Questions about you
L.E.K. says its interviews include questions about your professional background. Its objectives:
- It wants
- To get to know you and your strengths
- And
- Your motivation for consulting and L.E.K.
- Your turn
- Learn about the firm
L.E.K. interview questions, experiential and case
L.E.K. Consulting says its interviews include both case studies and questions about your professional background, over several rounds that mix experiential and case interviews. Cases can be quantitative or strategic. It wants to learn how you think, your strengths, and your motivation for consulting and for L.E.K. specifically. Its preparation page publishes three case prompts. To rehearse both out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, runs L.E.K.-style cases and fit questions with follow-ups and scored feedback.
Updated
- Two kinds of interview. Experiential questions about your background, and cases, quantitative or strategic.
- Motivation is an objective. L.E.K. wants your interest in consulting generally and in L.E.K. specifically.
- Reach and defend a conclusion. That is what L.E.K. says its case interviews are for.
- Commit, then stay flexible. Its own tip: be willing to rethink in the face of new data.
- Three prompts to practice. A brainteaser, a brewery's profits and a new drug's market.
How L.E.K. interviews
L.E.K. says its process differs slightly by region and by the level you apply for. Its careers blog adds what three associates went through, which shows the range but is not L.E.K. policy.
Case interview
How you approach a business problem, using data and your own experience to reach and defend a conclusion.
- Kinds
- Quantitative and strategic
- Its tip
- Paraphrase the question, state assumptions
- And
- Commit, but rethink with new data
Applying
L.E.K. reviews every application and invites some candidates to interview.
- Offices
- One per year
- Process
- Differs by region and level
- Rounds
- Several
What three associates say about their interviewsPosts on L.E.K.'s careers blog
Each is one person's account in one office, so treat it as an example, not a promise.
Boston, 2022
Background and behavioral questions in round one
Two interviews, one on case strategy and one more quantitative, plus some background and behavioral questions. One was "Why do you enjoy hockey?", which he thought tested his storytelling.
L.E.K. blog: BostonLondon, 2023
Online tests, then cases with fit questions
Psychometric and math tests online, then case-based interviews on problem-solving and fit. One case was market sizing for weddings.
L.E.K. blog: LondonSan Francisco, 2026
A lateral hire's two rounds
Senior Associates first, then three Managing Directors. His advice is to be clear on why you want to move into consulting.
L.E.K. blog: lateral hire
From L.E.K.: apply and L.E.K.: interview preparation.
What L.E.K. looks for
No rubric is public. L.E.K.'s apply page lists what its interviews are for:
How you think
How you respond to business issues relevant to its work.
Your strengths
What skills you can bring to L.E.K.
Your motivation
Your interest in management consulting generally and a career with L.E.K. specifically.
A conclusion you defend
Its preparation page says cases show how you use data and your own experience to reach and defend a conclusion.
From L.E.K.'s apply page and its interview preparation page.
13 L.E.K. interview questions
L.E.K. publishes its three case prompts, and one question comes from an associate's post. The rest are our wording, built on what L.E.K. says its interviews are for. Each note says what a strong answer does.
Your background and motivation6 questions
The experiential side. Our wording, except one question a Boston associate says he was asked. Follow-ups are ours.
Walk me through your background.
What a strong answer does
Two minutes, in order, with the choices you made and why. L.E.K. says the interview is about your professional background, so lead with what you did, not titles. Practice it, see a model answer
Why management consulting?
What a strong answer does
Two reasons backed by things you have done. L.E.K. names your interest in consulting generally as one thing it wants to learn. Practice it, see a model answer
Why L.E.K.?
What a strong answer does
Its other half: a career with L.E.K. specifically. Name something you learned from an L.E.K. person or its own pages and tie it to the work you want. Practice it, see a model answer
- “Who have you spoken to here?”
- “Which of our sectors interests you most?”
What strengths would you bring to the team?
What a strong answer does
L.E.K. wants to understand your strengths and skills. Two strengths, each with one time it made a difference. Practice it, see a model answer
Why do you enjoy hockey?
Asked of a Boston associate, from his 2022 post on L.E.K.'s blog
What a strong answer does
Swap in your own interest. He thought it tested storytelling: one specific moment, why it matters to you and what it says about how you work.
- “What has it taught you that you use elsewhere?”
- “What's the hardest part of it?”
Why move into consulting now?
What a strong answer does
For lateral candidates. An L.E.K. associate who joined from industry says to be clear on why. Say what your current role can't give you and what you bring from it.
Behavioral questions4 questions
Our wording, built on how L.E.K. describes its cases and its Associate role.
Tell me about a time you had to defend a conclusion someone disagreed with.
What a strong answer does
L.E.K. says cases show how you reach and defend a conclusion. Show the evidence you used and how you listened to the other side. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time new information made you change course.
What a strong answer does
Its tip is to commit, but rethink in the face of new data. Say what you decided first, what changed your mind and how fast you moved. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you learned something new quickly.
What a strong answer does
L.E.K. describes its Associates' environment as one that values curiosity, initiative and continuous learning. Show how you got up to speed and what you did with it. Practice it, see a model answer
Tell me about a time you took responsibility for a result.
What a strong answer does
Your part, the decision you owned and what happened. If it went wrong, say what you changed. Practice it, see a model answer
L.E.K.'s own case prompts3 questions
Word for word from its preparation page. For each, L.E.K. lists the questions to ask yourself. Follow-ups are ours.
How many airplanes flying the opposite route will you pass on the way there?
L.E.K.'s interview preparation page (a brainteaser: hourly flights each way between JFK and LAX, five hours each, you leave New York at 12:00 PM EST)
What a strong answer does
L.E.K. asks what logical traps to avoid and what information is superfluous. Draw a timeline and count the planes already in the air when you leave.
- “Does the time zone matter?”
- “How would you check it?”
Why is there such a difference? If you were CEO of Bourgeois, what steps would you take to minimize these fluctuations?
L.E.K.'s interview preparation page (Brewery Profits: similar, steady revenues, with profits steady at Cheapo and volatile at Bourgeois)
What a strong answer does
Revenues are similar, so look at costs and how each sells. L.E.K. asks how you would organize your response and what data you would want.
- “What data would you ask for first?”
Estimate the size of the market for this drug and describe how you would go about pricing this product.
L.E.K.'s interview preparation page (Large Pharma Co.: a daily pill that regrows hair)
What a strong answer does
Two parts. Size it with assumptions you say out loud, then price it on value, rivals and cost. L.E.K. asks what assumptions you need and why. Practice it, see a model answer
Mistakes and how to prepare
Where L.E.K. candidates slip
No answer at the end
L.E.K.'s tip is to commit yourself to a course of action. An analysis with no conclusion misses what the case is for.
Holding on when the data changes
The same tip asks for flexibility and a willingness to rethink in the face of new data.
A vague why L.E.K.
Motivation for L.E.K. specifically is one of its stated objectives. Generic consulting reasons don't answer it.
Rushing the start
Its first tip is to take your time: paraphrase the question, state assumptions and restate the facts.
How to prepare for L.E.K.'s questions
L.E.K.'s own advice first. The last step is our suggestion.
Its advice
Know the kind of work L.E.K. does
It says this helps you anticipate the kinds of question you may be asked. Read its case studies and business news.
Its advice
Practice with people in strategy consulting
And attend case workshops on campus. Then work its three prompts with the questions it lists for each.
Its advice
Be yourself
The last of its seven case tips. A London associate says to show your personality and what you can bring to the team.
Our suggestion
Say every answer out loud
With a partner or an AI interviewer that follows up, so your conclusion holds up when it is challenged.
Rehearse L.E.K.'s questions, out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer asks fit questions and runs L.E.K.-style cases, follows up like a real interviewer and scores every answer.
Questions people ask
What questions does L.E.K. ask in interviews?
Questions about your professional background and your motivation for consulting and for L.E.K., and cases that can be quantitative or strategic. Associates on its blog also mention behavioral questions.
What is an experiential interview at L.E.K.?
L.E.K. does not define it. Its apply page says rounds mix experiential and case interviews, and that interviews include questions about your professional background.
Does L.E.K. publish sample cases?
Yes, three prompts on its interview preparation page: an airplane brainteaser, Brewery Profits and Large Pharma Co., each with questions to help you approach it.
How many interview rounds does L.E.K. have?
L.E.K. says several, and that the process differs by region and level. It does not publish a fixed count.
Can I apply to more than one L.E.K. office?
No. L.E.K. says you can apply to only one of its offices per year.