I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Bain & Company (London, England) in Dec 2016
Interview
1. CV and Cover letter: keep it concise, as ACs screen them (not HR) and they don't have time
2. Tests: prepare well and you will be fine. The tests are not as difficult as the PST or Oliver Wyman's
3. 1st interviews: market sizing and case study with an AC and a senior AC, both very friendly and helpful. The questions are not difficult at this stage.
- Don't mess up the mental maths in both cases. If you do, don't freak out either, it's not the end of the world
- Structure and think out loud
- Look out for hints from the interviewers (they are genuinely there to help)
- You get feedback later if you go through, which is extremely kind of them
4. Final interviews: a written case, a verbal case, a partner interview & case
- Practice reviewing massive sets of presentation slides under high time pressure (e.g. know what's irrelevant).
- Answer a few questions and put them into the empty slides given to you. Prepare to crunch some numbers in this limited time (show your workings, always)
- Never mess up the maths, in all cases
- Be proactive in asking questions if interviewer is quiet
- Prepare to answer some basic motivation questions with the partner. Research what industry his/her expertise is, and the case is likely to be about that
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What are the different ways that people switch energy supplier?
2 cases for R1. Pretty straightforward cases about revenue optimization opportunities. There was a little bit of market sizing but all data needed was given. No behaviorals asked in round 1 for me.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What office did you choose and why? Do you have competing offers?
2 rounds, 1st round 2 small cases, not very difficult , market entry cases.
2nd long case with a deck to read and prepare answers..45 mins to read, 15 mins to answer
Three rounds of interviews, generally 2 rounds in person or remote with live consultants. Each round involves a 2-3 case interviews each, which generally also include a set of behavioural questions.