PartnerRoundThe five stages of a case, minute by minute
A 30-minute case has a predictable shape. Knowing the clock keeps you from drowning in stage two.
- 1
1. Prompt & clarification: 2 min
Listen, take notes, play back the objective in your own words, and ask two or three clarifying questions. Always nail down the success metric and the time horizon.
- 2
2. Structure: 3 min
Ask for thirty seconds. Build a tailored tree. Present it top-down, then state which branch you want first and why.
- 3
3. Analysis: 12-15 min
Work the branches. Expect one quantitative exhibit and one maths question. Every time you finish a piece, say what it means before moving on.
- 4
4. Creative / pressure test, 3 min
A brainstorm ('what else could explain this?') or a challenge to your own conclusion. Structure your brainstorm too: two buckets beat eight loose ideas.
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5. Synthesis: 2 min
Recommendation first, then two or three supporting reasons, then risks and the immediate next step. Practise this until it takes ninety seconds, not four minutes.
If you are eighteen minutes in and still in your first branch, you will be marked down for prioritisation even if every word was correct. Budget your branches out loud: 'I'd expect to spend most of our time on cost. Shall I start there?'
One habit separates strong candidates: they close every stage explicitly. 'So that tells us the volume is stable and price is the issue: I'd like to look at the pricing structure next.' It costs six seconds and makes the interviewer's note-taking effortless, which is precisely what you are being scored on.