Mock Case Interview Services

Question:

I don't know anyone else who is interested in case interviews and don't have someone to practice with. How important is the role playing practice and what do you think of the mock case interview consultants and services out there?

My Response:

Practice is important. I practiced with others. I practiced by myself. No matter how you do it, it helps to go through the process a few times.

For example, the first practice interview I did was with a Stanford GSB student and former Mercer Consultant Josey Parr. I reached out to her, ask her for some help, and she took pity on me and gave me a mock interview – with no real benefit to herself.

I MASSIVELY bombed. It was ugly. I didn't even last 90 seconds. Good thing that wasn't a real interview!

The next one I did was with the founders of Wet Feet Press. I was their best customer in their first year of business. Their 2nd best customer that year also got into McKinsey. They only offered the mock interview service as an experiment and I don't think they ended up continuing it – as it's hard to find qualified people to do the mock interview.

I personally found the feedback very useful. They gave me some specific tips and also told me what I did well. It was very useful to know exactly where I stood.

There's a new mock case interview service that I just found out about last week. All of their mock interviewers are current and former consultants from the specific firm you're interviewing with. So if you have a Bain interview, they have a former or ex-Bain consultant do the mock interview with you.

It's an interesting model and the first one I've heard of that took this approach. If you end up using them, do let me know how the experience went. Also, I think they're a UK company but work with clients in the US and around the world. You can learn more about their Mock Case Interview Service by visiting their website.