Successful completion of the BCG online case study

These are often GMAT-type tests, with logic, reasoning and mathematical questions in MCQ format. This time, BCG has gone one step further than its competitors by integrating an online case study test with a chatbot. The aim is to assess the candidate's skills remotely, without human intervention. This online case study, called Casey, is to be taken in the 1st round before the 1st interview with a consultant. Does this test have a major influence on the outcome of the 1st round? There's no way of really knowing. However, it's important to master and pass it, so as not to give any reason for you to be eliminated.

In this article, you'll discover the secrets to success in the Casey test, BCG's online case study, which will give you every chance of passing the 1st round.

The Casey test, BCG's online case study

The Casey online case study is an integrated test in the 1st round of BCG's recruitment process, after the screening stage. Candidates receive an e-mail with a link to complete the case study before meeting a consultant for a traditional interview. The two are totally independent, and you don't need to have passed the online case to be interviewed by the consultant. On the face of it, this online case study doesn't count for much in the 1st round results, except perhaps if you're average during the interview.

The case takes the form of an interaction with a sculpin where you have to answer a series of 10 questions from different categories. It lasts between 25 and 30 minutes. The aim is to solve a case study on a business topic, just like you would in a traditional interview. As a reminder, there are different types of case study: profit, growth, entering a new market, launching a new product, pricing, M&A, private equity, responding to competition.

See also: The different types of case studies

The questions are answered in different ways throughout the case study:

• Multiple choice: Select one or more answers to the question asked.
• Open answers: You write the answer to interpret analyses, give a mathematical result and make recommendations on the customer's problem.
• Video: At the final pitch, you record yourself wrapping up your results and giving your final recommendations to the customer.

The skills assessed in this online case study are the same as those assessed in a traditional interview.

Throughout the online case study, you'll be asked to answer questions in a variety of forms, as described below.

CASEY single- and multiple-choice questions

The first series of questions in the case study are multiple-choice questions with different objectives, enabling you to make progress in solving the problem. Before going into the details of these questions, our first piece of advice is to take careful note of all the information you receive from the chatbot and the answers you give to the questions. This will help you with your final pitch.

First, you'll have a question about the approach structure to be used to solve your customer's business problem. You'll be asked questions like "What are the elements to be considered when studying the customer's problem? To this question, you must choose one or more answers. If you get it wrong, the chatbot can try to redirect you.

• Tips: Adopt the same method as for a classic case study. Take a sheet of paper and create a MECE structure that will enable you to answer the case problem. Once you've made your structure, answer the question put to you by selecting the answers that seem to correspond best with your structure.

See also: Passing the case study test

Once you've answered the first questions and defined your structure and the different areas of analysis you'll be conducting, you'll be asked new questions to obtain information and data. The chatbot will probably give you several elements to better understand the context, and ask you a question like: "What additional elements do you need to study our customer's market? With this type of question, you'll be able to select several answers.

• Tips: Once again, adopt the same approach as for a classic case study. If you have to analyze a market, select the most relevant elements that will enable you to move forward in solving your customer's problem.

Now that you've structured your analysis and obtained important information for solving the customer's problem, the chatbot will put you on the track to finding innovative solutions and start thinking about what recommendations to make. You'll be asked questions like: "What solutions would you like to investigate in relation to your analyses?" or "What should the customer do about product line X?". To these questions, you'll be allowed to select several answers.

• Tips: Review your structure, analyses, information and results to date. As with a classic case, select the most relevant solutions and recommendations to make or study at this stage of the case study.

Read also: 10 things you need to know before applying for a job in Strategy Consulting

Casey's open questions

Throughout the event, you'll be interacting with Casey's chatbot, who'll be offering open-ended questions in addition to multiple-choice ones.

Open-ended questions are there to explain your reasoning and the approach you're using. They come later, once you've established your structure and are beginning to get to the heart of the matter. The aim of these open-ended questions is to test your ability to remain structured in your answers and to rely on facts or your business-sense to keep you moving forward.

Open-ended questions can take a variety of forms to :

• Express your opinion on a given proposal. For example: "A member of the management team is proposing to introduce a new price that will clear all the stock, what do you think?"
• Come up with new ideas. For example, "What do you think would be the most innovative solutions to the inventory problem?"

Your answers to open-ended questions will be analyzed by the chatbot, not by a consultant. For this reason, you need to adopt a rigorous and highly structured posture in your answers.

• Tips: As for a classic case, answer the open-ended questions with a MECE structure, in the same way as you do structures to solve the case study. Once you have your structure, detail each axis with 3 ideas based on facts, figures or business sense. Finally, add a concluding sentence with a so-what that highlights the implications in relation to the question posed and the customer's overall objective.

Open-ended questions can also be redirection questions. Redirect questions are asked when your answer to the previous question is wrong or incomplete. At this point, the chatbot tries to help you get back on track to solving the problem.

• Explain your reasoning. For example: "Can you explain the reasoning you used to answer the previous question?"

For answers to redirect questions, adopt the same approach as for other open-ended questions, taking care to stay structured.

• Tips: When you have questions about redirects, step back for a moment to identify your potential error. Then try to explain your approach and suggest new avenues of analysis if yours were not the right ones. In this way, you put yourself in the shoes of a consultant who is capable of taking a step back from his or her work and going back for a better start.

See also: All you need to know about strategy consulting

Casey's quantitative questions

The last type of question we haven't covered are the quantitative ones, and you'll have two or three of these during the test. Nothing special, these are questions in which you'll be asked to perform fairly simple calculations that will support the hypotheses you've made, and then conclude on the recommendations to be made.

Quantitative questions are generally questions where you give the result, not multiple-choice questions. So in all cases, you have to do the calculations. These questions can take different forms:

• Reading documents : Analyze a document, extract relevant data and perform calculations to answer the question posed. Sometimes document-reading questions don't necessarily require a quantitative answer, but rather a choice to be made. For example: "According to the attached document, on which region should we concentrate our efforts?"
• Mathematical equation: Solving business problems with a mathematical equation. These are the classic questions you're likely to get during your interviews. For example: "What is the new price to be implemented to maximize profit in year 1?

Quantitative questions require rigor to ensure that you arrive at the right result. To do this, you need to adopt the same attitude as during a case study.

• Tips: Write down all the numbers and data that are important for solving your calculation. Determine your equation to answer the question. Make your calculations. Check your results, interpret them and then conclude on the question.

See also: 5 steps to successful market sizing

The final pitch: a 1-minute video recording!

For the final pitch, you record a video in which you formulate your recommendations for solving the customer's problem. The final pitch is a carbon copy of the conclusion to a classic case study as you would do in an interview, except that it's very quick. In fact, the final pitch must last a maximum of 1 minute, you have 1 minute to prepare and you are only allowed two recording attempts. That's why it's so important to take notes throughout the case study.

The question will take the very classic form of "What are your final recommendations and the implications for the customer?". For this question, we advise you to adopt the same approach as for a case study. If you feel you're running out of time, get straight to the point in your conclusion, but keep it really structured.

• Tips: To complete a case study in the best possible way and give the best last impression, reason in stages and in a structured way. You should summarize the case spontaneously, in a synthetic and inductive way.

1. Recall the customer's objective
2. Answer the objective directly - has it been achieved: yes/no
3. Explain the arguments / recommendations and results:
   • Recommendation 1 ⇒ Result 1
   • Recommendation 2 ⇒ Result 2

1. Suggest next steps
   • Recommendation 1 translates into A + B + C
   • Recommendation 2 translates into A' + B' + C'.

See also : How to join a strategy consulting firm

Ready to crack Casey, BCG's online case study?

You now have all the keys you need to succeed in the Casey test, BCG's online case study, and approach your 1st round interview without pressure. As a reminder, this exercise is an integral part of the BCG recruitment process and comes after the screening stage. Don't panic, if you're average or even bad, you'll still be interviewed for the 1st round. It's more like a second chance for candidates who may have had trouble with the physical interview. It's hard to appreciate the importance of this test, but whatever happens, if you adopt the same reflexes as for a classic case study, you shouldn't have any problems.

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