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Consulting interview questions: 40 questions with how to answer (2026)

The 40 consulting interview questions you are most likely to face, grouped by type, with what each one tests and an outline of a strong answer.

Updated 20 Oct 2026By the PartnerRound team15 min read

TL;DR

  • Consulting interview questions come in six groups: fit, motivation, resume, case, estimation and brainteasers, and the questions you ask at the end.
  • The case takes most of the time, but fit answers carry real weight. A weak story can undo a strong case.
  • For every question, know what it tests. A strong answer shows that quality with a specific example, your own actions and a number.
  • Prepare 6 to 10 stories, a one-minute 'why consulting', a 90-second CV walk-through and a repeatable case method.
  • Practise out loud. Reading answers is not the same as giving them under follow-up questions.
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McKinseyNordwind Airlines: the vanishing marginProfitability · Medium

Start a free McKinsey case interview

Hear the case, answer by voice or text and get scored on every step.

Interviewer

Our client is Nordwind Airlines, a short-haul carrier operating out of northern Europe. Over the past three years passenger numbers have grown 18%, but operating profit has fallen by roughly 40%. The CEO wants to understand what is driving this and what to do about it. How would you approach the problem?

Start the caseGuided, step by step
On this page
  1. The 40 questions at a glance
  2. Fit and behavioural questions (1 to 10)
  3. Motivation questions (11 to 16)
  4. Resume questions (17 to 22)
  5. Case questions (23 to 32)
  6. Estimation and brainteaser questions (33 to 40)
  7. Questions to ask the interviewer
  8. How to practise these questions

The 40 questions at a glance

Consulting interview questions fall into six groups: fit and behavioural, motivation, resume, case, estimation and brainteasers, and the questions you ask the interviewer at the end. Below are the 40 questions you are most likely to hear, each with what the interviewer is testing and an outline of a strong answer. At McKinsey, BCG and Bain most of each interview goes on the case, but the fit questions carry as much weight per minute, so prepare both.

Every question tests something specific. 'Tell me about a time you led a team' is not small talk: it checks whether people follow you when you have no authority over them. Once you know what a question tests, the right answer is the one that proves it with evidence.

The six groups
GroupQuestionsWhere it comes upHow to prepare
Fit and behavioural1 to 10Most interviews; at McKinsey, the Personal Experience Interview6 to 10 stories, rehearsed against follow-ups
Motivation11 to 16First round, often the opening questionA one-minute 'why consulting' and a specific 'why this firm'
Resume17 to 22The first few minutes, more so for experienced hiresA 90-second walk-through and the detail behind every line
Case23 to 32The bulk of every interviewLive cases out loud, plus maths and chart drills
Estimation and brainteasers33 to 40Inside cases, or standalone in some officesA sizing method and sanity checks
Your questionsSuggestions belowThe last few minutesTwo or three questions only that person can answer

Formats vary by firm, office and round, so ask your recruiter what to expect. The answers below hold up everywhere: a story that survives McKinsey's follow-ups will serve you at any firm.

Fit and behavioural questions (1 to 10)

Fit questions test the qualities a firm needs before it puts you in front of a client: impact on people you cannot instruct, leadership, drive, resilience and honesty about your own mistakes. The answer format is a story, told with the weight on what you did. Our fit interview lesson teaches the structure in full, and the McKinsey PEI guide covers the in-depth version McKinsey uses.

Fit and behavioural questions
QuestionWhat it testsStrong-answer outline
1. Tell me about yourself.Clear communication; whether your story leads somewhere60 to 90 seconds: where you are now, two or three choices that got you here, and why consulting is the logical next step. End on the role, not on your school days.
2. Tell me about a time you led a team.Leadership without a titleOne goal, one problem among the people, what you did to move them and a measurable result. Say 'I' for your own actions.
3. Tell me about a time you persuaded someone who disagreed with you.Personal impact and influenceName who disagreed and why their view made sense to them. Show how you changed your approach, not how you repeated your argument louder.
4. Describe a time you failed.Self-awareness and resilienceA real failure with consequences, your share of the blame, what you changed and evidence the change worked.
5. Tell me about a conflict in a team and how you handled it.Maturity; working with people unlike youDescribe the other side fairly. Show you fixed the cause (roles, incentives, information), not just the mood.
6. What is your greatest achievement?Ambition and the scale of what you take onSomething hard that you drove, with a number, and why it was hard for you specifically.
7. Tell me about a time you worked under heavy pressure.Prioritisation and composureA trade-off you made: what you dropped, who you told and how it turned out.
8. Tell me about a time you used data to make a decision.Analytical judgementThe question, the data you chose and why, what surprised you and the decision it changed.
9. Tell me about a time you took the initiative without being asked.Drive and ownershipSomething nobody owned, your first step, the obstacle and how far you got it.
10. What would your colleagues say is your biggest weakness?Honesty and self-awarenessA real weakness that matters at work, one example of it, and what you now do to manage it. Not 'I work too hard'.
Question 2: tell me about a time you led a team

Weak

In my final year I was captain of the debating society. We had a great team, everyone worked really hard, and we reached the national semi-final, the society's best result ever.

Strong

Last year I led a five-person group building a demand forecast for a local bus operator. Two weeks in, two members had stopped turning up and we were behind. I met each of them on their own and found neither understood the model, so they were avoiding it. I split the work so each owned one input they could check against real timetables, and paired them with our strongest coder once a week. We delivered on time, the operator used the forecast to cut two under-used routes, and I learnt to diagnose before I delegate.

Why: The weak answer describes a team, not leadership: no obstacle, no decision, no 'I'. The strong one has a problem among the people, a diagnosis, two concrete actions and a result someone used. It also leaves the interviewer obvious follow-ups, which is what you want.

Expect the interviewer to dig: 'What exactly did you say?' and 'Why that, and not something else?' are where weak stories fall apart. Write each story as bullets with the numbers, the people and what you would do differently.

Motivation questions (11 to 16)

Motivation questions check two things: that you know what the job really involves, and that you want it for reasons that will survive a hard first year. Our full guide to answering 'why consulting' has weak and strong examples for different backgrounds.

Motivation questions
QuestionWhat it testsStrong-answer outline
11. Why consulting?Whether you understand the job and want it for real reasonsThree parts: what draws you to the work, evidence from your past that it suits you, and what you want to learn. Under a minute.
12. Why our firm?Research and genuine interestTwo specifics you have checked, such as a conversation with someone there or a practice that fits your experience. No brochure lines.
13. Why not banking, or a role in industry?The logic of your career storyWhat consulting gives you that the alternative does not, said without running the alternative down.
14. What do you think a consultant does day to day?RealismFraming problems, analysis, slides and client meetings, plus the unglamorous parts: messy data, travel, many drafts.
15. Where do you see yourself in five years?Ambition and commitmentGrowing inside the firm: leading a workstream, then a team, building depth in a sector or capability. Don't lead with exit plans.
16. Which other firms are you applying to?Consistency and honestyAnswer honestly. A coherent set of similar firms shows a considered choice. Say why this one is your first choice, if it is.

Resume questions (17 to 22)

Your CV is the interviewer's map. They will pick a line and ask what sits behind it, to check it is accurate and to hear how you talk about your own work.

A 90-second CV walk-through
  1. 01NowWho you are today, in one line
  2. 02FoundationDegree or first role, and why
  3. 03Turning pointsTwo choices and what you did
  4. 04ThreadThe skill that runs through it all
  5. 05Next stepWhy consulting, why here
Resume questions
QuestionWhat it testsStrong-answer outline
17. Walk me through your CV.Structure, and the thread connecting your choices90 seconds, in order, one line per role on what you did and why you moved on, ending at 'why consulting'.
18. Tell me more about this line here.Accuracy and command of detailFor every bullet, know the numbers, your exact role, one obstacle and what you would do differently.
19. What did you actually do on that project?Your contribution, not the team'sSeparate your work from the team's in plain words: 'I built the model; my manager presented it to the client.'
20. Why did you choose your degree, or leave your last job?How you make decisionsThe honest reason at the time and what you learnt from the choice. Never criticise a former employer.
21. What explains this gap in your CV?Honesty and composureBriefly what you did and why, and anything you learnt or built. Short and unapologetic.
22. What would your last manager say about you?Self-awarenessOne strength with an example they would recognise, and one development point they raised and what you did about it.

Case questions (23 to 32)

The case is a business problem you solve live with the interviewer: you clarify, build a structure, work through data and maths, and recommend. McKinsey cases are commonly described as interviewer-led, with the interviewer steering you question by question, while BCG and Bain cases are more often candidate-led, where you choose the path. Prepare for both. Our guide on how to prepare for case interviews sets out a full plan, and case interview frameworks covers the structures.

Case questions
QuestionCase typeWhat it testsStrong first move
23. An airline's passengers are up 18% but operating profit is down about 40%. Why?ProfitabilityBreaking profit down before guessingSplit profit into revenue and cost and find which moved. Don't assume it's fares.
24. Should a US coffee chain enter India?Market entryMarket, competition, capability and economicsAgree what success means, then market attractiveness, ability to win, entry mode and risks.
25. How should a diagnostics company price a new test?PricingValue to the customer against cost and competitorsThree anchors: cost floor, competitor reference and value ceiling. Then ask who actually pays.
26. Should a freight company buy a last-mile delivery business?M&AStrategic fit, value, price and integrationStandalone value, synergies, price against value, then integration risks.
27. A tutoring platform has stopped growing. How can it grow again?GrowthDiagnosis before brainstormingIs the stall in new customers, retention or spend per customer? Then core, adjacent and new options.
28. A retailer's distribution centre misses 12% of store delivery windows. Should it build a second one?OperationsFinding the real constraintMap the flow step by step and find the bottleneck before spending capital.
29. A bank has lost about 9% of its deposits to a digital rival. Should it match the rival's rate?Competitive responseUnderstanding why customers moveWhich customers left and why, the cost of matching against the value of those deposits, then options.
30. A manufacturer must cut costs by 15%. Where would you look?Cost reductionPrioritising by size of prizeSplit costs into pools by size, benchmark the biggest, separate quick wins from structural moves.
31. Here is a chart of revenue by region. What does it tell you?ExhibitFinding the 'so what'Read the title, axes and units, state the one insight that matters for the case, then say what you'd look at next.
32. The CEO walks in. What do you recommend?SynthesisAnswer-first communicationThe recommendation in one sentence, three reasons with numbers, then risks and next steps. Under a minute.

The first move matters more than the framework you name. Ask one or two clarifying questions, take a moment to structure, and walk the interviewer through your plan before you start analysing. Our case interview method lesson breaks that opening down step by step.

McKinsey logo

McKinseyNordwind Airlines: the vanishing marginProfitability · Medium

Nordwind Airlines: the vanishing margin

Question 23 as a full interviewer-led case. Run it live and get feedback on your structure, maths and recommendation.

Interviewer

Our client is Nordwind Airlines, a short-haul carrier operating out of northern Europe. Over the past three years passenger numbers have grown 18%, but operating profit has fallen by roughly 40%. The CEO wants to understand what is driving this and what to do about it. How would you approach the problem?

Start the caseGuided, step by step

Most cases include maths, and the slips that cost offers are rarely hard sums. They are confusions like markup against margin, or percentage points against percent. Try one now.

Profit & margins drill

Choose

A one-minute check of the kind that comes up inside questions 23, 25 and 30.

Our client, a kitchenware wholesaler, prices every product at a 50% markup on cost. The sales director says that means a 50% gross margin. What is the gross margin?

Press A to D, then Enter

Estimation and brainteaser questions (33 to 40)

An estimation question, or guesstimate, asks for a number nobody expects you to know. Nobody grades the final number. The interviewer grades your structure, whether your assumptions are stated and sensible, your arithmetic and whether you sanity-check the result. Our market sizing questions guide goes deeper on method.

Pure brainteasers are now uncommon at McKinsey, BCG and Bain, by most candidates' accounts, but some firms and offices still use them. If one comes up, the test is the same: think out loud, structure the problem and stay calm.

Estimation and brainteaser questions
QuestionTypeStrong-answer outline
33. How many takeaway pizzas are sold each week in a city of 1 million people?Estimation, demand sideHouseholds × share ordering in a week × pizzas per order, then a cross-check from outlets. Worked below.
34. Size the UK chilled ready-meal market.Top-down sizingPeople or households, share who buy, how often and at what price. Segment where behaviour differs, such as single-person homes.
35. How many hotel rooms does a city of 2 million people need?Supply from demandVisitor nights a year (leisure and business) ÷ 365 ÷ target occupancy. Say which input you're least sure of.
36. What is the annual revenue of one petrol station?Bottom-upCars per hour across the day × spend per fill × hours × days, plus the shop. Check against what one pump can serve.
37. How many public chargers will a country need for its electric cars by 2030?Estimation with a forecastEVs on the road by 2030 × share of charging done away from home ÷ cars served per public charger. State the adoption assumption.
38. How many times a day do a clock's hands overlap?BrainteaserThe minute hand laps the hour hand 11 times in 12 hours, not 12, because the hour hand moves too. So 22 times a day.
39. Why are manhole covers round?BrainteaserGroup the reasons: safety (a circle can't fall through its own hole), handling (it rolls and needs no lining up) and strength.
40. You have 8 balls and one is heavier. Find it in two weighings on a balance.BrainteaserWeigh 3 against 3. If they balance, weigh the last 2. If not, take the heavier 3 and weigh 1 against 1: the heavy ball is the one that sinks, or the one left off.

Worked example

Worked: question 33, takeaway pizzas

Clarify. Delivered and collected pizzas from any outlet, in a typical week. Count pizzas, not orders.

Pizzas a week=Households×Share ordering in a week×Pizzas per order

Demand side first, then a supply-side cross-check.

  1. Households: 1m people ÷ 2.5 per household = 400k.
  2. Share ordering takeaway pizza in a given week: assume 25%, so 100k orders.
  3. Pizzas per order: assume 1.2, since some orders are for families. 100k × 1.2 = 120k pizzas a week.
  4. Cross-check from supply: assume one pizza outlet per 5,000 people, so 200 outlets. 120k ÷ 200 = 600 pizzas per outlet a week, about 86 a day. Plausible for a mix of busy and quiet shops.

Answer: about 120k pizzas a week, and I'd present it as 100k to 150k. The input I'm least sure of is the 25%, so that is the one I'd test first.

Top-down sizing drill

Calculate

Same method, your turn. Build the chain one step at a time and keep the units.

Size annual US spend on takeaway coffee. Assume 250m adults, 30% of them buy takeaway coffee, buyers average 3 cups a week for 50 weeks a year, and a cup costs $4.

$bn

Questions to ask the interviewer

Most interviews end with 'Do you have any questions for me?' It is rarely scored hard, but a good question leaves a better last impression, and the answers give you material for 'why this firm' later. Ask what only this person can answer.

Good questions, and why they work
AskWhy it works
What is the most interesting problem you've worked on recently, and why?Personal, gets them talking, and gives you real detail about the work
What surprised you most when you joined?Invites an honest view of the job rather than the brochure
What separates people who do well in their first year?Shows you are already thinking about doing the job well
How has the work in your practice changed over the last few years?Signals interest in their area and tests how the firm is evolving
What feedback early in your career changed how you work?Specific and personal; often the most memorable answer of the day

Avoid anything answered on the firm's website, pay and holidays in early rounds (ask the recruiter), and 'How did I do?'. Two or three questions is plenty.

How to practise these questions

Knowing the questions is the easy part. Answering them out loud while someone interrupts you is the hard part. Split your preparation three ways and keep all three going each week.

  1. Stories (questions 1 to 22). Write 6 to 10 stories as bullet points, map each to the qualities it shows, and have a friend run follow-ups on two of them each week.
  2. Cases (23 to 32). Do at least two live cases a week from the case library, out loud, and review your structure and recommendation afterwards.
  3. Maths and estimation (33 to 40). Ten minutes a day of maths drills and one sizing question every few days, so the arithmetic is automatic by the time it matters.

Check yourself

An interviewer asks you to estimate how many hotel rooms a city needs. What are they mainly grading?

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common consulting interview questions?

'Tell me about yourself', 'Why consulting?', 'Why our firm?', 'Tell me about a time you led a team' and a case such as a profitability or market entry problem. Most first-round interviews combine a few of these fit questions with one case. Prepare a story bank and a case method and you have covered the large majority of what you will hear.

How much of a consulting interview is fit versus case?

At McKinsey, BCG and Bain the case usually takes the larger share of each interview, with fit and motivation questions at the start or end. McKinsey's Personal Experience Interview can take a substantial part of the slot on its own. The split varies by firm, office and interviewer, so ask your recruiter.

Do consulting firms still ask brainteasers?

Rarely at the top strategy firms, by most candidates' accounts, though some firms and offices still use them. Estimation questions are far more common and often sit inside a case. If you get a brainteaser, think out loud and structure it like any other problem.

How should I answer behavioural questions in a consulting interview?

Use STAR (situation, task, action, result) with most of your time on the action and on your own part in it. Include the people who resisted, the decisions you made and a result with a number. Then expect follow-ups on why you chose that approach and what you would do differently.

Are Big 4 consulting interview questions different from MBB questions?

The question types are the same, but Big 4 processes often add competency-based interviews, assessment centres or written cases, and some roles ask more about technology or implementation. Strategy arms such as EY-Parthenon are commonly reported to run cases close to MBB style. Check the format for your role and office.

Written by the PartnerRound team

We build case interview practice: an AI interviewer that holds the answer key, guided cases, drills and a free course. Every guide is checked against the cases and drills it links to, so what you read is what you practise. Published 20 Oct 2026.

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