Case In Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation (7th edition)

417 Pages·2011·3.85 MB·English

by  Marc P Cosentino

AMAZON REVIEWS

Secret to success — consulting case interviews. In graduate
school I browsed many books on consulting case interview preparation.
This was the only book I read. The clear, consistent way of thinking
through how to manage case interviews made sense. Rather than
focusing on formulas, frameworks (e.g., Porters Five Forces), or just
examples, Cosentino classifies cases into sensible categories and
coaches the student through how to think about answering. Additionally,
he gives valuable tips on how to get comfortable in the interview.
The true proof; however, was that I interviewed with the two top strategy
consulting firms and received offers from both. I would highly recommend
this book to anyone considering interviewing with top strategy consulting
firms.
Outstanding prep for case interviews. Case in Point is in my
view the best book of its type on the market. The top firms vary their
cases from interviewer to interviewer; Cosentino’s book provides a good
system for tackling any case that you’re presented. This book got me
extremely well-prepared for my interviews. I just received a summer
associate offer from what’s arguably the top consulting firm, despite my
non-business background.
This is excellent. This is probably the best consulting book on the
market for undergrads looking to get a job in a top consulting firm after
college. I own the Vault Guide to the Case Interview and felt this was
MUCH better because it gives you a system to follow, not just a bunch of
random structures and cases. Cosentino does a great job of putting all
these pieces together in a very useful book.
Great book for consulting preparation. Cosentino’s compilation
of cases is a superb way to prepare for management consulting case
interviews. Not only does he provide a wide variety of cases (from
market-sizing to acquisition opportunity to dipping profits) he also offers
several helpful frameworks for approaching consulting cases in general. I
would highly recommend this book to anyone planning to do consulting
interviews (and they’re tough!).
Having a job interview? Use this book: it’s a must. I used this
book as a tool to prepare for interviews, and it really helped me. In this
tough period, I followed the Ivy Case Method proposed, and it didn’t fail.
The book presents in a very readable way what to expect in an interview
and how to create your best strategy. I’m usually very skeptical about
these kinds of books, but I must say that Cosentino is able to attract the
reader and through anecdotes and concrete examples, to keep the
reader’s interest till the last page. Definitely a must.
Got me a consulting job! I was VERY nervous about getting a
good job after school. I compared several interview guides and found
some to be incomplete and others to be too long and confusing.
Cosentino’s Case in Point was easier to understand and covered the key
techniques/frameworks behind case interviews. I practiced the sample
cases and I eventually got a job in strategy consulting.
Here’s what’s new in the 7th edition

7 Strategy Cases
8 Case Starts (Practice setting up the case)
3 Human Capital Cases
21 Ways to Cut Costs
Advice for Industry Hires

CQ INTERACTIVE

The most advanced online interactive case training developed. CQI
focuses on the skills you’ll need to walk into the case interview well
prepared and confident.
Developed by Marc P. Cosentino, author of Case in Point: Complete
Case Interview Preparation

Intro to Case Interviews
Math-landish – Math Drills
a. Percentages
b. Breakevens and Weighted Averages
c. Net Present Value / Time Value of Money
d. General Math Problems
Chart Design and Analysis
Ivy Case Drills
Case Structure Drills and Factor Questions
Market-sizing Cases
Interactive Cases
Slides from Workshop
Consulting Behavior Questions
General Interview Tips (Non-case Interviews)
a. Sample Interview Questions
b. Interview Tips Outline
About Résumés

Available at www.CaseQuestions.com
Also by Marc P. Cosentino

The Harvard College Guide to Consulting Case Questions
The Harvard College Guide to Consulting
The Harvard College Guide to Investment Banking

Acknowledgments
Special thanks are due to Brett Deware, Cullen Hilkene, Lynda Knoll Cotter and Semil Shah who
contributed cases.
Thanks are owed to all the students from around the world who contributed thoughts and case
questions, especially Adrian Cighi, Agnés Noël, Asanka Jayasuriya, Basil Waite, Deepa Gupta,
Emily Cosentino, Eric Edwards, Gonzolo Zubieta, Javier Luzarraga, John Loken, Memphis Gator,
Mukund Jain, Sebastien Desreux, Sinjin Brooks, Tatum Bell III, and Veronica Chau.
Many thanks to an unsung hero, my book designer, Jean Hammond, whose patience and sense
of humor made many hours of toil great fun.
Copyright © 2011 Burgee Press
Burgee Press
P.O. Box 920654
Needham, MA 02492
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except brief excerpts for the purpose of
review, without written permission of the publisher.
As with all case questions, we assume facts not in evidence, as well as generous assumptions.
Familiar companies are used as examples because of the power of their brand and their
familiarity to the general public. Information concerning the actual companies cited as examples
may not be accurate. This information was based on research but should not be used as reliable,
up-to-date data.