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:
Case interview 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 case interview 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.
If you’re looking for a mock case interview coach to practice with you, you should take a look at the case coaching section of this website for more details.