If you don' t remember all the key points from our case interview series or if you missed a few workshops in the past quarter, don't worry! Read our 2022 CCTMC Caseguide and take a look at our one-page case interview cheat sheet to learn how to prepare for a case interview:

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Interview Process

Personal Experience (15-20 mins) - examples of past experiences (entrepreneurial drive, inclusive leadership, personal impact)

Structured Case (25 mins) - solve problem similar to consulting cases (problem-solving skills, common sense, comfort with numbers)

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Case Interview Format

1. Case Prompt given.

2. Recap & ask clarifying questions

3. Take the 60-90s to create a structured approach to resolve the case.

4. Synthesize findings & make recommendations

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Popular Case Themes

Profitability: analyze potential sources of profit declines and identify ways to improve profitability 

Market Entry: analyze the client’s opportunity to expand and quantify the viable market for any new products

Growth: identify opportunities for client to optimally grow revenues or increase market share

Acquisition & Merger: Determine whether the client should purchase another business or sell an existing part of company

Industry Assessment: Assess the health and attractiveness of particular industry to advise a client’s decision

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Profitability Equations

Gross Profit=Revenue-Cost of Good Sold

Gross Profit Margin = (Revenue-Cost of Good Sold)/Revenue

NPV=Σ(CFn)/(1+i)n

Payback Period=Initial Investment Made/Net Annual Cash Inflow

Break Even Point = Fixed Costs/(Total Sales Revenue-Cost to Make Product)

ROI= Net Profit/Cost of Investment x 100

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Business Terms

Revenue: $ generated from normal business operations 

Profit: financial gain

Profit margin: amount by which revenue from sales exceeds costs 

Fixed cost: business costs (i.e. rent) that are constant whatever the quantity of goods or services produced

Variable cost: cost that varies with level of output

Upfront cost: an initial sum of money owed in a purchase or business venture

Recurring cost: cost that occurs repeatedly during life of an asset

Net present value (NPV): difference between present value of cash inflows and present value of cash outflows over a period of time

Cash Flow: net amount of cash and cash equivalents being transferred in and out of a company

Discounted Rate: the interest rate used in discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis to determine the present value of future cash flows

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF): valuation method used to estimate the value of an investment based on its expected future cash flows

Break even point: the time point at which total revenues equal total expenses

Payback period: amount of time it takes to recover the cost of an investment of how long it takes for an investor to hit breakeven

Return of investment (ROI): metric used to understand profitability of an investment

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Structuring in Case Interview & Frameworks

AIM test 

A= Answer-focused = every driver should answer a specific question that is necessary to solve the case

I=Insightful = share specific insights and/or hypotheses as you get deeper into the structure

M=Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive (MECE) = driver should have limited overlap and should not be more than 3-4 main drivers