So here is a quick compilation about the different resources I have used so far to sharpen my interview skills.
Since we want to correctly break down a topic, I will then list as order of usefulness.
Please do not hesitate to post any other materials that you think are great in a comment!
The essentials
First things first, we start with the resource which really helped me getting started and which is by far the one I rely the most on. It is a website run by Victor Cheng, an ex-McKinsey consultant who really knows what he's talking about.
There are three main types of material available on the website:
- Articles: they usually consist of a reply from the emails Victor receives. Most of the message are asking specific questions towards interview preparation and Victor shares his comments with the rest of us. There are tons of articles so you better use the embedded search function on the website. They are probably the most useful material if you take the time to dig in.
- Videos: all the videos were recorded during a workshop given to MBA students in a famous American business school. The videos are an excellent introduction to case interview and Victor carefully explains his method. Those videos are available for FREE, given you register on his website. Needless to say, they are extremely good and every one of us should have watched them.
- Audio Interviews: finally, Victor compiled twelve real-life interviews face-to-face and over the phone with candidates like you and me. The awesome feature is that whenever there is something interesting going on in the interview, Victor provides off comments that explains in details what is going on. The series of audio interviews is dubbed Look Over My Shoulder (LOMS), and if I remember correctly, you need to pay something like US$249 to have unlimited access to it. Whether you think it's a good value is entirely up to you. I purchased it and I did improve a lot after using several times (as you actually should).
How to Get Into the Top Consulting Firms by Tim Darling
Probably one of the best kept secrets in the microcosm of case interview practice . Darling's concise and clear writing is gold for those who are already familiar with the case interview process but wants accurate advices and a practical tool. The author's Valuation Framework is a very solid and logical approach and will resonate well with the most quantitative oriented candidates.The book is slim (it will can be read in about 2 hours) and not very expensive (around US$25 on Amazon). Once again, if you are serious about consulting, you should probably buy it.Case in Point by Marc Cosentino
One of the most popular book on case interview preparation, written by the ex head of career services of Harvard Business School. A lot of candidates find Cosentino's work very accessible and practical to use. True enough, Case in Point can be considered a sort of class manual since it gives very clearly the theory, exercises and their correction. The book is very didactic and if you are confortable with Cosentino's set of frameworks, then you will probably use Case in Point as your reference material.
On a personal note, I find Cosentino's methodology too heavy (14 frameworks to master) and not flexible enough to my taste. However, the author does a fantastic job explaining the method you should use to crack market-sizing and guess-timate questions. So a very useful book nonetheless.
Business Schools' guide to case interview preparation
I was fortunate to have access to this guide edited by Fuqua Business School but I assume that most of you could have access to something equivalent (HBS, Booth, INSEAD, etc.). Those guides are excellent for the very good advices they give about resolution methods (though not as quite detailed as Cheng or Cosentino do) but especially for all the cases they contain. You will probably use a lot of them when practicing with a partner, especially if you haven't yet received real cases by interviewers.
The Complements
www.easyconseil.com (French speaking only)
This is another great site, with useful tips to prepare and crack cases, as well as a vast database of business cases (it is really huge). The major caveat is that you must speak French as everything is written in Moliere's tongue.
Vault Guide to the Case Interview
Despite its age, the Vault Guide continues to be helpful, thanks to a massive databank of business cases. I may be wrong but the last edition of the Vault Guide seems to date back to 2003, which means that it may not well cover the most recent twists in the interview process (McKinsey PST for instance).
The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto
This book is not about case preparation per se but is an excellent complement. The Pyramid Principle aims to teach you how to think in a structured way (sounds familiar?) by walking you to some of the useful techniques that ex McKinsey consultant Barbara Minto has used to produce clear and understandable writing. If it indeed takes time to truly master the techniques in this book, you will be surprised on how much it allows you to be more structured, hence to become better at cases.
The McKinsey Way and The McKinsey Mind by Ethan Rasiel
The two books will be of particular interest for the folks who wish to join "The Firm" but remains also helpful for the others. It explains in detail how the business is done at McKinsey and the culture that prevails other there. It also introduces some key concept like MECE (if this term is foreign to you, then I urgently recommend you to read the book) and the 80/20 principle.
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