my answers were probably not MECE
enough (at least I felt that way) and lacked structure too. But that's because
these interviews are quite conversational and the interviewers are looking at
your thoughts and ideas more than anything else. Hence it is quite
important to be conversational and show awareness during the case/
discussion. More often than not, the cases need not be solved and the
interviewers help and guide a lot. So definitely pick hints wherever offered.
Additionally, the interviews happen quite quickly (less than 20 mins). So it is
beneficial if you practice case solving in less than 15-20 mins to get better
adapted to Day 0 interviews.
All the best!

Kashyap Harlalka
Undergraduate College & Presidency University
University
Work Experience - Companies Deloitte (12 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Transfer Pricing Consulting
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Bitan Dutta, Partner
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / The client is a global tools manufacturer and has two product lines- hand
Guesstimate tools (hammers, pliers etc) and power tools (drill machines etc). They
launched their hand tools business in India, but have only been able to
achieve 1.5% market share. The global management has asked them to get
into the top 3 in 18 months or exit the market. What should the client do?
Complete Case Transcript I- The client is a global tools manufacturer and has two product lines- hand
(please try to be as descriptive tools (hammers, pliers etc) and power tools (drill machines etc). They
as possible) launched their hand tools business in India, but have only been able to
achieve 1.5% market share. The global management has asked them to get
into the top 3 in 18 months or exit the market. What should the client do?
C- Thank you for the problem statement, Sir. I would like to begin my
analysis by asking a few questions about the client and the environment they
operate in to understand the situation better, may I?
I- Sure.
C- Can you tell me a little more about the company? How old it is? Market
standing worldwide? When did it enter India?
I- It is a pretty old company. Entered India 3 years back. It is a global
leader.
C- How does it operate in India? Does it manufacture or import?
I- It imports.
C- I'd like to know a little about the market and competitors. As I
understand, given the Indian ecosystem, the tools market is largely
unorganised and scattered, what is the competition that the firm faces?
I- The market is pretty unorganised, but I want you to restrict yourself to
the branded tools market. There are three large players. Player 1 has 35%
market share, Player 2 has 15% market share and Player 3 has 10% market
share. All are Indian brands with manufacturing within India.
C- Since you are operating in the branded tools market, who are your
customers?
I- Our customers are all tool users- carpenters, electricians etc. But largely,
our products are bought by institutional buyers and large contractors for the
bigger projects.
C- Thank you for the information, Sir. May I take some time to draw out a
rough structure?
I- Yes.
*drew out customer journey structure on paper*
*Need- Awareness- Availability- Accessibility- Experience- Post Purchase*
C- Sir, I have drawn out a rough customer journey to analyse where the
problem might be and why the consumer is not choosing to buy our
product. May I proceed with this?
I- Yes
C- Our first bucket is need or demand for the product, which according to
my understanding must have been same. Am I right to assume this?
I- Yes
C- Our second bucket here is awareness. I am going to analyse our
promotional strategy vis a vis our competition and see if there is a problem
here. How do we promote our product?
I- We use all normal promotional channels. I think the problem is that
brand recall amongst customers compared to other brands is not very high.
Why don't you leave the structure and just tell me what I can do to get into

the top 3?
C- Sure, Sir. I think there are primarily 3-4 ways in which you can aim to
grow. These are greenfield or growing organically, mergers and acquisitions,
joint ventures. Is there any particular area you want me to explore?
I- What do you think we should go with?
C- Since, brand recall is less, greenfield isn't the most viable option. Also,
because we plan on staying here long term, I don't see JV as viable. So, I
think we should look at M&A.
I- Great. Whom would you merge with or acquire and why?
C- Since our aim is top 3. I would look at the firms on rank 2 and 3.
I- Why not rank 1?
C- With 35% market share, they seem to be way ahead of the other
competition and striking a deal with them might be difficult as compared to
the rank 2 or 3 players who'd be more interested in associating with a global
giant.
I- Fair enough. What do we do about the brand recall problem?
C- I think there are three ways we can go about it. First, we can run two
product lines under separate brand names - the indian brand and our brand.
Secondly, we can do a joint branding- something like a TATA SKY. This
would resonate with a lot of people. Third, we can do an umbrella branding
like one of the global tools giant Black and Decker did. So we would launch
a sub brand under the Black and Decker family brand and it would be called
Black and Decker's brand x.
I- Okay. What about the manufacturing and distribution?
C- Since we've been in the market for only 3 years, it's not like we've made
relations with distributors which will affect us in a major way, plus, any
established player that we look to merge/acquire with must be having their
own set distribution channel which we can leverage. For manufacturing, it
depends on the number of product lines we want to run. If we want to keep
importing our products, we can do that, or we can use our global expertise
in enhancing the complete range of products.
I- What about pricing? You haven't asked me for any numbers yet.
C- How are your products priced against competitors? I'm assuming they
must be higher, given that you import?
I- Yes, they're 15% higher than market.
C- That would also depend on product line and way of
operation....we...could...*cut in between*
I- Okay, do a quick valuation for me.
C- Umm, Sir, I have no idea about that. But, I'll still try. (tried to globe
around a bit)
I- Okay, I don't think you've studied it and we're short on time. Tell me
something, why did you keep referring to Black and Decker?
C- Sir, we'd done a case in Term 1 marketing on Black and Decker where
they were facing a problem with one of their product lines in a similar
manner. Hence, I remembered some details.
I- Oh, nice. Actually the client in this case was also Black and Decker when
they launched one of their sub brands in India.
Please state any questions that C- I think the India growth story will be driven by Start-Ups and SMEs, but
you may have asked at the end the stark reality is that they can't afford consultants even when they need
of the interview and the help. What is BCG's outlook on that?
response received I- said something about partners investing in start-ups in personal capacity
and BCG trying to set up an incubation centre.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Gaurav Srivastava, Partner
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / Your client is an apparel retail outlet (assume Shoppers Stop), and their
Guesstimate flagship store in Mumbai is facing declining sales. Help.
Complete Case Transcript I- Your client is an apparel retail outlet (assume Shoppers Stop), and their
(please try to be as descriptive flagship store in Mumbai is facing declining sales. Help.
as possible) C- Before I begin with my analysis, I would like to ask you some questions
about the client. How old is the client and where is the store?
I- Client is pretty old. Store is located in a posh area in Mumbai.
C- Is the store inside a mall or does it exist separately?
I- Inside a mall.
C- How long have you seen this trend of declining sales for?
I- Last 6 months.
C- What are the products? I mean categories, genders served, age groups
served, brands, etc.
I- So we have everything, we serve everyone, we have both outside brands
and our private label.
C- Have you been facing issues across any particular segment or is it
throughout the product range?
I- Across all products.
C- What is the competition like near the mall and inside it?
I- Within the mall there are other multi-brand stores like ours, and most
other brands that we have inside our mall also have their own outlets. There
are a couple of other malls in the area who operate in a similar way.
C- Are other malls and stores also facing this issue or is it something that is
restricted to you?
I- I don't think I have data on that, but it seems like its only me.
C- Can you tell me a little about your customers- age group, income group
and which area they come from?
I- You can assume any normal multi-brand store and the customers it gets.
Our customers mostly come from the area around the mall.
C- Okay, thank you, Sir. According to me a decline in sales can be a
function of two variables- 1) A reducing average bill amount of customers,
or, 2) A decline in the number of customers visiting the store. Do you want
me to look into any of these specifically at first?
I- No, begin wherever you like.
C- I'll begin with average bill amount per customer, then. I think this can be
because of two major reasons- 1) A change in the pricing of products or
discount cycle in the store, and, 2) A change in the stock that we keep.
Have we changed pricing or our discount cycles recently?
I- No, they've remained pretty much the same.
C- Okay, can you tell me a little about how the store is arranged in terms of
category?
I- We have three major sections- Men, Women and Children. These
sections are divided internally via brands.
C- Have we changed our stock of outside brands or private label recently?
I- Yes, we've been trying to increase our private label.
C- Did we do any analysis before deciding which brands or products to cut
down on or was it random?
I- We just increased the floor space of the private labels by reducing the
floor space of brands which were displayed next to it.
C- I think it looks like a potential reason to me.
I- Could be. Lets move to the other part.
C- Sure, Sir. At this point to check why the number of customers have
decreased, I'd like to map out a customer journey.
Mapped out *Need- Awareness- Availability- Accessibility- Experience-
Post Purchase*
Has there been a change in consumer need or demand?
I- No, people keep buying clothes.
C- Let's check awareness then. Have we changed our promotion methods?
I- No.
C- Have our competitors changed anything? Increased discounts? Or is
there a new competitor?
I- Yes, a new multi-brand store got launched in the mall that we're in and is
running an inaugural offer.
C- Seems like another reason. Let's move to accessibility, since we've already
covered the availability part in under average bill amount.
I- Okay.
C- Accessibility can be further divided into- accessibility to mall, accessibility
to store within mall.
Are there any disruptions on the way to the mall which could have increased
travel time or caused an obstruction?
I- No.
C- As we enter the mall are there any changes in the car parking system or
entry system which could have hampered footfall?
I- No.
C- Where is our store located in the mall?
I- On the third floor.
C- And are all the elevators and escalators working in perfect condition?
I- Well, the mall has been under renovation due to which some of the
elevators and escalators are dysfunctional.
C- Okay, that could have majorly affected footfall. Let's move on to
experience. Experience can come in two ways apart from products- store

ambience and facilities and the salespersons. Have we changed anything
within the store- lighting, ventilation which could have affected the
customer experience?
I- No, everything is pretty much the same.
C- Have we changed our salespersons? In terms of how they deal with
customers or approach them?
I- Yes, so recently we underwent mass hiring, and the new sales guys are still
undergoing training while on floor. So that could be a potential issue.
C- Okay, do you want me to explore this area further or should we move
on.
I- I think, we've pretty much discussed everything. Why don't you quickly
summarize the case for me with some recommendations?
*At this point I summarized the case first, by highlighting the overall
approach and the problems identified. I picked up recommendations after
that*
C- As for recommendations, lets move by picking up specific problems.
1) For increase in private label, I suggest that we do an analysis of which
brands sell more and which sell less, and accordingly cut down on brands or
their floor area.
2) As for the new competitor, let's increase the points we are offering via
our loyalty program, which can be redeemed later for discounts or a gift. In
this way we might manage to maintain our loyal customer base.
3) For the accessibility issue, there's nothing much we can do about it. In
the short term however, let's try talking to the mall authorities and make a
temporary path to our store and also if we can get a dedicated elevator for
our store. In the long run, let's look at installing private elevators within our
store.
4) As for the new sales people, let's use a model where three or four trainees
are placed under an experienced salesperson who shall act like a POC for a
particular area. This POC can monitor the trainees, give them live feedback
and step in when a customer needs something which a trainee isn't equipped
to handle.
I- Sounds good. Thanks a lot for your time.
Please state any questions that I- Do you have any questions for me?
you may have asked at the end C- No Sir, I cleared my doubts in the previous interview.
response received

Kamna Mittal
Undergraduate College & Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
University
Field of Graduation Business Administration
Work Experience - Companies N/A
months)
Work Experience - Domains N/A
Work Experience Duration N/A
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Gauav, Project Leader
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions The interview started with a short 'Tell Me About Yourself', which
immediately led to the case.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Client is a pharmaceutical company which has recently developed a blood
Guesstimate pressure drug. The problem is to estimate the price of the same.
Complete Case Transcript C - Asked all the clarifying questions about company, product, and market
(please try to be as descriptive I - The client is selling a generic drug, and currently there are no substitutes
as possible) to cure blood pressure.
C - There are basically three methods to price the product: cost based, value
based and competitor based.
I - Pharma companies usually don't follow cost based, so we can start with
competitor based and then move on to value based.
(Tried asking questions about the competitors and their prices, was told that
the objective isn't to come up with a number, but rather evaluate the
approach)
C- Asked questions pertaining to the industry. The differences between
generic and non-generic drugs for the customer and the business. Why will a
person choose a generic drug? Apart from cost, is there any difference?
I - Our client's generic drug is slightly better than other generic drugs, but
worse off than other non-generic ones. Is there anything else that the
company should include in the pricing decision?
C - Spoke about the costs of getting a doctor to prescribe our drug
compared to other drugs. This included costs of reaching the doctor, and
then inducing him to prescribe, like dinners etc.
I - Okay, this is great. Now let's discuss the value based method of pricing.
C - Spoke about pricing on the basis of cost associated with non-existence
of the drug. Asked questions pertaining to alternatives available to cure the
disease.
I - This is a lifestyle based disease, and there aren't any substitutes, so it's
largely dependent on costs associated with changing one's lifestyle.
C - Divided costs into actual and opportunity costs. Actual costs included
cost of exercising (yoga classes, gym membership etc), diet based (dietician,
healthy food etc) and medical (doctor appointments). Opportunity costs
involved income that is foregone by not being able to work.
I - Please elaborate on all and tell me verbally how you would estimate the
same.
C - Most people suffering from blood pressure problem will resort to
external help to solve the problem. So maybe he goes to classes 3 days in a
week, and the cost of the classes can be estimated, similarly for dietician and
healthy food. For opportunity cost, if the patient is suffering from this
disease, then it can be assumed that he will probably have to forego certain
number of hours' work to do the same. Hourly income can be estimated
and calculated.
Please state any questions that I was very interested in a particular sector, so asked for the interviewer's
you may have asked at the end frank opinion regarding the future of that sector, for BCG and other
of the interview and the consulting firms. This led to a ten minute conversation about the working
response received of the sector and BCG's outlook towards that sector. The discussion ended
with the interviewer comparing niche consulting firms working exclusively
in this domain with BCG.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Anuj Jaiswal, Principal
Designation

HR/Conversation Questions N/A
Case Problem Statement(s) / Client is a fruits and vegetables store in an affluent neighbourhood in
Guesstimate Mumbai. Its sales have been poor ever since inception 10 years back.
Complete Case Transcript C - Asked clarifying questions about what type of store it is, if there are
(please try to be as descriptive non-resident customers also etc
as possible) I - The store is like a spencer's, but only for fruits and vegetables, which also
delivers to people's doors. Customers are mainly residents.
C - There could be two reasons for low sales: either we're unable to provide
the product to people, or people don't want to purchase the product from
us.
I - I suppose it's a demand side problem, because we always have ready
availability of the fruits and vegetables.
C - Drew out a customer's journey to figure out that people aren't ordering
or walking into the store. Asked about e-commerce and other substitutes for
purchase.
I - There are movable stalls that sell these fruits in front of people's doors.
So people don't feel the need to come to our store or order from there.
What do you think we can do?
C - Spoke about keeping exotic fruits and vegetables, so people are forced
to come to our store to purchase these, since movable push carts rarely keep
the same.
I - Great, but is there any way to increase sales of vegetables like potatoes or
onions? Because those sales are what eventually drive profits.
C - Identified two techniques. One was bundling kiwis with potatoes so
people can buy both. And other was designing the shop floor in a manner
to ensure visibility of potatoes and onions, with kiwis at the back. So people
will purchase the same when they see them.
I - Great. Please summarise the case for me.
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for I froze for a second after hearing my first interview case, because I hadn't
the interview and the Day 0 done any pharma or pricing case before. But I remained calm, and ensured
that I kept asking questions and used logic. Enter the interview with a
mindset that you won't get a case similar to something you've done before;
it will help you to not get anxious and to include the interviewer in your
thought process.

Mehul Kothari
Undergraduate College & National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal
University
Field of Graduation Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Work Experience - Companies Morgan Stanley - 33 months
months)
Work Experience - Domains Information Technology
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Sushma, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me about yourself and a question on my Btech summer internship
Case Problem Statement(s) / Banking Industry - A bank deployed a sales force to sell Home Loan
Guesstimate policies, however that didn’t lead to an increase in revenues. Identify the
reason.
Complete Case Transcript Clarifying questions revealed that the Bank had set up a new Central
(please try to be as descriptive Processing Unit which reviews all the home loan applications submitted by
as possible) the sale force and scrutinizes and processes the applications diligently.
Issues: Sales force targeting brokers/real estate agents who weren't keen on
taking home loans/ conveying to the potential customers; Central
Processing Unit was doing an intensive scrutiny to flag the potential bad
debts due to which home loans processes successfully were low in count.
CPU's work also increased the turnaround time to process applications
Please state any questions that Questions about the Industry the partner was currently working in.
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Nishant, Principal
Designation
Case Problem Statement(s) / Retail Industry - Productivity of sales force had become stagnant- What can
Guesstimate be done to improve it.
Complete Case Transcript Frame the equation of productivity of the salesforce. I mentioned
(please try to be as descriptive output/cost i.e. (Sales by Salesforce / Salaries to salesforce). Further broke
as possible) the numerator to Customers Targeted* fraction of Customers convinced*
Revenue per customer.
Productivity of salesforce can be increased by generating ideas under each

head of the equation.
Greater reach, tie ups with retail stores, discount offers, sales force can use a
bike to minimize travel time, focus on high margin SKUs etc., were few
things mentioned by me.
Please state any questions that Questions about the Industry the principal was currently working in.
response received

Navneet Kaur
Undergraduate College & St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
University
Field of Graduation B. Com (Hons.) specialization in Finance and Accounting
months)
Work Experience Duration
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions I: Tell me about yourself.
C: I am Navneet Kaur. I was born in Ranchi and brought up in Jamshedpur.
I have studied in around 5 schools and I love interacting with people. I did
my graduation from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata in B.Com (Hons.). I have
always been interested in studying and that is something that I enjoy doing.
Hence, the gold medallist in college and the other awards. In college, I took
up other activities as well like being a part of Placement Cell and AIESEC. I
am also interested in social work and that is something I am passionate
about. I worked in an NGO as well. In my hobbies, I like reading, walking
and running.
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am an FMCG company. My productivity of sales person is going down. I
Guesstimate want you to help me optimize that.
Complete Case Transcript I: Are you familiar with the distribution channel of FMCG companies?
(please try to be as descriptive C: Not that clear. It will be better if you could tell me about it.
as possible) I: So, the company has sales persons. These sales person go to a certain
number of shops in a particular area in a week and try to sell as much as
they can to the retail shops there.
C: Okay. How do you define productivity per sales person?
I: sales/no. of sales person
C: This can be looked from two ways. We can either increase sales or reduce
the number of sales person, depending on the nature of work that they
perform.
I: Let's look at increasing sales. How do you plan to do that?
C: We will first look at the existing sales that these salesmen are doing and
then, try to figure out the loopholes in their actions. So, sales per sales
person is a function of the area they cover, the number of retail outlets they
cover per area, the average price of the product and the number of products
they can sell per outlet. We can try to increase any of these items to increase
sales per person. For example, a sales person can go to that area where there
are more number of retail outlets and cover all of that. That will minimize
the travel time of the person.
I: Okay. The sales person cover adequate area that they can. Keeping the
area and the retail outlets constant, how do you wish to increase the
productivity?
C: We can try to push more variety of products in the retail shops. Also, we
can try introducing higher priced products and try and push that in the
shops to increase our revenue from these shops.
I: If we keep the price of the goods constant, and the total quantity
constant, is there any way we can increase our sales?
C: Yes. We can introduce and change the SKU size of the product which
will be more acceptable to the customers and the retailers to keep.
I: Thank you. Your interview is over.
Please state any questions that C: Currently, what is the area of your project?
you may have asked at the end I: I work in the Consumer goods area and I handle similar issues like the
of the interview and the one I gave you. (Then he spoke about his current project)
response received
Interview 2
Designation

HR/Conversation Questions No HR questions. He was an alum of my undergraduate college and asked
me questions about my college and how much it has changed since he
graduated.
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am a store which keeps fresh fruits and vegetables. That is my only source
Guesstimate of revenue. My profits have been declining for the past 10 years. Help me
understand why and how can I get over this?
Complete Case Transcript C: Since you mentioned that the profits have been declining since 10 years,
(please try to be as descriptive have you done anything to improve the situation since then?
as possible) I: No. I am hiring you now to solve the problem.
C: Okay. I would like to ask some clarifying questions to understand your
organization in a batter manner before I start looking into the issue.
I: Sure. Ask me whatever you want.
C: How long have you been in this business. Where do you function? Is it a
standalone unit or do you have multiple units? What are the products that
you sell? What kind of customer base do you cater to? Who are your
competitors? (All of these were asked one by one.)
I: I have been in this business since 25 years. I function in a posh locality
like Salt Lake in Kolkata. I am a standalone unit and don’t have any other
units. I sell only 2 products: fresh fruits and vegetables. I cater to the basic
households of Salt Lake. My competitors are the vegetable and fruit vendors
that sell on the street. They have been growing their profits.
C: So, this is surely not an industry issue. This is an issue pertaining to your
organization. So, profits are a function of revenue and cost. Either your
revenue has decreased or your costs have increased.
I: My costs are the industry standard. Let's look at the revenue side.
C: The revenue is also a function of quantity and average price.
I: I charge as per industry standards. Let's look at the quantity side.
C: Okay. Quantity can be increased by differentiating your organization
from the local vendors. We can bring in some new products which these
vendors do not sell so that customers come to the shop.
I: So what do you suggest?
C: The local vendors don’t usually keep things like mushroom, kiwi etc. We
can introduce that and get the customers.
I: This seems like a nice idea. But then the customers would just come and
buy these products and go. The major profits come from the regular items.
How do I increase my revenue of that area?
C: We can place these products in the beginning and ensure that the
customers look at these products. Also, we can try bundling. As in, bundle
things like potatoes and onions with mushrooms and baby corn so that
customers buy these things together.
I; Excellent. Your interview is over.
response received

Nihit Gupta
Undergraduate College & BITS PILANI, Pilani Campus
University
Work Experience - Companies ZS Associates, The Boston Consulting Group
months)
Work Experience - Domains Analytics/Consulting
(Months)
Interview 1
Designation
Work Experience Questions What was your work at BCG? What was your role in the project?
Case Problem Statement(s) / My Bank has restructured the loan giving process but I am not able to
Guesstimate change the no. of loans. Identify the issues and suggest recommendations.
Complete Case Transcript C: Candidate, I : Interviewer
(please try to be as descriptive C: General Qualifying questions about Bank location, branches ,customer,
as possible) market etc.
I: Bank in Mumbai, Focus on one branch in a particular colony, Market:
People living in that colony, competitors: 2-3 more banks were present
C: what changes are we talking about in the loan giving process?
I: We made two major changes : 1) Introduction of sales force 2) Creation
of Central Processing Unit for loan disbursed
1-Earlier we were only advertising through newspaper and print ads but
now we have introduced on ground sales force who will meet the customers
at their home and pitch the loan products.
2- We have moved the processing of all home loans to a central location
from all the branches of our bank in the nearby areas.
C: Okay! I think the overall process can be classified under 4 major buckets.
1) Promotions 2) Application Process 3) KYC and other doc verification 4)
CIBIL Score Check, Collateral etc 5) Loan Disbursements
I: That's great! but for now focus on the promotions part
C: Okay! How many people are there in our sales force?
I: They are sufficient enough to cover the market
C: Are they qualified enough on the knowledge of the product?
I: Yes
C: Are they targeting the right people at right time . For ex: Meeting the
decision maker of the family at a convenient time?
I: Yes
C: Are they taking prior appointments?
I: Yes
C: Are the customers satisfied with the overall conversations?
I: Yes
C: Okay! So it seems there is no problem with sales force effectiveness. Am
I correct?
I: Yes
C: Now, I would like to know about our target customers.
I: Okay, GO ahead.
C: Whom are we currently targeting to ?
I: Households in that area
C: I think one of the major reasons for less number of loans is wrong
targeting of customers
I: How?
C: I believe as a consumer ( busy and less time available) , If I am looking to
buy a new house, I would definitely consult a property dealer and he will
play a major role in influencing what kind of loan I am taking. Thus, as a
bank we should be targeting property dealers and agents rather than only
focusing on the end customers.
I: Brilliant! That's great. Now move on to the next part of the case. What
do you think CPU has done to the overall loan disbursing process?
C: I think it has increased the overall ease of the process such as less time
taken in overall process, maintaining records has become easy.
I: Okay, focus on the problem statement and give me two KPIs on which

you want to measure the effectiveness of a employee working in CPU?
C: Amm.. it could be No. of loans process in a day and no of loans rejected?
I: Yeah! the answer is in one of the KPIs you mentioned.
C: No. of loans rejected?
I: yes! The CPU was following some stringent rules in processing loans and
we can relax some of them. Great job btw!
I: Thank You!
The interview ended with a little chat over BITS and BCG as the
interviewer was also a BITS Pilani alum.
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Anuj Khandelwal Partner
Designation
Work Experience Questions Tell me more about your team at BCG? Who was the partner?
Case Problem Statement(s) / I am a motorcycle manufacturer who wants to introduce motorcycle in
Guesstimate Nigeria. What can be done so that people in Nigeria purchase my bikes?
Complete Case Transcript C: Have we decided on Nigeria as a Market?
(please try to be as descriptive I: Yes
as possible) C: Okay! I would like to know more about the company. Where are we
located and what kind of bikes are we producing?
I: I am currently based out of India and I am producing bikes ranging from
100 to 150 cc and my prices are fairly competent.
C: Okay! I would like to know more about the market in Nigeria? What is
the intended use of bikes? Are they used only for personal purposes or
commercial as well?
I: The bikes in Nigeria are primarily used for as a cab for ex: UBER MOTO
and personal segment is very small say 10%.
C: Who all are my customers? Are there any cab aggregators?
I: No, there are no cab aggregators. consider individual bike drivers as your
customers.
C: Who are my competitors and what is their market share?
I: The market is dominated by Chinese players whose bikes are relatively
cheaper than us. There are 4-5 big players but all are Chinese.
C: Okay! How price sensitive are my end consumers? Can we increase the
cab fare rates?
I: No, they are very price sensitive. They use them for daily use and don't
want the price to increase.
C: (After thinking for 30 secs) I think it seems pretty difficult to enter the
Cab Market. I would like to explore the personal segment.
C: How can I differentiate my bikes from other bikes?
I: They are almost same.
C: Do we have the capacity to create a differentiating factor? for e.g., visual
appearance?
I: Yes , we have
C: Great! Then I think we can modify our bikes and give them a trendy look
because I feel as a consumer I would not like to buy a bike that looks like a
cab bike.
I: That's a very good point! What else? Let’s move to the cab segment back.
Think yourself as a cab driver. How can you maximise your revenues?
C: Revenues can be increased by increasing no. of trips and price.
I: Okay! We have already discussed about price. How would you increase
the no. of trips?
C: The no of trips can further be increased by 2 major bike features.
1) The pickup time
2) the top speed
I: Okay! good but I feel these are good for the hilly terrains in Nigeria. What
about plains where the major problem is of traffic congestion?
C: Can we increase the no of seats on the bike?
I: Great job! That's the suggestion I was looking for. Now, quickly
summarize the case
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Don’t panic, if you are stuck somewhere, ask the relevant questions. Its a
the interview and the Day 0 test of your patience in tense situations. Interviewers are really helpful and
they will give you direction wherever required.

Sanchit Jain
Undergraduate College & IIT Delhi
University
Field of Graduation Civil Engineering
Work Experience - Companies EY
months)
Work Experience - Domains Management Consulting
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Sinchan Mukherjee, Manager
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions Tell me something from your resume on which you want to focus on during
the interview.
Case Problem Statement(s) / 1. Tell me the three factors you would look at for increasing revenue of a
Guesstimate company.
2. A distressed port in South India is facing high interest costs. The
EBITDA is in line with similar ports but the PBT is negative. What
parameters would you look at to improve their situation?
Complete Case Transcript 1. Price, Quantity and product mix
(please try to be as descriptive 2. C- Asked him questions about the location and products handled and
as possible) asked him for numbers to get a better sense of EBITDA and Financial
costs. EBITDA was 1000 Cr. The port had taken a loan of 9000 Cr. at a rate
of 10% p.a. Suggested to look for alternate and cheaper financing options,
increasing the cargo ships berthed at the port and tieing-up with passenger
cruise companies for improving the overall utilization and hence revenue
generated from the port.
3. I- Do you know about the current situation at IL&FS?
C- I haven't read much about the case. I just know that there is some kind
of financial crisis going on and Uday Kotak has been appointed as the new
chairman of IL&FS.
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Partner at BCG
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions The partner happened to know the partner under whom I worked at EY
and we had a brief chat about him and the type of projects that I have done
at EY.
Case Problem Statement(s) / Bengal Govt. has approached BCG for suggesting a suitable price for the
Guesstimate ticket to Victoria terminal. What would you do?
Complete Case Transcript C- What is the current price of the ticket and what type of tickets do they
(please try to be as descriptive currently sell? What is the breakup of domestic and foreign customers ?
as possible) I- There is a single entry ticket priced at Re. 1. 2 Cr. people visit Victoria
terminal annually, out of which 60% are Indians. Total cost is 100 Cr.
annually while only 2 Cr. is generated in revenue.
C- Gave him options by which we can improve our revenue.
i. Differential ticket pricing for Indians and foreigners
ii. Providing guide services at additional cost
iii. Introducing an additional ticket to enter the museum area
iv. Increasing the entry ticket price for Indians from Re. 1 to Rs. 5. (Asked
him about general trend of prices charged for govt. run services like bus
facility)
v. Setting up food joints inside the campus and leasing those sites on an
annual fees basis
Finally was asked to estimate the revenues that could be generated when
these suggestions are implemented. I priced the services so that I would be
able to get a total revenue of more than 100 Cr. in order to service the cost
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Be confident. The way you talk and communicate your ideas is the most
the interview and the Day 0 important thing.

Nihar Aggarwal
Undergraduate College & IIT ROORKEE
University
Field of Graduation MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Work Experience - Companies i3 Consulting (18 months), Tata Motors (16 months)
months)
Work Experience - Domains Management Consulting, Private Equity, Auto Sector
(Months)
Interview 1
Interviewer Name and Sushma, Partner
Designation
HR/Conversation Questions 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why Consulting?
Work Experience Questions 1. A brief follow-up question on work experience at i3 Consulting and Tata
Motors from CV (She was going through my CV in the meanwhile)
Case Problem Statement(s) / Client is a large Indian car manufacturer who holds the largest market share
Guesstimate in terms of revenue. They are into car sales, service and spare parts sales. All
of the divisions are doing good. They want to protect their market share
going ahead. What should be the strategy?
Complete Case Transcript The partner was already seated inside the interview room. I entered later on
(please try to be as descriptive so didn’t get extra time for initial greetings before the case.
as possible) I. Client is a large Indian auto manufacturer who holds the largest market
share (revenue). They want to protect their market share. What should be the
strategy?
C. Sure. Please help me understand a bit about their business.
C. (After taking around 10 seconds to frame the questions) What all do they
manufacture and sell?
I. They primarily sell cars in budget and sub-premium segment (this is where
I understood their target customer segment as well)
C. What are their other revenue streams?
I. They are into Service and Spare part sales as well
C. Where are they geographically located and their current markets?
I. India; Sell pan-India; No exports
C. How much market share do they have? Degree of consolidation?
I. Around 40% market share. Assume that the rest is divided evenly among
4-5 other players.
C.Trend of their revenue and market share?
I. Largely in line with the industry growth rate, which is stagnating in our
sector now
C. Thanks. Let me reserve the rest of my questions and I'll ask them as we
move along the case. Does that work?
I. Yeah sure. Please go ahead.
C. Give me a few seconds to jot down my thoughts.
C. (After around half a minute) I can think of two broad ways to protect the
market share: a) Increasing penetration in current business b) Expansion to
new markets c) Launching new products d) New revenue streams
I. Nothing much can be done to increase penetration.
C. Do they export? If not, they can consider exporting
I. I understand export and new product launches part, tell me about the
additional revenue streams that you would propose in line with their current
business practice
C. I’d look at current revenue streams i.e., sales, service and spare parts, to
leverage the strengths. Suggested some lines of business along all the 3
existing lines of business while gauging their strengths around distribution
network, supplier partnerships, brand perception etc. on the go.
I. Great. Let’s end the case here. Do you have any questions for BCG?
C. Not as such. Thank you.
response received
Interview 2
Interviewer Name and Gaurav Srivastava, Project Leader
Designation

HR/Conversation Questions Brief chit-chat where he introduced himself
Case Problem Statement(s) / Insurance Sector company whose sales are declining
Guesstimate
Complete Case Transcript The interviewer walked with me to the interview room. Initiated a quick
(please try to be as descriptive conversation with him. Exchange of greetings and a small bit of laughter
as possible) broke the ice there.
I. Lets’ solve a case Nihar. Our client is an insurance company who is facing
a sales decline. Suggest some recommendations to help him.
C. Sure. (Confirmed the objective before starting off. Asked about the
meaning of sales. Was told that it is about number of policies sold in a year).
C. (Asked clarifying questions along the buckets of Client, Customer,
Competition and Products. Received the following piece of information:
Client:
- Operates PAN India
- Been operating for past 20 years; facing sales decline for past 3-4 years
Product:
- Sells complete range of insurance policies
- Consider similar to any other insurance company that you know of
Customer:
- There are relevant products pertaining to each demographic profile of
customers
- Distribution channels are online (minor contribution to sales), agents, 3rd
party points of sale like banks which sell our policies for commission to
customers who come to their banks for banking. (This is where I asked the
interviewer a few clarifying questions which gave away important insights.
Covering them below)
C. You mentioned banks as policy selling points for customers who are
come for loans. But there are policies like health insurance, vehicle insurance
etc. that you mentioned out client sells. Do we have such tailored
distribution channels for those policies as well?
I. No, we don’t.
C. That’s seems like an important factor to consider. I’d like to come back to
this point later in the case (Noted the insight on side margins of the page and
also subtly announced that I’m noting it down separately)
Competition:
- Other 3-4 national players who own market share equivalent to ours
- They are witnessing sustained growth in sales while we are the only ones
facing this issue
C. I think I have a fair bit of understanding about our client’s business here.
Let’s move with finding possible causes of their sales decline. I have a few
more questions which I’d reserve for respective sections of the case
I. Sure.
C. Please give me a few seconds to jot down my thoughts.
(Proceeded by mapping the customer journey)
Demand for insurance policy -> Awareness about us -> Preference for
buying from us -> Accessibility to buying -> Sales conversion process
C. What is the sales trend for overall industry?
I. The market size is growing and our competitors are also enjoying
increasing sales, only we are losing
C. Then let’s move on to the next link which is, awareness about us.
Effective communication has the following elements:
- Targeting right set of customers
- Right modes/ channels of communication
- Conveying appropriate message
Are our target set of customers aware of our products?
I. There’s no issue on awareness side
C. Sure. Let’s analyze customer preference now. Has demand for our
products have fallen in general?
I. Yes.
C. Sure. Let me chalk down various components affecting our products’
demand. Please give me a few seconds.
(After a few seconds, I drew the first line of structure on paper and next line
of structure in my head)
C. The demand is for our products would be a function of internal and
external factors. External factors would comprise of Competition,
Regulatory issues and social perception. Internal factors would be product,
pricing, service, brand value/ perception, Preferred distribution channels.
Similar factors would also be there under “Competition” bucket as well.
Product bucket includes product specifications/ terms, variety and quality
C. Are our product specifications and terms in-line with the competitors?
I. Actually our competitors have been innovating with their products while
we are not.
C. In that case it could pose an issue with respect to being relevant to
customer demands.
I. Fair point.
C. Should I analyze it further or move to other buckets?
I. No, let’s analyze other factors first.
C. Sure. Let me note this problem down separately
C. Variety: Do we have enough variety of products vis-à-vis our
competition?
I. This is also a problem related to product innovation.
C. Sure. We’ll analyze it separately then. Moving on to the product quality,

are customers raising any complaints with our existing set of products?
I. No. There is no problem with the existing ones after they are sold.
C. Moving on to the broader bucket of pricing, is it in line with our
competition?
I. Yes.
C. Brand value/ perception: How is our general brand perception in the
market. Specific to our case, the perception be pertaining ease of claims,
customer centricity among some of the factors.
I. Yes. Our loan claim percentage is lower than the competitors.
C. It can be a function of 2 factors: a) More number of ineligible customers
b) Internal policies and processes to keep claim ratio low
I. Yes, we face more number of ineligible customers when we receive the
claim requests.
C. In that case, do we conduct a due diligence their eligibility before selling
the policy? (I also mentioned one more point which I don’t remember,
which made the structure exhaustive)
I. No we don’t have a due diligence process unlike our competitors
C. Then this is the root cause of this issue here. I’ll note it down separately.
Moving on to the next bucket of preferred distribution channels¸ we already
discovered that our client doesn’t have selling points for policies such as
health insurance, car insurance etc. But let’s analyze the sales from existing
channels as well.
We can analyze it in light of following factors: 1) Distribution network
coverage 2) Selling capabilities 3) Selling motivation 4) Other supporting
factors.
Has there been any change to our distribution network’s coverage?
I. No, there has been no change as such.
C. Okay. Then, has their selling skills facing any noticeable decline?
I. No, they are all our old agents and selling partners
C. Considering selling motivation, what is our arrangement with the agents
and the bank sales partners?
I. Agents are like third party who work on commission basis with us. In
banks, there are bank employees who sell our policies and earn a percentage
out of it.
C. Do they sell exclusively our policies?
I. Agents do but bank partners can sell competitors’ policies as well
C. (Chalked down certain factors affecting selling motivation. Stating the
most important one here) Since there can be a commission margin based
competition among insurance players for banking partners, are our
commission margins lower than our competitors?
I. For agents, if you compare, they are similar to what competitors pay to
their agents. But for banks, they are offering higher margins.
C. Then this would certainly push them to sell our competitors’ products.
We should find a way to tackle this.
(Someone knocked on the door indicating we had consumed enough time)
I. (Laughing at the knock), now that we have discovered some of the
problem areas, please give me some recommendations.
C. Sure. Please give me a few seconds.
C. I’d share recommendations for each of the problem areas separately.
1) For product innovation, in short term, we should analyze at the
competitors’ products and derive learnings for near term launches. For long
term, we should form a product innovation team and build a mechanism for
KPI monitoring and adherence.
2) For due diligence of customers, we can either have an in-house team or

we can outsource it. Assuming that in-house capability development might
be costly and time taking, we should consider using services of some expert
due diligence partners.
3) Distribution network: Diversifying sales points to auto sales dealers,
hospitals, corporate offices etc. corresponding to each type of insurance
policy to ensure maximum customer coverage
4) For bankers’ incentive, matching the competitors’ commission margin is a
short term solution but not the sustainable one. We should include coin
other engagement programs for bankers like, in-kind or cash incentives on
achieving set targets, reward program while engaging their families too,
organizing award programs, inviting them to conferences over lunch/ dinner
etc.
I. Thank you Nihar. Let’s end the case here.
C. Thanks you Gaurav. Had a really great time
response received
Some tips (dos and don'ts) for Golden tips that I received from my seniors which really helped me:
the interview and the Day 0 1. Be confident and natural. No second thoughts about it
2. If losing confidence in the middle of the case, try and summarize your
analysis so far, it fetches you extra time to think, brings interviewer on the
same page and calms your nerves down
3. Case solving must be a conversation, not an interview
4. HR answers are particularly very important

2018
Finals Interview
Experiences
Accenture Management
Consulting
Name Rahul R Kamath
Graduation College BMS College of Engineering Branch Mechanical Engineering
Work Experience Schneider Electric (22m), Domain Manufacturing, Supply Chain
PGP Internship – Amazon (Operations-SC)
Interviewing Company Accenture Management Consulting
Interviewer 1 Not Sure - Senior Consultant (Not Partner)
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me about yourself.
Why Consulting?
Why Accenture?
Few CV based questions
Guesstimate of Electric Cars in India if a foreign manufacturer is to enter;
Interview Number - 1 Case
Implement Lean in a company that services elevators
Interview 1 case Transcript Approach followed as per MECE
Interviewer 2 Senior Consultant
Interview 2 HR Questions Lot of questions regarding Amazon and about cost optimization
Interview Number – 2 Case NA
Interview 2 case Transcript NA
Interviewer 3 Partner Round + Senior Consultant
Interview 3 HR Questions Why Accenture?
How Amazon can do well in future?
Why should Accenture hire you?
Interview Number – 3 Case None
Interview 3 case Transcript None
Any Remarks Prep for Why Accenture? and why you ?
Approach is more important in Accenture Case or guesstimates and not numbers
Name Shashwat Goel

Graduation College IIIT Delhi Branch -
Work Experience S&P Global Market Intelligence, Futures Domain IB, Consulting
First (18m); PGP Internship – Alvarez &
Marshal
Interviewer 1 Name: Bimag (Designation NA)
The client is a tech major. They have 3 verticals in which they are operational - Core solutions, Basic essentials
and Cloud. He is performing well in basics and cloud but has fallen behind in Core Solutions which was also
his cash-cow at one point of time. His F/B/I (Finance/Banking/Investing) arms are the key to revive the
Core Solns. business.
Come up with a comprehensive structure and help the client in over-coming this problem.
Interview 1 case Transcript -
Interviewer 2 Name: Shantanu (Senior Manager)
Interview 2 HR Questions 1. Tell me about yourself
2. Tell me in detail about your internship project - team's contribution and your contribution
3. How did you approach the problem and what was the solution you ultimately pitched to the client?
4. Are you comfortable with in-depth questions about the insurance industry now? (Asked because my
internship project was based on designing investment strategy for the client for investing in the insurance
sector of India)
My client is LIC which has 1200 branches in India. The CEO comes to you and says - 1000 branches are
Interview Number – 2 Case
performing well whereas 200 are not. Help me out.
Interview 2 case Transcript Lots of cross questioning with the evaluator on case facts and performance parameters.
Interviewer 3 Name: Krishnamurthy (Designation NA) and one more guy (can't recall the name)
Interview 3 HR Questions 1. Tell us something not on your CV
2. Now tell us something about yourself
3. You mentioned that you have won so many case competitions and quizzes but how will it help Accenture?
4. Why consulting and not investment banking when you are tailor made for it?
5. How will you justify joining a management consulting firm when your entire work ex is entirely in finance?
6. Work ex in finance. Specialisation in marketing. Internship and all these case comps speak of
consulting/strategy. You have been all over the place. What's your ultimate aim?
Any Remarks Do's - Read well about the firm, the role, the responsibilities involved and how will you prove to be an asset to
the company. You should be fully convinced yourself that the company requires you more than you require
them. Then all other conversational and spontaneous HR Q&A will be relatively easier and will sound
convincing.
Don'ts -
1. Don't be overconfident - These people have taken hundreds of interviews across various campuses and can
sense arrogance easily
2. Don't take them for a ride - These guys are domain experts in their respective industries/function groups.
Do not try to bluff with them. Your poker skills should be limited to your respective hostel rooms only
3. Don't be blank about your CV - Know your CV in and out. Even the name of that teacher with whom you
designed that random erupting volcano experiment in Grade 5 Science class should be at your fingertips
(provided it's written in your CV)
Remember: At the end of the day they are spending so much time and resources (monetary and otherwise) to
select/hire you. So don't go with a mindset that they have a preconceived bias and are hell bent on rejecting
you. Be prepared and make their job easier to extend an offer to you.
McKinsey & Co.

Name Sujit Emmanuel
Graduation College BITS Pilani Branch Mechanical Engineering
Work Experience Bain Capability Center (22m); PGP Domain Consulting
Internship – Accenture Strategy
Interviewing Company McKinsey & Co.
Interviewer 1 Malcolm (AP)
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me about yourself, Tell me about your work at BCC (talked a while about this), Are you tensed? What
activities have you been a part of on campus
I am a Biotech company planning to setup an R&D centre in India. I am planning to recruit a new batch.
What is the size of fresh talent produced by India every year which is available for me to hire?
Interview 1 case Transcript I- Please do ask any clarifying questions if you have any
C- Repeated the question, took little more context (understood he needed inexperienced people), identified
which streams to hire (Undergrad and Masters, without PhD). Also decided which are the relevant streams:
Bachelors in Biotech/ B. Pharma/ M, Pharma
*I took a minute to think and identify a structure
C- Started with a supply side approach, defining three types of colleges that one could hire from (Engineering,
BSc./MSc. colleges and Specific colleges for biotech). Asked the interviewer if this makes sense
I- Yes, that seems alright (Starts working on the laptop in the meanwhile)
C- Started working on the numbers, of number of colleges.
I- I don’t want you to take this approach. What are all the possible ways of doing this quick, I want innovative
answers
C- You could try Demand side, Supply side, Check on Linkedin, Look at the hiring numbers of similar firms
across India
I- try the demand side
C- Divided India population into rural, urban; removed bpl, put a split for people who go for graduation, the
split by age group, took 18-25 age group, divided their interest in to 3 (engineering 50%, Bsc 20%, biotech
specific-1%) then looked at percentage within each of these which have the relevant degrees. For engineering
took 1/10 as there are 10 courses generally offered, for bsc (took 5 basic sciences (bio one of it) and assumed
it has psycho, bio proper and biotech) hence took total 1/15, and total for pure biotech specific. Then divided
these numbers by number of years of these courses. Got a total number
I- had gone through each numbers. he adds, this number seems too high ? Are you sure
C- lets backcalculate. I assumed 30 states. Lets say we have 100 engineering colleges per state
I- It seems too high, rethink, say 50
C- Lets assume50 engg, 20 bsc, 1 pure biotech. Took approx batch sizes for each and came with the total.
Came with total of 1 lakh
I- Earlier you got 5 lakhs now you got 1 lakh. Which one do you agree with.
C- We could take an average or retest the assumptions in the first approach
I- That will be enough. We can end here
Interviewer 2 Ankur (Over VC, Partner)
Interview 2 HR Questions Introduced himself, asked how the earlier interview went, asked couple of questions about my work
experience (ended very quickly)
Multiple caselets. Asked me to be precise and said that he would move to the next question if he was satisfied
with the answer
Interview 2 case Transcript I- I have to improve the gross margin of a company and I cannot change the price or reduce the costs. How
can you do this?

C- Change the product mix
I - I have to improve the service level from 80% to 90%, Inventory days from 100 to 50, and Transportation
cost. Tell me two ideas which can improve all the metrics
C- Said technology and workforce training, he said its too generic and fits everywhere. Tried giving multiple
ideas, seemed to agree with one and the rest he left hanging
I- I have a truck fully packed with soaps and seated with a driver. He is currently in France and plans to follow
a straight line path to Zurich. I am a consultant who just noticed the situation and figured I can provide 20%
cost reduction, whats my idea?
C- Broke down all the variables into respective cost component that could come on the path and also the
packing fraction of the truck. Went through a lot of possible issues. A lot of different structures I tried to find
the issue, he kept asking for more ideas.
I- I am Haldirams Sales manager for North India and I have been asked to reduce the margin from 20% to
15% to Big Bazaar, how will I do this?
C- Again multiple ideas given (AMS classes helped here as Kumra Sir had talked a lot about Sales and
Distribution recently in class), he agreed with some, said 2% is still left. I will give you 1 more minute, its make
or break. *VC connection breaks, in the meanwhile desperately thinking of ideas. After 3 minutes connection
regains
C- Since I took more than the allotted time, let me give you 3 ideas.
I- Started laughing
C- Gave the three ideas and completed the interview.
I- Do you have any questions
C- Asked a question about his experience in CPG (he was ex-HUL, he later mentioned)
Interviewer 3 Vikas (Partner)
Interview 3 HR Questions You have a lot of consulting background, so why do you want to keep doing it ? Tell me more about your
work in Bain, If you are in charge of McKC, what are the three changes you will implement, Tell me an instant
where you worked in a team and created impact, Where do you think the Telecom sector (CV based) is
headed, If you are the CEO of Airtel then what will you do? Do you have any questions for me?
Interview Number – 3 Case NA (10-15 minutes of HR)
Any Remarks Be confident through the day, cases are simpler than what you practice for. Try to improvise through the
interview and keep your cool. This is what worked for me.
Name Aasrith Kandula

Graduation College NIT Warangal Branch Mechanical Engineering
Work Experience ITC, Omni RK - Operations (10m); PGP Domain Operations, Finance
Internship – HUL (Finance)
Interviewer 1 Ankur Modi, Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions Initial introductions and chit chat
I was walking in an Ice cream factory, I looked around and found out that I could cut costs by 20%, What did
I find? ; I had to setup a laundry powder factory, what would I look at? Fund arrangement?
Interview 1 case Transcript For the first question, have him a normal factory costs break-up; second question was a normal brainstorming
one.
Interviewer 2 Suvojoy Sengupta, Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions Introductions & HUL internship (Basic project description)
Interview Number – 2 Case How to motivate people to buy electric cars?
Interview 2 case Transcript Did a preliminary life cycle cost comparison. (Had to use Power = Voltage * Current !!), proposed what the
government can do (increase taxes on petrol etc.)
Interviewer 3 Malcom Gomes, Associate Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions Why McKinsey? (Was impressed !), What did you do at HUL? Some more chit chat
Any Remarks Making it conversational is the most important thing. You actually have some leeway in making a few
mistakes. You don't have to be perfect. The interviewers were very helpful.
Name Kumari Ankita
Graduation College BIT Mesra Branch Engineering-ECE
Work Experience TATA Steel (Operations-GenMan) (24m); Domain Operations, Supply Chain
PGP Internship – ITC (Supply Chain)

Interviewer 1 Suvajoy- Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions About Internship project in detail, impact of GST on logistics industry(detailed)
Interview Number - 1 Case Total logistics cost for India is about 12%, the government wants to bring it down
Interview 1 case Transcript Structuring+ Discussion about 1.) Causes of the issue 2.) Benchmarking 3.) Resolution Mechanism; Number+
logic driven case
Interviewer 2 Vikas: Pharma, Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions Sectors I follow, why consulting
Estimate size of the field force required to sell a new premium diabetic drug, mostly conversational, more
Interview Number – 2 Case about idea generation than numbers, was trying to gauge how you handle an industry you are not comfortable
with
Interviewer 3 Malcom Gomes, Associate Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions About previous interviews
A bank(selling insurance products) is facing operational issues with due diligence as most of it arises towards
the end of the month. How do you rationalize it
Interview 3 case Transcript 1.) Structuring about the causes of the problem 2.) How to resolve: both supply side and demand side. Wanted
3 big recommendations
Any Remarks Dos: Just be confident, none of the case interviews were in my comfort area, but confidence in each of the
rounds helped me. Structuring and idea generation are equally important. Both are tested in one or the other
interview. Doing a handful of cases just helps you tackle any case on that day.
Don'ts: Don't succumb to peer pressure in any regards, chalk out your own prep plan and follow it

Name Apurva Jha
Graduation College IIT Kharagpur Branch Economics
Work Experience Barclays (18m); PGP Internship – Citibank Domain Finance
Interviewing Company The Boston Consulting Group
Interviewer 1 Prateek, don't remember the designation
Interview 1 HR Questions NA
Client has a tractor assembly plant in India. They get all the parts from other parts of India but manufacture
Gear Boxes in the assembly plant. Now want to have one more manufacturing unit. Option1: Have the
additional unit in the existing plant in India. Option2: Establish a new unit in China. Which one would you
suggest?
Interview 1 case Transcript Asked a little basic questions and then moved ahead. Said that I would look into cost comparison for the two.
Divided into Fixed and Variable. He asked me to mention the components of both. After he was satisfied that
all the components were mentioned, he asked me to move ahead.
He gave me numbers for whichever component I asked. Then it became simple calculation problem. Answer
was China.
At the end, he also asked if there were some strategic factors to look upon. I structured that into 'people' and
'processes' and mentioned the costs under each and then also talked about the operational cost reduction in
the long run.
Interviewer 2 Vikas, Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions Why consult? What are some of the pitfalls of consult? One thing that you have done that you are very proud
of?
An 70 yr old guy who is the owner of an FMCG company want to open a new company in FMCG
Ecommerce space. Should he go for it or not?
Interview 2 case Transcript It was more about a conversation rather than pen-paper-solving and structuring. I did a basic level of
structuring to show the macro and micro factors to look at. He mentioned that all the Ecommerce businesses
are into losses. And as the size grows, they will make further losses.
I still went ahead into mentioning the products that could be offered. Here an interesting point came about
selling services. We discussed Alibaba and some other Ecommerce businesses like BigBasket. It was more
about a conversation.
Towards the end, he said he wanted an answer- yes or no.
I said yes and explained how the current networks of the company can be leveraged upon. "
Interviewer 3 NA
Any Remarks Keep smiling and keep calm. The interviewer is there to guide you through so don't worry about the outcome
of the case. Just keep an open mind and take a step back whenever you feel you are stuck.
Name Devesh Chincholikar

Graduation College IIT Roorkee Branch Eletrical Engg
Work Experience iRunway (10m); PGP Internship – HUL Domain Consulting, Marketing
Marketing

Interviewer 1 Project leader
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me about yourself, and some counter questions on why did I not chose to pursue an MS instead of an
MBA even after working extensively on tech projects
Interview Number - 1 Case An underground mining company wants to increase their productivity by 20%
Interview 1 case Transcript C: I would like to reiterate my understanding of the business. The client is in an underground mining business,
and wants to increase productivity by 20%.
I: Yes
C: Can I know what is the process of extracting, the output and what do we mean by productivity?
I: So, the client digs out underground mines, extracts ores, and by productivity, we mean the tonnage of ores
extracted per unit area
C: Can I know the customers of the client and the geography it operates in?
I: Irrelevant. I think you are not able to grasp this problem correctly. Is that right?
C: Yes, I am sorry but I am not able to understand how to narrow down this problem. Can you help me to
understand it more clearly?
I: Okay. I’ll walk you through the steps of this extraction problem. So the process takes place in 5 steps: Step
1,2,3,4,5
I: What do you think is the most crucial question for this problem?
C: I would like to know the time and labour required for each of these steps.
I: Good question. //Gave the information//
C: What time of day does the process operates, as in, do we operate in shifts?
I: So there are 3 shits of 8 hours each in a particular day.
C: Okay. So from the time you told me for each step, we can see there can be 3 iterations of the process in
one shift, and still x amount of time would be left. Is that correct?
I: Yes, but they also take around 60 min back and forth to travel till the mine location.
C: Alright. So, that makes it 2 shifts, and y amount of time still left. Can I know what do labors do during this
free period.
I: They just chill out. How would you approach this case?
C: So, productivity can be increased when we either reduce the time required to extract a fixed tonnage of ore,
or we decrease the cost associated with the extraction, i.e. either by reducing the labor or using technology.
I: Okay. I would like you to focus on the time aspect only.
C: Can I just take a minute to jot down my thoughts.
I: Sure.
C: So, I will like to divide the time of process in two parts: One when the process, i.e. the 5 steps take place,
and one when the process doesn’t take place. Then, I would try to reduce the amount of time for both the
categories. If I try to improve process time, it may lead to a reduction in the left over time after 2 iterations,
and we can try to fit in another iteration. While, we can try to reduce the free time by doing a few process in
the leftover time, so that the next shift workers could just take it up from there.
I: Okay. Reducing the time of actual process doesn’t seem feasible, since it would involve changing the cycle
time of each process. Why don’t you suggest me some measures to use the non-process time more
productively? Also, by how much do you think the productivity rise, if we make them work in the free time.
C: Okay. //Did some calculations, made a mistake, but the interviewer guided me, and helped me understand
that just by using that time effectively, the productivity can rise by 16%//. I would like to understand why the
labors are not using that time productively right now?
C: Since, the labors are already skilled in doing that process, it may be because, they are lacking motivation in
terms of incentives. Can I know ho does the client pay them?
I: Let’s say they are paid per unit coal extracted.
C: Ah! They are not doing it because since doing partial steps won’t extract any further coal, and they wouldn’t
be paid anything for the work they would perform in the free time.
I: Exactly! What do you suggest the client do?
C: Would you like me to suggest some specific HR policies for incentivizing the labors to start performing
step no. 1,2 in the free time, so that the next shift takes on there.
I: Yes.
C: Just give me a minute.
C: So, we can divide the HR policies into two categories: Hard and Soft.
I: The client is interested in knowing the hard policies.
C: I can see two things: 1. Linking the salary/incentives to the time spent in doing operations instead of
digging out the ore. 2. Linking not doing work with their job security. Also, I would also like to know how we
monitor the work performed by our labors currently. Do we have CCTV cameras, or it is only monitored by
the next batch of workers?
I: The latter one. We would only know if they worked in the free time, if the next batch of workers tell us so.
C: The first suggestion may result in an overall loss of productivity, so we’ll have to think a middle ground.
Can I know how would tweaking their salary structure a bit would entail any reaction from the workers.
I: Why would that be?
C: They may be a part of the union, and making some changes might cause problems.
I: Okay.
C: Would you like me to list a few more options to implement this?
I: No, I think that’ll be it. Don’t worry, it was a tough problem. Any questions?
C: It looks like a real life problem. How did you approach this case?
I: Haha! Sorry we are short of time. Why don’t you brainstorm till the evening and we will discuss it if we
meet?
C: Okay! Thank you.
Interviewer 2 Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions Started with the case immediately. After the case ended, asked about the work as VM in MV. Also, asked
about interest in music and performances in 3.4

Interview Number – 2 Case The client needs to set-up a new gear manufacturing plant. Needs to compare China vs. India
Interview 2 case Transcript I: Our client is a COO of an automotive factory based in Karnataka. They have a manufacturing plant with
different set-ups for producing gear, wheels etc. They want to ramp up their production of gears. There are
two ways to do it – first is to just set-up another unit in the existing factory, and second is to set-up one
factory unit separately in China owing to the low costs there. The COO wants to meet us for discussing this
matter. What would be the key points you’d like to bring in the discussion. Also remember, the client would
like the analysis to be backed up by numbers.
C: Alright! May I know why does the client needs to ramp up the gear production?
I: It is primarily because of an increase in Demand.
C: The way I would like to proceed for this case is by first understanding the costs involved in producing a
gear, comparing them for both India and China, and ultimately discuss some risks of setting up a unit in
China. Does that sound fine?
I: Okay. Where do you want to start?
C: Can you please walk me through the value chain of producing a gear?
C: Based on my understanding, I can divide the costs in these brackets: Raw materials, Storage and
Transportation, Processing, Storage and Transportation, and finally delivery to the assembling unit. Do you
think I am missing something?
I: No, that is correct.
C: I will now enumerate the costs inside specific buckets.
// Just kept on asking cost points on various aspects, like raw material mix, cost of setting up a unit in India
vs. in China, transportation cost from China, custom duties, storage costs etc.
C: Now, I would like to create a table and calculate the total costs for producing gear in both the countries.
I: Go Ahead.
C: So, it looks like China has a significant cost advantage with respect to India in production of gears. This
advantage is mainly driven by 3 factors: x,y, and z.
I: What do you recommend?
C: Based on the cost assessment, China would me the preferred location. However, I would also like to
analyze if there can be any risks associated with the entry.
I: Sure. Go ahead.
C: There can be mainly 3 kinds of risks: Political/legal risks pertaining to the FDI regulations of the country,
Technological risks since China is pretty infamous for IP infringement and we may have a proprietary gear
production set-up, and social risk because the labor setting may be different for both the nations.
I: Do you think there may be positive aspect associated with the entry?
C: Yes, I think the labor aspect would be positive, as in India we have unionized labor, and in China we may
get a more preferable contractual labor setting.
I: Alright. I think we can stop here.
Interview 3 HR Questions Started the interview with Why Consulting, and Why BCG?
1) Asked a guesstimate on the total number of sunglasses sold in India 2) A salesman who sells Kinley bottles
is not able to increases sales, what would you recommend?
Interview 3 case Transcript Basic framework used. Not much discussion on numbers, simply saw my approach, and asked how would I
collect usage data?
For the salesman case:

I: Our client is a salesman who sells Kinley bottles to retail stores. He hasn’t been able to increase the number
of bottles sold and has come to us for a recommendation. What would you tell him?
C: May I know since when have the sales been constant, and how long has he been in the business?
I: He is 35 years in the business, and the sales have been constant for more than a year.
C: May I know how many bottles is he currently able to sell? And how much has the competitor salesman
been selling?
I: He’s able to sell 3 cartons every week. While, he has been stagnant at that number for some time now, his
competitors have been increasing their sales.
C: I would like to proceed in this case by first, analyzing if the sales can be increased through the current
number of retailers, or if not, can we increase the number of retailers in the given territory?
I: Sure. How would you do that?
C: May I know how is Kinley, as a brand performing w.r.t. to its competitors in terms of promotional aspects?
I: The brand has high mindshare and is the industry’s top brand.
C: Has there been a change in pricing with Kinley, not reflected by the competitor brands?
I: No, there hasn’t been any.
C: Has our retailers been able to sell all the bottles they buy from the salesman in a given week?
I: Yes
C: Have they increased their intake from other competitor salesman?
I: No, they have kept it the same.
C: It looks to me that we have already exhausted the maximum amount of bottle we can sell to existing
retailers – given that there’s no increase in demand expected from the customer side on the stores we cater to.
So, I would like to explore if we could start targeting more retailers.
I: Currently, the salesman spends all of his time in visiting the existing stores. How will you do that?
C: We can think of measures to reduce the time/store, or increase the total time he spends working?
I: How can he reduce the time/store?
C: As you tell that the salesman has been in the service for so many years, I think we can assume 1) he already
has a fair idea of the requirement of existing retailers 2) the relationship is strong
I: Yes
C: A few ideas that I can think of: 1) Reducing the frequency of visit to the existing stores 2) using mobile
phones to take the orders rather than physical visit 3) Directly sending the fixed requirement rather than
taking orders each time
I: Okay. I think I have understood your approach to the problem. We can end the discussion here.
Any Remarks -
Name Cebin P Sebastian

Graduation College IIT Madras Branch B Tech Engineering Physics
Work Experience HCL Healthcare (16m); PGP Internship - Domain Finance
Standard Chartered Bank
Interviewer 1 -
Interview 1 HR Questions Comments on weather and gen chit chat.
Take me through your CV quickly?
Why a gap of 2 years?
Why civil services?
Client is a oral care FMCG who want to increase its sales force productivity. How will you help ?
Interview 1 case Transcript C - May I know more about the company - what are its products and geography of operation?
I - It produces typical oral care products like toothpastes and brushes it has presence across India.
C - What sort of price range are we currently in? Can I know more about the size and market share?
I - Clients have products across price range. The market share is not relevant for this.
C - How does the sales force operate now? What is the composition of sales force?
I - Sales force is organized geographically. Typical sales guy would be a 10th or 12th pass out earning ~20k per
month.
C - How is productivity defined?
I - It is total sales upon number of sales persons
C- Can I take some time in organizing my thought
I - Sure
C- I would look at in 3 segments (draws) - Ability, Motivation & Opportunity
I - I dont think this is the right approach. Can you come up with a mathematical formula?
C - (after some thought) How does the sales guy operate typically?
I - He would visiting shops in allocated areas and make sales like you see in a typical FMCG model.
C- (after some time) Productivity = avg. number of shops visited * conversion into sales * avg. sales per
converted customers
I - Okay. Can you suggest 3 measures in each of the three categories?
C - In the first bucket - we can provide better transport facility
I - You are planning to reduce time between visits?
C - Yes. Also we can increase the working hours or increase coverage area of a sales person.
I - Okay. Increasing the work hours would help
C- We can reduce the time spent in shops. This can be through support through collateral or neat packaging
to optimize time spent in a shop....We can also help sales persons to locate stores better by route optimization
via a mobile application
I - Okay.. lets move to next bucket..
C- To increase the conversion % we can provide marketing support with attractive offers and as campaigns.
This includes volume discounts as well as ATL and BTL campaigns. Also, we can provide training to the sales
force.
I - Okay, Lets move to the last bucket without wasting time.
C- To increase the sales, sales skills may be developed through training programs.
I - What can sales guy do to increase volume? Think in terms of demand side...
C - (time) He can push for better shelf space to increase visibility; this can be complimented by marketing
support given to them.
I - I think we have covered most of the points...
Interviewer 2 -
Interview 2 HR Questions Your CV looks like a fin CV. Do you want to go into consulting?
What other shortlists do you have?
What was your work in HCL Healthcare?
What was my internship project?
Client is a Tractor manufacturer who has a assembly facility in India. Gear boxes are currently manufactured
Interview Number – 2 Case in a plant inside the facility. This plant is experiencing capacity constraints. CFO wants you to evaluate two
proposals - 1 to build second plant inside the facility; 2. build a plant in China were raw material costs are less.
Interview 2 case Transcript I - How will you start the analysis?
C- We can use the NPV analysis along with certain qualitative parameters...
I - Okay lets proceed with NPV
C - What would be the expected production from the plant?
I - 5000 units per year
C - What is the plant life?
I - 5 years
C - What are the raw material used along with costs?
I - three raw materials - with Indian price given with chinese prices as x% lower than indian prices ( per unit
of gear box)
C - Details of capital investment costs - Plant building & land etc. in China?
I - numbers given
C - What about the human resource, other operational and overhead costs?
I - Gives the numbers for China and gives Indian values as x% lower than China's
C - WHat would be the cost of capital for the company?
I - Assume it to be zero for the analysis.
C - I think I have enough information to analyse.
I - Are you sure. Arent you missing something?
C- (time) Shipment costs of transporting costs to India.
I - Yes. What all costs would it include?
C - packing; transport to port; duties/charges at port; shipment cost; duties at landing; transport to facility;
final processing or assembly if any
I - gives the combined value per gear box
C - calculates the NPV and makes a minor error; pointed out by interviewer
C- from NPV it is clear that Chinese option is better
I - Okay. Looks good. What other factors will you consider?
C - Exchange rate risk is a major factor - so there will be a hedging cost; Political and regulatory restrictions in
both campanies along with tax implications. Perhanps more importantly the raw material costs might rise in
China
I - Okay. What else?
C - Management capacity to operate the plant in China; Time to set up operations etc.
I - All of these are negatives. What are the advantages of the strategy?
C - We are testing waters with the project in China. If things are good we can shift complete manufacturing to
China.
Interviewer 3 -
Interview 3 HR Questions We look for a thread in a CV. In your case, you seem to jump a lot.
Why choose this path?
Why didnt you continue preparing for civil services?
You will be 28 when you join. Many in your age will be at a higher level. How ill you deal with it?
Our client is a energy company who went into connected home segment in US. They want to enter India; can
Interview Number – 3 Case you help them with market sizing
Interview 3 case Transcript C - questions on connected device & motives of entering India.
I - it is similar to a wifi hub with devices connected to it. Plug and play style.
They want to increase the sales as well as profit
C - Price range in US?
I - $xx
C - Do they have a price range in mind?
I - You have to help them with pricing
C - We can start by finding the target segment size in India.
I - GO ahead
C - Divides population (no. of families) on basis of income and geography.
I - These individuals can pay for the product. But what will be target group?
C - (time) If we look at the product value - it is suited for people living busy lives. Where time and comfort
would be valued more. Certain level of comfort with technology and education can be assumed in this
segment.
I - Okay. How will you identify them?
C - We can go by occupation category and this would be concentrated in urban areas to start with
I - Okay. How will you determine the initial demand?
C - It will depend on the pricing. DO we have any price range in mind?
I - No. How will you help the client?
C - There are three pricing strategies - value based, cost plus and competition based. We might have to go for
first one as this is a new product.
I - But how will you find the price elasticity of demand?
C - initial assessment can be done through similar product adaption rate. We may look at smart watch for
example and see how many in the target segment purchased in the first year.
I - Okay
C - We may also do a survey to find the price range and then do a price skimming strategy.
I - Okay
Any Remarks Take time in answering questions and be clear in communication.

Draw neat diagrams and structures
Just be confident and be yourself
Name Preetham Krishna

Graduation College IIT Bhubaneswar Branch Strategy, Marketing at IIM L
Work Experience GrabTheSport (startup), Cognizant Domain Consulting
Analytics (21m); PGP Internship – AT
Kearney
Interview 1 HR Questions Quick Introduction

Case 1: Client is a private player in the tourism industry. They handle end to end operations of any renowned
monument/ heritage places. They are top players in the US and Europe market. They want to enter India.
Recently, they saw an advertisement by the Government in the newspaper inviting bids for the Victoria
Memorial in Kolkata. The client wants to know if should they enter India and if yes, should they bid for this
place/ not.
Case 2: How do you determine the number of business travelers entering in Delhi on a typical day. Give me a
number
Interview 1 case Transcript Case 1: Understood basic objectives of the case and about the client through initial questions. Divided
solution into 3 parts. 1) Objective and target of the client 2) Should they enter India/ not 3) If Yes, should
they go for this specific bid.
I calculated how much can they bid and what is the revenues they get and the B.E time among other
operational and functional abilities.
Finally concluded that the client can bid for this project for xx /- provided they have yy, zz capabilities.
Case 2: This is a fairly simple guesstimate
Interviewer 2 Varun Boppana and Project Leader

Case 3: My client is a hedge fund owner. Recently American express claimed that they would increase the
market share in India by more than 50%. Client wants to know if that's possible. If yes, how are they doing it
and can that be replicated?
Case 4: My client is into steel manufacturing business. They manufacture a specialty steel. A new competitor
entered into this space who provides good quality of steel with lower price. What should the client do?
Interview 2 case Transcript Case 3: Interview started by interviewer asking my specialization. Having understood that I don’t have a
Finance specialization, the interviewer started the case with a Hedge fund player.
Another number intense case. Calculated the revenues and estimated if that claim is possible/ not. Found
reasons for the advantages and suggested what the client can do.
Case 4: I jolted down various things that the client can do and basis the discussion suggested the most
possible one. One of the scenarios under 4th level of tree came the possibility of collaborating with the
competitor and manufacturing their parts in our production facilities (we have ability to manufacture more)
and take a cut on that. Interviewer was satisfied for this answer.
Interviewer 3 Sumit Sarawgi and Partner

Interview 3 HR Questions Interview started with ~15 min HR. The partner who interviewed worked at A.T. Kearney prior (I didn’t
know this during the interview). So, he asked many questions about my intern experience, projects I worked
and the people of the firm. He asked many internal things of the firm and bombarded with multiple questions.
I maintained my calm and answered all the questions. He seemed satisfied and so I expected an easy case.
Client is in the telecom space. They came up with a new product using which the customers can consume
unlimited data per day. How should they price it. The current offering is priced at 200/- per month for 60 GB
(limit of 2 GB per day) and much more data was given
Interview 3 case Transcript This was one of the most difficult case of the day. In the start, I was given so much data and was asked to
finish the case in 10 mins. Post the initial questions, I started with Cost + premium pricing method upon
confirming with the interviewer. I jolted down many ways of finding the cost, but the interviewer rejected
every one of them. During our way back to the hall, something clicked and I explained the solution and the
cost that the client can charge. We were standing and discussing the solution outside the interview room and
somehow this time the interviewer liked the solution and appreciated the same.
Any Remarks Dos: Being confident is the key. Maintain your calm all throughout the interview and be ready to expect any
new thing. I had 3 number intense cases (this may be due to my prior experience in analytics). Haven't
expected this based on previous interview experiences of people. All the best :)
Name Avinav Singla

Graduation College Branch Computer Science
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Work Experience DE Shaw & Co (23m); PGP Internship – Domain IT, Wealth Management
Avendus Capital
Interviewer 1 Varun Bopanna, Project Leader
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me about yourself?
Interview Number - 1 Case Our Client is a coal mining company. They are facing some operational issues, help them out.
Interview 1 case Transcript C - Clarifying questions about company background, scale of operations etc.
I - All of that information is irrelevant. Focus on the operations.
C - Can you a brief idea about the operational details of mining?
I - Sure, there are two types of mining normally used: open cast and excavation based. Our client follows
excavation method. Under this method, a hole is dug vertically and at each level there are horizontal rows
from which excavation is done (was explained with the help of a diagram). There are three major processes,
cleaning and planting dynamite sticks, blasting and loading the coal in elevators and sending it up towards the
surface.
C - How is the labor organized?
I - Good question, labor works in shift of 8 hours and within their shift they do all the activities mentioned
above.
C - How are their incentives (or variable pay) decided?
I - The variable pay is linked to the amount of coal excavated in a day. And, it is given to the shift that does
excavation, not all shifts.
Here, after some unstructured discussion, it was identified that some shifts were wasting time, because they
were not getting paid for the intermediary work. Therefore, the solution was to change the existing variable
pay structure and link it to all shifts, not only the shifts which does excavation.
Interviewer 2 Principal
Interview Number – 2 Case Estimate the entry ticket prize for Imambara?
Interview 2 case Transcript C - Details about Imambara? Why do people visit?
I - Oh, you haven't been to Imambara?
C - No, sir.
I - Which city do you come from? Take any tourist place from that city?
C - Yes sir, I come from Chandigarh. Can I do it for Rock Gardens?
I - Yes, sure.
C - There could be three approaches to pricing the ticket. Competitive, Cost and Value Pricing. Since Rock
Garden has hardly any competition in Chandigarh, therefore it is not valid here. Coming to Value pricing,
visiting Rock Garden is not really an aspirational experience, so Value Pricing is also not valid. In my opinion,
Cost based pricing is the most appropriate method here. Sir, should I go ahead with Cost based pricing?
I - I think you are right here. Go ahead with the cost based pricing.
C - Listed down various sources of cost and revenue.
I - I am only interested in maintenance costs, and revenue from tickets.
C - Sure sir. Listed down various sources of cost in maintenance (repair, security, gardening etc.) and
calculated the annual cost by taking and verifying estimates.
I - Good. Go ahead with the revenue calculations.
C - Tried to estimate number of tourists by estimating number of tourists visiting Chandigarh and then taking
percentages.
I - Is there an easier way to estimate number of tourists? Probably by number of window tickets?
C - Definitely sir, assuming no online tickets. Estimated number of tourists using number of window tickets
and average time to issue a ticket.
I - Good, so how much does the ticket price come about?
C - It comes around to be Rs. 6. The original ticket is around Rs. 10. By adjusting a few numbers, we can get
there.
I - No need. It was a good effort, well done. Any questions for me?
C - In this changing world of consulting, what keeps do we need to possess to have a successful consulting
career?
I - Definitely the world of consulting is changing with the coming up of digital. Bu at the core of it, consulting
is mainly about problem solving and that's one skill you definitely need to possess.
C - Thank you sir, that will be all.
Interviewer 3 Sumit, Partner

Interview 3 HR Questions Why consulting? Tell me about yourself?
Our client is a US based Home Automation company. They want to launch their Home Automation Solutions
in India. How do you estimate the market size of a product that doesn't even exist?
Interview 3 case Transcript Again, this was a more discussion based rather than an actual structured problem solving scenario.
C - Clarifying questions about product, company etc.

I - Gave a few answers. In general, the info was irrelevant and he wanted me to focus on the approach of
estimating the market size.
C - Gave general ideas about we could look at other such high tech novel products to decide on the probable
market size. Also, we could look at market size in two ways: short-term and long-term. In the short-term, only
'innovators' segment of the population would be interested while in the long term 'early adopters' or 'early
majority' of the population would also be interested. (from technology adoption graph)
I - Sure, and how would you decide on the price of such a product?
C - Sir, there are three methods of pricing: Competitive, Cost and Value. In this case, I think value pricing is
most appropriate. And, we could estimate the price in terms of value it provides to customers by estimating
the opportunity cost.
I - I think that approach is fine enough.
The last two conversation happened while walking, and the interview got over as soon as the interviewer
reached their room.
Any Remarks -

2017
Summer Interview
Experiences
HR Questions asked by Companies during Summer Interviews 2017
Accenture Management Consulting
• Tell me about yourself.
• Why MBA?
• Why IIM Lucknow?
• What are your learnings from IIM Lucknow?
• Why Consulting?
• Why Accenture?
• What do you know about Accenture Management Consulting?
• Tell me something that is not on your CV.
• Tell me an instance where you have failed in your life.
• How will you react when a consulting assignment that you were a part of doesn't achieve the desired outcome?
• Strengths, Weaknesses
• What are your hobbies?
• Sell yourself to me? Why should I hire you?
• Which subjects do you want to study here in your second year?
• What do you prefer, doing everything, with not much depth or doing only a few things, with clarity?
What drives you in life?
• Detailed discussion about points mentioned in CV and your learnings from it
• Detailed discussion about previous work experience and your learnings from it
Alvarez & Marsal

• Why MBA?
• What are your learnings from IIM Lucknow?
• Why Consulting?
• What do you bring to the table?
• About work experience
• Why consulting after business tax (to a CA)
• What are you expecting from here (A&M)
• Why A&M?
Deloitte
• Tell me something that’s not on your CV.

• Where are you from?
• Questions on Work Experience
• Questions based on unconventional points on the CV
• What have been some of your failures?
• Does the candidate regret any decision?
MasterCard Advisors
• Introduce yourself
• Why consulting?
• What do you know about MasterCard and MasterCard advisors?
• Why MasterCard Advisors?
• Why did you leave your job in less than 1 year time and not wait for MBA?
• Discussion on interest in extra-curricular activities
McKinsey & Company

• Why consulting?
• Why McKinsey?
• Walk me through your CV.
• What career path do you see for yourself?
• Your CV tells me what you have done. Tell me who you are.
• What is most interesting part of your CV?
• Tell me a situation in which you solved a major challenge & how did you go about it.
• Tell me a situation in which you handled a conflict & convinced someone.
• Who was your previous interviewer and how was your interview experience?
• Do you have any questions for me?
• Discussions on your hobbies
• Discussions about your leadership roles
• Detailed discussion about points mentioned in CV and your learnings from it
• Detailed discussion about previous work experience and your learnings from it

• Why MBA?
• Why not finance?
• What does your current company do?
• What did you do at your current company?
• Some questions around family background
• What do you think about the engineering services industry in general (work-ex related)?
• Who will be more valuable in the near future - techies or MBAs? Why?
• Do you have any questions for me?
• Why was my college CGPA low?
• He had worked at EY before, so he asked me a lot of questions about EY - my partner, how did I find the work,
where did I work out of and other stuff.
• What did I do in the placement team (at an IIT)?
• Tell me about the work you do at Enactus.
• What is your passion?
• Why switch from research in Quantum Computing and AI to consulting?
• Experience working with BCG?
• Discussion about high school

Consulting
Name Vivek Gala
Graduation College R.A. Podar College (Mumbai Branch Commerce
University)
Work Experience Tata Teleservices Ltd. (21m) , Godrej Domain Finance
Consumer Products Ltd. (6m)
Interviewer 1 Panel 4 – CN
Why Consulting?
Why Accenture?
Few CV based questions
Interview Number - 1 Case Not given
Interviewer 2 Panel 3 – CN
Interview 2 HR Questions Few HR based
A CEO of a coffin manufacturing co. which is situated on an island city comes to you. He want to
increase his revenues.
Interview 2 case Transcript Me - Size, operations of the co. , market share?
Int - Gave data... (3 players... one is old and one is new apart from the client)
Me - Okay..so now we need to increase the revenues. We can do that majorly in two ways.. either
increase in qty of units sold or increase in Selling Price.
Int - Interesting.. Go on!
Me - Firstly, to increase the price - I understand prices can be increased if the demand is inelastic or
if there is any differentiation in the product offering.
Secondly, for increasing the quantity, you can toggle around the product, place of operations
(check for new markets) and promotion.
Int - Ok.
Me - Product offering can be enhanced. The market share needs to be increased. Int - how will u
enhance it?
Me - One can provide complimentary services (like providing a priest)
Int - Ok.. Think also in terms of enhancing the product. Material, Design etc?
Me - Yes, the product can be improved by using better quality of wood, having unique
designs/shapes, could have some spaces for floral decoration etc.
Int - Fair enough... Go on..
Me - Apart from Product, new markets can be captured. It's a island city so might be difficult to
enter a new market with competitive prices, but can compete on the different product offering
Int - Ok..
Me - Promotions... err!?
Int - Yes, Promotions...
Me - It would not be appropriate to promote the coffins but one could have a mention of the logo
etc. in the obituaries of the clients. Besides, one can tie-up with morgues, hospitals etc. to push our
coffins.
Int - Ok. Good. how about E-commerce. Do you think it is a good idea?
Me - E-commerce could also work but it would be for people who want to pre-book the coffin for
themselves. E-commerce cannot fulfill the immediate requirements on a death ocurred.
Int - Okay Good.
Interviewer 3 Dr. Krishna, Director
Interview 3 HR Questions What do you think about outsourcing?
What are the factors you would keep in mind before consulting someone to outsource?
What parts of Finance functions can you outsource?
Any Remarks

Name Darshana Mukherjee
Graduation College BITS Pilani, Goa Campus Branch B.E EEE
Work Experience Tredence Analytics, [24]7.ai (Total- Domain Analytics, Software Development
34M)
Interviewer 1 Manish
Interview 1 HR Questions TMAY, Technologies that I have worked on - how comfortable I am with those, detail discussion
about my previous work ex
Discuss about the current status of retail in India and future of Amazon in particular in next 2
Interview Number - 1 Case years. Factors to be considered to open a grocery retailer like Big Bazaar in a city - where would
you open such a store
Interview 1 case Transcript There were a lot of questions on the retail sector in India as I had previous work ex in this industry
of US. Reading IBEF helped. They were strategic questions but I could state facts which worked
for me. My answer to the Amazon question was looking at the demographics and consumer
behaviour of India - 2 years is a very short duration for it to capture the whole market (internet
penetration, rural population, trust issues etc.). Open a grocery retail in metro and Tier 1 cities
before penetrating the rest of India. I listed down attributes looked for while buying/selling
groceries (freshness, supplies, price) and a typical retail customer (working population, relatively
lesser price sensitive). Quality and price are prime factors as we intake these and use on a daily
basis. Local vendors dominate the smaller towns/cities and form a strong bond/trust with the
households. Therefore, start with metro, make a name, build trust and then venture into smaller
cities.
Interviewer 2 NA
Interview 2 HR Questions TMAY, Mess committee strength and functions, questions on my TMAY, questions on my work in
the retail space, what do you know about AMC
What are the typical problems faced by a big retailer? Take Pantaloons as an example, assume it
Interview Number – 2 Case only sells clothes; what could be the reasons it approaches AMC for consultation? How can it
expand - challenges and a lot of cross-questioning here.
Interview 2 case Transcript This was a very long round with the interviewer questioning every word I wrote. I started off with
citing operational challenges/metrics because I had a background in that but he asked me to look
at broader problems. He helped by asking leading questions in some areas. I had to explain why
cannot it open a grocery store or why not under the same banner (house of brands vs branded
house) - why retailers keep the grocery section in a separate floor. Can sell accessories, shoes etc to
improve market share/increase sales/attract customers. Asked me to draw the profit structure and
give all possible ways to improve profit. Drew value chain in the cost branch (was asked how and
where can we reduce costs in each node). Gave options to increase revenue/customer (bulk
discount, bundling, cash and carry model) and # of customers(marketing, ancillary products) in the
revenue branch. Was asked about ways to market - ATL, BTL.
Interviewer 3 Krishna Murty – Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions TMAY, Speak on demonetisation (as I have been associated with Toastmasters), something not in
my CV, what other shortlists do I have
Any Remarks They put a lot of stress on TMAY. They had a multiple pages form where they would write the
pros and cons of the candidate. People with work-ex should know their CV and past
work/industry thoroughly. They gave a very detailed open-ended case in the second round and
kept building on it by figuring out your weaknesses. TMAY helped me as I was able to steer the
interviews towards my work-ex. Friendly panel.

Name Divyasree
Graduation College IITM Branch BTech Metallurgical Engineering
Work Experience Ola (16M) Domain Program Management (operations)
Interviewer 1 NA
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me about yourself; Why Ola?; Asked more questions about the exact work I did while at Ola
(from resume)
Interview Number - 1 Case Guesstimate - Milk consumed in Bangalore in a day
Interviewer 2 NA
Interview 2 HR Questions Tell me about yourself; Work ex based questions; Why Consulting?
Interview Number – 2 Case (Work ex based) What according to you should be the basis of cab allocation in Ola ?
Interviewer 3 Krishna
Interview 3 HR Questions Why consulting? Tell me an instance where you have failed in your life?
Not exactly a case. How will you react when a consulting assignment that you were a part of
doesn't achieve the desired outcome?
Interviewer 4
Interview 4 HR Questions Completely HR. Strengths, Weaknesses, Learnings from IIM Lucknow, etc
Interview Number –4 Case No case
Any Remarks Apart from the last round, all other rounds were heavily based on resume and work ex.
Name Kanika Vashisht

Graduation College Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Branch Business Studies (Finance Specialization)
Studies
Work Experience Axis Risk Consulting Services Pvt Ltd Domain Process Risk Consulting
(26M)
Interviewer 1 NA
2. From my CV, I was asked about my work experience in brief. The interviewer asked me to
explain a couple of my projects related to vendor management.
3. Questioned about my social initiatives- association with Teach for India and an acid attack
survivor rehabilitation organization
4. Questions about diploma in music (CV point)
Interview Number - 1 Case Guesstimate the number of passenger airplanes in India
Interview 1 case Transcript I approached the guesstimate from the demand side with Delhi airport as a point of reference.
Segmented the population based on age, income levels, flyers, flying frequency and so on. At the
end, the interviewer asked me if my approach was right since I had missed out on one age group-
children. He then asked me to discuss the problem from a supply side (oral discussion) and in the
end asked which was a better approach- demand side or supply side.
Interviewer 2 Manish Kumar Rai, Senior Principal
2. Work experience related questions were asked in more detail
Interview Number – 2 Case In the procurement to pay (P2P) process of an automobile giant, how would you reduce costs
Interview 2 case Transcript I charted out the P2P process of a typical automobile giant- starting from purchase requisition to
final payment made to the vendor. As asked, I also incorporated the vendor selection and on-
boarding steps. The interviewer wanted me to give practical examples from my past work
experience where costs could be reduced. For instance, vendor screening costs and man hours
could be reduced if the client would skip the first two steps of the screening process for vendors
that were present in the global database of the company and were approved by other sister
companies.
Interviewer 3 Dr Krishna Murthy, MD
Interview 3 HR Questions 1. Asked about an internship project which was mentioned on the CV
2. Questions about general hobbies and music
3. Important learning from Teach for India
I am a US telecom giant and am one of the market leaders. The market in US is saturated and I
have decided to acquire a telecom operator in Mexico. All the operational synergies are taken care

of but now I need to convince my board. Help me in designing a pitch for the upcoming board
meeting and come up with some out of the box ideas.
Interview 3 case Transcript This was not a case per se but he just wanted me to come up with points that I would like to
include in my pitch. I segregated my points into 3 broad buckets- workforce diversity, global
presence/ footprint and others where I included all the points mentioned by him in his problem
statement. He asked me to focus on the first two buckets and had a qualitative discussion on the
same.
Any Remarks
Name ANWER CM
Graduation College NIT Calicut Branch Mechanical Engineering
Work Experience L&T Valves (3 Years); Hindware Kerala Domain Senior Engineer- International Sales &
distributor (1 Year) Marketing; Manager - Kerala Sales
Interviewer 1 Round 1
Interview 1 HR Questions 1. " Its written in your CV that you were leading a team of 7 sales people, tell me about your
learnigs during that period"
2. "Your CV doesn't contain any sports activity or any other extracurricular activity, why? what
were you doing during your UG days, you had a lot of free time no?"
3. "So you generated 40 Lac Rs for your UG project, tell me how did you do it?"
4. " Why consulting?"
5. "How did you resolve the conflict between the Senior management and distributor, what you
think helped you do it successfully?"
1. Estimate the market market size of Hindware's faucets in a new state
2. Forecast the crude oil price for the next 1 year?
Interview 1 case Transcript 1.
A: Estimate the market market size of Hindware in a new state
Me: Ok, Which state are we considering?
A: Take any new state to which Hindware want to enter
Me: Ok, we are already into all the Indian states, Can I proceed with a hypothetical situation, taking
the population of the state to be X?
A: Ya that will be alright
Me: Alright, Please allow me to take 1 minute to put this together
A: Sure
Me: (Wrote the answer in the sheet and explained to him) - Population -> APL & BPL -> No of
households (Avg. 4 Memeber) -> Product replaced once in 10years -> Average billing per
household 1 Lac Rs - > Correcting factor for new houses, Assumed no two houses per family ->
Extremely brand Loyal customers of Jaguar/Other brands -> Market outside of housing (Hotels,
Businesses and other facilities etc..) 25% of house hold market
2. A: "Lets do another one - Forecast the oil price for the next one year"
Me: Looked at the interviewer and smiled at him, he smiled back. " Sir this one is indeed very
interesting"
A: "Alright go ahead. I am happy that you liked it"
Me:
Now there are a lot of ifs and buts there, i would like to stick to the recent phenomenons alone
There are couple of important aspects which need to be kept in mind:
Regarding Saudi Aramco -

(a) Their cost of production is around $8 a barrel and their crude is sweat with minimal H2S
content (Further reduces the cost of refining and transportation).
If H2S content is low then it can be transported through WCB pipes which is basically cheap steel
and if H2S content is high then you would require alloys like Inconel which increases the cost by
around 10 times. Whereas the shale gas production cost is around $40-45 and it is sour gas which
makes the processing costly. I have reviewed the present reserves of ARAMCO and they are not
running out of oil anytime soon.
So it is highly likely that they will have a big say in setting the oil price. Everyone
(Competition/Other countries) say that they are in a good position but the truth is everyone is
scared an they should be.
Now lets look at what they did after dropping the bomb. These are the things that i observed:
1. ARAMCO Put hold on every project (Including JAZAN- Which is particularly interesting)
2. Announced two projects (Both of them Gas projects) - Hasbah and Fadhili
3. Started awarding projects to Chinese EPCs
4. Extreme cost cutting measures
5. Chief of ARAMCO was inducted into the ministry (Prior to rolling out the strategy)
6. Invited all of its vendors to set up factory in Saudi Arabia. We all got invitation to do so and they
offered to cover the additional cost by giving us premium
Now another interesting thing happened - King Salman appeared on the National television and
told his people that he is setting up a 1 trillion dollar wealth fund for ensuring sustained growth in
the future and to achieve independence from oil income. And at the same time its important to
note that their foreign reserves had depleted considerably and they are also stressed
So it would be safe to assume that it is highly likely that they will act rationally at least in the
foreseeable future (They are trying to list ARAMCO Subsidiaries) and hence my conclusion would
be that it is highly likely that the oil price will steadily go up unless the usually known other factors
cause any fluctuations
Interviewer 2 Dr. Krishna
Interview 2 HR Questions 1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Sell yourself to me? Why should I hire you?
3. What are your strengths and don't give me the nice sweat answers that you have prepared for the
interview
1. Estimate the market size of filtered cigarettes in India
Interview Number – 2 Case 2. A telecom operator presently operating in US want to enter the Mexico market? what should he
consider?
Interview 2 case Transcript 1. A: Do you smoke?
Me: No sir
A: What is this man? why not?...... Alright, estimate the filtered cigarette market in India
Me: Sir, filtered cigarette is the normal cigarette stick which cost around 15 Rs right?
A: Its the cigarette with a filter at the end
Me: Alright , May I take 1 minute to analyse this?
A: Oh please please....., take 3 minutes...
Me: I drew the diagram in the paper and then explained
population-> APL/BPL-> Male/Female-> Age-> Intensity (No of cigarettes per day)
2. A telecom operator presently operating in US want to enter the Mexico market? what should he
consider?
Me: Could you please explain the exact nateure of business they are into?
A: You can consider that they are into all the telecom related businesses
(When I started asking further questions he interrupted)
A: Tell me two reasons why he should enter the market which you will never see in any of the
frameworks that you have ever seen in your entire life
Me: Ok, that's interesting. It is a business reason or other reasons?
A: Of course business reasons
(I told him around 7 points)
Me: One of them you said is very close to what I want, Keep trying
(After a while i ran out of sensible points and then stopped). I looked at him and smiled and he
smiled back after a while
Interviewer 3 No 3rd round
Interview 3 HR Questions No 3rd Round
Interview Number – 3 Case No 3rd round
Any Remarks I believe that getting trained on "body language signal interpretations" will help

Name ANUBHA GUPTA
Graduation College Delhi Technological University Branch Mathematics & Computing Engineering
Work Experience Deloitte Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. Domain Technology Consulting
(22M)
Interviewer 1 I1 (Manager)
Interview 1 HR Questions 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. What did you do at Deloitte? 3. There was a particular line in my
work-ex about IOT , he was really interested in knowing about that.
There is a manufacturing firm with two plants in a country. Both have the same capacity. One is
Interview Number - 1 Case doing really well, Other is not doing so well. Give me three ways to increase the overall sales by the
two manufacturing plants.
Interview 1 case Transcript I was not allowed to ask any questions. Only had to make three recommendations.
- try to understand what is it that our competitors are doing better than us. and see if we can
incorporate the same.
- cater to a new geography with existing product line
-diversify our product line to cater to new market segments
Interviewer 2 I2 (Partner)
Interview 2 HR Questions Tell me something about yourself which is not there in your CV. Why MBA? Why IIM Lucknow?
Which subjects do you want to study here in your second year?
I am planning to start a new hair salon business in Gurgaon. Suggest feasibility and how should i
go about doing it .
Interview 2 case Transcript N.A.
Interviewer 3 I3 (Partner) - Telephonic interview
Interview 3 HR Questions 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Some detailed questions about Deloitte (As he also had a prior work-
ex at Deloitte). 3. What do I prefer, doing everything, with not much depth or doing only a few
things, with clarity? 4. Why MBA? 5. What drives you in life?
Interview Number – 3 Case Estimate the number of passengers arriving at Lucknow airport on any given day.

Alvarez & Marsal
Name Sahil Shah

Graduation College Jai Hind College, Mumbai Branch Commerce
Work Experience EY, Ashwin Shah & Associates (Total- Domain Business Tax
25M)
Interviewing Company Jai Hind College, Mumbai
Interviewer 1 Commerce
Interview 1 HR Questions EY, Ashwin Shah & Associates
Interview Number - 1 Case Business Tax
Interview 1 case Transcript 25
Interviewer 2 Alvarez & Marsal
Interview 2 HR Questions Manager
About work ex
Interview Number – 2 Case why consulting after business tax
what are you expecting here
Interview 2 case Transcript Guesstimate the number of medium size cups being consumed in Lucknow on a yearly basis
Interviewer 3 Broke the kind of users into age groups, further broke each age group into uses on a daily basis.
Covered colleges like IIML on a separate basis. IMP: Do not forget to cover party use of medium
size cups
Interview 3 HR Questions Suman, Director
Why AnM?
Why consulting
Interview 3 case Transcript Europe based auto player also exporting in China and South East Asia want to come to India.
Open to any entry. Analyse India..industry..demand potential..mode of entry and geographies to be
targeted
Interviewer 4 Background check on the co.
where are they operating, how old, what type of car, price range, competitor scenes, popularity in
India.
Used Pestel to analyse India as a conducive country, then covered the industry specifically using
Ansoff matrix. In term of mode of entry, broke it into immediate options like exporting, licensing
technology, franchises and longer term options like Mna, JVs, setting up facility.
Interview 4 HR Questions Rishav, Director
Tell me about yourself
Interview Number – 4 Case Why AnM
what do you bring to the table
Interview 4 case Transcript 1. Profit and sales given. Ask only one question and tell me how to decide to invest or not
Ans- ask capita employed for ROCE
2. how many tennis balls to fit in an airplane
3. How to decide whether to enter fragmented market or consolidated
I am a snacks manufacturer, local brand. Help me understand which market to enter.
4. I'm a mall provider. Help me decide whether to set up mall on highway
5. Pepsi type co. Wants to do dairy in India. Analyse and help to decide
I am a long standing co with stagnant profit margins at 15 % for 3 years. Other are either at 20 or
breakeven. Help me improve.
Any Remarks

Deloitte
Name Nitin Govind C
Graduation College Govt. Model Engineering College Branch Computer Science
Work Experience Mu Sigma (22M) Domain Analytics
Interviewing Company Deloitte
Interviewer 1 Sharmishta, Guesstimate round
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me something that's not on the CV. Where are you from?
Interview Number - 1 Case Find out the number of people awake in your hometown at 3 A.M.
Interview 1 case Transcript Segmented into four age groups. Divided the age groups into occupations: students, newspaper
publishers, policemen, security personnel, railway employees, metro construction workers, doctors,
nurses. Interviewer aided once or twice but only for course correction.
Gave a number using a top-down approach. Asked what percentage of total city percentage was
the final number. Knowing the population of my hometown helped.
Interview over. Estimated time: 15 minutes
Interviewer 2 Vamsi Case Round
Interview 2 HR Questions A few questions on work ex. Type of analysis I did at Mu Sigma.
Merger & Acquisition case. Two pharma companies, one based in the U.S. and the other based in
Sweden.
Interview 2 case Transcript Different core competencies and operate in different markets. Aim was to analyse the synergies
between the two companies.
Analysed various cost synergies and revenue synergies. Broke down different products and markets
of both companies. Looked to cut costs and improve revenues for new entity. Interviewers asked
follow-up questions based on candidate’s answers. There were 3 follow-up questions in total.
Was offered water in between the case. If offered, its suggested you accept it. It gave some extra
time to think about the case.
Finally asked for an executive summary. Do practice giving executive summaries of cases you
practice. Comes in handy when they ask to summarise the work done in 2 minutes or less.
Asked if candidate had any questions. Questioned what are the implications of new Visa norms on
Deloitte, and how it affects our chances of travelling.
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Interviewer 3 Sudeep Krishna, Sr. Director
Interview 3 HR Questions Casual conversation. Started off from the CV, Naval Academy, Mu Sigma, Make A Difference.
Picked out a few incidents from CV, asked what were some failures. Specifically asked if candidate
regretted any decision. This round attempted to understand if the candidate was a good fit for the
organisation.
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Any Remarks I felt that one pointer that worked for me was being a good listener at the interview. When they
course-corrected me, I listened to them completely and tried to understand their approach. I
further questioned them on the approach they suggested.

Mastercard Advisors
Name Sourav Kumar Agarwal
Graduation College Hans Raj College Branch Commerce
Work Experience Boston Consulting Group (11M) Domain Consulting
Interviewing Company MasterCard Advisors
Interviewer 1 Senior Consultant
Interview 1 HR Questions Introduce Yourself?
Why Consulting?
What do you know about Mastercard and Mastercard Advisors?
Interview Number - 1 Case Client is a POS manufacturer looking to enter into an African country. Help
Interview 1 case Transcript I:Interviewer; M:Me;
I: Case given
M: Basic Clarifying questions about the case, regarding competition, non-cash transactions
currently, etc. Took a minute to think after that.
I presented a basic market entry structure and started to list down the parameters to be used while
making the decision
I: Gave some quantifiable values to each of the parameters and asked me to calculate the total
market size.
M: I was fairly quick at this and did the calculations in about 15 seconds.
I: How much as a new entrant occupy of this total market share and give the break between the
existing demand and new demand that we would be capturing.
M: Again some heavy calculations, which was handled effectively.
I: Any questions you have for us?
M: Some random globe.
I: Thanks!
Interviewer 2 Senior HR Manager
Interview 2 HR Questions Introduce yourself.
Why consulting?
Why Mastercard Advisors?
Why did you leave your job in less than 1 year time and not wait for MBA?
Detailed discussion on work at BCG?
Given a couple of real work life situation and asked to tackle them by showing a structural
approach.
Co-curricular interested in. Discussion about stand-up comedy industry(I had mentioned this as
one of my interests during discussion) and renowned comedians and why?
Interviewer 3 Manish, Partner
Interview Number – 3 Case Guesstimate the number of tea cups drunk in India in a year?
Any Remarks

McKinsey & Company

Name PVS Anurag
Graduation College IIT Gandhinagar Branch Mechanical Engineering
Work Experience ZS Associates (12M) Domain Analytics
Interviewing Company McKinsey & Company
Interviewer 1 Kunwar Singh – Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions 1. What was your JEE rank? 2. Tell me about yourself 3. Why McKinsey?
Interview Number - 1 Case A bank has approached you for resolution of a non-performing asset. How will you approach this?
Interview 1 case Transcript I - Tell me a few questions that you would like to ask the banker
C - I would begin by understanding the asset in greater detail. Then look at the degrading performance of
the asset over time (financial details included), the measures taken by the management to turn it around,
the measures taken by the bank to stop it from turning into an NPA, the other competitors in the asset's
industry are doing.
I - Okay, the asset is a steel plant. The way this works is after surveying the asset, they would invite bids
and then the process would follow. What all the options the bank has?
C - The bank has two options - 1. Get out of the business after taking a haircut (or whatever scrap value
is after the asset sale) 2. Convert the debt into equity (Retain minority stake and onboard a new investor)
I - What are the factors that you will look for in an investor?
C - 2 factors - 1. Nature of management - Whether it is already in the core business (steel) or it is a
financial institution. We would also assess the commitment of the management towards the turnaround
2. Turnaround Plan - Do a cost benefit analysis of the proposal at hand. Look at certain parameters to
evaluate the investment like
I - Good, Thank you. Since we are out of time, I would not be able to take questions. I think you would
already have asked any questions to your buddies
Interviewer 2 Suveer Sinha – Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions 1. Tell me about yourself 2. How often do you get a chance to do planespotting in India (mentioned as
non CV hobby in introduction) 3. Tell me about your analysis after planespotting? 4. Who do you think
among Boeing and Airbus will emerge the winner in long run? 5. Do you know the market shares of
Boeing and Airbus?
Interview Number – 2 Case We are working on the Pune smart city initiative. How will you improve mobility?
Interview 2 case Transcript C - Mobility can be looked under two broad heads - Public and Private. In public, we can look at bus
(BRTS and Regular) and rail (metro). In private, we can look at cars (self and cabs) and others like autos
etc.
I - Lets focus on cars. Why do you think the travel time between 2 points A and B has doubled over last
few decades?
C - Congestion on roads would be leading to an increase in travel time. Congestion is possible through
various sources - 1. Increase in total cars 2. Deteriorating condition of roads (Both quality and quantity)
3. Improper traffic management systems (Cops, Traffic signals)
I - Why do you think the number of cars would increase?
C - Two possible reasons - 1. Growth in self driven cars - Rising income levels and increasing population
2. Growth in commercial cab services - Rise in demand for cab services and presence of taxi aggregators
I - What changes would you recommend to the mayor to improvise the situation?
C - Short Term - 1. Increase use of public transport by ensuring proper operations of the existing
capacity 2. Introduce temporary legal restrictions through schemes like the Odd-Even option to reduce
traffic during some peak seasons
Long Term - 1. Invest in increased public transport capacity 2. Promote car pooling as significant
alternative 3. Optimize urban planning so that residential areas are found near all business locations, thus
reducing the need for long distance travel
I - Good, Thank you!
Interviewer 3 Rajat Dhawan - Senior Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Tell me something about your Caltech experience - How, Why, What
learning you had? 3. Tell me something about your work at ZS. What projects you worked on? How did
it help you?
Interview Number – 3 Case NA. Only HR Round.

Name Megha Aggarwal
Graduation College Shri Ram College of Commerce Branch B.com Hons
Work Experience United Airlines (11M) Domain Finance, Internal Consulting
Interviewer 1 Rajat Dhawan- Senior Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions Chitchatted about how I was doing and how the day was
Asked me to walk him through my cv
Asked pointed questions whenever he found something interesting
(Eg My United Airlines work experience
Smart cities and smart transportation on which I'd written a paper
How I could score 100/100 in economics and from there what are the new current trends in the
indian economy and what I think about how the government is doing on the economy)
Then what career path do I see for myself?
Why consulting?
And if I had any questions for him and from there another conversation ensued.
Interview Number - 1 Case NA- only HR
Interviewer 2 Kunwar Singh- Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions Tell me about yourself
Where are you from?
Interview Number – 2 Case A bank has approached you for resolution of a non-performing asset. How will you approach this?
Interview 2 case Transcript Interviewer- So have you heard about the new policies coming around resolving NPAs?
Me- No.
I- That's okay, A bank has approached you for resolution of a non-performing asset. How will you
approach this?
Me- Okay, so to understand the problem better, what kind of NPA is this and what is the bank's
objective?
I- The bank wants to sell its loan on a steel NPA and has invited bids for the same. How would we
go about evaluating those bids?
Me- There are several approaches the bank can take. One, for instance, is evaluating WHO is
bidding i.e. is it an HNI, a VC/PE firm (that may have prior experience with turning around such
assets), another steel firm looking to acquire assets etc. and then look at their liquidity, profitability
etc.
I- What else do you think you can look at?
Me- We can obviously look at the amount of each bid and in what form are they bidding- is it cash,
equity in their firm, equity in the asset, cash + equity or any other such form.
I- Do you think they will provide equity in their own firm to the bank?
Me- Okay, that may not be an option- they have better options to offer, with lower risk.
I- What would be the risks associated with offering equity?
Me- Dilution of stake, threat of control and takeover, interference in day to day working etc.
I- Okay, sounds good. Do you have any questions for me?
Me- *had a lot of things to talk about, this went on for quite a long time, with several knocks on
the door*
Interviewer 3 Misha Pratap- Associate Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions He said let's jump straight to cases, I've been asked to refrain from chitchatting.
1st- About payment banks and how do we make a profitability model for them.
Interview Number – 3 Case 2nd- About a painting he owned that he wanted to give to Christie's, London and what reserve
price should Christie's keep for it.
Interview 3 case Transcript I- Do you know what are payment banks?
Me- Yes, like PayTM...
I- Yes, good, so imagine PayTM. How will you make a profitability model for them?
Me- Okay, so for this I'll look at the revenues and costs for the bank.
I- What are revenues for a payments bank? Like regular banks, they cannot invest your money
elsewhere. And they can also not lend this money. So two major sources of revenues for banks are
out of the question.
Me- They can charge their partner merchants some amount for each transaction done through
them, they also generate huge amount of transaction data which can be sold to companies who
may value such data, say insurance companies...
I- Okay, leave this, let's do another case. I have a painting. I want to give it to Christie's, London.
What reserve price should Christie's keep for it?
Me- Who is your painting by and what is its subject?
I- A relatively unknown artist, depicts a house of a madman who did not allow people around his
house.
Me- How much did you buy it for? What is it's make?
I- I found it in my attic. It's a simple oil painting, has a frame and a back sheet.
Me- What's special about this painting?

I- This green thing you see here (he was pointing to the bulletin board) on the painting, it is quite
rare. Not available now. Should I sell just the structure, or the entire painting? Should I cut the
structure in 4 parts and sell it?
Me- But if your painting is of a subject that is unique, there might be value...
I- Oh that was just a madman's house. Just because he didn't allow people to paint it doesn't mean
anybody was actually interested in it.
Me- Okay, but cutting the structure into 4 parts, means your frame will be useless.
I- That's okay though. Okay good, do you have any questions for me?
Me- *had things to talk about as I knew his background, this went on for quite a while*
Any Remarks What worked well for me was communication, confidence, presence and the ability to engage the
interviewer in interesting conversations. The interviewers were all senior people from the industry
and had many experiences to share- just waiting for me to ask the right questions.
Name Harsh Gandhi

Graduation College Narsee Monjee College of Commerce Branch Commerce / Chartered Accountant
and Economics / Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India
Work Experience Articleship at Lovelock & Lewes (PwC Domain Assurance
Network Firm) (36M Internship)
Interviewer 1 Dr. Karan Narang – Principal
Interview 1 HR Questions 1) Your CV tells me what you have done. Tell me who you are. (At this point, I mentioned about
my interest in World War II)
2) Tell me the 2 crucial points where the Axis Powers lost the WW II (Stalingrad/Leningrad and
Attack on USA)
3) Do you think the air attack on Great Britain was not a turning point? Do you know what
happened?
4) What are your sources of the WW II? What documentaries have you watched?
5) You said your hobby is reading. Tell me which are the top 3 non-fiction books you would
recommend to me. (Recommended a blend of 3 books - This Time is Different by Carmen
Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff (Finance), Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
(Psychology and Self-help) and Mein Kampf - the autobiography of Adolf Hitler (Strategy and
Leadership))
6) Tell me the 3 best attributes you could derive about Hitler and relate it to the BIO course you
have studied at IIM L. Tell me the 3 things that you want to pick up from Hitler's vision.
Interview Number - 1 Case Estimate the size of the marriage industry in India
Interview 1 case Transcript Assumed the marriage industry to derive its main business from 1st time weddings. I divided the
population of India by age and then decided the marriageable age as 21-30. Assumed the
population in this age group to be 30 crore people. Then I assumed that I would take a weighted
average age wise with highest weights to the age groups 21-24. The interviewer asked me to use a
simpler measure. I thought of dividing into 5 years of age groups and then giving weights based on
that. The interviewer wanted a simpler measure. Finally, he suggested that I divide it into 10 groups
of 3 crores each. That was 1.5 crore marriages every year. Then I divided this based on the income
level of the families as given in the Economic Survey 2017. Based on that, I assumed that a couple
would spend 200% of quarterly incomes. Finally I arrived at an amount.
Interviewer 2 Abhishek Agrawal – Principal
Interview 2 HR Questions 1) Tell me about yourself. (Talked about my interest in cricket)
2) Why cricket? How cricket? What kind of tools do you use?
3) Give me some insights which are very difficult to decipher without proper knowledge and tell
me how you arrived at them. Also tell me how you will use them.
4) What would you change about the current Indian cricket team?
A company X is thinking of acquiring a company Y. The feasibility study has been done and Y is a
suitable fit financially. What would you evaluate next?
Interview 2 case Transcript This was not a normal case per se. Hence I focused on 3 things - synergistic benefits (operational
and financial), valuation and stakeholder management. I also talked about some niche problems
such as anti-competition, capital and other commitments (off balance sheet items) and special
liabilities (such as regulatory liabilities in case of telecom industries and pension liabilities like that
of Tata Corus UK). Post this, I inquired in depth about the background of both the companies and
the reason for X's decision to acquire. Based on this, I figured out that X was looking to diversify
its risk and Y was a good company to start with. I then asked about what my specific focus should
be on. The interviewer told me to talk about synergy and how it will affect the exercise of
acquisition. Hence I talked about some examples of financial and operational synergies and then
talked about valuation of synergistic benefits and the division of synergistic benefits between the
acquirer and the target. Based on this, I was able to identify the main issue was the valuation of
synergy in this transaction.
Interviewer 3 Nitesh
Interview 3 HR Questions None
Was given a case of a car rental company in the US in the Chicago City and New York City Area. 3
aspects were to be looked at.
Interview 3 case Transcript The whole case was numbers heavy.
1) Find out the BEP for this company.
2) Find out the possible costs which have not been put in this analysis (Drivers' Expenses such as
tolls etc was the main issue)
3) What factors can you think about in this analysis? (It was using the PESTLE framework)
4) (At this point, I was given a segment details of the cars and their costs.) The company is thinking
of using only Category 1 cars. Evaluate their decision. (I performed a Relevant Costing analysis.
Also mentioned that this is only financial analysis. Other analysis must also be done.) What other
factors would you look at? (Used the Porter's 5 forces and 4P's)
Interviewer 4 Suwek - Senior Consultant
I am from Pune (a city in Maharashtra, my home state). The use of public transport has reduced.
Can you tell me what are ALL the possible factors for this?`
Interview 4 case Transcript Since I had to list down all factors, I asked about the time horizon and the benchmark based on
which the decrease was seen. I then divided it into customer-side and factor-side issues. Talked
about all possible external and internal factors.
Any Remarks Was a very long interview session - 10:30-13:00. However, all interviews ran for 20-30 minutes on
an average.

Name Abhishek Kumar
Graduation College Hans Raj College Branch Economics
Work Experience NA Domain NA
Interviewer 1 Karan Narang
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me about yourself
Client is Sharad Pawar, BCCI President...2007 World Cup was a disaster. How to make 2011 world
cup in India a success
Interview 1 case Transcript What does success mean..identify various stakeholders and prioritize in terms of who to satisfy
After identifying various stakeholders, move on to how to plan, execute, promote event
Interviewer 2 VC Interview
Interview 2 HR Questions Leadership roles
Interview Number – 2 Case Client is an Indian car manufacturer...worried about electric cars becoming available in the future
Interview 2 case Transcript Identify various considerations which go into buying a car
Calculate the cost of ownership (purchase price plus further maintenance) for fuel and electric
vehicles
Interviewer 3 Suvir
Interview 3 HR Questions Interest in sports and how do I pursue it in campus
Interview Number – 3 Case Pune witnessing extreme traffic problems.... give advice
Interview 3 case Transcript Qualifying questions like timelines, areas, time of day
Causes can be:
Quality of roads
Traffic management and planning
Number of vehicles
Other natural/social/economic events
In the past few years, a lot of commercial and corporate complexes had opened in outskirts
Problems identified:
Poor public transport and hence increase use of 2 wheelers
Increase use of Cab Aggregators
Poor planning of traffic and routes
Recommendations..
Structure it as
planning and execution
Short term and long term
Idea generation
Any Remarks

Name Shubham Jain
Graduation College Shri Ram College of Commerce Branch Commerce
Work Experience Deutsche CIB Center (23M) Domain Finance
Interviewer 1 Malcolm Gomes – Associate Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions 1) Tell me about yourself?
2) What was your role at Deutsche Bank?
3) Why do you want to do Consulting?
4) Why Mckinsey?
Interview Number - 1 Case I am Telecom company operating in India and my profits are declining
Interview 1 case Transcript Are the other players also facing the profitability issue in the industry?
Malcolm: Yes, all players are facing the issue but it is more prominent for our company.
Me: How much is the decline in profitability and since when have we seen a decline?
Malcolm: The decline is around 20% and we have been seeing it since the last 1 year.
Me: Can I assume the current scenario of the Indian telecom industry? The entry of Jio and the
subsequent happenings?
Malcolm: Yes, you can assume that.
Me: (After taking 15 seconds to think) The issue profitability can be either because of Cost rising or
revenue falling. Which one do you think is more prominent for our company and you would like
me to focus first one?
Malcolm: You can start with anyone?
Me: Okay, let me start with the cost. Have we seen a rise in the operating cost of the company in
the last 1 year?
Malcolm: Yes, the cost has increased. But, it’s in line with inflation. We haven’t noticed any extra-
ordinary spike in our cost drivers.
Me: Okay, do you mean to say that the cost has more or less grown as per normal inflation in the
country and this has been the case for all the players?
Malcolm: Yes
(Perplex, as to why did he let me venture the cost vertical. Reluctant to pursue further, I decided to
switch)
Me: In that case, I am assuming that cost is not the factor leading to decline in our profitability and
hence I would like to look at the revenue. Is that okay?
Malcom: Yes
Me: For a telecom company, the revenue is dependent on the number of subscribers that the
company has and the average revenue generated per customer. Have we seen a decline in any of
the two?
Malcolm: The number of subscribers has increased a bit. But, yes, the average revenue per
customer has declined in the recent times.
Me: Okay. The major revenue drivers for the company would – Calls, Data, Text Message,
Broadband (if applicable) and VAS. Is there any major revenue driver that I am missing?
Malcolm: Those are indeed the major revenue drivers for us. You can focus only on the data and
calls segment
Me: As we have seen in the industry recently, there has been a major decline in the revenue from
calls as customers are moving towards more data consumption and using internet for voice and
video calls. Is it possible that the revenue we generate from data is less as compared to revenue that
we generate from calls?
Malcolm: Yes, the trend you mentioned is true. But it is true for all the other players in the
industry. Then why is only our revenue going down despite the subscribers increasing.
Me: Taking a personal example, it is possible that even though people are buying our company’s
sim card, but they are not utilizing it. Everybody has a dual sim card phone nowadays. So, people
might be using other company’s data and call, causing a decline in our average revenue per
customer as we are not generating any revenue from existing or the new subscribers.
Malcolm: True, might be possible. Due to paucity of time, we will stop here.
Interviewer 2 Kunwar Singh - Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions 1) Tell me about yourself?
2) Detailed discussion on my role at Deutsche Bank? (Kunwar’s expert area is Banking and
Finance)
Statement: One of Mckinsey’s banking client (say SBI) is facing an issue. One of SBI’s biggest
borrower has filed for bankruptcy and it owes SBI a large amount of money. The dissolution
process is about to start and SBI has approached Mckinsey to help with the entire proceeding.
The problem statement is 2 fold:
1) You are going to meet SBI for the first time
What are the initial set of questions that you will ask SBI regarding the borrower’s bankruptcy?
2) SBI is the only creditor and has most of the say in the bankruptcy proceeding. For the
dissolution of the company, the company has received the following 3 options:
a. Old management wants to buy the shares of the company and re-build it.
b. Private equity firms are willing to buy the company

c. Other competitors in the same industry wants to take over the company
Which are the various criteria on the basis of which SBI should evaluate the different options
available to the borrower.
Interview 2 case Transcript Me: (Since most of the information was already provided, I didn’t ask any qualifying questions)
(After taking 15 seconds to think) – If I am going to meet SBI for the first time to help them with
the borrower’s bankruptcy, I would like to know the following answers from SBI first:
• In detail, what is the criteria for evaluating a company’s credit capacity and rating that SBI follows
• Was the procedure duly followed in the case of said borrower? If no, what were the deviations
• If yes, then were the follow-up procedure followed when the company started defaulting on its
commitment? Why was SBI not able to identify that the company is not in good shape and the
probability of it defaulting on its loan commitment was increasing?
• Now, since the dissolution proceeding has already started, what is SBI’s expectation and
objective?
• How many other creditors/banks have lent to the company and what are their expectation?
Kunwar: Okay, these questions seem reasonable. You might have missed couple of important
questions but that will get covered up in the 2nd part of the problem statement.
Me: (After understanding the problem statement more carefully and re-iterating the same for
confirmation) So, the first criteria that I would use to judge the various options would be the
Objective of all three parties interested in the proceeding. That will help me identify which option
is best suited for SBI’s needs.
Kunwar: Okay, that’s valid. What else?
Me: (Taking some time to think)
Kunwar: (Feeling my unease, as I was unfamiliar with bankruptcy process) Okay, let me help with
another criterion. You would look at the management of the company and how competent they
are. Makes sense?
Me: Yes, that would be very much relevant. On the same lines, we would also need to look at the
history of all the 3 options and how they had fared in similar situations. Next criteria would be the
credit ratings of all the 3 options as well as the % return that SBI would get on their outstanding
loan in each of the three cases.
Kunwar: Right. Due to lack of time we will stop here.

Interviewer 3 Suvir Sinha - Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions 1) What is most interesting part of your CV? (A very good opportunity to drive the interview
towards your strength area) – 15 minutes’ discussion on the same
One of the state government (say Maharashtra) has approached you with a problem. The traffic
Interview Number – 3 Case condition in one of the city (say Pune) has been deteriorating and the roads are always congested.
Come up with a plan to improve the condition of roads and traffic in the city.
Interview 3 case Transcript Me: Since when has the city been facing congestion issue? Is it a one off thing or has it been
increasing steadily over the time?
Suvir: It has been increasing steadily and now the government wants to tackle the situation
Me: Okay, Is the problem because of increasing number of vehicles in the city or due to lack of
infrastructure?
Suvir: Both are related. The numbers of vehicles are increasing in the city and thus the
infrastructure is not adequate to handle the same.
Me: Then I would like to divide our solution into 2 parts. One to reduce the number of vehicles in
the city and two, increase the transport infrastructure.
Suvir: Okay, that sounds good. Go ahead.
Me: So, to decrease the number of vehicles in the city, the government needs to discourage people
of the city to use private vehicles by providing them with a good alternative public transportation.
Can I assume that Buses and Auto are the major public transport available?
Suvir: Yes, you can focus on these 2 modes of transportation. You can also consider Ola/Uber
under the public government and how those can be leveraged to improve the condition.
Me: Okay. Starting with Bus transportation, would you say that there are enough buses on the
roads to cater to the needs of the public? And are the routes of the buses efficiently utilized?
Suvir: Well, the buses are always utilized to the full capacity, so there is scope to increase the
number of buses further. To answer your second point, the buses apply to only certain parts of the
city which have a high demand for public transportation.
Me: Okay, in that case, the government look to not only increase the number of buses plying on
the road but also cater to not so popular areas. Also, what is the typical profile of the public that
use public transportation? If only the lower strata use the buses, then the government can come up
with a premium AC bus service with better facilities and services (govt can charge higher amount)
which can be positioned for the middle income group.
Suvir: Okay, those are valid points. What else?
Me: Apart from the points mentioned, I believe that timing of the buses is another important
factor that determines if the public will use the buses or not. For that, I suggest that road
infrastructure i.e. traffic lights as well road condition needs to be improved and a proper scheduling
of the buses with fixed timings is implemented.
Suvir – Okay, I would have liked you to focus on the Ola/Uber solution as well. However, due to
limited time we will have to stop the interview here.
Suvir: Do you have any questions for me?
Me: I believe, I have cleared all my doubts in the many interactions that we had. So, no questions
as of now. Thank you.
Any Remarks HR questions are extremely important. Even if your case does not go well, if you are able to create
an impression from your HR answers, you will clear the round.
Name Satyam Taneja

Graduation College Delhi Technological University Branch Mechanical Engineering
Work Experience McKinsey & Co. (23M) Domain Research Analyst- Procurement
Interviewer 1 Malcolm Golmes, Associate Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions 1) Tell me a situation in which you solved a major challenge & how did you go about it
2) Tell me a situation in which you handled a conflict & convinced someone
Interview Number - 1 Case You are a telecom company and your profits are falling. Identify the issue.
Interview 1 case Transcript This round was a 15-minute interview which began with the case first, and was then followed by 2-3 HR
questions. The interviewer was generally pushy & tried to throw me off at multiple occasions initially, but
later became helpful & conversational. The case was a bit twisted logically (probably because interviewer
also wanted to complicate it & throw me off), and it took me some time to get into the groove for
solving & picking the right details. However, it was fairly standard, given that it was based on the telecom
industry.
Here's a shortened & simplified version of the discussion:
Interviewer: Hi Satyam, hope you are having a good day so far. We do not have much time, let’s start
directly by solving a case. Let’s aim to solve this within 7 minutes. You are a telecom company and your
profits are falling. Identify the issue.
Candidate: Started by asking details regarding the company, where is it based(India), since when are
revenues falling (6 months) and then proceeded to draw a structure. Started by Profits=Revenues-
Costs....
Interviewer: Don't focus on creating a structure on the sheet. Let’s just problem solve. Both revenues
and costs are increasing.
Candidate: Ok, so let’s look at the cost side first. Can you tell me more about the rate at which they are
growing compared to the revenue growth?
Interviewer: So costs are growing at the rate of inflation.
Candidate: Ok so, costs are growing at rate of inflation and our revenues are also growing, but since our
profits are decreasing, it means our revenue is growing at a rate slower than inflation rate.
Interviewer: Correct.
Candidate: So let’s look at the revenue side. Its driven by two factors; the number of users we have & the
average revenue we get per user. What do we know about the growth in these two areas?
Interviewer: Number of users has been increasing faster than industry, while ARPU has been decreasing
faster than industry.
At this point I took the hint to ask compare growth rates qualitatively with industry, instead of with time.
The discussion flowed to segments that comprise ARPU; voice and data, usage across the segments, post
which we discussed pricing mechanism (bundling for both prepaid and post-paid). The interviewer
wanted me to make a guess on why the different growth rates were the way they were. I did a quick
synthesis and realized that existing customers were possibly switching over to our plans for new
customers based on the discussion (vaguely remember now). Post that, interviewer wanted me to share
some recommendations on fixing the situation, which I did.
The interviewer had in general been pushy throughout the interview, but seemed satisfied with the
solution. By this point, we had received a knock on the door, but he wanted to talk more. There were a
couple of HR questions:
1) Tell me a situation in which you solved a major challenge & how did you go about it
2) Tell me a situation in which you handled a conflict & convinced someone
Interviewer 2 Kunwar Singh, Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions The second round was a short round with some quick conversational questions and then a quick case.
Interviewer was fairly friendly, but wanted me to be quick with the case.
Here are few opening questions which I remember:

1) Who was your previous interviewer and how was your interview experience?
2) What was the case about and what did you arrive at?
3) You worked at McKinsey before. Could you tell me about a few engagements and people you worked
with?
This was followed by a discussion of the Indian Tyre industry, since I had mentioned that I published a
document about the current supply situation while I was at McKinsey.
Interviewer: So you published a document on the Indian Tyre industry in McKinsey. What was this
document about & when did you publish it?
Candidate: The document was about the supply situation in the Indian industry from a sourcing
perspective; industry competitiveness, key segments & players, capacity situation, expansion plans,
current trends affecting the industry, cost structure etc. Published in Jan 2017.
Interviewer: You published it fairly recently(10 months ago). Could you share three insights from the
document?
Candidate: Shared three learnings from the document. Also mentioned about some changes that have
occurred in the industry since then (investing in Tyre stocks helped)
Interviewer: Okay, so can you provide me the key segments you covered in your document and also
provide the breakdown across the segments?
Candidate: Mentioned the segments covered & ask whether volume or value wise industry split is
required.
Interviewer: Both
Candidate: Didn't remember exact numbers for all. Gave rough range estimates.
Interviewer(seeming satisfied): Okay, so let’s do a quick case.
You are a bank which has lent 5000 crores to a manufacturing company in the steel sector & you are
Interview Number – 2 Case concerned about this company since they are making losses. How would you go about assessing the
future of this loan account & what action you should take?
Interview 2 case Transcript Interviewer: You are a bank which has lent 5000 crores to a manufacturing company in the steel sector &
you are concerned about this company since they are making losses. How would you go about assessing
the future of this loan account & what action you should take?
Candidate: Started by asking a few background questions about the company, its products, since when is
it in debt etc. Interrupted.
Interviewer: Just list down the broad parameters you would look at to assess the company.
Candidate: Took a minute and shared broad parameters; current profitability, future profitability-
projected revenues & costs. Also mentioned how we could arrive project future profitability by
estimating future price levels for steel based on current & future industry demand and supply situation.
Interviewer: Okay, so what quantitative factors would you specifically look at?
Candidate: Mentioned.
Interviewer: Okay so here are figures for current prices, quantity sold & costs, projected growth rates for
the three & applicable simple interest rate. Tell me what will happen?
Candidate: Calculated current revenue, which was less than costs so company was making losses.
However, quickly realized qualitatively that revenues would grow at a faster pace than costs, so company
will eventually become operationally profitable. Explained current and expected P&L situation while also
mentioning that details regarding taxes, depreciation etc. were not available.
Interviewer: Okay, anything else you will look at & anything else you will do?
Candidate: This represents the paying ability of the company. Even if they might get paying ability in
future, they may pay still not pay us back, so we need to actively monitor the account & ensure the bank
gets a say in company operations if we are to restructure the loan.
The discussion was really quick, with the case lasting ending within 4-5 minutes. Case did involve some
financial understanding, so having the basics right helped. Partner didn't want to spend much time on the
case due to shortage of time, so he was guiding me through it with the expectation to be quick in solving
the problem.

Interviewer 3 Rajat Dhawan, Senior Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions 1) Tell me about yourself
2) Tell me about your work at McKinsey as a Research Analyst
3) You have mentioned about winning a Firm Competition for a digitization project. Can you explain to
me what was the project about and what was your role?
4) Could you explain more to me about the Stanford Funded Venture- Avanti and Credence Capital,
mentioned on your CV? What are these two about and what did you do?
5) Why do you want to do consulting & why do you want to join McKinsey?
Interview Number – 3 Case No case was asked.
Interview 3 case Transcript As soon as my second round ended, I was rushed into a room where a tablet was set up with Rajat
waiting over a video call. I was given also given a mobile with Rajat on line, as the tablet speaker was not
working due to a technical glitch.
This was a short interview where Rajat's focus was to get to know me as an individual. The interview was
rather one sided, with Rajat asking me straightforward HR questions about my background from my CV,
and me responding to them.
Probably the only tricky part about the interview was due to the technical glitch. 1 minute into the
interview, there was some issue due to which I could no longer see Rajat on screen. He asked me to
ignore it and carry on with what I was saying, which thankfully I did without being bothered. Due to this,
throughout the round I could not gauge Rajat's reaction to my answers, and understand when I had
spoken enough since he was fairly quiet. However, there was an interesting twist to it. Towards the end
of the round, I asked Rajat if we should connect the video call again, to which he replied that he could
still observe me and had just turned off his camera. Surprise!
The interview ended with Rajat asking me if I had any questions for him, which I mentioned that I didn't
since I had been at the Firm and knew the expectations.
The entire conversation lasted for ten minutes, and ten more minutes later I was given the offer.
Any Remarks My interviews with all three Partners were really short. I was probably the first to be interviewed that day,
so they had a lot of candidates to interview and wanted to be quick. Throughout the rounds there was an
expectation to be really succinct, with focus more on pure problem solving, demonstrating my approach
& arriving at an answer quickly, rather than going through the lengthy paper based case structuring
approach which we typically tend to do. I had to mould my responses accordingly and carefully pick the
hints interviewer was giving to rush through the case.
I believe this responsiveness to interviewer, flexibility in approach, being quick & engaging in problem
solving worked best for me.
I would also suggest candidates to not analyse how an interview went until all interviews are done.
Throughout my three rounds, I had a feeling that I could do so much more or tell much more if we had
the time. However, keeping such thoughts aside & approaching every interview afresh was & is the right
way to go.

Name Kabir Khattar
Graduation College Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Branch Business Management
Studies, University of Delhi
Work Experience Verity Knowledge Solutions (UBS) Domain Investment Banking
(12M)
Interviewer 1 Suveer Sinha – Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions My general impressions after my interviews were that more than anything, McKinsey looks for a ‘good
fit’ while recruiting. Of course, the case solving abilities of the candidate are of paramount importance,
however, I believe, McKinsey places equal importance on whether the candidate seems like he/she
would fit well with the company culture. Please bear in mind these are just my views.
Moreover, all my interviews were inadvertently (or not) split equally into a case and plenty of HR
questions, which corroborates the fact that McKinney is willing to utilise a major portion of a 20-minute
interview to ‘get to know you’.
The first round began with a ‘Tell me about yourself’, “You have pursued diverse activities for long
periods, out of these, which one is a true passion? Why?”. He had a few follow up questions and seemed
satisfied with the answers, post which we started the case.
Problem Statement – I am the head of a 5-star hotel, which has a small presence in India. I want to
expand our footprint and compete with the likes of Taj effectively. Suggest how should I go about it.
Interview 1 case Transcript Thoughts – It was a real case that the partner had worked on recently. It was more of a conversation
where he took active interest in the structure I drew and probed me further on various subheads with
questions like, why would my IRR be higher in India versus other countries, what are the key cost
considerations, etc. At large, the interviewer answered the qualifying questions generously and kept
suggesting directions in which he want me to think.
Interviewer 2 Malcolm Gomes – Associate Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions This round was roughly divided into two sections - a guesstimate of 10 minutes, and 10 minutes of HR
questions wherein the interviewer was a tough one.
HR - Asked me 'Why consulting'. After answering that, I ended my answer with how McKinsey was the
most suitable fit for me, which prompted the question 'Why McKinsey'. Of course I had reasoned both
those answers out to the T, they were well researched and genuine. Apart from this, the interviewer
asked me what all had I done after quitting my job in the previous year. Turned into a bit of a stress
interview as he was not satisfied with anything I said, repeatedly asked me “Okay, what else did you do?”.
It was important to maintain calm and answer as truthfully as possible.
Guesstimate: I am the CEO of a chemicals company starting off operations in India. I want to recruit a
team of engineers. To that end, estimate the number of chemical engineers in the talent pool.
Interview 2 case Transcript There is no prescribed way for solving a guesstimate, one can take any approach one wants, as long as
one is able to communicate it well. To begin with, I asked questions such as whether the company was
looking for undergraduates or postgraduates, whether there were preferences in terms of urban/rural,
skilled/unskilled, etc. I spent 2-3 minutes on asking questions to properly define the problem before
beginning the case, after which I asked whether I should be putting numbers alongside the structure, he
said yes. Throughout the case, he didn’t let me finish a thought, kept pushing to come up with numbers
quickly (maybe because my PST wasn’t the best, just maybe), and kept me on my toes. My rough
approach involved a division into urban and rural and then using, age group divide, literacy levels and
proportion of people who move from primary to secondary to higher secondary to graduate studies.
Most importantly, I kept checking with him if my assumptions (and consequent numbers) seemed fair.
Interviewer 3 Kunwar Singh – Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions -
"Statement: One of McKinsey’s banking client is facing an issue. One of the biggest borrowers has filed
for bankruptcy and it owes the bank a large sum. The dissolution process is about to start and SBI has
approached Mckinsey to help with the proceedings.
The problem statement is 2 fold:
1) You are going to meet the bank officials for the first time
What are the initial set of questions that you will ask the bank regarding the borrower’s bankruptcy?
Interview Number – 3 Case 2) Our client is the only creditor and the loudest voice in the bankruptcy proceedings. For the dissolution
of the company, the company has received the following 3 options:
a. Old management wants to buy the shares of the company and re-build it.
b. Private equity firms are willing to buy the company
c. Other competitors in the same industry wants to take over the company
Suggest a few parameters based on which the bank should evaluate the different options available to the
borrower.
Interview 3 case Transcript The problem statement was repeated across many candidates, hence the solution should be described in
detail by others here.
Any Remarks -
Name Shivani Bansal

Graduation College NIT Durgapur Branch Computer Science
Work Experience Microsoft (35M) Domain Software Engineer
Interviewer 1 Don't remember
Interview 1 HR Questions Introduce yourself. Describe a situation where you faced a conflicting situation while working in a
team and how did you resolve it. In the end was asked if I had any questions.
The client is a car rental company. It operates at different points in the city and airport. It rents car
for leisure and business purpose. The profits of the company have been declining. What are the
Interview Number - 1 Case different aspects you will look into while solving this case? This was followed by a problem where
Revenue, Cost breakup and profit figures were given. There were four categories of cars. Find the
change in Profit if all the four categories were replaced by a single category.
Interview 1 case Transcript Interviewer- Stated the case.
Me: Asked few clarifying questions. Then proceeded with the issue tree. The interviewer wanted to
see the entire approach and not a particular solution. Divided the problem into revenues and cost.
First laid the entire structure of the revenue streams and discussed what could lead to decrease in
revenues. Then proceeded to cost. Went through a supply chain approach, figuring out various cost
drivers.
Interviewer: Was satisfied with the approach. Gave data for per day revenue, cost (fuel price,
maintenance cost, etc.) and profit margin. Also gave annual fuel prices figures for 4 category of
cars. Asked to find out the change in profit if all 4 categories were replaced by a single category.
Me: Needed some more data to find out the solution.
Interviewer: Provided the data.
Me: Found out the per day change in fuel price and finally the profit.
Interviewer: Correct answer. Any questions?
Interviewer 2 Interviewer: Kunwar. Designation: Principal
Interview 2 HR Questions Introduce yourself. What was your role and responsibilities at Microsoft? In the end was asked if I
had any questions.
Your client is a bank. The bank had given loan to a steel company. The steel company recently
Interview Number – 2 Case turned insolvent. Now the bank is looking for bidders for the steel company. What factors should
the bank consider while deciding whom to give the bid.
Interview 2 case Transcript Interviewer: Your client is a bank. The bank had given loan to a steel company. The steel company
recently turned insolvent. Now the bank is looking for bidders for the steel company. You are a
consultant at work. What will you ask the bank the very first day of your case.
Me: Stated the various aspects I would consider like current investments/mode of payment(if
equity, then financial strength of the bidder and expected market value in future) Previous records/
Relevance of business, etc. After stating the factors, did a pros/cons analysis.
Interviewer 3
Interview 3 HR Questions
Interview 3 case Transcript
Any Remarks Structure, problem solving skills and presence matter the most during the interviews. Be calm and
confident during the interview and make it conversational.


Name Vatsal Malavia
Graduation College BITS Pilani Branch Electronics & Instrumentation
Work Experience Zinnov Management consulting (23M) Domain Management Consulting
Interviewer 1 Perseus Patrawala, Principal
I am a telecom service provider. I have been losing market share. I went from being in top 4 telecom
companies to top 6. Can you suggest new partnerships and distribution channels for me to explore?
Currently I only sell through local kirana stores. Also I want you to explore cost benefit analysis for
setting up a store.
Interview 1 case Transcript Me: I would like to know more about the company first. What exactly does it offer? Where does it
operate? How long has it been in business?
Interviewer: All services same as Airtel/Vodafone. Operate pan India- urban & rural both. In business
for 15-20 years
M: Target Customers?
I: Middle-aged to elderly major customers. Not so much penetration in youth.
M: What’s the competition?
I: Same as contemporary
M: Let me divide the customers into two segments. Existing customer segments and new customer
segments. Existing customer segment can be further divided into offline and online channels. Within
offline channels, divide between working class and retired. For working we can either contact through
corporates or directly. Corporates will include offering customised prepaid and post-paid plans through
their companies. Direct contact can be either in person or through cold calls. For the online part we can
divide the customer segment between educated and non-educated classes. For educated we can promote
website and mobile applications. For non-educated we can connect through SMS and USST.
For the new customer segment divide between students and early working class which are also those
having newly married. Further dividing each segment into offline and online. Within students for offline
we can setup stalls in colleges, canteens, malls and cafes, Direct contact through calls and salespersons.
Online can be done through website, digital marketing, and mobile applications. Similarly, we can do for
the early working class- have bundled corporate and family plans.
I: Okay let’s move on to the second part. I want to set up a store. Can you tell me how to go about it.
M: Can you tell me more about the store?
I: It is same as a regular Airtel store.
M: Where do you want to set it up?
I: It should be a pilot store to gauge the response. You can take a location of your choice.
M: Okay, I would like to open a store in Charni Road, Mumbai where I stay. It is a prime residential
location in South Mumbai.
I: Okay, go ahead. Can you list all the costs in setting up the store?
M: Dividing the expense into human and non-human expense. Human expense will include salaries of
executives, store staff and security guard. Under non-human we will have all other costs such as Storage,
inventory, all machines and equipment, rent, utilities.
I: Ignoring the 1 time set up cost, can you estimate the monthly expense of running the store?
M: Sure! There is a Vodafone store there with 10 desks. Ours being a smaller firm, let’s assume there are
5 desks, plus storage area plus seating- Rent will be arouond 1Lakh per month. Salaries of executives will
be around 25k for 8 executives, 15k for 3 staff members and 15k for security guard making it a total of
2.6 Lakhs/month. The utilities spend for electricity, fuel for generator, water, internet will be around 50-
60K per month. The total comes out to be around 4-4.5 Lakhs/month.
I: Fair Enough! Can you tell me the revenue streams of the store?
M: These stores are usually cost centres as they work more towards customer complain resolution. Some
revenue streams can be sale of new SIM connections, sale of better schemes and VAS, any merchandise
in the store. We can also track the complaint resolution success rate to monitor productivity of the store.
I: Sure. That will be it. It was a good case. Thank you.
Interviewer 2 Nitin Chandaliya, Principal
Interview 2 HR Questions Tell me Something about yourself?
Why not finance?
What does Zinnov do?
What did you do at Zinnov?
Some questions around family background
Interviewer 3 Vikas Jain, Partner

Interview 3 HR Questions Do you have any questions for me?
What was your work like at Zinnov?
Questions around specific projects at Zinnov.
What do you think about the engineering services industry in general (work-ex related)
Any Other Remarks I had 2 interviews which did not involve a case. What helped in these interviews was making casual
conversations and building a rapport with the interviewer. Creating a comfort level with the interviewer
helped me a log way. Talking with confidence is the key.
Name Abhay Agrawal

Graduation College IIT Roorkee Branch Metallurgical & Materials Engineering
Work Experience i3 Consulting (25M) Domain Management Consulting
Interviewer 1 Akshat Gupta, Project Leader
Interview 1 HR Questions Had an informal "how have you been" conversation on the way down to the interview room from the
waiting room. He seemed friendly and kept referring to me as 'sir'. Introduced himself and then asked
about me. Went on to the case.
Interview Number - 1 Case The case was to increase the sales of a mutual fund.
Interview 1 case Transcript With minimal knowledge of the industry, I did not take any chances. I told him that I am not aware of
how a mutual fund is being sold and asked details about the company, operations, customers,
competitors' performance and other clarifications. Realized that he does not want me to go into the
depths of banking and that the problem can be considered as increasing sales of a standard product.
Used a value chain approach to suggest ideas to increase sales at each stage. He kept guiding me
throughout the case with suggestive questions.
Interviewer 2 Prateek Gupta, Principal
Interview 2 HR Questions He briefly introduced himself as we walked to the interview room. Started with the case as soon as we sat
for the interview. Post the case he asked me one major accomplishment from one of my PORs.
Interview Number – 2 Case The case was to increase the profitability of a new restaurant that is currently operating at break-even.
Interview 2 case Transcript The clarifying questions helped conclude that the restaurant was a 3-month old restaurant in a corporate
space, serving Indian food. There were other restaurants serving all varieties of food and most were
doing well. The issue was lack of customers, which could be solved by decreasing the prices. The key was
to reach this conclusion after which it was a simple mathematical case of deciding optimum price by
asking increase in footfall and costs due to reduced costs, and then calculating profits. He asked for some
recommendations at the end, and I gave some recommendations aside from the discussion we had, such
as increasing operational hours, phone delivery to offices and exploring other revenue streams.
Interviewer 3

Name Aviral Saxena
Graduation College IIT Bombay Branch Chemical Engineering (B.Tech.)
Work Experience Ernst & Young (EY) (11M) Domain Management Consulting
Interviewer 1 Vikash Jain, Partner
Who will be more valuable in the near future - techies or MBAs? Why?
Do you have any questions for me?
Interview Number - 1 Case Improvement of situation of telecom company with 3 products
Interview 1 case Transcript The interviewer walked with me from the waiting room to the interview room. On the way he
asked me about myself and introduced himself. We made some small talk.
The case was not about following frameworks and arriving at solution. It was just a logical
conversation about the business problem at hand. A table was drawn out which had the three
products, landlines (fixed lines), mobiles and corporates (used in that order from here onwards)
with the following information –
1. Individual revenue share for the company – 30%, 50%, 20%
2. EBITDA for each product – 20%, -10% and 15%
3. Market growth rate for each segment – -5%, 15% and 10%
4. Competitive positioning of the company in each segment – top 3 in landline, 6th in mobiles, and
top 3 incorporates
5. Total revenue for the company – INR 10,000 crores
6. Total long-term debt for the company – INR 30,000 crores
Interviewer (I): Firstly, tell me whether the company is making any kind of profits.
Candidate (C): Revenues = Net company revenue*Revenue share for that product. Revenue for
Landline = 10,000*0.3 = 3000 crores. Revenue for Mobile = 10,000*0.5 = 5,000 crores. Revenue
for Corporates = 10,000*0.2 = 2,000 crores. Profits for a product = Revenue for that
product*EBITDA for that product. Profit for landline = 3,000*20% = 600 crores. Profit for
Mobiles = 5,000*(-10%) = -500crores (Loss). Profit for Corporates = 2,000*15% = 300 crores.
Therefore, net profit = Sum of individual profits = 300 crores – 500 crores + 300 crores = INR
100 crores. Therefore, I would say that the company is making a gross profit of INR 100 crores.
I: Okay, so what would you say about the health of the company?
C: I learnt in the course Financial Analysis and Reporting this year that the EBITDA should be
able to cover for the interest payments of its debts, using the EBITDA to Interest Coverage Ratio.
So I would assume 5% rate of interest on long term debt?
I: 5% is too low. Take a higher number.
C: Okay, I’ll take 10% then, if that is fine?
I: Sure, go ahead with that.
C: So, the interest payment for this year = 30,000 crore*0.1*1 = 3,000 crores. This is a lot of
interest payment, and our current profits are not high enough to cover for this. I would thus say
that the company is not in a very good financial health.
I: Okay. What do you think is the culprit?
C: The negative EBITDA margin of mobile phones, which has a huge chunk of our revenues, and
a negative EBITDA margin ensures a proportionately big impact on the P&L account. I believe
that if this is the case of an Indian company, this may have happened because of the telecom
disruption by the entry of Jio last year.
I: That is true. What do you think that the company should do?
C: What is the company’s objective?
I: To come in the top 3 of the mobile sector, as the top 3 companies usually make a lot of money.
The rest don’t.
C: Okay, so for that we would need to reach a certain market share if I’m not wrong. Do we have
any kind of data on the market shares of the companies in mobile sector?
I: Yes, we do. The top 3 players are at 35%, 25% and 20% market shares. Rest companies are
somewhat around 10%, we are at 8% and the rest in the remaining 2%.
C: Okay, I see. I think that organic growth in an already saturated market with an incumbent
following predatory pricing would be very difficult, and very slow if possible at all. I think we
would need to go for either a Joint Venture (JV), merger with another company or to acquire
another company. Do you think these are possibilities?
I: Yes, they are possible. Please go ahead with the analysis of this.
C: Okay, for an acquisition to happen, we would be able to acquire a smaller target company, but
none of those is at a position to be able to make us reach the target of 20% (third position market
share). Then we could look at the possibility of a merger, such as the one of Vodafone and Idea
that happened to compete with Jio.
I: Okay, interesting, go on.
C: In either a JV or a merger, we would be able to reduce our average fixed cost with every new
product produced and reduce our customer acquisition cost per consumer because of an existing
consumer base with both the firms. Hence, we would be able to leverage economies of scale.
I: But why would a well-to-do company want to do a JV or a merger with a lagging company like
ours?
C: Hmm, I think if the company has cost reduction motives like us in a competitive scenario that
Jio has created, we may be able to convince them on a similar argument of economies of scale.
I: That is fine, but do you think there is something else that we can leverage?
C: *thinking and looking at the worksheet till now*
I: Think on the lines of whether we have something to offer to them?
C: *realization hits* Yes, we can leverage our stronghold in the corporate customers segment,
which is growing at 15% a year, and we are in the top 3 of them. Hence, through cross-segment
benefits, we may be able to convince a bigger company to do a JV or a merger with us.
I: Okay, that is fine. Let’s close the case now.
The interviewer then took me back to the waiting room, and on the way, we did some more small
talk.
Interviewer 2 Nitin Chandalia, Principal
Interview 2 HR Questions Completely conversational round, no case interview
About myself
Why was my college CGPA low?
He had worked at EY before, so he asked me a lot of questions about EY - my partner, how did I
find the work, where did I work out of and other stuff.
What did I do in the placement team at IIT Bombay?
Interview Number – 2 Case The Boston Consulting Group
Interview 2 case Transcript Vikash Jain, Partner
Interviewer 3
Any Remarks Just stay confident with what you are doing and be aware of the things you should be knowing
from the term 1 at IIM. The interviewers are also human. The give a lot of hints along the way, we
just need to be aware of those and catch hold of the hints.
Also, I think that being able to make and maintain conversation even in small moments like when
walking with the interviewer to the interview room/waiting room, counts. This shows that you are
genuinely interested in the person/company and can talk to strangers. This is an essential trait of a
consultant.

Name Shubhankar Gupta
Graduation College Ramjas College Branch Commerce
Interviewer 1 Geetika Basra, Principal
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me something about yourself
You are a government school and you want to introduce pre-nursery classes also and through that
you want to increase your revenues. How will you generate revenues out of it ?
Interview 1 case Transcript The case was very different, in the sense that the interviewer was saying no to every option being
told. The benefits of pre-nursery were spoken of. After laying down various options, the
interviewer expected me to quantify each and every option. The only positive of this interview was
that I kept on trying something or the other for 30 minutes and kept the interviewer engaged.
Interviewer 2 Pratik Gupta, Senior Partner
Interview 2 HR Questions Tell me something about yourself.
Tell me about the work you do at Enactus.
Tell me more about the Transcreations project.
We are a new Restaurant and were expecting good amount of profits but it didn't really happen.
Identify and Rectify the reasons for same.
Interview 2 case Transcript The Clarifying questions provided me lot of clarity w.r.t the case problem. I understood that the
restaurant was placed in an office complex in Gurgaon and it had been one year since its inception.
The restaurant was serving various cuisines but main earnings were through The Indian cuisine.
The seating capacity was 100 seats and the occupancy was 25% at all meal timings. I asked
questions on meal timings, occupancy, seating arrangement, staff, training, entry and exit, delivery
services, USP, Competitor, Location, office complex and the number of offices and people in these
offices. It was identified that there were two major issues- 1) The relative pricing of the restaurant,
2) Similar Food and similar services.
Then various price changes and situations were discussed, and I turned a simple case into a number
heavy case and I guess it turned out in my favour. The interviewer was very impressed and told me
same after my selection too.
Interviewer 3 Ashish. Senior Partner
Interview 3 HR Questions Tell me something about yourself.
Tell me more about your Enactus Work and then about Projects.
You are a bank and you want to set up an ATM. Tell me where, when and how will you set it up.
Also, how will you earn profits from it. You have a corpus of 10 crores to burn in 5 years.
Interview 3 case Transcript The case began with identifying that the service will be outsourced and not performed by the bank
itself. The interviewer was a tough person. He did not agree to any of the criteria of deciding on a
location and made me think and analyse 5-6 different parameters. Then finally agreed to one which
was mentioned earlier. Then we spoke of the very purpose of setting up an ATM and the various
other reasons for setting it up. The revenue model was discussed. It was a very tough interview and
the interviewer asked in the end, " What do you think you did well?". I said I tried very well and
never stopped trying despite resistance. Also I came up new ideas and parameters to set the
location of the ATM. He nodded and said, "Well done."
Any Remarks
Name Astha Didwania

Graduation College St. Xavier's College, Kolkata Branch B. Sc. Economics
Work Experience The Boston Consulting Group (11M) Domain Consulting
Interviewer 1 Don't know
Interview 1 HR Questions Asked to introduce myself. Questions on dissertation done in college.
Interview Number - 1 Case I am a Cement manufacturer. My profits are declining. Please identify reasons for the same.
Interview 1 case Transcript It was just a 5-minute discussion around possible ideas to reduce cost of cement manufacturing.
The interviewer was primarily looking at the structure and thought process.
Interviewer 2 Don't know
Interview 2 HR Questions Asked about the previous projects done while working in BCG
Interview Number – 2 Case No case was asked
Interviewer 3 NA
Name Anantdeep Singh

Graduation College Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Branch Finance
Studies
Work Experience McKinsey & Co (Knowledge Centre) , Domain Consulting
ICAP Shipping (Total-36M)
Interviewer 1 NA, Principal
Interview 1 HR Questions Had a very nice and detailed conversation with the Interviewer. He came to the common waiting
area and escorted me to the interview room. While walking back, we started chatting, and discussed
our backgrounds + general stuff about Lucknow. When we sat, he finally asked me- what is that
one thing I wanted to do in Life. I replied to this by mentioning that I wanted to have a maximum
impact on the society. We then had a short discussion on this topic where we discussed alternative
ways of achieving this objective including politics and consulting. Given the constraint of time, we
then moved on to the case statement.
Problem: An online restaurant listing company reaches out to you. They have been seeing an
Interview Number - 1 Case increase in their listings, however their advertising revenues are not increasing. The management
has hired you to figure out the reason behind this situation.
Interview 1 case Transcript Clarifying questions + case + solution
Interviewer 2 Na
Name Kanika Agarwal

Interviewer 1 Garima Batra
Interview 1 HR Questions Tell me about yourself? Your biggest achievement?
You are working with the government. Government schools run classes from 1st grade to 12th.
They're thinking of introducing classes for lower grades. Help them with the decision.
Interview 1 case Transcript I: What timeline are we looking at to implement this?
Interviewer: As soon as possible. It's not a concern here.
I: Are there any budgetary constraints?
Interviewer: Would want to minimise them.
I: Seeing that we need to decide whether we should go for it or not in the first place, I'll look at the
benefits and costs of such a move.
Interviewer: Okay, that works.
I: I can divide the benefits into educational, economic, social and others.
Interviewer: Okay, what all would come in those categories?
I: In Educational, we can look at dropout rates, number of enrolments and quality of education.
The number of enrolments should increase as an avenue that wasn't available to them earlier will be
open and even for people, earlier sending kids to private schools might get an incentive to shift
them here.
Interviewer: Okay, how is the quality of education going to differ?
I: Well, might lead to better absorption compared to status quo, where compared to private
schools, the level of learning is very low in government schools. If they start on time, their basics
can be cleared earlier.
Interviewer: Right, and about dropout rates?
I: As the quality of education increases, might lower dropout rates.
interviewer: Do you think it can impact repetitions?
I: Yes, as quality improves, the repetitions required should lower.
Interviewer: Yes, and that is where a huge avenue of saving is cost can come in. What all factors
come in Economic and Social?
I: In economic benefits, employability of graduates will be the factor and for social, we can talk
about benefits related to health and sanitation (with access to mid-day meals etc.) and
improvements related to other social problems such as women empowerment etc.
Interviewer: Right, Move to Costs now, please.
I: So, I can divide costs between infrastructural, staffing and faculty, provision of services such as
books, uniforms, meals and also, the opportunity cost of making such a move.
Interviewer: Explain what you mean by each head, please.
I: Infrastructure would include building up of new classrooms and buildings if required and
provision of benches, boards etc. Staffing and Faculty would include hiring of new employees and
their training. The next one is pretty much self-explanatory. By opportunity costs I mean, that the
impact of government not redirecting such funds to other areas such as defence, health etc.
Interviewer: That’s good, Thank you!
Interviewer 2 N/A
Interview 2 HR Questions Conversation about the last interview. Gave me an offer at the end of the case.

Your client is a new bank in Delhi-NCR. Assume that on a transaction in an ATM by a customer
of another bank, the other bank pays the client Rs. 20. The loss that this bank is willing to sustain
in a year is Rs. 1000 crores. Help the client decide how many ATM's should they open and in what
locations. I want you to explain this to me through numbers.
Interview 2 case Transcript I: Okay, since as the bank would want to maximise revenues present and future, minimising costs, I
would look at both these heads. Is that satisfactory?
Interviewer: Yes, seems sensible. Tell me the Revenues side of it.
I: So, revenues could be through the own customers and through the inter-bank fees from other
banks’ customers.
Interviewer: Considering that the bank is at its infancy assume that the revenue from its own
customer base is minimal here.
I: Right, then revenues depend on number of transactions that will depend on the location and
context of the ATM.
Interviewer: That’s true, how can you categorise that as then?
Took a minute to think here.
I: We can categorise the locations as residential markets, office complexes and thirdly, shopping
complexes and public hubs such as airports and railway stations.
Interviewer: Yes, that will work. Why don’t we move to costs here and discuss that considering we
have a certain burnout constraint?
I: Okay, costs can be divided into rent, utilities, staff( security guard) and others. Other costs can
include any regulatory costs accrued here too. Am I missing something?
Interviewer: Yes, what would be a major cost associated with running of an ATM machine? And
you can ignore any regulatory costs.
Took a minute to think here.
I: A cost associated would be to transport cash and stock the machine with it.
Interviewer: Yes. That’s the one. Now, how shall you proceed?
I: Well, all the costs would be about the same for all location categories except rent as that’s
dependent on the location of the ATM.
Interviewer: Fair enough. Then, assume that per ATM, the utilities, security guard and
transportation cost INR 20000, INR 15000 and INR 50000 pm. And the rent in residential is INR
15000 pm, in offices it is INR 20000 pm and in shopping complexes, it is INR 30000 pm.
I: So, costs pm for residential, offices and shopping complexes would be INR 100k, INR 105k and
INR 115k respectively. Annual costs would be Rs. 12 lakhs, Rs. 12.6 lakhs, Rs. 14 lakhs
respectively. Assuming you operate only on those centres, you can divide 1000 crores to get the
number of ATM’s that can be opened on an annual basis.
Interviewer: Okay, thank you for your help.
Interviewer 3
Any Remarks Just be confident and keep smiling. It's okay to make mistakes and to take time to get to answers.
Just be your normal self and have a nice conversation with the interviewer.

Name Himanshu Aggarwal
Graduation College IIT Kanpur Branch Chemical Engineering
Work Experience EXL Service LLC (35M) Domain Analytic Consulting
Interviewer 1 Principal
Interview 1 HR Questions Himanshu, I am also from IIT Kanpur. I see you have done something related to blood donation
in Kanpur can you please explain that?
A restaurant is not satisfied with its profit for the last six months. Owner believes that they can do
much better. Evaluate owner's claim.
Interview 1 case Transcript I: So Himanshu, you must have had an interaction with your buddy and you know format of the
interview.
Me: Yes. I have had a healthy discussion with my buddy.
I: Okay so let's start. A restaurant is not satisfied with its profit for the last six months. Owner
believes that they can do much better. Evaluate owner's claim.
Me: Okay. Can I have some time to think about the problem.
I: Yes. Sure. Take your time.
Me: {After some time} Where is the restaurant located?
I: It is one of the restaurants in a corporate eating area.
Me: Is it an all cuisine restaurant or it has some specialty?
I: It is an Indian restaurant.
Me: Is it a self-serving restaurant like McDonalds or is it fine dining restaurant?
I: Fine dining restaurant.
Me: Do they have any other competitors as in other restaurants and do they have any other
competitors in terms of Indian restaurant?
I: Yes. They have other competitors. Client is more worried that there is one other Indian
restaurant.
Me: Okay. Let me structure my thought. {I summarized my findings till now}
Me: Profits can be divided into two components. Revenue and cost. Revenue can be broken into
primary and other sources of revenue. Primary revenue can be broken into average price of a meal
x no. of customers. Other sources of revenue can be broken down into advertising revenue, rent
revenue and other sources. I would have to understand the business more deeply to know more
about other sources. I am parking it for the meanwhile and will come back later on it. Costs can be
broken down into raw materials, conversion cost and final service cost.
{I drew the framework on paper as well so that I don’t miss out on anything and communication
between me and interviewer is clear}
Is there anything specific you want me to explore?
I: Client is satisfied with costs. There are no secondary sources of revenue. Let’s focus more on
primary sources of revenue.
Me: Okay. Do we have numbers here? When I say average price of the meal what is it? I am asking
because I have to establish two things - i) if there has been any change? Ii) is the restaurant too
costly/cheap and people really don’t like coming here?
I: Price is Rs 500 and there is no change in the last six months.
Me: Okay. And number of customer, do we see a change in number of customers?

I: No. It is fairly constant.
Me: Okay. So you mention one another Indian restaurant. I really don’t know how to benchmark
Rs 500 and I would really want to know what is the charge in another Indian restaurant so I know
how big or small the number is. Also what is the profit of the other restaurant?
I: Okay. Good question. Other restaurant is charging the same. Himanshu, client is not aware of
the other restaurant’s profit.
Me: I would now want to understand what drives number of customers to understand if there is
something which we are doing wrong or if there are some low hanging fruits which we can suggest
to our client while helping him build long term capability to gain more profits.
I: Okay.
Me: Number of customers can be divided into likeability, availability and accessibility. Likeability
would constitute my food perception and food quality, availability would constitute my opening
hours and if there is any space in my restaurant, it can be a case where in there is no space in the
restaurant leaving no room for new customers to come on board and accessibility would constitute
where is my restaurant located viz a viz other restaurants.
I: Okay.
Me: {Covered everything one by one. We were perfect in every sense}
{Asked for more time to understand what could be going wrong}
I want to benchmark my number of customers with that of my competition. How are my numbers
compared to him? It can be a fact that we don’t have data, but generally there is a perception on a
floor and more number of customers are going where? If I have data or generic perception I would
want to establish my customer base viz a viz his so that I know my standings?
I: Other restaurant attracts more number of customers.
Me: Gathering insights. We are better in terms of food quality, service and ambiance. Average price
per meal is similar. Still the competition seems to be doing well in terms of number of customers.
It seems a bit counter intuitive to me {thinking out loud}. My hypothesis is it is driven more by
what my competitor is doing rather than in-house. Are we aware of anything new our competitor
has done in terms of offerings of food?
I: No changes. Competition has started providing discount coupons.
Me: {This was my aha moment} Okay. Do discount coupons mean more number of customers
going in there? Our customers do seem to be price sensitive.
I: Can be a case. How can you establish it?
Me: My hypothesis is that current or loyal customer base may not be price sensitive but my
competition is able to expand its base – reach out to new customers by offering them discount.
This strategy seems to work for them.
I: Okay.
{Interviewer gave a few numbers here to check my basic understanding of numbers and
understand if I know my objective. We created a case where in revenue increased but profit
declined. He confidently asked me I think this should be the scenario we should propose to our
client which I negated by saying that our current objective is profit and not revenue. He further
created a scenario where in profitability was increasing. Again I negated by saying that current
objective is profit and not profitability.}
I: So what would you suggest to our client?
Me: Based on current data, there is scope of expanding my customer base by reducing prices via
offering discount. However, I would want to retain my current customers as well. I would study
the trend of restaurant occupancy as in where in my current customers are coming. Based on that I
would divide my occupancy rate into low, medium and high. For high occupancy rate time, I won’t
do anything. No discounts. For low occupancy rate time, I would offer discount coupon in order
to attract more customers.
One more thing which I left out was we can explore loyalty option in order to strengthen my
current customer base. Do you want me to drill down more into all the suggestions?
I: No, that would be it. Thanks Himanshu. Let me help you on your way out.
Me: Okay. Thank you for your time.
HR
I: Himanshu, I am also from IIT Kanpur. I see you have done something related to blood donation
in Kanpur can you please explain that?
Me: It was one of the initiative which me and my roommate started when one of our hall workers –
ABC chacha {used more IIT Kanpur lingos in this answer} was facing blood problem. We were
faced with a situation where is there was a small demand, huge supply but zero liquidity. All of our
struggle is provide a platform so that the transition happens. We have been fairly success in the
initiative. For the last 4 years there has been no blood shortage in the city of Kanpur in nearly 8
months i.e. the time period when IIT Kanpur is open.
I: So, what’s next?
Me: Well, we want to achieve 100% voluntary blood donation in the city. Currently the number is
less than 1%. People donate blood but under the pressure that their kin needs it and hence blood
banks follow an exchange policy. I aspire to build a platform which creates a huge supply so that
blood can operate without their exchange policy.
I: I see no problem with current system. On one hand you say there is no blood shortage and on
another you talk about an exchange policy?
Me: People do get blood whenever they need it. So there is no shortage. Exchange policy is a worry
because it increases the lead time, which can be fatal in many cases like pregnancy and accidents.
Also for diseases like Leukemia and Thalassemia, unfortunately blood transfusion is a part of their
life and hence it is important to create a situation where in blood banks can go away with their
exchange policy.
Interviewer 2 Don't remember

A new bank wants to establish ATMs in Delhi NCR region and have hired you to help you do that.
Budget is 1 crore.
Overall this interview of mine was a disaster. I was able to establish the cost of establishing a ATM
but was not able to establish parameters which would help me decide where in particular region we
have to open ATMs.
Interview 3 HR Questions What is your passion?
Zomato is losing on its advertising revenue. {interviewer did not mention Zomato’s name but gave
Interview Number – 3 Case enough description for me to know that the firm is Zomato} for the last one year and they want to
know why. You have 15 minutes to solve the problem.
Interview 3 case Transcript I: We will divide this interview in three parts, one I will like to know you, two we will do a small
case and three I have been in this business for the last 18 years and if you want to ask anything we
can proceed to that.
Me: Okay
I: So, Himanshu, What is your passion?
Me: {I explained how trekking and healthcare is my passion and how I have identified it and how I
plan to pursue it in the future}
I: Wow! I have met a lot of candidates and people generally talk about fields in which they are good
at. Yours came straight from your heart. Let’s proceed to the next module of interview.
I: Zomato is losing on its advertising revenue. {interviewer did not mention Zomato’s name but
gave enough description for me to know that the firm is Zomato} for the last one year and they
want to know why. You have 15 minutes to solve the problem.
Me: {This was the first time I was doing an interview with a clock on my head, I skipped the drill
of asking few minutes and began asking my preliminary questions} What all are the sources of
advertising for the firm?
I: They have slots on websites and mobile applications.
Me: Do we have any kinds of competitors and are they also losing out on revenue?
I: I am not aware of competitors… So Himanshu, like I said earlier you have 15 minutes to solve.
You have already spend 2 minutes. Solution should come in next 13 minutes.
Me: {I had never been in this kind of situation, and this is where interaction with buddy helps. He
had taught me to construct a MECE structure using mathematics which in some sense is
convergent. Keeping that approach in mind I resolved to start again} Okay. I understand the time
criticality here. I would re-start my approach and consider from where advertising revenue comes
from.
I: Okay. Fair enough. You have 12 minutes.
Me: Has the number of users of visiting mobile or website dropped?
I: No. In fact, they have increased.
Me: Has there been any drop in number of advertisers?
I: No. Again they have increased.
Me: Advertising Revenue = price charged per slot * No. of slots sold
I: Okay. Prices charged have not changed and there is no drop in number of slots that have been
sold. All the slots are still getting sold.
Me: Okay. Another feature which is important here is the occupancy rate of the slots. So the
equation changes to
Advertising revenue = price charged per slot * no. of slots sold * occupancy rate of the slot
I: Occupancy rates are the same on an average though there has been a drop in occupancy rates for
some time. Can you help me understand why is there a drop in occupancy rate?
Me: There can be two reasons:
1. Good – Restaurants are getting whatever they had estimated in terms of advertising benefits and
they really don’t want to advertise more.
2. Bad – Restaurants are seeing no value additions in terms of advertising on the platform and
hence they are not advertising.
I: Okay, Himanshu let’s move to the third part of the interview. You can ask me whatever you
want to ask?
Me: How did you chose your practice specializations? I would want to choose healthcare as my
specializations and unclear if BCG would assist me in achieving if I show the right results?
I: {Monologue of roughly 30 minutes followed}
Any Remarks You can use the two minutes you have from the time they come to pick you from the room to
their interview room effectively. Pro question - Ask about their selection process, how did they get
into BCG? It certainly is a good ice breaker question and they can very well relate that you can be
nervous

Name Anubhav Vardhan
Graduation College IIT Kanpur Branch Chemical Engineering
Work Experience Axis Bank (11M) Domain AI and Robotic Process Automation
Interviewer 1 NA, Principal
Interview Number - 1 Case NA
Interview 1 case Transcript Your client is a restaurant owner serving Indian cuisine in an office space. He is currently operating
on the break-even point, and would like you to help increase his profits.
Interviewer 2 M: When we say increase in profits, should I look at only ways to increase profits, or does the
client want an increase in revenue as well?
I: The client is open to any idea you propose.
M: I would like to know more about the company first. Where exactly is the location in which it
operates, can I say that it is in an SEZ? Is it the only restaurant there? How are its competitors
faring?
I: Yes, the restaurant is in an SEZ area with big office buildings all around. The central area is the
food court, where man restaurants are located. There are two other Indian cuisine restaurants,
which can be considered competitors, rest all offer different cuisines. The two competitors are also
facing a similar situation.
M: Office buildings will mean that there are different class of people using the food court every
day, say the lower level, middle level and senior level employees. They will all have a different
expected standard of the restaurant they visit. Does our client serve all these people or a specific
category?
I: The client usually has the senior-level executives as his customers. The average revenue per
customer is Rs. 500.
M: Okay. How many customers does the client server every day? How much is the seating capacity
of his restaurant?
I: The client serves 100 customers during lunch and the same for dinner. The seating capacity of
the restaurant is 100.
M: So assuming a standard lunch/dinner break of 1 hour, I can take the restaurant to be operating
at full capacity.
I: No, the breaks are spread across 3 hours.
M: That changes things. Assuming a regular distribution of customers, our client is currently
operating at only 33% of his capacity.
I: True, how do you plan to proceed?
M: I can look at both the revenue and costs side. On the revenue side, we can look at ways to
increase the number of customers or average revenue per customer. On the costs side, there will be
the fixed costs like rent and wages, variable costs like raw materials and overheads. I would like to
begin with the revenue side first.
I: Let’s look at the costs before we go to the revenues.
M: Okay, for the current setup, the rent and wages are not likely to change. This leaves us with the
raw materials and overheads. We can look for alternative raw material suppliers to reduce the
procurement cost without sacrificing quality. In the overheads dept., the electricity bill can be
targeted. Switching to led lights can significantly reduce the bill, so can power glass, which will help
in temperature regulation, both in the summers and the winters, thus reducing the air conditioning
charges. We can also look at switching the restaurant to a new and smaller spot to reduce rent and
associated costs if increasing capacity is not feasible.
I: Okay, but let us keep the idea of shifting shops to the side for the time being. Now let’s see some
numbers. Suppose the fixed costs are 60,000, and the variable costs per customer is 200. Can you
verify the current status?
M: Total revenue is 100000, so is total expenses. The client is indeed working at 0 profits.
I: Yeah. Assuming the client reduces the average bill per customer to Rs. 400, he will get 200
customers for lunch and dinner instead of 100. What will his condition be then?
M: At this new level, he will be making a profit of Rs. 20,000 a day, and his capacity utilization will
increase to 67%. Not to the ideal level, but still a significantly better position.
I: So should he decrease prices further to increase his capacity utilization and profits?
M: No. As he keeps on decreasing his prices and increasing the capacity utilization, the overall
effect on profit will fall off. Say, if Rs. 300 per customers gets him 300 customers a day, he will be
operating at full capacity, but his revenue will be 1,80,000 a day, while his expenses will also be
1,80,000 a day. This will bring his profits back to 0.
I: So what should he do?
M. There will be a maxima in the plot of number of customers and the revenue per customer,
which will give us the maximum profit level. We should aim to be as close to that level as possible.
I: Okay, so what will your recommendation to the client be?
M: I would advise the client to reduce his average revenue per customer to increase the footfall in
his restaurant. It can be done by decreasing the cost of the entire menu by some percentage, which
will induce more senior management people to come to the restaurant. Alternatively, he can also

introduce a new economy dish, say a veg thali, which will bring more middle level employees to the
restaurant, as the place where their bosses eat might have an aspirational value, and a menu item in
their budget can bring them to the restaurant.
I: Sure. That will be it. Thank you.
Interview 2 HR Questions .
Tell me about yourself?
Why switch from research in Quantum Computing and AI to consulting?
Experience working with BCG?
Discussion about high school.
Interviewer 3 NA
Any Remarks
Name Ashna Goenka

Work Experience OneDirect (21M) Domain IT
Interviewer 1 Prateek Rai, Partner
Interview 1 HR Questions What was your biggest achievement at OneDirect? Are you doing anything in MV?
I am a restaurant owner in cyber hub Gurgaon. I serve lunch and dinner a la carte and have been
Interview Number - 1 Case able to break even. But I am not able to make profits. Help me. There are other vendors who serve
the same cuisine and they make profits but I don't.
Interview 1 case Transcript I started with the qualitative aspect because on clarifying the interviewer told me that "Help me"
implies that he wants my help in figuring out the reason for no profits. So I started with a
framework similar to the 4Ps. He went into details til the third brand but then said no all of this is
okay. The peers were charging slightly lower prices though so I suggested that we too should
reduce prices (but I mentioned the pros and cons of this and the factors to be kept In mind.) So
then he made it a quantitative case and gave me numbers for the restaurants total capacity, the
current average guests per meal and per customer cost of making the meal. So I had to recommend
the magnitude of prices reduction possible to keep making positive profits cost remaining constant.
So I did it for three levels and ultimately made my recommendation.
Interviewer 2 Na

2016
Summer Interview
Experiences

Consulting
Interview Experience 1
Name Aishwarya Vishwanathan
Background Undergrad : VJTI Mumbai
Work Ex : JP Morgan Chase
Round 1 My client is a steel manufacturing company off late expecting a decline in my sales. Find
the reason & provide recommendations for the same
Solution: It was mainly a supply side issue. The reason was decline in supply because of
high attrition rate. I basically had to walk the interviewer through the entire Value chain
& once cause was identified I had to come up with recommendations. Focus was highly
on structure & approach, clarity of thoughts. The more practical &innovative your
recommendations are the more convinced is the interviewer
Round 2 Client is a FMCG industry. Come up with a growth strategy for expansion
Solution: The conversation was lot around digital marketing

HR Questions This was with Principal. Had an option to solve a case or talk about a subject or sector that I am interested
in. I chose the latter. Talked about the consumer
sector, shared few insights about upcoming trends etc. in this sector as I follow it as part of my portfolio
management in Credence Capital
Name Ankita Upamanyu
Background Undergrad : NIT Bhopal
Round 1 Asked questions based on CV, why consulting, why Accenture. Case was that a payment service provider is
facing the issue of decreasing profitability. What is the issue and how will you solve it?
Firstly, I asked the basic questions about the company, when the issue of declining profits started, were
competitors facing the same or not. I found out that our company does not deal with customers directly,
but has some intermediaries to deal with the customers. And also as it was established that only our
company was facing the issue, the concept of industry trend could be neglected. I then proceeded with the
basic structure of dividing profits into revenue and costs and further divided costs into various subheads
like infrastructure, logistics, etc. and asked if they have been changing, and found that the cost increment
was marginal and thus could be neglected. I then divided the revenue into subheads like change in the price
of each transactions, change in number of transactions per user or change in the number of users. By
analyzing and asking questions on all these subheads, I could correctly conclude that there was a change in
the price of each transactions due to increase in the margins the company gave to the intermediaries.
After the case, it was again some questions based on recent trends of M&A in Indian Pharma and
Automotive Industry. (related to some points on my CV)
Round 2 Asked some questions regarding the CV. Then the case was in the form of a diagram,
where there was a conveyer belt drawn with 3 materials at the input side, their weights
were given and they were being dumped into the market at output. The question was to find the speed of
the conveyer belts for all three items separately and I was given
5minutes to think of all possible questions regarding the information I would need to
calculate the speed of the belt and prioritize them and ask 3 most important questions.The top 3 questions
I asked was the demand in market (to determine the revenue), input and the differential costs (to determine
the profitability) and status of our company and the existing players, for each of the products. He wasn’t
looking for the numeric values, but for the factors one should consider while deciding the speed of the
belt.

Name Sujit Emmanuel
Background Undergrad: Bits Pilani
Work Ex : Bain Capability Center – 23 months
Round 1 1) If the market share of south region and north region are increasing yet the market share of overall country
is reducing. Is this possible? (Assume, country has only north and south regions and there are no other
external factors)
2) If yes, then what should the company do to boost the sales in overall country?
Round 2 1) Size the market of the number of Honda Activa’s sold in Lucknow in a given year.
2) You have to launch a new supermarket chain across India. How would you go about it, which cities
would you choose?
Round 3 1) Size the market of rock band enthusiasts who would become professionals in your city?
2) What could be ways to check this number? (Cross-check points)
HR Questions Why should we not select you?
Tell me your strengths and weaknesses
Why Consulting?
Why Accenture over other consulting firms?
Work experience related deep-dive (not really HR, but just mentioning it here)

A.T. Kearney
Name Mukul Jha
Background Undergrad :IIT Madras
Round 1 The interview started with basic introduction. The interviewer further asked me about my hobbies. I
mentioned “Theatre” as one of them. So, my case was “ Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Raval have decided
to revamp bollywood movies. Help them out.”
Solution: I was able to structure the abstract case. When I had reached to the plan of action, he also asked
a guesstimate on the revenue that one movie theatre
will earn for them. There was an intimation to end the interview as soon as I was given this guesstimate.
Although I was able to layout my approach for the guesstimate, he did not feel very convinced as I did not
arrive on the number within time.
Round 2 My second round was completely based on my resume and consulting cases that I has done during my Work-
ex. Last round was HR. Both these rounds were with Partners.
Name Meenakshi Khemani
Background Undergrad : SRCC
Round 1 A Chinese automobile manufaturer wants to enter India. If it should enter, what portfolio shall it consider.
Solution: 1. PESTEL analysis for India
2. Porter’s 5 forces for automobile industry in India
Established that all forces are in favor and hence we should enter.
3. Operations of the company
Focus on volume and profit share of each product.
Mode of entry – JV/Export/ Manufacturing Units
Target Segment – Which products for which segments
Gave exact answer, which market segment to target, with what product.
Round 2 ‘Mukesh Ambani wants to bid for a team in Indian Soccer League. How much should he bid?’
Solution: After basic clarifying questions of the objective and budget constraints, wrote down the revenue
streams for a soccer team. Turned it into a guesstimate and estimates cashflows from each source. Was
stopped before I could complete the calculations and give an exact number.
Add-on question, how would you convince TATAs to sponsor your team?
Again, estimation of benefits for TATA and calculations of cashflows for
them. Was stopped mid-way and taken for Partner round.
HR Questions Interview 1: Tell me something about your work experience.
Interview 2: Do you drink? Do you watch sports? Then straight to case.
Interview 3 (partner round): Casual conversation

(After a long introduction by him) You have a very cluttered CV. All the CVs on your campus seem to be
the same. Tell me something that is not
there on your CV, that can help me understand you as a person.
I feel that digitization is only for start-ups or for sales and marketing. What is your take? How can you apply
digitization to any 3 business processes to increase efficiency of the company? Is digitization applicable for
old-school industries like Oil and Gas?
I spoke about logistics and procurement, he then converted the question into a case of a
cement manufacturer company. I pointed out the processes that could benefit from digitization.
Towards the end, he asked me why I want to do consulting at AT Kearney (this topic came up
conversationally; wasn’t a direct question). I supplemented my answer by citing examples of friends and
seniors working at AT Kearney and their experiences.

Name Surbhi Singhania
Background Undergrad : IIT Kanpur
Round 1 Case 1: Estimate the revenues of a super market. What should be done to increase the revenue of the store.
Case 2: What can be done to increase the popularity of Honey Singh in South India.
Round 2 Case 1: How can a chemical company digitize?

The Boston Consulting

Group
Name Shikhar Kohli
Background Undergrad : NSIT
Round 1 A leading bank has consolidated its loan processing (credit check etc) to a central location and has cut back
its on the ground marketing force. Despite an increased push to sell these loans, the fact is the bank has
seen a decline in the number of loans being approved. Why?
Solution: The bank was targeting the wrong set of customers with its ground marketing force. The sales
people were literally going to every household selling the loans. Instead they should have approached the
real estate agents and builders to have a targeted marketing
Regarding the centralization, the probability of loans being approved reduced as reducing the processing
time was a KRA of the employees and hence they rejected all the dicey loans
Round 2 Started off by asking me about my work ex and internship. Moved on to a technology based case where a
client of theirs wanted to reduce their costs of providing an AMC. Essentially, they had two service levels.
Clients could get in touch with a call centre agent who handled basic troubleshooting. If needed, the
second level was activated, where an engineer would go to the client’s site. You need to cut down on the
cost of this AMC operation.
Name Priyanka Unnithan
Background Undergrad : Bits Pilani Goa Campus
Round 1 Started with an HR question: mention one thing each from Acads, Work ex
and extra currics that you are proud of.
Situation- You’re the PM of India. There has been a massive earthquake in
Nepal (assume the recent 2015 one). Case was about trying to estimate how
much aid should the government of India give.
Approach: Started with qualifying questions- confirmed similar degree of

damage as 2015 earthquake, budgetary constraints (none), power of the PM
(unlimited), reasons for giving aid (Nepal has been an ally).
Structure-Tried breaking down “aid provided” into monetary and non-
monetary. Was interrupted and asked to look only at the monetary part.
Broke down monetary aid into micro and macro levels. Micro-to resurrect
life and livelihood; macro – i) counter infrastructural damage – further
segmented into public infra and damaged archaeological sites (Interviewer was curious why I considered
the latter here) and ii) help the affected bread-winning tourism industry.
Declared I’d like to look at the micro aspect first (easy to compute). Tried to
engage the interviewer with estimated people affected (deaths, injured,
displaced) figures. While attempting to go in the direction of rescue persons
required-if we are just sponsoring the local team or sending one ourselves, I
was urged to get to a number for aid quickly. To get to a number, decided to
go first principles with this and estimated amount needed to be expensed for
3 primary requirements of an affected household: food, shelter and medical
expenses. The interviewer hinted that I should look at the figures closely
once I was done. Realised that one of the figures was a per day estimate
while others were per month, rectified that quickly. On the insistence of the
interviewer, came down to a final number. With this, proceeded to ask
specific questions on government relief budget and if the contingency fund
was to be used for both national and international situations. Fell short of
time to continue further.

Round 2 Started with a generic ‘Tell me about yourself’ HR question. Interviewer
was keen on creating a case from the answer.
Case 1: I had led a team in organizing a Limca Book of Records attempt.
Given that attempt wasn’t successful, the interviewer asked me to strategise
a Guiness Book of Records attempt
Approach: Right away confirmed the premise that such records are either a)
large number of people doing something b) creating a unique product or c) a daring/life-threatening act
usually. Mentioned that for ideas, I would mostly
keep a) in mind since large number of student participants is achievable.
Took the value chain approach and broke down the procedure into: 1) conceptualization of the event (idea,
venue, partnerships), 2)implementation
(team formation, field work) and feedback (analysis, leaving behind
documentation for the next time). Spoke about how the idea itself can be
found in one of two ways- a) establish a new record altogether b) break an
existing record.
Case 2: Create a go-to- market strategy for a trekking-gear company based

out of Cochin
Approach: Started with the qualifying questions about the nature of their
products, how they are unique, existing players, info about location..
Went with STP flow: laid out the value proposition, the suitable target
groups, how to reach them, the communication channels for publicity and so on. Interviewer interjected
when he thought he knew what line of thought I was going for.
Invited questions for him, had a candid conversation on his work, the
marketing projects BCG undertakes, recent breakthroughs with the use of
analytics.
Round 3 Started again with an HR question, this time on work-ex since he works in
the technology. Asked about the role, the job description, key achievements
at Nvidia.
Case: Global product-centric tech firm with two different types of engineers-
remote and onsite of different pay scales. Company provides AMC to clients for its products and a detailed
flow for dealing with complaints was given. Firm finds itself grappling with increasing labor costs. Find the
problem and recommend a solution. Problem statement was deliberately detail heavy. There was a lot of
tech jargon and being from a similar background helped.
Approach: Clarified what an AMC was, what exactly the company did and
how it served its clients. Initially tried to focus on the engineering division
and understood role of remote vs onsite engineers. Put forth questions
regarding the geographical accuracy of engineer distribution, if work traffic
had displayed any trends recently. Was prompted by the interviewer to look
into the value chain of the complaint handling process.
Quickly charted out a flow and associated high labour costs with the work spilling over to the expensive
remote engineers and the need to find ways to curtail the work to the onsite engineer level. Couldn’t
continue due to lack of time.
HR Questions 1) Mention one thing each from Acads, Work ex and extra currics that
you are proud of.
2) Tell me about yourself
3) Work-ex role, the job description and key achievements

Name Divyanshi Bhansali
Background Undergrad : Hindu College
Round 1 I’d mentioned that I am from a boarding school in my ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ and so I was asked to
determine how should parents decide whether or not kids should be sent to a boarding school.
Case: The client was a new VC firm who wanted to invest in a new cab business in Lucknow and had
approached BCG to decide the metrics that they should base their decision on. The interviewer was more
interested in my thought process and structure and did not give me any data. I had to decide everything
about the cab service right from the model of operation to revenue model of the cab service.
Since we still had time remaining he asked me if I had any questions and I asked about the Education
project in Haryana that BCG had been involved with and stated my reasons for interest in the same.
Round 2 In the beginning, I was asked about myself and then about why consulting would be the right career choice
for me.
A sheet with data was kept on the table which the interviewer narrated to me. The case was about an AMC
service provider. Before getting to the case I was warned that I should not try to solve the case but just
think out loud. He said I would not be able to solve the case or even get close to the end even if I tried. I
did feel pressurized by the statement and the case was too technical for me, but I tried maintaining my
calm and doing the best that I could.
Name Shivali Vij
Background Undergrad : DTU
Round 1 Started with basic introduction and activities taken up in college.
Read that I had won a competition in supply chain management, so gave a case related to that
CASE : I am a pharma company and have just finished my growth phase. I observe that after expansion
into china market, my delivery time has reached 7-8 days and I want to reduce it. Tell me how.
S : May I take a minute to think about the parameters in play

After a minute
S: What do we do as a pharma company , just medicines or equipment too?
I :We produce just medicines
S: Where are we based ?
I : We are an indian company , and are delivering to China. Focus on just this market
S : How are we delivering?
I : We can either deliver by ships or planes, plans cost us 2.5 times more though they take lesser time (same
day ) as compared to ships (2 days)
S: What is the delivery time of our competitors ?
I : They deliver in 4 days after receiving an order, we do in 8.
I draw a structure of delays caused by internal or external reasons. On futher talk I realize that the problem
is internal, we don’t have to work on the cost of delivery
Redraws the internal side value chain
S: So I assume that we have some admin department to collate the orders and pass it on for manufacturing,
we then procure materials from our supplier, have quality check on it, Then storage would be a step, then
we process it to make medicine, then we do another round of quality checks, next we package them and
ship them.
I : Alright, go on
S : Is there any other step our company takes ?
I : You tell me that
S: I can break down manufacture process futher to check for delays
I : Do that in order. Lets start
S: So by what process do we receive orders ? Is the admin and paperwork efficient ?

I : Yes, there are no problems there
S : Who are our key suppliers?
I : In pharma industry the supplies are fragmented. We receive our total RM from many vendors, who
supply as much as possible. Sometimes they lie that they already have RM in store to not lose our order.
S: Alright then. Why don’t we look for a bigger vendor who can supply to us. I am sure we will also save
on costs through that.
I : That is not possible in this industry. Besides all our competitors also have fragmented suppliers
S : So we can introduce mechanisms to ensure supply on time.
I : Like what ?

S : We can think about trade discounts and on-time- delivery benefits for our vendors. We can give them
some technology like a tablet where they can update us on status of shipment of raw materials, so that we
can map when it will reach us. This will help us track RM
I : Alright. Good. Anything else?
S : We can have a warehouse were we can store some common RM. That we will not face delays.
I : Good. Lets move on
S : Next process would be quality check. This is core to pharma industry and hence this step cannot be
eliminated
I : Yes, it is true. Medicines need huge amount of checks
S : Why don’t we standardize our RM and give specifications to our vendors. That way the responsibility to
maintain quality will be on time as part of contact.
I : Ok, go on.
S : I would like to know more about manufacturing of the medicines
I : So medicines are made in 4 phases, 1st is processing of raw material and making a solution of required
efficacy, next is converting the solution into tablets , 3rd is adding standard colors and fillers. Last is
packaging
S : So we can reduce time in fillers part
I : Actually the 2nd step takes 70% of the time, filler is just a small part
S : but we cannot reduce the main process since quality of the medicine will be compromised. We can
think about reduction of time in fillers and colors since changes in that will not affect quality of our
product.
I : Right
S : Also, in manufacturing, we can think of maintaining some WIP inventory to speeden up production
when order comes, provided life of WIP is high enough
I : Good. Can you conclude and summarize
Round 2 Started with a puzzle after introduction
I am sitting in a boat in a huge swimming pool . The boat has a large rock which I pick up and throw in
water. What will happen to level of water ? Increase Decrease or remain same
CASE 1 : I am working for a client similar to big basket. They deliver items at a slot chosen by customer.
They have a metric called OTIF i.e if the delivery was On Time and if all the items were delivered (In Full )
. There OTIF is currently at 50% and they aim to take it to 90%. Suggest ways of doing so
CASE 2 : I am a very rich man and I see that ola and uber have a lot of customers, that it is a thriving
market. But I also know that they both are making losses. I want to start a similar business but I also want
profits within 5 years. Design this business for me
Round 3 CASE : A hardware manufacturer is looking to cut costs. We manufacture machines in-house and have
maintenance services as well. They have 2 types of servicing features of broken hardware
1. An off shore low-level engineer who takes complaint calls and solves problems via virtual desk or over
call
2. An on site engineer who visits and repairs machine
Tell me how do I go about cutting costs
Name Himanshu Bhatia
Background Undergrad : IIT Guwahati
Round 1 Client is a logistics company which guarentees 95% ontime performance. Identify the industries that they
should target
Solution: Started with preliminary questions like the areas of operation and pricing policy. Divided the
industry in consumer and industrial segements. Further divided in FMCG, durables, e commerce etc for
consumer and power, automobile, construction etc for industrial. Compared the industries on basis of
importance of on time delivery, return loads, ability to pay etc to arrive at the rankings.
Round 2 A leading bank has consolidated its loan processing (credit check etc) to a central location and has cut back
its on the ground marketing force. Despite an increased push to sell these loans, the fact is the bank has
seen a decline in the number of loans being approved. Why?
Solution: The bank was targeting the wrong set of customers with its ground marketing force. The sales
people were literally going to every household selling the loans. Instead they should have approached the
real estate agents and builders to have a targeted marketing
Regarding the centralization, the probability of loans being approved reduced as reducing the processing
time was a KRA of the employees and hence they rejected all the dicey loans

Name Radhika Purohit
Background Undergrad : Kamla Nehru College
Round 1 I was given one case.
You’re the PM of India and Nepal recently had an earthquake and you have to calculate the relief amount
you’ll be paying.
I started with asking a bit about the case-
When did the calamity take place? Do we have a quantitative idea about the damage? And a few more. Then
re-instated my objective of calculating the relief fund amount.
I gave an over overview of the structure I’ll be using to calculate the amount which included dividing the
damage into broad areas of household infrastructure, commercial infrastructure, government offices,
educational institutes and hospitals then calculating the amount of damage and then after considering our
budget for relief fund, the allocation we’ll be doing.
In the next step I divided the sectors in a detailed manner. I calculated the number of households based on
the number of population and average number of people in a family. Then divided the sectors further like
household into houses completely damaged, need repair and are unaffected.
The interviewer then asked me to focus on the household sector first, he gave me the size of homeless
population after I inquired about it. After calculating the amount, the interviewer then asked me to move on
to other areas and gave me a time limit (I think to put me under pressure). I based my calculation for the rest
as a percentage of amount of damage in households and gave a rationale behind the percentage division.
After calculating the total amount of monetary damage and our countries relief budget, calculated the
percentage of damage we’ll be funding keeping in mind the relief received by Nepal from international
organizations like World Bank and other countries.
Round 2 An international hardware tools company in India. I have the second largest share in the automatic segment
but an embarrassing profits in the manual segment. Find the problem and suggest ways to increase the sales.
I started with asking a few questions about the company, its competitors, consumers, the products and the
division of sales in these products.
I used the 5ps approach and delved further into each. In products I majorly covered quality of product, price,
usage etc. Price was higher as compared to competitors I followed a value chain process to find points where
cost can be reduced. Then moved to promotion and distribution where I created a chain the company
followed. Then moved on to the 5th P, people and asked various questions like perception, understanding of
the utility of product etc. I identified the problem in this area that people were unaware about the association
of the two segments, the value of the international brand and the quality it offered.
I then moved on to recommendation part. Divided the recommendation into 2, one catering to the existing
problem and the other segment which would help increase in sales beyond the problem.

Deloitte
Name Rohan Danait
Background Undergrad : COE Pune
Workex : 1 year, ZS Associates
Round 1 There is a telecom company in US having sustained growth since 2005 uptill 2012. Profits started
declining from 2012 -15.
Solution: Qualifying questions regarding the company and industry (growing). Issue was in the plan
mix and the rates for each plan. What kind of data will you look for to identify the issue?
The rates were high compared to the competition especially in the SMS segment. In the data we had
plan rate and customer adoption rate for each service in past 5 years. 1 graph showing graph of
industry and company. Comparison of 2010 and 2015 customer usage of various services. Calculate
the relevant parameters using the data provided. Interviewer asked for exact figure.
Round 2 Problem: Estimate number of MRI machines in India. Starting point population.
Solution: Divided in cities. Hospitals - > Pvt Govt and Private Clinics.
Round 3 1. What was the case in second round and recommendations on it?
2. Telecom related discussion in India
HR 1. Tell me about yourself
Questions 2. Why Deloitte : Related to consult workex. Ops background. Interest in Ops.
3. Extra-Curricular
4. Work ex related – Guesstimate round
Dos Pay more attention to approach than data for guesstimate. Data based case round. Comfortable with
calculations with big numbers.
Name Amogh Bihani
Undergrad : IIT Delhi
Background
Work Ex : Samsung R&D
Problem: How will you increase the profits of an Insurance company based in US
Solution: Discussed about the product offerings and used Ansoff Matrix to identify new revenue
streams. Next the aspect of pricing was taken up. Various methods like value based, cost based and
reference based were used.
Round 1
Additional Problem: Interviewer explained about the Cobra Insurance industry in USA which refers
to low premium insurance for people switching jobs. Explore if the company shall enter this market
Solution : Market entry framework and guesstimate to estimate the market size and factors for
entering
Partner Round: Asked to pitch the recommendations to the CEO of insurance company
Round 2 Solution: Prepared the summary of the case in 3 minutes time and presented to the Partner. Each
recommendation had to be backed up with sufficient data and logic.
Round 3 HR Based round
1. Describe a situation where you overcame obstacles
HR
2. Why consulting
Questions
3. Questions on projects done in college and work ex
Name Rishav Krishna
Undergrad : NIT Trichy
Background
WorkEx : 32 months
Problem: Guesstimate the overall sales of flipkart on big billion day
Solution: Demand side - Started with internet penetration in India, further classified in types of
buyers. Assumed the daily average time spent on purchasing to get the quantity and multiplied by
Round 1 average price to get the total earnings
Supply Side : Started with number of sellers on platform and multiplied by the average daily revenue
of each to get the net sales
Discussion on the case given during campus case workshop

Problem: Telecom company in USA is losing revenue in past few years. Identify the reason
Solution: The case was provided with yearly sales and volume/subscriber data (of last 10 years), last
two years - revenue stream data, price-mix data and current market-trends data for each services.
Round 2 There was a surge in the cheaper internet services as growing number of people started using
internet to place voice calls rather than strictly buying the costlier voice-calling plans from the
service-provider. This had caused decrease in the voice-calling plan users. Besides this, there were
more such negative driver as well, such as decreasing volume of message service users. There were
few more follow-up questions on the same case.
Questions based on work ex
Problem: How could you forecast the sales of a drug?
Round 3 Solution : used the concept of ‘Potential’, ‘Available’, ‘Target’ and ‘Penetrated’ Market from Kotler
and drew parallels with ‘Epidemiology’, ‘Diagnosed Pool’, ‘Treated Pool’ and ‘Penetrated Pool’ of
patients.
HR
Extra-Curricular
Questions
Name Nishant Paliwal
Background Udergrad :
Workex: 4 years
Problem: Market expansion strategy for ERP system providing company. The case was based on
work ex and hence required technical knowledge of the subject
Round 1
Solution: Used the basic market expansion framework to comprehensively analyze various options
and the specific technical requirements in each case.
Problem: Market expansion strategy for payment systems like Paytm and their role in promoting
financial inclusion
Round 2 Solution: The case was provided with data on the industry growth and other trends. Analyzed the
market potential by a guesstimate of market size and present penetration. Further analyzed the case
using ansoff matrix for recommendations
HR Tell me about yourself
Questions Work ex related questions

2015
Summer Interview
Experiences

Consulting
Name: Aditya Pratap Singh
Company: Accenture Strategy
No. of Rounds: 3
Commerce in XII.
Brief Profile: Did Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) in Finance from SSCBS, DU.
2 years of work experience in EY in the consulting domain.
Interview questions: -
1st round – 1 manager
A. Tell me about yourself – Started with work experience and took a 1 second
pause.
B. He picked one project (work ex) from my CV and asked me to explain the
problem and what all levers did we tweak.
C. The discussion went to NPV and IRR (because I mentioned it) – Was asked very
in-depth questions. I had used NPV for a hospitality client for a buy-v/s-lease
analysis. I was able to justify it. He then told me that his clients in Steel industry
prefer IRR and asked me as to what could be the reasons.
D. Gave a small case – Telecom client is rolling out promotional schemes and offers
but the conversion is low. Client wants to improve conversion. More information
was given upon questioning.
a. Conversion was less than 1% - comparable to industry norms but the client wants
us to improve it.
b. Established player
c. Schemes are targeting existing customers
d. STP has no issue
e. 3 ways of rolling out schemes – SMS, IVRS calls, manual calls.
f. Focus on SMS, identify possible areas and generate ideas – some of the areas were
– content, frequency, personalization of text messages (mention the name of
customer using a script), ease of ordering (reply using SMS, missed call, website etc.),
channel conflict, overall service experience and satisfaction, pricing and so on. These
Narration of the case interview:
factors were categorized to appear structured.
2nd round – 1 partner/director

Was made to wait 15-20 minutes
A. 3 reasons why should I select you
B. Guesstimate – Titan is launching a smart watch for Rs. 12,000. Estimate the
market.
a. I identified the cuts.

b. Explained the approach that I planned
c. Asked him if he was ok with it and if he wanted to put numbers - He said that
numbers are not required
d. Countered me at one place on logic – I Was able to defend my stance using
Aspirational value concept
3rd round – 1 HR
Be nice to the HR who is scheduling you (even if you are being made to wait),
he/she might take your final round
2-3 minutes interview
A. How were your earlier rounds?
B. Did you make any mistake?
C. 3 things that will stop you from becoming a good consultant – I struggled in this
question. I had an answer ready for weakness but it was (obviously) miles from
consulting. Tried to globe
D. It seems that you are overconfident – tried to globe yet again. Finally, came up
with 1 genuine weakness related to consulting.
What do you think went right in

Leveraged my work experience.
this interview?
What do you think went wrong Should have prepared an answer for "3 things that will stop you from becoming a
in this interview? consultant"
Confidence is most important. Numbers are not at all important. Focus on approach
Any tips for future batches on
and logic. Don't unnecessarily fit models. If they question you, you must be able to
the basis of your experience
defend it based on logic.
Name: Ankur Agarwal
No. of Rounds: 3
VIT University (Mechanical Engineer)
Brief Profile:
10 months work experience at LnT Construction.
- Why consulting??
Need to show that you are interested in it.
Interview questions (With - Why Accenture?

indicative answers if you choose An in depth knowledge of how Accenture is different firm other consulting firms
to share them) and what are the opportunities it can provide.
- Goals in your life?

Should know yourself and your goals.
Round 1:(about 1 hour)
A very interactive round. More of a conversation with the interviewer sharing his
experience. After a few minutes of interaction, questions were asked based on my
work experience and interest in consulting. Then a case study on the construction
industry was given where there was an issue of material shortage. An extension of
the same was to get to the issue of improper labor distribution. The interviewer
explained the processes and was very interactive. Not sticking rigidly to a particular
framework was the key as the interviewer was more interested in the approach and
how diverse I could think.
Round 2: (1 hour)
Initially there were many HR questions on why consulting, why Accenture, why not
General Management, my strengths, goals in life and in depth about my work
Narration of the case interview experience and a few questions from my CV. After that a case based on
(Please be as descriptive as manufacturing industry was given where I was expected to find out the output
possible) function parameters of the machine. The case discussion was nice, but halfway
through the case, he told to switch on to another case. This was based on my work
experience where I was asked to select any product and do the costing of the same.
The interviewer was interested in seeing what all parameters I take into consideration
and how diverse can I think. After listing down a lot of parameters, he told me that
as a manager of a firm you are required to cut down the cost considerably to bag a
big order. I was asked to do the cost cutting taking every possible parameter. Again,
diversity in thinking and covering all areas was what he was looking for.
Round 3: (15 minutes)

The final round was an HR round with the Principal where questions like strengths,
weaknesses, goals, achievement, failure, regret in life, one thing you want to change
and similar questions were asked. It also included a rapid fire round in which one
word answers were expected.
Not sticking rigidly to a particular framework for the case studies worked in my
favor, as the case studies were more on my work experience where application
What do you think went right in according to the case was more important. Trying to cover all areas and giving all
this interview? diverse ideas and trying to interact more with the interviewer and extract more
information played to my advantage. Even asking relevant questions to the
interviewer helped to show that I was interested in the job.
What do you think went wrong Knowing more about the company would have been better as I had stated a wrong
in this interview? fact about the company.
As stated by all my interviewers, Accenture hires not as interns but as future
prospects, so try to show your interest in the company. Most importantly, you
Any tips for future batches on should be able to convince them that you are interested in consulting and that you
the basis of your experience are interested in the domain. Know about the company in depth and do not strict
rigidly to a framework for cases, rather apply one as per the case and be as diverse in
your thinking as possible.

Name: Arushi Singh
No. of Rounds: 3
B.Com (Hons), SRCC
Brief Profile: Analyst, The Smart Cube (6 months)
PG Diploma in International Business Operations
Round 1:
This was a short 15 minutes interview with the HR. The questions were CV based,
mostly centering on the projects I did at Smart Cube, the kind of projects I'm
interested in, which sector do I like the most, do I enjoy working in teams, would I
be okay with working on long projects etc. Apart from that, there were a couple on
how I was finding college and what PRiSM does, wrapping up with if I had any
questions for her.
Round 2:
This was a 30 min interview with Principal (Vivek Chopra). It began with HR
questions: Tell me about yourself, which POR did you enjoy the most (Volunteer
teacher/social work) and what would your NGO kids say are your strong points and
Interview questions (With areas you can improve upon? I was asked my favourite subject (International
indicative answers if you choose business), which was followed by “Give me 5 reasons why companies choose to go
to share them) international” and a case on that. Then he asked me a random question “What logics
are used in lifts?” Since I had absolutely no clue he quickly left it.
Round 3:
This was a 20 min interview with Partner (Vivek Singh), beginning with “Tell me
something not on your CV” and “What would your manager say are your strong
points and weak areas?” As I had mentioned a course on Scuba Diving in my CV I
was asked a case on it. After that was a random fun round - Tell me in One word the
first thing that comes to your mind when I say the following words:
1. Success (Perseverance)
2. Failure (Experience)
3. One thing that irritates you (Fakeness)
4. One thing you hate about engineers (Not mentioning it here!)
Round 2:
Case: "Dabur has hired you to increase its international revenues to 25%".
He directly wanted the solution instead of going about it like a case interview, so I
used the Ansoff matrix as a base for coming up with several strategies, did a cost-
benefit analysis of each strategy evaluating them on parameters, and then suggested
the best strategy for short term and long term.
Added a few Dabur-specific things like capitalizing on its Ayurvedic image and the
growing trend towards natural/herbal products.
Narration of the case interview Round 3:

(Please be as descriptive as I had to tell in exactly 2 minutes whether it was feasible for him to start a Scuba
possible) Diving Institute in India, finance not being a barrier. So I did a quick market analysis
covering the overall macroeconomic scenario, current and forecasted state of the
industry, and gave a checklist of all the requirements needed to start the institute.
After establishing feasibility, I proceeded to discuss the probable locations (primarily
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep islands. Rejected Lakshadweep
islands because they require entry permits), services offered by the institute and USP,
possible tie ups with travel agencies, cruise ships etc.
A key factor to mention in feasibility was seasonality of the sport. It rains more than
half the year in Andamans, and scuba diving is not possible when it rains as it
becomes difficult to see the corals.
- Since I’ve lived in both Andamans and Lakshadweep islands and done scuba diving
there, I had a lot of local knowledge, which I used to my advantage in the case.
- In the 2nd interview, after I had given 5 reasons for why companies go
international, he asked “Give me one more” another three times to make it stressful.
But I didn’t yield and gave him as many reasons as he wanted, with real life
this interview?
examples, which impressed him.
- Overall, I maintained a positive, enthusiastic and confident demeanor, which

helped in establishing a rapport with the interviewers and making the interviews
more like conversations.

The sudden question on the different kinds of logics used in lifts had me stumped,
What do you think went wrong
so I just said that coming from a commerce background I wasn’t aware of it, but
in this interview?
could attempt to answer it if he wanted. Thankfully he didn’t push it.
- Focus on HR and CV. Accenture does not require heavy case preparation.
Any tips for future batches on - Always prepare a question for the interviewer, it shows your interest in the
the basis of your experience company.
- Stay calm and confident. Smile!
Name: Marut Taneja
Company: Accenture Management Consulting
Round 2
Brief Profile : NIT Kurukshetra, B.Tech. – Electrical,
34 months work-ex, B2B Sales in Schneider Elecric
Round 1:
This was more of an HR plus guesstimate round which lasted for around 30-35
minutes. Below are some of the questions that were asked
1) Tell me the 3 best points out of your CV
2) Your experience in INDEX committee till now and what were your
responsibilities
3) Why consulting
4) What do you know about AMC
5) What sets you apart from others
6) How will your previous work ex be of any importance to us
7) A few questions on my extra-curricular activities
I was then given a guesstimate about the number of airplanes flying over Lucknow
Interview questions (With
at that particular moment. Instead of arriving at a number, I was asked to describe
indicative answers if you choose
to share them) the approach.
Round 2:
This was a Case based interview which was taken by the Partner. This again went
on for around 30 minutes.
Round 3:
This was a 15 minute HR round.
Some of the questions asked were as below:
1) Why management
2) My motivation to join AMC
3) What did you learn in your previous job
4) Do you think your sales experience is going to be of any relevance in AMC
5) What initiatives did you take while working in Schneder
6) Strength and weaknesses

Problem Statement
An MNC that is into manufacturing of Healthcare Wearable devices wants to

expand its operations in India by entering tier-3 cities. Along with the device it
Narration of the case interview provides service of a personal health instructor twice a week for a year. After the
(Please be as descriptive as end of the period (a year) the device has to be returned. I was supposed to advice
possible) regarding the feasibility of the expansion of operations.
I started by asking some clarifying questions about the company, its operations, the
product, any competitors in India, pricing, market share etc. After a discussion of
around 10 minutes, he asked me to come out with the market size for the product
in any small city. It was a very interactive discussion where the interviewer kept

guiding me towards the right direction. Although he did not seem to agree with the
number that I arrived at, but he liked the approach.
I remained calm and confident during all the interviews. This helped me to have a
What do you think went right in nice conversation which is very important in a consulting interview. While solving
this interview? guesstimate and cases, I tried to involve the interviewer as much as possible by
thinking loudly and explaining my entire approach.
What do you think went wrong in My case interview could have been better as I was not able to structure it properly
this interview? and the interviewer had to constantly pull me towards the right direction.
Just maintain your composure, show enthusiasm, look interested and interact well.
Prepare your HR answers especially why consulting and AMC. Also, there is a high
Any tips for future batches on the probability, you might get a case that you have no clue about. It is important not to
basis of your experience get bogged down by the same and ask the right questions. They are looking for
your ability to handle pressure situations and the logic and structure in your
thought process.
Name: Monika Agarwal
No. of Rounds: 2
B.Com (Hons), SRCC
Brief Profile:
Fresher
2 questions on CV
Case: A reputed FMCG company wants to buy a brand of a competing FMCG
company. The books of accounts value the brand at USD 100 million but the
investment banks suggest a value of USD 130 million. What could be the reasons
behind this difference?
Who is your buddy?

How many times have you spoken to her?
Which all cases you did with her?
to share them)
Were you satisfied with her guidance?
Tell me something about Accenture.

Tell me 2 things about yourself that are not on CV.
You have Rs 100. Where will you spend?
A) On locally produced goods
B) Donate to an orphanage
Round 1:
It started at a very positive note with questions from the CV. He asked about my
internship experiences and POR. The interviewer seemed satisfied with the answers.
Case: It was testing my finance knowledge as I had a few finance-related points on

CV. The reasons could have been higher expected cash inflows, building of
synergies.
Narration of the case interview
(Please be as descriptive as Round 2:
possible) Started with clarifying a few things whether we could divide the amount between the
2 options and if we need to consider what others are spending in the market.
Asked the interviewer what would the orphanage do with the Rs. 100.
(Ans: fund 4 meals).
I explained to him the multiplier effect that would take place if money was spent on
Option A. (It would benefit the entire community involved in the channel of
distribution and contribute towards the growth of the domestically made goods).
Since Option A would have a greater impact, I suggested this option
I was confident throughout. The interviewer tried to distract me in round 1 by
asking questions in the middle of the case but I just answered them without taking
this interview?
off my mind from what I was doing.
What do you think went wrong Should have read more about the company and practiced a few more cases with my
in this interview? buddy.
Any tips for future batches on Stay calm and composed. Just show that you are confident. Clarify any assumption
the basis of your experience that you take and follow a logical approach.

Name: Nehaarikaa Talwar
No. of Rounds: 3
Graduation: B. Tech - CSE, GGS Indraprastha University
Brief Profile: Work Experience: Eko India Financial Services, 9 months
Concern Areas: Digital Banking, Payments, Banking Correspondent
1. Why MBA?
2. Why Consulting - Apart from the usual pointers, I talked about their projects,
related them to my POR/work ex and explained why they interest me. Projects I
talked about:
Interview questions (With a. Feasibility analysis of smart cities - talked about during PPT
indicative answers if you choose b. Market Strategy of HUL's Vision 2020 - talked about during PPT
to share them) c. Go-to-strategy for SBI's digital solution for branch less banking - talked about
during PPT + News + related to my work ex
3. Run me through your CV - I talked about my work experience, PORs
4. Why we should take you? (2 reasons)
5. How have you been spending time at IIM Lucknow?
Round 1: Case Interview + HR
CASE: Your friend has an e-commerce venture and has been facing losses. What
would you recommend? The interviewer expected me to analyse costs, majorly in
logistics and promotions. Recommendations to control them.
CV related questions on PORs

Why consulting?
Why MBA?
Time at Lucknow?
Run me through your CV
Narration of the case interview Round 2: Guesstimate + HR

(Please be as descriptive as How many airplanes would be above your head at present?
possible) Interviewed wanted a qualitative analysis only. Just the factors that would affect the
answer.
1. Air corridors.
2. Flights Scheduled during that time.
3. If Lucknow lies on the routes
CV related questions. 5 divisions at Accenture Strategy
Round 3: Partner Round

CV related questions. Give us 2 reasons why we should take you? Why Accenture
and consulting? What was the motivation behind being involved with so many
projects/organisations in college? [I had 6-7 PORs]
1. Talking about 3 projects and relating them to my past experience and interest
displayed my interest in the firm and the role.
this interview?
2. They look for logic in case interviews and guesstimates.
There were no major low points.
1. Could have approached the case in a more structured manner.
in this interview?
2. Could have asked better question in round 1.
1. Go through the website, know about the divisions and projects.
2. Identify your interest in a particular division and sector
3. Be ready with smart questions to pose to them, if they ask so - shows interest.
4. Be thorough with the sector/industry concerning your previous organisation. (in
case of work ex)
5. Find more reasons to join consulting, than the cliched ones.
6. Be honest & logical, smile and you should be through :)
Name: Sarang Shamshery
No. of Rounds: 3
Mechanical Engineer from BITS Pilani Goa, 2013
Brief Profile: 20 months of work experience at Oracle Financial Services Software Ltd. (Enterprise
Risk Management)

Interview questions (With Tell me about yourself. Tell me something not on your resume?
indicative answers if you Why consulting? Why Accenture?Explain Work experience? Work-ex related projects?
choose to share them) 2 cases as elaborated afterwards
Round 1: HR+CV
Basic Tell me about yourself. Work-ex related questions. Tell me something not on
your CV.
Round 2: Case
Interviewer asked me to choose a sector. I picked Financial Services and e-commerce.
Straight away went into a case. Asked me the valuation of Snapdeal and will I
recommend buying it at say ($5 Billion).
Solution:
Listed out cost and revenue sources elaborately. Interviewer guided me to segregate
buckets like promotions, logistics, etc. He needed the factors I'll consider in order to
arrive at a decision. I added that I'll even conduct a dupont analysis, which lead to
another discussion on the different parameters of dupont and what each component
represents and how (Profitability, ROE, etc.).
After drawing an elaborate case diagram, he asked me to summarise the case. He
seemed pretty convinced.
Narration of the case Round 3: Case+CV

interview (Please be as Started off by asking whether I attended the ppt. What did I like about it. After a few
descriptive as possible) minutes of general HR, they went through my CV and saw that I play guitar. Gave me
a case based on it.
Case: I am a person with a lot of money and want to set up a business manufacturing
guitars in India. Should I do it or not? Take 2 minutes to think and then give me your
answer in 1 minute.
In those 2 minutes, I listed everything that came to my mind about what can we use to
evaluate the guitar market. Started with the market size of Guitars in India. Like any
other market sizing problem, took suitable assumptions and arrived at a number.
Listed current competitors. Their penetration and brand value. Whats missing
currently from the market.
Went to evaluate the business: Diversity of guitar types- Acoustic, Classical and
Electric. Wood sourcing - different woods used (rosewood and maplewood), Pickups,
strings and other components. Geographic location (North v/s South) for making a
plant. Evaluated pros and cons. Was cut short that 2 minutes were over and I need to
know your answer now. Told him that it seems a very profitable business and should
go ahead. Supported my decision with rationale and numbers as calculated.
The comfort level I established with the interviewer(s) in all rounds was one thing that
I feel was perfect. One reason for that was that I had already interacted with two of
What do you think went
them before during ppts/case workshops. So, they remembered me by face. I knew
right in this interview?
most of the current projects of Accenture and its recent news, which benefited me in
two out of three interviews.
Sometimes, I ended up giving answers too quickly when asked a question, especially in
What do you think went
case based interviews. Being able to absorb the question and answer them after giving
wrong in this interview?
the right amount of thought to it is definitely an area for me to work upon.
Maintain your composure.
Know your CV well.
Any tips for future HR answers are crucial for the interview.
batches on the basis of Be prepared with good questions in case the interviewer asks you if you have any
your experience questions. It should reflect that you are really interested to join them.
Read about the "Digital" focus of Accenture.
Smile and be confident.
Name: Shivi Garg
No. of Rounds: 2
B.Tech. (Computer Science) from JIIT, Noida
Brief Profile:
ERS Consultant at Deloitte US India - 22 months
1. Brief intro of yourself
2. Profitability of a business plan - business provided was dance academy because I
have two year experience in classical music
to share them)
3. Problem solving case
1st round - HR+Case
1. Intro - very detailed. Interrupted and discussed a lot
2. HR Question - Biggest achievement
3. If we ask you to invest in a business of opening a dance academy. Would you
invest? Will it be a profitable venture? How? Relate to your experience? - I answered
telling that it would be a profitable venture. I also shared my expansion plans and the
marketing strategies I can use to maximize the profitability.
4. They asked me to summarize the answer in 30 seconds.
Narration of the case interview 2nd round - HR+case

(Please be as descriptive as 1. A situation where I was in a fix and couldn't make it - shared a personal
possible) experience. The interviewer took it well.
2. Problem solving case (15 minutes) - Gold insurance company is experiencing lot
of costs. Investigate. - Key was to look into all the cost objects. I figured out that the
company was situated in a rural setup and therefore power and electricity was
costing them bit too much. I suggested using tablets. The interviewer had laptops in
mind
3. Any questions? - I asked how and why Accenture is linking with amazon cloud.
There was a detailed discussion of 15 minutes on this topic.
I maintained my calm and confidence.
I was thinking out loud and presented all the ideas in my mind even without asking -
example while answering the dance academy question, I proactively shared my future
plans and expansion strategy
The 30 second summary sealed the deal in 1st round
this interview?
In the second round, the interview was going moderate but I asked a question to
engage the interviewer in a conversation and buy some more time to prove my skills
and understanding. Did a healthy discussion with him, which helped a lot
What do you think went wrong I was very confident in the first round but in the second round, I got a little nervous
in this interview? and did not give a good structure to my case.
Just stay calm and confident
Any tips for future batches on Prepare really nice questions
the basis of your experience Write on the paper provided. They do take them into account
Think loud and don't hesitate from sharing your ideas with the interviewers.
Name: Siddharth B. Ghivari
No. of Rounds: 4
College: IIT Roorkee, Chemical Engineering
Brief Profile:
Work Experience: 3 years at IOCL
Q) Tell me something about yourself?
Q) Why Accenture?
Q) Why consulting when you have a background in Operations?
Q) What happens in a committee at IIM Lucknow? Tell me about Beer Game
(Written in CV as part of OIG)?
to share them)
Q) Tell me five major expense heads as part of promotional campaign done in
Under grad school? (I was the promotional co-cordinator for my technical fest)
Q) What was your biggest achievement in your work experience?
Round 1: HR + Guestimate
Guestimate: No. of heavy vehicle trucks in western India
Round 2: Case
Case: There is a pharmaceutical company who are having frequent stockouts at the
retailers store. You need to analyse the problems and come out with a solution.
I asked about the manufacturing (whether in house/ outsourced)
Narration of the case interview Interviewer: Factories present all over the country but only two belong to the
(Please be as descriptive as company. Rest are on lease basis.
possible)
Me: Stockouts happening for certain products/ all the products?
Interviewer: Happening for 30% of the products on a regular basis. Rest of the
products it happens sometimes.
Me: Location of factories

Interviewer: Around 6 factories. 2 in North, 1 in west, 1 in East, 2 in South.

Me: Any transportation issues
Interviewer: No
Me: Supply chain of the company.

Interviewer: Manufacture- Main warehouse (one in each region)- CFA- retail store
Me: Any use of software for communicating the demand from retailer to
manufacturer
Interviewer: An ERP software used but it not very effective
I analysed other problems. At the end he told me that pharmaceutical cases are very
complicated. Took him a year to solve the one he asked me.
Round 3: Case+ HR
HR: Tell me two things which will convince me to give you an offer right now?
Case: I have a factory for packaging all kinds of meat. I need to set the speed of the
conveyor belt. What should the speed be? Ask 6 questions. I'll answer them together.
I asked 6 questions for which his answer for either good question or not relevant but
he did not answer any one of them. He asked me to ask more questions. I asked
one/two more and the round ended.
Round 4: HR
One question about the biggest achievement in IOCL?
I was calm during all the rounds. I did not panic in the third round which was what
What do you think went right in they were checking as they did not answer one question I asked in the case. I had
this interview? gone through my CV a no. of times. I had prepared stories about each line. They
analysed my CV completely.
What do you think went wrong I could have done the second case a bit better. I could have made my resume a bit
in this interview? better.
The future batches should prepare their CV well. They need to put numbers, which
they can defend in an interview. HR is very important. They don't proceed to case
without doing HR round first. Disha HR questions to be done without fail.
Name: Surbhi Jain
No. of Rounds: 3
No work Experience
Brief Profile:
Engineer, Stream- Information Technology
First round started with the most frequently asked question: Tell me something
about yourself. Interrupted in between while I was talking about POR's. Asked to tell
about a POR in detail. Then the interviewer jumped directly to cases. Was asked two
easy cases in the first round. One was on the declining sales of the company. I had to
find out the reason. On solving I found the reason was the improper training of sales
people. Other was on the declining manufacturing capacity of a company. I followed
the value chain approach. The reason was more than expected breakdown of the
machines.
Second round started with HR questions from my CV. Asked about my college
project and a POR in detail. Some other HR questions like a situation where I
Narration of the case interview convinced people about my idea and started something from scratch. Told about the
(Please be as descriptive as dance club I started in undergrad. Then the interviewer moved on to a case. The
possible) case was more of a logical reasoning question. The case was: If I had to lay off some
people from one unit of my organization, how would I go about it? I divided the
problem in two parts: First we will have to identify the number of people from each
department who can be removed and then we will find out whom will we remove. I
talked about various ways like bench marking with competitors, with other units of
my organization (Internal bench marking) for the first part. For second part I talked
about parameters such as productivity, work satisfaction, absenteeism and some
more. The interviewer seemed convinced with the solution.
Third interview was with the partner. It was more of a stress interview. I was given
a guesstimate. It was about finding the number of people who will come to my
sketching classes started in Delhi.
What do you think went right in I was very confident from the beginning and was well prepared with the HR
this interview? questions. In the stress interview I maintained my cool.
What do you think went wrong I could have solved the guesstimate better. Made some mistakes in assuming some
in this interview? percentages.
Be well prepared with your HR answers and CV. It can make or break your chance
to get through a company. Also practice as many cases as you can with different sets
of people.
Name: Vidhu Garg
No. of Rounds: 3
B.Tech in Engineering Physics, IIT Delhi
Brief Profile: Risk Analyst, RBS (7 months)
Business Analyst, Urban Ladder (5 months)
Interview questions (With Round 1: HR + guesstimate + case
indicative answers if you choose Round 2: HR + case
to share them) Round 3: HR + case
Questions related to work experience, mainly from CV
Why consulting?
Do you think that the ecommerce business model is sustainable?
(I answered that it is. Also talked about what companies are entering into and their
innovation like Kindle and Amazon cloud)
1 case - You have an ecommerce company, the revenue is growing but the profit is
not. (It was about reducing the costs. Mentioned the different types of costs
involved and then analysed each of them. Suggested cheaper alternatives. The
problem was high transportation costs. I was telling him different ways of handling
this when he interrupted and asked me to do a guesstimate instead)
1 guesstimate - Calculate the number of autos in Delhi (Approached this from the
demand side, calculated the number of rides and then autos)
What major would you go for? (I said that I have not yet come across all the fields,
strategy is still left. I would like to have an idea of all the branches before choosing
one)
Okay, out of Finance and Marketing which one would you choose? And why? (I said
marketing)
Narration of the case interview Would you like to ask any question?
(Please be as descriptive as
possible) Round 2: (20-25 minutes)
A lot of questions from CV
Tell me about a leadership experience of yours?
Which branch of Physics is your favorite?
1 case - I have to launch Parle G glucose biscuits in the US. What all
factors would you look into (Typical market entry case, was mainly about STP)
Would you like to ask anything?
Round 3: (15 minutes with 2 partners)

What 2 things about you would you like us to know? (2 strengths)
1 Case - If you work for the CFO of a metal mining company, what all factors would
you care about
- I mentioned 5-6 factors namely political stability of the country, licenses and
regulations, changing technology (told them how change of extraction process of
Aluminum had reduced the costs significantly), financial condition of international
markets (How Glencore is facing problems of lesser imports from China because of
economy slowdown)
He asked me if I was missing any other point. I said that I could not think of any.
Then he said that FX rates should also be taken care of.
Would you like to ask any question?

- I asked why they did not hire from IITs like other consulting firms.
I spoke fluently, answers did not seem rehearsed. I was spontaneous almost all the
What do you think went right in time.
this interview? Supported my points with examples either from personal experience or news.
Interview was more of conversational.
I could have been more structured in my approach towards the cases.
in this interview?
Be confident and be yourself. Don't mug up HR answers. That might be visible in
the interview.
Any tips for future batches on Don't lose your calm. The interviewers did not take a stress interview and were
the basis of your experience interactive.
Be logical in your approach. Take time to think and then reply. Try to solve cases
first with common sense, recalling a case framework might miss out some points.

A. T. Kearney
Name: Ajay Rathore
Company: A T Kearney
No. of Rounds: 3
NIT Calicut, 2013 Electrical & Electronics Engineering
Brief Profile:
Goldman Sachs, Analyst, 2013-2015
Round 1: General Introduction
Round 2: Why consulting, Why ATK?
Greatest achievement, both personal & professional
to share them)
Round 3: Energy sector as I showed interest in same
Round 1 – Introduction (2 min) + Case
Interviewer - Siddharth Jain
Case - Design a delivery system for e-commerce for a city based on demand
Basically design everything from number of delivery hubs in city based on demand
and their proximity to one warehouse to number of delivery boys required, the area
they will cover and number of deliveries per person.
Lot of variables in the case, initially I went to the qualitative aspect but was told to
focus on the actual variables and did so.
I spend around 20-25 minutes on the problem and was asked to conclude.
Round 2 - HR + Guesstimate (partner round 1)

HR - Why consult, ATK, brief introduction and mainly focused on resume
Guesstimate - Usage of number of lens pairs in a year
possible)
Solved from demand side, from finding actual users to their average usage
Went for 10-15 minutes maximum. Taken straight to next partner round
Round 3 - interests + case (partner round 2)

Partner was from energy sector, so we talked mostly about the Industry since I was
interested in renewable sector and the type of projects.
Case - Market for company in Germany, which produces a part used in Safety
equipment and factor affecting demand
He was mostly testing me on the approach of the case.
Lasted 10 minutes.
Taking cues from Interviewer.
What do you think went right in Directing the HR and about me part very well in interviews
this interview? Giving cues to Interviewers to talk about
Taking it light.
What do you think went wrong Give better approach to first case and be crisp in it.
in this interview? Could have given better responses to questions asked maybe
Be chill, let it flow and enjoy the process.
Name: Ankit Raj
No. of Rounds: 4
Mining Engineering - IIT Kharagpur
Brief Profile:
Work ex - KPMG, Management Consulting, 2 years
Interview questions (With 4 rounds in total - 2 normal case rounds and 2 partner rounds. The first two rounds
indicative answers if you choose were case intensive with a guesstimate in the 1st round. Partner rounds were a
to share them) combination of HR questions, a small guesstimate and a small case.
Round 1: 45-60 minutes. Guesstimate + case based on same
Estimate the market size of ISL (Indian Soccer League) in India (in terms of number
of viewers or followers)
I started off with a top-down approach; used assumptions on the way and cross-
checked with the interviewer. The exercise was quite conversational; the interviewer
possible)
helped me with some assumptions as well. At one stage of the estimation, he asked
me a specific question. I needed the proportion of television watchers who would
prefer viewing football. I was going with a geographic segmentation and he asked for
a different method. I was finally able to give the answer after taking some time. He

was looking for the method of "what else do people watch / do if not football... so
on and so forth"
I was asked to calculate each and every number quite accurately and give the basis
for each assumption as well.
Then after the estimation, he asked what factors you would take into account to see
if the ISL as a whole is profitable or not. This was a confusing question and I asked a
lot of questions to clear my doubts. The fact that was confusing was which entity to
focus on while calculating profits for ISL. He had mentioned initially that all
stakeholders should make profits – so I clarified whether I should take my “system”
as ISL or the organizing entity. He pushed me a lot to think of more factors.
Finally, he asked how you would increase the following / viewership of ISL, if you
had sufficient budget – gave answers relating to promotions and infrastructure
investment.
While leaving, he asked me if I had any questions. I had completely forgotten to
prepare for this (in spite of being repeatedly told), and had to say no nothing.
Round 2: Business scenario case – which country to export to? (30-35 minutes)
The client is a passenger vehicle manufacturer of India. Sales are dipping, so client
wants to export. How would you decide where to export?
I started off with basic questions pertaining to the client and its products. The
discussion was much more interviewee-led in this interview. He just wanted an
approach to the problem and not some specific countries (I clarified this early). In
the middle of the discussion, I was asked to solve the case on the green-board. I
made two buckets - market attractiveness and ease of entry and listed factors in each
of them.
While I was analysing the market attractiveness bucket, he was pushing me to think
of 1 more factor, which I was unable to get. I then requested him to let me write all
factors in both the buckets. It turned out I had written the said factor under the
second bucket. Once I was on the board, the interview got very conversational. We
were discussing each point, ranging from costs implications, technology
improvements needed in the cars for a different country, political stability, economic
stability etc. Overall, it went very well.
And yes, I asked a question this time – the basic one – was this a real case and if yes
how did the team go about it?
Round 3: Partner round – HR and a guesstimate (20 minutes)

The round started with him just giving a comment about the "spot-offer" system. He
then asked me what I thought about it. It was so casual that I didn't realize at first
that the interview had started (he was working on his laptop at the time). But, I
managed to give a balanced answer. The partner was from IIT KGP and he asked a
lot about my life at IIT - what did you do in your free time; which subjects you liked;
which hostel etc. Then a question on my experience at KPMG - what did you learn?
Then, all of a sudden he asked me to stand-up and quote something by Brutus from
Julius Caesar (it's there on my CV). I went blank for the first few seconds as I could
not understand why I was being asked this question (Prepare your CV thoroughly).
Finally, I realised and said a line.
Then, he asked me a guesstimate - market size of contact lens in India. It went

average. Finally, I asked him a couple of questions.
Round 4: Partner round – small case (15 minutes)

The Partner asked a little about my internship with Tata steel. He then went straight
to a case from the steel industry – Your client is a HR/CR coil manufacturer with
some related services as well. How would you increase the realization per unit? He
clearly mentioned that he was just looking for different ways and not a full-fledged
approach. I listed a few suggestions. He seemed satisfied with them, but was looking
for another answer. Finally, he gave me the answer (bundling of services) – one
which I had thought of at the first instance but forgot to write down and hence
missed it completely. I told him how I had thought about the answer – by relating to
aviation industry – bundling and un-bundling of services. He seemed convinced.
I asked a couple of questions in the end.
1. I attempted each case from first principles - using a basic MECE analysis. I did
not try to force fit any frameworks or asked irrelevant prepared questions. All my
questions were contextual and specific to the case.
What do you think went right in 2. I engaged the interviewer in all the rounds and had a conversational approach to
this interview? solving the case.
3. I was given the feedback at the end that my breadth of thinking was very good,
and that I did not miss out on any factors in the interviews,
4. I was completely honest in my responses to the HR questions. Regarding the
Brutus quote, I told the partner honestly that I do not remember any quotes by him
now, so can I quote something by Antony? He allowed me to do so.
1. I could have solved the guesstimate better. I had made some irrelevant
assumptions, which I tried to defend with the interviewer. Finally, he asked me not
to take such an assumption and then go ahead. Later, when I arrived at the final
What do you think went wrong number, he showed me how I would have missed about 50-100 mn from my
in this interview? estimate had I taken that assumption.
2. I did some erroneous calculations in the beginning, which should not have
happened.
3. I should have prepared a few questions to ask from the interviewer,
1. Make full use of the mentors assigned - do at least 3-4 cases with them. It's
evaluative as well as very helpful in preparing you for the case.
2. Practice different types of cases rather than too many cases. Doing too many cases
leads to a narrow frame of mind - you will automatically memorize questions and use
the same in all cases.
Any tips for future batches on 3. Use basic first principle approach to solve cases - don't force fit frameworks.
the basis of your experience 4. Be honest in your HR answers. Partners and senior recruiters will absolutely know
when you are lying - trust on this. But you should also have a proper justification or
an alternate suggestion.
5. Prepare 3-4 questions for each company you interview
6. Don't panic if you are stuck. Just think out loud and make your way. Listen
carefully to the interviewer and engage him; he is there to solve the case with you.
Name: Kavya Bhargava
No. of Rounds: 3
Brief Profile: Fresher, B.Com (Hons) from SRCC
indicative answers if you choose Three cases and about three guesstimates were asked. Details in the next question.
to share them)
Round 1: With a Partner
It started with a tell me about yourself question. Then one significant achievement in
college. Then a case: I was asked to determine how and why can AT Kearney charge
double the price compared to its competitors. What justifies this action. It wasn't this
direct but it boiled down to this.
Round 2: With a Principal
How to popularize Chess in India and on profitability case. A national
manufacturing company; labour strike in one of the factories was the reason.
One simple guesstimate; no HR
possible)
Round 3: With a Partner
Mostly an informal conversation about IIM Lucknow and the consulting life.
Discussed a couple of cases that the Partner had worked on.
2 guesstimates: Estimate the number of cups used on campus and number of people
tuning in to the radio daily.
One specific HR question: Why ATK, how did you rank ATK and why that
particular rank.
I think one of the things that worked for me in this particular company was that by
the time I was being interviewed, I wasn't nervous anymore and to a certain extent I
stopped thinking of it as a do or die situation.
What do you think went right in It helps you calm down and the interviewer can see and understand you better. In
this interview? contrast, you might be too strung up and hence not able to show how you
think/communicate clearly leading to you tanking the interview.
Another thing I made sure of was that I kept the interviewer engaged and that they
didn't get distracted.
What do you think went wrong I extended my answers a bit sometimes. You can come across as a bit talkative. It's
in this interview? always better to be more to-the-point
- Don't let the pressure get to you. It's not the end of the world.
- Don't talk too much. You don't want to appear immature or chatty
- Always give answers according to the person who is interviewing you. Having
backup answers and changing your attitude according to the person that is
interviewing you is always a good idea.

Alvarez and Marsal

Name: Deepika Saxena
Company: Alvarez and Marsal
No. of Rounds: 2
B.Tech in electrical engineering from NIT Allahabad, 2012. Worked as design
Brief Profile:
engineer at Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd: 34 months
1. Tell me about yourself
2. Guesstimate : Market size for milk in Mumbai
3. Case study on whether a PE firm should invest in a multi-specialty hospital in
to share them)
Lucknow
Round 1: Tell me about yourself and your work at Reliance. He asked me why I
considered myself an ideal candidate for A&M.
The interviewer asked me to estimate the market size for milk in Mumbai and
analyze why organized players such as Reliance are losing out to unorganized players
Narration of the case interview in the milk market in Mumbai.
possible) Round 2: Brief introduction about myself and then a case study. It was related to a
multi-specialty hospital in Lucknow and I was asked to determine whether a private
equity firm should invest in the hospital. This was the problem statement laid out
and I had to ask questions to the interviewer to gather relevant pieces of information
and come up with final recommendation.
Prior to the interview, I had done my homework regarding the firm and the profile
for which it had come to recruit. I was confident throughout the interview, trying to
What do you think went right in be as interactive as I could while solving the case and the market-sizing problem.
this interview? Even when I made certain mistakes, I did not defend myself or get nervous, rather I
admitted whenever I overlooked some aspect of the question or did any calculation
error.
Even though I tried to be very interactive throughout the case analysis and
guesstimate round, there were few instances where I estimated some figures or
What do you think went wrong adopted a method for solving things without explaining them clearly to the
in this interview? interviewer. So he had to ask me why I did certain calculation or how I arrived at a
certain number, which I think I could have avoided by explaining every single step to
the interviewer.
Stay calm and confident. Don't get nervous if you do some mistake while solving the
case. The interviewer is there to guide you if you go a bit off track. Just maintain a
calm composure and try to keep the case study round going as more of a
conversation than an interview. Think out loud. If you are asked a question you
don't know the answer to, don't blurt out the first thing that strikes your mind.
Rather, request the interviewer to give you a minute to gather your thoughts. They'll
gladly give you time to think.
Name: Jay Shah
No. of Rounds: 2
B.com, CA, Fresher
Brief Profile:
Done a lot of social work
Round 1:
Run me through your profile- hardly some time spent here
Case analysis
Round 2:
to share them)
Tell me about yourself.
CV related questions on extra-curriculars. Didn't ask about academics
Case analysis
Round 1
Run me through your profile
Picked up TT from my profile and said, "you think you can beat me?"
Discussion on TT was a light one. Intention was rapport building
possible)
Case analysis- kept narrating details on a health sector related case.
Advise to be given on profitability
Factors considered to be enlisted

Round 2
Tell me about yourself.
Getting a rank in CA Entrance impressed. It suited the profile.
Picked up 'art' from CV and some discussion on the same.
Case analysis:
Case about e commerce. Market entry case related to ethnic wear. Narrated the case.
Gave some figures
Asks factors to be considered.
Before case was over the first round interviewer took her out. They discussed for 3
whole minutes.
She asked me to stop writing and leave.
As I was leaving, they said "you are selected"
Confidence was critical
At times I couldn't pick on the hints that the interviewers were dropping about the
case. But I stuck on and kept trying. Showed dedication.
Was cheerful and relaxed throughout the interview.
this interview? Being a CA also gave brownie points
As a matter of coincidence, I had some extra-curriculars for each of the interviewers

liking. Rather than asking questions they started telling their experience with the
activity passionately.
I didn't do justice to number crunching.
I objectively went about analysing the case without going into the calculations.
in this interview?
I also hadn't done case preparation. I was focusing more on General Management
and marketing. Alvarez and Marsal was the only consulting Day 0 call I had. Case
practice would have helped
The role offered is business advisory.
They prefer differentiating themselves from consulting.
A good amount of importance is given to being an organizational fit. So be cheerful

and show motivation and willingness to learn.
Not much time is spent on CV/ HR. That part is a hygiene factor. Majorly does the
work of rapport building.
Demonstrate good logic for case analysis.
Name: Saharsh Agarwal
No. of Rounds: 2
Shri Ram College of Commerce, (B.Com- Hons)
Brief Profile:
Worked at DE Shaw and OYO Rooms prior to joining IIML
Q. A PE firm wants to invest in the healthcare sector. It needs to decide on whether
it's going to invest in the eye care segment or the dialysis segment. Advise.
Q. A snack manufacturer in the unorganized space operational currently in
to share them)
Maharashtra and Gujarat wants to expand to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Advise.
The HR round was the generic questions such as
- Tell me something about yourself
- Why Consulting?
- What do you understand by due diligence?
possible)
- Work experience and complete understanding of the role
- Explain the business model of OYO Rooms
Half the interview is won by attitude. Confidence and the willingness to learn in your
internship is what was the key. Number skills are a must (mental math) and the
this interview?
ability to use numbers while solving a case.
I could have prepared for cases better. Had prepared mainly for finance because of
which the structure wasn't excellent. To my advantage, structure wasn't exactly the
in this interview?
main criterion.

Be thorough with basic finance and interact with companies in every opportunity
Any tips for future batches on provided with. You're judged by companies right from Day 1 and make the right
the basis of your experience impression from the first time you meet the officials till you walk out of the
interview room.
Auctus Advisors
Name: Argha Mondal
Company: Auctus Advisors
No. of Rounds: 3
IIT Kanpur, B.Tech Electrical Engineering, Batch of 2012
Brief Profile:
Work-ex: Opera Solutions, 33 months
Round 1:
Decision Tree Based Quantitative case. Asked to determine the optimum inventory
for a retailer to maximize profits. Sales depended on the demand, which had 3
scenarios of high, medium and low with different sales and occurrence probabilities.
Explained the scenarios, with the expected sales revenue in each case based on basic
probability calculations.
to share them)
Round 2:
PVR is acquiring DT Cinemas. Analyze the situation. I had some experience with the
workings of the multiplex retailers, so the question was relevant to my work-ex.
More of a discussion on the factors and the pros and cons of inorganic v/s organic
growth.
HR rounds started with basic HR questions like about yourself, reasons for leaving
last job, resume based questions about PORs and work projects. Mainly they are
trying to look for a fit with their firm and an enthusiasm to work in an uncertain and
possible)
high responsibility environment.
Round 1 Case: I asked all the relevant questions and probed for the right data. I
also came up with a MECE framework for the decision tree.
this interview? Round 2 Case: I was able to cover all-important aspects.
HR: My past work-experience allowed me to leverage a lot of my work into the HR
answers. Also, to all his questions, I had answers with some incident to justify it.
For the second case, I started to solve the case as a quantitative case, when it was
basically a strategy case. The interviewer had to pull me back from the numbers a
in this interview?
couple of times.
There are two cases in general. One quantitative decision tree based probability case.
These are generally number intensive. Second is a qualitative strategy case.
For HR, try to leverage instances from your resume to justify our answers.
Name: Devika Mathur
No. of Rounds: 2
Grad - NIT Allahabad
Brief Profile: Stream - Biotechnology
Work Ex- 12 months at INDUCTIS (EXL SERVICES)
Interview questions (With Both the rounds had one case each. The cases are different from the general market
indicative answers if you choose entry and profitability cases. They deal with expected probability of different
to share them) scenarios of any situation given.
Round 1: Only Case
Round 2: Case and HR combined
possible)
Eg of case: I am a supermarket chain and have to order deodorant of the brand
Ferrari. How much should he order to maximize his profit.
On asking the interviewer, you will get the further details.
There are 3 different seasons of sale: low, medium, high. Assume margin to be same
throughout. During these seasons let’s say the probability of the deodorants being
sold is 1, 0.6, 0.4. If you are not able to sell all the stock and have to return to the
company, you have to bear a loss per every bottle.
The basics of probability, being good at math helps. The cases are very logical and
What do you think went right in just think from a basic level. I was honest throughout my HR interview and that is
this interview? essential under all circumstances. I am from a consulting background and relating
thing and giving examples from previous background and learning helps as well.
What do you think went wrong Maintaining your nerves is one thing I could have improved upon. It helps you think
in this interview? logically and helps solve the case better.
During the period of preparation, focus on your mistakes and make sure to work
upon them. A variety of cases always helps you on the final day. As per the final day
is concerned, keep yourself calm and composed. :)
Name: Sandip Kumar Sen
No. of Rounds: 3
Graduation college: BITS Pilani
Stream: M.sc Economics+ BE. Mechanical
Brief Profile: Work Experience: 2 Years
Organization: Credit Suisse
Role: Equity research analyst
Round 1 (Case):
A company wanted to find out the best way to prepare itself for a possible increase
in demand. It could continue with current technology or experiment and invest in a
new technology (The success of new technology was not certain) or it could
outsource surplus demand to other small manufacturers. The cost of production
would have been different in different case. Which of the three options would have
provided with the maximum profit given the uncertainty around demand and success
Interview questions (With of new technology?
to share them) Round 2 (HR):
The entire round revolved around my internship experiences and positions of
responsibility. They basically wanted to see how I will manage client-facing roles and
why I wanted to leave finance and join consulting.
Round 3 (Case):
A bank wants to open 100 ATMs in the city. Where should it open them for
maximum profit?
Round 1 started with small HR round. The interviewer picked up one of the
research work at Credit Suisse and had a small discussion. Then we proceeded to
case. I was able to draw an exhaustive structure in first five minutes, which helped
me ask key questions. I did the calculations (It was a probability based case) in next 5
minutes and reached the final conclusion. The interviewer was quite satisfied.
Round 2 was complete HR round. I had prepared a lot for it and so was able to
Narration of the case interview answer all his questions with relevant proof in my CV. He too was very satisfied.
possible) Round 3, the final round was with the partner. Since the first two rounds went
pretty smoothly, I had become slightly complacent and started very poorly. I was all
over the place and was not able to draw a good structure. However, I recovered in
time and was able to gain some of the lost ground.
Since my round 3 went very bad, they had some additional informal meetings with
me to check my analytical skills. They discussed with me about Bihar Election,
problems in IIM Lucknow etc.
Finally they were convinced and I got the offer :)
I was quick to make a good structure in first round and so reached the solution very
neatly. I had prepared a lot for HR interview and so was able to answer all the
difficult questions that they asked in round 2 and the informal session after round 3.
this interview?
In round 3, although I had started horribly, I was able to maintain my composure
and do some bit of damage control.

After two excellent rounds, I assumed that I will get the job and hence became
complacent in round 3. I should have kept myself on high alert in the all-important
in this interview?
round 3 with the partner.
We all are smart enough to crack consulting cases. HR answers can sometimes
become the differentiating factor in a 50:50 case. So, I would suggest everyone to
devote at least 40% of total preparation time in HR questions.

Group
Name: Aatish Pandit
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 2
IIT Delhi - Civil Engineering - 2013 passout
Brief Profile:
KPMG management consulting - 2 years
Interview questions (With Meaning of your name?
indicative answers if you choose (Try and make it an interesting conversation starter)
to share them) Tell me about yourself?
2 rounds (both case)
We were called in a batch of 7, all of us were asked to wait in a common area and
were called one-by-one by our respective interviewers.
Round 1: with Partner (mainly case)

- general questions like how are feeling today, tell me something about yourself?
- 5 min chitchat and then into the case
- Very specific problem statement, not an open-ended case
- Case: A bank has recently acquired licence from RBI to operate, devise an optimal
ATM placement strategy for Delhi market given a budget constraint of INR 1 crore.
- The partner was looking for factors to be considered. He narrowed it down to only
cost, given budget constraint.
- Listed down all possible costs, and factors on which the costs will depend. For eg.
rent cost will depend on location, cash replenishment cost will depend on number of
cash dispensing cycles per day etc.
- After considering all the costs and factors, calculated cost for setting up one ATM
at Delhi airport. This came out to be 45 Lacs given very high rent at airport. Hence
not advisable to put an ATM at airport.
- But given high visibility for ATM at the airport, recommended that the company
can simply consider this ATM to be an advertisement and reach higher number of
possible)
customers.
- Partner seemed satisfied. Round ended with a knock on the door by the PCommer.
Round 2: with Project Leader

- started with tell me about yourself and then straight into the case
- Case: Client is an EPC player, wants to expand into other businesses. What factors
would you consider while suggesting him?
- started with basic questions like, what do you mean by EPC?, what business is our
client into currently?, in which geography, why does he plan to expand, any other
objective in mind? etc.
- Explained him my approach first that how I would like to tackle this problem,
when he agreed then went into drawing the structure on paper.
- First, listed all possible industries where EPC is applicable.
- then listed parameters on the basis of which either filtering or ranking of industries
can be done.
- He was satisfied with the approach.
> Came out of the room and after waiting for 10 minutes, was given the offer by the
Partner and Associate Principal.
> Stayed calm & confident
> Asked questions where I did not have prior knowledge
> Stated all my assumptions beforehand
this interview?
> Always tried to engage the interviewer by constantly interacting with him and
showing interest in what he is saying
What do you think went wrong > Should have listened carefully to what interviewer wants
in this interview? > Could have made the structures more neatly
Stay calm and confident during the day. Even if you don't know something, be
candid about it and stay focused. Only thing which will take you through that day is
your confidence. But be cautious, don't be over-confident, can go horribly wrong if
you come out as arrogant while being confident. Ask for honest feedbacks from
your close and reliable friends while doing mock interviews.
Name: Avinash R Kothari
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 2
B.com, Chartered Accountant, CFA - US,
Brief Profile:
3 years of work experience in debt syndication and investment banking (PINC)
Broadly case based interviews with very pointed questions on HR.
I had one case on pricing a product and deciding on whether to manufacture in

India or China. Required lot of thinking on the toes.
Interview questions (With Second case was on government policy making related to child education which is
indicative answers if you choose government sponsored. This case was difficult and couldn't be cracked without prior
to share them) knowledge of the costs involved in government-sponsored education. Some
knowledge related to world bank and IMF funding was also required.
One question was common in both the rounds. "Why consulting?"

Given my background in finance and as a CA handling this question in the right way
was very important. More than 5-7 minutes were spent on this question.
My first round was with a partner known as Mr. Gupta. He seemed to be in a rush
though asking questions while we were walking from one room to another. He was
pretty much straightforward and cut through the small talk relatively quickly. Just
after we sat he gave me the case and we began discussing it. The case was moderate
in difficulty and required us to list down all the costs involved in manufacturing a
product in India and comparing it with manufacturing costs in China.
Interview was very interactive in nature and not at all stressful. He guided my
thinking from time to time and appreciated the good points also giving me a boost
possible)
of confidence.
Round 2: Principal named Ms. Seema working in social impact segment.

This round was slightly stressful initially but after hearing the why consulting answer
she got convinced and interview went smoothly thereafter. Initial minutes were
spent only on why
consulting. The one line that worked for me in that answer and allowed me to sell
myself completely was "I look at consulting as a sophisticated form of
entrepreneurship." Handling this question correctly was key to cracking the
interview. Apart from this there was no other HR question. Remaining part of the
interview was completely case based.
In the case a prior knowledge of IMF and world bank funding came to my rescue.
The case was a relatively difficult one and she was very helpful at certain points. It
was that kind of case in which we could have easily lost our composure. Breaking up
the benefits of government-sponsored education in short term and long term gave
the structure. However just mentioning that long term benefits will be abstract and
can’t be counted would not be correct. I had to mention a number of domains under
which benefits could accrue.
The case ended on a good note and you know it when the interviewer is still
delighted to speak to you even after the time is over.
Regarding HR questions: Being honest about it made a lot of difference. Given my
background I had to be really convincing about consulting. This would come only
this interview?
after a good amount of time is spent on the answer. Speaking confidently with

honesty and being frank about it did the job.
Case questions: My ability to have a range in my thinking and to suggest various

parameters to be looked at came very handy. Coming up with a few corner points
convinced the interviewer. Though this is more random in nature, it worked for me
on that day.
Others: Good eye contact and ability to make the interview conversational.
Regarding cases I think I could have been more succinct and quick in reaching to the
solution. However that's a perpetual challenge.
What do you think went wrong The interview could have been better and more convincing if through my HR
in this interview? answers I would have been able to drive the interview to topics, which I wanted to
discuss. Like work experience and discussion on various sectors that I would have
covered. Had it been so, my reliance on case to crack the interview would have
reduced.
Much has been said about personality, loud voice, eye contact and an aura to crack
consulting interview. But people, BCG is completely different. It is more about your
logical chain of thoughts and your achievements. Expect BCG interview outcomes
to be drawn from case solutions and not from cues about your charm and
personality. However, prepare HR question very well. Don't goof up in that area.
Name: Danvir Suri
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 2
BA (Hons) Economics from Delhi University
MSc Economics from LSE
Brief Profile:
5 months at HSBC
22 months at Genesis Economic Consulting
First round had a case and questions on work experience
Second round had a guesstimate and a little HR
to share them)
Round 1 -
Had done a project on mobile payments. Interviewer was also interested in the topic
so asked me to describe the project.
Case involved giving costs and benefits of moving children from Anganwadi to
government schools at the age of 4 rather than at the age of 6 in the context of
studies that have shown positive outcomes for early interventions in education.
Interviewer wanted me talk about the potential benefits. I divided the benefits into
those to the individual and his family (increased income) the government (increased
taxes, lower subsidies) and society (lesser crime) etc. Was also asked how I would
estimate these benefits. Spoke about how you could use existing studies, use a
control group etc.
possible)
Round 2 -
Was asked to guesstimate the number of x-ray machines sold in a year. Divided
demand into replacement and new. I started with replacement demand, and took
Lucknow as a sample. Spoke about the different class of people and how they were
treated by different hospitals. Divided hospitals into tiers which would cater to
different section of population. Interviewer at this point asked me to stop with
numbers and just explain the methodology so I spoke about how the ratio of x-ray
machines to number of beds would vary, and this would be higher for hospitals
catering to the rich. Then spoke about new demand. Was told to stop at this point.
What do you think went right in Was confident and played to my strengths. When I was asked to explain the mobile
this interview? payments project I did so in great detail and in a structured way.
-
in this interview?
Any tips for future batches on Use HR answers to impress interviewers with communication skills. Prepare a
the basis of your experience unique answer for Why BCG/McKinsey?
Name: Diwakar Agarwal
Company: BCG

No. of Rounds: 2
Btech Mtech dual degree, Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur.
Brief Profile:
34 month experience at Intel (software+hardware engineer)
1. Estimate the size of new xray machines in India.
2. Client has recently received license for banking operations in India. It wants to
start operations in Bangalore such that the net annual loss is not more than 1 crore.
to share them)
you need to help him make the strategy.
Round 1:
It was a small guesstimate. As the interviewers were wrapping up they asked me to
finish it fast telling them the approach along with approximate numbers without
calculating the final answer.
I started with the population of India, divided it in BPL and APL population (Above
Poverty Line population being able to afford medical care). Then I divided them in 4
age groups i.e 0-15, 15-30, 30-45, 45 and above. The frequency of each group falling
sick is different with first and last group falling sick much more (assumed 6 times a
year). I assumed that about 40% of times the treatment will need an X-ray. Hence I
had total demand for X-rays.
Now I made a cut based on Income. High income people would go to places which
are costly and hence less crowded => number of X-rays taken by machines in these
places per day will be lesser. Assumed (20,35,50) X-rays per machine for these three
cuts.
After multiplication I had the total number of machines needed. Now the new
machine requirement can be calculated based on the expected life of a machine and
the population growth rate.
At this time interviewer prompted me to think more if I missed something, I could
not guess. Then he asked me to compare with the car market. Then it realized that I
possible)
missed accounting for second hand market for X-ray machines.
Round 2:
It started with a basic tell me about yourself. Then the interview directly came to the
case. In the start he mentioned that this is a quantitative case and he is looking for
specific numbers in the end.
At first he said that the client is looking for entering in a particular baking service.
He asked me to list all the services provided by a bank and then he said that he is
looking to establish only ATMs in the first year.
I needed to find out locations and number of ATMs in each location such that total
loss in a year is not more than 1 crore. I then listed down the sources of revenues
(only transaction fee in this case) and costs (rent, operating cost, electricity, internet
etc) security, refilling cost). I was asked to identify prime locations for these ATMs
(malls, airports, train/bus/metro stations, corporate offices/parts, school/colleges,
residential societies etc). Made a matrix for the each cost revenue for 5 of these
locations. Based of net profit/loss at each location I suggested some possible ATM
distribution.
What do you think went right in During both the rounds, interviewers kept pressurizing me to do it faster but I did
this interview? not lose my calm.
What do you think went wrong I missed few factors during round 2 for which the interviewer had to probe me. I
in this interview? could have been more thorough in each step if there was no time pressure.
Just be confident and have a reason for whatever you do during the case solving.
Always keep in mind what was the problem statement and keep track if your
approach is leading to a solution.
Name: Manasvi Goyal
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 3
IIT Delhi - Electrical Engineering
Brief Profile:
3 years at NetApp as Software Developer
Interview questions (With Round 1 - General HR + Guesstimates
indicative answers if you choose Round 2 - Case + Why BCG?
to share them) Round 3 - HR + Case + Guesstimate

Round 1:
General HR - Tell me about yourself and Why consulting questions.
Two guesstimates based on the statement - A new 5 star hotel is being opened by
client in a metro city.
Guesstimate 1 - Estimate the water bottle consumption per day for the hotel
Started with assuming the metro city to be Delhi. Identified the customer segments -
business/corporate. Identified the various places where water bottles could be used -
rooms(single, double, suites), conference rooms, party halls, restaurants, waiting area
and staff.
Interviewer asked me to write an equation to define the water bottle consumption

for rooms. Took some constant water bottle consumption per day (staff +
complimentary bottles) and a occupancy factor for single/double rooms to come up
with a linear equation.
Guesstimate 2 - Interviewer asked me to calculate water bottle consumption for a

restaurant. I started with the standard approach of taking the population of Delhi
and then discussed some cuts like age, income etc. Interviewer asked me to find a
way in which one could directly estimate the expected footfall in restaurant. After a
while, I figured that by directly looking at the competitor's footfall we could get a
ballpark number. Interviewer asked if I have any question. Asked him a well thought
question.
possible)
Round 2: It was a pure case based interview. Profits of a hospital were declining.
Clarifying questions - location, specialty, customer segments and competitors. Then
looked at the revenue as well as cost aspects. Interviewer asked me to focus on
revenue streams. Listed out - patients, pharmacy, diagnostic centre, hospitalization
and surgeries as the key revenue drivers. Interviewer specifically mentioned fall in
number of surgeries. Listed quality, price, technology, image and doctors as the
major factors affecting the number of surgeries. Identified the issue as reputed
doctors moving to a competitor hospital. As patients were 60+ in age and wealthy
people with heart diseases, they preferred to go to reputed doctors. Other reason
was decline in cleanliness of the hospital. While walking back from the interview
room to the waiting hall, Interviewed asked me why BCG?
Round 3: The round started with basic HR questions - What is NetApp? Brief
overview of my job responsibilities? Why MBA? Comparison of life at IIML v/s
IITD? Why consulting?
Then it went to a data intensive case. In nutshell the case was to perform a cost-
benefit analysis of moving children of age 4-6yrs from Aanganvaadi to primary
school. Aanganvaadi is a pre-school place in villages where children of age 4-6years
are taught. Due to lack of workforce Aanganvaadi is not a good place for educating
children. Interviewer asked me to list revenue streams as well as cost streams for the
government if it allows movement of children.
Guesstimate: Interviewer asked me to calculate number of new primary school

teachers required if children of age 4-6years are to be moved in primary schools.
In first round, I understood the hints given by the interviewer and took sufficient
time to come to an answer instead of just trying random ideas.
this interview? In second and third round, I was confident and calm. I guess solving both cases with
a well-defined structure and explaining my thought process to the interviewer helped
me build good rapport. Both these rounds were more of discussion oriented.
What do you think went wrong In first round, I got stuck for a while and repeated an answer twice. I could have
in this interview? avoided it.
Any tips for future batches on Practice cases well. Be calm and confident during the process. Engage the
the basis of your experience interviewer by thinking out loud.
Name: Nitish Rathi
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 3
B.Tech. Chem Engg., IIT Kharagpur; cleared CFA Level-II;
Brief Profile: Work experience: RIL (project management) - 2.75 years, Motilal Oswal Securities
(equity research, oil & gas) - 7 months, and Capital One - 6 months
Why did you shift to Motilal Oswal Securities?
Have you ever taken risk in life?
to share them)
Why do you want to join consulting?
Had total 3 rounds:-
1) Principal – Prateek Gupta
Interview started off with 1 HR question – why did you shift to Motilal Oswal
Securities (I had a few of job-shifts in CV)? Had a good reason for all of my job-
shifts. I used them as demonstration of willingness to seek challenging work and gain
diverse exposure.
It followed by a calculation heavy case on a tractor manufacturer who wants to know
if he should install capacity of gear boxes in the existing facility in India or start gear-
box manufacturing in China. He pressured on the time constraint of finishing it in
15 minutes. I had practiced similar cases, hence I was very comfortable in
structuring, getting the relevant data required, and calculating the break-even period.
He then asked if I had any questions. The interview went really good.
2) Principal – Shweta Bajpai
She asked me a couple of HR questions, which I was prepared for. One of the
question – Have you ever taken risk in life? – was not so common, but I had thought
about such an instance before during preparation, and hence could share it without
any hiccups.
Narration of the case interview She then shared her background (she was in Technology and Media practice), and
(Please be as descriptive as gave a market entry case of a Technology company who wants to enter India with its
possible) internet search engine tool (similar to google). I briefed her about my structure, but I
was then asked to restrict to market size estimation only. I broke the revenue
streams into parts, and checked with her for assumptions taken. Many a times she
gave cues to where I was going wrong. Finally, I came up with the size of USD 700
Million and told her it seems to be an overestimation (I checked later, actual size was
USD300-400 Million, which I think is fairly good estimation). While summarizing, I
was not very crisp, as I was thinking about where did I go wrong. I left with a feeling
that it didn’t go that well. But, after 10-15 minutes was called for third round. I was
really excited now.
3) Director – Seema Bansal
She asked me where was I from, and I was able to make good connection, as I
shared my diverse exposure of staying at more than 6-7 States during my education
and work-ex. I was then asked why consulting.
Then she gave a case that a public health organization, which supplies vaccines
across India, was facing frequent stock outages, or wastages due to oversupply. Post
few clarifications, I prepared the entire value chain of the vaccine supply and
distribution. The problem lied in demand forecasting. Then the case became more of
discussion as to identifying different ways of demand forecasting, what should be the
criteria to choose, etc. She then asked me if I had any questions.
It was noon when my interview started, and it was my first interview for the day. By
What do you think went right in that time a lot of offers had already been made. But, I was really cool and calm
this interview? during my interviews. It was something very important in demonstrating confidence
in solving cases, answering HR questions, etc.
What do you think went wrong In my second round the interviewer had to give me a lot of cues to get me on the
in this interview? right track, as I had not practiced guess estimates much.
Any tips for future batches on Prepare and practice well for the interviews, but on the interview day you should not
the basis of your experience worry about the outcome.
Name: Nirali Raichura
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 3
Brief Profile: CA+ Bcom graduate, 2 entrepreneurial ventures.
Round 1- A gearbox manufacturer in India wants to expand the production
Interview questions (With capacity. To evaluate options between India and China
to share them) Round 2- A new bank has received license in the recent past and wants us to frame
the ATM set up strategy in Mumbai. Maximum cash burn limit is Rs. 1 crore.

Round 3- A foreign search engine wants to enter rural India, what all can be done?
Round 1- No HR, only case (15minutes) as specified above.
Case description:
First was a background study of the company.
Then was told to focus only on quantitative factors for decision-making and
therefore was completely a number focused case initially.
I started with the differences in the yearly- fixed and variable cost between
alternatives and then the set up cost, etc.
The yearly cost difference was favorable towards China, but the set up cost for
China was high. Ultimately the decision lied on how much time would we take to
recover our set up cost from the differential benefits in yearly costs.
In my case, we could recover the set up costs in 1.5 years and the project was for a
period of 5 years and hence capacity was to be set up in China.
After this, I was asked to list down the qualitative factors I would consider for my
decision making- I took the value chain approach for the same.
Round 2- No HR, only case (15minutes) as specified above.

Case description: After the problem statement was given, I asked for some moments
to think so that I could go about my initial questioning. However, the partner said
"No. Suppose I am taking you to the CEO of this Bank right now and he asks you
what your strategy is going to be. Give me a 30 second response that you will give
him". After 2-3 permutations, the apt answer to be given was "I will set up some
ATMs at residential locations, corporate houses, railway stations, airport, near
colleges, malls, etc. The number of ATMs need to be evaluated."
The case then turned completely numerical. I was supposed to estimate cash inflows
Narration of the case interview and outflows for each of the 6 alternatives above and arrive at a decision. The trick
(Please be as descriptive as was to do it using matrix method and marginal costing. Also, the partner did not
possible) appreciate the standard way we approach cases- evaluation of environment,
opportunities, competition, etc for a market entry case. He kept saying he did not
want such approach till the time I started focusing on numbers, since that was what
he wanted. Key was to take the hint. Another key was to know the meaning of cash
burn.
At the end he asked the 3 most important learnings for me from the case.
Round 3- 2 minutes HR, case (15minutes) as specified above.

HR- Briefly tell me something about yourself, what is your biggest achievement
during college days.
Case description- A background check on the company was done first.
The case started with finding out the rural consumer pain points. For this I
segregated the rural population by age and found their occupational/ career
requirements.
For eg: Trainings for farmers, education for children, etc.
Then I identified the non-educational requirements- entertainment, etc. On being

asked to consolidate on what possible offerings we could provide, I listed down
four: Online education, Farmer training modules/ collaboration platform,
Entertainment apps and Travel apps.
The next step was to list down the factors affecting decisions for each one of them-
like level of requirement for consumers, internet connectivity required, population
who will use the products, long and short term benefits, etc. I allocated scores on the
scale of 1 to 5- 5 being the most positive and used matrix system for presentation.
The case ended with decision-making.

1. Being confident and assertive. I would have easily buckled down in my 1st and 2
round where there was quite some grilling and expectations were to go about the
non-conventional way for approaching cases. But, staying confident worked to my
this interview?
advantage.

2. Took hints. I had a open mind and hence was able to take hints towards the
direction the interviewer wanted to take the case to.
Could have used and exhibited my background knowledge (as a CA) a bit more in
the 2nd round- which I did towards the end and got the feedback from the
in this interview?
interviewer that I should have done that earlier.
Be prepared for any mix of HR and Case.
You cannot make it without being very positive and confident.
Do not give up till the end, no matter how bad you think the interview is going.
Name: Rachit Shah
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 2
Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst Level 3 Cleared with 2.5
years of work experience in the Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory department of
Brief Profile:
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and 3 months of professional teaching experience
(CFA Level 1 and a finance certification course) at Edupristine
Round 1 - Guesstimate the number of water bottles used in a restaurant in a day
Indicative solution - Started with asking questions regarding the size, type and area
where the hotel is located. Went on to determine the occupancy rate, factor in
seasonality and finally determined the usage in the different sections of the hotel like
rooms, restaurant, meeting rooms, gymnasium, etc.
Post this there was a follow up guesstimate of the expected footfall in the restaurant
Round 2 - Cost benefit analysis of reducing the entry age for primary education
from 6 years to 4 years
Indicative solution - Started with trying to understand the reason for reducing the
to share them)
entry age. This provided me with a very good idea of the direction in which the case
needs to be solved (increasing the number of kids who get exposed to formal
education). Went on to do a revenue versus cost analysis both for short as well as
long term.
Potential revenue - Increase in GDP due to higher literacy rate, higher taxes, entry of
private sector investment, increased employment, etc
Potential costs - Teachers & administrative staff, investment, marketing expenses,
closure of nursery schools, etc.
Round 1 - The round started with an informal discussion about the campus and
what the best memories of the interviewer were in campus. Went on to talk a little
bit about my work experience in PwC and about life in Mumbai in general. After
about 10 minutes of informal discussion, he gave me the guesstimate which was
again was more of a discussion & not a proper case solving session.
Round 2 - The first 10 minutes were about the interviewers experience so far in the
company and the interviewer wanting to understand more about my teaching
possible)
experience (I have been associated with a professional teaching institute & have also
taught underprivileged children for 8 years). This was followed by an HR question of
Why MBA given my interests and involvement in the teaching profession.
She then gave me a case in the education sector which seemed complicated at first
but could be solved by maintaining a continuous conversation with her and because
of my prior experience in the sector.
What do you think went right in Continuously maintained a healthy conversation with the interviewers while solving
this interview? the cases and this helped to get relevant points to solve the cases.
-
in this interview?
The most important thing is to continuously maintain a conversation and ask
Any tips for future batches on questions if you think you are stuck. The interviewer is always willing to help you by
the basis of your experience giving you hints and pointers. All you need to do is ask! Also be confident & positive
and always maintain eye contact with the interviewer.
Name: Saksham Pant
Company: BCG
No. of Rounds: 4
B.E. (Hons.) Electronics and Instrumentation, BITS Pilani - Pilani Campus.
Brief Profile:
Worked for 22 months as a hardware engineer at Nvidia Corporation, Bengaluru.

Round 1: Case – Tractor manufacturer, with a plant in the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The part of the facility where the spare parts are manufactured is running out of
capacity. Need to take a decision on whether to establish a new one in the same
facility or in China and then bring the spare parts to India.
Round 2: Case - Regional newspaper in Kolkata, experiencing a decline in sales.

Need to identify the core issues and provide solutions/recommendations.
Round 3: Case – Cardiac hospital in Delhi, revenues are declining. Need to identify
the core issues and provide a solutions/recommendations.
to share them)
HR questions like – Why BCG?
Round 4: Case – Anganwadi is a government sponsored child-care and mother-care

center in India. Apart from nutrition it also provides preschool services to children
from 4 to 6 years of age. The problem is that the children who attend primary school
after going through the Anganwadi preschool perform very poorly compared to
others. So the Government is planning to shift the preschool services of Anganwadi
to formal primary schools. Need to look at all the cost and benefit considerations.
All rounds lasted for around 20-25 minutes with 1 or 2 extra minutes in the end for
me to ask a question to the interviewer.
Round 1: Partner (don’t remember the name).

The interview started with my brief introduction while the interviewer was taking me
to the interview room from the waiting area. The case was mostly numbers based
and calculation intensive. I took the value chain approach to cover all the aspects of
cost comparison. Apart from the monetary factors, I also mentioned some non-
monetary concerns like acceptance of made-in-China products etc. The case was
pretty straightforward and the interviewer was very helpful, so it went quite well.
Round 2: Principal (don’t remember the name).
This case was a qualitative one. Did a 4P comparison with the other local regional
newspapers along with the online channel. Forgot to bring the advertisement
revenue into consideration initially and had to be hinted towards that direction. The
interviewer politely contradicted me many times but overall the interview was good.
possible)
Round 3: Anurag Agrawal, Principal and IIML recruitment lead.
This was a very simple and short qualitative case and revolved around customers
experience and promotion. It was more of a casual conversation and the case lasted
for less than 10 minutes. It was followed by the question of why I want to join BCG.
The interviewer added to my answer based on his own experience. The interview
went well according to me.
Round 4: Seema Bansal, Partner and Director.

I found this case to be the toughest as it required a broad span of monetary and non-
monetary factors to be taken into account. It also involved a short guesstimate of the
number of children affected by the scheme. I missed out on a few aspects, like the
long term benefit of reduced cost of Government subsidies through improved
education facilities, and had to be hinted. The interviewer was quite helpful but
overall I wasn't able to ace this round completely.
According to me, my confidence and enthusiasm worked well in my favour. I was
able to properly communicate my approach and was successful in picking up hints
What do you think went right in on being prompted by the interviewers. I had prepared a few questions for the
this interview? interviewers beforehand, which came in quite handy. I was clear in my mind and well
prepared for questions like why consulting and why BCG and hence was able to
convince the interviewers about the same.
Not much went wrong for me in the first 3 rounds expect for 1 or 2 small
calculation mistakes or missing out on 1 or 2 aspects. In the last round, I was
expecting an HR interview and wasn’t prepared mentally for another case based
in this interview?
round. I somewhat lacked energy in this round and could’ve come up with a better
structure.
Based on my experience, I would say that confidence is the key to crack the
interviews. Be confident and enthusiastic at all times while communicating with the
interviewer. Always keep smiling, even if the interviewer is trying to contradict you.
Try to communicate your structure and approach before delving into it and be crisp
in your responses. This should do the trick.

Deloitte S&O
Name: Ashish Kapoor
Company: Deloitte S&O
No. of Rounds: 3
IT Engineer from NSIT. Average extra curriculars/PORs. 4 years work experience
Brief Profile:
in analytics consulting. Awards and promotions during work-ex.
Round 1: Guesstimate round - Royal Enfield is launching a new bike at a price of 2
lakh in India. Estimate the market size.
Round 2: Case study round - A data intensive case. Profits dipping for an insurer.
Some basic questions on workex.
Round 3: Partner/Director round - Asked me for feedback on the ppt and case
to share them)
workshops. Was more of a discussion rather than an interview on analytics and how
it can be leveraged in the consulting context. Was asked use cases and scenario-based
questions like how can Deloitte pitch analytics competency to a client
1. one who has a full-fledged analytics setup
2. one who has heard the buzzword and wants to set it up
Guesstimate Round: 1 interviewer went on for about 20 minutes.
Started with the population of India, split it by age, income and gender first to find
the potential buyer profile. Then assumed a small market among these potential
buyers since not everybody is interested in bikes and even for those who are, this is a
semi-luxury product and not a utility item. Also looked at other competitors in this
segment like Duke, Kawasaki etc. Also in this case the usual 5 years life for a vehicle
is not applicable as this segment would in most cases be a onetime purchase. I do
not think I was being evaluated much on the numbers or accuracy of assumptions in
this round. The focus was more on the approach on how to split the market and
which segments to target.
After the guesstimate, he flatly said he had a concern with why I wanted to move to
strategy consulting from a data scientist role given the demand for analytics. The last
5-7 minutes went in convincing him. Had a clear answer prepared for this and he did
possible)
seem convinced.
Case round: 2 panelists, Went on for close to 40 minutes.

The case was a straightforward profitability problem where the profits of an insurer
were consistently dipping for the last 3 years while the industry remained stable. The
sheet on which he had
the case was divided into four sections and I was being fed data
sequentially. I started out with dissecting profit into revenue and costs at which point
he showed me revenue trends for last 3 years on the first part of the sheet. Revenue
was broken down by average premium per customer and number of customers. Back
of the envelope calculations without rounding off were expected. I had to prove that

revenue was stable in these years. Made me calculate percentage change year on year.
As soon as we settled that since revenue isn't an issue, I was given five options on
what could be causing a profit dip (2nd part of the sheet). Three of these options
related to drop in revenue (eg. competitors lowering prices, new entrants etc) and
only one related to costs (something related to operational inefficiencies in the IT
department). I identified this option and he showed me the next part of the sheet,
which described the processes and steps in IT. One point clearly stated that a few
critical softwares had become obsolete and had started to malfunction. I suggested
that to get the new software in place, we could either outsource the development or
build it in house or buy a product from a technology company. They presented data
on two options (last part of the sheet), which had tentative costs and revenues over a
three-year period for two cases: buying a product from Microsoft and developing the
software in house. Was expected to do a cost benefit analysis taking NPV into
account and compare the two options. Again calculations were pretty intensive and
answers were being checked in decimals. The focus was a lot on speed and accuracy
in calculations and rounding off was not permitted. At the end I was asked to
summarise in 30 seconds for the client CEO, my findings.
Some basic questions on work-ex were also asked at the beginning of this round.
The guy knew a bit of analytics and asked me questions on regression and model
efficiency etc. Fairly straightforward.
Partner/director Round: Started off with asking me if I knew the names of people
I had interacted in the previous rounds. I remembered one name but luckily
remembered the name of the director himself from the PPT and case workshop.
Then went on to ask my feedback on PPT and case workshops. Had a suggestion on
the case workshop, which were discussed in detail. Asked me if I had any questions
at which point I brought up the concern the interviewer had shown in the first
round and made sure I cleared it out with him as well. This is where the use cases
and scenario questions came in.
I could luckily bring up some industry specific points in the guesstimate (from my
interest in automobiles) and the case (from prior experience in insurance). I made
What do you think went right in sure to address their concerns regarding the fitment and my inclination towards
this interview? management consulting with examples from my work-ex and tied in the need for
MBA within the same making it a coherent story which I felt was crucial, especially
in the last round. He did agree that there was a concern.
Towards the end of the case, i missed an input he had given while I was calculating a
number and ended up asking a silly question which could've been avoided.
in this interview?
Otherwise I felt it was a near perfect interview.
Just remain calm and relaxed, especially in the partner round. The questions I was
asked weren't particularly difficult. They were just looking for structure and clarity of
thought is what I inferred.
Name: Komal Havelia
No. of Rounds: 2
SRCC – Bcom Hons
Brief Profile:
Work Ex – 3 years - KPMG - 5 months, CEB - 28 months
Round 1: Basic HR questions such as tell me about yourself and work experience
details. I was asked a question on probability in which time durations were given for
the student arrival and bus departure from the bus stop, and I was supposed to
compute the probability of student catching the bus. The answer was divided in a
number of scenarios.
Round 2: A lot of HR questions (tell me about yourself, why consulting, why did
to share them)
you leave KPMG, my work profile at CEB, my entrepreneurial initiative, discussion
around US bschool offers I had) and then a case on an insurance company.
Round 3: They just made the offer and asked me “if you decide to not join Deloitte,
what would be the reason”.
The case was on an insurance company based out of US whose profitability had
declined. I was first told about the company background and the amount of change
in profits. I was then asked the probable reasons why the profitability might have
declined. Post that I was given four factors which the CEO had shortlisted as
reasons behind the decline. I was asked to relate these factors to the profitability in
possible)
the US insurance industry scenario and explain why each of these might be the right
causes. They wanted qualitative answers for this. When they were satisfied with my
answers, they gave me a sheet having four tables.
The first one had information on components of quantity and revenue for the 3
insurance products over the period of decline of profits. I pinpointed that revenue
wasn’t an issue here, since for two products having a majority of sales, the premiums
had increased with the quantity sold and for the third one, revenue was almost
unchanged. So, cost was the problem.
The second table had information on 4 softwares which were used for different
purposes in the process. One for storing all client background data, etc. One of the
recommendations for cost savings I made here was integration if possible, otherwise
better collaboration between these four software teams since their work was not
independent of each other.
The third had information on cost and benefits from two alternative solutions over a
period of 3 years. I asked for the internal rate of return and based on it, calculated
the NPV of the 2 alternatives. One alternative had a very heavy negative cash flow in
the first period, followed by increasing net positive flows whereas the other had
much better net inflows in the first period but they were decreasing over the three
years. The NPV of the first alternative was better. I gave my recommendations with
reservations such as “recommendation is based on the fact that a similar trend will
continue post 3 years”, etc.
Then I was asked to convince a third person who just entered the room of the
viability of my decision. I used the number of years it would take to recover the lost
profits through the recommended channel vs. the other channel as one of the ways
to convince him.
What do you think went right in The case went pretty well since I had prepared more complicated/difficult cases for
this interview? my other consult shortlists.
What do you think went wrong In the first interview, I mentioned something about poems in my “tell me about
in this interview? yourself” answer. He asked me to recite a poem, and I wasn’t prepared for that.
Any tips for future batches on Be confident and very interactive during the interview. Don’t hesitate in asking for
the basis of your experience details not given in the case.
Name: Pranay Vimal
No. of Rounds: 3
Brief Profile: B.E. (IT), BIT Mesra, ZS Associates (17 months), Accenture (12 months).
Tell me something about yourself that is not on your CV but still connects you to
your CV - Explained to them the reason behind why I chose Engineering and then
my job profiles and how it shaped my personality.
to share them)
Why are my engineering grades low?
HR Questions: Basic questions around CV and background. From there the
interviewer jumped to my hobbies - got hooked on to cooking. Asked me a few
questions about my cooking preferences and gave a guesstimate on the market size
of Chicken in India. Simple one - key metrics to sub divide the problem - Population
- % Vegetarians - Income - Household Size - Frequency, by this time interviewer
said I am satisfied with your thought process, please go for the next round.
Case: Production inefficiency of a company. Revenues going down. Reasons? Gave

me 4 options to choose from. I chose correct. Production Efficiency. Tried to make
me buzz as much as possible from the answer but I had my logic behind it because
customers and revenue per customer both were increasing for my client. The only
reason that I could see was production inefficiency, so I did not. Some more
Narration of the case interview qualitative questions. What should your client do? Answer - Either change the
(Please be as descriptive as technology used for production or repair it. Again correct. Some data based
possible) questions after that. I did all kind of calculations to show the profits through both
the methods. The interviewer asked me to find out the Net Present Value, which I
could not. I told him that I do not know how to calculate it.
Partner Round: Where have seen the case before? My team tells me that you know
the case and that your answers are quite familiar to our solution. I told him that I
solved the case just now and have never seen the case. Having worked in similar
situations, case solving comes naturally to me. He asked me if I was that kind of a
person who does not change his view. I told him that I am a rational person, I don't
buzz only in situations when I have done my research completely and I am logically
satisfied with my solution.
Second Question- If you don't get into Consulting at all, what will you do. I told
him that I am interested in E-Commerce companies and will look at the options at
my hand before reaching to any conclusion. After that, it was all about his and my
consulting experiences. We talked for around 10 minutes more. Comparisons
between ZS and Deloitte and how I find them similar and at the same time quite
different organizations.
I had a conversation with all my interviewers and was not trying to just answer their
What do you think went right in questions. Always calm even when the interviewer was trying to make me buzz from
this interview? my answer. Had logic behind everything that I said. Did not utter anything without a
reason behind it.
I could have solved the end part of the case better.
in this interview?
Be calm and talk to the interviewer rather than just answering his/her answers.
Always have a smile on your face. They would like to know if you want Consulting
as first preference or not.
Name: Sneha Khurana
No. of Rounds: 3
Dual Degree (Economics and Electronics & Instrumentation) from BITS Pilani,
Goa
Brief Profile:
Worked for an year in LatentView Analytics as Business Analyst and 1.5 years in
Thorogood Associates as Business Intelligence Consultant
1st Round:
Something you are passionate about - I spoke about travel
What did I learn from travelling
Guesstimate to estimate the revenue of Makemytrip in an year
Partner Round:
to share them)
What I learnt during my work experience?
Why does everyone mention leadership when they talk about work?
Why Deloitte?
If you could ask one question to me (partner) what would you ask?
The rest was discussion on my feedback from previous rounds
1st Round - The interviewer was a senior manager who asked me about my
background. I mentioned that I want to travel to 30 countries before I am 30 and he
asked me to list the countries I have been to and what I learnt. He then asked me
why not travel to 30 states in India and then asked about a few destinations in India
and what I knew about them. He asked me what was the feedback from people who
had already been interviewed.
He then gave me a guesstimate on the Revenue of Make my Trip in an year. I first
listed all the possible revenue streams of Make my trip. I had missed out on the
revenue from tour packages and he pointed that out. After that he asked me to just
calculate the revenue from flight tickets.
Round 2:
The Case was on a Hospital in the US whose profits were declining and the
Narration of the case interview economy was also in recession. After I drew the revenue and cost streams they told
(Please be as descriptive as me that the profitability was low because they were not processing the insurance
possible) claims fast enough and the cost of processing them was high. They gave me data on
4 processing centers with the revenue, cost, processing amount of each center. I had
to identify the problem processing centers. They then gave me two options of either
- outsourcing the operations or doing performance improvement with the cost
associated with each and asked me what option they should go for. They then said
the hospital had decided to go forward with buying a processing agency and with 4
options and asked me to select which one (based on revenue, cost and collection
%ages). They also gave the P/E and EV/EBITDA value of recent similar
transactions and calculate the price, which the hospital would need to pay. I was
finally asked to give my recommendation of buy/not. I recommended not buy
because the price of the processing center was more than 60% of revenue of the
hospital because and there was a recession in the economy. I also mentioned that if I
knew the current financial position of the hospital and the cost of debt I would be
able to make a better recommendation.
I was pretty relaxed during all the rounds and was not flustered when they tried to
confuse me during the case.
What do you think went right in I had prepared questions for Deloitte (mostly based on my interest in Sustainable
this interview? Supply Chain) and asked one during the first round and partner round. The
interviewers spent quite some time answering those questions and in the first round
he was happy that I had gone through their practices and projects in detail.
I could have structure my case better and have done the calculations faster.
in this interview?
-
EY
Name: Ankur Kedia
Company: EY (PI)
No. of Rounds: 1
IIT Roorkee, Metallurgical & Materials Eng., 34 months of work-experience at ZS
Brief Profile:
Associates and a startup Voziq
Interview questions (With Round1: PI
indicative answers if you choose All questions were based on my CV. Asked me in detail about each and every
to share them) projects I have done.
Since my work-experience at ZS was related to consulting in pharmaceutical domain,
the interviewer asked questions on pharmaceutical market in India and where it is
going. Also, the key players in the market, biosimilars and how attractive are
biosimilars.
I have also worked on contact center analytics. So, the questions were framed
possible)
around how to reduce churn in a telecommunication company of India. What are
the key factors that determine the churn rate in subscription business model.
Few HR questions on why I switched companies, and why I want to join EY.
I was able to explain my work-experience very well.
this interview?
-
in this interview?
Prepare your CV thoroughly
KPMG
Name: Ashwini Gupta
Company: KPMG
No. of Rounds: 2
B.TECH(MECHANICAL) from NIT-BHOPAL,
Brief Profile:
58 Months in HPCL as Operations Officer
Two members were present in the interview panel.
1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Why MBA after these many years of work-ex?
3. What all other IIM calls (Considering my top600 rank in CAT) did you have?
-Only L&K; told him about my not so high academic scores (10+2 & Grad)
3.a Why your academic scores are low?
-Told him about them being above average but as IIMs compare relative CGPAs
(prevalent now) with the absolute (prevalent then), they appear below average
4. Describe the job roles that were handled by you in HPCL?
5. Questions about one of my job -projects. How you were able to save 80 Lakhs.
What role did you play in it?
to share them)
-In-depth knowledge about the project from developing the blueprint till the
execution and end-results.
5a. how were you able to quantify the savings?
6. You like solving puzzles. Then answer this puzzle.
Gave a puzzle.
7. Gave a scenario pertaining to my work-project and asked me to enumerate at least
five factors affecting it.
-was able to give a total of 7 factors with 3 as sub-heads under 1 head; could quantify
the effects of each of these factors on the overall scenario by relating the
corresponding sub-projects to substantiate the claim( e.g. factor 5 can have a max.10
% effect on overall o/p which is evident from my project x with PCRA where I got
it as 10%)
8.What are your subjects of interest?
9. What methods do you employ to keep off the pressure in highly demanding
situations?
-told what I do in the short-run and in the long-run(related it to what I used to do
during my work-ex)
In the end, they asked me if I have any questions to ask. I asked two questions one
pertaining to KPMG's zero presence in fields relating to conformance to specialized
statutory standards (OISD in my case), and another pertaining to third-party audits
and inspections which are increasing exponentially in government sponsored energy
sector enterprises.
In the first round we were asked to carry a write-up with ourselves but since I was
Narration of the case interview pulled out directly from Snapdeal's process, I could only get 2 minutes to write it just
(Please be as descriptive as outside the interview room.
possible) The round two was more like a formality in the form of interaction with one of their
partners
Substantiating every answer by relating it to an experience/event of my life-This way
you are efficiently covering your whole CV in the interview and also making sure
that the interviewer have also thoroughly gone through it. Being thorough and
this interview?
precise about each and every thing mentioned in the CV. Quantifying all my CV
points.
What do you think went wrong The write-up that were supposed to be carried along with me. Though, it seemed it
in this interview? had a very small weightage as compared to the interview.
-
Name: Samrdhi Ramawat
Company: KPMG
No. of Rounds: 2
College graduation- B.Tech from JIET jodhpur in electronics and communication
Brief Profile: engineering
Work ex- 0 years
What is your passion? How is it positive?
Where are you from?
Tell us about your family. Are you a role model for your younger brother?
How is your experience at IIML? which subject you like the most?
Are you comfortable with finance?
Imagine you have a matchbox factory, tell us 5 methods in which you can add more
to share them)
value to its supply chain.
About what you are very passionate? if you are asked to encourage your juniors to
pursue that as hobby then what you will say?
Do you have any constraints related to travelling?
Narration of the case interview There were two rounds
(Please be as descriptive as first was HR + functional and the second was partner round in which the senior
possible) partner interviewed about my interests
I think my self-confidence and the way I talked that worked in favor of me.
What do you think went right in They wanted to check my interest in the field and how much passion i have for my
this interview? interests. Just be honest and engage them in the conversation. That's the key to
success.
What do you think went wrong I could have done better if I had read more about FRA. A proper interest in one
in this interview? particular area should be there.
Know about the company, the role they are offering. Be clear with what they are
offering and how you fit in that role. Have confidence and be clear with your
answers.

McKinsey & Co.

Name: Amlan Lenka
Company: McKinsey & Co.
No. of Rounds: 3
Graduation- BE hons CIVIL, BITS Pilani- 2013
Work ex- 23 months.
Brief Profile: Business Analyst for DELL Financial Services (Marketing Analytics)-17 months
Assistant Manager- Citibank Global Decision Management (Campaign
Management)-6 months
Round 1 - Junior Partner
It had a basic HR (personal) and 1 Case and 1 Guesstimate
Case- I am a cellphone carrier company (Airtel/Vodafone) and my revenues are
falling.
Guesstimate- Number of Chemical Engineering graduates in the country.
Interview questions (With Round 2 was with a Senior Partner and hence was more of a conversation.
indicative answers if you choose Case- I am a white goods manufacturing firm and my growth is stagnant (Possible
to share them) maturity of the industry). Should I venture into manufacturing smaller electrical
equipment. Pros and Cons.
Round 3 Partner
It was an extensive case on online grocery delivery business (Grofers)
Case- I am a private equity firm. Should I invest in something like a Grofers. Why?
Why not?
Round 1- Lot of numbers and the idea was to check the thinking capability. I had
done a case on the value chain of cell phone carriers and so that helped.
Guesstimate was also a bit confusing and had lost my calm for a minute or two.
Round 2- Amazing conversation with the Director. He seemed a little tired at first
but we managed to have a pretty decent chat over a lot of things including the origin
possible)
of my name.
Round 3- Extensive number crunching and idea generation. Heavy case which
included a guesstimate for market sizing.
-Maintained my composure at all times
- Was extremely confident
this interview?
- Could strike a chord with each of my interviewers
- Could have kept my answers short and crispier which is highly critical.
in this interview?
The firm is here to help you. It is not you against them. If you have a shortlist you
already are good enough. So take the cues and be confident of your own abilities.
Pick up a friend or two with whom you can practice cases.
Name: Anuj Singh
Company: McKinsey & Co
No. of Rounds: 2
IIT Roorkee B.Tech (Metallurgical and Materials), 35 Months (8 Months in Oracle,
Brief Profile:
27 Months in ZS Associates)
Round 1: Tell me about yourself, resume base, a guesstimate and a case to find out
Interview questions (With why the profitability of a cellular network company is declining.
to share them) Round 2: Tell me about yourself, case on how to increase revenue of Google in
India by 10x and a guesstimate.
Round 1: Interviewer asked to introduce myself followed by few questions about my
work at Oracle (he knew about the product I worked on very well). Then he gave a
case to determine reason for decline in profit of a cellular network company.
Interviewer was in a sort of hurry and kept on pushing me to do it fast. He kept
Narration of the case interview giving me clues, which helped me move forward and solve the case. This was
(Please be as descriptive as followed by a guesstimate, which he asked me to solve in 2 minutes. I was able to do
possible) it but missed a factor towards the last step. Finally he asked me whether I have some
questions for him.
Round 2: Started with "tell me about yourself". The interviewer used to work
previously in Google so asked me a case about how can Google increase its revenue

in India by 10x. He kept on asking me to give more and more ideas. He then asked
me to synthesize the case. This was followed by a small guesstimate.
-
this interview?
In the second round, I felt that I was too involved in solving it rather than making it
What do you think went wrong an interactive exercise.
in this interview? I also got a little nervous during my first round, which the interviewer was able to
sense.
Keep the process interactive.
Be thorough with everything on your resume.
Practice case and guesstimates with time limits.
Name: Anuja Rege
No. of Rounds: 2
B.Com from HR College, Mumbai; Chartered Accountant. Work-ex at EY in
Brief Profile:
assurance services of 21mths+ 3 years of articleship
1 round was with a partner and 1 with a director. Both involved 1 case each with
some HR questions.
Round 1- The partner started with some HR questions. Tell me about your work-ex,
some of your qualities, narration of one incident about one of my qualities, etc.
Thereafter we proceeded to solve a case. The case was a market entry one. Before
ending the interview, he asked me whether there was anything I'd like to ask them.
to share them)
Round 2- It started with a case with basic HR questions like tell me about yourself,
why McKinsey etc. To ease the talks, he started with how has the day been, asked
me how many interviews I have given so far. The case was based on supply chain
management.
Round 1- This round lasted for about 30mins. The initial HR was to assess how I fit
into the profile of a consultant. He remarked that intense interaction with various
clients that I had during my work-ex was a quality, which fit into the life of a
consultant. Thereafter the case was one, which I could not complete in the given
time. An electronic goods company was not growing since the past few quarters and
they wanted to get into white goods sector, which had seen considerable growth in
recent times. We discussed why there is a need to diversify, why growth had halted.
The case involved him being the CEO and me as the consultant. So only precise and
possible)
relevant questions had to be asked as he had given time constraints.
Round 2- This round lasted for around 20 minutes. I was able to solve the case
pretty quickly. It was a moderately difficult case with a slight catch. It involved a
Japanese chemicals company wanting to enter India. The HR questions were quite
easy to tackle.
In the round 1, I exhibited confidence even when I understood that the case was
getting nowhere. A thorough revision of the variety of cases that I had solved in the
What do you think went right in month of preparation helped me tackle the crux of the case in Round 2.
this interview? In the HR questions, I answered all of the questions honestly and took a moment to
pause & think when I could not think of an answer - not being too prompt without
having thought through.
In round 2, while laying out options for supplying the product, I assumed that the
What do you think went wrong product was B2C. The interviewer pointed out my mistake, which I then readily
in this interview? accepted and amended my solution. It is vital to not make any assumptions, no
matter how trivial.
Confidence is the key. Solving a variety of cases is important. Quantity of cases
Any tips for future batches on solved does not matter if each additional case you solve does not teach you
the basis of your experience something new. It's crucial to not make assumptions and if you need to make any,
you should clarify the same with the interviewer beforehand.

Name: Mugdhaa
No. of Rounds: 2
B.Pharm. (Hons.) from BITS Pilani, Pilani
Brief Profile:
11 months at Goldman Sachs as an Analyst (Regulatory Operations)
Tell me something about yourself. (Round 1)
Tell me something about yourself in 30 sec (Round 2)
Why Pharmacy? Was it your choice or your parents?
to share them)
Round 1:
Interviewer: Self Intro
Me: A few questions along the way out of curiosity.
Interviewer: Tell me something about yourself.
Me: Answers
Interviewer: Now let's do a case. Asked me my preference amongst three sectors
he'd given. I chose Pharma.
A simple market entry case in which the company had to enter the market. I had to
suggest what exactly should the company aim at while entering the market to get
maximum revenue.
Forgot the main thing. After a few hints, caught it and then admitted that that
should've been the first thing coming to my mind.
Round 2:
Interviewer: Be crisp, be concise and to the point.
possible)
Me: Okay
Interviewer: made me do a guesstimate
Me: Taking time with calculations
Interviewer: Tried to show that he didn't care about it, wanted answers quickly. Kept
asking me questions in the middle to throw me off while trying to solve the
guesstimate.
Next we went to a case: Normal profitability case. Almost had the answer. He said
chuck it. You are almost there. Never finished. Post that was asked multiple times if
I had any questions for him.
I asked him to introduce himself. Was a short conversation but I ensured it was still
two sided and not just him speaking.
I communicated well. Accepted that I had forgotten something. Stayed calm.
Tackled it as if it were a conversation rather than an interview. Followed first
principles even if I wasn't able to come up with a structure.
Was confident of whatever assumptions I took during the interview because I had a
this interview?
logical backing to it.
Gauged that the interviewer in Round 2 didn't want me to use a paper and wanted
me to verbally solve the case.
What do you think went wrong Could've worked a bit better on my guesstimate numbers. Formed a better structure
in this interview? to my case.
The tell me about yourself should be about you and not everything from your CV.
Add that one thing you are passionate about and in your conversation it should
show, maybe through an instance or an experience.
Any tips for future batches on Be calm, consider it to be any friend talking to you, it helps. Admitting that you've
the basis of your experience made a mistake might just work in your favour. Do not get worked up because of
that.
Try maintaining eye contact with the interviewer(Obviously not to an extent that it
feels like you're staring). Shows that you are confident.

Name: Sanchit Jain
Company: McKinsey & Company
Round 2 Rounds
Brief Profile : B-Tech, Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi (2009-13)
20 months work experience at Samsung Research Bangalore
Round 1: The interviewer first introducted himself, his practice areas and work.
Then my part started with the standard question ‘tell me about yourself’ which led to
more discussions around my job, interns and PoRs. There were situation based HR
questions as well which went to the secon level detailing atleast. Next we did a short
case on a cement manufacturer which had increasing costs and a small analytical
problem on the same. Finally the interview ended with me asking some questions
about consulting in general and McKinsey in particular.
indicative answers if you choose Round 2: The partner met me in the waiting room only and we chatted on the way
to share them) to the interview room (which was my section classroom only). He was also doing a
case in Jaipur only (my hometown), so we talked about, my family, and background.
There were some questions from my CV and then we talked at length about our
recent Europe trips. The case was purely idea generation for a tourist company
entering Jaipur and establishing an exciting and profitable business. After the case,
the interviewer asked me why I saw McKinsey as a fit. I gave my reasons and the
conversation culminated with me asking more questions on the same lines to the
partner.
Round 1 Case: A cement manufacturer is facing increasing costs. After
understanding about the company and industry and doing a value chain approach,
we zeroed in on transportation costs. The mines were located close to the plant so
inbound logistics was not a problem. In outbound logistics, the company was
dependendent on rail (60%) and road (40%). Then I focussed on road transportation
costs and identified the various levers that can affect these. I divided them into
different buckets and here important points were fuel and backhaul costs (return
journey). The numerical problem was around breakup of some of these costs for the
company and impact of increasing fuel prices (the interviewer wanted me to do the
exact calculations to the second decimal point and we saw the difference
possible)
approximation caused to the final cost figure.)
Round 2 Case: A tourist company was looking to setup something exciting and
profitable in Jaipur. After understanding the problem statement and requirements, I
started with deciding what to setup. Based on the different attractions I had seen or
heard about, I classified them into categories and tailored them to Jaipur/
Rajasthan/ Indian context. The partner was impressed with the idea of a light and
sound show (on the lines of Songs of the Sea, Sentosa, Singapore) on villages and
rural India. Next we talked about concept research, target audience and feasibility.
What do you think went right in I was confident and well prepared with my HR answers. My case solutions reflected
this interview? some structure and creativity. Throughout my interview and resume, travel was
reflected and I played that card well in my second case.
My case in the first interview didn’t go that well as I approximated the numbers. But
in this interview?
then I course corrected and quickly did the calculations.
Case preparation is important but keeping an open and creative thought process is
vital. Give a lot of time and thought to HR questions and preparing about yourself.
The answers should not be memorised and they should be something that you totally
believe in. Have some good questions prepared for the interviewer.

Name: Swarnima Gupta
No. of Rounds: 3
Brief Profile: SRCC, B.A.(Hons). Economics; Fresher
First Round:
*Tell me about yourself
*One situation when you convinced a group of people : what approach did you use ?
An alternate approach that can work
*Brief discussion on a social entrepreneurship venture that I had worked on in the
past
*Case: how will you reduce the travel cost of the Government of India:
Second Round- video conference

*Brief Introduction
*Case 1: Infosys is growing at below industry average growth rates. How do you
to share them)
increase growth?
* Case 2: How to reduce logistics cost of E-commerce businesses like Amazon
Third Round:
*Case : Client is the Govt. of U.P. : work on restructuring the power distribution
system, currently running in losses, has huge debt -how to make it profitable?
i) Given figures for different costs: Make a P&L
ii) Identify sources of losses
iii) Suggest measures to mitigate the losses and tackle the debt
(Please be as descriptive as Same as Above
possible)
*Maintained composure
*Asked clarifying questions wherever needed
this interview?
* structured thinking in case solving
* Solutions of the second round cases lacked detail
in this interview?
Any tips for future batches on *Be very logical throughout
the basis of your experience *Confidence and maintaining composure is essential
Name: Utsav Kumar
No. of Rounds: 2
Dual degree (Economics + Electronics) from BITS Pilani
Brief Profile:
Work experience - Bain Capability Center (11 months)
1. Work experience related to kind of cases I had worked on
Interview questions (With 2. How would I expect work at McKinsey to be different - what different skill sets
indicative answers if you choose would I require etc
to share them) 3. Discussion on ecommerce industry
4. Small case on the ecommerce Industry
Round 1
The initial discussion was around my work at BCC and the kind of cases I had
worked upon. The interviewer asked me for the kinds of skills that I had to work
with and then asked me to compare if I expected the work at McKinsey to be any
different. This resulted into a discussion about the client interfacing aspect which I
pointed out would be the stand out difference.
I had also mentioned that I liked McKinsey's focus area of 'Going digital'. So the
discussion turned into a case midway as he asked me for my views on the business
Narration of the case interview model being followed currently based on heavy discounts offered to capture
(Please be as descriptive as audiences. Then he asked me whether the app only model being followed by some
possible) companies is viable or not. This finally turned into a small case where an ecommerce
company's financial numbers across segments was given and I was asked to calculate
which segments were profitable. Finally I was asked for suggestions to lower the
inventory cost and logistics cost of an ecommerce company.
Round 2 - Purely HR based

Right out of the box I was asked for reasons why I should be selected. He pointed
out that I was involved in Credence so would be inclined towards Finance also. I
gave my points why I preferred consulting to Finance and also why I thought

Credence was an important learning experience for me. He then asked me for my
views on ICSE v/s CBSE and which board did I think was a better option.
The questions in both interviews were very different and probably not something
that I had ready answers for. Hence I made sure that my answers were logical and
What do you think went right in most importantly short and succinct.
this interview? Also in my first interview I was very sure about the workings of the ecommerce
industry. This helped me give very solid answers especially on the utility of app only
model.
I did not realize when my interview turned into a case so I had to ask clarification
questions later on. Had I realized it sooner, I could have tried to bring them up
in this interview?
slightly less abruptly
Ensure that you know about your work experience especially if it is in a highly
Any tips for future batches on relevant domain. Also don't neglect reading up on businesses or sectors that you
the basis of your experience would normally follow. For all that you know, your entire interview can be based on
it.
Name: Vineet Rawat
No. of Rounds: 3
IIT BHU Varanasi
Brief Profile:
Work Ex- 0
Having Flipkart on my CV the question was framed on increasing Logistics cost of
Flipkart over years.
Solution:
1. New Products: Furniture, Durable goods incurring more cost
2. Greater Coverage
3. Return Policy
4. Larger Customer Base
5. More complaints regarding products so double trip
6. Fake Orders
to share them)
2. Electricity Distribution Loss
Problems: Bad Debts: Write off policy, collection systems, penalties levied
2. Transition Loss: Wiring Material, Maintenance, Distance, Step Up and Step Down
variations
3. HR Based + Small Case
3. Theft
4. Govt. Distribution Base
1. Mostly about college life.
2. Leadership instances.
Narration of the case interview 3. Why Consulting at this age?
(Please be as descriptive as 4. How do you pursue your hobbies.
possible) 5. Why Placement Committee when already did this sought of work in under
graduation college
6. Instance: On the feet thinking
1. Structured Approach in all three cases
2. Confidence
What do you think went right in 3. Be yourself
this interview? 4. Interaction was the key
5. Thinking aloud
6. Numbers: Was able to deal with big numbers in Second case1. Composure
1. Composure
in this interview?
Structures should be intuitive not bookish. Create your own way of solving the case.

PWC
Name: Gowtham Maddirala
Company: PWC
No. of Rounds: 1
B-Tech 2010 IIT Madras
Civil Engineering
Brief Profile:
30 months in Mold Tek Technologies Hyd
22 months in I&CAD Andhra Pradesh
1) Tell me about yourself
2) What would you do if there are two high priority works which are to be submitted
simultaneously? - related to team work - you should say that you would take the help
of other employees
3) What have you done in the Irrigation department
4) If there is a railway track to be built what all factors would you take into account
to choose between two villages through which the track has to pass? - Can answer
using PESTLE
Interview questions (With 5) The same above question if you are profit centric, social welfare oriented, if you
indicative answers if you choose have to take politics into account
to share them) 6) How would you tackle if your colleague or your immediate superior is corrupt and
unethical? - Maybe this is the turning point of my interview as I gave examples in my
own life, Volkswagen case where there was a communication gap, satyam case where
the auditors were PWC. Tried to explain that if we don't tackle these practices
immediately it might lead to a huge organizational failure
7) What do you know about GRID?
8) Tell me about feasibility analysis you have done before
9) Have you done any Technical feasibility analysis?
10) About grades
GRID means Government Reforms and Infrastructure Development
Narration of the case interview Interview questions are both technical and HR related. Interview went on for one
(Please be as descriptive as hour. Interview taken by 1 HR (female) and a technical person (male)
possible) HR woman enters and takes the interview for 20 minutes and leaves. The other guy
started asking HR questions and then slowly moved into technical questions with
some HR questions in between. You will be asked GRID related questions.
My experience was what helped me in the interview. They already selected some
people which made my interview even more difficult. I have an experience in
Irrigation department and I know everything about the problems of government
projects, technical feasibility etc. For example in the interview, I told them that one
of the factors for determining the site for the construction of a retaining wall would
this interview?
be consulting the villagers and asking their opinion. Even though it doesn't matter it
would gain the confidence of the villagers and they will in fact would help us instead
of being a hindrance like in Narmada project. He was very impressed by this and I
think this prior experience helped me a bit.
What do you think went wrong I could have been more practical and crisp while talking. I could have answered the
in this interview? questions without going into too much details.
Be practical. Know about the company. Show huge enthusiasm in a calm manner
Any tips for future batches on rather than showing desperation. You would have to tell lot of examples and be
the basis of your experience unique. They have to remember you through your examples. Show confidence and
don't show desperation.
Name: Shashwat Sharma
Company: PWC
No. of Rounds: 2
B.Tech from IIT Mandi in Mechanical
Brief Profile:
10 months work-ex as network and security consultant
Interview questions (With 1st interview was straightforward HR questions, why join this company, what do you
indicative answers if you choose understand by consulting.
to share them) 10 minute interview, 5-6 questions. Others were grilled more.
Narration of the case interview Was not asked detailed case, they just asked me what factors to consider when in
(Please be as descriptive as building a power plant. Went through all the possible angles, the interviewer seemed
possible) fine with it.

Hardly a 10 minute interview, no grilling.
Interviewer asked a little more about family, nothing much.
I could think about different angles in the question about power plant. Rest I was
direct and crisp with answers, which I guess they liked (they can see-through globing
this interview?
i guess).
What do you think went wrong I could've been a little more thorough with the HR answers, it would've made a
in this interview? stronger case for me.
Any tips for future batches on Just relax before the interview, be thorough with HR answers, have a little
the basis of your experience knowledge of the industry of your graduation stream. Nothing more.

2014
Summer Interview
Experiences

Consulting
Name: Arushi Agarwal
Name of interviewer and designation R3- Jayesh Pandey, Partner
R1, R2- Don’t remember
Round (First/Second/third) All
Brief Profile : IIT Delhi, B. Tech (Textile Technology)
(Graduation College, stream, Work 1 year experience at KPMG in Shared Services and Outsourcing Advisory (Strategy
ex details, etc.) Consulting)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: General HR, followed by Case involving numbers.
answers if you choose to share them)
Round 2: Pure HR
Round 3: General HR, followed by an abstract case

Narration of the case interview Round 1: Interview started with ‘Tell me about yourself’. It went straightway to a case
(Please be as descriptive as possible) from the FMCG sector. Problem was about the falling market share of an FMCG
company. Interviewer was looking for a structure to the problem and the various
factors that I can come up specific to the FMCG sector. He gave me some numbers,
which had to be traced backwards to get the company’s profits. A little tricky but
doable. The company’s profit margin had to be compared to the industry average and
some knowledge of various ratios of this industry, helped me give valuable insights.
Round 2: This was taken by the company HR. The various questions asked were- How
was my last interview? What could I have done better? Why Consulting? Why not go
into my field of engineering? Why did I leave KPMG? What can I do to motivate a
team? Who has a greater influence in my life- school or parents. Why? Why Accenture?
Any questions you would like to ask?
Round 3: It was taken by someone in senior position. It started with tell me about
yourself? Revolved around the work I did at KPMG and why I left it? My biggest
learning out of my job? Then he moved on the case. The case was about a magician
who was controlling the supply of food that was eventually going in the well. I had to
determine the speed of conveyer belt, that would help in transfering the food. He asked
me to list the questions I would like to ask him. He had made a confusing diagram. I
didn’t not get into the mathematics, and asked basic questions about the motive of the
magician. Why is the food going inside the well etc. I also listed down the questions
related to mathematics on a piece of paper.
What do you think went right in this My approach to the case in the last round. Rather than solving the problem, I stressed
interview? more on what was the problem and what exactly was happening.
I had also prepared my HR answers well in advance, which helped me on the final day.
I was confident throughout all the rounds
What do you think went wrong in In Round-1, I was in a hurry to do the numbers, which led to some error. I realised it
this interview? early and immediately corrected it.
Any tips for future batches on the Prepare HR answers well in advance.
basis of your experience Prepare “Do you have any question for me?”

Name: Himani Anand
Name of interviewer and designation Round 1- HR, Round 2 – Head, AsiaPac, Round 3- Partner
Round (First/Second/third) Three rounds

Brief Profile:
(Graduation College, stream, Work B.Com(Honours), SRCC, Fresher
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Round 1 was the HR Interview with questions covering the following-
answers if you choose to share them) Tell me about yourself
Why Consulting?
What have you done in IIM Lucknow all this while?
Favourite subjects- Questions covering accounts, ratios, interpretation of financial
statements
Round 2: The round with Asia Pac head started with him asking me which horizontal
or Vertical I see myself in. On mentioning Finance, the whole interview revolved
around Financial Management and Investment concepts besides basic FRA.
Questions on Capital Asset Pricing model
Other models to measure risk (Harry Markovitz model)
Which one is better?
NPV vs IRR
My stand on US- Syria war, Hong Kong protests
Why consulting
How has the journey been so far in IIM Lucknow?
Round 3: The partner wanted to testify the claims made by the second round
interviewer about my inclination towards Finance. He gave me situations and asked me
what impact each event or transaction will have on Profit and loss statement, Balance
sheet and Cash flow statement.
Questions about companies preferring lower profit or higher profit ( Shareholder
confidence vs tax evasion)
Questions on Income tax provisions, indirect tax provisions
What do you think went right in this Clarity of thought in talking about my area of interest
interview? Structure, coherence in HR Answers
Any tips for future batches on the Know your CV really well
basis of your experience Maintain your calm, it shows.
Enjoy the process
Name: Karthick Nivas
Name of interviewer and designation NA
Round (First/Second/third) First - HR
Second – Case
Brief Profile : IIT Kanpur
(Graduation College, stream, Work Civil Engineering (B.Tech.)
ex details, etc.) Work Ex 22 months (Flipkart, Aspect Ratio)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: HR interview only
answers if you choose to share them) Tell me about yourself.
Why consulting
Questions on my CV - Long discussion on
projects that I did at Flipkart
No cases
Some discussion on the “Digital” focus area of Accenture.
I asked the interviewer about his experience at operations projects at the company.
(Operations was his area of specialization)
Round 2: Case only
Narration of the case interview A marketing strategy case. Client is a perfume seller in Jaipur. The perfumes he sells are
(Please be as descriptive as possible) not to be found anywhere else in the world. The product has not been tried by people
elsewhere apart from the city. Tourists to the city have been intrigued by its flowery
smell and usually buy some to take back home. How to go about increasing the
business? 8

The case was very interactive. The interviewer expected me to frame a structure and ask
the right questions. There was a lengthy discussion at the end about pricing and the
right marketing campaign to be chosen.
What do you think went right in this I was able to hold onto my point albeit minor modifications in light of continuous
interview? questions and interruptions by the interviewer. Some of my answers were made fun of
by the interviewer but he was generally very cheery. I believe he was trying to test my
composure and I think I did well by sharing with him the logic of my answers.
What do you think went wrong in I was unsure about some of my points after being mocked by the interviewer. My lack
this interview? of knowledge of perfumes was a bit of a problem.
Any tips for future batches on the Be cool and logical in your thinking. The interviewer looks for gaps in your thought
basis of your experience process. So, list out any assumptions that you take inadvertently in your mind.
Name: Neha Agarwal
R2- Mr. Jayesh Pandey, Partner at AMC
came for the PPT, and a lady interviewer (probably HR), but did not talk. Before I left
the room, she told me about the various teams at Accenture and asked me for location
preference.
R1-Mr. Akash Kedia, Principle

Round (First/Second/third) 2 Rounds (long interviews, 35-40 mins each)
Brief Profile : BITS-Pilani-2012. MSc. Economics & B.E. Mechanical
(Graduation College, stream, Work 1 Year internship at Morgan Stanley Capital Intl prior graduation-(2011-12)
ex details, etc.) 2 years as Research Analyst at Corporate Executive Board (consulting/research)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: long and conversational, asked one case. Overall interview was CV heavy.
Q1- Tell me something about yourself
(During my introduction, I mentioned that I did M.Sc. Eco in UG, so he started asking
questions on the Indian Economy)
Q2- What do you think about the current macro-economic condition of our country
from business perspective
(Spoke about retrospective tax and transfer pricing, discussed the Vodafone case, how
tax policies impact business sentiments)
Q3- What do you think about the current inflation and exchange rate of our economy?
(lot of discussion happened, QE tapering also came up)
Q4- After QE tapering and witnessing its effect on Indian exchange rate, what are
some of the most impactful steps taken by Govt to control the fluctuation in exchange
rate?
(mentioned cap on gold imports, meeting the demand for foreign exchange by using
country’s reserves- not sure to what extend it is correct, but he seemed convinced)
Q5- What are some of the things that can be improved to promote business?
(mentioned about a client co. (Fortune 500 firm) that was trying to open a subsidiary in
India and the challenges it faced, and some suggestions on what can be done to
promote entrepreneurship in India)
Q6- Asked me to explain a project I did at workplace on reputation risk

(discussion was mostly focussed on how I conducted primary research and came up
with the final recommendations)
Q7- Tell me something about the firm you worked at and your role?
Q8- Asked me about 2 other short term projects from work mentioned in CV
Q9- Asked a case- Very standard ‘Sales Declining’ Case- My client is from auto
industry, his sales are declining, analyse why? (asked me to list down all the possible
reasons)

Q10- Tell me about your experience at IIM Lucknow and what would you like to
change? (add courses on entrepreneurship, law and ethics, and sustainable business
practices)
Q11- Have you explored Lucknow, outside your college campus? If so, one thing you’d
like to change or dislike?
Ans: Nothing came to my head, so said: Introduce direct flight from Lucknow to my
hometown, Udaipur. The connecting flight takes more than 15 hrs! He laughed.
Q12- Tell me one thing that is not there on your CV.
Q13- Why Accenture?
Round 2:
Q1- 1 case- refer next section for its description
Q2-One thing I liked about the Accenture PPT and case workshop, one thing that I did
not like (mentioned that function info was missing)
Q3- Which team would you like to join- CN or India Business- I did not know what
these teams are, so asked them to explain.
Q4- Is it okay if we send you to a small village like xyz on a client project?
Q5- What will you do if we do not select you? what other shortlists you have?
(mentioned that this cannot be disclosed as per Placecom rules)
Narration of the case interview Case in Round 1-

(Please be as descriptive as possible) 1- One of our client’s sales (Auto Industry) are declining, why?
: Sales= Price * Volume
Looked at all the causes affecting Price and Volume. He did not answer qualifying
questions. Told me to list all the possible external and internal factors. I wrote
everything. Then he discussed it point by point.
Note- Practice drawing a MECE. Refer to the 3-case file they gave during PPT. He was
not looking for industry knowledge.
Case in Round 2- (went on for 35 minutes, lots of questions and criteria, interviewer
gave me a lot of time to think and structure)
There is a housing society “The wasteful society”, you collect all the household garbage
and sell it to 5 different businesses. Determine what price you will pay to the society
members in Rs/kg, given you want to make a profit of 20% for a year.
Information given:
The garbage you collect is sold to the following 5 vendors:
a. Compost Manufacturer
b. Plastic Recycler
c. Paper Recycler
d. Metal Recycler
e. Miscellaneous
The following questions were written on the case sheet:
Q1- How would you price the garbage to make a profit? (what would be your strategy)
Q2- What information would you need to proceed in the case, prioritize your questions
(i.e. the most important information should be asked first: you will be evaluated on
that)
Q3- Apart from obtaining money from the above 5 vendors, what are other revenue
streams?
Q4- What are some of the other factors you would consider when you price the
society? (Ans: Society maintenance charges)
(did not discuss Q3 and Q4 in detail)
Solution:
Ans1- Assess how much waste I would get on a daily basis, calculate the cost and
revenue streams, factor in profit margin and calculate the price.
Questions asked:
1- What is the amount of garbage produced by the society/ household and how many
households are there?
Interviewer: 4.5 kg/ household, 180 households
2- Are all households producing the same amount of garbage?
Interviewer: 120 households produce 14 kg/day, and the remaining 60
produce 1 kg/day. Recalculate the average value if it doesn’t come out to be
4.5kg. Gave me a calculator to do so.
3- Why do these households produce such a large quantity of garbage? Also, does this
lead of 2nd degree price discrimination? (i.e. charge households on basis of the
amount of garbage supplied)
Interviewer: Large family size. Yes, we charge these households differently, we will
look into this later.
4- Can I assume if the quantity of garbage produced remains same each day?
Ans: Yes
5- Apart from households, who else supplies us garbage, e.g. local kirana stores?
Interviewer: Ignore, we only consider households
6- Who is collecting and disposing waste currently? Do we have the figures on what
price the competitors/current vendors are charging?
Interviewer: Ignore.
7- What is the segregation of waste? i.e. what proportion of waste goes to each of the
5 vendors? This will help me determine revenue.
Inter. Assume 20% to each, he also gave me price/kg obtained from each of the
vendors.
Revenue Streams:
Q1- I obtain: 120*14+ 60*1=1740 kgs of waste everyday from the society. Is all of it
segregated and sold or some quantity is wasted/ non usable.
Interviewer: No waste, all of it is useful. So 1740/5 goes to each of the vendor.
Revenue: Sum of (Price from each vendor*1740/5)
Other revenue stream:
Q: Since I will be collecting waste for an year, can I charge the society for an annual
contract fees/ society maintenance?
Interviewer: No, ignore that. Think of more ways by which you can earn money.
Q: Do I get any subsidy or payments from government/ society maintenance unit for
cleaning the place, as it leads to social benefits?
No
Interviewer: let’s look at cost streams, for now, we can stick to the revenue obtained
from our five vendors.
Cost streams :
a. Transport costs:
Int: elaborate more: what transport costs:
Me: I assume a truck goes to collect the waste, it will go from the garage to the society,
collect the material from there and go to five vendors to deliver.
Do we have the kms travelled per day? And price charged per km?
Interiewer: some discussion on how to determine the cost. He said, price/kg is not the
right metric, gave me price/km/kg of waste taken. The cost of transport depends on
how much it is loaded and the distance travelled. Also, we decided to assume that it
carries all the waste of 1740 kgs in different containers throughout the route.
So cost is: 60*1740*x
(he was looking for the right metric, price/kg/km. I only asked kg/km. Also, he also
wanted me to ask him how much weight is carried at one time, as it goes to 5 different
vendors delivering 1740/5 kgs. He wanted me to ask these two questions, even though
we later decided to ignore this in calculation)
2- What are the labour costs involved in segregating the waste for 5 vendors? This is a
manual process so would require us labour.
Interviewer: we’ll ask the society people to do so. They’ll segregate the waste and
give us. However think of the costs associated with this.
Me: We’ll keep 5 separate bins for this. So costs of bins is required.

q- Do these bins wear out, how many times do I change the 5 bins in one year
(interviewer gave me the costs of the bins)
3- Labour: drivers salary (ignore, that’s included in transport), labour to pick garbage
and unload it at vendors place. Cost associated: total annual salary
My salary, as I manage this business: to be ignored
4- Do we calculate price based on profit before tax, or should I factor tax paid?
Inter: ignore tax, calculate EBIT
5- Are there any financial costs? Have I made any investment for running this
business on which I to pay interest?
Ignore this
6- Any other set up cost? Ans: No
7- Finally, the price paid to households as we purchase the garbage from them.
Interviewer: Proceed to calculations
Revenue: X
Costs: Y (from all the factors) + (Z= cost paid for garbage)
Profit: 0.2 total costs
Total Waste 1740 kg
Using all this data, calculate an appropriate price.
X- (Y+Z)= profit= 0.2 (Y+Z), we know X and Y so calculate Z.
Z is the total price I will pay for 1740 kgs of waste. I started drawing the graph for 1 kg
and 14 kg waste to determine price for these two bundles (2 degree price
discrimination). He looked at the graphs, but told me to ignore and calculate price by
directly dividing it by 1740.
He told me to summarize everything to the lady interviewer sitting in the room.
Important: I filled 5 sheets in collecting all the information

He looked at the sheets to see how I organized all the sections of the case, like cost
stream, revenue stream, list of questions to be asked etc.
What do you think went right in this 1- Was prepared to answer questions based on CV.
interview? 2- Was able to structure the case verbally and on paper. Both the interviewers
checked that
3- Interview was conversational
What do you think went wrong in R2 interviewer seemed a bit intimidating in the PPT and I was praying he doesn’t take
this interview? my interview. However, when I entered the room, I saw him and got very nervous.
Because of this, I stumbled a little in the beginning, but as the interview progressed, I
was fine.
Any tips for future batches on the 1- Practice cases on paper, draw MECE and structure each subpart neatly.
basis of your experience 2- Know your CV well, specially work and academic projects. Prepare HR answers.
3- Take notes during PPT and read about the company: they ask for it during
interview.
4- Try to engage the interviewer, especially during the case. Smile and be confident.
5- Ask one question to each interviewer at the end of the interview. This shows your
interest in the firm.
Name: Vishwas Nandan R
Company: AMC
Name of interviewer and designation Round 1 : One Senior Manager
Round 2 : One Partner, One HR
Round (First/Second/third) 2 Rounds

Brief Profile : NITK Surathkal, Mechanical Engineering, 23 months of work experience at Hero
(Graduation College, stream, Work Motocorp Ltd.
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1:
answers if you choose to share them) • Most of the questions were related to my work experience at Hero Motocorp
(Supply Chain related)
• Explain ABC analysis? (Classification of parts based on sales)
• Questions related to Flipkart’s Big billion Day
- What is the motive behind Flipkart’s big billion day?
- Given the negative publicity that flipkart witnessed, would you as an
entrepreneur have such a sale for your company?
- Estimate the customers that flipkart would have gained due to the Big
billion day
Round 2:
• Tell me about yourself?
• Why Consulting?
• Why Accenture?
• Work ex related questions
• Calculate ROI for your project at Hero Motocorp.
• Which subject did you like the most in first term? Explain economies of scale?
Why does the cost increase after certain volume? How can that be avoided?
• Repeated questioning on why management? and why consulting?
• How comfortable would you be in applying your work ex related learnings in
a bank?
Narration of the case interview Questions were mostly related to Flipkart’s Big Billion Day 1) Guesstimate the number
(Please be as descriptive as possible) of customers flipkart would have gained due to the Big Billion Day sale.
- Calculated it for a smaller area taking IIML as sample and suggested
about extrapolating these numbers to a city like Lucknow or maybe even
India
- Mentioned about the skew in the results if extrapolation was done with
IIML as sample.
- Explained about the error corrections that must be considered while
extrapolating like Computer literacy, awareness about the sale, internet
availability etc.
What do you think went right in this Structured approach to all the answers
interview? Was confident throughout the process and involved the interviewers hence both the
rounds were like a discussion
What do you think went wrong in
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Research on the various divisions of Accenture and the kind of projects taken up by
basis of your experience those divisions
Know your CV well
Preparation of HR answers is crucial

Alvarez and Marsal

Name: Nishant Kumar
Company: Alvarez & Marshal
Name of interviewer and designation
Round (First/Second/third) First round was case study based

A case was handed and each candidate was given 20-25 mins to solve the case before
their 1st round
Second round
With the firm partner
A fin question was asked in addition to 2-3 Hr questions regarding why interested in
finance, why consulting etc.
Brief Profile : BITS Pilani, 3 yrs Marketing and Sales Analytics
(Graduation College, stream, Work
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1:. The case given to me dealt with 2 skin care companies, market leaders in
answers if you choose to share them) their segment. 2 new market companies had entered the market eroding off the market
share of the established firms.
Data reading working capital, paid in capital and operating expenses were given. The
case was followed with 3 questions.
1) Discuss the current market situation?
2) What should be the strategy of Skin Care India Pvt. Ltd ( the market player in
the mass market segment)
3) If you are a PE which firm would you invest in?
In the first round of the interview these questions were discussed in detail and various
other scenarios were also taken into consideration
Round 2:
A finance question regading P&L statement of 2 companies were asked.
Also basic Hr questions such as interest in finance, why consulting etc were also asked.
Narration of the case interview Stated above
(Please be as descriptive as possible)
What do you think went right in this Logical conclusion of the case in round 1.
interview? I think I was able to justify my interest in finance which added to my cause.

A T Kearney
Name: Anupam Bhattacharjee
Name of interviewer and designation Round 1: Manish, Partner
Round 2: Nithin, Principal
Round 3: Can’t Recall
Brief Profile : BITS-Pilani, B.E. (Hons) Electrical and Electronics, Work Ex-23 Months, Intel and
(Graduation College, stream, Work Broadcom (Wireless Communication)
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Brief introduction followed by a guesstimate.
Round 2: General questions about my work area and interests. Followed it with a case.
Round 3: Introduction followed by discussions on my work area. No cases in this

round.
Narration of the case interview Round 1: The problem statement for the guesstimate case was: One of the leading
(Please be as descriptive as possible) automobile players in India has decided to launch an electric vehicle (priced at around
Rs.7 lakhs) and wants to estimate the market size for the same.
Initially started with the traditional top-down approach segregating the potential
customer base into rural and urban households and then looked to find what fraction
of households would be interested in and can afford the EV. Next we discussed the
potential factors and trade-offs that would be involved in the decision making process
of any customer when he has to choose between an EV and a fuel based car. Post that
we did some calculations to estimate the size of each segment.
Round 2: This round started with spending the first half hour discussing my work,
projects and interests. It was largely conversational. This was followed by a case.
Problem Statement: One of the leading players in the automobile sector in India
currently has its production facilities offshore. It wants to explore the option of setting
up local production facilities and see if it is economically viable to do so.
The case was mostly quantitative and involved lot of numbers (fixed and variable
expenses, projected sales figures for 5 years) and required calculating the BEP and YoY
profits.
Round 3: HR based round which included CV Review, why consulting, questions on

my areas of interest and long term career goals.
What do you think went right in this 1) Was calm and relaxed throughout the interview.
interview? 2) Wasn’t hesitant to ask for clarification whenever I got struck while solving the
case.
3) Was able to engage with the interviewers while discussing my interests, work
and projects
What do you think went wrong in Missed one or two hints while solving the case where the interviewer had to prod me
this interview? along in the right direction.
Any tips for future batches on the

basis of your experience

Name: Prateek Sekhani
Company: A.T. Kearney
Name of interviewer and designation Akshat, Principal
Round (First/Second/third) Round 2
Brief Profile : St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata
(Graduation College, stream, Work B.Sc. Economics Honours
ex details, etc.) Work Ex: Futures First; Proprietary Trader; 6 months
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Puzzles like how many moves are needed to get from one corner of a
answers if you choose to share them) chessboard to the other.
Plus HR questions like, why will you choose A.T. Kearney etc
Round 2: Case: Various uses of CNG/LPG, and is it feasible for a vehicle to convert
to LPG.
Round 3: Size of the second hand car market in India

Narration of the case interview Initially Akshat, principal asked me about a few basic points on my CV. Then he said if
(Please be as descriptive as possible) I had any questions. I asked about what work A.T. Kearney did in the energy sector
since that was of interest to me. Then he gave me a case on the same.
He asked me to enlist various uses of CNG/LPG in/around Delhi. I bifurcated it into
2 parts: Domestic and Commercial.
Domestic included uses In the house and Outside the house. Inside the house was
essentially stoves plus any appliance if any. Outside include vehicles, generator, etc.
Commercial comprised of factories (I suggested boilers when asked to specify where),
street lighting, office lighting, trucks+commercial vehicles etc.
Post that he asked me to assess the viability of converting a car to LPG. I enlisted
monetary + non-monetary factors.
Monetary factors included per km cost of using LPG vs per km cost of Petrol/Diesel.
Then based on average distance, the break even disctance was calculated.
For noon-monetary, factors like trunk space requirements, reputational factor,
accessibility of LPG stations etc were considered.
Post that we spoke briefly about the Solar sector in general, with focus on scope of
Solar energy in India. This came up since I had mentioned that it was an area of
interest.
What do you think went right in this The fact that I knew in depth about the energy with solar sector specifically helped a
interview? lot.
Apart from that, idea generation was something that went in my favour.
What do you think went wrong in I could have been more crisp and mutually exclusive while enlisting my points.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Whatever little I could gather from my experience was that Consults thrive on good
basis of your experience personality, confidence being a BIG factor. Just be extremely composed, confident and
converse well.
You probably may not do exceptionally well in the case but as long as you come across
as a smart fellow, you should be sorted. Having said that, you won’t be able to sound
smart if cases don’t go as intended, so prep those well. ;)

Auctus Advisors
Name: Deepali Jaiswal
Name of interviewer and designation Akshat Jalan, Business Analyst (Round 1)
Abhishek Mukherjee, Senior Manager (Round 2)
Saurabh Singhal, Associate Director (Round 3)
Round (First/Second/third) 3 rounds in all

Brief Profile : B.Tech. Civil Engg, IIT Bombay, Work ex – 23 months at eGain Communications
(Graduation College, stream, Work (Product Engineer)
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: HR: started with tell me about yourself, asked about my PORs at IIT,
answers if you choose to share them) discussion about my work ex.
Other questions: When in a group – are you the silent one or the one who speaks the
most, Asked to narrate a good story based on my POR. Why consult? Why Auctus?
Round 2: Case + HR round

Case: 2 cases – 1st quantitative, 2nd qualitative.
HR: Why consult? Why Auctus? How is Auctus different from other consulting firms?
Round 3: Case + HR round

Case based on organisational structure.
Discussion upon various topics – hometown, family. Other questions – Do you like
travelling? Which all places have you been to? Why Auctus?
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Quantitative Case:
Problem Statement: Company A manufactures beer bottles and has only 1 customer B.
A sells 50 lakhs bottles per annum. B might raise the demand to 1 crore “after a
month” in case IPL takes place this year. A has to decide “today” if it has to go for
production of 1 crore bottles.
Options for increased production are: (i) Produce as much as A can and get remaining
from 3rd party. (ii) Buy a new machine which could produce 1 crore bottles. There is a
probability that the new machine might be defective.
Approach:
I started the case by stating (drawing tree) that there are 2 possibilities i) go for
increased production ii) not go for increased production.
In case (i) there are 2 possibilities a) purchase the new machine b) get from 3 rd party.
In case (i)(a) again there are 2 possibilities (1) machine is defective (2) it is not
Followed by stating: to deduce the most appropriate option we need to calculate
expected value of profit for each case for which I asked following questions:
Current capacity of production (75 lakhs), probability of occurrence of event (IPL),
current cost, cost of buying new machine, probability of it being defective and
consequences, cost of getting from 3rd party, profit per bottle. (Asked other questions
as and when required).
Then computed expected value of profit for each of the 3 possible options and
suggested to go for one with maximum expected value of profit.
Discussed the case for about 45 mins.
The case was followed by HR questions for 20 mins.
Qualitative case:
Problem Statement: A company is planning to construct a school in Indore. Suggest
construction options for profit.
Approach:
I started with questions:
Does the company has prior experience in this sector?
How many schools are there in surrounding area and type?

Which part of the city are we aiming at (outskirts)?
Since it was on outskirts I suggested that it could go for full + day boarding and
continued further on that: type of school (medium, standards, registration fee).
He stated that the land was quite big and cheaper (as it is located on outskirts).
I suggested that company could invest in other options like sports (swimming pool, TT
etc.) for which it could charge. Could lend a portion for cafeteria etc.
Didn’t discuss much on this case due to lack of time.
Round 3:
Case based on organizational structure
Problem Statement: A company X is performing well but the CEO and CFO are not at
good terms. How should X proceed?
Approach: I asked for causes of conflict (Personal + Professional). Discussed more on
the issue and suggested for restructuring.
What do you think went right in this I was confident and the discussion was very interactive.
interview? Picked up hints from interviewer.
Cracked the quantitative case in first attempt (structure + calculation).
Well prepared for – why consult, why Auctus and about the company.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Ask clarification questions. Think loud. Have a good discussion.
basis of your experience Stay calm, confident and happy. Enjoy the process.
Name: Divya Chopra
Name of interviewer and designation Consultant, Consultant, Senior Manager, Director
Round (First/Second/third) Round 1 : Consultant (HR)
Round 2 : Consultant (case)
Round 3: Senior Manager (Guesstimate)
Round 4: Director (HR)
Brief Profile : Graduation: NIT Nagpur, B.Tech, Electrical and Electronics Engineering
(Graduation College, stream, Work Work Ex: Deloitte Consulting, 23 Months
ex details, etc.)
answers if you choose to share them) • About me
• Why consulting and why are you a right fit
• CV related questions
• Consulting is very challenging. Do you think it is in line with what you want to
do in life
• Are you fine with travelling for work
• What qualities does a consultant need
• What is the difference between solving a case in an interview and solving a
case practically for a client
Round 2:
• Case
Round 3:
• Guesstimate
Round 4:
• HR
Narration of the case interview CASE: There is a beer company. Its current sales is X. It manufactures the beer bottles
(Please be as descriptive as possible) in-house at present. Since the World Cup is approaching, it is expected that the sales
will become 2X. The beer company has to take a call whether it should increase its
production. If it increases production, it will have to manufacture more bottles. At
present the bottles manufacturing plant is running at 80% capacity. Firstly decide if the
company should increase its beer production or not. I had to ask for all the costs
involved and selling price from the interviewer. If we go with the option of increasing
the production, then shall we manufacture the bottles in-house or outsource them. The
costs for each of the activity was given. Explore all possible scenarios and decide.

GUESSTIMATE: I have a piece of land. Should I sell off the land or build a school
on it.
For this guesstimate, you need to ask a lot of questions and calculate the cost of
establishing a school on the land and calculate the cash flows in a 10 year horizon.
Compare it with future worth of selling price of the land.
What do you think went right in this CASE: I could come up with all the possible scenarios quickly. I calculated the
interview? expected profits for each of the scenarios and came up with the best one. This case
could have been solved using opportunity cost of each scenario as well.
GUESSTIMATE: I asked the right questions.

What do you think went wrong in The case was calculation intensive. I made a few calculation mistakes, but the
this interview? interviewer was not worried about calculation goof ups.
Any tips for future batches on the Be confident. They are looking for enthusiastic people, good communication skills and
basis of your experience presence of mind.

Group
Name: Anand Barot
Company: BCG
Name of interviewer and designation 3 Rounds of interviews.
Last round with Partner named Ravi
Round (First/Second/third) 3 rounds
Brief Profile : IIT Bombay (Btech +Mtech)
(Graduation College, stream, Work Workex-33 months,
ex details, etc.) 20 months: American Express, Last 13 months: Business development in a food-
processing and retail firm
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Case of Market entry
answers if you choose to share them) Scenario: The firm was a two-wheeler manufacturer in India and wanted to introduce
its product in Nigeria. I was asked to explore the options it might have and how it
should do it.
Approach: I first found out the demand and competition in Nigeria. Also looked at the
company’s capacity to meet the price requirements of the customer. Important point
was that the two-wheelers were used as taxi in Nigeria. This point came out when I got
an answer to the amount of usage of the product as 50,000 kms annually which was
very high.
Price we could offer was higher than competition so I suggested changing the design to
have two customers per ride than just one, there by increasing revenue per ride and
thus customer’s willingness to pay higher.
Then interviewer asked questions about how to market it. I suggested a few advertising
ideas like showing increase in standard of living of taxi driver due to usage of product.
Then question was how to get over the inertia that people felt in buying as no one had
used our product. For this my options ranged from approaching taxi driver unions to
limited number of product units in market for a free 6 month period for the user to
experience the product. I also suggested a more spread out distribution within the
country to increase visibility of product.
Round 2:
5 min HR questions like tell me about yourself, etc.
Case of value chain management
Scenario: The company was a supplier of excavation and other construction
equipment. Recently, it had experienced a sharp rise in its warranty costs. I had to
probe the issue.
Approach: I studied the value chain and understood how product complains were
generated and solution provided by company. In this I found that the dealer’s engineer

was responsible for checking validity of complains and it was the dealer who got a
commission for every complaint that he managed or solved.
This was major point that hinted at possible collusion between customer and dealer.
On further probing it was found that there was a fraud happening at the dealer’s end.
The dealer was generating false complains to earn more commission.
To solve the issue I suggested having a company engineer look into the complaint
validity. I also suggested having a remote way of monitoring the product health. Both
these solutions were a bit time taking and costly. So a better solution from me was to
monitor each product and number of complains it generated in a given period of time.
If the same product generates more than normal number of complains in a period, it
can hint at possible collusion and the firm can look into that complain before
authorizing the warranty.
Round 3: Case of distribution network and ROI

Scenario: The firm was a cement manufacturer and wanted to expand into other
regions. I had to explore ways and what areas to target.
Approach: I looked at regions where the selling price of product was high and
suggested we target these regions. Looked at various costs to the dealer or seller of the
cement such as inventory storage costs, etc and how we can give him incentive to store
and sell our product. Basically it was about increasing the ROI of the dealer wrt costs
he incurs to keep our product and benefits he receives by selling it.
Narration of the case interview Done above.

What do you think went right in this The first round allowed me to look at a diverse set of options across functions such as
interview? marketing, pricing, design, etc. The good point was identifying early in the interview
that the two-wheeler was used as a taxi. Another good thing was that with each
question that the interviewer put forward to reject my suggestion, I was able to give
another alternative option.
Second round was more about finding the issue rather than ideation. I was able to
unearth the issue well and solution suggested was very practical according to the
interviewer.
Third round was more about gelling with the Partner and being calm. At times when he
probed me, I was able to maintain composure.
All 3 rounds went well wrt establishing a good repo with the interviewer. The
communication was two-sided and involved.
What do you think went wrong in Most things went well. Only thing that could have been better was that in 2nd round I
this interview? took some time suggesting a good solution. But then when interviewer hinted at a few
things, I was quick to catch up. So, that too worked in my favour.
Any tips for future batches on the It is always good to be prepared with your HR answers. That is not to suggest that you
basis of your experience cram them up. They need to be genuine and your preparation should involve having a
few pointers for each answer.
Most important thing is staying calm and composed and to enjoy the process. You
should come across as someone who is enthusiastic about solving problems. Isolate
each interview and don’t let it affect next interviews.
It is good to have frameworks at the back of your mind for each type of case. But in
the interview, try to ask good qualifying question before putting a framework on paper.
Think aloud and let the interviewer be involved with you in the process of reaching a
solution.

Name: Arpit Vnayak
Company: Boston Consulting Group
Name of interviewer and designation 3 partners
Brief Profile : Same as above
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: 1) Tell me about yourself? 2) What are the important factors you will look at
answers if you choose to share them) if you are a cement dealer?
Round 2: 1) Case on building materials
Round 3: 1) Guesstimate no of tomatoes sold in a residential area by a new organised

retailer
Narration of the case interview Round 1: Had to talk about working capital requirement through dealer terms,
(Please be as descriptive as possible) inventory requirement, etc.
Round 2: Two parts 1) draw the decision tree about how would you look at a niche
building materials business and 2) come up with a formula with clear variables to
estimate the overall market size
Round 3: Straightforward guesstimate with important cuts being, % of people that

consume tomatoes, type of people that will buy from such a store vs regular vegetable
vendor, etc
What do you think went right in this Reaching the important points early with little talk on the various other points that
interview? could have been addressed, talked about. They were not looking for exhaustively
looking and covering all points, instead wanted you to reach solution immediately and
then completely cover them.
What do you think went wrong in Not much
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the While solving cases we emphasize a lot on MECE thinking, trying to cover everything
basis of your experience before reaching a solution. While that is important to make sure we don’t miss out on
any point, on the day of interview it’s different with just 15-20 mins per interview. Try
practising in such time frame closer to the interview date and close the case within least
time possible.
Name: Gautam Bansal
Company: The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Brief Profile : B.com (H), SRCC
(Graduation College, stream, Work Audit Analyst with Deloitte and Touche (USI) for 17 months in the Asset Management
ex details, etc.) and Real Estate sectors
CFA level 3
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Case: Your client is a fruits and vegetables retailer who is facing inventory
answers if you choose to share them) management issues.
Round 2: Brief introduction. Why consulting? You must be having a busy day. How
many interviews are you through with?
Case: A 20-25 slide PPT. The client is a Dairy farming corp. based out of Western
Europe. Its current market is almost saturated. The client wants to expand its existing
operations. It has several markets within dairy under consideration. Evaluate the
prospects.
Narration of the case interview R1: Began straight with the case.
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Case Analysis
Identified that the problem could either be surplus or wastage. Understood the
inventory procurement and management system. Took a sample fruit for a given week
and proceeded with inventory optimization. Developed alternative inventory plans and
selected the best one. Then asked to synthesize.
R2:

The interviewer didn’t have my CV. He preferred a brief introduction. Probed about
other shortlists and interviews I had.
Case Analysis
Then opened an elaborate PPT and walked me through the slides. It was a Dairy
Farming Corp. based out of western Europe and we looked at acquisition targets across
4 markets. After 10 minutes of running me through a number of tables and graphs, I
was given a minute to think and recommend the best option for the client.
What do you think went right in this R1: I answered to the point and was quick with my analysis. Seemed like they had no
interview? time to waste.
R2: Didn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Concluded with a recommendation and case
synthesis.
What do you think went wrong in R2: Data overflow. There was too much data to comprehend.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the 1. Respond to the tone of the interviewer.
basis of your experience 2. Being composed is definitely one of the top 2 things that matter.
Name: Mohit Agarwal
Company: BCG
Name of interviewer and designation N/A
Round (First/Second/third) 3 rounds in total. The interview rounds were more case centric and less focused on HR.
The HR questions, if any were interspersed with the cases. Only the first round had a
demarcated HR round and then a case
Brief Profile : Electrical Engineering, IIT Dlehi
(Graduation College, stream, Work Deutsche Bank (3 years)
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: 10 minute chat on the HR and then a 20 minute case.
Round 2: 30 minute case
Round 3: 20 minute case

Narration of the case interview Round 1: HR questions started with the usual “tell me about yourself” which later
(Please be as descriptive as possible) graduated into “tell me a situation where you created an impact and brought about a
change”
Case:
The case was not a very difficult one in terms of laying out the right levers but had a lot
of number crunching to do.
Problem Statement: A pharma company is in phase-1 trials of a first of it’s kind drug in
the world that can cure baldness permanently. Should it go ahead and sell this formula
and rights to a potential buyer and if yes, for what amount.
Approach -
Two things in the problem statement set the path for me.
a. “Phase -1 trials”, so phase -2, so phase-3 etc had to be looked into – basically the
whole development stage from a drug in a lab to a drug in the marketplace.
b. “for what amount” – clearly this case demanded working with numbers, because it
was not just a yes/no question, but also asked an approximate deal price.
Solving the case.

a) I laid out the value chain in development of a drug.
b) The interviewer on prodding gave me costs involved in the phased clinical
trials and their probabilities of success.
c) CATCH: Phase 3 trials success of failures probability does not affect the
overall outcome in expenditure, as even if it is a failure, you have spent the
money
d) So I have an approximate number on cost in different scenarios.
e) Now, I tried to estimate the potential revenue that can be earned from this
drug. The interviewer gave the selling price of the drug has been fixed at
USD1000.
So now it’s more of a question of market sizing.
f) Since the company is a global pharma giant, it would be selling all over the
world.
g) The problem was now reduced to finding the number of potential male bald
customers worldwide ready to shell out USD1000 for a cure.

h) The math worked out that there was no way to make money from this drug (It
took a little bit of guts to state this conclusion to the interviewer), and the
company abandon this project. Or better still, if somebody is ready to buy the
right, just sell it for any amount above the costs you have incurred so far.
Round 2: Straight to the case, no beating around the bush, no small talk. I actually
liked this interview style.
Problem statement: The client is a motorcycle manufacturer from India, wanting to sell
motorcycles in Nigeria. For simplicity we will talk in INR terms. The motorcycle
market of Nigeria is dominated by 3-4 Chinese manufacturers who sell motorcycles at
INR25k. My bikes cost INR50k. How do I sell them there?
Case approach:
First I tried to understand the Nigerian motorcycle market. Also, I tried to understand
if there was any possibility of the Indian maker to sell cheap – that possibility was ruled
out. So, if cost leadership does not work, product differentiation will. How could we
then differentiate our product?
a) CATCH: As it turned out in the course of our discussion, the motorcycles

were used as taxis
b) The drivers owned the motorcycles and plied pillions around the city for a fee.
c) I worked out the math for these chinese motorcycles - buying cost,
maintenance, life, mileage, etc.
d) If the Indian client could beat that number, we could have a winner - the
buying cost was high, but we were better on mileage, on life (3 years vs 2 years
for the chinese product) and on maintenance. Still the number was not
favourable.
e) Next came the idea, that if we could not reduce the cost for the drivers, can
we improve the revenue. An idea that I blurted out, but which turned out to
be the one the interviewer was looking for – was to have a longer seat so that
a total of three people could ride the motorcycle comfortably.
f) Now the numbers started making sense. Also note that the previous numbers
would have changed, because the mileage with 3 people on board will be less
than 2 ppl onboard. Also, the amount individual customers are ready to shell
out for a shared taxi will be lesser than for a private taxi. All these changes
accounted for, the numbers still looked positive.
g) So a go ahead was declared.
h) Now came the second part, given that we decide to enter Nigeria – how do
we position ourselves as a brand and convince the locals to tru out our new
expensive product – the benefits of which can only be ascertained after a
period of one or two years
i) The answer came in renting out these bikes to the drivers on a trial basis, and
let them appreciate our better bikes and let word of mouth do the rest.
Round 3: The case was a no quantitative one. It was about a private bank which has
recently got 50 branch opening licences from RBI. How to decide where to set up these
branches?
What do you think went right in this a). I went in with zero pressure into the interviews
interview? b). I was very calm and interactive throughout. In round one, the electricity in the
interview room went off in the middle of the interview. And it was very dark. I got up
and drew out the curtains,etc.
c). I did not flabbergasted when the person in front threw numbers at me.
What do you think went wrong in Nothing in particular that I can think of. Sometimes I missed a lever of two, but the
this interview? interviewer led me in the correct direction eventually.
Any tips for future batches on the a). Be calm, but be enthusiastic in the interview. Enthusiasm shows.
basis of your experience b). Make the interview a two way process. Let the interviewer help you solve the
problem. He will drop hints. LISTEN to them.
Name: Mohit Kataria
Company: Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Name of interviewer and designation Round 1: Partner
Round 2: Partner
Round 3: Partner

Round (First/Second/third) Three Rounds
Brief Profile : B.Tech from PEC. Worked for 21 months in Strategic Services Group (SSG) of The
(Graduation College, stream, Work Smart Cube, a business research firm.
ex details, etc.)
answers if you choose to share them) 10 minutes on Introduction and general HR. 20 minutes on the Case.
Round 2: 20 minutes on the HR. 5 minutes on the Case.
Round 3: 25 minutes on the Case.
Narration of the case interview Description of 3rd Case
(Please be as descriptive as possible) A tractor manufacturing company’s share is declining.
Background Questions:
Company Description, Manufacturing Operations, and Revenue Split – by product and
geography.
The company had 4 tractor models (different hp powers).
Discussed about the various possibilities of the revenues decline – any particular
geography, product or channel.
There was a particular region where the sales were declining. The sales in the region
primarily consisted of 2 tractor models – 35 and 45 hp.
Tried to approach the problem by dividing the issue areas between Internal and
External.
Internal – Company related issues related to 4Ps.

External – Competition, Consumer Behaving Pattern or External Environment overall
(PESTLE).
The prices of the product w.r.t to competitors was at par. However, the maintenance
costs was higher as compared to competitors and hence the sales were going down.
Solution:
Proposed a solution of providing extended warranty. Also the excess costs incurred by
the company could be recovered by increasing costs of the other 2 tractors (as its
market price was slightly lower than its competitors) as the company did not want to
compromise on the profits.
What do you think went right in this It was very interactive. Plus the breadth of issues that I could cover was the key that
interview? impressed him.
What do you think went wrong in Missed the maintenance costs in the first phase. Came up with it during the second
this interview? round of investigation.
Any tips for future batches on the Just be comprehensive. It does no matter if reach the solution or not. Just be
basis of your experience exhaustive and have a structured approach.
Name: Parvez Jesani
Company: BCG
Name of interviewer and designation Don’t remember the name, Partner
Round (First/Second/third) First Round – HR + Case
Second Round – Only Case
Third Round – A little bit of HR & Chit chat on why BCG v/s McK etc
Brief Profile : Narsee Monjee – B.Com, CA, CFA
(Graduation College, stream, Work 2 Years work ex – Credit Suisse (4 months), Edelweiss (9 months), eParent (1 year)
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Why consulting, why BCG?
answers if you choose to share them) Case on market entry for a Mobile Repairing Centre
Round 2: Case – Profitability – Tractor industry.

Narration of the case interview Round 1 – Tell me something about yourself. Why consulting and why BCG?
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Case on market entry of a Mobile Repairing centre (the authorized repair centre for a
company) – If I am an authorized service centre for a mobile company and I want to
set up my own mobile service centre to service handsets of products whose warranties
have expired, how should I enter the market.
Round 2 – Case on Profitability – Tractor manufacturing company. My profits are

declining.

On further questioning, I found out that the company dealt in 3 types of tractors.
Followed the standard approach and figured out that there was a problem in the after-
sales service of one type of tractor. He gave me some numbers to work out and suggest
changing the prices of the tractors based on the competitors prices, gross margins.
What do you think went right in this Round 1 – I screwed up the 1st round. He wasn’t convinced with my why consult
interview? answer and coz of that I screwed up my case too. Also, it was the 1 st interview for the
day and screwed up coz of nervousness.
Didn’t ask qualifying questions. Structure was all over the place.
Round 2 – Perfect Interview.
Qualifying questions were perfect. Applied the correct approach. Detected the problem
in the after sales service. Perfect recommendations.
What do you think went wrong in 1st Round – Since I was very nervous, I screwed up the first round.
this interview?
Name: Radhika Saini
Company: BCG
Name of interviewer and designation Partner

Brief Profile : Eco (Hons) – Hanraj College
(Graduation College, stream, Work MSc Economics – London School of Economics
ex details, etc.) Worked for one year on Indo-Pak economic relations policy research
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Tell me something about yourself
answers if you choose to share them) Round 2: No questions – only case
Round 3: No questions – only case
Narration of the case interview Round 1: The case was based on a tractor manufacturer and the falling market share of
(Please be as descriptive as possible) the company. The primary idea was to lay out all possible reasons for such a fall both
from the view of supply and customer demand. The qualifying questions ruled out the
possibility of supply side problems and hence demand side was key. Repair and
maintainence costs were the reason for falling customer demand. The case was fairly
quantitative in nature.
Round 2: The aim was to improve the profit per ton of cement sold. This was again a
quantitative case where the different transportation routes were to be mapped and the
most profitable markets were identified. Markets where profits were lower were
abandoned.
Round 3: This was a case discussion as opposed to a case solving exercise. Here the
interviewer discussed the various possibilities for starting a new shop in terms of
pricing, costs, financing, recruitment, location, etc.
What do you think went right in this The first round required a systematic approach and therefore adequate preparation
interview? helped to solve this case in a structured manner. The third round required innovation
and spontaneous ideation which is possible if similar cases have been attempted before.
Overall presenting ideas with logic and structure helped me.
What do you think went wrong in The second round did not go well for me. Here it was easy to get lost in the many levels
this interview? of the case and therefore it would be useful to attempt some quantitative cases as well.
Along with this, it was important to stay calm when solving the case was hard which I
was not able to do well enough.
Any tips for future batches on the Prepare hard and work on exploring all possible options within a case.
Deloitte US Strategy &

Operations
Name: Abhinav Maingi
Company: Deloitte
Round (First/Second/third) Round 1: HR
Round 2: Case based
Round 3: HR
Brief Profile : Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee – ECE
(Graduation College, stream, Work Goldman Sachs - 12 months
ex details, etc.) XLPAT (start-up) – 12 months
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Discussed points from my CV. Stress was on graduation and work-ex. Briefly
answers if you choose to share them) discussed my reason for joining a start-up after Goldman Sachs. Why MBA? Why
consulting?
Round 2: Started with introduction. Interviewer gave me a case and then based on my
structure gave me a datasheet. Based on these two, I had to take a decision. (Case was
on cable business).
He asked me about items in P and L a/c and balance sheet. Some more questions
revolving around FRA concepts were asked.
Round 3: Why Consulting? Why should we take you? Why should we not stop
recruiting from IIM L? This was a stress interview.
Narration of the case interview Your client is a cable operator whose profits are declining. You need to identify the
(Please be as descriptive as possible) reason behind this and provide a solution.
I asked initial qualifying questions like geography, other businesses, technology, etc.
Then I asked about forward and backward linkages and explained him my
understanding of the value chain. He approved the value chain.
He then gave me a datasheet. From the datasheet it could be easily seen that the
problem was in the forward linkages. Then I quickly discussed the entire value chain
with numbers.
He said, give me the most likely problem and solution linked to it. The problem was
with the set-top-boxes and I explained why I felt it is the problem. Solution was to
change the vendor.
What do you think went right in this I solved case quickly and gave recommendations in a structured way.
interview?
What do you think went wrong in In my final interview, I was asked names of people who had interviewed me in previous
this interview? rounds. I did not remember the names.
Any tips for future batches on the Focus on your academic subjects. Good case solving is just a big +.
Name: Komal Agrawal
Company: Deloitte
Name of interviewer and designation -
Round (First/Second/third) 1st Round : HR
2nd Round : Case based
3rd round : Case based + presentation round
Brief Profile : B.Sc. Biology, MBA IB, Associate Consultant at Infosys Ltd-23months
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: It appeared that they intended to make a stress interview. As I entered, he
answers if you choose to share them) stood up, shook hands, but refrained from smiling.
Work ex details on CV were discussed, was asked to explain the difference between
agile and waterfall methodology of development (methods used in IT industry) and
explanation was followed by 5 to 6 other questions on the same topic.
Q. Why did I join IIM Lucknow and not IIM Bangalore? A. justified my stance
Q. Is IIM Lucknow adding value as per your expectations? A. I mentioned learning in
stress, time management and sharing of ideas…(globe)
Q. In your cv, I don’t find any POR on campus? (committee etc.) A. told about
Bhavishya
Q. What all shortlists do you have?
A. After 3 seconds pause, “It would be good if you could ask pcom”
Q. Interviewer stood up: “O Really! Every other person who came to this room told
me about other shortlists. Now tell me, what other shortlists?
A. Ask pcom( it’s important to be calm and not panic)
Q. “B.Sc. Biology! Hm..how good are you in Maths”
A. Humbly gambled, “Sir, I am good that’s why I am here”
I felt like the opportunity died this very moment…

Q. Do you have any questions?
A. No Sir.( he was disappointed and mentioned that everybody else had a question)
I globed about some friends who are in deloitte and then compared Mckinsey and
deloitte work culture, to prove that I have some idea of the role being offered. (please
prepare a question to be asked)
I was escorted out the door.
Round 2: Case based, qualitative along with data sheet.
Round 3: Principal round. It was mix of case study briefing and cv. Lot of questions
on personal life, work life balance, consistency in Deloitte. Eg.
Q. If we give you PPO, will you be willing to travel.
Q. Why consulting.
Q. Solution proposed in the case.
Q. You have never done one thing at a time. (Entrepreneur when student, left college
when student, job to IIML etc.) How will you be consistent and satisfied in Deloitte?
Q. Why didn’t you peruse you start up ahead in spite of being successful.
A. Told him about problems faced in scaling and some issues in a small sized
organisation that tickled his funny bone. Later I linked this with best practices in
Deloitte.
Q. Any questions.
A. took lessons from previous interview, made up a question and globed (type of
project etc.)
Narration of the case interview Case: A cable box manufacturer wants to outsource manufacturing.
(Please be as descriptive as possible) (a) Is this a good option
(b) If they don’t pursue this, what else can be done.
(c) What are decision making criteria
(d) If you go for outsourcing, how will you process with the analysis
Data sheet was provided when I brought up cost into discussion. Fixed and
variable components were given along with annual production for three years. I
was asked to calculate cost per unit and base my decision on the data of three
years( including cost of machinery- fixed component and other assets)
What do you think went right in this Different scenarios mentioned in the case and don’t know what they liked in first
interview? interview, but probably my answers were to the point and I didn’t panic
What do you think went wrong in I should have prepared a question to be asked, could have rehearsed the answer for
this interview? “how good in Maths” and “which other shortlists”.
Any tips for future batches on the For all the interviews, just know the answer to “who am I”, (you did somethings, you
basis of your experience didn’t do others, you should know why you made those decisions; what are you good at
and be aware of things you are not good at)
It is not only about the time period from the day of your shortlist till your interview, it
is about your journey till date.
Name: Rupika Malhotra
Company: Deloitte Consulting S&O
Round (First/Second/third) I had two rounds of interviews only (the others had three)
Brief Profile : Miranda House, Economics hons
(Graduation College, stream, Work Work ex: 3 years, at Forrester Research
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: it was a one hour round. Basically they took my 1st and 2nd round together. 20
answers if you choose to share them) minutes of HR and the rest was case based
Round 2: last round which was the partner round. They discussed the case with me
again. They asked me to present it as if they were the client. Other aspects of the case
that I missed were also explored.
Narration of the case interview The case was about a cable box making company that had to decide if they should go
(Please be as descriptive as possible) for outsourcing or continue manufacturing in house. Profit and sales figures for the last
2 years and expected figures for the next 2 years were given.
All aspects of the case were to be explored. You are expected to “think out loud” and
talk about everything that might be of importance in making a decision for the
company. And it helps to be structured in your thoughts. For example, when you talk
about outsourcing, talk about how its going to impact your costs, what kind of costs
(fixed/ variable) and how, what will you do with the facility that was earlier being used
for inhouse manufacturing, etc. Do the same for the other options. Any approach to
solve the case is fine as long as you cover all aspects in a structured manner. I was
guided well by the interviewer- If he saw me getting stuck somewhere in the case, he
would start a discussion to get my mind working again. Overall, it was like a discussion
and not an interview.
What do you think went right in this I think the fact that I was “thinking out loud” was a positive. Like I said, this way I was
interview? able to engage well in a discussion with the interviewer. I was also asked questions
about my work ex in the same interview (HR and case round were taken together in my
case). I had made sure that I knew all aspects of my previous company (since Deloitte
was one of our clients there). I knew there was a chance that the interviewer would
already know a lot about my previous company and work and so I could not mess up
there. And I think this helped which is why he took my case round in the same
interview. HR round is the first step- one can’t afford to mess it up.
What do you think went wrong in There were times when I gave up (when I was solving the case). That is one thing I
this interview? should not have done.
Any tips for future batches on the Prepare HR well.
basis of your experience Practice some cases to build a structured approach to solving them
Be confident when you talk about your CV. Shows that you know where you come
from and what you want.
Name: Shalu Mitruka
Company: Deloitte US S&O
Round (First/Second/third) Round 1: Senior Manager
Round 2: Senior Manager
Round 3: Partner
Brief Profile : Architecture and Economics from IIT Kharagpur, with 20 months of job ex in Pharma
(Graduation College, stream, Work domain
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: 2 small cases (related to pharma domain). Few questions on my hobbies. I
answers if you choose to share them) was asked to summarise my work ex which was followed by 2 case.
Round 2: Detail case study. They were more looking into idea generation
Round 3: Why deloitte? Why consulting? And was asked to present my case of 2nd
round in 2 minutes. Where do you see yourself after 10 years.
Narration of the case interview FIRST ROUND
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Case 1: You want to setup a sales force team in India and you are a US based Pharma
company. what will be your budget.
So firstly I asked about the drug which I want to launch in India, generic or patent.
Who are my competitors? Then how much I want to invest, do I want to start small or
want to be a market leader. Do I want to start from scratch, want to sell license, or
want to merge or acquire some Indian based company. Regarding sales force, do I want
to build a new one, or tie up with existing companies? Further I also asked about
pricing regulations in India, do I have to follow a price cap, if yes then what’s the
expected profit. For all these I was asked to take assumptions and move on.
Secondly I divided costs into external and internal factors.
External factors included (costs related to filing of Patent in Indian market, etc) .
Internal costs related to HR costs, Sales rep salary, training, samples and free drugs to
doctors, land ,factory setups ( told in more detail)
Case 2: further on the above case I was asked to estimate the number of sales rep
required to launch the drug.
Solution: For this I asked rough estimation of market size in India, and expected
market share for the drug. As per the client’s US benchmark, they invest 30% of the
revenue on sales so i got the amount they want to invest in sales rep ( let’s assume X).
If one sales rep costs Y, therefore we can estimate the number of sales rep required
(X/Y).
SECOND ROUND:
Case: I am a US based company and I sell 3 products A, B, C (I don’t rem exact name)
and I am having losses. I assume the reason for facing losses can be either economic
downturn, new competitors, or internal problems in the company. Tell me what is the
exact reason

So I started with few general questions to check whether it’s economic downturn or
new competitors or internal problems. Then I was provided with data sheet ( Please
note: the data mentioned below are just rough numbers to give idea about my case)
1) As the sales were neither increasing nor decreasing as per figures and not the
market size has increase much. So it was not an economic downturn. As the
client’s market share has actually increased rather decreasing so it was not
competitor’s problem. So I was only left with increase in costs due to which
my profits have not increased. Further I also checked if I am pricing less as
compared to my competitors. So I was asked to calculate the price of
company’s products. So as the prices were not changed in 3 years so I have
three equations and 3 variables (2400000 = 1000A+ 1500B+ 1200C,
23000000= 1100A+ 1550B+1100 C and 2500000= 1200A+1600B+1250C).
After I wrote equations I was asked to stop and further sheets were provided
In second sheet process diagram was made and small footnotes were given (PLEASE
READ FOOTNOTES)
So I figured out that process 2(setup2) was 50% time not working which was causing
delays in process 3 and process 4, thus increasing costs. Also Setup1 and setup 2 was
installed in 2 different time frames and more over they do same work, so there was no
requirement of second setup, setup1 can do it ( there was good discussion on this, I
don’t remember exactly)
After this as I figured out that process was not efficient, I was given 2 possible systems
(shown below with their sales and cost) and was asked to choose one. Though system 1
seemed to be good with high sales and less cost but after few years profit was declining
whereas in system 2 though we were at loss but profit was increasing at a much higher
rate. Further I was asked to calculated NPV values ( on which I said I have no idea as I
was asked to choose some r value)

What do you think went right in this My first round had 2 cases related to job ex. As I prepared for job ex cases, I was able
interview? to do good.
I was confident and was smiling. Whenever I faced problem while solving the case I
asked for help and they were helping me in solving the case. It was a very friendly
environment for me.
What do you think went wrong in They asked about NPV and some finance concepts about which I had no idea, except
this interview? NPV formula
Any tips for future batches on the 1) Should know about your job ex nicely, each and every detail
basis of your experience 2) Be confident and smile ☺
KPMG
Name: Prateek Kumar
Company: KPMG
Name of interviewer and designation Senr. Consultant
Round (First/Second/third) 2
Brief Profile : IIT Kharagpur, Civil Engg. , 22 months in Techno-commercial aspects of Construction
(Graduation College, stream, Work in JSPL
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: GD – Discuss feasibility of “ Make in India”
Round 2: PI & Case
Narration of the case interview Case : If govt. wants to collaborate with private players to open education institutions
(Please be as descriptive as possible) what are possible quality/Financial check measures
What do you think went right in this My Experience in Govt. projects
interview?
What do you think went wrong in Gave the solution based on experience & insight too soon without more mental
this interview? exercise
Any tips for future batches on the Knowing your CV through and through.
basis of your experience And Case practise

Name: Swapnil Vadnere
Company: KPMG (S&O)
Name of interviewer and designation Senior. Consultant
Brief Profile : NIT Bhopal, Information Technology, 24 months at Deloitte
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: PI
Narration of the case interview Case:
What do you think went right in this My Experience of working at Deloitte

interview?
What do you think went wrong in Answered the question “things that you hated about Deloitte” straightforward without
this interview? giving proper thought
Any tips for future batches on the Thorough preparation of HR answers, CV and past work experience details

Name: Tuhin Kanti Mondal
Company: KPMG
Name of interviewer and designation S&O summer internship
Brief Profile : IIT Kharagpur, Instrumentaiton; almost 5 year work ex in GAIL(India) Ltd. in
(Graduation College, stream, Work operation, maintenance and project development. Additional relevant exp : quality
ex details, etc.) control, ISO audit management, SAP procurement job etc.
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: a) why are you so famous in your batch? Why everybody talks about you? b)
answers if you choose to share them) What did you do in your job? c) a few basic questions in operation. d) 2-3 questions
related to extra academic activities.
Narration of the case interview No case was asked.
What do you think went right in this Their strategy for the interviewees were to test them with a blow of unexpected
interview? question at starting. The success rate depends on how can you tackle the blow and
answer promptly. With a heavy operation background I faced a few questions related to
operation and a few questions related to relevant work experience.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Be open minded. And for KPMG you should expect some starting blow. Whatever it is
basis of your experience try to provide the information such a way they can’t verify. Be confident, and try to put
a smile. Also be through about your CV points, in details.
McKinsey & Co.

Name: Akhilesh Chauhan
Name of interviewer and designation Suvojoy (Partner)
Suveer Sinha (Associate Partner)
Mandar Vaidya (Partner)
Vikas (Director)
Brief Profile : IIT Delhi Dual Degree (Chemical Engg.), 2 years consulting experience in Supply
(Graduation College, stream, Work Chain, Operations & Risk Management
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: General HR followed by discussion on one of my projects in the public
answers if you choose to share them) sector. Interviewer popped a case out of that. How to control PDS kerosene leakages in
petrol pumps?
Round 2: A case on a hotel operating in losses. Made me calculate the profit margins
for ‘Room’ & ‘Non-Room’ segments of the hotel followed by qualitative discussion on
how to improve profitability.
Round 3: General HR (mostly around football). Guess estimate on estimation of 1 year

revenue for NEUFC (ISL team)
Round 4: Intense HR
Narration of the case interview Round 1: Went by the distribution of kerosene across various nodes & analysed issues.
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Discussed measure to control it at retailer points (Consumer data digitization, mapping
to Aadhar card in the future, etc) as well as at wholesaler points (this is where the bulk
of kerosene was lost).
Overall, had a good discussion.
Round 2: Somehow became nervous while doing the initial calculations. Realized it &
took a step back to form an income statement of the hotel & broke it into ‘Room’ &
‘Non-Room’ segments. Found out that ‘Non-room’ segment is under heavy losses.
Discussed ideas to improve it.
I think this interview did not go well. Did not get a good response from Suveer.

Round 3: Broke NEUFC revenue into components (Stadium sales (Tickets+food),
Merchandise, Sponsorships, Broadcast revenue, Player transfers, etc). Guesstimate for
only the stadium sales for the whole tournament.
I think this was the cracker I was waiting for. Interviewer seemed very much impressed.
Round 4: Very dis-interested person in front. Did not try to make an eye contact with
me. Working with something while I was giving my ‘Tell me about yourself’. After I
finished he took a 30 second pause looking down. I had absolutely no idea what was
going on. Then he suddenly asks me what is so special about me? Probably my
response was satisfying for him and he asked me whether I had any questions for him
or not. Then we discussed about his experience at Mck.
What do you think went right in this I believe strong HR answers helped me a lot. Had done decent case practices which
interview? was required.
Also, confidence level was just right in the process.
What do you think went wrong in Got stuck in round 2 case. I think I panicked for a while but then I quickly took a step
this interview? back & approached the problem again in a structured manner.
Also, could have given more ideas in round 1 & 2 interview cases.
Any tips for future batches on the Never ever panic in the interview. Always keep a smile on your face & answer
basis of your experience confidently.
While doing your case practices, do take time out to introspect for at least half an hour
before sleep every day. This will help you build strong HR answers.
Name: Amrita Singh
Company: Mckinsey
Name of interviewer and designation Partner
Round (First/Second/third) All three rounds I was interviewed by partners.

Brief Profile : B.Com (Hons) from Jesus and Mary college, Delhi University.
(Graduation College, stream, Work Worked at the Paralympic Committee of India for 33 months as the Assistant Director
ex details, etc.) (Adminstration & Coordination)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Generic HR questions.One simple guestimate to estimate the size and
answers if you choose to share them) revenue of Apple I phone 6 in India.
Round 2:A case based on tackling the problem of Anemia in India (assuming the role
of the Prime Minister of India)
Round 3: A case based on market entry of a firm into India (basic structure
required).HR questions on why consulting?Long term goals?
Narration of the case interview Case 1: If you were the Prime Minister of India how would you tackle the persistent
(Please be as descriptive as possible) problem of anemia.(key pointers- conduct a pilot, rope in the rural local leaders as they
are very strong opinion leaders)
Case 2 : A well reputed pharma firm wants to enter the indian market.Chart out the
structure for the same.Decision on whether to manufacture locally or import from the
host nation.Slight costing structure figures were given with basic calculations required.
What do you think went right in this Confidence and not coming under pressure.Maintaining a calm attitude really
interview? helped.My HR questions went very well as they were thought over. (comparing
different case experiences with friends led to the conclusion that HR plays a very vital
role and is a key distingushing factor)
What do you think went wrong in Interview went well.HR questions were the tricky part.Was repeatedly questioned on
this interview? why my ambition for music wasn’t translated into a career choice.Further how suited I
was for consulting given my non analytical background.In the first round I made an
error in the calculation of the guestimate,however they were only testing the
approach/struture.
Any tips for future batches on the Just be confident.Being yourself is the key.Do not try to lie to impress the
basis of your experience panel.Honesty is highly appreciated.Be clear on why consulting.Practice as many cases
(in a formal structure and environment).Note the feedback and continously work on
the same.
Name: Arpit Vinayak
Name of interviewer and designation Mr. Rajat Dhawan + 2 other partners

Brief Profile : Engineering (IIT Madras, B.Tech Biotechnology), 4 years work-ex: Jaypee Capital
(Graduation College, stream, Work Services (Derivatives Trader, 6 months), JP Morgan (Equity Research Analyst, 2.5 yrs),
ex details, etc.) Samara Capital (PE Analyst, 1 yr)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: 1) Tell me about yourself, 2) Biggest failure in life (from the McKinsey test),
answers if you choose to share them) 3) What would your suggestions be to the PM Narendra Modi on making the recently
launched MadeInIndia Campaign successful, 4) Guesstimate the no. of iPhone 6 that
would be sold in India post the upcoming launch
Round 2: 1) What were your biggest learnings from the work experiences in all
companies/ profiles you worked for/ in 2) Need to reduce the waiting time in the
OPD of a hospital. How would you do it
Round 3: 1) Why MBA after such work experience? 2) Short quantitative problem on
variable/ fixed expenses of a hotel 3) How would you reduce the setup cost of a hotel
company?
Narration of the case interview Round 1: 1) Suggested things around SEZs, substituting imports (focus on specific
(Please be as descriptive as possible) sectors), etc 2) Reached a very large no of 30MM over the quarter. Hence was not good
overall.
Round 2: Very specific case, data specific. Recently executed by the partner. Discussed
the current work schedule of the doctors and suggested ways around reducing waiting
time: incentives for taking appointments, etc.
Round 3: Qualitative case
What do you think went right in this Except for round 1, case interviews were good. Was able to reach exact, tangible
interview? solutions.
What do you think went wrong in Round 1 wasn’t good. HR answers could have been better. Guesstimate wasn’t good.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the 1) HR answers are important. Take time to prepare well.
basis of your experience 2) Some interviewers tend to get very friendly, to make you comfortable and talk about
things you shouldn’t, don’t lower your guard/ be too friendly.
Name: Fern Sharma
Company: McKinsey
Name of interviewer and designation Mr Vikas ,Senior Partner
Round (First/Second/third) First

Brief Profile : Works on Pharma cases
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Why consulting? How has IIML been so far
answers if you choose to share them) Spoke about committee and ABG experience. Linked why consulting with experience
in analytics
Round 2: Only HR questions. What advice will you give my 8 year daughter? Long
term plans? What do you think the role of partner is in the firm?
Advice: Let her follow her dreams. There is no ultimate success. You choose your own
path. She is lucky enough to be born in a family where all the resources will be
provided to her to follow her passion. All she needs is great guidance and freedom of
thought.
Long term Plan: See myself as a partner in McKinsey in 8 years

Narration of the case interview Movie theatre case. Single screen cinema suffering losses in Mumbai
Listed all the revenue and cost streams. It was a cost side problem as everything was
done internally with 100 employees for food vending, maintenance etc
Solution: Outsource all the activities and cut down on labor costs
What do you think went right in this My confidence in answering all the HR questions. More than the case, they were
interview? judging the communication skills. Also I listened to their view. In the case it was 50-50
talking.
What do you think went wrong in Nothing
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the 1) Prepare Why Consulting? Long term plans and Why McKinsey questions well
basis of your experience 2) Involve the partner as much and take pauses while solving the case. No need to
rush
3) Stick to the structure that you have been following with your case group
Name: Krishnan Sankaranarayanan
Name of interviewer and designation R1: Abhishek (EM) R2: Partner (Don’t remember the name) R3: Partner (Don’t
remember the name)
Brief Profile : B.Com, Loyola College (2011)
(Graduation College, stream, Work Goldman Sachs, Fixed Income
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: About me and a case
Round 2: Case
Round 3: HR
Narration of the case interview R1: Apart from the pleasantries and usual HR questions, the first case was based on
(Please be as descriptive as possible) automobiles and how the share of the automobiles industry can be improved globally
and contribute more to the GDP. I missed out few options but the interviewer was
satisfied I discussed those options I had put forward at length.
R2: The case was related to the benefit given to LPG customers (DBT) and how can it
be implemented for kerosene since it is widely used to adulterate diesel. The partner
expected a solution with regard to eliminating the benefit which was not utilized by
deserving people.
R3: Completely HR. The partner asked me a lot of questions on why consulting, my
goals in life, how will working in McKinsey help me achieve them, etc.
What do you think went right in this Throughout the rounds, I was quite calm. I did not rush unnecessarily at any point of
interview? time and I also gave feasible solutions rather than giving solutions that could not be
implemented. This worked in my favour. Also, in the 3rd round, I did not memorize my
HR answers and deliver it due to which I was able to engage in a conversation due to
which the partner was interested and the interview went on for 45 min.
What do you think went wrong in During the 2nd round, the case problem was quite long due to which I did not write
this interview? legibly and the interviewers generally tend to see what you write to judge your thought
process. The partner was initially apprehensive about my illegible handwriting.
Any tips for future batches on the During case rounds, make sure you write legibly and think of all the scenarios possible
basis of your experience while trying to do MECE. It does not matter if you take 1 or 2 more minutes but keep
the interviewer engaged during moments of silence. Be honest in your HR answers and
do not tell your HR answers verbatim.
Name: Nishtha Khandelwal
Name of interviewer and designation Ruchi (Associate Partner)
Vikas Badoliya
Malcom Gomes (Engagement Manager)
Rajat Dhawan (Director)
Brief Profile : B. Com Honours, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Fresher
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Tell me about yourself followed by 1 case discussion
Round 2: a case discussion followed by few HR questions
Round 3: HR round and one guesstimate
Round 4: HR Round
Narration of the case interview Round 1: You own an e-commerce website which sells jewellery, fashion products and
(Please be as descriptive as possible) apparel majorly for women. You have spent a good amount on marketing the site but
still are in losses. Now you have to make a strategy to earn profits.
Basically an idea generation case; suggested innovative ideas to increase revenues
Round 2: A person owns a single screen cinema hall in Mumbai which is in losses.
Find out problems and suggest ways to turnaround the same.

Round 3: Guesstimate on how many students pass out as commerce graduates from
Chennai every year.
Round 4: HR round; asked to explain things from cv.
What do you think went right in this All the interviewers were completely engaged in the process; got a compliment for my
interview? confidence. Take time off before starting with an answer to the case. For HR answers,
be confident of whatever you say, try to quote examples with every answer.
What do you think went wrong in Understood the question wrong in one of the round but realized a minute later. Admit
this interview? your mistake and proceed.
Any tips for future batches on the Be very confident in the interview. Put a lot of focus on HR answers as they are equally
basis of your experience important.
Name: Parvez Jesani
Name of interviewer and designation Mandar, Partner
Round (First/Second/third) First Round – HR + Guesstimate
Second Round – HR + Guesstimate

Brief Profile : Narsee Monjee – B.Com, CA, CFA
(Graduation College, stream, Work 2 Years work ex – Credit Suisse (4 months), Edelweiss (9 months), eParent (1 year)
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Tell me something about yourself, asked a lot about my start-up as to how
answers if you choose to share them) and why I started it, etc. – explained him the problems we faced in scaling it up. Got a
case related to that – If I get a funding of Rs. 10 Cr, what will I do?
Round 2: Tell me something about yourself, why consulting, why McK?

Guesstimate – Expected sales of iPhone 6 in India
Narration of the case interview Round 1 - Explained him the strategies that we had thought about – Products that we
(Please be as descriptive as possible) were planning to introduce, the ways we thought of expanding geographically, etc.
And then he made me do a Guesstimate on the expected no of customers in 3 years.
Followed a top-down approach – Rural/ urban – age – income level – need-gap.
Round 2 - Followed a top-down approach – Rural/urban – age – income level – need-

gap.
What do you think went right in this Round 1 – It was absolutely perfect. Since it was a case related to my start-up, I had a
interview? few ideas in mind on the expansion front. I took the cue on the guesstimate and
jumped onto it.
Round 2 – The partner was not at all responsive. He showed as if he didn’t care when I
was doing the guesstimate. I kept on running him through my assumptions and tried
my best to engage him.
What do you think went wrong in -
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Try to do some cases related to your work-experience.

Name: Shifali Makkar
Company: Mckinsey

Brief Profile : Bcom(Hons)
(Graduation College, stream, Work Sri Venkateswara College
ex details, etc.) Delhi University
answers if you choose to share them) Ques:
Initial 5 mins HR ques (background, passion, interests etc)
Followed by a small case based on my interest area mentioned in CV
Round 2:
Case Based
Round 3:
Case Based
Round 4:
Case Based
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Case: To chalk out plan for opening a theatre school
I started with a MECE structure about all steps (plan of action). Then asked him prior
to proceeding further which one to focus on first. The interviewer wanted me to draw
out a plan for generating revenue so then delved further into it listing down all the
possible options. He wanted to test my comfort with numbers too, so asked the
revenue potential of a year and its profitability.
Round 2: Interviewer was a partner
Case:
As an advisor to PM, give suggestions on the MAKE in India Campaign.
Drew out structure, tried to ensure it to be a MECE one but was a highly open ended
topic.
Was a one sided interview, very little response from the interviewer’s side.
Round 3:
Interviewer was a lady, senior consultant.
A case on testing the profit viability of a baby care firm going online.
Round 4: With Partner
A cash flow case on whether government should invest in eco cars and introduce it
across the country
What do you think went right in this In the first 3 rounds, I ensured that I remained calm and confident. Didn’t lose
interview? composure or become nervous. Ensured a conversation flow with interviewer and took
hints at appropriate times.
In case solving, balanced between structure and spontaneity. Structures were MECE.
What do you think went wrong in Round 4: Structure was in place but faltered in solving it right.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Always involve the interviewer and remain confident of what you say. Even if the
basis of your experience interviewer refutes your stance, not to get nervous. Keep a calm and pleasant face on.
MECE very imp in structures. Reflects on your holistic thinking ability.

Name: Surbhi Kalia
Name of interviewer and designation Partner, Partner
Brief Profile : Chandigarh College of Engineering & Technology, Punjab University
(Graduation College, stream, Work Fresher
ex details, etc.) Professional Theatre Artist
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: First round was completely HR. It started with “Tell me about yourself”, and
answers if you choose to share them) questions like “Why Theatre”, “Why consulting”, “Why Mckinsey” and “your learnings
in B-school and in Internship”, “How have your experiences shaped you” and “Why
MBA after Engineering”, “Why consulting after Engineering”. Basically, questions were
driven from my preceding answers . To end with “ Any questions for him”.
Round 2: Again, it began with “tell me about yourself”, “Why not Theatre as a
profession” and “Why consulting”. And then he asked me to connect Theatre with
Consulting. Ended with “Any questions for him”.
Narration of the case interview Round 1: First round was completely HR. It went for about 30-40 minutes.
Round 2: After the HR questions, he took me towards the case by asking what all can I
do for Theatre. I listed down few options, out of which, one was to organise theatre
events and have a Theatre company. He took that as a case topic, and gave a case.
“You own Surbhi Theatre company. How will you promote Theatre”
(expect unorthodox cases in Mck interview)
I asked for some time, and listed down my thoughts as bullet points. I gave him options
like listing down theatre groups, organise yearly Theatre events et al. Then after like
fifteen minutes of discussion over this, he asked me to calculate revenue from these
theatre festivals. I divided it into two, one from cities with lavish Theatre culture like
Delhi, others with lesser level of Theatrical activities and fervour. Based on the Theatre
fests I had been a part of, I calculated the revenue. He seemed pretty satisfied with the
analysis. Importantly, I kept asking him if I can use the assumptions I am stating. It is
imperative to verify your assumptions.
What do you think went right in this Round 1:
interview? I was honest in my answers. Be yourself in the interview. He kept asking me questions,
and I answered with the experiences of my life. This turned the interview in a a casual
conversation. Towards the end of the interview, he also shared his own experiences of
the organisation with me.
Round 2:
It was about Theatre! Again, I verified my assumptions. And I kept him engaged.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Be yourself.
basis of your experience Keep a smile on your face. It helps to keep your calm.
Think on your feet.
I think, having a question to him in the end, when he asks, does help.
Read the cues and expressions of the interviewer.
Take time to structure your thoughts. It becomes easier for you to think ahead in the
right direction.
Name: Swati Thakur
Company: McKinsey and Co.
Name of interviewer and designation Round 1: Partner (Case)
Round 2: Partner (Case)
Round 3: Director (Short-HR Only)
Round (First/Second/third)
Brief Profile : Economics (H), St. Stepehen’s College, Delhi,
(Graduation College, stream, Work 24 months across Analytics & Consulting
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: HR-Tell me about yourself, background, experience so far (personal)
answers if you choose to share them) Discussion on PORs, slightly longer discussion on my work-projects undertaken,
insights
Guesstimate: No. of tennis balls in India at any point of time (2 approaches)
Case: Falling revenue of a Theatre in Mumbai; wasn’t typical was a detailed discussion
on all possible aspects that could affect revenue/profitability

Round 2:Brief intro, some basic HR; Follow-up question/comments on my answers in
the HR form filled a week prior to placements
Case: Valuation of different revenue streams for an Indian Super League Team (mainly
a lot of number work)
Round 3:Short HR with Director (10 minutes)

Questions on past work-ex, activities in college, views on some current economic issue
Narration of the case interview Round 1: Guesstimate: No. of tennis balls in India at any point of time
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Though the initial plan was to discuss the appraoch and the numbers both, we ended
up discussing the apprach at great length. He then asked me to give him another
apprach for the same, which I did.
We discussed the pros and cons of both approaches.
Case: Falling revenue of a Theatre in Mumbai

Asked qualifying questions about the industry, about the revenue streams, the theatre
and genre. Laid down the basic structure of the case; then we went into a detailed
discussion of the value chain. Beyond the basic structure, I think I was being tested on
depth of analysis, idea generation and thinking on my feet.
We discussed the whole process of how and why a customer would come to any
particular theatre, then looked at the possible issues at each step.
We then proceeded to discuss different scenarios-what would happen if any particular
aspect of the theatre as altered, what can be the possible areas of improvement for the
theatre in particular and any theatre in general.
Round 2: Valuation of different revenue streams for an Indian Super League Team
The intent of the case was to check my comfort level with numbers because that’s what
the partner made me do. I had no idea about ISL and I said that clearly to which the
partner readily gave me a brief overview of how it works. Then, I laid down a structure
after asking a few basic questions about their revenue streams. From then on, it was me
calculating revenue from different sources to the last decimal. Even when I did make a
small error, I gracefully accepted it and it was fine.
What do you think went right in this Round 1: HR- I was honest with my answers and the interviwer mentioned this as
interview? something he liked.
Guesstimate- I was able to switch to a different approach as soon as he asked me to.
Was able to point out possible flaws in both approaches.
Case: The detailing and idea generation were things he really liked.
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the • It is important that your HR answers are not made-up because the interviwers
basis of your experience appreciate honesty
• Its good to have a question in mind to ask when you’re given a chance at the end
of the interview
• If you don’t know something in a guesstimate/case or if you think you made an
error somewhere, it is perfectly okay to ask/accept and take a step back

2013
Summer Interview
Experiences

Consulting
Name: Mohammed Mudassar
Name of interviewer and designation Rounds 1,3: Do not know
Round 2: HR
Round 4 (Telephonic) : Vishwesh Prabhakar, Partner
Round 4 Rounds
Brief Profile : Computer Science Engineering, Osmania University, Hyd.
12 months at Google as Corporate Operations Engineer
answers if you choose to share them) Why would a person with a very technical background want to go into consulting?
What is the current mobile phone I use? (At the time, I used a Micromax A74)
Why has Micromax succeeded? What has it done correctly?
What do you understand from Micromax’s recent advertising campaigns? Why has it
cast Hugh Jackman?
Why is Nokia doing badly? What are the strategic mistakes it has made?
Which other industries interest me? (Apart from technology, my answer was Aviation)
Why is the aviation industry not profitable?
Caselet: How would I approach the situation if Boeing asked me to help their suppliers
(HAL) improve their output?
What recent major deals in aviation did I know about?
How would I be able to handle the pressures and challenges of a consulting career?
Round 2:
Largely conversational, my experiences and expectations from consulting and whether
Accenture would fit me. No clichéd HR questions.
Round 3:
Guesstimate the size of the Indian Diaper market.
Repeating the point about me being too technical for the role.
Round 4:
What is Accenture’s current stock price?
Is Accenture a public or a private company?
Where is Accenture headquartered out of?
What is causing deflation in Japan?
More questions about the state of the Japanese economy and macroeconomics in
general.
What should the governor of RBI focus on?
Narration of the case interview Boeing parts:
• I was only asked to list the broad areas I’d look at. Listed transportation,
supply chain, labour relations, and legal arrangements.
• Added one or two possible problems under each issue and suggested
solutions.
Guesstimate(Diapers):
• Structured using the number of kids in India using population statistics, the
family income, and cost of diaper by guessing the percentage of families who
would use diapers.
• My initial estimate was $12 billion, way too high, and without him pointing it
out, I tried to adjust my various estimates.
• He was fairly happy with the structure and did not try to correct the numbers
too much.
What do you think went right in this • Google on my resume helped. My interviewers looked at that, smiled at me,
interview? and probably did not look beyond that on the CV.

• In Round 1, the interviewer stated an incorrect fact about the aviation industry
and I corrected him. This made me look knowledgeable and he didn’t ask too
many factual questions after that.
• Also, on the questions involving me being too technical, I took a consistent
stance that I like technology and I believe it can be applied through
consulting. I felt they were trying to get me to change my stance, but I stuck
to it while respecting their point of view. I think this helped.
• The spontaneity I was able to show was helpful in turning the interviews in
directions I preferred.
What do you think went wrong in • In the second round, I wasn’t really sure what I had to say as I was more
this interview? prepared for questions than a conversation, I felt I rambled a bit.
• In the fourth round, I could plainly not answer many questions on
macroeconomics.
• The questions I asked were perhaps a bit naïve.
Any tips for future batches on the • In-depth knowledge of one or two sectors is very valuable.
basis of your experience • Consistency of answers across interviews and your CV makes you look sane.
Name: Rhythem Pahwa
Name of interviewer and designation Round 1 – Senior Manager from Supply Chain Vertical
Round 2 – Some HR executive
Round 3 – Vikrant; Partner, heads the sustainability practice are
Round (First/Second/third) Three rounds

Brief Profile : B.Tech from PEC (2010 batch); Prior work experience of about 5 months with Mu
(Graduation College, stream, Work Sigma, Bangalore and 26 months with ZS Associates, Gurgaon
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Some basic questions like tell me about yourself, why consulting
Discussed one project from Mu Sigma and one from ZS in detail, nature of
responsibilities
Case on an FMCG giant who was facing a sharp decline in profits.
The interviewer did not allow me to use a pen and paper and rather asked to orally
discuss the case. I questioned the ins and outs of the business, the industry and other
basic qualifiers. The issue was with the supply chain. Gave him recommendations on
how to enhance the profits. After this he gave a couple of hypothetical situations
pertaining to sales and distribution issues and how I would go ahead. The interview
lasted for about 45 mins.
Round 2:
Tell me something about yourself, typical HR situations (significant achievement,
situation where you achieved something significant after overcoming obstacles, etc.),
which practice area would you like to work in at AMC, what do you know of that
practice area, what do you remember of the ppt, what did you like, what is it that you
didn’t like.
The interview lasted for about half an hour
Round 3:
This was the Partner round. Some general questions from my work-experience, which
practice area would you prefer, why, recent developments in that practice area, a couple
of projects from my stint at ZS
He asked me an HR case. A Financial services firm recruits and trains Financial

Advisors but for some unknown reason the attrition rate is huge. Investigate why. He
just gave me 5 mins to discuss and solve the case with him so had to be really fast with
the analysis. After this round he made the offer and I accepted it.
Narration of the case interview Explained above
What do you think went right in this Spoke enthusiastically, did well in the cases
interview?

What do you think went wrong in Couldn’t justify satisfactorily why I wanted a particular practice area
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Prepare well for HR questions, it helps
Name: Sabyasachi Dhar
Name of interviewer and Principal
designation
Brief Profile : Economics (Hons.) St. Xavier’s College. Worked for 35 months as part of the Essar
(Graduation College, stream, Group Corporate Risk and Insurance Management Team
Work ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With Round 1:
to share them) Tell me about yourself (was the only HR question in this round)
How did you balance your work/studies with your extra-curricular activities?
Explain your work experience

Questions on work experience like the type of risks associated with vessels or the state
of the Insurance industry in India
If your previous employer came to accenture for consulting advise, what advice would
you give them?
Case
1st asked me about how Tata Sumo is doing in India, to which I replied not well at all.
Then the problem statement was to help Tata come up with a decision regarding the
future of Sumo.
Walked him through the value chain and stressed on the cost and value drivers and
came up with 3 solutions, to which he seemed impressed and stopped the discussion
there
Post the case, he asked about the current Economic condition of India and what
implications the forthcoming elections and the budget hold.
Had a discussion on that for 10 minute and then he asked me if I had any questions.
Asked him why Accenture is the only Consulting firm that is publicly listed while the
others are privately held? He seemed impressed again and explained the whole idea
behind going public. After 10 minutes of discussion, the interview was concluded.
Round 2:
HR round. Asked various questions like tell me something about yourself, why
Accenture, why consulting, tell us something that drives you, why did you give up on
sports, what convinced you to do an MBA.
Also ran through my CV and asked HR related questions regarding the Positions of
responsibilities that I held and the extra-curricular activities I took part in.
Round 3:
Was the final round. Again asked me to introduce myself and in general spoke about
what I did in life and what drives me. Also wanted to know what I was passionate
about in life. I had a feeling that the objective was to test whether I was passionate
about the things I care about.
The conversation ended with him asking me whether I would like to choose Accenture
Global or Accenture India, to which I replied Accenture Global and linked it to
everything else I had spoken to him about.
Narration of the case interview The problem statement was to help Tata come up with a decision regarding the future
(Please be as descriptive as of Sumo.
possible)
I took a minute off to get the 1st two layers of the structure in place. Then started with
the Cost and Value drivers and complemented it with the value chain to figure out
where they were going wrong. After looking at every aspect, we came to the conclusion
that the Tata Sumo is falling behind due to improper positioning of the vehicle vis-à-vis
it competitors and the lack of sheer innovation that the subsequent models have
shown.
What do you think went right in Clarity of thought
this interview? Structure to answers, especially HR answers
Interacting with the Interviewer, asking questions wherever necessary
Not fumbling and losing the main chain of thought

this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Preparation of HR answers, most essential
basis of your experience In a case, look at every aspect possible
If you don’t know how to proceed, take time out to think and involve the interviewer
as much as possible
Don’t jump to conclusions
Name: Stuti Garg
Company: AMC
Name of interviewer and
designation --
Round (First/Second/third) First, Second(telephonic)
Brief Profile : MNNIT Allahabad, Electrical Engineering
(Graduation College, stream, Worked at NTPC Ltd. for about two years
indicative answers if you choose 1) Walk me through your CV.
to share them) Ans: I started with academics. Elaborated on the special
achievements in it. Talked about my stint with NTPC and
the projects I did there. He himself asked about various
extracurriculars
and PORs I mentioned and asked me to
elaborate on them.
2) Which project was your personal favourite at NTPC and
why?
Ans: I spoke about a rural electrification project and told
them how I got complete autonomy while executing it.
Spoke about other facets like interacting with gram
panchayats etc.
3) Do you think Kyoto Protocol is biased? (I conducted a
panel discussion in college about carbon emissions control)
Ans: Talked about its various clauses, how they are
administered and how much say developed nations have in
it. Finally giving some examples concluded that isn’t biased.
4) Which are your favourite three books? (I was a member
of literary club in college)
5) What did you read most as a kid?
Ans: I said Tintin. He too turned out to be a huge tintin fan
and we went on talking about it for another 10 minutes.
6) If I ask your best friend to describe you in one word,
what do you think she’ll say?
7) How is coal paucity hindering our progress? (worked in
thermal plant)
Ans: I said that we had abundant coal. The problem is in our
policies and practices. Elaborated on that.
8) Do you want to ask me anything.
Round 2: Was a telephonic round. Three very generic
questions were asked.
1) Which was your favourite subject in term 1?
2) What do you do in free time at IIML?
3) How has the journey been so far at IIML?
Narration of the case interview 1) A burger joint’s profitability is falling despite same sales
(Please be as descriptive as revenue? Analyse the reasons.
possible) 2) ESPN has to bid for an upcoming cricket match series.

Give them a reasonable quote.
Ans: I asked about the kind of series: test, oneday
or IPL.
I asked about the match’s location. He replied India to
which I asked if India was playing. Enquired about the
sponsors, ad revenues etc.
What do you think went right in Coherence and structure in answers
this interview? I was very candidly chatting with them which probably
worked in my favour
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Know your CV really well.
basis of your experience Sort things out in your mind before answering.
Ask them only relevant questions. Never beat around the
bush.
Stay calm and composed.
Name: Suraj Serikar
Name of interviewer and designation Don’t remember
Round 4 (Telephonic) : Vishwesh Prabhakar, Partner

Brief Profile : Graduated from IIT Madras, 2 years work ex at Olam as a consultant
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Case + HR
answers if you choose to share them) Interview kicked off by tell me about yourself. Then asked about my PORs at IIT.
Gave a case on Olam expansion strategy in between discussion about my work ex.
Then some questions about Accenture and HR.
Asked if I had any questions for him.
Round 2: HR
Why Accenture? Why consulting?
HR person was interested in my work ex and PORs, asked a plenty of questions on
that.
Round 3: CV Based + HR
Asked how my day was, as my energy levels were bit low at that point of time.
I had an entrepreneurial venture at IIT and interviewer was asking questions related to
entrepreneurship trends in India and issues faced in my venture, key learnings etc.
Interviewer was working in a similar domain of supply chain (Sales and distribution)
and we had a discussion on challenges involved in projects.
What were my expectations from Accenture and why I prefer it over working for
Olam?
Round 4 : Telephonic interview- CV Based

Was very short interview and partner was quickly running through my CV and asked
about my entrepreneurial venture and why it failed?
Narration of the case interview Suggest a strategy for Olam to expand in next 2-3 years in coffee commodity business
(Please be as descriptive as possible) unit?
Interviewer was looking for structure and logic in the approach. I walked him through
the value chain in coffee business and then focussed on areas in procurement and
distribution currently controlled by other parties. Then proposed for forward
integration for the product and explained the rationale using some examples of other
businesses of Olam. Interviewer appeared to be quite convinced at this stage and he
moved on to some specific set of questions in commodities.
What do you think went right in this I was quick to realise the case presented to me in between conversation and I had asked
interview? him time for structuring it.
There were no signs of nervousness as I had sat for ample number of interviews before
and was very comfortable and confident throughout the process. Was quick to catch
cues from interviewer and focused discussion on topics that engaged him. Was cheerful
throughout the process.
What do you think went wrong in I was completely exhausted as interviews were scheduled towards end of the day and
this interview? my energy levels were not high.

Any tips for future batches on the Be confident, energetic and enjoy the process.
Name: Swati Singh
Round (First/Second/third) Four rounds in all

Brief Profile : Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Delhi
(Graduation College, stream, Work (Mechanical Engineering)
ex details, etc.) 2.5 years’ work ex. with an Indian automobile company (R&D)
answers if you choose to share them) 1) Tell me something about yourself?
2) Work profile? (Some more questions related to it)
Most questions after that were supply chain management (SCM) related because I had
worked in an automobile company (caught me off-guard since my area of work was
research and not production). Some of the questions were -
3) Difference between SCM inside the firm and outside the firm
4) How does an automobile firm manage its inventory?
5) What is the difference between centralized and de-centralized supply chain?
Advantages and Disadvantages of each
6) What are the various ways in which you’ll reduce inventory pile up?
Round 2: (HR)
1) Tell me something about yourself
2) How was your experience of working with XYZ Company?
3) Why consulting? Why not join the old firm back?
4) Why Accenture?
5) How do you fit in?
6) What if we are not able to recruit you today?
Round 3 :
Started with the usual tell me something about yourself. Then he started questioning
me on why I want to choose consulting as a field and why I don’t want to work with
my old firm again.
Then he gave me a guesstimate:
Estimate the no of passenger shared auto rickshaws in Lucknow
The guesstimate could have been done using multiple approaches so he asked me the
different approaches I can use to arrive at the final answer. He also cross questioned me
on the assumptions I had made while solving the guesstimate.
Round 4:
The interviewer was also a mechanical engineer so he asked me a lot of questions on

SI/CI engines, Torque Speed curve, Knocking etc.
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Market entry strategy for a Chinese automobile firm
My approach was to first evaluate whether it is the right environment and time to enter
and then move on to how to enter- by utilizing existing capabilities or developing new
ones.
What do you think went right in this Round 1:
interview? I was able to give some work related examples to support my understanding of
concepts which I think he really liked
Round 2: I was calm and confident throughout
Round 3: I logically explained my assumptions without getting perturbed by the
interviewer’s cross questioning (even though a few data points actually turned out
wrong)
Round 4: The case went well as I could cover almost all the areas
What do you think went wrong in Round 1:

this interview? I was not very well prepared to handle SCM related questions.
Round 2:
Nothing as such
Round 3:
I should’ve taken more time in solving the guesstimate and not rushed into getting an
answer

Any tips for future batches on the If you have core manufacturing work-ex, irrespective of the department you were in, be
basis of your experience thoroughly prepared with operations related questions.
Also, be prepared for a few question from your undergraduate stream

A. T. Kearney
Name: Naveen Bansal
Round (First/Second/third) -
Brief Profile : PEC, Goldman Sachs
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1-
answers if you choose to share them) 1. Tell me something about yourself (was asked the same question multiple times in the
process)
2. Your most significant achievement in life
3. Support your hobbies with examples: I mentioned reading novels and was asked
about the last novel i read and what did i like the most in the novel
Round 2 -
1. Explain what I did at Goldman Sachs (Job role and responsibilities)
2. One instance where you think team work was most important (linked to work
experience)
Guesstimate 1: Estimate the demand of ACs in India
Case 1: A two wheeler manufacturer, a market leader in the category, has a lot of cash
available for investment. The firm is a proprietorship and has an owner. The owner
now wants to move to the small car segment. Advise him if he should venture into
small car market or not.
Case 2: Estimate the demand of Cement in India.

- Was asked to devise both top-down and bottom-up approach for estimating the
number.
Top-Down approach included looking at Macro indicators (GDP Per capita and
Cement consumption per capita). The Interviewer had all the numbers but he was
waiting for me to ask.
What do you think went right in this
interview?
this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the Prepare some questions to ask to the interviewer.
basis of your experience 1. Stay happy! a smile on your face really works!
2. Don't hesitate in asking for time to think. It is perfectly fine!
3. Make HR questions as personal as possible! ( a BIG +)
4. Maintain your stand following the Pcom rules if asked about offer. Ask for some
time to think and contact PCom immediately.


Group
Name: Aditya Dogra
Company: The Boston Consulting Group
Name of interviewer and designation Rishabh, Project Lead (First Round)
Sachin Kotak, Principal (Second Round)
Priyanka, Principal (Third Round)
Amit Sachdev, Principal (Fourth Round)
Brief Profile : B.Tech. Civil Engg, IIT Bombay, Work ex – 11 months at Inductis (Analytics)
(Graduation College, stream, Work ex
details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Brief introduction followed by a case
answers if you choose to share them) Round 2: No HR questions, went to the case straight away
Round 3: Brief introduction followed by a couple of experience based questions, this
was followed by a case
Round 4: Introduction followed by a guestimate
Narration of the case interview (Please Round 1: The case was concerning a mobile device manufacturer facing a decline in
be as descriptive as possible) profits. It had opened new stores through a franchisee recently and started selling
products at a lower price. This had affected the equation with the set of old retailers.
In addition the margins provided to the retailers by the client weren’t competitive
which were causing it to lose sales.
Round 2: The interviewer had shaken things up a little by doing away with the
conventional over the table discussion and the case was solved on a blackboard.
Problem statement was developing a presentation to be made at a round table
conference of procurement managers. I started off by laying out the broad structure of
the presentation. Later the discussion moved onto coming up with different
environmental factors that need to be included which would concern the day to day
work of a procurement manager. I bucketed these factors into Political, Economic,
Social, Technical and generated ideas for each backing them up with recent events eg.
Under economic factors one of the concerns was currency fluctuation which would
affect price of procurement and how hedging could mitigate the risk.
Round 3: The case was about a pharmaceutical company launching a new vaccine
and looking to decide upon a pricing strategy. I listed the 3 factors I would consider to
fix the price point - manufacturing and selling costs, pricing of competitive products,
value of product to customer. The interviewer directed me to consider the first factor
since there were no competing products and the third factor was very qualitative. The
problem was then reduced to estimating the size of market, forecasting sales and
asking questions to get complete information about the costs involved (R&D, Patents
were major costs).
Round 4: The case involved estimating the demand for the upcoming Mumbai metro.
I proceeded by breaking the problem into three parts – shifting of passengers from
Mumbai local, shifting of passengers from other modes of public transport, people
shifting from private to public transport. I made reasonable assumptions about the %
of passengers that would shift from each segment on the basis of the information I
had about the metro routes. Post that there was some calculation involved in
estimating the size of each segment as frequency multiplied by capacity (separately for
peak and non-peak hours).
The interview ended with a good discussion about my work at Inductis on a financial
services project as Amit himself had been working in that domain.
What do you think went right in this Picked up the hints given by the interviewer – in my first round, after laying down the
interview? approach I was going in a different direction. At that point I picked up a hint from the
interviewer’s expressions and took a step back to then move in the right direction.
2 of my interviews had lots of calculation involved which I was able to handle

extremely well.

What do you think went wrong in this With a new format and a very unconventional case in the 2nd round it took a little time
interview? to adjust and for a while I wasn’t giving the kind of ideas the interviewer was looking
for.
Any tips for future batches on the Extremely important to stay calm and confident throughout the interview and have a
basis of your experience good discussion with the interviewer.
Name: Chinmaya Golecha
Company: The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Name of interviewer and designation Amit Sachdeva, Principal
Round (First/Second/third) One round
Brief Profile : Worked at Deutsche Bank Centre as a part of the TMT team in London (11 months)
(Graduation College, stream, Work B.Com (H) from SRCC
ex details, etc.) CA Inter
answers if you choose to share them) 15 minutes - Quick chat about the CV, some relevant interest areas around my work-ex
and some PoR’s.
25 minutes - Case around Computers/Laptops manufacturer’s service revenue increase.
Round 2: n/a
Round 3: n/a
Narration of the case interview Case overview:
(Please be as descriptive as possible) There is a computers/laptop manufacturer, global leader, with two revenue streams –
Primary selling of products
Service revenues from maintenance, repair and replacement parts
Global average split is 75%-25% respectively but India split is 95%-5%
Problem Statement:
To increase revenue stream from services in India
Case Approach:
1) Background questions:
Inquired about the supply chain. What services are offered, how they are offered, who
offers them.
Discovered that problem area was sale of replacement parts and the services entailed
therein
Discovered that the company follows a hub-and-spoke model, ie: one central
distributor in the country who gives spare parts to all retail stores (100% franchisee
system)
2) Approach:
Decided to approach the problem using the most basic Revenue breakdown = Volume
x Price
If we can find why revenue is down either because of Volume or Price than we can find
the issue.
I felt, prima facie, that the problem lay in Price (as my understanding is for a
replacement part, I would get something cheap rather than go the actual store after
warranty and overpay). However, I was told that the price offered outside the stores
was 20% higher than the in-store price.
The Problem statement thus became: Why are people not buying replacement parts
from us even if they are cheaper?
To drill into this, I decided to get into the shoes of a consumer. The various problems
(logical flow, thus MECE) could be:
Do I have access to a store?
Do they have parts?
Do they have good staff (technicians that can help etc)?
Turnaround time?
Other service elements?

I dived into each bucket to find that the problem lay in spare parts after spending
considerable time on good staff and access. (I established that distribution/reach was
good so people did not find it inconvenient to visit our stores as well as we had skilled
help that could effectively and quickly solve consumer problems)
Re-visited the supply chain to figure out where the problem was with spare parts.
Discovered that the hub sent them to the stores but still the stores did not have
inventory. Spent time analysing the inventory situation using the interviewers help.
Discovered that each store had an individual P/L and were giving the inventory to
other people (who were in turn selling it at a 20% markup) and taking a cut!
Recommendations: Establish Inventory issue norms, and ensure random checking of

inventory at stores.
What do you think went right in this Very Interactive – Interviewer was very involved in the case
interview? Picked up all the hints dropped – the interviewer lit up when we spoke about black
market selling of the replacement parts
What do you think went wrong in Nothing majorly, Missed a couple of things where the interviewer had to prod me along
this interview? in the right direction
Any tips for future batches on the Enjoy the interview! It is actually great fun, and if the interviewer realises you’re
basis of your experience enjoying it, it acts as a huge positive!

Deloitte US Strategy &

Operations
Name: Abhinandan Pandey
Company: Deloitte
Round (First/Second/third) 1st Round : HR

2nd Round : Case based
3rd round : Case based + presentation round
Brief Profile : Bengal Engineering & Science University, Shibpur
(Graduation College, stream, Work Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering
ex details, etc.) Ericsson India Global Services Pvt. Ltd. – 35 months
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Questions on hypothesis testing (I had mentioned QAM as my subject of
answers if you choose to share them) interest)
Why consulting, Why Deloitte, Asked me to sing as I looked nervous in the beginning
of the interview, How your analytical skills will help in consulting.
Round 2: It was a case based round. A case was provided which dealt with the sources
of revenues and profit and the various advertisement mediums to be reckoned for the
summer Olympics in 2015. It was a calculation intensive case, so it involved simple
calculations for which the interviewer gave some time. Went for around 40 minutes
Round 3: The case which was discussed in Round 2 had to be presented to a senior
partner. What followed was an in-depth discussion on the same case and another case.
This round lasted for around 30 minutes.
Narration of the case interview Summer Olympics will take place in 2015. Our customers are conducting the event.
(Please be as descriptive as possible) What are the major sources of revenues for them?
Major sources of profit?
What are the costs involved?
How will you price the tickets to earn so and so amount of profit?
How will you make a team. How will you prioritize the tasks?
What do you think went right in this I was confident and bold enough to think on my feet.
interview? The interviewers seemed more interested in how one approaches a problem. They were
complicating the problem as I got deeper into it. The key is to consider all possible
aspects and quickly chose the best possible alternative as a part of the questions which
were asked.
Might sound like a cliché, Thinking out Loud helps a lot!
What do you think went wrong in I fumbled in 2 instances. There are times when the answers just don’t strike! But keep
this interview? your calm, keep thinking as there is always a next question and there is always a better
way to answer the next question!
Name: Anmol Mahajan
Name of interviewer and designation Senior Manager
Brief Profile : B.Tech in Electronics and Electrical Comm. Engg. from IIT Kharagpur (2010).
(Graduation College, stream, Work Worked for three years as R&D Design Engineer at Analog Devices, Bangalore
ex details, etc.)
answers if you choose to share them) In this round, I was asked some basic HR questions like,
Tell me about yourself? Why did you choose consulting as a career? Why Deloitte? Long
term goals? Questions regarding my prior work experience and my role and scope in
R&D.
Then the interviewer introduced himself and we briefly talked about his role at Deloitte
for some time where he answered some of my questions on his career.
He asked me if I had any questions regarding Deloitte as a firm. I responded with a
question to which he gave a detailed response.

No guesstimates or case questions were asked in this round and it primarily focused on
HR questions and clarity about my long term goals. This was an elimination round and
some of the candidates were eliminated after this round.
Round 2: Case based round with two Senior Managers

Round 3: Synthesis presentation round with two senior managers.
(Please be as descriptive as possible) Round 2 was with two Senior Managers from Deloitte. There were a few HR questions
primarily based on why consulting as a career.
Then the interviewer told me that this is a case round and if analysis is done right I would
be expected to come up with apt recommendations for the client.
The client is an automobile firm with an annual turnover of around $10b. Our client has
a parts supplier which has an annual business of around $400m (90% of their total
business was done with our client). On one day, our client company’s CEO gets a call
from their supplier that due to financial troubles, they are going to shut down operations
from next month onwards. The case was about recommending solutions to our client in
this scenario.
I started by asking questions regarding the business model of the automobile client, their
other suppliers, current inventory of parts with our clients and when will they exhaust it,
environmental factors like geographies they operate in, availability of substitute suppliers
in these geographies.
From the responses to such questions it became clear that a solution was to found with
their current supplier itself. So I started asking them questions regarding the details of
financial problems the supplier was facing. Upon few of such questions I was given a
data sheet with 5 to 6 tables detailing the various factors like direct costs, overheads,
expenses, number of units sold, unit price, environmental factors like industry
comparison of costs, labour unions etc. at each of their three plants.
After this, the discussion was more quantitative in nature with me calculating present
profits/loss for each of the plants, suggestions for cost reduction based on industry
comparisons etc. These questions primarily focused on the ability to understand the data
given in various tables and link them with each other and come up with tangible
parameters through some number crunching.
Once this analysis was done, he administered another angle by giving an option to our
client to invest $10mn in the supplier’s firm in return of advancement of technology
which would lead to reduction in prime cost. He asked me if our client should make this
investment.
I asked further questions on time factor as to if we invest now how far from now would
we see reduction in costs. He said we would analyse two situations one where the returns
are immediate and the other where the reduction in costs is earned three years down the
line.
For the current scenario, since I had already calculated the profitability/loss of each of
supplier’s plant, it was easier to calculate the benefits of the investments. For long term
analysis, I answered that we would have to look into NPV of our investment with
discount factor depending on many risk factors. We briefly discussed about what could
be the risk factors given the data in the data sheet. On this he was happy and said that I
would have to present the synthesis of the case in the third round.
Round 3:
The third round was act based with a senior manager acting as a client. I briefly gave the
synthesis of the case with my recommendations. This was followed by a few counter
questions asked by senior manager (acting as a client) which I answered briefly. Once
they were satisfied with my answers, we went back to normal mode where few questions
regarding the expectations from the internship, expected learnings, etc. were discussed.
What do you think went right in this - Preparation of HR answers and knowledge about Deloitte and the role on offer
interview? - Ability to perform basic calculations at a good pace
- Exploring various avenues of solving the case and giving logical pros and cons of
each

Name: N Susheel Kumar Reddy
Name of interviewer and designation Rd1,2 - Senior Manager
Rd 3- Partner
Brief Profile : Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras
(Graduation College, stream, Work Work in Caterpillar – 35 months, operations
ex details, etc.)
answers if you choose to share them) Tried to unsettle by saying you are in the wrong room, and I worked for your company
so expect really tough questions
Why consulting and why deloitte?
Few questions from work, and then extracurriculars.
Guesstimate on stadium gate receipts for Indian Hockey league? No.of matches played,
no.of seats in each stadium, occupancy rate, etc. were calculated
What are your long term goals?
Round 2:
Case on a firm which has 3 plants and is making huge losses.
Data sheet is given with details of cost and productivity of all 3 plants.
We decided to look into the costs being incurred, split the cost into 3 buckets – Wages,
Material and overhead costs.
Material had no scope of cost reduction, Wages – we identified in plant 3 the no.of
salaried were more than hourly hence more cost. Similarly in overheads – Plant 3 has
too much inventory holding cost.
So we decided to reduce these costs, but even reducing these didn’t turn a profit so we
decided to shut plant 3 and move the production to plant 1 and plant 2
Later I gave suggestions on how to raise cash for increasing the production in the other
2 plants – Money by selling plant 3, Loan or money from market
Later did profit analysis to prove the investment is giving good profit
Round 3:
Had to present the case I did in Round 2 to the partner – he was acting as the client
whose case we took up and solved.
Drew the tree structure and explained him how we went about each and every bucket
before identifying root causes.
Possible solutions for root causes and suggestions to improve.
The partner kept asking many questions, not agreeing to most. He was only satisfied
when the arguments made were based on numbers.
Later he asked basic HR questions like, what field of consulting would I choose? Why
deloitte? Etc.
Narration of the case interview Mentioned Above
What do you think went right in this

interview?

this interview?
Any tips for future batches on the


KPMG
Name: Prince Arora
Company: KPMG Advisory Services
Name of interviewer and designation 2 interviewers over a video call. Do not recall their name and designation
Round (First/Second/third) Only One Round
Brief Profile : Fresher, Dual Degree IIT Madras [8 pointer]
(Graduation College, stream, Work Member of The Consulting & Strategy Club
ex details, etc.)
answers if you choose to share them) Tell us about yourself. Questions on Business Current Affairs, leaders. Why KPMG?
Who all are its competitors? What are its business lines? A few questions on FRA
acronyms and their importance (like EBITDA)
Narration of the case interview Estimate the market size of Biscuit Industry in India.
(Please be as descriptive as possible) It was a guesstimate. They gave me some time to work out the solution but I made
some quick assumptions and took them through my thinking process. I solved the case
from supply side. Then once I was done, I asked if I should solve it from the demand
side as well. The interviewers asked me to elaborate upon the way I’ll go about it.
Came up with a ball park figure.
What do you think went right in this The guesstimate and the level of enthusiasm shown towards solving it. I think they
interview? were looking for the right approach and not the correctness of the final figure.
What do you think went wrong in I messes up a little on the company specific questions. Do go through the Company
this interview? RG before you enter the interview.
Any tips for future batches on the Stay confident. They seem to like people who are confident about what they speak. If
basis of your experience you don’t know an answer, tell it to them politely.

McKinsey & Co
Name: Abhishek Gupta
Company: Mckinsey & Co.
Name of interviewer and Involved an Associate Partner (Pradeep), Partner (Navtez)
designation
Brief Profile :
(Graduation College, stream, NSIT (2011 Passout)
Work ex details, etc.) 18 months in J.P. Morgan and 5 months in Reliance Capital
Interview questions (With Round 1: Short tell me about yourself. Then one guesstimate and then a case discussion
to share them) Round 2: Tell me about yourself. HR question on leadership qualities and instance
related to that. Case discussion.
Round 3: Purely HR with partner, asked questions on why not finance, why consulting,
why Mckinsey?
After each round you will be asked if you have any questions for the interviewer, if you
have some good questions then do ask, but do not ask for just for the sake of asking.
Narration of the case interview Round 1: Guesstimate: Value of a bulb with infinite life (involved basic DCF
(Please be as descriptive as calculation, evaluation of expenditure you might do in case of a normal bulb).
possible) Case: Problems that a truck association might be facing in getting truck drivers
(possible problems and solutions for those). Be innovative as possible. Although I
didn’t reach the exact problem in the end (only got to know this after the interview
from a friend), but explored quite a few areas to get through to the second round. The
interviewer was very silent and unresponsive, you just had to carry on with the case on
your own. A solution to the truck problem was that the people got AIDS as they went
at different places, and then they had problems getting married. Second was that there
were health problems, due to them eating food at different places and uncomfortable
seats, no proper place to sleep.
Round 2: Case: Why a shipping company is going in loss. Evaluate the possible
problems and suggest solutions. Suggesting solutions to every case in the end will be
required and this is where one’s idea generation will be tested. Also involved testing of
quant skills, specifically math calculation required (basic but one can panic under
pressure).
What do you think went right in Being calm and confident, thinking on the feet really helps. I had already gone through
this interview? a fair set of interviews before, so wasn’t nervous at all. While you would have done an
umpteen number of cases before hand, but every case will be new and will require you
to go to different breadth and depths. While case solving remains a very important part,
they also test you on your HR skills. The second round was the deciding factor, after
which directly there was a partner round. In the end managed to convert the call.
Finally, it was very important to smile over the course of interview which lasted 30-45
mins
What do you think went wrong in To be frank, I think everything went right for me in this process. Although I did miss
this interview? out the exact cause of the problem in the first round but wasn’t so much a big deal. The
way you structure your thoughts is more important.
Any tips for future batches on the To me case solving had much more importance in the course of the interview, but HR
basis of your experience answers shouldn’t be ignored for sure.
Make sure you are properly dressed. You get evaluated on every aspect.

Name: Anonymous
Company: Mckinsey and Company
Name of interviewer and Rounds 1,2: Case Study
designation Round 3: HR
Round 3 Rounds
indicative answers if you choose 1.) Tell me something about yourself?
to share them) 2.) Convince me to sell my company even when it is doing very well in the
market.
Round 2:
1.) Case study on Indian Telecom sector
Round 3:
1.) McK vs BCG question
2.) 5 ways India can win 5 Gold medals in upcoming olympics
Narration of the case interview Case 1: Selling the Company
• Started by giving financial benefits of selling the company.
• Gave implications on entrepreneurship front, brought views surrounding
family society
Case 2: Indian Telecom Sector

• Case was about increasing revenues from Mobile apps.
• Started with geographical expansion of the company service by looking at
various strategies (M&A, Alliances, Joint venture etc).
• Went ahead and looked at companies promotional strategies, delved into
customer segmentation for better targeting.
• At last suggested some modifications in apps to make it more users friendly
and appropriate for smart phone users.
What do you think went right in • Case went well, Interviewers were happy in both the cases about the approach
this interview? I took.
• Were happy about my past work ex
What do you think went wrong in • I could have better put recommendations in cases
this interview? • Could have brought more practical examples during my HR answers
• Engagement with partner could have been better.
Any tips for future batches on the • Keep Structured approach throughout interviews
basis of your experience • Consistency within answers is important
• Be confident and calm on D-Day.

Name: Aviral Srivastava
Company: McKinsey
Name of interviewer and designation Vikas Bhadoria, Partner
Shivanshu, Principal
Mukund Sridhar, Associate Partner (Not sure)
Round (First/Second/third)
Brief Profile : B.Tech Mechanical Engineering from IIT(BHU), Varanasi. One year work-ex as
(Graduation College, stream, Work Analyst in Inductis, Gurgaon (Analytics consulting).
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: Tell me something about yourself not in your resume. (I talked about how
answers if you choose to share them) being a good student in school opened up avenues in leadership and extra-curriculars
and shaped the person I am).
Turning points in my life that shaped me. Regrets in life. A short description about my
work at Inductis. And then case.
Round 2: A very brief tell me about yourself. How did your previous interview go
according to you? Couple of things about my interests in meditation. And then case.
Round 3: I was ushered in within 5-10 minutes of my previous interview. Mckinsey

had made us fill a subjective sheet during out Aptitude test. Mukund had access to the
sheet. He asked about a regret I had written: My CGPA in college.
He asked if I had any questions about Mckinsey and my company priorities. A little
chitchat and that’s all. This round hardly lasted 5 minutes.
Narration of the case interview Round 1: Vikas brought in the case decisively (not as a gradual flow in conversation):
(Please be as descriptive as possible) “My friend owns a standalone cinema theatre in Mumbai. Profits and revenue taking a
hit. What should I do?”
I started the case with the usual qualifiers (since when, what has changed, industry,
competition, type of movies, location etc). I made a structure but he sounded
disinterested. Kept throwing me off my game with vague disinterested hints. None of
my directions seemed to appeal to him. I persisted. Took some timeouts to rethink
approaches. Came up with 3-4 approaches before we went into one. Then he asked me
to ideate.
Round 2: I am a shipping company. And my profits slipping. Give an exhaustive list of

things you will evaluate.
I did reasonably well. I missed the factor of fuel and he pointed it out.
New scenario: cost in fuel changed drastically 3 years ago. What will be your current
profit/ loss if the fuel cost hadn’t changed?
Sounds simple and it was. I kept looking for a trap and started number crunching only
after a minute. The moment I got the number, he seemed satisfied. He asked me to
give recommendations. And I took a 20 sec pause to structure recommendations
instead of hurtling them all out. The interview ended here, on a much more positive
note compared to the first one.
What do you think went right in this I was calm across interviews and somehow managed to leave the stress at the door
interview? before all rounds. I received positive feedback regarding this later on.
Round 1: My HR answers were interesting, passionate, structured but natural. I never
gave up during the case and persisted despite several setbacks. I didn’t mind starting
from scratch repeatedly. My idea-gen was adequate.
Round 2: I gave an honest and humble feedback about round 1 when asked. Initial
structure during case was ok (I missed fuel, but he pointed it out). Most importantly, I
could crack the math in the case in my first attempt (it was quite simple really, but turns
out, many silly mistakes were made during the day). I managed to structure my
recommendations as well and generate several relevant ideas.
Round 3: Frank genuine answers about my academics and work experience. He asked
about people at my previous company, expectations from Mckinsey etc.
What do you think went wrong in Round 1: I didn’t think my case went all that great, as the interviewer looked
this interview? disinterested throughout and kept redirecting me. Halfway through the case, I realised
that cracking the case was out of the question. I came out of the interview apprehensive
but luckily was ushered into round 2 before I could dwell on it.
Round 2: I entered the interview unsure, given my performance in the first interview. I
kept trying to give subjective solutions and state assumptions when all the interviewer
wanted was simple math. I kept thinking the case can’t just be simple maths, but
initially it was!
Round 3: I was mentally prepared for a case but there was none.
Any tips for future batches on the Prepare on your CV. You need to have recall value in the eyes of the interviewer.
basis of your experience Structure HR answers. But they will sound natural only after practice. It helps if you
have 2-3 USPs in your mind. For example, I had quizzing, meditation and a childhood
abroad.
Never give up in a case. Keep your cool as people get unsure of simple math during
cases and literally end up doing written calculation where mental should have sufficed.
Don’t read too much into the interviewer’s body language (unless he’s giving you hints
during a case). Take pauses during cases but don’t let the silence get heavy.
Each interviewer may ask you at the end if you want to ask him something about the
company. Don’t do DCP. Ask him genuine questions that you think that a person of
his stature and experience can answer better than a younger employee at the firm.
Do not judge your own performance in the interview. You will never know what the
interviewer is thinking. You might have been given a tough case just to see your
response.
Name: Ishani Roychowdhury
Name of interviewer and Round 1: Gunjan (Partner)
designation Round 2: Vikas (Partner)
Round 3: Navtez (Partner)
Round (First/Second/third) Three rounds in total (third round was purely HR)
Brief Profile : Economics Honours from St. Stephen’s College, 21 months of work experience at Bain
(Graduation College, stream, Capability Center (BCC)
Interview questions (With Round 1: Tell me about yourself, followed by related questions on my answer, why
indicative answers if you choose consulting. Next 15 minutes was a case. Ended with a brief discussion about the
to share them) Partner’s consulting career so far.
Round 2: Follow-up question on an answer that I had written in the HR form filled a
week earlier. This was followed by questions on my work experience and how the BCC
model works. This was followed by two quick cases.
Round 3: Pure HR round

Narration of the case interview Round 1: This was the first case of the day for the Partner and we spent 12-15 minutes
(Please be as descriptive as on HR at the beginning. She asked me about myself which I had prepared well. That
possible) led to questions around my career decisions, a bit about my work experience and
society work at undergrad college. This was followed by the case. She gave me two
choices and asked me to pick one. I chose the IT case.
Case statement: I run a software company which sells accounting software in India.
Before launching accounting software, I had hired a market research firm who
estimated the market at Rs.XY (some figure). However, in spite of having a share of
45%, we have not been able to penetrate the market any further.
The idea was to start with exhaustive qualifying questions that covered competition,
region of operation, industry dynamics. I figured that the problem did not lie in the
company per se, but in their target customers. They focused mostly on the SMEs who
used traditional accounting books rather than accounting software. I was also abruptly
stopped in between, after which I quickly synthesized and gave in my
recommendations. My recommendations were around creating awareness to migrate
more people to online accounting applications
She asked me if I had any questions for her. I asked her a question which extended the
discussion for 5-7 more minutes.
Round 2: 2-3 questions on the HR form submitted earlier. This was followed by a
detailed discussion about my work experience, some case examples from my previous
work, the BCC model and how it works and why consulting.
Case statement: My friend owns a single theatre in a metro city, has been losing profits
steadily. Suggest ways to improve his profitability.
The case was about generating options and the Partner kept insisting on more
suggestions. I looked at the revenue and the cost side separately, divided them into
short term and long term plans, and tried to logically structure my suggestions. For the
revenue side, I had gone by the customer purchase process approach to ensure nothing
is missed.
This was followed by a second case which was a guesstimate: Another friend of mine
wants to sell tennis balls in India. Estimate the demand. The approach was usual,
starting with sources of demand and estimating it using population.

Finally, he asked me if I had any question for him. I had a question and the discussion
went on for 5 more minutes.
Round 3: This was the most interesting interview experience of all. I was told it was like
a hygiene test before I went in, and I was relaxed yet energetic.
The partner looked at my HR form and asked me similar questions, as in my previous
interview. The discussion touched upon various topics- mostly around my work
experience, family, school life and career decisions (it was like a friendly chat after
sometime and I had much to talk about). He also asked me why I would want to join
McKinsey. At the end, he said it was a good discussion, that he thought I am fit for
consulting and felt no need to give me a case.
What do you think went right in In all the rounds, I was energetic, smiling and engaging. The HR questions were
this interview? extremely crucial which I thought went well.
About the cases, I had thought my first round case wasn’t great- it was my first case of
the day and I couldn’t tell whether she was happy with my recommendations. However,
later I heard from others that she was actually happy about it.
The second round cases went well- I managed to generate as many options as he
wanted, and did not give up. In fact, I went into lot of details on the guesstimate and he
stopped me in between to ask for the final answer.
What do you think went wrong in Nothing major, I guess. The idea is not to ‘solve’ the case, but to display your structure
this interview? and your method of thinking and to engage the interviewer throughout.
Any tips for future batches on the Be calm and enthusiastic throughout. Carry yourself with confidence and smile- that
basis of your experience reduces the nervousness too. Prepare your ‘about me’ well because that feeds into the
discussion that follows. Also, the questions on ‘why consulting’ and ‘why McKinsey’ are
common. Further, it’s very important to structure your HR answers too.
Name: Mashantha Viswanathan
Company: McKinsey
Name of interviewer and designation Mr. Anil Sikka – Senior Specialist
Ms. Gunjan Soni – Partner/Senior Partner
Ms. Aayushi – Engagement Manager
Round (First/Second/third) Ms. Aayushi - first
Mr. Anil Sikka – second
Ms. Gunjan Soni - third
Brief Profile :
(Graduation College, stream, Work B.Com (Professional); St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad, Analyst at Ernst
ex details, etc.) and Young Hyderabad for 11 months in the Advisory service line
Interview questions (With indicative Round 1: HR – Tell me about yourself, one wild/fun thing I had done. Guesstimate –
answers if you choose to share them) If I needed to increase the prevalence (usage) of contraceptives in India by 20%, what
sort of a number would I be looking at?
Round 2: HR - Tell me about yourself, Working individually vis-à-vis working with

teams, how have I dealt with people taking credit for work that I do. Guesstimate –
As head of a publishing house, I was asked to estimate the readership for a book that
I wanted to publish
Round 3: HR - Tell me about yourself.

Narration of the case interview A retail chain wanting to enter India; how would I go about it? Variables and KPIs
(Please be as descriptive as possible) that I would look at. Followed a value-chain centric approach; was asked specific
questions at each stage such as the kind of metrics I would look at.
What do you think went right in this 1) Was confident and comfortable; felt more like a conversation rather than an
interview? interview (especially the second and third rounds)
2) After a point, we were discussing the solution for the case together (happened
in the first round)
What do you think went wrong in 1) Was initially nervous and I guess it showed in my first round
this interview? 2) Could have been more targeted with my questions
Any tips for future batches on the 1) Don’t get flustered; keeping your cool is very important
basis of your experience 2) Try to approach it like you’re going to meet a new person rather than you’re
going to face the most important interview in your life; it helps in being yourself =>
More confidence => Best performance

Name: Pratik Goyal
Name of interviewer and Suhail (Associate Partner)
designation Naftez (Partner)
Vikash (Partner)
Round (First/Second/third) Total 3 Rounds
Interviewers names in order
Brief Profile : St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata
(Graduation College, stream, Chartered Accountancy Inter
Work ex details, etc.) Fresher
Interview questions (With Round 1: 3 structural approaches to solve the problem “ India should win 5 gold
indicative answers if you choose medals in 2020 olympics”
to share them)
Round 2: About yourself not in the CV?

Why consulting?
An estimate of the total number of glucometers sold in India in a year.
Round 3: A cinema hall whose profits are falling - Problem finding and
Recommendations. An approach to estimate the revenue of the cinema hall and the
cost was also asked.
My leadership roles and why no POR in IIML?
My entrepreneurial venture and the business logic behind it?
Why not Finance as a career choice?
possible)
What do you think went right in The HR part went very well
this interview? The idea generation was very important and the initial two levels in the structuring
which should have incorporated a MECE.
The ability to communicate what I was thinking was very important in the cases.
What do you think went wrong in The nervousness was very high and so required a little time in idea generation in the
this interview? first round but kept talking to the interviewer so that dint leave much gap and made up
for the nervousness.
Any tips for future batches on the Generally the interviews are targeted to test the idea generation ability, comfort level
basis of your experience with numbers and the problem solving ability which form the main work of
consultants.
In the softer aspects the HR answers are very very important. Knowing the CV is very
important and should be a reason for why u did what u have, and it will generally be a
part of all interview rounds.

Name: Shreya Sachdev
Company: McKinsey and Co.
Name of interviewer and designation R1- Shivanshu (Partner)
R2- Vikas (Partner)
R3- Gunjan (Partner)
R4- Navtez (Partner)
Round (First/Second/third) Round 2
Brief Profile : B.A. (Hons) English- Lady Shri Ram College for Women-Fresher
ex details, etc.)
Interview questions (With indicative All three interviews revolved around my educational background (I’m the rare breed of
answers if you choose to share them) Literature students that occasionally crop up here) and how that fit in with IIM
Lucknow and Consulting. I was also asked about my internship with a Fashion House
and my motivation behind taking it up. Finally I got asked about my expectations from
a Consulting job.
The interviews ended with me asking each of the partners questions.
Shivanshu was working on a data- heavy project so I asked him about how he dealt
with the more mundane aspects of Consulting.
I had a prior interaction with Vikas at the McKinsey dinner and I continued with the
same discussion regarding Entrepreneurship opportunities at McKinsey.
Gunjan and me spoke about opportunities for women at McKinsey and the initiative
she had started regarding the same.
Navtez was working on a case in the same sector that my father works in, so we
discussed the current challenges faced by that sector.
Narration of the case interview “My friend runs a standalone theatre in the heart of Mumbai, but has recently been
(Please be as descriptive as possible) witnessing declining profits.”
I initially structured it into a regular profit and loss case, but after the first 4-5 minutes
(possibly because he gathered that I had no problem structuring the case) he jumped
directly to recommendations. The rest of my case focused solely on me shooting
options as to how he could possibly increase his profits. The suggestions included the
obvious ones such as price of tickets, show timings, staff requirements etc, and then we
went on to other areas such as the Food and Beverages counter, Parking and so on.
At that point, after we had exhausted all avenues he asked me to come up with out-of-
the-box solutions, and we spent the rest of the interview solely on idea generation.
What do you think went right in this I was smiling and confident throughout the interview even though I was convinced that
interview? I had quite possibly tanked the case interview before this.
I could bring myself to look outside my structure and give him solutions over and
above the ones
What do you think went wrong in I didn’t ask for numbers, possibly because numbers were where I had messed up in the
this interview? last case. If I had gotten over the phobia in time the case solutions I presented would
have had more of an impact.
Any tips for future batches on the Reading the cues and expressions of the interviewer always help.
basis of your experience Apart from that don’t make the mistake of getting trapped by your structures because
McKinsey partners usually tend towards unorthodox case interviews.

2012
Summer Interview
Experiences

Consulting
Name Deep Banerjee
Company Accenture Management Consulting
Name of interviewer and Vishwesh Prabhakar, Partner
designation
Brief Profile Chemical Engineering from Bangalore, 1 yr Work Ex at Tesco Retail, 3.5 yrs at
Indian Oil Corporation as Assistant Manager handling Supply Chain and Operations
Interview questions Round 1: Work related, Industry related, Latest Trends in Supply Chain, CV related,
Case analysis, Related to current energy problems in India
Round 2: My apprehensions about Accenture
Round 3: HR Questions
Narration of the case interview “I’m a chemical manufacturer. Help me optimize my outbound logistics”
What do you think went right in - Work experience matched with their requirement
this interview? - Industry knowledge
- Information about the company
What do you think went wrong In the case interview, I mistook “optimize” as “cost reduction” only. Should have
in this interview? taken other factors into consideration
Any tips for future batches on - Be energetic and enthusiastic
the basis of your experience - I firmly believe that the first 2 minutes in an interview decide the outcome to a
great extent
- In the case interview, even if you go wrong at some place, do not fluster and keep
trying
Name Ipsa Kalra
Name of interviewer and Round 1- Anurag Johri, Strategy Head
designation
Round 2- HR
Round 3-Saurabh Bhatnagar-Partner
Round Case in first round only

Brief Profile Graduation in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Heritage Institute
of Technology, Kolkata. Fresher.
Interview questions Round 1: Started with some questions on leadership as I stated it as strength.
Followed by 2 cases on projected soap and 4 wheeler market in 2020.
Round 2: Basic HR questions on weaknesses and anyone apart from me who should
make it to AMC.
Round 3: Questions on academics (PGDM), ranging from MANAC to economics

and MS Excel.
Keynesian Vs Classical
Types of Costing
Lookup in excel
Branding
General questions on the current education system in India
Narration of the case interview I was asked to choose an industry of my choice. I chose FMCG sector. I was first
asked to give the market size of the soap market in the year 2020. The interviewer
was not looking at numbers but at multiple approaches. I gave the income
segmentation approach, rural-urban divide approach. He suggested the extrapolation
of GDP approach. I also made a point that in the urban market soaps are soon being
replaced by shower gels etc.

What do you think went right in The interview started on a good note and they liked the way I spoke and conducted
this interview? myself.
What do you think went wrong They expected me to suggest the GDP approach myself.
in this interview?
Any tips for future batches on Consulting interviews require you to be able to give a holistic picture of the case
the basis of your experience presented. Keep the interviewer involved at every step.
Name: Meghana Katiki
Name of interviewer and Vivek Mishra, Ridhima (HR) and one more Senior partner
designation
Brief Profile IIT Kharagpur, Biotechnology, Deloitte Consulting -23 Months
Interview questions Round 1: Case and CV
• Explain me one of the projects you took up at Deloitte
• Why consulting
• Which subjects did you like in term 1
Based on my answer he said link Marketing and Economics.
• Explain one initiative you took
Round 2: HR
• What do you like about Accenture
• What do you remember from Accenture’s PPT
• Did you attend the session by our senior partner, Give one positive and
one negative feedback
I handled the negative part very tactfully: starting with slight negativity but ending on
a very positive note.
Would like to join IB or GTIN.
Understand the difference properly.
Round 3: CV
• Walk me through your academic background.
• Why did you leave something as promising as Biotechnology for something
as mundane as Management consulting.
• Tell me one challenging task that you did
I gave the example of a project at Deloitte.
Narration of the case interview Well a guesstimate was given to me but I never realised it was one. I told about how
demand is actually estimated in Apple and how they produce less than the estimation
to keep the hype.
What do you think went right in I knew from beforehand what they were looking for. I could project all those
this interview? qualities in some or the other answer. My HR answers were well prepared and
reviewed before I entered the interview.
I kept a smiling face though one of the interviewers’ kept a shrewd expression on his
face.
I steered the interview in my way by giving answers of all HR questions based on
experiences and stories and talking about things I knew very well so that I could
handle the drilling questions.
What do you think went wrong I took Economics’ name as one of my favourite subjects and couldn’t answer some
in this interview? questions properly.
Any tips for future batches on Any company, any interview, HR answers are extremely important. More so to tailor
the basis of your experience the answers to the company. It is also important to understand the values and
culture of the company and portray a fit in the interview. Accenture’s PPT is very
important to them. If you are serious about that company make sure you attend the
ppt.
Name Preethi Viswanathan

Name of interviewer and Senior Manager
designation
Round Had three rounds of interviews
Brief Profile Electrical Engineering from Anna University; Prior work experience - 11
months as Graduate Engineer Trainee in Larsen & Toubro Ltd, ECC
division
Interview questions Round 1:
• Some basic questions like tell me about yourself, other interviews for the
day
• Why did you choose consulting?
• Questions on POR's mentioned in the CV and which I consider the

most important among them
• Why Accenture and how do I feel it is different from the other

consulting firms?
• I was also asked about my role models
• Questions regarding power sector – what are the problems in the sector
at present
Case on a pure-play thermal power generator with installed capacity of 2,000

MW in India. The company is making losses in the recent years
I went ahead with a lot of questioning regarding the company, type of clients
current financial position, current risk exposure in terms of fuel, market etc
and the related businesses that the company is already into.
I came up with a framework to analyses the profitability using the basic

structure of costs and revenues. I first analysed on the cost side considering
various parameters like fuel, distribution, overheads etc.
I was then told to focus only on the revenue side. After further probing
about the pricing and the sales volume (in MW) , the interviewer indicated
that the power was sold only to the government. It was found that the
company generated power which exceeded the government's requirement as
per the contract with the company. I recommended that the excess power
generated could be sold to private players to minimize losses
Round 2: HR round
Questions on primary skills required for a person in consulting
Was asked about which of the skills I have and which I still need to develop
Question was again asked about why consulting and why Accenture?
Round 3:
The Partner asked me about my educational background, my interest in

music, my favourite course in Term I. After I told it was marketing, I was
questioned on some basics and was asked to explain my marketing project. I
was also questioned on some challenges I faced here at IIM L.
Questions on work experience were asked maily relating to the role I had at
L&T.
After that he urged me to ask questions as he felt I have been asked enough.
I questioned him about some news which was mentioned in the RG doc
about AMC opening an Innovation centre.
I further questioned him about the roles offered and the functions of IB and
GTIN and sector preference for projects.

He explained the answers in a detailed fashion.
I was asked to wait for a while, the offer was made and I accepted it.
What do you think went right I prepared well for HR answers and was able to answer the questions on
in this interview? consulting well.
Thorough knowledge about everything that I wrote on the CV
A firm answer about why I wanted to join AMC as it was asked in all rounds
of my interview
What do you think went wrong Nothing that I can specifically point out.
in this interview?
Any tips for future batches on • For AMC, it pays well to know well about what work the company
the basis of your experience does and some recent happenings that the company was involved
in.
• Frame good questions for asking at the end of the interview as my
third round was primarily based on that
• Generate a plethora of options when analysing a case. It shows that
you can think in multiple directions. In summers, most companies
look only for people with ideas rather than skills. Hence, this is the
most important phase of a case interview as far as summers are
concerned.
• Thorough CV and HR preparation are of prime importance
Name: Sruthi Nooka
Round 3 Rounds
Brief Profile Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad; Prior
work experience - 35 months as Business Technology Analyst in Deloitte Consulting
Questions regarding my prior work experience, nature of responsibilities, reasons for
shifting from technology consulting to business consulting
Questions regarding my areas of interest(operations in my case) – I was asked to

compare the supply chains of apple and dell, HUL and P&G
Case on Market expansion for HUL product(Dove) into one of the north eastern
states
Round 2:
What skills do you think a consultant needs? Which one of those skills do you lack
in?
Learning from prior work experience, significant achievements
I was asked if I attended the pre-placement talk and what I liked the most about it
Round 3:
Questions regarding work experience – I worked on SAP implementation, so the
interviewer asked me to give three reasons why companies go for ERP
implementation – a hidden form of cost-benefit analysis case
Questions on subjects of Term – I and Term – II: Regarding Microeconomics and

Macroeconomics, Prisoner’s Dilemma, a small case on how a business operating in
oligopoly can stay profitable, applications of QAM in all areas such as marketing,
finance, operations, economics etc.
Narration of the case interview Problem Statement: What factors should HUL consider if it’s wants to launch one of
its products in one of the north Indian states?
The interviewer was looking for the approach only and not extensive detailing.
Firstly, I clarified on why the expansion is made – for profitability or expanding the
customer base

I analysed the scenario in three parts – Customers, Company’s capabilities and
Competition
By analysing the available customer segments and targeting the required segment the
demand can be estimated and thus the profitability based on factors such as size,
affordability and growth rate of the chosen segment
In terms of company’s capabilities its financial and operational capabilities should be

considered. Factors such as investment cost, company’s financial position,
investment cost as a proportion of the company’s overall cost base should be
analysed under financial capabilities. Operational capabilities include resources,
availability of channel partners in the new market etc.
Competition analysis determines entry barriers and possible threat from competitors
What do you think went right in I have answered questions regarding my prior work experience well and I could
this interview? explain the reasons for transition from technology consulting to business consulting
convincingly. My case analysis went pretty well. In the third round, I have answered
all the questions asked about academic subjects with practical applications.
What do you think went wrong I had to give some impromptu answers for certain questions regarding my previous
in this interview? question. Even though I justified my answers well finally, I could have organised my
answers better.
Any tips for future batches on • Know about the company thoroughly. In case you have not attended the ppt,
the basis of your experience find out the same from your friends who have attended it and try to get as
much information as possible from seniors.
• Lot of students have been questioned about academic subjects. So it’s good to
brush up on basics before attending the interview.
• In case of students with prior experience, prepare well in advance about your
nature of work, roles and responsibilities, nature of projects handled. Be ready
with some examples through which you can explain your problem solving skills
and leadership skills.
Name: Ashok Patsamatla
Name of interviewer and Senior Manager
designation
Round 2 Rounds
Brief Profile Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras; Prior work experience - 24 months as
Analyst in KPMG Management Consulting
Some basic questions like tell me about yourself, other interviews appearing for on
that day.
What is your view on team work in consulting? Do you think it is always important?
Questions regarding my prior work experience, nature of responsibilities and reasons
for continuing in consulting industry
Questions regarding power sector – what are the problems in the sector at present,
recent interventions by the government (SEB bailout package) and my views on the
same,
Case on diversification strategy for a pure-play thermal power generator with
installed capacity of 2,000 MW in India.
I went ahead with a lot of questioning regarding the objective for diversification,
current financial position, current risk exposure in terms of fuel, market etc and the
related businesses that the company is already into.
Interviewer indicated that the company wishes to leverage on its current strengths
and to hedge current risks through diversification. Financial position of the company
is not a constraint.
I came up with a framework to cover the entire value chain of the power sector and
a basic fish-bone analysis of options at each stage of the value chain. I believe that
this stage (option generation) is very crucial and needs to exhaustive. I came up with
close to 20 options for diversification during this stage which impressed the
interviewer.
I was then told to focus only on the immediate upstream and immediate
downstream options with just a macro overview of each option. I did a basic
investment horizon to benefits analysis for each of the options and finally suggested
the following recommendations:
1. Acquisition of a coal mine in Australia/Indonesia since exposure to
imported coal was found to be high. Also it can hedge exchange risk
(relevant in the current macroeconomic condition)
2. JV with a port developer to save on transportation charges and to benefit
from increasing imported coal demand in India
3. Power trading to better leverage the excess thermal generation capacity due
to seasonal demand fluctuations
4. EPC player – offer EPC solutions to huge upcoming capacity in India
The interviewer was very much satisfied with this and indicated that there might be a
role suited for me for summers.
Round 2:
HR round was skipped and was directly taken to Partner round.
Round 3:
The Partner (Vishwesh) asked me about my educational background, CGPA drop
during graduation period, current academic performance at IIM Lucknow in Term I.
I justified these aspects to which there was no other additional questioning.
Then he asked me about the kind of culture that was prevalent at KPMG and what I
did not like about it. He explained in fair detail about the kind of culture at AMC
and what made him stick to the firm for the past 15 years.
He asked me if I wanted to work on any sector in particular and I expressed interest

in working on some academic oriented projects that AMC takes up from time to
time on pro-bono or in conjunction with World Bank etc. The partner then told me
that he headed a new practice at AMC – the sustainability practice – that deals in
such projects.
At this stage, the Partner made an offer and I accepted it.
What do you think went right in My sector knowledge in power helped in fair detail at the option generation stage
this interview? and I was lucky to have gotten a case in that sector itself.
I prepared well for HR answers and was able to answer the question about team
work in consulting well.
Thorough knowledge about everything that I wrote on the CV
What do you think went wrong Nothing that I can specifically point out.
in this interview?
Any tips for future batches on • For AMC, it pays well to know well about what work the company does and
the basis of your experience some recent happenings that the company was involved in.
• Frame good questions for asking at the end of the interview
• Generate a plethora of options when analysing a case. It shows that you can
think in multiple directions. In summers, most companies look only for people
with ideas rather than skills. Hence, this is the most important phase of a case
interview as far as summers are concerned.
• Thorough CV and HR preparation are hygiene factors.
• Always smile!
A. T. Kearney
Name: Nidhi Mehta
Company: A.T Kearney
Name of interviewer and 1st Round : Sidharth Jain , 2nd round : Praveen (Principal), 3rd round Manish(Partner)
designation
Round 3 rounds
Brief Profile Shri Ram College of Commerce ( Eco Hons), 13 months work-ex with Tata Capital
Ltd. (Senior Credit Officer)

Interview questions Round 1:Tell me about yourself ; post the case I was asked to give my view on the
recent reduction in CRR rates
Round 2: Why Consulting ?
Round 3: No HR questions were asked. However,The partner asked me if I had any

question for him.
Narration of the case interview Case 1: FICCI is planning to launch a new electric car, It has been proposed that
this will lead to a reduction in pollution. Should the new car be launched?
Approach : This was a case involving a guesstimate. I first looked at all the
stakeholders that could be affected by this proposal including the current car
manufacturers. The interviewer however guided me that it is assumed that all car
makers will start manufacturing this car. The question then came down to the
emissions produced by a regular car and an electric car. I further sub-divided the cars
into small, medium sized (hatch backs and sedans) and SUV’s. I also talked about
the emission levels being different for diesel and petrol cars. Emission levels
depended on the mileage and data was given for the cars and CO2 emission levels.
Case 2: I am a steel manufacturer. My profits are decreasing. Help me out.
Approach: This was a simple profitability case. I started out by asking him about his
business: the no of factories, locations and if profit had been reducing in all of them.
I then looked at the revenue and cost heads. I asked him if he wanted me to look at
a particular head and he said I could start with revenues. Within revenues I looked at
the price and volume. Prices were constant so I began analysing the factors affecting
the volumes. I looked at both supply and demand sided factors. Through this
analysis I came to know that the competitors had an integrated procurement
whereas the client’s cost of raw materials was higher. Also some of the machinery
was obsolete. Branding of the steel and delivery time were also issues of concern.I
gave some recommendations such as improving the quality of the steel ,having a
branding strategy, giving cash discounts and attractive margins to dealers , looking
for alternate suppliers. Working on a backward integration was suggested as a long
term strategy.
Case 3: Estimate the number of car servicing that take place in India
Approach : The partner didn’t want me to get into calculations. He specifically told
me to give me the just the approach. I started with estimating the number of car
owners .We could divide Indian household into different income categories and
estimate car owners. Some percentage of this would be old cars and others would be
new. The new ones would probably be under free servicing schemes. The old ones
could chose to go to the service centre or chose a local mechanic. The owners of
expensive car owners would chose the servicing. Based on this we could estimate
average number of breakdowns in a year for different car ownersand the
corresponding requirement of servicing. Next we need to estimate the number of
accidents as servicing will have to be done in this case as well.
What do you think went right in Case 1 : The catch in the case was that the emission levels were higher for the
this interview? electric car. I could identify that this was because electricity was being generated by
thermal energy. I also took into account transmission losses that would happen in
electricity generation. I guess what went right was that I took into account all aspects
of the case instead of following a narrow approach.
Case 2: The interviewer didn’t have a specific problem in mind. He was just looking
at the approach and how many areas of concern I could identify. I was comfortable
with profitability cases and I guess I structured the case well.
Case 3: The case lasted for just 5 mins and it was important to communicate a
proper structure.
What do you think went wrong Case 1 : It was not a typical case so in hindsight I could have structured it in a better
in this interview? way.
Case 2 and 3 : Nothing went wrong as such
Any tips for future batches on It is important to stay calm during the case interviews The interviewer will be ready
the basis of your experience to help you out so it is important to clarify your doubts. Take some time to
understand the case question and confirm with the interviewer before proceeding
further.


Group
Name: Mohit Agarwal
Name of interviewer and Navneet Vashisht, Partner
designation
Round 3 Rounds
Brief Profile Chartered Accountant, Graduate from SRCC; Prior work experience -22 months as
Associate in BMR (tax consultant) and Ernst & Young (Transaction Advisory
Services)
Some basic questions like Why consulting and why BCG.
Case on acquisition strategy of a large Indian conglomerate looking for diversifying

into IT services.
I took a complete background check with regard to the motivation behind

diversifying into IT sector. Also, what kind of IT businesses it wanted to diversify.
The interviewer suggested that they want to achieve revenue of USD 5Bn from
current USD 4Bn. Also, they want a margin of 12-15% from this new business.
Also, the major consumer of IT services are Europe and US.
So, I divided the problem into two parts – 1. Whether IT business would serve them
the purpose for achieving desired revenue. 2. If yes, then what would be the strategy
for entering into IT services?
I started off with the projected revenue estimates for all types of IT services.
However, the interviewer changed the problem statement (due to paucity of time I
suppose).
He asked what would be the basis for selecting companies from an acquisition
standpoint from an initial pool of companies across the globe.
I came up with two matrix table wherein I stated what the Indian conglomerate
wants from the acquisition (ie Need) and what it can offer to the target company (ie
want of target) and tried to match it.
The interviewer informed that the Indian conglomerate was cash rich company,
stands on its values and has strong client relationship with manufacturing sectors /
vendors.
So I started linking all of them –
• funding – requirement for cash strapped companies

• Reputation – It can offer brand value to companies not well known
• Client relation to leverage – Companies not present in manufacturing IT
services.
Also, during discussion, I linked the problem practically to how Mahindra went on
to acquire Satyam and what factors it looked before bidding. I think the interviewer
was impressed with the linking to case to practical situation.
However, I think the interview did not go so well. However, I knew I would be
given another chance to perform.
The interview ended on brief chat with Hindi literature on poetry and short stories.
Round 2:

The interview was taken by Principal in BCG. Problem Statement – An Indian
Cement market share is declining.
MA: Define market share?

Interviewer: Market share is defined by quantity and sales value.
MA: There could be 3 possible scenarios: Market stagnant, we are losing out to
competitors; Market growing but we are not growing as fast as market; market
shrinking but we are losing more than our competitors.
Interviewer: Second scenario
MA: Major customers

Interviewer: Real estate companies
After a brief background question, I started off with the problem analysis.
I broke the problem into Demand and Supply side.

Under demand side, I mapped the consumer behaviour analysis of buyer and
brought out several points. However, the interviewer was interested in delving into
supply side. Anyways, he told me to analyze demand side.
Based on our discussion, we realized that pricing and timely delivery was an issue.
Pricing is based on cost plus pricing. Cost includes transportation cost which was
significantly higher than industry standards. High transportation cost stems from the
fact that the factory was located far away from the market. Also, acquisition of lime
stone has been a challenge for the company.
I think the interviewer was impressed from the fact that the problem was solved
from the demand side. Also, I quickly suggested 2 solutions to the problem:
• Short term – Reduce prices and take a hit on profit to regain market share
• Medium term – Follow hub and spoke model to reduce delay in delivery
time
• Long term – Acquire a source (may be mine or long term supplier) for lime
stone
The interview ended with HR questions as to – why MBA after CA, why consulting,
why BCG and why not industry after CA.
Round 3:
The third round was a very brief round. The problem statement was – Whether
Uninor bid for the next spectrum auction?
I took background questions regarding in which circle it operates and its vision in
India.
I suggested that I would do a Net Present Value analysis and would bench mark
against return expected by Norway Head Office. We went into revenue stream like
voice and data. Cost included operating, spectrum, license fee etc.
He seemed to be satisfied with the response. Also, he asked me why AT&T is not
bidding for the spectrum. I explained that Uninor has invested time, effort in
understanding Indian market which AT&T has not. I drew learning curve of both
Uninor and AT&T. He seemed impressed.
At this stage, the Partner made an offer and I accepted it.

What do you think went right in I think structured approach to the problem and able to articulate it well went right in
this interview? the interview. Also, I linked the problem to practical situation which helped me in
cracking the case.
What do you think went wrong I was nervous in my first interview; hence initially I went in haywire manner.
in this interview? However, I was told that one needs to perform in 2 out of 3 interviews to get
through. I did well in my second interview and hence moved to third round. So in
case, you do not do well in one of the interview, it should not matter. It’s important
to think clearly and structurally.
Any tips for future batches on 1. Be calm and composed. Even if one interview does not go well, one would have
the basis of your experience another chance to perform
2. Take good background questions to understand the problem. Dissect the
problem and then approach
3. Structured thinking is very important. Also, explain briefly the broad bucket in
the structure.
4. All suggestions should have some basis based on the inputs taken during the
interview.
5. Thorough CV and HR preparation are hygiene factors.
6. Always smile!
Name: Shraddha Gupta
Name of interviewer and Rahul Jain, Partner ( First Round)
designation Seema (Second Round)
Brief Profile Economics Honours, St. Stephen’s College
No Work Ex
Interview questions Round 1: What drives you to do well at academics?
A truck company has just entered India. They want you to design a financing
strategy for them. Basically they want to ensure that people who want to buy their
trucks will have access to financing.
Round 2: The government wants to redesign the way it supplies vaccines to rural
areas. What parts of the supply chain will you outsource?
Narration of the case interview The partner started off by asking me about academics (I had a really high CGPA that
time) and I asked him a bit about how he was also one of the top rankers in his time
at Lucknow (he’d mentioned this at the BCG dinner earlier). He then gave me the
case question. I started by focussing on the different factors that were important for
a person to get loans from banks (like creditworthiness, availability etc.) He said the
structure was fine but he wanted me to focus more on the link between financing
and the truck purchase. So I figured out that I needed to understand their target
customers better. We discussed that for a while. It turned out that there were two
kinds of customers (forming 50% of the total each) One was large fleet owners who
bought lots of trucks together and had no trouble with financing. The others were
smaller ‘players’. They took a loan from a local moneylender and used the purchased
truck as collateral. So I suggested we focus on the smaller guys (because they did not
have access to traditional financing) and try to get the moneylenders to promote our
trucks. He then drew a couple of graphs and asked me to figure out what kind of
monetary compensation we could offer the moneylender.
What do you think went right in The case was really different from the ones I had done earlier so I really enjoyed it. It
this interview? didn’t really feel like a case interview at all, felt more like a discussion. I was able to
pick up the clues well.
What do you think went wrong Can’t think of anything.
in this interview?
Any tips for future batches on Try to have fun. Don’t fret too much about how many cases you have practiced.
McKinsey & Co.

Name: ANURADHA TYAGI
Name of interviewer and Round 1: Pradeep (Principal)
designation Round 2: Navtez (Partner)
Round 3: Mandar (Partner)
Brief Profile Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, Economics (Hons), Analyst in
the Advisory Practice at Ernst & Young
Interview questions Round 1: Apply Econometrics and other Economics concepts to define the
distribution of ticket price between Lufthansa & United Airways if a passenger pays
INR 50,000 to fly the route Delhi-Frankfurt-New York. (Lufthansa takes the
passenger till Frankfurt and United Airways from Frankfurt till NY)

Ans : Bargaining power, occupancy ratios, original ticket costs for standalone routes-
Range for Lufthansa is INR (15,000-30,000) & Range for United Airways is INR
(35,000-45,000)
Round 2: Presentation to the industry about projections of supply & demand of Oil
& Natural Gas in India by 2025. Explain all parameters involved in the projections
Ans: No clear-cut answer in this case. Was tested on general understanding and
ability to tap as many levers as possible
Round 3: You seem to be inclined towards Theatre. Let us try and understand the
functioning of Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon-its profitability and possible
recommendations if any
Ans: Again, case involved numbers and exploring several factors. I don’t remember
the exact answer but the revenues came to approximately 5 crores annually, not too
sure.
Narration of the case interview All three cases stemmed from casual conversations with the respective people. The
first one started with talk about my favourite subjects within Economics, the second
was after I was asked about my background (my father works with RIL) & the third
was when my interest in theatre was questioned. Hence, the point I am trying to
make is that please be clear about what you speak because your case can be an off-
shoot of the conversation.
CASE 1: My questions resulted in me getting details about the occupancy ratios of

the two airlines, competitor airlines, routes travelled by both the airlines, preference
of passengers etc. The right questions and numbers helped me clarify relevant points
& discuss some economics concepts which the interviewer wanted to see.
CASE 2: I was not given any data or prior information and hence had to make
assumptions and clarify my logic at each stage. Started with 3 scenarios-worst,
expected & good. Went on to explain why demand in this industry would always
grow & hence supply should be the focus. Delved into India’s dependence on
imports, bureaucracy issues, treaties with other nations-India-Afghanistan pipeline,
political scenario of OPEC countries & other oil rich nations like Iran, geologists &
their ability to tap the right oil fields, Risk Analysis-Probability & Severity of finding
oil in India (this point fetched me great review) & of course, not to forget the
regulatory environment in India & Public-private players in the Industry.
Some substantial arguments were discussed and I came up with some other
parameters & a conclusion.
CASE 3: In order to understand the case, I questioned about the revenue levers and
what I think was the business model-different shows-main v/s others, footfall,
income through business besides shows, peak season etc.
Discussed cost levers & made a couple of recommendations based on the
parameters.
What do you think went right in Structured cases, exhaustive option generation, relaxed & confident personality and
this interview? ability to build a connect with each administrator in all rounds
What do you think went wrong Nothing really. I maintained my cool and came across as relaxed and composed for
in this interview? all three rounds. My feedback from the firm while they made the offer was that I
managed to keep myself very calm and my cases structured even though at times it
seemed difficult.
Any tips for future batches on -Do not give up at any point in time during any case. Sometimes the case may not be
the basis of your experience your comfort area but you need to drive yourself till the end & that matters
-When numbers are thrown at you, keep your cool and work it out without being
under any pressure. It’s better to get the right answer than mess up simple math
-Practice cases and be clear about HR answers. Nothing should precede the other,
give equal importance to both
Name: Swati Sengar
Name of interviewer and Deepak, Partner
designation
Brief Profile B.Com (Hons) from Shri Ram College of Commerce

23 months work experience with KPMG

Interview questions Since it was Deepak’s first interview of the day, he didn’t want to do a case. It was a
20-30 minutes HR interview. The broad questions were:
- About work experience ( I focussed on achievements and initiatives)
- About dance (my spike as per my CV: I focussed on leadership skills, handling
failures and motivation skills adopted)
- Biggest failure in life
- Conflict management techniques used in teams
- Academic performance at IIML (he was referring to my CGP of term 1)
- Life at IIML ( I focussed on my learnings, positive and negative aspects)
Narration of the case interview No case
What do you think went right in Since it was my first interview of the day, I was quite enthusiastic and had a big smile
this interview? on my face (appearance is very important). I was relieved when Deepak told me that
he didn’t want to do a case. I tried to answer in a story-telling format (its important
that the interviewer understands the flow of the answer).
I believe my energy level was good and I was quite confident while conversing with
Deepak (important to note that its a conversation and not a question-answer
session).
Before entering the room, a senior had told me that Deepak was in Australia for 2
years so I brought it up in the conversation.
Also, Deepak was among the first batch of students who were recruited by
McKinsey. I asked him about his experience and he seemed quite emotional about it.
What do you think went wrong For a few questions like biggest failure in life, I first gave an answer which he
in this interview? thought was an achievement and not a failure. Later, I substantiated the answer with
another instance which seemed to satisfy him.
I was using my hands a little too much and I think Deepak was getting distracted by
the movement.
Any tips for future batches on - Its very important to keep energy level high
the basis of your experience - Engage the interviewer in a conversation and don’t stop yourself from saying
something by virtue of being the interviewee. Give yourself importance and talk
proudly about your past experiences
- Pick up hints thrown by the interviewer
- A firm handshake always works and exudes confidence
- Don’t freak out and have fun

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Foreword

The Consulting & Strategy Club

Anurag | Ayush | Megha | Sourav | Supratik | Vatsal

2. 2018 Summers Interview Experiences

3. 2018 Finals Interview Experiences

4. Previous Year Interview Experiences

Suggested Frameworks by Case category

Profitability Case Approach

Pricing Case Approach

2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences

1. Time - ( Wait time at tolls/check points, congestion in certain routes,

3. Transit loss/damage- (Nature of goods(perishable/non-

a)Pre-payment of tolls ( pre-paid accounts, which already have balance in it

2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences

c) (Took some time to think for another alternative)

Complete Case Transcript Case I-

I: If I am a 60 year old person looking to implement blockchain technology

2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences

2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences

2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences

Q - How will you price a multi-functional shoe (one of my CV projects) ?

2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences

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Note: The solution involved application of marketing concepts as well - like

I: How is life going at IIM Lucknow? How did 4 months go?

I: Any questions for me?

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Alvarez & Marsal

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Bain & Company

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End of the interview:

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2018 | Summers | Interview Experiences