Consulting Interview Questions (With a 48-Hour Prep Framework)

Consulting interviews test structured thinking, client communication, and judgment under ambiguity. You'll face case (profitability, market entry, ops), behavioral (teamwork, conflict, ownership), fit ("Why consulting? Why us?"), and your questions for them.

Rote lists won't cut it. Bring mechanisms: MECE structure, math sanity checks, trade-offs, and a learning loop.

Short on time? Use the 48-hour plan below to compress prep without sounding canned.

SwiftPrep edge: paste your job link → we map firm style (MBB vs Big 4 vs boutique), typical case types, and generate a 48-hour plan with targeted drills and fit prompts.

TL;DR

• Consulting interviews test structured thinking, client communication, and judgment under ambiguity. You'll face case (profitability, market entry, ops), behavioral (teamwork, conflict, ownership), fit ("Why consulting? Why us?"), and your questions for them.
• Rote lists won't cut it. Bring mechanisms: MECE structure, math sanity checks, trade-offs, and a learning loop.
• Short on time? Use the 48-hour plan below to compress prep without sounding canned.
• SwiftPrep edge: paste your job link → we map firm style (MBB vs Big 4 vs boutique), typical case types, and generate a 48-hour plan with targeted drills and fit prompts.

What interviewers actually evaluate

Heuristic: if your answer has no numbers, no trade-offs, or no next steps, it's not ready.

Case interview: question types & answer patterns

1) Profitability

• Prompt: "Client's profits have declined—what's going on?"
• Structure: Profit = Revenue – Cost. Branch revenue (price × volume) vs. cost (fixed vs variable).
• Moves that win: Find the driver before solving. Quantify impact (e.g., "price –2% explains ~65% of drop"). Propose tests (A/B pricing, channel analysis) and no-regret actions.

2) Market Entry / Growth

• Prompt: "Should we enter market X?"
• Structure: Market attractiveness (size, growth, regulation) → Company fit (capabilities, brand, cost curve) → Economics (break-even, payback) → Risks.
• Moves: State a hypothesis, stress-test with 2–3 critical facts, commit with conditions.

3) M&A / Private Equity

• Prompt: "Should PE acquire target?"
• Structure: Standalone attractiveness → Synergies → Valuation & returns → Deal risks.
• Moves: Explicit investment thesis; quick return math (EBITDA × multiple; post-synergy value).

4) Operations / Turnaround

• Prompt: "Reduce fulfillment cost by 15%."
• Structure: Supply chain nodes → Throughput, utilization, defects → Cost buckets.
• Moves: Prioritize levers by impact/effort; stage pilots; define KPIs.

5) Market Sizing (guesstimates)

• Prompt: "Size the market for e-bikes in France."
• Structure: Top-down (population → penetration → spend) or bottom-up (units × price).
• Moves: Round numbers, show math clearly, sanity-check with alt path.

Pattern for every case: Clarify → Structure → Prioritize → Analyze → Synthesize. Signpost. After math, recommend + risks + next steps.

Behavioral (consulting-specific)

Consulting behavioral questions are often client and team flavored. Prepare 5–6 STAR stories:

• Managing a difficult stakeholder
• Influencing without authority
• Project under time pressure
• Conflict in a team you resolved constructively
• A mistake you owned and fixed (learning loop)

Answer pattern (STAR+)

• S/T: Context and stakes in 1–2 lines
• A: Your actions, artifacts (deck, model, timeline)
• R: Result with numbers
• +L: What you changed afterward

Fit interview ("Why Consulting? Why this firm?")

Use the ARC mini-framework:

• Authentic path: One or two experiences that make consulting a credible next step (e.g., club project → client-like work, internship exposure).
• Role reality: Enjoy problem solving + teamwork + fast feedback; show you know the day-to-day.
• Company link: 1–2 things about this firm (practice areas, cases, culture) and how you'd contribute.

Keep it to 45–60 seconds unless asked for more.

"Questions to ask your interviewer" (signal you're client-ready)

Avoid generic "what's culture like?" Instead:

• "What does success at 90 days look like for a new analyst on your team?"
• "Which two metrics matter most on your current engagement?"
• "Where do projects stall most often, and how do strong juniors unblock them?"
• "If I'm staffed on industry X, what can I read this week to ramp faster?"

Sample prompts & mini-answers

Case – Profitability dip

"My plan: split revenue vs cost. On revenue, check price vs volume; volume split into channel and churn. On cost, isolate variable (COGS, shipping) vs fixed (overhead). First analysis: price mix by product—recent discounting could explain margin compression. If price explains >50% of decline, we can test targeted price rollbacks on low-elasticity segments."

Behavioral – Difficult client

"Sponsor kept changing scope weekly. I moved conversations to a decision log with cost/benefit for each change, and proposed a weekly change-control review. We cut churned work by ~30% and hit the deadline."

Fit – Why consulting

"I enjoy ambiguous, business-impact problems and tight feedback loops. In my internship, our weekly client reviews became my favorite part—negotiating scope, explaining trade-offs, and shipping increments. I want to do that full-time with stronger mentors and a wider industry lens; your Operations practice and training path line up with that."

48-Hour Prep Plan (consulting edition)

Day 1 (AM) — Structure & math warm-up (90 min)

• Review 4 case types: Profitability, Market Entry, Ops, Market Sizing.
• Build one issue tree per type.
• Do 30 minutes of quick math: % change, weighted averages, contribution margin.

Day 1 (PM) — Two full cases (120 min)

• Run one profitability and one market entry case.
• After each, write a 3-bullet synthesis and one improvement.

Day 2 (AM) — Behavioral & fit (60–90 min)

• Draft 6 STAR stories (team, conflict, pressure, leadership, failure, learning).
• 45-second Why consulting / why us using ARC.

Day 2 (PM) — Dry run & questions (45–60 min)

• One mock case with a friend or solo aloud.
• Prepare 4 smart questions for the interviewer.
• Logistics: quiet room, paper, pen, calculator allowed? confirm.

SwiftPrep shortcut: paste the job link → we generate a firm-style case mix, math drills, and fit prompts into a 48-hour sprint.

Common pitfalls (and quick fixes)

• Laundry-list structure → Pick 2–3 highest-leverage drivers, not 7.
• Math without narrative → Tie numbers back to the question.
• Vague behavioral → No numbers, no artifact, no outcome. Add one of each.
• Fit monologue → Keep to 45–60 seconds and make it firm-specific.
• No next steps → Always propose 2–3 follow-ups and a risk plan.

Printable checklist

• One issue tree per case type (4)
• 30 minutes quant warm-up
• 2 full practice cases + syntheses
• 6 STAR stories with outcomes
• 45-second ARC fit answer
• 4 questions for the interviewer

Try SwiftPrep

Paste your consulting job link and we'll:

• Detect firm style (MBB vs Big 4 vs boutique) and common case types
• Assemble a 48-hour sprint (two full cases, quant drills, fit prompts)
• Generate a comprehensive interview prep guide tailored specifically to the company/role/team you are interviewing for

Ready to ace your consulting interview? Start your personalized prep plan today.