Are you an aspiring consultant excited to learn all about presentation case interviews? As someone who has gone through many consulting interviews and been hired, I can provide the inside scoop on how these unique interviews work and tips to help you excel. 

So grab your favorite study snack, get comfortable, and let’s dive into the world of presentation case interviews!

What Exactly Are Presentation Case Interviews?

A presentation case interview is a specialized interview format used by consulting firms. In these interviews, you’ll be given a business problem or scenario along with some data and information about the situation.

Your task will be to independently analyze the provided information, organize your thoughts, and then present your findings and recommendations to a panel of interviewers. These are usually partners at the consulting firm.

The presentation case interview is designed to assess critical skills like analytical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and poise under pressure. Unlike a standard interview where you just discuss your background, this is an opportunity to demonstrate business acumen and thought leadership.

Common Types of Presentation Case Interviews

Consulting firms like to keep candidates on their toes with different styles of presentation cases. Here are some of the most common types you may encounter:

• Written case format: You’re given a packet of information and asked to prepare a written slide deck or report. This tests your ability to synthesize data and communicate findings in writing.
• Data-driven cases: These cases provide charts, graphs, financial statements, or other quantitative data for you to analyze. They assess your numerical skills and ability to interpret data.
• Strategy cases: For these, you’ll develop high-level strategic solutions to business challenges like entering a new market or responding to a disruptive competitor.
• Operations cases: These focus on improving operational efficiency, supply chain issues, production processes, or other bottom-line business operations.

The specific style varies by firm, so research the company you’re interviewing with to learn their approach. But overall, expect to flex your analytical and problem-solving muscles!

Step-by-Step: How Presentation Case Interviews Work

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s walk through the typical play-by-play of these multifaceted interviews:

Pre-Interview Preparation

Before you set foot in the interview, there’s work to be done:

• Extensive practice with sample cases – I can’t stress this enough. Find practice cases online, through your university career center, or through networking contacts. The more repetition, the better!
• Brush up on quantitative skills – Review basic business math, statistics, financial statements, and other quantitative concepts. You’ll likely need to analyze numerical data.
• Work on quickly digesting information – Practice summarizing long articles in 30 seconds. Develop speed reading techniques like skimming for main points.
• Polish presentation skills – Practice presenting to colleagues or friends. Videotape yourself and review. Strong communication skills are key.
• Study business frameworks – Learn frameworks like SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and more. They provide helpful analytical structures.
• Create a case interview toolkit – Have quick references to formulas, frameworks, etc to leverage during the interview.

Thorough preparation will help you feel poised and confident going into the high-pressure case interview.

Solo Case Analysis Phase

This is the main event – where you’ll demonstrate your case-cracking skills!

You’ll receive the case prompt and the relevant data. Then you’ll have ~30 minutes to independently review the materials, analyze the information, organize findings, and develop your presentation.

Here are some tips for making the most of the limited solo time:

• Quickly skim materials – Get the lay of the land in 5-10 minutes. Don’t get bogged down in details yet.
• Identify the key problem or objective – Clarify the specific business issue to address. Boil it down to a simple problem statement.
• Map out your approach – Determine a structured process for how you’ll analyze the data and develop solutions.
• Conduct detailed analysis – Dig into the data, develop hypotheses, build financial models, identify root causes, and stress test your ideas. Spend most of your time here.
• Formulate recommendation – Based on your rigorous analysis, decide on your proposed solution(s) to the business problem.
• Outline presentation – Organize your findings into a logical flow to convey during the presentation.

I recommend using a structured approach like this for the solo phase:

• Scan the materials quickly
• Pinpoint the key problem
• Restructure the information into an analytical framework
• Investigate by conducting detailed analyses
• Nail down your proposed recommendation
• Tailor an impactful presentation

Having a strategy prevents overanalyzing any one area when time is of the essence.

Presentation to Partners

It’s showtime! Now you’ll have 15-20 minutes to convey your findings and recommendations to a panel of partners and interviewers.

Structure your presentation like this:

• Introduction – Orient the interviewers and provide context (1-2 minutes)
• Methodology – Explain your step-by-step analytical approach (3-5 minutes)
• Key findings – Share your data synthesis, hypotheses, and insights (5-7 minutes)
• Recommendations – Explain your proposed solutions and implementation plans (3-5 minutes)
• Risks and next steps – Discuss potential risks/mitigations and future next steps (2-3 minutes)

Remember, interviewers want to see structured thinking and clear communication of complex concepts. Avoid getting overly bogged down in details – be crisp and confident.

Q&A and Discussion

Finally, the interviewers will probe your analysis with challenging questions. This is an opportunity to show how you think on your feet.

Some tips for excelling in the Q&A:

• Listen carefully to each question before responding
• Take a moment to gather your thoughts before answering
• Answer confidently and directly while being open to feedback
• Admit if you don’t know something but suggest how you would find out
• Offer additional insights if they come to mind

Keep in mind the partners aren’t trying to stump you – they want to assess your poise and analytical instincts.

Key Skills Assessed in Presentation Interviews

Beyond getting the “right answer,” consulting firms evaluate candidates on core skills required for the job. These include:

Structured problem-solving: Breaking down multifaceted problems in a step-by-step, logical manner.

Analytical horsepower: Generating hypotheses, building financial models, running scenarios, and identifying root causes. Showcasing your ability to derive insights from ambiguous or incomplete data.

Data synthesis: Distilling trends, relationships, and key takeaways from both quantitative and qualitative data sources. Telling a story from the data.

Time management: Quickly prioritizing key issues and analyses given limited time. Avoiding rabbit holes.

Communication skills: Explaining complex analyses clearly and concisely. Designing impactful slides to convey key points.

Poise under pressure: Staying cool, confident, and analytical when being grilled in the Q&A. Demonstrating grace under fire.

Really sink your teeth into developing these core consulting skills as you prepare.

How to Prepare for Presentation Case Interviews

You’re probably wondering: How can I master these challenging interviews?

Here is my recommended game plan:

Practice, practice, practice! – Complete at least 30-50 full-length practice cases. The more repetition, the better your pattern recognition will become.

Perfect a structured analytical approach – Always apply the same step-by-step methodology to cases. It will become second nature.

Read actively – Improve speed reading by constantly summarizing articles in writing. Analyze real business situations.

Analyze charts and data sets – Practice deciphering trends and insights from graphs, financial charts, and other visual data.

Refine slides and storytelling – Learn to create high-impact slides. Practice presenting to friends or mentors and incorporate feedback.

Sharpen mental math – Drill growth rates, profitability ratios, unit economics – anything that helps derive insights quickly.

Internalize business frameworks – Understand how/when to apply Porter’s 5 Forces, decision trees, SWOT, and more.

Drill mock interviews – Nothing beats practice under realistic conditions. Replicate the time constraints, slide requirements, and panel format.

With rigorous preparation, you can walk into these high-pressure interviews with total confidence.

Mastering the Presentation Component

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of delivering a winning presentation:

Craft a compelling executive summary – Your opening should concisely convey the problem statement and your proposed solution. Set the stage powerfully.

Structure logically – Build your presentation like a story – situation, challenge, approach, analysis, solution. Use clear transitions between sections.

Limit text density on slides – Each slide should have one key point and minimal text. Let the graphs and images make the points visually.

Open and close strongly – Start with an attention-grabbing statement and end with a decisive call to action.

Handle Q&A gracefully – Listen carefully, pause before responding, and answer confidently yet humbly. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know” if you don’t.

Practice intensely – Refine your story. Time it. Deliver it repeatedly until it feels natural and flows smoothly. Practice makes perfect here.

Last but not least, note that your non-verbal cues can significantly impact your presentation; consider these tips to enhance your delivery:

Non-Verbal Aspect	Do’s	Don’ts
Eye Contact	Maintain steady eye contact with all interviewers	Avoid staring at one person or looking at your slides constantly
Posture	Stand straight with shoulders back	Don’t slouch or lean on furniture
Hand Gestures	Use natural, open gestures to emphasize points	Avoid crossing arms or fidgeting with objects
Facial Expressions	Show enthusiasm through genuine smiles	Don’t frown or look overly serious throughout
Movement	Move purposefully when changing slides or pointing to data	Avoid pacing or rocking back and forth
Voice Modulation	Vary your tone and pace to maintain interest	Don’t speak in a monotone or rush through points

Pro Case Cracking Tips From the Experts

Here are some of my most powerful case interview tips:

Leverage the MECE principle – Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. Use MECE to divide problems into clean, structured groups to avoid missing angles.

Apply the pyramid principle – Start with your key message/recommendation. Provide supporting points grouped logically below. A powerful way to structure thoughts.

Analyze real companies – Practice applying consulting frameworks to business situations in the news. Build business acumen and technical flexibility.

Seek feedback – Do practice cases with friends in consulting or with similar experiences. Incorporate their critiques each time to improve.

Show your personality – While there are “rules,” don’t hide your personal style. Let your individual strengths and creativity shine through.

Final Words

If you put in the work, keep grinding, and believe in yourself, you can master these notoriously difficult interviews. 

Now go out there and crush it! Remember to pay it forward someday when you’re the one conducting these interviews. Best of luck!