Skills interview
A traditional interview on your experience, skills and motivation for joining BCG.
- Also called
- A behavioral or competency interview
- BCG expects
- A real-life example in every answer
- Answers judged on
- BCG's values and core competencies
BCG interview questions, fit and case
BCG asks two kinds of questions. Behavioral questions ask for a real example, such as "Describe a time when you...", and BCG says it reviews your answers against its values and core competencies. Case questions give you a client problem to structure, analyze and calculate. Every role includes a behavioral interview, and client-facing roles add the case. To rehearse both out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, runs BCG-style fit questions and cases with follow-up questions and scored feedback.
Updated
- Two kinds of question. Behavioral questions about your past, and a case about a client's problem.
- A real example, every time. BCG's own stems: "Describe a time when you..." and "Share an example of a situation where..."
- Values and competencies. BCG says it reviews answers against both, such as integrity, teaming and problem solving.
- The case is not a stress test. A BCG talent acquisition director says it shows how you think and handle ambiguity.
- Own your answers. Use the interviewer as a resource, but set the direction yourself.
How BCG interviews
BCG's careers site lists four steps: an application, a skills interview, a case interview and a team interview. The last two are for client-facing roles. BCG says the number and structure of interviews vary by position and region, and they can be virtual or in person.
Case interview
For client-facing roles: a realistic business challenge, worked step by step.
- You do
- Structure, ask questions, analyze data, calculate
- Right answer
- Not always a single one, BCG says
- Not
- A stress test, a BCG talent acquisition director says
Team interview
The last of BCG's four steps, for client-facing roles.
- Assesses
- Problem-solving, analysis and communication
- Format
- Virtual or in person
- Feedback
- Ask your recruiting contact at the interview stage
What BCG's recruiters say about the questionsTwo posts on BCG's careers blog
Both are on careers.bcg.com. The behavioral post is from 2022, so treat it as guidance rather than a promise.
Process, 2026
Every role has a behavioral interview
Ryan Bash, a Talent Acquisition Director, says every role includes a behavioral interview on your experiences and accomplishments, and that he used AI to practice STAR answers. AI is never allowed in a live interview or assessment without permission.
BCG: what to expectCase, 2026
The case is collaborative, but you lead
He calls the interviewer a resource and says candidates are still expected to own their answers and set the direction.
BCG: what to expectBehavioral, 2022
A real example, not a self-portrait
A Dubai recruiter writes that the behavioral style asks for real examples, and that you won't get "tell me about yourself" or strengths and weaknesses in that style of interview.
BCG: behavioral interview post
From BCG: interview process, BCG: application FAQs and BCG: what to expect (2026).
What BCG looks for
No scoring rubric is public. BCG's careers pages name what interviewers look for:
Five qualities
Integrity, intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, a collaborative mindset and drive, listed on its interview process page.
Its values
Integrity, Respect for the Individual, Diversity, Partnership and Social Impact. A BCG recruiter says behavioral answers are reviewed against them.
Core competencies
Technical role expertise, work and time management, organization, problem solving, client focus, communication and teaming, in the same recruiter's list.
In the case, your reasoning
BCG says there isn't always a single right answer, and that your approach and the quality of your reasoning matter most.
From BCG's interview process page, its behavioral interview post and its case interview preparation page.
17 BCG interview questions
The first three start from BCG's own stems. The endings are ours, and so is the rest, built on what BCG says it looks for. Each note says what a strong answer does.
BCG's own behavioral stems3 questions
From its behavioral interview post. Fill each with a real task. Follow-ups are ours.
How have you done this task in the past?
BCG's stem from its behavioral interview post (2022)
What a strong answer does
Pick the task from the job description, then one real time you did it, with your own steps and the result.
- “What would you do differently now?”
- “How did you know it worked?”
Describe a time when you had to solve a problem with very little to go on.
BCG's stem, our ending
What a strong answer does
BCG names problem solving as a core competency. Say how you framed it, what you checked first and what you decided. Practice it, see a model answer
- “What did you assume, and was it right?”
- “Who did you ask for help?”
Share an example of a situation where you had too much to do at once.
BCG's stem, our ending
What a strong answer does
Work and time management is on BCG's list. Show how you chose what came first and what you let go. Practice it, see a model answer
- “What did you drop, and who did you tell?”
- “Would you choose the same order again?”
BCG's values and competencies6 questions
Our wording, built on the values and competencies BCG names.
Tell me about a time you did the right thing when it cost you something.
What a strong answer does
Integrity. The cost should be real, such as a grade, a deadline or a relationship, and you should say what you gave up.
Tell me about a time you worked with someone who saw it differently.
What a strong answer does
Respect for the Individual. State their view so fairly they would agree, then how you reached a decision together. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time a team you were on was stuck. What did you do?
What a strong answer does
Partnership and teaming. Your own move, how the others came along and what changed. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you put a client or customer first.
What a strong answer does
Client focus. Who they were, what they needed that they hadn't said, and how you found out. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you explained something complex to someone new to it.
What a strong answer does
Communication. Start from what they needed to decide, use one plain example and check they followed.
Tell me about a time you failed.
What a strong answer does
Drive and curiosity. Own the mistake in one sentence, then what you changed and where it showed up later. Practice it, see a model answer
Your background and why BCG3 questions
The skills interview covers your motivation for joining BCG. Our wording.
Why consulting?
What a strong answer does
Two reasons backed by things you have done, and what you want to learn in the job. Practice it, see a model answer
Why BCG?
What a strong answer does
Something you learned from a BCG person or its own pages, tied to the work you want to do. A London consultant on BCG's page says your questions help you judge fit too. Practice it, see a model answer
What questions do you have for us?
What a strong answer does
One or two about the interviewer's own work, never one the website answers. Practice it, see a model answer
Case questions5 questions
Our own prompts in the shape BCG describes. For the case itself, see our BCG case interview guide.
A regional grocery chain's profits are down 20% in two years. How would you find out why?
What a strong answer does
A structure for this chain, not a stock framework, then the branch you would check first and why. Practice it, see a model answer
Should a US e-bike maker enter a new market?
What a strong answer does
Ask what success means first, then the market, the competition, the company's ability to win and the money. Practice it, see a model answer
How many coffees are sold in New York each day?
What a strong answer does
Say your assumptions out loud, keep the numbers round and sanity-check the answer at the end. Practice it, see a model answer
A competitor just cut prices by 20%. What should our client do?
What a strong answer does
Find out why they cut and what it costs them before you match. Name the option you would test first. Practice it, see a model answer
The CEO walks in. What do you recommend?
What a strong answer does
The answer in one sentence, two or three reasons with numbers, the main risk and the next step. Practice it, see a model answer
Mistakes and how to prepare
Where BCG candidates slip
Only preparing for the case
An alumna quoted on BCG's own page warns that case prep can make you forget the behavioral portion. Every role has one.
Talking about the team, not you
BCG's STAR advice makes the action the most detailed part. Say "I" where it was you.
Waiting for the interviewer to lead
BCG's talent acquisition director says the interviewer is a resource but you own the answer. Propose where to go next.
Letting AI write your stories
BCG welcomes AI for practice but says it must never misrepresent your background. Use it to rehearse, not to invent.
How to prepare for BCG's questions
BCG's own advice first. The last step is our suggestion.
BCG's advice
Build stories in STAR
Situation, task, action, result, with the action as the longest part. Draw on work, school or personal life.
BCG's advice
Map them to its competencies
One story each for problem solving, time management, client focus, communication and teaming covers most of what BCG lists.
BCG's advice
Practice cases until the structure is yours
Listen, clarify assumptions, show your thinking and don't rush, from BCG's own do and don't lists.
Our suggestion
Say every answer out loud
With a partner or an AI interviewer that asks follow-ups, so the stories hold up under a second and third question.
Rehearse BCG's questions, out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks fit questions and runs BCG-style cases one step at a time, follows up like a real interviewer and scores every answer.
Questions people ask
What questions does BCG ask in interviews?
Behavioral questions that ask for a real example, such as "Describe a time when you...", questions about your experience and motivation for joining BCG, and for client-facing roles a case about a business problem.
Does BCG ask fit questions?
Yes. BCG's skills interview covers your experience, skills and motivation for joining BCG, and a BCG talent acquisition director says every role includes a behavioral interview.
How does BCG judge behavioral answers?
A BCG recruiter writes that answers are reviewed against BCG's values and core competencies, such as problem solving, client focus, communication and teaming. BCG does not publish a scoring rubric.
How many interviews does BCG have?
BCG says the number and structure of interviews vary by position and region. Its global page lists a skills interview, a case interview and a team interview for client-facing roles.
Should I use the STAR method at BCG?
BCG's own behavioral interview post recommends it: situation, task, action and result, with the action as the most detailed part.
Can I use AI to prepare for BCG interviews?
Yes, for practice. BCG says AI can help you prepare but must not misrepresent you, and must never be used without permission during live interviews or assessments.