Online assessment
For some positions, before any interview. In the US, two parts.
- US first step
- Consultant Career Assessment, about 30 to 35 minutes
- Deadline
- 48 hours from the invitation
- Then, for many
- An online case, about 35 minutes (40 for MBAs)
BCG case interview, process, examples and prep
The BCG interview process has four steps on BCG's global careers page: an application, a skills interview, then a case interview and a team interview for client-facing roles. In the US an online assessment comes first, and many candidates also take an online case. In the case you work through a realistic business problem step by step, and BCG says there isn't always a single right answer, so how you approach it matters most. To run a BCG-style case out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, offers AI case interviews with follow-up questions and scored feedback. Start your free week.
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- Four steps on BCG's global page. An application and a skills interview, then a case interview and a team interview for client-facing roles.
- An assessment and online case in the US. The Consultant Career Assessment, then for many candidates an online case of about 35 minutes (40 for MBAs). BCG Mexico calls its chatbot Casey.
- 45-minute cases in Mexico. BCG Mexico runs two or three cases in round one and two or three more if you reach the final round. Other offices differ.
- Candidate-led, as commonly described. BCG doesn't say who leads the case, so practice proposing the next step yourself.
- No AI in BCG France's interviews. Its honor code rules out AI tools and note-taking plug-ins.
How the BCG interview works
BCG's global careers page lists four steps, and some positions add an online assessment. The number and structure of interviews vary by position and region, BCG says, and they can be virtual or in person.
Skills interview
A traditional interview on your experience, skills and motivation for joining BCG.
- Covers
- Your experience, skills and motivation
- Judged against
- BCG's values and core competencies, a Dubai recruiter says
- At the end
- Your questions, which a London consultant says help you judge fit
Case interview
For client-facing roles: a realistic business challenge, worked step by step.
- You do
- Structure, ask questions, analyze data, calculate
- Length
- 45 minutes in Mexico, 60 in Kazakhstan
- Who leads
- Not published. Commonly described as candidate-led
Team interview
For client-facing roles, the last of BCG's four steps.
- Assesses
- Problem-solving, analytical and communication skills
- Format
- Virtual or in person
- Feedback
- Ask your recruiting contact once you reach interviews
Example case: Lumen's e-bike subscriptionSoreno's invented case
Our own case, not BCG's, worked in the candidate-led way BCG cases are commonly described. It shows the structure and the math, not a full model answer.
The prompt
Should Lumen launch a subscription?
Lumen, a US e-bike maker, sells through bike shops. Its CEO asks whether to offer a subscription: a bike plus servicing for a monthly fee. From here, you lead.
Clarify
Ask what success means
Ask the goal, the time frame and where it would launch. Here the CEO wants added profit within three years without losing the bike shops that sell Lumen today.
Structure
Three questions to answer
Will riders pay for it? Can Lumen make money on each subscriber? What does it do to the shops and to bike sales? Propose starting with the money per subscriber, since demand only matters if each one is profitable.
How to build an issue treeThe math
About $120 a year per subscriber
A subscriber pays $60 a month, or $720 a year. The bike costs $1,600 and stays in the fleet 4 years, so $400 a year. Add $150 for servicing and $50 for insurance and admin: $600 a year. $720 minus $600 leaves $120. At 10,000 subscribers, that is $1,200,000 a year.
Free case math drillsThe data
Say what a chart means for the client
The interviewer may show a survey of who would subscribe. Say what it shows in one line, then what it means: if most would have bought a Lumen anyway, the shops lose sales and the profit above shrinks.
Recommend
The answer first, then the test
Lead with a decision, such as a pilot in two cities, the number behind it and the main risk, which is the shops. End with what you would check before a national launch: how many subscribers are new to Lumen.
From BCG: interview process and BCG: application FAQs.
What BCG interviewers look for
No scoring rubric is public. BCG's global pages and its Swiss office put it this way:
Your reasoning
There isn't always a single right answer, BCG says. Your approach and the quality of your reasoning matter most. BCG Switzerland puts it as logic over perfect answers.
Clear communication
Communicate clearly, think logically and show business intuition and creativity. Its do list adds listening actively, clarifying assumptions and showing your thinking.
Five qualities
Integrity, intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, a collaborative mindset and drive, listed on its interview process page as what consulting interviewers look for.
The behavioral part
A BCG alumna quoted on that page warns that case prep can make you forget it. A Dubai recruiter there says answers are reviewed against BCG's values and core competencies.
From BCG's interview process page, its case interview preparation page and BCG Switzerland.
BCG interview rounds by country
BCG says the number and structure of interviews vary by position and region. Here is what each of its pages publishes, as read on October 25, 2026.
See all 9 offices and programs
Global
Four steps
An application, then a skills interview on your experience, skills and motivation. Client-facing roles add a case interview and a team interview on problem-solving, analysis and communication. Some positions add an online assessment.
US, undergrad
Assessment, then the online case
The Consultant Career Assessment arrives 30 to 90 minutes after you apply, takes about 30 to 35 minutes and is due within 48 hours. Selected candidates take the online case, about 35 minutes, roughly two weeks after the deadline.
BCG: US Associate rolesBCG alumni interview on Casey (2020)Our online case guide
US, MBA
A longer online case
MBA candidates for US, Canada or Mexico offices take the assessment, and everyone except candidates whose first-choice office is in Canada takes an online case of about 40 minutes.
Mexico
Two rounds of 45-minute cases
An online case guided by a chatbot BCG Mexico calls Casey, plus the Consulting Career Assessment for Associates. Round one is two or three case interviews of 45 minutes each. BCG may then invite you to a final round of two or three more case interviews.
Switzerland
A test, then four case interviews
A 30-minute cognitive test with no tools, about a month before interviews. For full-time roles, one virtual 45-minute first round follows, then a final round of three in-person cases in Zurich. Visiting Associates go from the test straight to the three in-person cases. BCG offers preparation calls and a case library.
Germany, Austria
Two languages in round two
Round one is a 30-minute cognitive test and a virtual case, with personal feedback after. Round two has one case in German and one in English, plus BCG Real Life: two 15-minute talks about consulting situations that need no preparation. It is in person for full-time roles and virtual for internships. Every interview has a CV talk, a case and your questions.
France
45 to 60 minutes each
About 15 to 20 minutes of fit, then an oral case the interviewer presents, then your questions. Candidates sign an honor code that rules out AI tools, note-taking plug-ins and problem-solving software.
Australia, NZ
Two online steps first
An online case assessment, then a numerical one for shortlisted graduates. First-round case interviews follow, with optional workshops beforehand, and finals typically the week after.
Kazakhstan
Four 60-minute interviews
An online case and an HR interview, then two 60-minute case interviews in round one and two more 60-minute interviews in the final round.
BCG does not publish who leads the case, how it is scored or a global interview length.
13 BCG case interview examples
Our own wording, not BCG's, and set in different businesses from the cases and quizzes BCG France lists below. BCG doesn't say who leads the case. It is commonly described as candidate-led, so practice proposing the next step yourself.
Open the case4 cases
BCG Germany and Austria warns that a standard framework may not hold up. Adapt it to this client.
A regional grocery chain's profits are down 20% in two years while sales held steady. Why?
What a strong answer does
Profit is revenue minus costs, so find which costs moved and where. Say what you would test first. Practice it, see a model answer
A chemicals maker's energy bill has doubled in two years. How would you bring it down without cutting output?
What a strong answer does
Split the bill into how much energy it uses and the price it pays. Sort the levers by savings and payback, and keep output in view at every step.
A premium cookware brand is flat in Europe and growing fast in Asia. Where should it invest next?
What a strong answer does
Compare the regions on growth, margin and the brand's right to win there. Name what would change your pick.
A US coffee chain is thinking about opening in India. How would you approach it?
What a strong answer does
Ask what success means to the client before you lay out the market, rivals, the way in and the economics of one store. Practice it, see a model answer
Run the numbers3 cases
BCG Germany and Austria says to expect simple calculations and to practice mental math.
An airline flies more passengers than last year but earns less. What happened?
What a strong answer does
Revenue and cost per passenger, then what moved: fares, mix, fuel or empty seats. Put a number on the gap. Practice it, see a model answer
How many cups of coffee are sold in New York City each day?
What a strong answer does
Pick a driver you can defend, such as commuters or cafes, keep to round numbers and sanity-check the total. Practice it, see a model answer
A ski resort earns 80% of its revenue in winter. How many summer visitors would a mountain bike park need to cover its own costs?
What a strong answer does
Fixed costs of the park over the margin per visitor gives break-even volume. Compare it with how many people visit the resort in summer today.
Think creatively2 cases
Creative thinking is one of the five qualities BCG names.
A gym chain wants to double its revenue in five years. What are its options?
What a strong answer does
More members, more spend per member and new formats, each sized roughly so the big levers stand out. Practice it, see a model answer
What could a car dealership group sell to drivers beyond the car itself?
What a strong answer does
Group ideas by what an owner needs over the years: financing, servicing, insurance and trade-in. Then pick the two you would test first.
Read the data2 cases
BCG's 2019 online case booklet bases its questions on several documents. Practice reading before you calculate.
A shampoo brand lost five points of share in two years. You have its share, price and survey charts. What do they tell you?
What a strong answer does
One line on what each chart shows, then the single insight that joins them. Ask for the data that would confirm it. Practice it, see a model answer
A streaming service's monthly churn doubled in a year. You have churn charts by plan, by tenure and around last spring's price rise. What do they tell you?
What a strong answer does
One line per chart, then the pattern that joins them. Say which group of customers you would look at first and why. Practice it, see a model answer
Recommend and defend2 cases
BCG France says it looks at how you structure and defend recommendations.
A national bakery chain asks whether to close its 30 weakest stores. What do you tell the CEO?
What a strong answer does
Lead with the answer, then the two numbers behind it and the risk to nearby stores. Hold your view unless the data changes.
The partner says, "Our data says the opposite." What do you do?
What a strong answer does
Ask to see the data, check whether it really changes your conclusion and say so plainly either way.
More to prepare with
Where BCG candidates slip
A framework you didn't adapt
BCG Germany and Austria warns that standard frameworks may not hold up. Build the structure from the client's question.
Drilling old BCG cases
BCG Germany and Austria warns that it often uses new cases and new data, so an old case may not come back as you remember it.
Going quiet
Staying silent and rushing are both on BCG's don't list. Say what you are working on while you take your time.
Skipping the behavioral prep
The alumna on BCG's interview page says case prep crowds it out. Tie your stories to the job.
AI or plug-ins in the interview
BCG France's honor code rules out AI tools, note-taking plug-ins and problem-solving software.
A 4-week BCG interview prep plan
About an hour a day. BCG's own advice is marked as BCG's. The order and the timing are our suggestion.
Week 1
BCG's lists, then OneDay@BCG
Learn BCG's do list: listen actively, clarify assumptions, think structurally and show your thinking. Its don't list: panic, rushing, overcomplicating, ignoring feedback, silence and interrupting. Then try OneDay@BCG, the free job simulation BCG points candidates to, and start ten minutes of math by hand a day.
BCG: case interview preparationBCG: OneDay@BCGFree case math drills
Week 2
Open the case and lead it
Two case openings a day, said out loud, each ending on what you would analyze first and why. BCG cases are commonly described as candidate-led, so practice proposing the next step yourself, as in the Lumen example above.
How to prepare for a case interviewFree BCG-style case, no sign-up
Week 3
Full cases and charts
Three or four full cases with a partner or an AI interviewer who pushes back. If you face the US online case, add one timed set of chart questions, since BCG's online case booklet builds its questions on several documents.
Week 4
Your office and your stories
Read your country's page, since tests, lengths and languages differ. Switzerland, Germany and Austria add a cognitive test, and Germany and Austria run one case in German. Prepare the stories for the skills interview, which asks about your experience, skills and motivation.
BCG SwitzerlandBCG Germany and AustriaConsulting behavioral questions
BCG on AI
Use AI to prepare, not to perform
BCG says AI can help candidates prepare, but what they submit should reflect their own voice and experience. It never uses AI to make hiring decisions.
BCG's own sample cases and practice
Free on BCG's sites. The case library sits on BCG France's practice page, so those cases are in French. We list them by title only.
OneDay@BCG
- Modules
- 13, free
- Includes
- Sample answers and digital badges
Free virtual modules, such as a strategy consulting project for a fictional client called BeyondTech, with sample answers and digital badges to share.
Six French cases
- Oral
- Horlogerie et Joaillerie, Gérance Immobilière, Maroquinerie, Glacier
- In English
- Watches and jewelry, property management, leather goods, ice cream
- Written
- Château Boomerang, Chick&Co
BCG France's case library: four oral cases, three marked duo and one solo, and two written cases.
Online case booklet
- Questions
- 23, on one business
- Time in 2019
- 45 minutes
More than 20 questions on several documents about one business, testing business judgment, logical reasoning and quantitative aptitude. Today's US pages give about 35 to 40 minutes for the online case.
Three interactive quizzes
- Topics
- Climate strategy, digital strategy, IT architecture
Short cases on a climate strategy, satisfaction at a digital bank and an ERP choice at a company called Henderson PLC.
Practice BCG-style, with you in the lead
Pick the BCG interviewer and Interviewee-led in Soreno's Settings. Your structure sets the path, the interviewer asks what the data means for the business and checks your math, and your report quotes your own answer back to you. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
What is the BCG interview process?
BCG's global page lists four steps: an application, a skills interview on your experience, skills and motivation, then a case interview and a team interview for client-facing roles. Some positions add an online assessment first, and in the US that is the Consultant Career Assessment and an online case. The number of rounds varies by office.
What questions does BCG ask in interviews?
A skills interview asks about your experience, skills and motivation for joining BCG, and a recruiter on BCG's page says answers are reviewed against its values and core competencies. Client-facing roles add a business case. Bring questions of your own for the end.
How do I prepare for a BCG case interview?
Start with BCG's own do and don't lists and its free OneDay@BCG simulation. Then practice leading cases out loud, keep your math sharp without a calculator, read your country office's page and prepare stories for the skills interview.
Is the BCG online case called Casey?
Yes. BCG Mexico's careers page says the Online Case Experience is guided by Casey, a chatbot. Most BCG pages call it the online case. Our BCG Casey guide covers the format and how to prepare.
How long is a BCG case interview?
BCG's global pages don't say. BCG Mexico gives 45 minutes a case, BCG France 45 to 60 minutes including fit and your questions, Switzerland's first round 45 minutes and Kazakhstan 60.
Who leads a BCG case, me or the interviewer?
BCG doesn't publish it. BCG cases are commonly described as candidate-led, so set Soreno to Interviewee-led to practice that way.
How many rounds does BCG have?
It varies by position and region, BCG says. Mexico runs two or three cases in round one and two or three in a final round, Switzerland one case then three for full-time roles, Germany and Austria one then two, and Kazakhstan two then two.
Can I use AI in a BCG interview?
BCG says AI can help you prepare, but your application should reflect your own voice and experience. BCG France goes further: its honor code bans AI tools, note-taking plug-ins and problem-solving software during interviews.
Is the BCG interview virtual or in person?
Either, BCG's FAQ says. Switzerland runs its first round virtually and its final round in Zurich. Germany and Austria hold round two in person for full-time roles and virtually for internships.
How long does the BCG interview process take?
BCG doesn't give one timeline. In the US the assessment arrives 30 to 90 minutes after you apply and is due in 48 hours, and selected candidates get the online case about two weeks after the deadline. In Australia and New Zealand, finals are typically the week after the first round.
Does BCG give feedback after interviews?
BCG's FAQ says that once you reach the interview stage you can ask your recruiting contact for feedback. BCG Germany and Austria gives personal feedback after round one.
Keep going
- Free BCG-style practice case
- BCG interview questions, fit and case
- BCG's online case (Casey)
- BCG internship
- Case interview questions
- What a case interview is and how to prepare
- AI case interview practice
- Case math drills
- McKinsey case interview
- Bain case interview examples
- MECE, with examples
- Written case interview, worked
- Hypothesis-driven case interview
- Interviewer-led vs candidate-led cases
- BCG online assessment