Fit
Why consulting, why this firm, your resume in two minutes.
- When
- Start of most rounds
- Listen for
- Reasons tied to work you have done
- Aim for
- About a minute each
Consulting interview questions, with sample answers
A consulting interview asks two kinds of question. Fit questions are about you: why consulting, why this firm and one or two stories told in depth. Case questions are a client's business problem you solve out loud, often with a market sizing estimate or some quick math inside. Below are 38 of both, grouped the way the interview runs, with sample answers to the most asked. To say your answers out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, runs consulting fit and case interviews with follow-up questions and scored feedback.
Updated
- Two halves. Fit questions about you, then a case about a client's problem.
- Fit comes first. Why consulting, why this firm and your resume open most rounds.
- Stories get probed. Expect follow-ups on what you did and why, so pick true ones.
- Cases test reasoning. McKinsey, BCG, Bain and Deloitte say there is no single right answer.
- Each firm adds its own part. McKinsey's PEI and Solve, BCG's skills interview, Bain's why Bain.
The four kinds of consulting interview question
Most first and final rounds mix all four. The case takes most of the time, but a weak answer to why consulting can sink a strong case.
Behavioral stories
One real story about leading, a conflict, a failure or a hard call.
- Follow-ups
- Several, on what you did and why
- Listen for
- Your own role
- McKinsey
- Its own version, the PEI
Case
A client's business problem, solved out loud with the interviewer.
- Parts
- Structure, data, math, recommendation
- Right answer
- Not always a single one, BCG says
- Math
- Quick calculations
Market sizing
An estimate, inside a case or on its own: how many, how big.
- Listen for
- A clear method over a precise number
- Check
- Against something you know
- Aim for
- A few minutes
How to answer each type6 types
Our rule of thumb for each kind, from the shape of a strong answer. Lengths are a guide, not a firm rule.
How to answer each type of consulting interview question
| Type | What they test | Shape of a strong answer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit: why consulting | A real reason, not a script | Two reasons, each backed by something you did, then what you want to learn | About a minute |
| Fit: why this firm | That you did the homework | One thing you checked yourself (a person, a practice, a project type) tied to your goals | About a minute |
| Behavioral story | Your own role and judgment | Situation in two lines, then what you did and why, the result and what you learned | About two minutes, then follow-ups |
| McKinsey PEI | One moment, in depth | Lead with your reasoning at each turn, then expect several follow-ups on the same story | About two minutes, then follow-ups |
| Case | Structure, math and judgment | Clarify the goal, give a structure built for this client, say where you start, do the math out loud, end on a recommendation | Most of the round |
| Market sizing | A clear method | Say the formula first, round each number, multiply out loud and check the result against something you know | A few minutes |
How a consulting interview usually runs4 parts
Firms vary, and your recruiter confirms the details. This is the common shape.
First minutes
Your background and why consulting
A short walk through your resume and why you want the job. Keep it to a couple of minutes and end on why this firm.
Practice why consulting out loudNext
One story in depth
A behavioral question, then follow-ups that go deeper into one moment. At McKinsey this is the personal experience interview.
McKinsey PEI questionsMost of the time
The case
A prompt, your structure, data when you ask for it, some math and a recommendation at the end.
What a case interview isLast minutes
Your questions for them
One or two questions you could not have answered from the firm's website, about the work or the person in front of you.
What the interviewer listens for
No firm publishes a scoring rubric. Their careers pages say this much.
A structure built for this client
McKinsey asks candidates to listen carefully and share tailored solutions rather than standard frameworks.
Reasoning you can follow
BCG says there isn't always a single right answer, and that how you approach the problem matters most. Deloitte says the same of its case and scenario interviews.
Your role in the story
McKinsey asks you to talk about your specific role and to lead with reasoning, not actions, in a conversation rather than a rehearsed story.
A real reason for this firm
Bain says that in every role it looks for people who can explain why they want to join Bain specifically.
From McKinsey: interviewing, BCG: case interview preparation, Deloitte: case and scenario tips and Bain: interviewing.
38 consulting interview questions, by type
In our words unless marked. Each note says what a strong answer does, and the most asked have a short sample answer. Numbers in the samples are illustrative. Open the app to answer out loud with follow-ups.
Fit: you, consulting and the firm8 questions
Asked at the start of almost every round.
Why do you want to go into consulting?
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. "Two reasons. In my internship I built the pricing model for a product launch, and the part I liked most was taking a vague question and turning it into numbers a manager could act on. Consulting is that, every few months, on a new problem. Second, I want range. In two semesters of club projects I worked on a nonprofit's donor drop and a café's pricing, and I learned more in those 12 weeks than in my whole internship. I'd like to come out of the first two years able to run a workstream on my own."
Two reasons, each backed by something you have already done, and a line on what you want to learn in the job. Practice it, see a model answer
Why do you want to work at this firm?
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. "I spoke with two of your consultants last month. Both talked about how early they were put in front of clients, and one walked me through a supply chain project that was much closer to the operations work I've done than I expected. That fits what I want: real responsibility early, on the kind of problems I already like. I also liked that both described feedback as part of every week, not a yearly review."
Something you checked yourself, such as a person you spoke to or a kind of work the firm does, tied to your own goals. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about yourself, or walk me through your resume.
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. "I studied economics at a state school and paid for part of it by running the books for my family's restaurant, which is where I got hooked on numbers that change decisions. That led me to a summer in corporate finance, where I worked on the budget for a new plant. What I missed there was variety, so this year I joined our consulting club and did two pro bono projects for local nonprofits. That's why I'm here: I want that kind of work full time."
About two minutes, in order, with the choices you made and why. End where the question started: why you are here. Practice it, see a model answer
Give me a quick overview of your background and what brought you to consulting.
What a strong answer does
The short version of your resume with one thread running through it, landing on consulting. Practice it, see a model answer
Why should we hire you?
What a strong answer does
Two strengths the job needs, each with proof from your past, said plainly. Practice it, see a model answer
What are your greatest strengths?
What a strong answer does
One or two, each shown in a short example rather than claimed. Practice it, see a model answer
What is your biggest weakness?
What a strong answer does
A real one that would matter in the job, what you are doing about it and how it has gone so far. Practice it, see a model answer
Where do you see yourself in five years?
What a strong answer does
An honest direction that this job helps with. Interviewers want to hear that you have thought about it. Practice it, see a model answer
Behavioral stories8 questions
One story, then follow-ups that test it.
Tell me about a time you led a group to a result that mattered.
What a strong answer does
Your own moves as the leader, how you got people to follow, and the result in numbers if you have them. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a conflict you had with a teammate.
What a strong answer does
Their side stated fairly, what you did to resolve it and how you worked together afterward. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you failed.
What a strong answer does
A real failure you caused, what you would do differently, and proof that you have since done it. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you received tough feedback.
What a strong answer does
The feedback in the words you heard it, how it landed and the change you made. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you had to make a decision without all the information you wanted.
What a strong answer does
What you knew, what you assumed, how you limited the risk and whether you were right. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you had more work than you could finish on time.
What a strong answer does
How you chose what came first, who you told and what you let slip on purpose. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager.
What a strong answer does
How you raised it, the evidence you used and how you behaved once the decision was made. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you took the initiative without being asked.
What a strong answer does
What you noticed that others missed, why you acted and what changed because you did. Practice it, see a model answer
PEI-style: McKinsey's four areas5 questions
McKinsey suggests two stories for each of Connection, Drive, Leadership and Growth.
Explain a hard situation where you worked with someone who held the opposite opinion.
McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased
What a strong answer does
Connection. Show you understood their view well enough to argue it, and how the two of you got to a decision. Practice it, see a model answer
Talk about a time you worked hard to achieve excellence in tough circumstances.
McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. "Two weeks before our final client presentation, our main data source was pulled. I decided to rebuild the analysis from public filings rather than ask for an extension, because the client's board met the next week. I split the work across the team, took the hardest piece myself and checked every number twice. We delivered on time, and the client used two of our slides with its board. Next time I'd line up a backup source on day one."
Drive. The obstacle, the moment it could have stopped you and the choices that got you through. Practice it, see a model answer
Share an example where you worked well with people from different backgrounds despite challenges.
McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased
What a strong answer does
Leadership. What made the group hard to lead and what you did so each person could do their best work.
Revisit a time when you had to learn something new quickly to tackle a hard situation.
McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased
What a strong answer does
Growth. How you learned it, who you asked, and what you did with it under the deadline. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you changed someone's mind.
What a strong answer does
A second Connection story. Start with why they disagreed. The evidence and the conversation matter more than the win. Practice it, see a model answer
Case questions9 questions
Clarify the goal, structure, then work it out loud.
A regional grocery chain's profits are down 20% in two years. How would you find out why?
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. Open with two clarifying questions: is the drop across all stores or a few, and has the chain changed anything, such as prices or store count? Then the structure: profit = revenue − costs. Revenue = stores × shoppers per store × basket size. Costs split into cost of goods, store costs, distribution and head office. Say where you start: "I'd first see whether revenue or costs moved more over the two years, then go one level down there."
Revenue and costs, each split one level down, then say which part you would check first and why. Practice it, see a model answer
A European e-bike maker wants to enter the US. How would you structure it?
What a strong answer does
Is the market worth it, can the client win, would it make money and how to get in, ending on yes or no. Practice it, see a model answer
How would you price a new analytics add-on for existing software customers?
What a strong answer does
The value to the customer, the cost and the competition, then a price you can defend in one line. Practice it, see a model answer
The client's main competitor just cut prices by 20%. How should the client respond?
What a strong answer does
Find out why they cut first, then weigh matching, holding and other moves on what each costs. Practice it, see a model answer
A large food company wants to buy a plant-based snack startup. Should it?
What a strong answer does
The market, the target, the fit with the buyer and the price, with the deal breaker named early. Practice it, see a model answer
A hospital's emergency room wait times have doubled in a year. How would you structure this?
What a strong answer does
Follow a patient through the visit, find the step that slowed, then ask what changed in demand and capacity. Practice it, see a model answer
How many cups a day does a new coffee shop need to sell to break even?
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. With illustrative numbers: rent, staff and other fixed costs of $24,000 a month, a $5 cup that costs $1 to make, so $4 of margin per cup. Break even is $24,000 ÷ $4 = 6,000 cups a month, or about 200 a day over 30 days. Then turn it into a decision: "200 a day out of a few thousand passersby is about 1 in 15, which looks reachable."
Fixed costs over the margin per cup, said out loud, then the answer as a decision. Practice it, see a model answer
Brainstorm ways a movie theater chain could grow its revenue.
What a strong answer does
Ideas in groups, such as more visits, more spent per visit and new uses of the space, then the best two. Practice it, see a model answer
The CEO walks in. What do you recommend?
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. "Close the 12 weakest stores. They lose about $3 million a year between them, and most of their shoppers live near one of our other stores, so we keep much of the revenue. The main risk is that a rival takes the sites. Next step: check the leases this month, since four of them end within a year." The numbers are illustrative. The shape is answer, reasons with numbers, risk, next step.
The answer in one sentence, two or three reasons with numbers, the main risk and the next step. Practice it, see a model answer
Market sizing4 questions
A clear method beats a precise number.
How many gas stations are there in the United States?
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. Say the formula first: stations = fill-ups a day ÷ fill-ups per station a day. With round, illustrative numbers: about 330 million people and roughly 280 million cars. If each car fills up once a week, that is 280 million ÷ 7 = 40 million fill-ups a day. A station with 8 pumps might serve about 40 cars per pump a day, so roughly 300 a day. 40 million ÷ 300 ≈ 130,000 stations. Check it: 130,000 stations for 330 million people is about one per 2,500 people, roughly what a small town has.
Pick a route, cars and fill-ups or people and distance, round as you go and check the result. Practice it, see a model answer
Estimate the annual US market for electric scooters.
What a strong answer does
Say whether you size it top-down or bottom-up and why, then keep the segments few. Practice it, see a model answer
How many cups of coffee are sold in New York City each day?
What a strong answer does
Split the people who buy coffee by how often, and say which number you are least sure of. Practice it, see a model answer
Would you size a market top-down or bottom-up, and how do you choose?
What a strong answer does
Top-down when good totals exist, bottom-up when you can count buyers. Better still, do both and compare. Practice it, see a model answer
Firm questions and your questions4 questions
Each firm asks why it, and every round ends with your turn.
Why McKinsey and not another firm?
What a strong answer does
Name what you learned from someone at McKinsey or its own pages, and link it to a story you will tell in the PEI.
Why BCG?
What a strong answer does
BCG's skills interview asks about your motivation. Point to a kind of work or a person, not its ranking.
Why Bain, specifically?
Show the sample answer
Sample answer. "The consultant I met at our campus event walked me through a retail project where she was in the client's stores in her first month, and that hands-on work is what I want. She also stayed an extra half hour to answer my questions, which told me something about the people." Swap in what you actually heard. The point is something you could only say about this firm.
Bain says it looks for people who can explain why they want to join Bain specifically. Say something you could only say about Bain.
Do you have any questions for me?
What a strong answer does
One question about the interviewer's own work or a recent project, never one the website answers. Practice it, see a model answer
Mistakes and how to prepare
Where consulting candidates slip
A why consulting that fits any job
Problem solving and learning fast are true of most jobs. Tie each reason to something you did and liked.
Stories with no "I" in them
Follow-ups dig into your own part. If the story is mostly what the team did, pick another one.
A memorized framework
Interviewers notice a structure that would fit any client. Build the branches from this client's question.
Math in silence
Say the approach before the numbers, so the interviewer can follow you and help if you slip.
No answer at the end
A case ends on a recommendation. Say yes or no first, then the reasons.
How to prepare for these questions
Our suggested order. Start with the stories, since they take longest.
Week 1
Write your fit answers and six stories
Why consulting, why each firm and your resume walk, then stories for leading, conflict, failure, a hard call, learning fast and working with different people.
Week 1 to 2
Say them out loud with follow-ups
A story that reads well can fall apart under the third question. Practice with someone who keeps asking why.
Week 2 to 4
Cases and math every day
Ten minutes of math by hand, then a full case out loud with someone who pushes back.
Free case math drillsFree sample caseAll case interview questions
Before each firm
Read the firm's own pages
Its process, its sample cases and one thing you can say about it that you could not say about a rival.
What each firm adds to the interview
From each firm's own careers pages. The rounds differ by role and office, and your recruiter confirms them.
McKinsey
- Test
- Solve, a problem-solving game
- Interviews
- PEI and problem-solving
- Have ready
- Pen and paper
For most client-facing roles, personal experience interviews and problem-solving (case) interviews, after its Solve game for most consulting roles.
BCG
- First
- A skills interview
- Then
- Case and team interviews
- Right answer
- Isn't always a single one
An application, then a skills interview on your experience, skills and motivation. Client-facing roles add a case interview and a team interview.
Bain
- Questions
- The same for every candidate
- Consulting
- An assessment, then cases
- Looks for
- Why Bain specifically
Every candidate for a role gets the same questions, and in every role Bain looks for people who can explain why they want to join Bain specifically.
Deloitte
- Format
- Case or scenario
- Right answer
- Not expected
- Practice
- Its own case prep tools
Its cases are fictional examples of the kinds of client projects it works on. It doesn't expect the right answer. It wants your logic and thought process.
Answer them out loud, with follow-ups
Soreno's AI interviewer asks consulting fit questions and runs full cases, pushes back like a real interviewer and scores how you did. Start your free week.
Questions people ask
What questions are asked in a consulting interview?
Fit questions about you, such as why consulting, why this firm and your resume, one or two behavioral stories, and a case: a client's business problem you solve out loud, often with a market sizing estimate or quick math inside it.
How many questions are in a consulting interview?
No firm publishes a number. A round is often a few fit questions and one story, then one case made of several smaller questions, such as a structure, a chart and a calculation.
What is the McKinsey PEI?
McKinsey's personal experience interview: you discuss your own experiences in detail, focusing on your specific role. McKinsey suggests two stories for each of four areas, Connection, Drive, Leadership and Growth.
Are consulting interview questions the same at every firm?
The kinds are the same: fit, stories and a case. Each firm adds its own round, such as McKinsey's PEI and Solve or BCG's skills and team interviews, and Bain says every candidate for a role gets the same questions.
How should I answer why consulting?
With two reasons you can back with something you have already done, plus what you want to learn. Reasons that fit any job, like liking problem solving, sound rehearsed.
How do I answer tell me about yourself in a consulting interview?
In about two minutes, in order: where you started, the two or three choices that matter and why you made them, ending on why you are in this room. Pick a thread, such as working with numbers or leading teams, and leave out what doesn't serve it.
How do you answer a market sizing question?
Say the formula before any number, then fill it in with round figures, multiplying out loud. End with a sanity check against something you know. A clear method with a sensible result beats a precise number nobody can follow.
How do you open a case interview?
Repeat the goal in one line, ask one or two clarifying questions, take a short pause, then lay out a structure built for this client with two to four parts. Say which part you would check first and why, then ask for the data.
How long should a consulting fit answer be?
About a minute for why consulting or why this firm, and about two minutes, then follow-ups, for a resume walk or a story.
Can I use a calculator in a consulting case?
Usually not, so practice the math by hand on paper. If a firm allows one, its invite will say so.
All consulting practice questions
- Your client is a regional grocery chain. Profits are down 20% over two years. How would you structure the problem?
- An airline's profits are falling even though it is carrying more passengers. What is going on?
- A software company is growing 40% a year and still losing money. How would you assess whether that is a problem?
- A clothing retailer needs to cut costs by 10% without hurting sales. Where would you look?
- One of your client's three divisions is losing money. Should they fix it, sell it or close it?
- A packaging manufacturer's cost per unit has risen 15% in two years. How would you find the cause?
- A European e-bike maker is thinking about entering the US market. How would you structure the decision?
- A US coffee chain is considering opening in India. How would you approach it?
- A gym chain wants to double its revenue in five years. How would you approach the problem?
- A regional bank's customer growth has stalled. How would you structure the problem?
- A consumer goods company is deciding whether to launch a premium pet food line. How would you structure the decision?
- A streaming service's monthly churn has doubled in a year. How would you find out why?
- A furniture retailer with 60 stores wants to start selling online. How would you structure the decision?
- A leading shampoo brand has lost five points of market share in two years. What would you look at?
- A software company is launching a new analytics add-on for its existing customers. How would you set the price?
- An airline is deciding whether to raise its checked-bag fee. How would you think about it?
- Your client's main competitor has just cut prices by 20%. How should the client respond?
- A pharmaceutical company is about to launch a new drug. How would you set the price?
- A private equity firm is considering buying a regional chain of dental clinics. How would you assess the deal?
- A large food company wants to acquire a plant-based snack startup. Should it?
- A manufacturer is deciding whether to build a second factory. How would you evaluate the investment?
- Two regional airlines are considering a merger. How would you estimate the synergies?
- A hospital's emergency room wait times have doubled in a year. How would you structure the problem?
- A manufacturer's on-time delivery rate has dropped from 95% to 80%. How would you find out why?
- A city wants to cut traffic deaths in half within ten years. How would you approach it?
- A food bank's demand is up 30% while donations are flat. How would you help?
- A carmaker is deciding whether to keep making a key component in-house or buy it from a supplier. How would you approach it?
- You have finished the analysis on a market entry case and the CEO walks in. What is your recommendation?
- A coffee chain is opening a new store. How many cups a day does it need to sell to break even?
- Brainstorm ways a movie theater chain could grow its revenue.
- How many gas stations are there in the United States?
- Estimate the annual market for electric scooters in the United States.
- How many cups of coffee are sold in New York City each day?
- How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?
- How much revenue does a coffee shop in a busy airport terminal make in a day?
- How many commercial flights take off in the United States each day?
- Estimate the size of the US market for wedding dresses.
- How many diapers are used in the United States each year?
- How many golf balls fit in a Boeing 747?
- How many windows are there in New York City?
- How many restaurants are there in New York City?
- How many dentists are there in the United States?
- Estimate the annual US market for dog food.
- How many ride-hail trips are taken in Los Angeles each day?
- How many smartphones are sold in the United States each year?
- Estimate the annual revenue of a single movie theater.
- Would you size a market top-down or bottom-up, and how do you choose?
- You have reached a number for your market size. How do you check that it is reasonable?
- Why do you want to go into consulting?
- Why do you want to work at this firm?
- Walk me through your resume.
- Give me a quick overview of your background and what brought you to consulting.
- Why should we hire you?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What are your greatest strengths?
- Tell me about a time you led a group to a result that mattered.
- Tell me about a time you had to work closely with someone who saw a problem very differently from you.
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- Tell me about a time you had to make a decision without all the information you wanted.
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly.
- Tell me about a time you took the initiative without being asked.
- Tell me about a time you changed someone's mind.
- Tell me about a conflict you had with a teammate.
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager.
- Tell me about a difficult problem you solved.
- Tell me about a time you went above and beyond.
- Describe a time the numbers and the stories you were hearing did not match. What did you do?
- Tell me about a time you received tough feedback.
- Tell me about a time you had to work without clear direction.
- Tell me about a time you had more work than you could finish on time.
- Tell me about a time you achieved something difficult against real obstacles.
- Do you have any questions for me?
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