100 Best Case Study Questions for Your Next Customer Spotlight

Brittany Fuller

Published: November 29, 2022

Case studies and testimonials are helpful to have in your arsenal. But to build an effective library, you need to ask the right case study questions. You also need to know how to write a case study .

marketing team coming up with case study questions

Case studies are customers' stories that your sales team can use to share relevant content with prospects . Not only that, but case studies help you earn a prospect's trust, show them what life would be like as your customer, and validate that your product or service works for your clients.

Before you start building your library of case studies, check out our list of 100 case study questions to ask your clients. With this helpful guide, you'll have the know-how to build your narrative using the " Problem-Agitate-Solve " Method.

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What makes a good case study questionnaire?

The ultimate list of case study questions, how to ask your customer for a case study, creating an effective case study.

Certain key elements make up a good case study questionnaire.

A questionnaire should never feel like an interrogation. Instead, aim to structure your case study questions like a conversation. Some of the essential things that your questionnaire should cover include:

  • The problem faced by the client before choosing your organization.
  • Why they chose your company.
  • How your product solved the problem clients faced.
  • The measurable results of the service provided.
  • Data and metrics that prove the success of your service or product, if possible.

You can adapt these considerations based on how your customers use your product and the specific answers or quotes that you want to receive.

What makes a good case study question?

A good case study question delivers a powerful message to leads in the decision stage of your prospective buyer's journey.

Since your client has agreed to participate in a case study, they're likely enthusiastic about the service you provide. Thus, a good case study question hands the reins over to the client and opens a conversation.

Try asking open-ended questions to encourage your client to talk about the excellent service or product you provide.

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Categories for the Best Case Study Questions

  • Case study questions about the customer's business
  • Case study questions about the environment before the purchase
  • Case study questions about the decision process
  • Case study questions about the customer's business case
  • Case study questions about the buying team and internal advocates
  • Case study questions about customer success
  • Case study questions about product feedback
  • Case study questions about willingness to make referrals
  • Case study question to prompt quote-worthy feedback
  • Case study questions about the customers' future goals

common case study questions

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business

Knowing the customer's business is an excellent way of setting the tone for a case study.

Use these questions to get some background information about the company and its business goals. This information can be used to introduce the business at the beginning of the case study — plus, future prospects might resonate with their stories and become leads for you.

  • Would you give me a quick overview of [company]? This is an opportunity for the client to describe their business in their own words. You'll get useful background information and it's an easy prompt to get the client talking.
  • Can you describe your role? This will give you a better idea of the responsibilities they are subject to.
  • How do your role and team fit into the company and its goals? Knowing how the team functions to achieve company goals will help you formulate how your solution involves all stakeholders.
  • How long has your company been in business? Getting this information will help the reader gauge if pain points are specific to a startup or new company vs. a veteran company.
  • How many employees do you have? Another great descriptor for readers to have. They can compare the featured company size with their own.
  • Is your company revenue available? If so, what is it? This will give your readers background information on the featured company's gross sales.
  • Who is your target customer? Knowing who the target audience is will help you provide a better overview of their market for your case study readers.
  • How does our product help your team or company achieve its objectives? This is one of the most important questions because it is the basis of the case study. Get specifics on how your product provided a solution for your client. You want to be able to say "X company implemented our solution and achieved Y. "
  • How are our companies aligned (mission, strategy, culture, etc.)? If any attributes of your company's mission or culture appealed to the client, call it out.

How many people are on your team? What are their roles? This will help describe key players within the organization and their impact on the implementation of your solution.

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Environment Before the Purchase

A good case study is designed to build trust. Ask clients to describe the tools and processes they used before your product or service. These kinds of case study questions will highlight the business' need they had to fulfill and appeal to future clients.

  • What was your team's process prior to using our product? This will give the reader a baseline to compare the results for your company's product.
  • Were there any costs associated with the process prior to using our product? Was it more expensive? Was it worth the cost? How did the product affect the client's bottom line? This will be a useful metric to disclose if your company saved the client money or was more cost-efficient.
  • What were the major pain points of your process prior to using our product? Describe these obstacles in detail. You want the reader to get as much information on the problem as possible as it sets up the reasoning for why your company's solution was implemented.
  • Did our product replace a similar tool or is this the first time your team is using a product like this? Were they using a similar product? If so, having this information may give readers a reason to choose your brand over the competition.
  • What other challenges were you and your team experiencing prior to using our product? The more details you can give readers regarding the client's struggles, the better. You want to paint a full picture of the challenges the client faced and how your company resolved them.
  • Were there any concerns about how your customers would be impacted by using our product? Getting answers to this question will illustrate to readers the client's concerns about switching to your service. Your readers may have similar concerns and reading how your client worked through this process will be helpful.
  • Why didn't you buy our product or a similar product earlier? Have the client describe any hesitations they had using your product. Their concerns may be relatable to potential leads.
  • Were there any "dealbreakers" involved in your decision to become a customer? Describing how your company was able to provide a solution that worked within those parameters demonstrates how accommodating your brand is and how you put the customer first. It's also great to illustrate any unique challenges the client had. This better explains their situation to the reader.
  • Did you have to make any changes you weren't anticipating once you became a customer? Readers of your case study can learn how switching to your product came with some unexpected changes (good or bad) and how they navigated them. If you helped your client with troubleshooting, ask them to explain that here.

How has your perception of the product changed since you've become a customer? Get the interviewee to describe how your product changed how they do business. This includes how your product accomplished what they previously thought was impossible.

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Decision Process

Readers of the case study will be interested in which factors influenced the decision-making process for the client. If they can relate to that process, there's a bigger chance they'll buy your product.

The answers to these questions will help potential customers through their decision-making process.

  • How did you hear about our product? If the client chose to work with you based on a recommendation or another positive case study, include that. It will demonstrate that you are a trusted brand with an established reputation for delivering results.
  • How long had you been looking for a solution to this problem? This will add to the reader's understanding of how these particular challenges impacted the company before choosing your product.
  • Were you comparing alternative solutions? Which ones? This will demonstrate to readers that the client explored other options before choosing your company.
  • Would you describe a few of the reasons you decided to buy our product? Ask the interviewee to describe why they chose your product over the competition and any benefits your company offered that made you stand out.
  • What were the criteria you used when deciding to buy our product? This will give readers more background insight into the factors that impacted their decision-making process.
  • Were there any high-level initiatives or goals that prompted the decision to buy? For example, was this decision motivated by a company-wide vision? Prompt your clients to discuss what lead to the decision to work with you and how you're the obvious choice.
  • What was the buying process like? Did you notice anything exceptional or any points of friction? This is an opportunity for the client to comment on how seamless and easy you make the buying process. Get them to describe what went well from start to finish.
  • How would you have changed the buying process, if at all? This is an opportunity for you to fine-tune your process to accommodate future buyers.
  • Who on your team was involved in the buying process? This will give readers more background on the key players involved from executives to project managers. With this information, readers can see who they may potentially need to involve in the decision-making process on their teams.

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Customer's Business Case

Your case study questions should ask about your product or solution's impact on the customer's employees, teams, metrics, and goals. These questions allow the client to praise the value of your service and tell others exactly what benefits they derived from it.

When readers review your product or service's impact on the client, it enforces the belief that the case study is credible.

  • How long have you been using our product? This will help readers gauge how long it took to see results and your overall satisfaction with the product or service.
  • How many different people at your company use our product? This will help readers gauge how they can adapt the product to their teams if similar in size.
  • Are there multiple departments or teams using our product? This will demonstrate how great of an impact your product has made across departments.
  • How do you and your team currently use the product? What types of goals or tasks are you using the product to accomplish? Get specifics on how the product actively helps the client achieve their goals.
  • If other teams or departments are using our product, do you know how they're using it? With this information, leads can picture how they can use your product across their teams and how it may improve their workflow and metrics.
  • What was the most obvious advantage you felt our product offered during the sales process? The interviewee should explain the benefits they've gained from using your product or service. This is important for convincing other leads you are better than the competition.
  • Were there any other advantages you discovered after using the product more regularly? Your interviewee may have experienced some additional benefits from using your product. Have them describe in detail what these advantages are and how they've helped the company improve.
  • Are there any metrics or KPIs you track with our product? What are they? The more numbers and data the client can provide, the better.
  • Were you tracking any metrics prior to using our product? What were they? This will allow readers to get a clear, before-and-after comparison of using your product.
  • How has our product impacted your core metrics? This is an opportunity for your clients to drive home how your product assisted them in hitting their metrics and goals.

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Buying Team and Internal Advocates

See if there are any individuals at the customer's company who are advocates for your product.

  • Are there any additional team members you consider to be advocates for our product? For example, does anyone stick out as a "power user" or product expert on your team? You may want to interview and include these power users in your case study as well. Consider asking them for tips on using your service or product.
  • Is there anyone else on your team you think we should talk to? Again, the more people can share their experience using your product, the better.
  • Are there any team members who you think might not be the biggest fans of our product or who might need more training? Providing extra support to those struggling with your product may improve their user experience and turn into an opportunity to not only learn about their obstacles but turn them into a product fan
  • Would you share some details about how your team implemented our product? Get as much information as possible about the rollout. Hopefully, they'll gush about how seamless the process was.
  • Who from your company was involved in implementing our product? This will give readers more insight into who needs to be involved for a successful rollout of their own.
  • Were there any internal risks or additional costs involved with implementing our product? If so, how did you address them? This will give insight into the client's process and rollout and this case study question will likely provide tips on what potential leads should be on the lookout for.
  • Is there a training process in place for your team's use of our product? If so, what does it look like? If your company provided support and training to the client, have them describe that experience.
  • About how long does it take a new team member to get up to speed with our product? This will help leads determine how much time it will take to onboard an employee to your using your product. If a new user can quickly get started seamlessly, it bodes well for you.
  • What was your main concern about rolling this product out to your company? Describing their challenges in detail will provide readers with useful insight.

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Case Study Interview Questions About Customer Success

Has the customer found success with your product? Ask these questions to learn more.

  • By using our product can you measure any reduced costs? If it has, you'll want to emphasize those savings in your case study.
  • By using our product can you measure any improvements in productivity or time savings? Any metrics or specific stories your interviewee can provide will help demonstrate the value of your product.
  • By using our product can you measure any increases in revenue or growth? Again, say it with numbers and data whenever possible.
  • Are you likely to recommend our product to a friend or colleague? Recommendations from existing customers are some of the best marketing you can get.
  • How has our product impacted your success? Your team's success? Getting the interviewee to describe how your product played an integral role in solving their challenges will show leads that they can also have success using your product.
  • In the beginning, you had XYZ concerns; how do you feel about them now? Let them explain how working with your company eliminated those concerns.
  • I noticed your team is currently doing XYZ with our product. Tell me more about how that helps your business. Illustrate to your readers how current customers are using your product to solve additional challenges. It will convey how versatile your product is.
  • Have you thought about using our product for a new use case with your team or at your company? The more examples of use cases the client can provide, the better.
  • How do you measure the value our product provides? Have the interviewee illustrate what metrics they use to gauge the product's success and how. Data is helpful, but you should go beyond the numbers. Maybe your product improved company morale and how teams work together.

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Case Study Interview Questions About Product Feedback

Ask the customer if they'd recommend your product to others. A strong recommendation will help potential clients be more open to purchasing your product.

  • How do other companies in this industry solve the problems you had before you purchased our product? This will give you insight into how other companies may be functioning without your product and how you can assist them.
  • Have you ever talked about our product to any of your clients or peers? What did you say? This can provide you with more leads and a chance to get a referral.
  • Why would you recommend our product to a friend or client? Be sure they pinpoint which features they would highlight in a recommendation.
  • Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. Your interviewee may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
  • What is your advice for other teams or companies who are tackling problems similar to those you had before you purchased our product? This is another opportunity for your client to talk up your product or service.
  • Do you know someone in X industry who has similar problems to the ones you had prior to using our product? The client can make an introduction so you can interview them about their experience as well.
  • I noticed you work with Company Y. Do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.
  • Does your company participate in any partner or referral programs? Having a strong referral program will help you increase leads and improve customer retention.
  • Can I send you a referral kit as a thank-you for making a referral and give you the tools to refer someone to us? This is a great strategy to request a referral while rewarding your existing customers.
  • Are you interested in working with us to produce additional marketing content? The more opportunities you can showcase happy customers, the better.

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Case Study Interview Questions About Willingness to Make Referrals

  • How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or client? Ideally, they would definitely refer your product to someone they know.
  • Can you think of any use cases your customers might have for our product? Again, your interviewee is a great source for more leads. Similar industries may have similar issues that need solutions. They may be able to provide a use case you haven't come up with.
  • I noticed you work with Company Y; do you know if they are having any pain points with these processes? This will help you learn how your product has impacted your client's customers and gain insight into what can be improved.

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Case Study Interview Questions to Prompt Quote-Worthy Feedback

Enhance your case study with quotable soundbites from the customer. By asking these questions, prospects have more insight into other clients and their success with your product — which helps build trust.

  • How would you describe your process in one sentence prior to using our product? Ideally, this sentence would quickly and descriptively sum up the most prominent pain point or challenge with the previous process.
  • What is your advice to others who might be considering our product? Readers can learn from your customer's experience.
  • What would your team's workflow or process be like without our product? This will drive home the value your product provides and how essential it is to their business.
  • Do you think the investment in our product was worthwhile? Why? Have your customer make the case for the value you provide.
  • What would you say if we told you our product would soon be unavailable? What would this mean to you? Again, this illustrates how integral your product is to their business.
  • How would you describe our product if you were explaining it to a friend? Your customers can often distill the value of your product to their friends better than you can.
  • What do you love about your job? Your company? This gives the reader more background on your customer and their industry.
  • What was the worst part of your process before you started using our product? Ideally, they'd reiterate how your product helped solve this challenge.
  • What do you love about our product? Another great way to get the customer's opinion about what makes your product worth it.
  • Why do you do business with us? Hopefully, your interviewee will share how wonderful your business relationship is.

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Case Study Interview Questions About the Customers' Future Goals

Ask the customer about their goals, challenges, and plans for the future. This will provide insight into how a business can grow with your product.

  • What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for your industry? Chances are potential leads within the same industry will have similar challenges.
  • What are your goals for the next three months? Knowing their short-term goals will enable your company to get some quick wins for the client.
  • How would you like to use our product to meet those challenges and goals? This will help potential leads understand that your product can help their business as they scale and grow.
  • Is there anything we can do to help you and your team meet your goals? If you haven't covered it already, this will allow your interviewee to express how you can better assist them.
  • Do you think you will buy more, less, or about the same amount of our product next year? This can help you gauge how your product is used and why.
  • What are the growth plans for your company this year? Your team? This will help you gain insight into how your product can help them achieve future goals.
  • How can we help you meet your long-term goals? Getting specifics on the needs of your clients will help you create a unique solution designed for their needs.
  • What is the long-term impact of using our product? Get their feedback on how your product has created a lasting impact.
  • Are there any initiatives that you personally would like to achieve that our product or team can help with? Again, you want to continue to provide products that help your customers excel.
  • What will you need from us in the future? This will help you anticipate the customer's business needs.
  • Is there anything we can do to improve our product or process for working together in the future? The more feedback you can get about what is and isn't working, the better.

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Before you can start putting together your case study, you need to ask your customer's permission.

If you have a customer who's seen success with your product, reach out to them. Use this template to get started:

Thank you & quick request

Hi [customer name],

Thanks again for your business — working with you to [solve X, launch Y, take advantage of Z opportunity] has been extremely rewarding, and I'm looking forward to more collaboration in the future.

[Name of your company] is building a library of case studies to include on our site. We're looking for successful companies using [product] to solve interesting challenges, and your team immediately came to mind. Are you open to [customer company name] being featured?

It should be a lightweight process — [I, a product marketer] will ask you roughly [10, 15, 20] questions via email or phone about your experience and results. This case study will include a blurb about your company and a link to your homepage (which hopefully will make your SEO team happy!)

In any case, thank you again for the chance to work with you, and I hope you have a great week.

[Your name]

common case study questions

If one of your customers has recently passed along some praise (to you, their account manager, your boss; on an online forum; to another potential customer; etc.), then send them a version of this email:

Hey [customer name],

Thanks for the great feedback — I'm really glad to hear [product] is working well for you and that [customer company name] is getting the results you're looking for.

My team is actually in the process of building out our library of case studies, and I'd love to include your story. Happy to provide more details if you're potentially interested.

Either way, thank you again, and I look forward to getting more updates on your progress.

common case study questions

You can also find potential case study customers by usage or product data. For instance, maybe you see a company you sold to 10 months ago just bought eight more seats or upgraded to a new tier. Clearly, they're happy with the solution. Try this template:

I saw you just [invested in our X product; added Y more users; achieved Z product milestone]. Congratulations! I'd love to share your story using [product] with the world -- I think it's a great example of how our product + a dedicated team and a good strategy can achieve awesome results.

Are you open to being featured? If so, I'll send along more details.

common case study questions

Case Study Benefits

  • Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.
  • Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.
  • Case studies are easily sharable.
  • Case studies build rapport with your customers.
  • Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

1. Case studies are a form of customer advocacy.

If you haven't noticed, customers aren't always quick to trust a brand's advertisements and sales strategies.

With every other brand claiming to be the best in the business, it's hard to sort exaggeration from reality.

This is the most important reason why case studies are effective. They are testimonials from your customers of your service. If someone is considering your business, a case study is a much more convincing piece of marketing or sales material than traditional advertising.

2. Case studies provide a joint-promotion opportunity.

Your business isn't the only one that benefits from a case study. Customers participating in case studies benefit, too.

Think about it. Case studies are free advertisements for your customers, not to mention the SEO factor, too. While they're not promoting their products or services, they're still getting the word out about their business. And, the case study highlights how successful their business is — showing interested leads that they're on the up and up.

3. Case studies are easily sharable.

No matter your role on the sales team, case studies are great to have on hand. You can easily share them with leads, prospects, and clients.

Whether you embed them on your website or save them as a PDF, you can simply send a link to share your case study with others. They can share that link with their peers and colleagues, and so on.

Case studies can also be useful during a sales pitch. In sales, timing is everything. If a customer is explaining a problem that was solved and discussed in your case study, you can quickly find the document and share it with them.

4. Case studies build rapport with your customers.

While case studies are very useful, they do require some back and forth with your customers to obtain the exact feedback you're looking for.

Even though time is involved, the good news is this builds rapport with your most loyal customers. You get to know them on a personal level, and they'll become more than just your most valuable clients.

And, the better the rapport you have with them, the more likely they'll be to recommend your business, products, or services to others.

5. Case studies are less opinionated than customer reviews.

Data is the difference between a case study and a review. Customer reviews are typically based on the customer's opinion of your brand. While they might write a glowing review, it's completely subjective and there's rarely empirical evidence supporting their claim.

Case studies, on the other hand, are more data-driven. While they'll still talk about how great your brand is, they support this claim with quantitative data that's relevant to the reader. It's hard to argue with data.

An effective case study must be genuine and credible. Your case study should explain why certain customers are the right fit for your business and how your company can help meet their specific needs. That way, someone in a similar situation can use your case study as a testimonial for why they should choose your business.

Use the case study questions above to create an ideal customer case study questionnaire. By asking your customers the right questions, you can obtain valuable feedback that can be shared with potential leads and convert them into loyal customers.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Table of Contents

The most common product manager case study question types.

  • December 30, 2020

Richard Chen

common case study questions

Congratulations on getting a Product Manager interview and making it to the case study round. Getting this far along the process is a real accomplishment, although it’s nowhere near the finish line. You have got to dominate the case study round first! To ace your Product Manager case study questions, first, you have to know what to expect. Given the plethora of companies and resources online, it might be tough to navigate your way to the right types of questions to solve when prepping for your next case study interview.

After mentoring more than a thousand members and helping them land the Product Manager job of their dreams, we have noticed a few trending patterns in the case studies they were given. While every company has its style when it comes to interviewing, there are certain types of questions that we continuously see appear in case study interviews.

In this article, we categorize these questions by what they ask you to do and how you should approach them. Here are the four common types of Product Manager case study questions that you should expect in your case study interview, ordered from the most common to least common:

  • Product Design Questions
  • Product Strategy Questions

Estimation and Analysis Questions

Scheduling/operational questions, product design case study questions.

If there is one thing we know about Product Manager case study interviews, it’s that you’ll get a product design question, regardless of where you interview. This should be no surprise to you as the Product Manager’s primary duty is to develop unique products that address the needs and desires of their target market.

Some companies will ask you to whiteboard your response within minutes while others will give you a week to turn your ideas into professional deliverables. Regardless, you’ll face product design questions.

Interviewers could ask these questions in many different ways. Here are eight common kinds of product design questions you should be expecting:

  • Design a product to help users find doctors on Facebook. ( Facebook )
  • How would you improve Google Maps? ( Google )
  • You’re a part of the Google Search webspam team: How would you detect duplicate websites? (Google)
  • Name any product you love and any product you despise and explain your reasoning for both cases. ( Amazon )
  • We aim to generate 100K monthly recurring customers with our product XYZ. What product or customer offerings would you create to help the team reach their goal? (Walmart)
  • You work for a mobile photo-sharing app that sees many users posting photos at shops and restaurants. The leadership team would like to figure out a way to monetize this organic relationship. What would you build? (Venmo)
  • You’re the Product Manager of a team that focuses on financial products for our drivers. You’re tasked with designing a financial product (or suite of products) that addresses our drivers’ needs in Brazil. ( Uber )
  • Go to our website and sign up as a Hiring Manager. Identify three places where the customer experience could be better. (Upwork)

Designing Everyday Products

Believe it or not, product management is not limited to complex software products. Every object you’ve encountered went through some sort of product management and design process!

So, in your case study interview, don’t be surprised if you encounter a couple of questions like these:

  • How would you redesign your shower?
  • How would you design an elevator for a 100-floor building?
  • How would you design sunglasses for babies?

Thinking about the problems faced by users is the key to answering these questions .

How to Answer Product Design Case Study Questions

Designing a new product out of the blue with a limited time might sound intimidating, but it’s not impossible.

Start by questioning the product that you were just asked about. Ask your interviewer for more constraints and understand what kinds of assumptions you should make before jumping into prototyping. Many candidates who receive take-home assignments think it’s impossible to ask your interviewer questions, but this is actually the most important first step to take in approaching your case study . Before you begin forming your own answers, you need to get as many details from them as you can.

Once you clarified the assumptions, think about the kinds of users this product would be serving. What are their needs? What are they actively looking for? Are there any existing products that satisfy these needs? The critical skill to demonstrate while addressing product design case study questions is customer empathy. You have to understand what the customer wants and design your product or feature accordingly.

After you define your target persona, think about all the features and metrics to measure the success of these features. Keep in mind that whatever you come up with is open for improvement. You want to show your interviewer that you can think beyond the MVP.

As you can see from the broad spectrum of questions above, you might be asked to design a product from scratch or to improve an existing product. Some questions will explicitly tell you to focus on a specific OKR, while others will leave everything ambiguous to challenge you to think more.  For some extra insight and examples, watch our case study instructor Roman Kolosovskiy solving a popular Facebook product design question:

Product Strategy Case Study Questions

Product strategy questions started trending recently as many companies seek intuitive Product Managers who can take ownership beyond the scope of the product they were hired to work on.

Unlike product design questions, strategy questions require you to think about the bigger picture. You’ll either be asked to find ways to make a product (and hence define success for the product) or to complete the overall organization more successfully.

Here are five of the most frequently asked product strategy questions to prep for:

  • If you were Google’s CEO, would you be concerned about Microsoft? (Google)
  • How would you improve product/feature X (where X is something that the company is currently working on or selling)?
  • How would you improve Google Maps? (Google)
  • How would you set goals and measure success for Facebook notifications? (Facebook)
  • How would you monetize Facebook messenger? (Facebook)
  • How would you determine the right price and method to promote product XYZ, and why? (Amazon)
  • Imagine you’re a PM that works with big data. Now what? (Microsoft)

How to Solve Product Strategy Case Study Questions

Remember: no product is created in a single iteration. Even the most perfect product has room for improvement. To solve these questions, you need to be well informed about the company and its products/services. Here are some of the main points you should be addressing with your response to strategy questions:

  • How does a particular product contribute to the company’s overall business?
  • What businesses, markets, or products should the company focus on to reach its targets?
  • What metrics should the company focus on to be successful?

Consider the company’s business model, competitors, and the recent developments in that industry. The essential skill you need to demonstrate here is analytical thinking. You should identify the key OKRs to define success for your product and organization. These questions also test your prioritization skills.

Note that these questions will most likely appear during the interview itself as it’s quite challenging to prepare deliverables for them. Like product design questions, they are very ambiguous. The only way to solve them entirely is by narrowing them down first with questions.

Many companies ask estimation questions during the case study round . If you are wondering how these questions assess your product management skills, you can consider them a method for the interviewers to understand how comfortable you are making decisions with limited data.

Long story short, they want to see how you use data to derive the KPIs you need for your product. Here are seven examples of estimation questions you might face:

  • How many queries per second does Gmail get? (Google)
  • As the Product Manager for Google Glass ‘Enterprise Edition’, which metrics would you track? How do you know if the product is successful? (Google)
  • How much revenue does YouTube make per day? (Google)
  • How would you go about estimating the number of gas stations in the USA? (Microsoft)
  • How would you track user engagement in an app, and what KPIs would you use to improve it? (Microsoft)
  • How would you measure the success of the Netflix recommendation engine? (Netflix)
  • Ride cancellations shot up 4.5% week-over-week (WoW). How would you investigate what’s going on? (Uber)

Most of these questions will require you to calculate how many users would use a product that the company is currently providing or thinking of producing, how much revenue a product would bring to the company, what the market acquisition percentage would be, etc.

These questions are mostly asked during the interview. To solve them without internet access is only possible by learning the fundamental values of the company beforehand. This includes the revenue it makes or the approximate number of users it has. You should also be able to calculate their critical KPIs.

Operational questions are scarce, but we have seen more companies lately relying on them to assess the candidates’ ability to turn ideas into deliverable tasks.

A significant aspect of product management is stakeholder management, and these questions challenge you to distribute work items to the related stakeholder or team member. You are also asked to come up with a realistic delivery schedule. Your knowledge of Agile principles — especially for software products — is also essential.

If you need to review agile principles, check out this video:

Note that for most operational case study questions, the interviewer will require you to write a detailed delivery schedule and write user stories and tasks.

Here are two examples of case study questions to get you familiar with the task:

  • Write the Jira ticket(s) for engineering for the idea you want to execute. (Upwork)
  • Outline a brief (1-2 page) launch plan that would cover the activities and tasks needed to launch the feature successfully. Be sure to touch on both internal and external stakeholders, and include potential launch goals. (Stitch Data)

Need More Case Study Advice?

Or if you need a hand with the job-hunting process as a whole, let us help you. We’re scheduling free 20-minute career coaching sessions with our in-house team. Give us a call and learn how Product Gym can help you ace every round of the Product Manager interview.

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9 Types of Questions in Actual Case Interviews

Case interviews at management consulting firms are among the most difficult job interviews, but they are also quite predictable. Once you know the types of questions they ask, preparation is straightforward.

Using years of experience at McKinsey, as well as field reports from thousands of candidates, I’ve crafted a list of 8 common case interview questions, and in this article, I’ll show you how to answer each of them.

Case interview questions – Overview

Types of case interview questions .

Most questions in case interviews belong to one of these 9 types:

1. Framework/issue tree questions 2. Market-sizing and guesstimate questions 3. Valuation questions 4. Brain teaser questions 5. Chart insight questions 6. Value proposition questions 7. Information questions 8. Math problems 9. Solution-finding questions

In this article, we’ll discuss how to answer each question, along with the necessary tips and tricks.

How to answer case interview questions

There are the fo ur basic steps to answer case interview questions:

  • Step 1: Clarify any unclear points in the question
  • Step 2: Announce approach and ask for time
  • Step 3: Draw issue trees to solve the given problem
  • Step 4: Pitch your answer and end with a takeaway conclusion.

This general outline may vary depending on each type and each question – for example, brain teasers or information questions need only the last step, while market-sizing and framework questions need all four steps to deliver the perfect answer.

Type 1 – Framework/Issue tree questions

These are on top of the list among popular case interview questions!

common case study questions

If the interviewer asks you to identify factors contributing to a problem or to break down an entity (such as the revenue of a business), he/she is telling you to draw an issue tree.

And to draw a spot-on issue tree, you need to master consulting problem-solving foundations , the MECE principle , and common consulting frameworks . You should check out our other articles on these topics before moving on, because mastering the issue tree is the key to acing every possible case interview.

You also need good business intuition to draw good issue trees, so that’s all the more reason to start reading every day.

Gastronomia – a gourmet restaurant chain has found the turnover rate among its highly-skilled chefs increasing dramatically for the last 3 years; this has led to a noticeable decline in food quality and increased training costs, among other negative effects.

Which factors would you consider when tackling this turnover problem?

common case study questions

Job: Factors from the job itself. Further divided into 3 sub-branches

  • Compensations: are the salaries, bonuses, and benefits attractive enough?
  • Difficulty: is the job too difficult?
  • Nature: is the job too boring, too unengaging, too repetitive…?

Company: Factors from the work environment within the restaurant chain, surrounding the affected jobs. Further divided into 2 sub-branches

  • Cultural environment: is the culture at Gastronomia compatible with the chefs?
  • Physical environment: is the physical working environment at Gastronomia safe, comfortable, convenient…?

Competitors: Factors from outside the restaurant chain, related to competing job offers. Further divided into 2 sub-branches.

  • Inside industry: are other restaurant chains competing with Gastronomia for skilled personnel?
  • Outside industry: are there new career options or changes in existing alternatives that draw chefs away from restaurant chains like Gastronomia?

For detailed guides on issue trees, frameworks and their principles, see the articles on Issue Trees , Case Interview Frameworks, and MECE Principle

Type 2 – Market-sizing & guesstimate

These questions go along the lines of “How many trees are there in Central Park?” or “What’s the market size of pick-up trucks in the USA?”

The key to nailing market-sizing and guesstimate questions lies in not the closest results, but the most logical and structured approaches. In fact, the interviewer expects you to follow these four steps:

Step 1: Clarify: Make sure you and the interviewer are on the same page regarding every detail and terminology, so you won’t be answering the wrong question.

Step 2: Break down the problem: Break the item in the question (number of trees in Central Park, market size of pickup trucks) down into smaller, easy-to-estimate pieces.

Step 3: Solve each piece: Estimate each small piece one at a time; each estimation should be backed by facts, figures, or at least observations.

Step 4: Consolidate the pieces: Combine the previous estimations to arrive at a final result; be quick with the math, but don’t rush it if you aren’t confident.

Unless you come up with something about 10 times the reasonable estimate, don’t worry about being “wrong” – the interviewer is unlikely to have a “correct” number in mind, he/she just wants to see your structured mindset.

This question type is so common, we devote a whole article to it, and our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program have a separate package on these questions. Check out our comprehensive guide on Market-Sizing & Guesstimate Questions for more details!

Now, here’s a quick example for you to try and get used to this type:

How many smartphones are sold each year, globally?

  • Smartphones are phones using exclusively touch-screens.
  • “Sold” means sold to the end-consumers. 
  • The market size is calculated at present.

Break down the problem:

The global smartphone market can be divided into three segments – developed countries, developing countries, and undeveloped countries.

In each segment, the annual unit sales of smartphones depend on four variables:

  • The percentage of “phone-owning age” people among the population
  • The percentage of smartphone owners within the “phone-owning age” group.
  • The average, annual, per capita “consumption” of smartphones for those owners.

Solve each piece:

  • The population is 1.5 billion in developed countries, 5.5 billion in developing countries, and 1 billion in undeveloped countries.
  • 80% of the world population is in the “phone-owning age” (Global life expectancy is 70 and everyone older than 15 years counts towards the “phone-owning age” group)
  • 100% of the phone-owning age in developed countries will own a smartphone; the figure in developing countries is 75%, while in undeveloped countries it’s 10%.
  • The average smartphone user replaces their phone every 3 years – so they “consume” 0.33 phones each year.

=> Estimated global smartphone market: 1.53 billion units per year

=> Actual 2019 global smartphone sales:  1.37 billion units (error margin: 11.7%).

This market-sizing question is solved using a four-step process, which is explained in this article:  Market-Sizing & Guesstimate Questions

Type 3 – Valuation questions

Valuation questions are about estimating the monetary value of a business, and these are very popular in case interviews too!

Valuation questions are a blend of guesstimation/market-sizing, math, and business. They also require basic finance knowledge. There are three ways to estimate the value of a business:

  • The NPV Method: take the net cash flow generated by the business, and discount it to the present to account for time value of money. Basically “this company is worth X dollars because it gives me Y dollars over Z years”. This approach works best when the cash flow from the business is positive and stable.
  • The Market Method: take one index of the firm (which can be stocks or anything depending on the industry) and multiply it with an industry multiple (the value of one unit of the said index). In other words, “this company is worth AxB dollars because it has A traffic and each traffic is worth B dollars”. This approach works best when the market is transparent and data on similar firms are accessible – usually with major, established industries such as commercial airlines.

In real case interviews, you have to justify your approach then ask the interviewer to give you the necessary data.

Our client wants to sell his organic-food restaurant (called “Cato’s Cabbage Farm”) to retire. How much is his restaurant worth?

(Supposed the interviewer gives you the following data: his current income from the restaurant is $100,000 per year; two other restaurants in the neighborhood – one with 2 times more customers, and another about 0.75 times, have been sold at $1,800,000 and $1,000,000 respectively).

NPV Method: Cato’s Cabbage Farm value = $100,000 / 10% = $1,000,000

Market Method:

Assume the number of customers for Cato’s Cabbage Farm is 1 “customer unit”, then the two neighborhood restaurants get 2 and 0.75 “customer units”.

  • Industry multiple: ($1,800,000+$1,000,000) / (2+0.75) = ~$1,018,182
  • Cato’s Cabbage Farm value = $1,018,182 x 1 = $1,018,182

Type 4 – Brain teasers

Brain teasers are the least predictable case interview questions – but even these can be learned!

Brain teasers are riddles designed to test unconventional, creative, and logical thinking. A famous example of this is Accenture’s “How do you put a giraffe in a fridge?”.

Although not as popular as before, brain teasers might still appear in consulting interviews; therefore, you should spend some time to prepare.

Most brain teasers can be allocated into these seven types:

  • Logical questions are pure logic riddles – there’s no trick, no illusion, no creativity.

In our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program , there are +200 brain teasers to help you prepare for these “unpredictable” questions. You can also read our article about Case Interview Brain Teasers for insights on all of these exciting brain teasers, as well as 30 example questions and answers!

How do you put a giraffe in a fridge?

Open the fridge, put the giraffe in, then close the fridge. The question never says how big the fridge or the giraffe is.

For the logic and approach behind each kind of brain teasers, see the article on Brain Teasers.

Type 5 – Chart insight questions

You can’t be a management consultant without mastering the use of charts – the complex, scary-looking real-world charts such as those included in our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program.

In management consulting and case interviews, most charts are one (or a combination) of these four basic types:

  • Bar charts compare the values of several items at one point in time, or 1-2 items at several time intervals.
  • Line charts illustrate time-series data, i.e trends in data over a continuous period.
  • Pie charts illustrate proportions, i.e “parts of a whole” analyses.
  • Scatter-plots use data points to visualize how two variables relate to each other.

To read these charts and answer chart-insights questions effectively, you must follow a structured, comprehensive process:

You can find a more detailed guide in the Charts section in our article about Consulting Math.

What can you draw from the following chart?

common case study questions

Trends in chart:

  • Steady rise in the number of confirmed deaths to about 70-80 per million;
  • Both changes started around March 10-11.
  • These sudden rises can be explained by events occurring in early-March, and 2.
  • If number of cases is kept low, the threat from COVID-19 will remain minimal, considering a mortality rate of only 2%.

Type 6 – Value proposition questions

No business or consulting candidate can succeed without understanding the customers!

Value-proposition questions are not only about correctly identifying customer preferences, but also about analyzing and delivering the answer in a structured fashion. The former relies heavily on business knowledge and intuition, but the latter can be trained methodically and quickly. Personally, I use a “double issue-tree” – essentially a table with customer segments on one axis and proposed values on the other:

For segmenting customers, you can use the following table. However, don’t over-rely on it, since there may be more relevant and insightful question-specific segmentations.

In some cases, clarification is also necessary – both to avoid “answering the wrong question” and to narrow down the range of customers/values you need to cover in the answer.

What will a customer consider when buying a Toyota sedan?

Clarification: A sedan must be branded “Toyota” to be a Toyota sedan – cars with other Toyota-owned brands such as Lexus or Ranz do not count in this question.

Situational Assessment:

Toyota sedans occupy the entry-level and mid-range price segments, so Toyota customers will be more price-conscious than, for example, Lexus customers.

They are also less likely to lean considerably towards one particular factor, so achieving a balance is extremely important.

Functionality factors:

  • Comfort: Toyota sedans are mostly for everyday use, so customers should feel comfortable being inside the car.
  • Utility: Toyota sedans are used for multiple purposes, so convenience for a wide range of uses is important.

Cost factors

  • Purchase price: A car can be an expensive investment while Toyota’s low-to-mid-range customers are more price-conscious, so having a cheap/reasonable price is important.
  • Fuel and maintenance: Maintenance and fuel costs over time are likewise inversely related to the decision to buy a Toyota sedan.

Physical factors

  • Performance: Customers are usually drivers themselves, who often pay attention to the technical characteristics of the car (speed, acceleration, handling, etc.)
  • Visual design: The car should possess the same level of visual appeal as other competitors in the same segment.
  • Build quality: Parts of the car should be assembled in a reasonably good manner.

Emotional factors

  • Branding: The car should come from a well-known, reputable brand
  • Personal preferences: Some customers choose specific cars simply because they “like” the car.

Type 7 – Information questions

In any problem-solving process, information is one of the overarching concerns!

“Information questions” essentially ask if the piece of data you use is obtainable in the first place. In real consulting work, data is not always available – client team members may refuse to cooperate or there’s simply no data on the subject.

There are many kinds of information sources in case interviews/consulting works, but I’ll divide them into primary and secondary sources. Primary sources means you must do the research yourself (or pay someone else to do it for you), such as customer surveys or mystery shoppings. If someone already did that research, and you use their results, it’s called a secondary source – you can get these from the client , the consulting firm you work for, or third-parties such as market research firms or external industry experts.

You can find out more about these sources and how to cite them in real case interviews through this free Prospective Candidate Starter Pack, which contains a glossary of data sources in consulting.

Our Prospective Candidate Starter Pack has a sheet containing all the possible sources of information in case interviews and consulting projects, among numerous other free resources; you can download and use it to answer these questions, by subscribing to our newsletter at the end of this article.

How do you assess your target customer’s preferences for sports cars?

Primary sources: customer survey, customer interviews, Secondary sources: industry reports, client sales reports, third-party expert interview, client expert interview

Type 8 – Math problems

A lot of information in case interviews and consulting work comes in the quantitative form, so you won’t escape Math by joining the consulting industry!

When you have to do the math, perform back-of-the-envelope calculations in a structured fashion, and say out loud what you’re writing. For one thing, it’s safe; for another, you show that you’re careful, organized, and reliable – just like actual consultants.

We have a Math Practice Tool right here! Use it every day, and you’ll be a master of mental calculations in no time flat!

We have a dedicated article on Consulting Math, which you should definitely read.

Type 9 – Solution-finding questions

What’s the point of analyzing a problem, if not to solve it?!

When dealing with solution questions, keep these four points in mind:

  • Firstly, in case interviews as well as real consulting projects, solutions must always solve every root cause of a problem, so remember to check if your solutions are relevant and comprehensive.
  • Secondly, every solution must be actionable – if your solutions are too expensive, too time-consuming, etc. for the client, they’re useless.
  • Thirdly, the interview expects a highly-structured answer; so segment your solutions based on their characteristics (long-term vs short-term is the easiest segmentation)

common case study questions

Last but not least, deliver at least two solutions, preferably three to five. Otherwise, you’ll appear uncreative and lazy to the interviewer’s eyes.

Nailing these questions relies on having excellent business intuition; our Case Interview End-to-End Program has a dedicated Business Intuition package, but you should also train a habit of reading consulting and business articles daily, to sharpen your business mind.

A restaurant that relies solely on on-premise dining found the loss of adjacent parking space (due to termination of contract) harming their revenue. How can they fix that?

The solutions for the restaurant’s parking space problem can be divided into two types:

  • Short-term solutions: Find new parking space around the neighborhood, or renegotiate for old parking space (possibly at a higher price).
  • Long-term solutions: Introduce takeaway items and off-premise dining.

Reminders on case interview questions

The questions are not clear-cut in candidate-led cases.

There are two extremes in consulting case interview format: interviewer-led (McKinsey) and candidate-led (BCG, Bain).

Interviewer-led cases, on one hand, consist of multiple, clear-cut questions in a larger business case context; the candidate navigates through these questions to arrive at the solutions.

Candidate-led cases, on the other hand, have one big problem, which the candidate must break down into small pieces to identify the root causes and deliver solutions.

This list, therefore, is much more relevant to the interviewer-led format; nonetheless, this guide is still quite beneficial for candidate-led cases, because when solving that big problem, you’ll have to tackle small issues similar to the 8 aforementioned question types.

Mastering the fundamentals is crucial to consistent performance

Although it’s good to study the case interview questions, it is no substitute for mastering the fundamental principles.

Learning the exercises without the basics is like building a house without a foundation. My poor neighbor’s house developed a huge crack right down the center because of its weak foundation, so make sure to build your case interview prep a strong one by knowing the basics first.

Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you’ll become much more flexible – this quality is getting increasingly important because case interviews are getting less predictable, and more realistic.

If you haven’t, I advise you to read these articles (especially the first 4) before practicing the question types:

  • Case Interview 101
  • Issue Tree – The Complete Guide
  • MECE Principle
  • Case Interview Frameworks
  • McKinsey Case Interview – Interviewer-led Format
  • BCG & Bain Case Interview – Candidate-led Format

Expect the unexpected

If you study those nine question types, rest assured that you’ve covered the majority of questions in case interviews.

However, these are not all the possible questions you might be given. In actual cases, there are always questions that cannot be categorized neatly. If you do not prepare for these questions, it’s easy to be thrown off-balance.

So, how do you prepare for “the unexpected”?

  • Master the basics: Focus your efforts on the basics, once you’ve mastered them it’d be comfortable to move on to higher, more sophisticated levels.
  • Business Intuition : You need business intuition for a business-related job, it’s simple as that. Nearly every case concerns business in one way or another – even public sector cases. This is why we also teach business intuition in our Case Interview E2E Secret Program.
  • Have mock case interviews : Practice case interviews with ex-consultants will help you get a sense of what might happen or how you might be evaluated in actual cases. Highly experienced coaches from MConsultingPrep will review your performance, giving you the most valuable feedback and actionable tips & techniques.

Scoring in the McKinsey PSG/Digital Assessment

The scoring mechanism in the McKinsey Digital Assessment

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Elevate your case interview skills with a well-rounded preparation package

Six types of charts in case interview are: Bar/Column chart, Line chart, Percentage chart, Mekko chart, Scatter plot chart, Waterfall chart.

A case interview is where candidates is asked to solve a business problem. They are used by consulting firms to evaluate problem-solving skill & soft skills

Case interview frameworks are methods for addressing and solving business cases.  A framework can be extensively customized or off-the-shelf for specific cases.

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33 Case Study Questions for Customer and Client Interviews

common case study questions

When selling your product or service to prospective customers, you make a stronger case when you can show concrete results. This is where a case study comes in. A case study strengthens your sales pitch by showing firsthand results. You can boost your case studies by interviewing previous customers and asking them to share how they benefited from your business. Interview your loyal customers using the following questions to build strong case studies you can share with new prospective clients.

two women speaking at a table near a large window

What is a Case Study?

A case study is a detailed report that showcases how your product has benefited previous clients. It is a way to show firsthand how your product or service can benefit potential new clients. Case studies help you build trust with new clients — 88% of whom trust online customer reviews and ratings. Conversely, only 14% of customers trust advertisements.

Asking the right types of questions to your previous customers will help you better craft your final case study. Since you will be writing these studies with new clients in mind, drafting your questions beforehand will give you the right information to highlight how you have previously solved similar client issues in the past.

How to Write Case Study Questions

This section offers an outline of sections that should be included in your final case study and sample questions to ask of your clients.

Start With the Backstory

Before writing your case study questions, determine why you are writing it. Outline the major problems you intend to highlight and create questions that will allow you to articulate how you solved them. The following section includes case study question examples you can use to conduct your client interviews, but you can modify them based on your goals.

When interviewing your previous clients, first introduce them to your audience by including some background information on their company. Next, set up the case study by presenting the initial problem.

  • Tell me a little bit about your business and its history.
  • Who are your target customers?
  • Describe your role at the company.
  • What are some common challenges faced by businesses in your industry?
  • What problems or challenges were you facing that led you to seek out our product/service?
  • Why was this specific challenge a priority?
  • How was this problem impacting your business?
  • What other potential solutions had you tried before, and why weren’t they working?

Establish Your Relationship

After setting up the problem and why it was significant to your customers, ask them to define their relationship with your brand. If you are interviewing repeat customers, ask them how they discovered your business, why you were their chosen solution, and what's kept them coming back. If you are interviewing a first-time client, ask what drew them to your business over another.

Some questions can include:

  • How long have you been a customer with us?
  • How did you first hear about our business?
  • What made you choose our company over competitors?
  • How did you envision using our product or service to drive your solution?

Have Them Demonstrate Your Product

Once you have set up the initial problem and delved into how your client chose you to solve it, you can get into the details of the actual case study. Ask specific questions about how your client used your product or service.

Be detailed. These answers will help you draft a case study that resonates with prospective buyers who are facing the same issue.

  • How did you use our product or service to create your solution?
  • Which features of the product did you find most beneficial?
  • Was this product a replacement for a similar tool you had used in the past?
  • How many people at your company use our product?
  • What are the advantages of using our product over another similar one?
  • How was the setup and implementation process?
  • Did you contact the customer service team any time during the process?
  • If so, how was your customer service experience?
  • How was the rollout process?
  • What types of feedback have you received from employees about our product?

Outline the Product’s Benefits

This section of your interview will delve into the actual solution and its results. Use this section to ask about specific outcomes and metrics the company used to track successes.

  • How did our product address your specific challenges?
  • What kinds of measurable results did you see?
  • Which key performance indicators (KPIs) or metrics did you measure to determine whether our product successfully solved your problem?
  • How has your business changed since you deployed our product or service?
  • How is your initial problem currently impacting your business? Is it still an issue, or has it been resolved?
  • How would you recommend other customers use our product to get the best results?

Wrap Up the Interview

At the end of the interview, ask some general business case study questions relating to customer satisfaction and relationship management. You can use these to conclude the case study. This section of the interview is also likely to generate some potential customer quotes you can use in your marketing materials .

  • Have you referred us to your friends or clients?
  • How likely are you to work with us again?
  • How can we improve our product to best meet your future needs?
  • In which other instances can you see our product providing a viable solution?
  • Is there anyone else I can talk to for more information?

How to Ask Your Clients for an Interview

If you have been in business for a while, you probably know your best advocates. Think about your top customers, and start by asking those who are the most likely to promote your business. If you know a client who often refers customers to you, ask them for a specific example of how your company helped them solve a problem.

You might draw a blank when asked to identify your best advocates. In this case, talk to your sales team or your project managers to see if they know of any potential customers who would be happy to share their success stories.

Consider your customers’ time. Don’t approach them for an interview in the middle of a busy season or if they have had a recent issue with your company. Get familiar with your selected clients and how they intended to use your product so you have some background information before starting the interview.

Finally, write a personalized request. Don’t send out a form email requesting case studies. Make your requests relevant to each potential interviewee so they know they are valued customers.

How to Write the Case Study

Instead of taking notes during the interview, take a recording on your phone or a portable recording device and transcribe it when you’re done. You can take minor notes as you go along, to help when you go back to transcribe. This way you can be more engaged in the interview and follow up on interesting information that might pop up. Be sure to check that your recording hardware or software is working ahead of time, to ensure you don't lose valuable information during the interview.

The case study questions listed above are arranged as an outline of a typical case study. Start by introducing the company and the problem they were trying to solve when they sought out your business. Next, explain the process of how they used your product to solve their problem.

End the case study with numbers and statistics demonstrating how you helped the business successfully solve its problem. Make sure you get specific numbers and figures to illustrate your clients’ successes. If you don’t get them during the initial interview, follow up with a phone call or email.

Sample Case Study Questions and Answers

These sample case study questions and answers demonstrate how to extract information from your interview and turn it into an engaging business case study that is interesting and informative.

This case study from Switch, a digital marketing agency, details how the company was able to help a client improve its return on investment (ROI) on search and Facebook ad campaigns by moving them from their in-house marketing team.

The case study starts with an impressive statistic — the company improved its ROI on search ads from 1.2x to 19x in a short time period. The case study breaks this statistic down for potential leads who might not be familiar with marketing terminology, indicating that its client was able to increase sales without spending more on search engine ads.

While the actual case study interview is not published, a sample question and answer that would have generated this data could be:

  • Q: How did shifting the development of search engine ad campaigns to Switch impact ad performance?
  • A: The Switch team was able to change our approach. Before, we used a single strategy on our search and Facebook ads. Their team was able to create split campaigns targeted to different audiences and run A/B tests to refine the messages. In a couple of months, our ROI on search ads went from 1.2x to 19x.”

This case study goes into detail about how Switch worked with its clients to refine the Facebook and search ad strategy, ending with impressive results.

Rogers Communications

Rogers Communications featured this case study detailing how its client Brampton Caledon Community Living (BCCL) used the company’s cloud-based mobile phone system to better service clients. This case study is simple, laid out with headings like “Challenge” and “Solution.”

Rogers Communications pulled relevant quotes from the client and included them in text boxes throughout the study to break up the text. Rogers also included direct quotes from personnel at BCCL, making a strong case for its product. While it doesn’t offer hard numbers like the previous example, it does include a quote detailing how the cloud-based system has improved the work environment.

Again, the interview for this case study is not included in the example, but it does include the answers as client quotes.

  • Q: What led you to switch over to the RogersUnison cloud-based platform?
  • A: “We had been using more laptops and mobile phones for work outside the office and Rogers Unison was essential to this transition.”

Best Practices for Conducting A Business Case Study Interview

When you’ve found client advocates who are willing to talk to you about how your company led them to success, draft your interview questions. Keep these best practices in mind.

Be Prepared

Being well-prepared for your interview is the best way to ensure its success. Before meeting with your client, learn what you can about the client so you can flesh out the case study. Conduct a mock interview to prepare. Talk to your sales team or the client’s specific project manager for details to better understand the client and what they were facing when they hired your company or purchased a product.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Structure your questions so the interviewee has to give detailed answers. If you limit your interview to "yes" or "no" questions, it can be hard to gather enough information to write your case study. Open-ended questions let your client get into the specifics surrounding the study.

Do a Deep Dive

One reason you should record your interviews and transcribe them later is so you can focus on the client’s answers. Often, information will come up in an answer to one question that will prompt you to ask a follow-up question. Recording your interview lets you deviate from your prepared questions to get a more robust analysis of the case.

Getting Started on Your Case Study

Case studies are a great marketing tool for building credibility. They give prospective clients a better understanding of how you work and how you can provide alternative solutions for key issues. But the key to writing a good case study is to start with a quality interview.

You have the tools needed to draft powerful questions. So start the process by looking through your list of past clients and determining who would be the best to interview. Develop a thorough understanding of their situation and their history with your company, and then conduct your interview.

After your first few case studies, you'll be confident on how to best structure questions and refine your interviews to get the best information. Soon, you will be crafting detailed and engaging case studies to best market your business.

common case study questions

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14 Best Case Study Questions to Ask Your Top Customers

Illustration Of Case Study Questions

If you want to show interested leads that you can put your money where your mouth is, case studies are a good way to go. They’re a valuable form of content that can even be used as lead magnets under the right conditions, and they have a singular purpose: To show how your clients achieved specific, significant results with your product or service. 

Knowing how to write a great case study is an important part of success, but there’s a part of the process that comes before that: Knowing which questions to ask, which you’ll determine when you’re preparing for a case study interview. 

The questions you ask can make the difference between a case study that feels like it’s been churned out by a low-quality AI machine compared to one that feels actionable, engaging, and high-stakes to your readers. 

In this post, we’re going to go over the 14 best case study questions to ask, along with discussing some tips to improve the results you’ll get. 

How to Structure Your Case Study Questions

Before we dive in, we want to talk about how to structure your questions in the interview.

In this post specifically, we’re going to look at individual questions you should ask around pointed topics, like about the client’s brand, solutions they’ve tried already, and their results. 

It’s best to stick close to the progression outlined here because it will give you the basic information you need at every level of the case study interview . You can’t ask what solutions they’ve tried before when you don’t even understand their brands’ needs. 

And keep in mind that when you’re asking users to provide specific information about a topic up front, they’ll often reference it later, strengthening the overall case study and sometimes encouraging them to share information they may not have thought to share otherwise. 

That being said, let’s go ahead and start to dive in to the best case study questions you should ask. 

Questions About Their Brand 

The best case studies will have some information about the brand they’re featuring and not just about how the brand uses their product. Information about the brand size, industry, and unique selling propositions (USPs ) can all play a valuable part in building a strong case study. 

Case Study Questions About Branding

These are a few important case study questions to consider asking about branding: 

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your brand? 

This is a great way to start the interview off strong. Ask the client to tell you about the brand, plain and simple. See what they have to say; they may share information about their product or service, how they fit into their industry, what differentiates them, and more. 

Leaving this first question relatively vague and open-ended helps them feel more comfortable while giving you some good ideas for where to go. 

If they’re stumped, ask them to provide a brief description of what their company does.

2. Can you tell me about your business’s structure, including industry, company size, or years in business? 

While this may feel technical, it can be exceptionally valuable to readers of the case study to help them relate or get a good understanding of who is using your products. 

3. An industry-relevant question 

SaaS tools that help with ad management may ask clients about their total monthly ad spend, for example. An eco-friendly company may ask clients what their “green goals” are or their previous carbon emissions. 

Think about what would benefit you to have in the case study, and ask it here if possible. 

Questions About Their Challenge & Pain Points 

We know that all great case studies will highlight the challenges that clients have before finding your product or service as their solution, exacerbated by key pain points. 

It’s so important to get enough information that these challenges feel real and significant in the case study; if you neglect to explain why a challenge was an actual obstacle, it can come across as seeming trivial. That can make your solution seem trivial, too.

Case Study Questions About Challenge And Pain Points

These are the best case study questions to ask for this stage of the interview.   

4. What were the challenges you needed to solve before finding our product? 

This is a specific, pointed question, which helps make it effective. 

If I ask my content marketing clients this question, for example, they might say, “we didn’t know how to create content that ranked well” or “we needed help creating content at scale.” 

You can dive deeper by asking pointed questions about their key problems, which brings us to the next question. 

5. Why did this challenge have such a significant impact on your business?

This is the golden ticket right here, because it’s about pain points. 

Say you’re selling marketing services, and the client’s challenge is that they wanted help with lead generation . 

The pain points of “organic channels were too slow in driving customer acquisition, and our churn rates were eviscerating our client numbers” or “we tried to run ads ourselves but ended up losing hundreds of dollars to no avail.” 

Wasted money. Bleeding clients. Too-slow organic channels. These are pain points that make the case study feel real, and that other customers will connect to.  

6. What other solutions had you tried before and why didn’t they work? 

While it’s best to skip out on trash-talking competitors in the case study, asking this question during the interview can give you valuable context and a lot to work with. 

If, for example, I’m a weight loss coach, my clients may have tried the keto diet and Weight Watchers to no avail. Knowing that the keto diet made them feel queasy and that they found the point-tracking Weight Watchers to be too much work can be useful information for the study, even if you don’t ever name the alternatives.

These are pain points in their own right, and can be utilized like the following: 

 “The client had tried different solutions before but found that the diets either made them sick or were too much work to maintain.” It positions your solution to be the winning option. 

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Questions About How They Discovered You 

While it may seem irrelevant, information about how customers discovered you and why they decided to work with you can actually become compelling parts of a case study— even if only mentioned in brief. 

Here’s an example of how you can use this information in the case study: 

“We found Breadcrumbs after our business partner mentioned it to us, and after reading about their easy-to-use interface and accessible lead scoring , we decided to give it a try.” 

You’ve got social proof (business partner referred them) and a promo for a unique feature that made them convert. 

Case Study Questions About How They Discovered Your Product

Here are the case study questions you can ask to get this information:

7. How did you find out about our brand? 

It’s a simple question, and it will likely be a simple answer. Nice and easy. 

8. What made you decide to try our product over other solutions? 

This essentially gets the customer to sell your product back to you, which is phenomenal. And someone reading the case study might think, “They’re right; I’ve also looked for a lead scoring tool with a great interface, I’d try that.” 

Questions About How They Used The Product or Service 

This will likely be one of the meatier parts of the case study interview because this is where some of the actionable information comes into play. How did your clients use your product or service, what steps did they take, and how can others use this to replicate the eventual results we’ll discover? 

Case Study Questions About How They Used Your Product Or Service

These are the case study questions to ask: 

9. Which specific products and product features did your team use? 

Say you’re selling invoicing software to small businesses. Not all clients will use every feature.

Graphic designers, for example, may take advantage of project estimates for upfront deposits more than a copywriter who only works for flat fees. That copywriter, however, might be more likely to use invoice templates for retainer clients or automated billing features. 

Ask about the products and services the team used. 

10. How did your team use our products and services to meet their needs? 

You know what products or services were used, but now it’s time to ask how they were used.

Project estimates, for example, allowed graphic designers to send more professional-looking invoices to clients, who could pay upfront deposits through credit card, check, or bank deposit. This helped that designer weed out clients who had no intention of paying and gave them the funds they needed to secure the supplies to begin working.

And for the copywriter who used automated billing, it saved her an exceptional amount of time and ensured she got paid on time because she sent those invoices on time. 

11. How was your experience? 

Was the SaaS tool user-friendly? Did your clients take advantage of a free demo program or the option to have an account manager get their entire account up and running?

Ask about their specific transition process using the tool and what made the experience a more positive one. 

Questions About Their Results 

Last but not least… the results. Believe it or not, some case studies skip this part of the interview, but you definitely want to include hard, quantifiable data in as many case studies as possible. 

Case Study Questions About Their Results

12. What end results did you get after using our product? 

Ask for the results your clients achieved. If they’re comfortable sharing the information, ask for KPIs. 

How did using our social media marketing software increase message response rates? 

How did our marketing service improve lead generation efforts, and customer acquisition costs? 

How did our lead scoring software reduce the contact-to-close period for leads or increase the overall financial value of leads acquired? 

Be as specific as the client will allow. The more definitive the data you can share, the better. 

13. What impact did these results have on your business? 

While this may seem self-explanatory, this is a great final question that again helps the impact of your product or service really stand out.

We saw customer satisfaction increase and sales go up by about 15% by improving message response rates on social media. 

Or, by getting more leads at lower costs, our business was able to reinvest those accelerated profits into additional campaigns to scale exponentially at an unprecedented rate, and now we’re opening two new branches. 

This can be a combination of data-focused or story-driven impacts. Either (or both!) works well. 

14. Is there anything else we should know? 

Anything else you want to share? This is a short but powerful question, and while some clients will say, “nope, that’s it,” you may be surprised what some other people share with you. 

There may be something they’ve been excited to talk about that hasn’t come up in the questions yet, or something may pop into mind to elaborate on something you’d discussed earlier.

Give them the floor, and see what they have to say. 

Final Thoughts 

If you’re going to take the time needed to conduct and write up a case study (both your own time and the client’s), you want to get it right. Coming prepared with a list of strong case study questions can help you create content that will be highly effective at generating leads and converting customers for a long time to come. 

Want to speed up the lead conversion funnel with lead scoring software? Create a Breadcrumbs account for free here ! 

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23 Case Study Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

Template: 23 Case Study Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

December 16, 2022

By Joe Gillespie

Case studies offer one of the most powerful types of content in the inbound marketer’s toolbox.

When done right—with descriptive storytelling and a powerful visual presentation—a case study can deliver a clinching message to leads in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey . Prospects who already know they need a solution to their problems read the case study and see how your company has helped others, which nudges them closer to becoming customers.

That said, case studies are a different animal from other inbound marketing content, such as blogs , e-books, pillar pages, and infographics. Most content in the awareness and consideration stages of the buyer’s journey doesn’t self-promote much but, instead, simply gives the reader information. The decision stage, however, is a chance to persuade leads that your solution is their best option. 

Shifting gears usually isn’t much of a problem for marketers, but switching to the case study format can be. The process is more journalistic—you conduct interviews, gather information, and weave a narrative—and that can be daunting for someone more accustomed to blogging than article writing.

Don’t stress out: Case studies aren’t difficult if you take your time, are diligent about gathering information and writing the content, and ask the right questions. And we can help with the questions! Below are 23 to ask when conducting the interviews.

Case Study Questions to Ask Your Project Manager

Usually, you will interview someone at your company—maybe a project manager, salesperson, client manager, customer liaison, or other colleague who deals with customers—who worked with the client you are profiling for the case study. 

Often, this interview will occur first and give you a good launching point for subsequent interviews with the customer’s representatives. You might already know the answers, but ask these questions anyway. You may get a deeper explanation from your interview subject and something quotable you can use in the case study.

(Note: I’m using product , solution , and service interchangeably throughout these case study questions; simply use the term that best applies to your company during the actual interviews.)

  • What initial challenges did you encounter with the client that could be overcome with our product? This question is good to establish what problem the customer was experiencing and how your organization was poised to help.
  • What process did you follow during implementation? Again, this may be obvious to you but is worth hearing from the PM. A little bit of process info in your case study can go a long way toward showing leads how you, step by step, can help solve their problem.
  • What roadblocks for implementation did you help the client overcome? Highlighting how you assisted shows that no matter how messy a customer’s status with its previous solution is, you are positioned to overcome the hurdles that get in the way.
  • How have we helped the client since implementation/introduction? Some customers are good to go after your solution is implemented, but others rely on additional support—be sure to find out what that support entails.
  • What kind of success did the client enjoy with our product? Results, results, results!
  • Did we go above and beyond with our service? If the answer to this is no, that’s OK, and perhaps you don’t want to set unreasonable expectations—even if you did go above and beyond—with the case study, which is also fine. That said, showing how you went the extra mile or were unusually innovative stands out to readers looking for a company that will take care of its customers.

Template: 23 Case Study Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

Case Study Questions to Ask the Client

If a client has agreed to be the subject of a case study, they obviously are happy with the service you provided. Take advantage of this enthusiasm by asking open-ended questions and letting your interviewee gush about your organization and your solution.

Some of the case study questions listed here may seem redundant to the ones you asked internally, but ask them anyway. You want both perspectives, and often, the best quotes you hear and use will be from the client.

  • Can you give a brief description of your company? If you aren’t familiar with the client, ask for some basic background. Yes, you usually can find such information online, but this is a good icebreaker to get the interviewee talking.
  • How did you first hear about our service? If the client learned about you via other case studies or articles in outside publications or websites—or they simply knew about you by reputation or word of mouth—you definitely want to include that in the case study. For the reader, this info strengthens your industry presence and thought leadership. This question is also a good lead-in to learn about how the deal between the client and your company was finalized.
  • What challenges/problems necessitated a change? Listen carefully to the answer to this question. Ideally, the challenges and problems the client was facing are exactly what your organization’s product addresses.
  • What trends in your industry drove the need to use our product?
  • What were you looking for in a solution?
  • What made our solution stand out over others that you researched? Ideally, you want the interviewee to say how great your product is. This and other questions lead them to be your greatest advocate.
  • What feature of our product was most appealing?
  • How did you implement/introduce our solution? The rollout, and the steps taken to get to that point, can make or break the success of the solution. Ideally, the client will say the process was seamless and that your product and team were the reasons for such ease.
  • How did our team help with implementation?
  • What was the initial reaction to our product? In other words, how did the client’s users and customers accept and utilize the solution?
  • How has our solution helped since implementation? Dig into the success realized by your product. This is important because it provides the basis of the case study: “X Company Used Our Solution and Achieved X Hundred Percent Growth.”
  • Has this solution saved money and/or increased productivity?
  • Can you share any metrics/KPIs that show the success you have enjoyed with our service? The more hard numbers, the better.
  • What have you been most impressed with? Here’s another chance for the client to gush.
  • What surprised you about us? Hopefully, the customer will share the positive unexpected—things that make you stand out amid the competition.
  • What plans do you have to use our solution in the future? After initial success, many companies expand the use of a product, either to more people or additional applications. This info is also important to include in the case study because it shows that the client is not only sticking with your product but also using it to foster more growth and productivity.
  • Is there anything else we should know? If you’ve been thorough, the answer to this is likely no, but the question still offers a chance for the interviewee to conclude.

A case study is a wonderful inbound marketing opportunity for your organization. Ask these questions, and use the answers to write a case study that helps your product and your company shine in the eyes of leads.

This blog was originally published on 2017 and has been updated since. 

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About the author

Joe Gillespie is Director of Inbound Copy for SmartBug Media. He graduated from Marquette University with a B.A. in journalism and, before coming to SmartBug, was a two-decade veteran of the newspaper industry. Read more articles by Joe Gillespie .

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Hacking The Case Interview

Hacking the Case Interview

Case interview frameworks

Case interview frameworks or consulting frameworks are arguably the most critical component of a case interview. Outstanding case frameworks   set you up for success for the case while poor frameworks make the case difficult to solve.

Struggling on how to use frameworks in your case interviews? Unsure of which frameworks to use?

Don't worry because we have you covered! We'll teach you step-by-step, how to craft tailored and unique frameworks for any case interview situation.

By the end of this article, you will learn four different strategies on how to create unique and tailored frameworks for any case interview.

Strategy #1: Creating Frameworks from Scratch

  • Strategy #2: Memorizing 8 – 10 Broad Business Areas
  • Strategy #3: Breaking Down Stakeholders
  • Strategy #4: Breaking Down Processes
  • Strategy #5: Two-Part MECE Frameworks

You will apply these strategies to learn how to create case frameworks for the six most common types of case interviews.

Profitability Framework

Market entry framework, merger and acquisition framework, pricing framework, new product framework, market sizing framework.

You will also learn six consulting frameworks that nearly every consultant knows.

Porter’s Five Forces Framework

Swot framework, 4 p’s framework, 3 c’s / business situation framework, bcg 2x2 matrix framework, mckinsey 7s framework.

If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course . These insider strategies from a former Bain interviewer helped 30,000+ land consulting offers while saving hundreds of hours of prep time.

What is a Case Interview Framework?

A case interview framework is simply a tool that helps you structure and break down complex problems into simpler, smaller components. Think of a framework as brainstorming different ideas and organizing them into different categories.

Let’s look at an example: Coca-Cola is a large manufacturer and retailer of non-alcoholic beverages, such as sodas, juices, sports drinks, and teas. They are looking to grow and are considering entering the beer market in the United States. Should they enter?

In order for you to decide whether Coca-Cola should enter the beer market, you likely have many different questions you’d like to ask:

  • Does Coca-Cola know how to produce beer?
  • Would people buy beer made by Coca-Cola?
  • Where would Coca-Cola sell its beer?
  • How much would it cost to enter the beer market?
  • Will Coca-Cola be profitable from selling beer?
  • How would Coca-Cola outcompete competitors?
  • What is the size of the beer market in the United States?

This is not a very structured way of thinking through the case. The questions are listed in no particular order. Additionally, many of the questions are similar to one another and could be grouped together.

A case framework would provide a structure to organize these ideas and questions in a way that is easy to understand.

A framework for this case might look like the following.

Framework Example

Notice that we have simplified the list of questions we had into four main categories. These broad categories are frequently called framework “buckets.” Also notice that we have grouped similar questions together under each framework bucket.

This case framework tells us what areas we need to explore in order to make a recommendation to Coca-Cola. It also clearly shows what questions we need to answer under each area.

This is the power of a case interview framework. It simplifies a complex business problem into smaller and separate components that we can tackle one at a time.

So how do you develop a case framework? The next section will reveal four robust strategies for creating unique and tailored consulting frameworks for any case interview.

Case Interview Framework Strategies

There are four case interview framework strategies you should have in your toolkit:  

When given a case interview, you will need to decide which framework strategy you want to use. Some framework strategies will be more effective than others depending on what type of case interview you get.

Therefore, choose the case framework strategy that is easiest for you given the type of case that you get.

This case framework strategy can be used for any type of case. This is the most time-consuming strategy, but yields case frameworks that are the most tailored and unique for the given case interview.

To create a framework from scratch, ask yourself what 3 – 4 statements must be true for you to be 100% confident in your recommendation. These 3 – 4 areas will become the buckets in your framework.

Once you have your framework buckets, brainstorm a few questions for each bucket that you need answers to.

Let’s return to the Coca-Cola case example in which we are asked to determine whether or not they should enter the beer market. What 3 – 4 statements must be true for us to recommend that Coca-Cola should enter the beer market?

The four major statements that must be true are:

  • The beer market is an attractive market
  • Competitors in the market are weak
  • Coca-Cola has the capabilities to produce outstanding beer
  • Coca-Cola will be highly profitable from entering the beer market

These will be the major areas or buckets in our framework.

Creating Frameworks from Scratch: Framework Areas

Next, let’s add a few bullet points under each area to add more detail to our case framework.

To determine whether the beer market is attractive, we would need to know the market size, the market growth rate, and the average profit margins in the market.

To assess whether the market is competitive, we would need to know who the competitors are, how much market share they have, and if they have any differentiation or competitive advantages.

To decide whether Coca-Cola has the capabilities to produce beer, we need to know if there are any capability gaps or if there are significant synergies that Coca-Cola can leverage.

Finally, to determine the expected profitability of entering the market, we would need to know what expected revenues are, what expected costs are, and how long it would take Coca-Cola to break even.

This gives us our case framework.

Creating Frameworks from Scratch: Framework Example

You can repeat this process for any case interview that you get to create an outstanding case framework.

Strategy #2: Memorizing 8 – 10 Broad Business Areas to Make a Framework

Creating case frameworks from scratch can be quite time-consuming. Because of this, many interview candidates make the mistake of using memorized frameworks for case interviews.

Candidates will either use a single memorized framework for every case or memorize a different framework for every type of case interview.

The issue with using memorized frameworks is that they aren’t tailored to the specific case you are solving for. When given an atypical business problem, your framework areas or buckets will not be entirely relevant.

A poor framework makes the case interview significantly more difficult to solve.

Additionally, Interviewers can easily tell that you are regurgitating memorized information and not thinking critically.

Instead of creating frameworks from scratch each time, this second case framework strategy provides a method to speed up the process while still creating frameworks that are unique and tailored to the case. Additionally, you won’t need to memorize multiple different frameworks.

First, memorize a list of 8 - 10 broad business areas, such as the following:

Framework Memorizing 8 - 10 Business Areas

When given a case, mentally run through this list and pick the 3 - 5 areas that are most relevant to the case.

This will be your framework.

If the list does not give you enough areas for your framework, brainstorm and add your own ideas as areas to your framework.

Finally, add a few bullet points under each area to add more detail to your case framework.

This strategy guarantees that your framework elements are relevant to the case. It also demonstrates that you can create unique, tailored frameworks for every business problem.

Let’s return to the Coca-Cola case example in which we are asked to determine whether or not they should enter the beer market.

Running through our list of memorized framework areas, the following six areas would be relevant:

  • Market attractiveness : Is the beer market attractive?
  • Competitive landscape : How tough is competition?
  • Company capabilities : Does Coca-Cola have the capabilities to enter the market?
  • Profitability : Will Coca-Cola be profitable from entering the market?
  • Risks : What are the risks of entering the market?
  • Strategic alternatives : Are there other more attractive markets Coca-Cola should enter?

You can pick 3 – 5 of these areas as the basis for your framework.

This strategy is a shortcut for creating unique and tailored frameworks for every business problem. Even if you and a friend used this same strategy, you both may end up with different frameworks.

That is completely fine. As long as the buckets in your framework are major areas and are relevant to the case, your case framework will be significantly better than most candidates’ frameworks.

You do not need to develop a framework entirely from scratch every time to create outstanding case frameworks. This case framework strategy can be applied to over 90% of case interviews.

For the remaining 10% of case interviews, you will need to learn and use the next two case interview framework strategies.

Strategy #3: Breaking Down Stakeholders to Make a Framework

The first two case framework strategies can be applied to over 90% of cases. However, some cases may require you to identify and focus on various stakeholders that are involved in running or operating a business.

For these cases, the primary areas of your case framework will be these major stakeholders.

Let’s take a look at an example: Your client is a non-profit blood bank. They have volunteer nurses that go to schools and companies to collect blood from donors. They then sell this blood to hospitals, which use this blood for emergency situations when a blood transfusion is required. Currently, Hearts4Lives is not profitable because they are not able to collect enough blood to sell to their hospital partners. What can they do to fix this?

This case involves many different stakeholders:

  • Volunteer nurses
  • Blood donors
  • Schools and companies

For cases in which many different stakeholders are involved, it will be useful to look at each stakeholder and determine what each could do to address the problem.

One potential framework could look like the following:

Breaking Down Stakeholders Framework Example

Strategy #4: Breaking Down Processes to make a Framework

Similar to the previous case framework strategy, some cases may require you to focus on improving or optimizing a particular process.

For these cases, the primary areas of your case framework will be each major step of the process.

Let’s take a look at an example: Your client is a waste disposal company that manages a fleet of drivers and garbage trucks that go to residential homes, collect garbage, and then dump the garbage in city landfills. They have an obligation to collect each home’s garbage once a week. Recently, they have been failing to meet this requirement and are backed up with garbage disposal requests. What is causing this issue and what should they do to fix it?

For cases involving processes and efficiencies, it can be helpful to look at the different components or steps in the process.

We can think about the process of collecting and disposing of garbage in the following steps:

  • Get in a garbage truck
  • Drive along a designated route
  • Collect garbage at each stop
  • Dispose of the garbage in the landfill

Using these steps as the primary areas of our framework, we can create the following case framework:

Breaking Down Processes Framework Example

Once you have systematically listed all of the steps in a process, you can identify the pain points or bottlenecks that are causing the issue and determine ways to improve the process.

Strategy #5: Two-part MECE Frameworks

An easy way to make a 100% MECE framework is to use a two-part MECE framework. For the first step, start with a X and Not X framework. Some examples include:

  • Internal / external
  • Short-term / long-term
  • Economic / non-economic
  • Quantitative / qualitative
  • Direct / indirect
  • Supply-side / demand-side
  • Upside / downside
  • Benefits / cost

There are probably hundreds more frameworks that follow this pattern.

These frameworks are by definition 100% MECE. Since all of these frameworks are X or Not-X, they are mutually exclusive. There is no redundancy or overlap between X and Not-X.

Together, X and Not-X are also completely exhaustive. They cover the universe of all ideas and possibilities.

The X and Not-X framework by itself is good enough for a lot of the questions you could get asked in a case interview.

If you’re asked to brainstorm ways to decrease costs, you can create a framework consisting of decreasing variable costs and decreasing non-variable costs, also known as fixed costs.

If you’re asked to brainstorm barriers to entry, you can create a framework consisting of economic barriers to entry, such as cash and equipment, and non-economic barriers to entry, such as brand name or distribution channels.

However, to take your framework to the next level and truly impress your interviewer, we have the option of doing step two.

Step two involves adding another layer of X and Not X into your framework. What do we mean by this?

Let’s say you are trying to help a city decide whether they should host the upcoming summer Olympics. You start off with a framework consisting of benefits and costs. You can take this framework to the next level by adding another layer, such as adding in short-term and long-term.

With this additional layer, your framework now has four categories: short-term benefits, long-term benefits, short-term costs, and long-term costs. This is a 100% MECE framework that enables you to think through all possible considerations in deciding whether a city should host the Olympics.

Let’s look at another example. Suppose you are trying to figure out how to reduce a company’s costs. You start with a framework consisting of variable costs and fixed costs. You can take this framework to the next level by adding another layer, such as direct and indirect.

With this additional layer, your framework now has four categories: ways to directly reduce variable costs, ways to indirectly reduce variable costs, ways to directly reduce fixed costs, and ways to indirectly reduce fixed costs. This is another 100% MECE framework.

Case Frameworks: The 6 Most Common Frameworks

There are six common case frameworks in consulting case interviews.  

Profitability frameworks are the most common types of frameworks you’ll likely use in consulting first round interviews.

A profitability case might look like this: “An electric car manufacturer has recently been experiencing a decline in profits. What should they do?”

There are two steps to solving a profitability case.

First, you need to understand quantitatively, what is the driver causing the decline in profits?

You should know the following basic profit formulas.

Profitability Framework Formulas

Is the decline in profitability due to a decline in revenue, an increase in costs, or both?

On the revenue side, what is causing the decline? Is it from a decrease in quantity of units sold? If so, is the decrease concentrated in a particular product line, geography, or customer segment?

Or is the decline due to a decrease in price? Are we selling products at a lower price? Is there a sales mix change? In other words, are we selling more low-priced products and fewer high-priced products?

On the cost side, what is causing the increase in costs? Is it from an increase in variable costs? If so, which cost elements have gone up?

Or is the increase in costs due to an increase in fixed costs? If so, which fixed costs have gone up?

Next, you need to understand qualitatively, what factors are driving the decline in profitability that you identified in the previous step.

Looking at customers, have customer needs or preferences changed? Have their purchasing habits or behaviors changed? Have their perceptions of the company changed?

Looking at competitors, have new players entered the market? Have existing competitors made any recent strategic moves? Are competitors also experiencing a decline in profitability?

Looking at the market, are there any market trends that we should be aware of? For example, are there new technology or regulatory changes? How do these trends impact profitability?

Putting all of this together, we get the following profitability framework.

Profitability Framework Example

Once you have gone through this profitability framework and understand both quantitatively what is causing the decline in profits and qualitatively why this is happening, you can begin brainstorming ideas to address the profitability issue.

Among the ideas that you brainstorm, you can prioritize which recommendations to focus on based on the level of impact and ease of implementation.

See the video below for an example of how to solve a profitability case using this profitability framework.

Market entry frameworks are the second most common types of frameworks you’ll likely use in consulting first round interviews.

A market entry case might look like this: “Coca-Cola is considering entering the beer market in the United States. Should they enter?”

To create a market entry framework, there are typically four statements that need to be true in order for you to recommend entering the market:

  • The market is attractive
  • Competition is weak
  • The company has the capabilities to enter
  • The company will be highly profitable from entering the market

These statements form the foundation of our market entry framework.

Market Entry Framework Example

Note the logical order of the buckets in the framework.

We first want to determine whether the market is attractive. Then, we need to check if competition is weak and if there is an opportunity to capture meaningful market share.

If these two conditions are true, then we need to confirm that the company actually has the capabilities to enter the market.

Finally, even if the company has the capabilities to enter the market, we need to verify that they will be profitable from entering.

This is a logical progression that your market entry framework will take you through to develop a recommendation for market entry cases.

Merger and acquisition frameworks are also common frameworks you’ll use in consulting interviews.

There are two common business situations.

The first situation is a company looking to acquire another company in order to access a new market, access new customers, or to grow its revenues and profits.

Another situation is a private equity company looking to acquire a company as an investment. Their goal is to then grow the business using their operational expertise and then sell the company years later for a high return on investment.

In either of these situations, mergers and acquisition cases typically involve acquiring an attractive, successful company.

It is rare to get a case in which a company or private equity firm is looking to acquire a poorly performing company to purchase at a discount. Nevertheless, you can always clarify the goal of the merger or acquisition with the interviewer before beginning the case.

In order to recommend making an acquisition, four statements need to be true.  

  • The market that the acquisition target is in is attractive
  • The acquisition target is an attractive company
  • The acquisition generates meaningful synergies
  • The acquisition target is at a great price and will generate high returns on investment

These statements become the basis of our merger and acquisition framework.

Merger and Acquisition Framework Example

Synergies is an area that should absolutely be included in any merger or acquisition framework. A merger or acquisition can lead to revenue synergies and cost synergies.

Revenue synergies include:

  • Having access to new customer segments
  • Having access to new markets
  • Having access to new distribution channels
  • Cross-selling opportunities
  • Up-selling opportunities

Cost synergies include:

  • Eliminating cost redundancies
  • Consolidating functions or groups
  • Increasing buying power with suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, or retailers

Pricing frameworks are used in cases involving the pricing of a product or service. To develop a pricing framework, you should be familiar with the three different ways to price a product or service.

  • Pricing based on costs : set a price by applying a profit margin on the total costs to produce or deliver the product or service
  • Pricing based on competition : set a price based on what competitors are charging for products similar to yours
  • Pricing based on value added : set a price by quantifying the benefits that the product provides customers

Your answer to pricing cases will likely involve a mix of all three of these pricing strategies.

Your pricing framework will look something like the following.

Pricing Framework Example

Pricing based on costs will determine the minimum price you can realistically set. Pricing based on value added will determine the maximum possible price. Pricing based on competition will determine which price in between these two price points you should set.

In order to get customers to purchase your product, the difference between your price point and the customer’s maximum willingness to pay must be greater than or equal to the difference between your competitor’s price point and the customer’s maximum willingness to pay for their product.

New product frameworks are used to help a company decide whether or not to launch a product or service.

New product frameworks share many similarities with market entry frameworks. In order to recommend launching a new product, the following statements would need to be true:

  • The product targets an attractive market segment
  • The product meets customer needs and is superior to competitor products
  • The company has the capabilities to successfully launch the product
  • Launching the product will be highly profitable

Expanding on these areas, your new product framework could look like the following:

New Product Framework Example

A comprehensive guide to market sizing questions and market sizing frameworks can be found in our comprehensive market sizing article. You can also watch the video below:

As a summary, market sizing or estimation questions ask you to determine the size of a particular market or to estimate a particular figure.

There are two different market sizing frameworks or approaches:

  • Top-down approach : start with a large number and then refine and break down the number until you get your answer
  • Bottom-up approach : start with a small number and then build up and increase the number until you get your answer

To create your market sizing framework, simply write out in bullet points, the exact steps you would take to calculate the requested market size or estimation figure.

Consulting Frameworks Every Consultant Knows

There are six consulting frameworks that nearly every consultant knows.

I would not recommend using these exact frameworks during a case interview because the interviewer may think you are just regurgitating memorized information instead of thinking critically about the case.

Instead use the four framework strategies that we covered earlier in this article to create tailored and unique frameworks for each case.

Nevertheless, it is helpful to review these common consulting frameworks in order to understand the fundamental concepts and business principles behind them.

Porter’s Five Forces framework was developed by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter. This framework is used to analyze the attractiveness of a particular industry.

There are five forces that determine whether an industry is attractive or unattractive.

Porter's Five Forces Framework

Competitive rivalry:  How competitive is the industry?

The more competitive an industry is in terms of number and strength of competitors, the less attractive the industry is. The less competitive an industry is, the more attractive the industry is.

Supplier power:  How much power do suppliers have?

Suppliers are companies that provide the raw materials for your company to produce goods or services. The fewer suppliers there are, the more bargaining power suppliers have in setting prices. The more suppliers there are, the weaker bargaining power suppliers have in setting prices.

Therefore, high supplier power makes the industry less attractive while low supplier power makes the industry more attractive.   

Buyer power:  How much power do buyers have?

Buyers are customers or companies that purchase your company’s product. The more buyers there are, the weaker bargaining power buyers have in setting prices. The fewer buyers there are, the more bargaining power buyers have in setting prices.

Therefore, high buyer power makes the industry less attractive while low buyer power makes the industry more attractive.   

Threat of substitution:  How difficult is it for customers to find and use substitutes over your product?

The availability of many substitutes makes the industry less attractive while a lack of substitutes makes the industry more attractive

Threat of new entry:  How difficult is it for new players to enter the market?

If barriers to entry are high, then it is difficult for new players to enter the market and it is easier for existing players to maintain their market share.

If barriers to entry are low, then it is easy for new players to enter the market and more difficult for existing players to maintain their market share.

A low threat of new entrants makes the market more attractive while a high threat of new entrants makes the market less attractive.

A SWOT framework is used to assess a company’s strategic position. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

SWOT Framework

Strengths : What does the company do well? What qualities separate them from competitors?

Weaknesses : What does the company do poorly? What are the things that competitors do better?

Opportunities : Where are the company’s opportunities for growth or improvement?

Threats : Who are the most threatening competitors? What are the major risks to the company’s business?

The 4 P’s framework is used to develop a marketing strategy for a product. The 4 P’s in this framework are: product, place, promotion, and price.

4 P's Framework

Product : If there are multiple products or different versions of a product, you will need to decide which product to market. To do this, you will need to fully understand the benefits and points of differentiation of each product.

Select the product that best fits customer needs for the customer segment you are focusing on.

Place : You will need to decide where the product will be sold to customers. Different customer segments have different purchasing habits and behaviors. Therefore, some distribution channels will be more effective than others.

Should the product be sold directly to the customer online? Should the product be sold in the company’s stores? Should the product be sold through retail partners instead?

Promotion : You will need to decide how to spread information about the product to customers. Different customer segments have different media consumption habits and preferences. Therefore, some promotional strategies will be more effective than others.

Promotional techniques and strategies include advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, search engine marketing, video marketing, and public relations. Select the strategies and techniques that will be the most effective.

Price : You will need to decide how to price the product. Pricing is important because it determines the profits and the quantity of units sold. Pricing can also communicate information on the quality or value of the product.

If you price the product too high, you may be pricing the product above your customer segment’s willingness to pay. This would lead to lost sales.

If you price the product too low, you may be losing potential profit from customers who were willing to pay a higher price. You may also be losing profits from customers who perceive the product as low-quality due to a low price point.

In deciding on a price, you can consider the costs to produce the product, the prices of other similar products, and the value that you are providing to customers.

The 3 C’s framework is used to develop a business strategy for a company. 3 C’s stands for customers, competition, and company.

The business situation framework was developed by a former McKinsey consultant, Victor Cheng, who added a fourth component to this framework, product.

Both of these frameworks are used to develop a business strategy for a company in a variety of situations, such as market entry, new product launch, and acquisition.

3 C's Business Situation Framework

The BCG 2x2 Matrix Framework was developed by BCG founder Bruce Hendersen. It is used to examine all of the different businesses of a company to determine which businesses the company should invest in and focus on.

The BCG 2x2 Matrix has two different dimensions:

  • Market growth : How quickly is the market growing?
  • Relative market share : How much market share does the company have compared to competitors?

Each business of the company can be assessed on these two dimensions on a scale of low to high. This is what creates the 2x2 Matrix because it creates four different quadrants.

BCG 2x2 Matrix Framework

Each quadrant has a recommended strategy.

  • Stars : These are businesses that have high market growth rate and high relative market share. These businesses should be heavily invested in so they can continue to grow.
  • Cows :   These are businesses that have low market growth rate, but high relative market share. These businesses should be maintained since they are stable, profitable businesses.
  • Dogs :   These are businesses that have low market growth rate and low relative market share. These businesses should not be invested in and should possibly even be divested to free up cash for other businesses.
  • Unknown : These are businesses that have high market growth rate and low relative market share. The strategy for these businesses is not clear. With enough investment, these businesses could become stars. However, these businesses could also become dogs if the market growth slows or declines.

The McKinsey 7S Framework was developed by two former McKinsey consultants, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. The 7S Framework identifies seven elements that a company needs to align on in order to be successful.

McKinsey 7S Framework

These elements are:

  • Strategy : The company’s plan to grow and outcompete competitors
  • Structure : The organization of the company
  • Systems : The company’s daily activities and processes
  • Shared values : The core beliefs, values, or mission of the company
  • Style : The style of leadership or management used
  • Staff : The employees that are hired
  • Skills : The capabilities of the company’s employees

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Case interview questions and why you should use them in tech

case interview questions

Several years ago, we discovered one of the most troublesome issues of the IT professional hiring process: it is not very realistic. Luckily, there are numerous interview techniques to help with this, from situational interview questions examples to the ideal personal interview questions and coding challenges that can be used on your next candidate. This article will focus on one of a number of technical interviewing strategies you can implement in your recruiting process: the case interview questions.

Case interview questions for tech companies

The case interview was originally a technique focused on assessing candidates for partner-track roles and associate-level employees. However, it has evolved to analyst-level employees who provide internal support to senior management and the research department.

In this article you’ll see:

What is a case interview?

Why use case interview questions.

  • Types of cases you might see in an interview
  • Sample case interview questions
  • Case interview scenarios

case interview questions

Table of Contents

A case interview typically involves presenting a candidate with an authentic business scenario, similar to the one that your firm regularly handles with its clients. During the case interview, an interviewer presents a situation and asks the candidate to explore the underlying causes of the problem. The candidate is then expected to perform an analysis and provide advice on how to handle the scenario. In the IT realm, the candidate may be asked to demonstrate how that advice might be implemented in order to show specialized technical proficiency. So, in brief, the candidate’s task is to:

  • ask questions, to help identify the main problems
  • develop and present a framework for analysis
  • use the framework to offer recommendations or suggestions of advice

The questions or ‘cases’ used in these case interviews are often drawn from the interviewer’s actual project experience. So generally, the interviewer must be suitably experienced, not just in their professional capacity, but also in the ability to host these kinds of interviews. Case interviews typically last from 45 to 60 minutes, with a focus on the case itself for around two-thirds of that period.

case interview questions

Case interviews are more often used by management consulting firms (increasingly by other organizations too) as part of the selection process. Sometimes the case interview will be the only form of questioning but often they are used in conjunction with another form of technical assessment , i.e coding or situational. They are commonly used one-on-one but can be utilized in groups as part of an assessment center.

Case interview questions test for the ability to translate a problem statement into a working technical solution . A case interview can test not just programming skills but also:

  • analytical and logical reasoning ability
  • numerical and verbal reasoning
  • problem-solving ability
  • organizational and time management
  • the ability to think quickly under pressure
  • presentation and communication skills
  • confidence, business acumen, and professionalism

An advantage of the case interview is that the correct answer is not as vital as the process the candidate used to reach it. The objective of this type of interview is not to merely produce the right answer, but for the candidate to demonstrate their ability to solve complex problems independently and under pressure. In fact, there is often no ‘right’ answer. The nature of these interviews is generally very interactive, designed for the candidate to ask questions, seek clarification, and bounce ideas back off the interviewer.

Types of case interview questions

There are essentially three types of case interview questions and we will cover them here.

Brainteasers

Brain teasers are sometimes referred to as “ back of the envelope” questions in the consultancy field. They are logic questions that are used to gauge a candidate’s problem-solving skills. They are almost always numerically driven and the candidate will be asked to estimate the value, cost, or a number of an everyday item, thing, or commodity.

However, the use of brain teasers is flawed. Even ask Laszlo Bock, former senior VP of people operations at Google. He went on record to say they are “ a complete waste of time ” and that they “ don’t predict anything .” Decontextualization helps. These questions measure how good candidates are at coming up with a clever, plausible-seeming solution to an abstract problem under pressure. However, employees don’t experience this type of pressure on the job.

Imagine being asked how to explain the internet to someone coming out of a 30-year coma. Not very applicable is it?

   Image credit: pxhere

The “parade of facts” or graphic interpretation.

The parade of facts question is one that provides significant detail, some of it irrelevant, that tests the candidate’s ability to distill key issues. This form of questioning requires a depth of analysis based on relevant facts. As these questions are time-consuming, the use of them is relatively rare.

Because of this, firms tend to gravitate towards a graphic or statistical interpretation approach. The scenario might come in the form of an image or a graph, but still includes outlying information, i.e red herrings. This format is often less confusing for the candidate and is a more efficient technique to disperse key information. With this type of questioning, the candidate is required to interpret and review statistical data represented in a chart or graph.

Perhaps the most common form of case interview poses the question in only a few sentences. This leaves the candidates with minimal information and forces them to go several layers deeper by asking relevant questions to understand the key issues. Sometimes this type of interview is referred to as “the great unknown.”

The format is commonly used in a role-play scenario where the candidate is the consultant and the interviewer as the improvised client or manager. The fact this style of interview invites the candidate to formulate their own questions and develop frameworks is attractive to the organization’s using it .

The roleplay method is a great tool for the candidate to display client relationship skills and prove that they enjoy solving problems. Even if the structure of the question isn’t entirely role-play in nature, the question is very much situational and circumstantial. It places the candidate in the role of a consultant and allows them to creatively and critically analyze a real-world (often) business problem.

Tech case interview scenarios

Business situations.

These questions are designed to test the level of business knowledge a candidate has and whether they can apply it to authentic business problems.

Several types of common business problems can include (but are not limited to):

  • profit and loss
  • organizational structure
  • the implementation of new technology
  • marketing scenarios

The candidate will likely offer a verbal response to a question of this nature. The interviewer can draw on their own experiences to help guide the candidate through the scenario.

Some examples of a good question:

  • A progressive, tech-savvy CEO of a regional hospital chain is concerned that their company’s profitability is half that of the market leader. Using your tech background and business expertise, how can the company grow its net income?
  • Describe how you would approach a situation where your current project’s progress is slipping because of a lack of contributions from one of the client’s project team members?
  • A multinational manufacturing firm is faced with flat sales and the IT department is under pressure to identify ways to reduce costs. Our team has been tasked with developing a roadmap to achieving cost savings – how should we proceed?
  • A very large sports league needs to move their entire datacenter into the cloud in six weeks to support their new mobile video application. What are the first sets of challenges you would expect to face?

Business strategy

A business strategy question might involve an area such as growth, organizational expansion, and multiple operations issues. A complex business strategy question can involve multi-industry, multinational, and market-dependent problems. A more localized scenario is even a possibility, giving the interviewer the freedom to probe your knowledge in a variety of areas.

Common types of business strategy scenarios include:

  • advising clients about an acquisition or merger
  • responding to a competitive move by another company in the industry
  • evaluating opportunities for a new product introduction

A scenario that has been tackled effectively will be from a candidate who sets out a problem-solving framework. So in essence, setting out a plan, formulating the analysis and drawing recommendations from those conclusions.

  • A client is a global financial services firm that is considering allocating more resources to the facilitation of electronic fund transfers globally. The CEO wants you to develop a strategic plan to increase the company’s share of the market.
  • A client is a software development investment company attempting to develop a ride-sharing app that uses “green” technology for its driving fleet, resulting in 85% less emissions and being 15% more affordable than its competition. Please help determine the product’s market potential and the strategy to bring it to the market.
  • A large retail firm is looking to develop a new digital strategy to better engage customers and improve sales – how should they begin this journey and what factors are most important to keep in mind?
  • The third-ranked competitor in the cellular phone services market is at a disadvantage relative to its larger competitors. Providing cellular phone service has high fixed costs – for the equipment that transmits calls, the retail stores that sell phones and the marketing spend that is key to customer retention. The CEO is considering acquiring a smaller competitor in order to gain market share. They would like our help thinking through this decision.

  Image credit: pxhere

Business operations.

Business operations case scenarios are questions that fundamentally relate to the running of the business itself and are more complex than market sizing questions or brainteasers. Interviewers enjoy questions like these because they allow the interviewer to see if the candidate has the ability to comprehend critical issues that pertain to running a business.

Common types of business operations questions include:

  • the relationship between revenues and costs
  • the relationship and impact of fixed and variable costs on a company’s profitability

Questions pertaining to business operations require the candidate to demonstrate a learned understanding of business processes and an ability to distill key issues from a lengthy amount of information. These scenarios are usually represented by the “parade of facts” case type.

A (lengthy) example of a good question:

  • Your client ABC Technology is a large information technology (IT) outsourcing service provider. At the time of its creation, ABC Technology had revenues of $25 billion, 170,000 employees and operated in 70 countries.

The client (ABC) is nearing the end of a long-term contract with its largest customer, Giant Corp. The CEO of Giant Corp. has notified ABC Technology of its intent to “level the playing field” of competition for its IT-related business. The customer Giant Corp. has indicated that 100% of the business ABC Technology currently enjoys will be available for bids by ABC Technology’s competitors.

The client would like your assistance in developing a view of its business with Giant Corp. In addition, ABC Technology believes the trend to structure outsourcing initiatives by standardized service lines will continue, and therefore it views this client opportunity as a “wave of the future” that it will soon see repeated with its other major clients.

Your desired outcome is to develop a high-level engagement approach and to brainstorm what insights are needed to strengthen ABC Technology’s response to the forthcoming bid process. How would you go about it?

Market sizing

Market sizing questions are focused on establishing the size of a market in regards to annual revenue or the number of units sold. They are rather simple in design, and generally do not require the candidate to explain how to successfully compete in the market. These questions are common from consulting firms early in the consulting interview process. They are even more frequent in interviews with undergraduate students who are not so business savvy. Market sizing questions are often represented by a succinct brainteaser such as:

  • What is the size of the market for mobile food delivery services in the United States?
  • Discuss what is wrong with the following statistic: the Volvo is the safest car on the road because a recent study has shown that Volvos have the fewest number of accident deaths per mile driven.

case interview questions

Although they take their inspiration from a broader field of economic comprehension, case interview questions can be an effective technique to assess IT consultants and professionals alike. Some types and scenarios work better than others according to their content, IT is proof of this.

One of the most interesting aspects of case interviews is that once a question has been posed, there are an infinite number of directions the case can go. This affords the interviewer many angles from which to assess a candidate. It is certain that depending on the role you are hiring for, case interview questions are able to genuinely evaluate your candidate’s creative and critical thinking process. Now that you’re familiar with case interview questions, we wholeheartedly recommend the 45 behavioral questions to use during non-technical interview with developers .

We hope this gives you a solid idea of how case interview questions can be useful to your organization. If you’d like to read more on a related subject, please check out our article on work-sample interviews .

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common case study questions

Product Manager Case Study Questions Explained

Product management case studies are an integral part of the interview process for aspiring product managers. They evaluate analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and strategic decision-making skills.

Understanding the Role of Case Studies in Product Management

Case studies assess how well a candidate can understand ambiguous business situations and provide data-driven recommendations. They test competencies like:

  • Market analysis
  • Competitive benchmarking
  • Product positioning
  • Go-to-market strategy

Recruiters use case studies to gauge if a product manager can structure nebulous problems and drive product direction strategically.

Product manager case study questions typically present real-world scenarios like new product development, feature prioritization, pricing strategy, etc.

The Goals of Product Management Case Studies

The goals behind case study evaluations are:

  • Evaluate analytical abilities
  • Assess problem-solving approach
  • Test strategic thinking
  • Benchmark communications skills
  • Gauge leadership principles

The case study framework is designed to simulate the responsibilities and challenges faced by product managers daily.

Overview of the Product Management Case Study Framework

The standard product management case study framework follows this structure:

  • Company background
  • Product background
  • Business challenge or opportunity
  • Market dynamics
  • Competitor benchmarking
  • Questions on product strategy

The questions asked aim to assess the thought process and problem-solving skills of candidates. There are no definitively right or wrong answers.

Product Manager Case Study Presentation Essentials

An effective Product Manager case study presentation should clearly communicate:

  • Findings from quantitative and qualitative analyses
  • Fact-based recommendations
  • Data-driven strategic plan
  • Proposed success metrics

Focus on showcasing the analytical approach over final recommendations. Demonstrate how you structured the problem and aligned solutions to company goals.

How do you answer a case study question for a product manager?

When answering a case study question as a product manager candidate, it's important to demonstrate both your strategic thinking and your ability to execute tactically. Here are some tips:

Focus on achieving tangible outcomes

  • Clearly define the goal or objective you are trying to achieve from the case study
  • Outline 2-3 key metrics that would indicate success in meeting that goal
  • Provide specific examples of tangible outcomes you would aim to deliver

Describe your step-by-step process

  • Product management case study framework: Outline the framework or methodology you would follow to approach the problem
  • Explain the step-by-step process you would take to understand the users, analyze data, ideate solutions, prioritize, etc.
  • Product manager case study templates: You may reference or adapt standard PM frameworks like Opportunity Solution Tree or PRD templates

Demonstrate your PM skills

  • Explain how you would apply essential PM skills like user research, market analysis, prioritization, roadmapping, etc.
  • Provide examples of qualitative or quantitative analysis you might conduct
  • Describe how you would collaborate with various functions like design, engineering, etc.

Structure your response

  • Organize your answer clearly around goals, process, and skills/expertise
  • Product Manager case study presentation: Use a simple structure of defining the objective, outlining your approach, and stating your deliverables

Following this kind of framework can demonstrate both strategic alignment and tactical planning abilities needed in product management. Referencing PM methodologies and showing your core competencies can further strengthen your case study performance.

What questions should I ask for a case study?

When preparing a case study as a product manager , it's important to ask the right questions to fully understand the client's needs and challenges. Here are some key questions to ask:

CASE STUDY QUESTIONS TO ASK THE CLIENT

  • Can you give a brief description of your company? This provides context on the client's industry, size, goals, etc.
  • How did you first hear about our service? This gives insight into what piqued their interest.
  • What challenges/problems necessitated a change? This reveals the pain points they aimed to solve.
  • What trends in your industry drove the need to use our product? This highlights external factors influencing their decision.
  • What were you looking for in a solution? This clarifies the must-have capabilities they required.

Additional questions could cover budget constraints, decision makers involved, specific features needed, and measurable goals hoped to be achieved.

Asking thoughtful questions lays the groundwork for crafting a compelling case study showcasing how your product uniquely solved the client's problems. It also enables tailoring the content to resonate with prospects in similar situations.

What does a product manager case study look like?

A product management case study typically examines a specific product and analyzes how it was developed, launched, and iterated on over time. Case studies aim to uncover key learnings that can be applied to other products.

Here are some common elements of a PM case study:

Problem Definition

  • Identifies the specific user need or business goal the product aimed to address
  • Provides context on the target market, competition, and other environmental factors

Solution Approach

  • Explains the product's core features and functionality
  • Details the technology stack and architecture
  • Describes the overall product strategy and positioning

Execution and Iteration

  • Traces the product development timeline and process
  • Analyzes how the product changed over time based on user feedback and data
  • Examines pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies

Outcomes and Metrics

  • Reviews usage metrics, conversion rates, revenue, etc.
  • Discusses qualitative feedback from users and customers
  • Determines if business and user goals were achieved

Key Takeaways

  • Summarizes the main lessons learned and best practices
  • Provides advice for other PMs working on similar products

By studying these elements, product managers can better understand what works well and what doesn't for a given product category or business model. Case studies are a valuable resource for continuous PM learning and improvement.

What is the best questions to ask a product manager?

When interviewing a product manager or trying to understand their role better, asking strategic questions can provide useful insights. Here are some recommended questions:

What is the strategic vision for this product?

This open-ended question allows the product manager to explain the long-term vision and goals for the product they manage. It gives insight into the product's purpose and intended value.

How do you develop your product roadmap?

By understanding their process for building product roadmaps, you learn how they prioritize features and initiatives. This sheds light on how they balance business goals, customer needs, and technical constraints.

How does product management work with executive leadership?

Learning about the relationship between product management and company executives shows how aligned product strategy is with broader business objectives. It also demonstrates the level of executive support and autonomy product has.

Product manager case study questions like these help assess strengths in strategic thinking, customer orientation, and cross-functional collaboration. Tailor additional questions to understand the context of their role and products better. The more you can learn about their real-world experiences, the better sense you have of their competencies.

Dissecting Product Management Case Study Questions

This section delves into the types of questions that surface in product management case studies, with a focus on product design and strategy.

Probing into Product Design Questions

Product design questions aim to assess a candidate's ability to design user-centric products while considering various constraints. Some examples include:

  • How would you design an app for grocery delivery that provides the best user experience? Consider factors like ease of use, personalization, and order tracking.
  • Design a ride sharing app while optimizing for driver supply, customer demand prediction, pricing strategy, and minimizing wait times.
  • Suggest ways to improve the user onboarding flow for a food delivery app to drive higher user retention.

These questions evaluate how well you can empathize with users, identify pain points in existing solutions, and devise elegant yet practical product enhancements. Strong answers demonstrate user-centric thinking balanced with business objectives.

Strategizing with Product Strategy Questions

Product strategy questions test your ability to make decisions from a broader business context. Some examples:

  • As a PM for an e-commerce company, would you build a mobile app or focus on improving the mobile web experience? Consider factors like development costs, user engagement, and revenue goals.
  • A music streaming startup is struggling with customer churn. How would you identify reasons for churn and formulate strategies to improve retention?
  • A grocery delivery provider is looking to expand into a new city. Outline your market entry strategy while considering competition, operational costs, targeting customer segments etc.

These questions expect you to flex your analytical and strategic thinking muscles. Great answers weigh tradeoffs between multiple factors and craft a sound overarching strategy.

Navigating Product Roadmap Challenges

You may also encounter questions that deal with prioritizing features and planning effective roadmaps:

  • As a PM for a budgeting app, outline how you would prioritize building features like transaction tagging, debt management, investing tools etc. Consider factors like customer requests, development effort, and business impact.
  • A software company wants to expand from only web-based products to also building mobile apps. How would you structure the product roadmap to support this transition?
  • Construct an 18 month roadmap for a media subscription service, outlining key initiatives across content licensing, personalization, payments etc. How would you sequence priorities?

Strong responses demonstrate the ability to make tough product tradeoffs, sequence priorities, and craft realistic roadmaps to achieve business goals.

Mastering Product Launch Scenario Questions

Finally, some case studies present scenarios around planning and executing a successful product launch:

  • You are launching a new crypto exchange product. Outline the launch strategy and post-launch metrics you would track to measure success.
  • A startup is preparing to unveil a smart assistant device for the home. Construct a pre-launch plan covering marketing campaigns, partnerships, distribution channels and launch events.
  • An insurer is introducing an app to allow customers to manage policies and file claims. Design a rollout plan highlighting early access users, press outreach, and customer onboarding flows.

Expect questions probing your understanding of launch best practices across marketing, partnerships, tech readiness and adoption measurement.

Exploring Product Manager Case Study Templates

Product management case studies are an integral part of the interview process for product manager roles. They assess a candidate's ability to analyze data, prioritize features, and develop product strategies. Having a structured framework when approaching case studies can help candidates demonstrate their skills more effectively.

This section introduces templates that can guide product managers through various types of case studies.

Market Analysis and Entry Strategy Template

When entering a new market, it's critical to deeply understand customer needs, competitive landscape, market trends and dynamics. This template provides a methodical approach:

  • Customer analysis: Map target customer segments and develop buyer personas. Identify their needs, pain points and jobs-to-be-done. Quantify market size of each segment.
  • Competitive analysis: Identify direct and indirect competitors. Analyze their product offerings, business models and go-to-market strategies. Pinpoint competitive advantages and disadvantages.
  • Market analysis: Evaluate market trends, growth drivers, industry lifecycle stage, regulations and other dynamics. Determine market accessibility and expansion potential.
  • Entry strategy: Define market entry plan based on above analyses - ideal customer segment(s) to target initially, product positioning and MVP feature set, pricing models, distribution channels and partnership opportunities. Outline expansion strategy.

Following this standardized template ensures thorough evaluation of the market opportunity and development of a tailored entry approach.

Product manager case study questions around new market entry often focus on quantifying the market, analyzing the competitive landscape, identifying the beachhead segment, and formulating the initial go-to-market strategy.

Product Roadmap Prioritization Framework

Determining what initiatives and features to build next is crucial for product success. This framework helps structure the prioritization process:

  • Gather inputs: Compile inputs from customer research, user interviews, support tickets, sales requests, market analysis and internal stakeholders.
  • Define evaluation criteria: Identify criteria like business value, user value, level of effort, dependencies and risks. Assign weights to each.
  • Score roadmap items: Tally scores for each initiative based on the defined criteria to allow comparison.
  • High-level sequencing: Group scored items into broader themes and high-level releases. Order these releases based on overarching priorities.
  • Granular prioritization: Prioritize individual features within each release based on scores. Consider dependencies.

This data-driven approach brings rigor to product manager case study questions around roadmap prioritization. It's more defensible than gut feel and can facilitate alignment across the organization.

Comprehensive Product Launch Plan Template

Successfully launching a new product requires coordinating many complex, interdependent activities across teams. This template can help structure an effective, detailed launch plan:

  • Pre-launch: Finalize positioning and messaging, create launch assets, drive buzz through influencer campaigns, optimize conversion funnels.
  • Launch: Unveil product on launch date, drive traffic to website/app through advertising and PR, activate referral programs.
  • Post-launch: Closely monitor KPIs like activations, retention, engagement, satisfaction. Address issues immediately through rapid iteration. Develop customer success processes.
  • Expansion: Plan for incremental feature releases to expand value proposition. Pursue additional customer segments, partnerships and geographies. Ramp up marketing and sales.

Thoughtfully outlining all launch activities makes product introduction smooth and impactful. Product Manager case study presentation questions on new product launches evaluate this level of planning rigor.

Innovation and Pivot Strategy Framework

When products fail to achieve product-market fit, product managers may need to rethink strategy. This framework can help determine next steps:

  • Diagnosis: Thoroughly analyze customer segments, their engagement, feedback and market success indicators. Identify issues.
  • Ideate solutions: Brainstorm innovative ideas and pivots to address problems through new technologies, business models or market approaches.
  • Market analysis: Gauge market demand for proposed solutions. Evaluate technical and business feasibility.
  • Decision: Determine whether to persevere with small tweaks, make minor pivots in current product or business model, or perform major reworks or re-launches.

This structure brings strategic clarity to questions on Product Strategy and innovation during Product Management Case Studies.

Following standardized frameworks and templates allows showcasing analytical abilities and structured thinking - critical skills assessed in product manager case study interviews through open-ended Sample Questions. With practice, these templates can be adapted to various case contexts.

Real-World Product Management Case Studies with Sample Questions

Product management case studies aim to simulate real-world scenarios a PM may face. Reviewing examples helps prepare for interviews and day-to-day work. Here are some common case study prompts with analysis.

Sample Question: Entering the Rideshare Market

A case study may present a scenario like:

"A startup called DriveFast wants to enter the competitive rideshare market with a differentiated offering. As the PM, put together a strategic plan, including challenges, solutions, key metrics, and a rollout timeline."

This requires developing a comprehensive go-to-market strategy. Considerations may include:

  • Understanding rider and driver needs to identify gaps in existing offerings
  • Brainstorming features like scheduling, vehicle types, loyalty programs
  • Analyzing market data to forecast demand and growth
  • Evaluating operational costs and pricing models
  • Setting targets for key metrics like ride volume, customer acquisition cost
  • Building marketing and incentive campaigns to attract early adopters

The response should showcase analytical thinking and strategic planning skills relevant for product leadership roles.

Sample Question: Prioritizing a Social Media Platform's Features

A sample case could be:

"A new social media site for teens is gaining traction but has limited engineering bandwidth. As the PM, prioritize these potential features: stories, events, profiles, messaging, analytics."

This tests the ability to make data-driven decisions about feature development and sequencing. The PM would likely:

  • Consider metrics showing current site usage and growth trends
  • Weigh differentiators compared to competitive sites teenagers use
  • Map out user workflows and identify friction points
  • Talk to teen users directly to validate needs
  • Develop evaluation criteria like engagement, retention, and sharing
  • Use techniques like weighted scoring to prioritize feature roadmap

The process demonstrates user empathy, analytical thinking, and product strategy skills.

Sample Question: Launching a Wearable Tech Product

A wearable tech case study may ask:

"Your startup is preparing to launch a new fitness wearable called FitNow. Develop a go-to-market strategy including positioning, pricing, promotion and distribution."

This evaluates bringing an early-stage hardware product to market. The strategy may cover:

  • Conducting user studies to validate product-market fit
  • Identifying customer segments and use cases to focus positioning
  • Competitive analysis against similar wearables
  • Developing pricing tiers and discounts for early buyers
  • Securing retail partnerships for distribution
  • Creating a targeted launch campaign with influencers

Success depends on understanding user needs, evaluating market dynamics, and planning effective commercialization.

Sample Question: Developing a Product Innovation Strategy

Some cases challenge developing new solutions, like:

"Your building products company wants to rapidly innovate and stay ahead of commoditization trends in the market. How would you maintain differentiation?"

This aims to assess strategic thinking and creativity. The PM may propose ideas like:

  • Exploring adjacent spaces like IoT-connected buildings
  • Launching industry or region specific product lines
  • Leveraging data and analytics to offer insights as a service
  • Building a modular platform for rapid customization
  • Creating sustainable construction products
  • Implementing an innovation lab for ongoing R&D

Top candidates can connect innovation to business impact and articulate a compelling vision.

These examples illustrate common scenarios and considerations evaluated in PM case studies, helping prepare for interviews. Tailoring responses using actual product experience can showcase leadership potential.

Preparing for the Product Manager Case Study Interview

Adopting a product management case study framework.

When preparing for a product manager case study interview, it is important to have a structured framework to approach the business case or product design challenge. A framework provides guidance on the key areas to cover and helps ensure a comprehensive analysis.

Some popular frameworks include:

  • Opportunity Assessment : Evaluates market size, competition, customer needs and product positioning.
  • MECE (Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive) : Breaks down a problem into distinct components that cover all aspects.
  • RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) : Prioritizes potential solutions based on key factors.
  • AARRR (Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue) : Focuses on core funnel metrics.

I would recommend developing experience with 2-3 frameworks so you have different lenses to evaluate product problems. Practice applying the frameworks to sample case studies to get comfortable. Having a reliable framework reduces anxiety and builds structure into your analysis.

Effective Communication of Your Strategic Approach

How you present your case study analysis is as important as the substance itself. Interviewers want to understand your thought process and strategic rationale.

  • Verbalize your framework out loud so the interviewer follows your thinking
  • Use whiteboarding to map out key factors and relationships
  • Present 2-3 options with pros/cons instead of just one solution
  • Tailor communication to audience - emphasize business impact
  • Practice explaining analysis clearly and concisely

The goal is to showcase your structured problem-solving approach and ability to translate analysis into compelling recommendations.

Time Management Techniques for Case Study Success

With case study interviews often lasting 45 minutes or less, time management is critical. Avoid getting bogged down analyzing market research or financials.

Some strategies:

  • Agree on problem framing upfront
  • Set a timer on your phone to pace yourself
  • Spend more time on strategy and solutions vs. data analysis
  • Practice case studies with a timer to improve efficiency

If you have extra time, highlight additional analyses you would conduct given more time or propose experiments to validate assumptions. Proactively managing pace demonstrates preparedness.

Practice with Realistic Product Manager Case Study Templates

The best preparation for case study interviews is to practice with examples that resemble real PM case studies. Overly simplistic or unrealistic cases have limited training value.

Look for practice cases that provide:

  • Relevant customer and market context
  • Data on adoption, usage, churn
  • Competitor profiles and benchmarking
  • Open-ended strategic questions

Practice presenting analyses and recommendations out loud. Refine based on feedback. Quality practice with realistic templates builds muscle memory for the actual case study interview.

Conclusion: Mastering Product Management Case Studies

Recap of product manager case study essentials.

Preparing for product management case study interviews requires understanding the fundamentals. Here are some key things to keep in mind:

  • Know the product manager frameworks : Frameworks like Opportunity Assessment, PRD, and others provide structure for analyzing case studies systematically. Familiarize yourself with a few core frameworks.
  • Practice case studies extensively : Solving diverse case studies is the best preparation. Look for case studies online or get help building a library to practice with. Review solutions to refine your approach.
  • Structure your thinking : Outline the key issues, product goals, user needs - before diving into solutions. Structured thinking clarifies the problem space.
  • Show your working : Explain your step-by-step thought process while solving the case. The interviewer wants insights into your analytical abilities.
  • Back up ideas with data : Use market research, user data, or financial projections to validate ideas. Concrete data lends credibility.

With practice, these core strategies will help tackle case study questions confidently.

Final Thoughts on Utilizing Product Management Case Study Frameworks

Frameworks provide the scaffolding to methodically break down and solve case study problems. They enable structured thinking about product opportunities, tradeoffs, and decisions.

While no framework fits every case, having a few committed to memory - like Opportunity Assessment, PRD, and Growth - equips you with analytical tools for common product scenarios.

Rather than relying on generic frameworks, adapt them to the case context for optimal relevance. Customize frameworks to the product stage, user needs, and goals highlighted in the case prompt.

As important as frameworks are, avoid plugging in ideas mechanically without explaining the underlying reasoning. Illustrate your thought process with the frameworks as guides, not rigid templates.

With an adaptable, customized approach, product management case study frameworks unlock strategic thinking to drive impactful solutions.

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common case study questions

47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

Case interview examples - McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.

One of the best ways to prepare for   case interviews  at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. 

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

  • McKinsey examples
  • BCG examples
  • Bain examples
  • Deloitte examples
  • Other firms' examples
  • Case books from consulting clubs
  • Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

  • Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
  • Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
  • Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
  • GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
  • National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
  • Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
  • Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
  • Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
  • McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
  • McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

  • Foods Inc and GenCo case samples  (BCG website)
  • Chateau Boomerang written case interview  (BCG website)
  • BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
  • Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
  • BCG live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

  • CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
  • FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
  • Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
  • Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
  • Written case interview tips (Bain website)
  • Bain case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)
  • Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

  • Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
  • Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
  • Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
  • Retail Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
  • Finance Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
  • Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
  • Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
  • Footloose written case  (by Deloitte)
  • Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

  • Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
  • Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

  • Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
  • Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

  • Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
  • Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
  • Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

  • Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
  • Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
  • AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

  • Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
  • Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

  • Case interview example video walkthrough   (L.E.K. website)
  • Market sizing case example video walkthrough  (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

  • Transit oriented development case webinar part 1  (Roland Berger website)
  • Transit oriented development case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
  • 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1   (Roland Berger website)
  • 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
  • Roland Berger case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

  • Case interview example video walkthrough  (Capital One website)
  • Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

13. Consulting clubs case interview examples

  • Berkeley case book (2006)
  • Columbia case book (2006)
  • Darden case book (2012)
  • Darden case book (2018)
  • Duke case book (2010)
  • Duke case book (2014)
  • ESADE case book (2011)
  • Goizueta case book (2006)
  • Illinois case book (2015)
  • LBS case book (2006)
  • MIT case book (2001)
  • Notre Dame case book (2017)
  • Ross case book (2010)
  • Wharton case book (2010)

Practice with experts

Using case interview examples is a key part of your interview preparation, but it isn’t enough.

At some point you’ll want to practise with friends or family who can give some useful feedback. However, if you really want the best possible preparation for your case interview, you'll also want to work with ex-consultants who have experience running interviews at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.

If you know anyone who fits that description, fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

Here's the good news. We've already made the connections for you. We’ve created a coaching service where you can do mock case interviews 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from MBB firms . Start scheduling sessions today!

The IGotAnOffer team

Interview coach and candidate conduct a video call

The Consulting Fit Interview: What to Say, What NOT to Say

  • Last Updated January, 2024

Rebecca Smith-Allen

Former McKinsey Engagement Manager

People pursuing consulting careers get very anxious about case study interviews. Sometimes they get so anxious about case studies that they neglect the other key type of question management consulting firms ask — the fit or behavioral question.

This is understandable. After all, case studies are something few people have seen before. Behavioral interview questions sound like the questions all sorts of companies ask. You may think you can just wing an answer.

You can’t. 

Failing your fit interview questions will get you passed over just as quickly as failing on a case.

Below, we’ll talk about what to say and what NOT to say about when answering 10 common fit interview questions. We’ll give you a structure for developing stories that will resonate with top management consulting firms. We’ll also provide tips on making the most of your behavioral interview practice.

If you’ve just started looking into a career in consulting and want to learn more about  consulting case interview prep  or see some  case interview examples , first. But if you’re ready to prep for consulting behavioral interviews, you’re in exactly the right place.

Let’s get started!

The Consulting Behavioral Interview — Why It Matters

On Types of Questions Consulting Firms Ask, we defined the behavioral or fit interview.

We also discussed what interviewers are looking for with these interviews:

  • Are you someone they want to work with (or be stuck in an airport with when the plane is late)?
  • Are you someone they feel comfortable putting in front of their client?

As you can imagine, these are very central questions for your interviewer. That’s why fit questions are important.

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

10 Common Consulting Behavioral Interview Questions – What to Say, What NOT to Say

When you dig underneath these 2 questions, you’ll see they probe a broader set of attitudes, skills, and behaviors.

Are you someone your interviewer wants to work with?

Are you fun, hard-working, passionate about the projects you take on, someone who doesn’t give up easily?

Why this matters – consultants work together for 8+ hours a day. The team wants to hire people they’d be fine with spending 8+ hours a day with.

Are you someone the interviewer would feel comfortable putting in front of their client?

Are good at problem solving, able to persuade and motivate people, but also coachable? Have you done your homework looking into what work in the consulting industry is like? Do you have the right mannerisms and professionalism to work with clients?

Top management consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG make at least half a million dollars per project, so if you’re put in front of a client and aren’t client-ready, it could cost a firm half a million dollars in revenues.

Your answers to personal interview questions should aim to address these questions lying beneath the surface.

1. Tell me about yourself.

DO describe one of your key strengths, particularly a strength that relates to the characteristics management consulting firms are looking for, then provide examples from your resume that demonstrate this strength and provide context.

DON’T start rambling through your entire resume.

2. Walk me through your resume.

DO point out major accomplishments and provide the connective tissue between jobs/positions. Examples: “I took this position because I was interested in…” “I accomplished…” “I changed positions because…”

DON’T ramble. DON’T be humble about achievements (though credit the team where appropriate).

3. Why are you interested in management consulting?

DO mention specific interactions with people in the industry during campus information sessions or informational interviews that got you excited about consulting. DO show that you understand the work that consultants do and the skills the firm is looking for. Show that your achievements demonstrate those skills.

DON’T arrive at the interview with no idea why consulting would be a better career for you than investment banking, consumer marketing, accounting or other careers.

4. Why are you interested in working for Bain / BCG / McKinsey / Deloitte?

DO show that you understand the types of projects the company takes on and the firm’s values. The more specific you can be, the better. DO show that you’ve done the research on the firm by bringing up stories from other consultants you’ve met from within the firm.

DON’T show up for the interview without having attended on-campus presentations by consulting firms and/or visited the company’s website.

5. What’s something you’ve worked on outside of school?

DON’T talk about a leadership position you held where you didn’t have a measurable impact. Think of the students back in high school or university who started fake clubs just to put it on their resume.

6. Tell me about a time you dealt with a tough problem.

DO show that the problem was challenging, but that with perseverance you overcame the challenge, or at least that you learned from your mistake. It’s okay to show a partial failure.

DON’T use the “strength disguised as a weakness” approach.

7. Tell me about a time you led others.

DO demonstrate that you’re a cooperative leader, not a dictator. Show you can motivate people. Focus on yourself as a facilitator and credit the team with the success.

DON’T portray everyone else on the team as clueless. In consulting, you’ll need to lead smart clients and co-workers, not minions. Demonstrate you can facilitate a strong team.

8. When did you have to convince someone to change their mind on something important to them?

DO show that you can relate to differing points of view, build a case for your own point of view, and be persuasive.

DON’T sound dictatorial.

9. Tell me about a failure.

DO describe why you failed, what you learned, and what you’d do differently next time as a result.

DON’T directly criticize past co-workers. DON’T let the question stress you out and throw off the rest of your interview.

10. What do you like to do for fun?

DO be genuine and personable. Remember, your interviewer is looking for people he/she wants to work with.

DON’T blow off the question. Pick something you love enough and have put enough time into that you can discuss it for a couple of minutes.

To find out more about what to say, and what NOT to say, read Common Consulting Interview Questions.

A Structure to Prepare Answers that Will Resonate with Your Interviewer – Tell Stories

The best way to answer consulting behavioral interview questions is to tell stories. Stories are great because they stick in your interviewer’s mind even after a day of meeting a dozen candidates. That gives you a leg up when decisions are being made. 

Look for instances from your past that demonstrate your impact in a work environment, volunteer/ extracurricular activity, or just in every-day life. These will make great stories.

Here , we introduced the A STAR(E) structure for telling stories. To recap, A STAR(E) stands for:

A – Answer – Start with a 1-sentence answer to the interviewer’s question.

S – Situation – Describe the situation. When and where did the events in the story happen? Who was involved?

T – Tension – What was the conflict

A – Action – What actions did you take to resolve the tension?

R – Result – What were the results of your action?

(E) – Effect – What did you learn from the situation and the events that followed it?

(E) or Effect is in parentheses because it will not be essential to every story.  

Let’s illustrate the A STARE(E) structure with a story from Davis, Founder of My Consulting Offer.

Question: Tell me about a failure.

Here is an example of how Davis Nguyen, our founder, answered one of his behavioral interview questions with Bain and McKinsey. 

A – Answer – I was rejected by close to 200 scholarships but kept applying and eventually won full scholarships to Harvard and Yale. 

S – Situation – I grew up in a low-income community where going to college was a dream for most kids, not an expectation. Our school system was called the worst in the United States.

T – Tension – Growing up, I knew I wanted to be the 1st person in my family to go to college. I wanted to live up to the dreams of my parents and grandparents who gave up everything so I could have this opportunity. But I didn’t have a role model to follow since my teachers and counselors were trying to keep students from starting fights, dropping out of school, or going to jail. 

I knew I wanted to go to the best university I could and graduate debt-free, but I wasn’t sure how to achieve this.

A – Action – I didn’t understand financial aid, so in my sophomore year, I decided to make a list of 200 scholarships I could apply for to fund my education. I applied to every scholarship I could find, including once called ‘women entering technology.’ 

Over 3 years, I was rejected for 179 scholarships. I hung each rejection on my bedroom wall to remind myself to keep going. Every time I was rejected, I’d ask for feedback and use it on my next application.

( E) – Effect – While this took place in high school, I think it tells you a lot about me. I don’t give up. At Yale, I might not have been the smartest student, but no one was going to outwork me. And in extracurriculars, I might not have had the connections to raise money right away, but you could bet that I’d knock on doors and send cold emails to make sure I could raise the money needed.

You can see that by structuring his answer as a story, Davis was able to pull interviewers in emotionally. The interviewer remembered Davis’s story hours later when the team met to discuss the candidates and make decisions on who would move on to the next round of interviews or receive an offer.

4 Tips for Mastering Consulting Behavioral Interviews

As with case study interviews, you’ll need to practice answering behavioral interview questions. First, come up with the content for your stories and get feedback from your case study partners. Improve your stories with their feedback and rehearse them.

When practicing, focus on:

Delivery – Make sure you speak at a normal pace. Pause to let the interviewer absorb what you’re saying. Show emotion – excitement, enthusiasm, sadness or disappointment.

Make sure your body language and eye contact connect you to your interviewer.

Don’t Sound Like a Robot – Don’t memorize your story. Just remember the key points and deliver them naturally.

Use Loom to Record Yourself – You can also use the camera on your phone. Yes, it’s cringe-worthy to watch yourself practice stories for interviews, but you’ll pick up on what you’re doing well, and what’s not working.

The “George Clooney” Mindset – When George Clooney began his Hollywood career, he faced tons of rejections. He realized he was too nervous when he was going into auditions and decided he needed to change things. He started going into auditions with the mindset that producers wanted him to succeed—after all, they needed to find a great actor to make their show a success—and that made all the difference.

Don’t go into your interviews thinking about the low chances of passing. Go in knowing that your interviewer wants to find new consultants to work at his or her firm. You can be one of those new consultants.

On this page, we’ve covered the most common consulting behavioral interview questions and how to answer them. We’ve also shared an example of using the A STAR(E) structure to create stories that will resonate with your interviewers. These stories will be helpful in your first round interviews and be even more critical in your second round interviews.

People who are prepping for consulting behavioral interview questions typically find the following other My Consulting Offer pages helpful:

  • Case Interview Prep ,
  • McKinsey PEI , and
  • Bain Experience Interview .

We hope this page has increased your confidence in tackling fit interview questions! Comment below on the fit questions you find the toughest. We’ll provide tips from our coaches.

Help with Case Study Interview Preparation

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on case study interview prep. My Consulting Offer has helped almost 89.6% of the people we’ve worked with get a job in management consulting.  For example, here is how Aaron was able to get an offer as his dream firm..

5 thoughts on “Consulting Behavioral Interviews – 10 Questions to Prepare For”

You’re welcome!

I cannot agree more. Before my visit to this blog, I was totally a newbie who doesn’t know what to avoid and what I should proceed with to maximize my success in my behavioral interview. After reading it, it is completely enlightening to me to the extends which I have never know before. Great blog to be shared among friends

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing the article!

Thanks so much for this article. I know the growth and excitement of management consulting is the next step in my career. Can I connect on linkedin?

I’m glad you found it helpful! You can follow My Consulting Offer’s founder Davis Nguyen on LinkedIn for insight into landing your dream consulting job. Here’s the link! https://www.linkedin.com/in/davis2/

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Case Study At-A-Glance

A case study is a way to let students interact with material in an open-ended manner. the goal is not to find solutions, but to explore possibilities and options of a real-life scenario..

Want examples of a Case-Study?  Check out the ABLConnect Activity Database Want to read research supporting the Case-Study method? Click here

Why should you facilitate a Case Study?

Want to facilitate a case-study in your class .

How-To Run a Case-Study

  • Before class pick the case study topic/scenario. You can either generate a fictional situation or can use a real-world example.
  • Clearly let students know how they should prepare. Will the information be given to them in class or do they need to do readings/research before coming to class?
  • Have a list of questions prepared to help guide discussion (see below)
  • Sessions work best when the group size is between 5-20 people so that everyone has an opportunity to participate. You may choose to have one large whole-class discussion or break into sub-groups and have smaller discussions. If you break into groups, make sure to leave extra time at the end to bring the whole class back together to discuss the key points from each group and to highlight any differences.
  • What is the problem?
  • What is the cause of the problem?
  • Who are the key players in the situation? What is their position?
  • What are the relevant data?
  • What are possible solutions – both short-term and long-term?
  • What are alternate solutions? – Play (or have the students play) Devil’s Advocate and consider alternate view points
  • What are potential outcomes of each solution?
  • What other information do you want to see?
  • What can we learn from the scenario?
  • Be flexible. While you may have a set of questions prepared, don’t be afraid to go where the discussion naturally takes you. However, be conscious of time and re-focus the group if key points are being missed
  • Role-playing can be an effective strategy to showcase alternate viewpoints and resolve any conflicts
  • Involve as many students as possible. Teamwork and communication are key aspects of this exercise. If needed, call on students who haven’t spoken yet or instigate another rule to encourage participation.
  • Write out key facts on the board for reference. It is also helpful to write out possible solutions and list the pros/cons discussed.
  • Having the information written out makes it easier for students to reference during the discussion and helps maintain everyone on the same page.
  • Keep an eye on the clock and make sure students are moving through the scenario at a reasonable pace. If needed, prompt students with guided questions to help them move faster.  
  • Either give or have the students give a concluding statement that highlights the goals and key points from the discussion. Make sure to compare and contrast alternate viewpoints that came up during the discussion and emphasize the take-home messages that can be applied to future situations.
  • Inform students (either individually or the group) how they did during the case study. What worked? What didn’t work? Did everyone participate equally?
  • Taking time to reflect on the process is just as important to emphasize and help students learn the importance of teamwork and communication.

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Harvard Business School: Teaching By the Case-Study Method

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COMMENTS

  1. 100 Case Study Interview Questions [Updated for 2020]

    Published: November 29, 2022 Case studies and testimonials are helpful to have in your arsenal. But to build an effective library, you need to ask the right case study questions. You also need to know how to write a case study. Case studies are customers' stories that your sales team can use to share relevant content with prospects.

  2. The Most Common Product Manager Case Study Questions

    Here are two examples of case study questions to get you familiar with the task: Write the Jira ticket (s) for engineering for the idea you want to execute. (Upwork) Outline a brief (1-2 page) launch plan that would cover the activities and tasks needed to launch the feature successfully.

  3. 9 Types of Questions in Actual Case Interviews

    There are the four basic steps to answer case interview questions: Step 1: Clarify any unclear points in the question Step 2: Announce approach and ask for time Step 3: Draw issue trees to solve the given problem Step 4: Pitch your answer and end with a takeaway conclusion.

  4. The most common case study interview questions

    Resources Interview tips What are the most common case study interview questions at McKinsey, BCG and Bain? By Enguerran Loos, Founder of CaseCoach Updated on 12 September 2023

  5. Common Case Interview Types: Market-sizing, Revenue Growth & More

    1.5 M&A 1.6 Cost Optimization 1.7 Startup / Early-Stage Venture Non-Profitability Cases 2.1 Lives Affected 2.2 Retention 2.3 Industry Landscape and Competitive Dynamics Market Sizing Questions (also called dinner conversation cases) Case Interview Math (also known as consulting math) 4.1 Consulting Math Example

  6. Case Study Interview Questions and Answers

    Revenue Price What is our client pricing its products at? How has pricing changed over the past few years? What is our pricing strategy? How is pricing expected to change over the next few years? What are competitors pricing similar products at? Quantity What is the demand for our client's products?

  7. 33 Case Study Questions for Customer and Client Interviews

    Kassidy Vavra Published: Nov 25, 2021 When selling your product or service to prospective customers, you make a stronger case when you can show concrete results. This is where a case study comes in. A case study strengthens your sales pitch by showing firsthand results.

  8. 14 Best Case Study Questions to Ask Your Top Customers

    1. Can you tell us a little bit about your brand? 2. Can you tell me about your business's structure, including industry, company size, or years in business? 3. An industry-relevant question Questions About Their Challenge & Pain Points 4. What were the challenges you needed to solve before finding our product? 5.

  9. How to Prep for a Case Study Interview

    Case Study Interview Example Questions. Unlike other common interview questions, it's not as easy to prepare an answer to case study interview questions. Even though you know it's a case study interview, you don't necessarily know the specifics of the case or what problems you'll be asked to solve.

  10. 20+ Best Case Study Questions for Customer Interviews

    13 April 2023 20+ Best Case Study Questions for Customer Interviews case studies Updated April 2023: Case studies are a critical element of most SaaS marketing strategies. But what case study questions do you ask in the interview to ensure you elicit an authentic and compelling story?

  11. Case Studies for interviews (Sample Questions and Answers)

    Market sizing case study interview questions: These types of questions ask you to estimate the market size of a particular product. Market sizing case study questions are common, and they require the creation of a mind map for details relating to a particular business. Logic problems: Logic questions test your ability to think quickly and ...

  12. Case Study Questions (Definition, Types And Examples)

    Updated 6 November 2022 Companies use a variety of evaluation tools and methods to test a candidate's skills. To evaluate the practical application of business knowledge, many companies ask questions related to case study during interviews. Your answers to these questions can help an interview understand more about your knowledge and experience.

  13. The Ultimate Guide to Answering Case Study Questions: Proven Strategies

    Examples of case study questions can include: What were the main factors that influenced the decisions made in this case? How did the actions of key individuals impact the outcome of the case? What were the main challenges faced in this case, and how were they addressed?

  14. 23 Case Study Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

    By Joe Gillespie Case studies offer one of the most powerful types of content in the inbound marketer's toolbox. When done right—with descriptive storytelling and a powerful visual presentation—a case study can deliver a clinching message to leads in the decision stage of the buyer's journey.

  15. Case Study Interview Examples (With Tips to Answer Them)

    1. A hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a customer of a corporation. Their core consumer base consists primarily of international visitors. What are some of the characteristics that these consumers would look for in a hotel? What factors could impact their decision to stay at the client's hotel?

  16. Common Case Interview Questions

    Updated July 20, 2023 Mastering the most common case interview questions is the first step towards acing your case interview and landing a coveted job offer. Crafting an impeccable resume and preparing for the fit interview are important, but just the beginning - the real challenge lies in conquering the case interview.

  17. Case Interview Frameworks: The Ultimate Guide (2024)

    This case framework strategy can be applied to over 90% of case interviews. For the remaining 10% of case interviews, you will need to learn and use the next two case interview framework strategies. Strategy #3: Breaking Down Stakeholders to Make a Framework The first two case framework strategies can be applied to over 90% of cases.

  18. Case interview questions in tech

    Case interview questions test for the ability to translate a problem statement into a working technical solution. A case interview can test not just programming skills but also: analytical and logical reasoning ability. creativity. numerical and verbal reasoning. problem-solving ability.

  19. Product Manager Case Study Questions Explained

    Here are some common elements of a PM case study: Problem Definition. Identifies the specific user need or business goal the product aimed to address; ... Product manager case study questions around new market entry often focus on quantifying the market, analyzing the competitive landscape, identifying the beachhead segment, and formulating the ...

  20. 47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

    Coaches Advice Reviews 47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.) Consulting Jul 23, 2023 One of the best ways to prepare for case interviews at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start.

  21. 10 Common Consulting Behavioral Interview Questions to Prep For

    1. Tell me about yourself. DO describe one of your key strengths, particularly a strength that relates to the characteristics management consulting firms are looking for, then provide examples from your resume that demonstrate this strength and provide context. DON'T start rambling through your entire resume.

  22. Case Study At-A-Glance

    A Case Study is a way to let students interact with material in an open-ended manner. The goal is not to find solutions, but to explore possibilities and options of a real-life scenario. ... During the course of the case study, the types of questions may vary. Early ask questions about the information and facts. What is the problem?

  23. What are Case Study Questions?

    1. What actions were taken in this case study? 2. Were there any consequences of the actions that were taken? 3. Was any factor omitted or not considered in the case? 4. Whether the actions that were taken - the most appropriate? 5. What were the conclusions that you derived from the case study? Importance of case study questions?