BCG case interviews are commonly candidate-led: you set the structure, choose where to dig, ask for the data, and drive to a recommendation. That rewards candidates who can lead a business conversation and bring an original angle, not just answer questions well — though the style still flexes to whoever is across the table.
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Formats shift by office and recruiting cycle. Treat this as the widely reported baseline — and confirm the specifics with your recruiter.
After the prompt, the case is yours: lay out a structure, pick a starting branch, ask for the data you need, and keep things moving while the interviewer follows your lead and pushes back. The style flexes to the individual interviewer, but creativity and original angles earn a little more credit here than at McKinsey.
Many candidates take Casey, BCG's chatbot-led online case: one case, roughly 8–10 questions — including choosing the relevant data from several options — ending in a short recorded video recommendation. It cannot be paused. Some offices add a game-based test (Pymetrics) or a proctored cognitive test on top.
BCG cases lean hard on charts and data tables. The job is not reading the number — it is extracting the insight, connecting it to your structure, and saying what it changes about your answer. Interviewers are listening for the 'so what.'
Expect behavioral and motivation questions both in a dedicated skills interview and around the case — why consulting, why BCG, and stories that show impact and collaboration. There is no formal PEI script like McKinsey's, so prepare a handful of specific, versatile stories you can tell in depth.
In a candidate-led case, silence is your problem to fill. Train the loop: state a structure, choose a branch for a reason, ask for specific data, and pivot cleanly when the branch is exhausted — without waiting to be rescued.
Say what you expect to find — and why — before you dive into a branch. Practice forming a working hypothesis early and revising it out loud as the data arrives.
Drill reading charts fast: what the exhibit says, what is surprising, and what it means for the client's decision — in that order, every time.
Synthesis is one of the most heavily weighted skills in a BCG case. Practice leading with the recommendation, then the two or three reasons that carry it — top-down, the way you would brief a partner.
Most candidates report candidate-led cases at BCG: you propose the structure, choose where to explore, and drive toward a recommendation. But the style flexes to the individual interviewer — some run a tighter, near interviewer-led case — so be ready to lead and to take steers.
Casey is BCG's chatbot-led online case — a single business case of roughly 8–10 questions, including selecting the relevant data from several options, that ends with a short recorded video recommendation. It tests the same skills as a live case — structuring, clean quant, exhibit reading, clear judgment — so spoken case practice doubles as Casey prep.
BCG cases are typically candidate-led — you drive the structure and pace — while McKinsey cases are interviewer-led. BCG also gives creativity and original angles a little more credit, and weights answer-first synthesis heavily. The underlying skills overlap far more than they differ, so practice both leading a case and being led.
Momentum. Picking the next branch for a reason, asking for the right data, and pivoting when a path runs dry — all while thinking out loud. That case-leadership muscle only builds through live spoken practice; you cannot get it from a casebook.
Yes. CaseLab cases let you lead — you set the structure, ask for data and exhibits, and drive to a recommendation while the AI interviewer responds and pushes back. The Coach Briefing then scores how well you actually led the case and tells you what to fix next.
CaseLab is an independent case interview training platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, or any other consulting firm. Interview formats evolve and vary by office, so always confirm current details with your recruiter or official firm sources. Interview formats last reviewed July 2026.
Formats differ by firm. If you are interviewing across MBB, read each guide so you know what changes and what stays the same.
Interviewer-led cases, the Personal Experience Interview, and the Solve assessment — what each one tests, and how to train for it out loud.
Read the McKinsey guidePractical, answer-first cases, heavy market sizing, and a written-case round at some offices — and how to close every case with a clear recommendation.
Read the Bain guideStart with the free diagnostic case, or build fundamentals first with the Case Interview 101 handbook.
