Say it out loud
The interview is spoken. Answer every question aloud as if someone were across the table, including your clarifying questions.
- Do
- Talk through your structure
- Skip
- Writing full sentences
How to practice case interviews on your own
To practice case interviews alone, mix four things: short drills for case math and market sizing, casebook cases read out loud against a timer, recordings of yourself that you review against a checklist, and an AI interviewer such as Soreno, Road to Offer or CaseRound for follow-up questions. Take your cases from firm samples such as McKinsey's and Deloitte's and from club casebooks. Add a few live cases with a peer or coach before the final round. Start with our free sample case with a timer and the free case math and market sizing drills, no sign-up needed.
Updated
- Each day
- 45 to 60 min
- One case out loud plus drills
- You need
- Phone, timer, paper
- And a case to work
- After each case
- 8 checks
- Grade your own recording
- Add a person
- Last week
- A peer or coach for a few cases
Ways to practice cases on your own
What each option is, whether anyone plays the interviewer, and the price from its own page.
| Option | What it is | AI or human | Price or free | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firm sample cases McKinsey's five sample cases and Deloitte's ten in its Case Prep Tool, among others
| McKinsey's five sample cases and Deloitte's ten in its Case Prep Tool, among others | Self-study | Free | Real firm questions to answer out loud |
| Club casebooks PDFs of cases with answers from MBA consulting clubs
| PDFs of cases with answers from MBA consulting clubs | Self-study | Free | A large supply of cases to read aloud |
| Your phone's recorder Record each case, then play it back and grade it
| Record each case, then play it back and grade it | Self-study | Free | Hearing your filler words, pace and structure |
| Soreno's free drills Timed case math sets, and market sizing prompts with a 5-minute timer and worked answers
| Timed case math sets, and market sizing prompts with a 5-minute timer and worked answers | Self-study | Free, no sign-up | Short drills between full cases |
| Soreno's sample case A case with a timer and a strong-opening guide to compare against
| A case with a timer and a strong-opening guide to compare against | Self-study | Free, no sign-up | Your first timed case tonight |
| Soreno Voice AI interviewer that asks follow-ups, shows exhibits and scores your case
| Voice AI interviewer that asks follow-ups, shows exhibits and scores your case | AI interviewer, voice | Free week, then $579 a year or $199 a month | Full cases out loud at any hour, plus finance and behavioral |
| Road to Offer Voice AI cases and 550+ drills for consulting
| Voice AI cases and 550+ drills for consulting | AI interviewer, voice | Free first case, then $49 a month or $249 a year | Consulting-only practice with many drills |
| CaseRound Voice AI interviewer through a full case, with exhibits
| Voice AI interviewer through a full case, with exhibits | AI interviewer, voice | One free case, then $39 a month | Long cases with pushback |
| Hacking the Case Interview Video course with 20 cases it says you can do without a partner, and a 50-point checklist
| Video course with 20 cases it says you can do without a partner, and a 50-point checklist | Self-study, video | $297 once | One course with cases built for solo work |
| Look Over My Shoulder Victor Cheng's 20 hours of recorded case interviews with transcripts
| Victor Cheng's 20 hours of recorded case interviews with transcripts | Self-study, audio | $297, or 4 payments of $87, free videos too | Hearing how real candidates work a case |
| RocketBlocks Drills with expert answers, 85+ cases and an AI voice interviewer
| Drills with expert answers, 85+ cases and an AI voice interviewer | Both: AI, peers and coaches | 7-day free trial, then $35 a month or $155 a year | Building one skill at a time |
We build Soreno. Other options' facts are from their own pages, linked in each row or on the page it links to.
The solo method
Alone, nobody stops you rambling or checks your math, so the method puts that pressure back in.
Put a clock on it
Time each part, so you feel the pace you will face. Cut your time once a part feels easy.
- Structure
- About 2 minutes
- Each math step
- About 1 minute
Record and grade
Record on your phone, play it back the same day and grade it with the eight checks below.
- Listen for
- Filler words and pauses
- Fix
- One thing next case
Drill between cases
Ten minutes of case math or a chart a day, on the skill your last recording showed was weakest.
- Math
- Percentages, growth, break-even
- Charts
- One takeaway, then the so-what
Playing the interviewer for yourself5 steps
With a written case, cover the rest of the page and reveal one part at a time.
1
Read only the prompt
Read it aloud, then say back the goal in one sentence and the questions you would ask.
2
Structure before you look
Write your structure on paper, then say it out loud in under two minutes.
3
Reveal one question or exhibit
Answer it aloud before you read the next part. For a chart, say the one thing it shows first.
4
Do the math by hand
Say each step as you write it, then check against the case's answer.
5
Close with a recommendation
Say your answer first, then two reasons, a risk and a next step, in under a minute.
Tracking your progress3 habits
Log
Keep a one-line case log
Case, type, time taken, math right or wrong, and the one fix you picked.
Redo
Redo a case a week later
Same case, fresh recording. Comparing the two shows what changed better than a new case does.
Mix
Rotate case types
Profitability, market entry, sizing, pricing and deals, so no type comes as a surprise.
When solo practice stops being enough3 signs
Follow-ups
Your recordings sound good but you freeze on follow-ups
You need someone who asks about what you just said. Use an AI interviewer or a partner.
Repeats
You know the case before you start
Casebooks repeat. Get cases you haven't seen from a partner or an interviewer that picks the case.
Final round
The final round is close
Do a few cases live with a peer or a coach, so a real person has heard you before the firm does.
Why solo practice works
The firms publish cases for candidates to work on their own, and career centers suggest steady weekly practice.
Firms expect you to practice their cases
McKinsey recommends its sample cases to get used to the questions it asks. Deloitte says its Case Prep Tool doesn't track your answers and you can practice as often as you like.
Steady beats cramming
Georgetown's career center suggests setting aside a couple of hours every week for cases, and targeted drills on what needs work.
Out loud is the skill
Reading a solution teaches the shape of a case. Saying it under time is what the interview tests, and you can do that alone.
From McKinsey, Deloitte and Georgetown.
A one-week solo plan
About 45 to 60 minutes a day. Each day ends with one thing to fix tomorrow.
Day 1
One firm case on paper, then aloud
Work McKinsey's Beautify on paper, compare with its suggested answers, then say a second case out loud on a timer.
Day 2
Profitability, recorded
One profitability case aloud and recorded. Grade it with the eight checks and pick one fix.
Day 3
Math and charts day
Twenty minutes of timed case math, then three charts: say each one's takeaway in a sentence.
Day 4
Market entry, with follow-ups
A market entry case with an AI interviewer, so someone asks about what you said.
Day 5
Market sizing and a brainstorm
Two sizing prompts against a 5-minute timer, then one brainstorm grouped before you list ideas.
Day 6
A full case you haven't seen
From a casebook or an AI interviewer. Record it and grade it against Day 2's recording.
Day 7
Review and book a person
Play back the week's recordings, list your three most common slips, redo Day 2's case to hear the change, and book a case with a peer for next week.
8 questions to grade your recording
Play the recording back the same day. Each no is your fix for the next case.
Structure
Did I say the client's goal back in one sentence?
A strong opening restates the goal and the measure of success before any framework.
Was my structure specific to this client?
Branches should name this business's revenue and costs, not a memorized list.
Did I say where I would start, and why?
Pick the branch most likely to explain the problem and say so.
Math and exhibits
Did I say each math step before doing it?
Say the setup, then the numbers, so a listener could follow and catch a slip.
Did I say what each chart means for the client?
One takeaway first, then the so-what for the question you are answering.
Delivery
Did I recommend first, then give reasons?
Lead with the answer, then two or three reasons, a risk and a next step.
How many filler words in the first two minutes?
Count them. A pause sounds calmer than "um" while you think.
Did I stay within my time for each part?
Compare with your timer marks and cut the part that ran long next time.
Solo practice mistakes
Reading cases instead of saying them
Reading a solution feels like progress. Answer out loud first, then read.
Skipping the recording
You can't hear your own filler words or pace live. Record every full case.
Fixing everything at once
Pick one fix per case. It sticks better than a list of ten.
Only cases you have seen
Mix in new cases from a casebook, a partner or an AI interviewer, so you practice the first minutes cold.
Practice alone, with follow-ups
Soreno's AI interviewer asks about what you just said, shows exhibits and scores your case, quoting your own words.
Questions people ask
Can you practice case interviews alone?
Yes. Say firm sample cases and casebook cases out loud on a timer, record yourself and grade the recording, and drill math between cases. Use an AI interviewer when you want follow-up questions, and add a few live cases with a person before the final round.
How do I practice case interviews without a partner?
Play the interviewer yourself: cover the case, reveal one question or exhibit at a time and answer each aloud before reading on. Or use an AI interviewer such as Soreno, Road to Offer or CaseRound, which asks the questions and follows up.
Where do I find cases to practice alone?
McKinsey, Bain, Deloitte and Oliver Wyman publish free sample cases, Deloitte's Case Prep Tool lets you check your answers, and MBA consulting clubs publish casebooks.
Is an AI interviewer good for solo practice?
It fills the gap solo practice leaves: someone to ask follow-up questions on what you said and to show exhibits mid-case, at any hour. Many candidates still do a few cases with a person before the final round.
How long should I practice each day?
About 45 to 60 minutes works for most people: one case out loud, a few minutes grading the recording and ten minutes of math or charts.
Should I record myself practicing cases?
Yes. A recording shows filler words, pace and where your structure drifted, which you can't hear while you talk.