Case Interview Secrets: A Former McKinsey Interviewer Reveals How to Get Multiple Job Offers in Consulting [Kindle Edition]

Victor Cheng (Author)

Book Description

In Case Interview Secrets, you'll discover step-by-step instructions on how to dominate what many consider to be the most complex, most difficult, and most intimidating corporate job interview in the world—the infamous case interview. Victor Cheng, a former McKinsey management consultant, reveals his proven, insider's method for acing the case interview. Having personally secured job offers from McKinsey, Bain & Company, Monitor, L.E.K, Oliver Wyman, and A.T. Kearney, he has also been a McKinsey case interviewer—providing you with a hands-on, real-world perspective on what it really takes to land job offers.

Cheng’s protégées work in all the major strategy management consulting firms, including McKinsey, The Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Monitor Company, A.T. Kearny, Oliver Wyman, L.E.K, Roland Berger, Accenture, and Deloitte, as well as in the strategic planning departments of numerous Fortune 500 companies. Whether you’re an undergraduate, MBA, PhD, or experienced-hire applicant candidate, you’ll discover:

* What case interviewers really say about you behind closed doors but wouldn’t dare tell you—until now
* The subtle yet specific performance differences that separate those who get management consulting offers from those who don’t
* The 10 biggest mistakes candidates make in case interviews (and how to avoid them)
* The 3 specific things interviewers expect in the first 5 minutes of a case that often decide the outcome on the spot
* An insider’s take on what interviewers really look for and why—and how to give them what they want

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Praise for Victor Cheng and Case Interview Secrets

"With Victor's help, I went from not knowing anything about consulting to securing offers from McKinsey and BCG."
--Mihnea Munteanu, University of Michigan

"I received six offers--from McKinsey, BCG, Booz, Deloitte, A.T. Kearney, and Marakon. Everything Victor said was right!"
--Michael Yang, Northwestern University

"Despite having a liberal arts degree from a state school, I landed a dream job with L.E.K. Consulting. Thanks, Victor."
--Jackson Boyar, Indiana University

"Victor has put me in a very difficult position--now I have to decide between offers from two of the top three consultancies!"
--Christopher Perez, The Wharton School 

"Victor gave me a clear understanding of how to structure a case interview using a highly logical approach. This helped me get offers from BCG and a boutique firm and make it to McKinsey's final round before opting out."
--Martin Pustilnick, Boston Consulting Group, Argentina

"In my first attempt to break into consulting, I failed every one of my interviews with McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Oliver Wyman, Monitor, Booz and probably a few others. On my second attempt two years later, I followed everything Victor Cheng suggested and took advantage of every resource he provided ... and received an offer from McKinsey!"
--Daniel Suo, Business Analyst (Offer Recipient), McKinsey, Stamford

"Without Victor's help, I never would have gotten an offer from BCG. What he teaches really makes the difference between getting an offer and not."
--Puttipath Tasnavites, Boston Consulting Group, Thailand

"After following Victor's guidance, I had a complete breakthrough in my case interview performance and got an offer from Monitor."
--Marine Serres, Monitor & Company

"As a PhD candidate in engineering, I had an academic background that left me completely unprepared for the case interview process. That's when I found Victor Cheng and ended up getting my dream job. Thank you, Victor!"
--Zach Jacobson, McKinsey, New York

"Rather than 'teach to the test,' Victor teaches you how to think like a consultant. It's an approach that required me to memorize nothing more than a few simple business ideas yet allowed me to perform well in the case interview regardless of the type of case I received. I could not have gotten my BCG offer without his help. Thank you, Victor!"
--Warren Cheng, Boston Consulting Group, Hong Kong

"Victor and all his materials on the case interview are by far the best resources on the topic that exist. The combination of Victor's advice and hard work made all the difference for me." --Dmitry Papulin, McKinsey, Dubai

"Victor taught me how to prepare both technically and mentally, and this is what makes the difference between him and the competitors. Without his help I probably wouldn't have gotten the offer from BCG. Thank you, Victor Cheng!"
--István Mag, Boston Consulting Group, Hungary

"Victor is effective because he focuses on behaviors and habits that make you successful and not just on frameworks. With his help, I received a McKinsey Summer Associate offer."
--Abhi Patangay, Kellogg School of Management

About the Author

As a former McKinsey consultant, résumé screener, and case interviewer, Victor Cheng mentors thousands of aspiring consultants via his articles and videos at www.caseinterview.com. As a candidate, he passed 60 cases and received job offers from McKinsey, Bain, Monitor, LEK, AT Kearney, and Oliver Wyman. At McKinsey, he was rated in the top 10 percent of consultants worldwide in his cohort. Today he advises Inc. 500 CEOs.

Product Details

• File Size: 2011 KB
• Print Length: 271 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0984183523
• Publisher: Innovation Press; 1 edition (April 20, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007XWFZSA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,072 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Consulting
  • #8 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Consulting
  • #11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing > Careers > Job Hunting

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for case interview preparation November 28, 2012

By David Pohlman

Format:Paperback

Victor Cheng provides great insight and practical advice for everyone aiming at getting into management consulting.
He takes a simple approach to solving the complexity of case interviews, I'm sure that there is no better source on case interview preparation than this book.

When I felt I had enough theoretical knowledge though, I could improve a lot my performance by practicing live on preplounge.com. I really recommend it if you want to experience the real case interview situation.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Most useful business book I read in 2012 January 31, 2013

By Vince Ricci

Format:Paperback

I am a leading MBA admissions consultant (VincePrep). Even though I am not trying to join a management consulting firm, I found Victor's book to be a priceless resource in my consulting practice for two reasons. First, he helped me understand the consulting industry (Why do companies hire consulting firms? Why do consulting firms hire some candidates, and not others?). Second, and more importantly, he gave me the tools to clarify the assumptions I make every day.

It was introduced by a former client, who recently joined McKinsey. From 2013, Victor's book will be required reading for my MBA admissions counseling clients, especially those looking to join consulting firms post-MBA.

Whatever your industry sector or future career plans, I recommend "Case Interview Secrets" as a useful toolbox that can help you persuade others to support your ideas.

Thank you, Victor!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great insights even for those already in consulting! February 7, 2013

By Gustavo Sued

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mr Cheng's book is filled with great insights on how management consulting recruting and work really is in real life.

I've been in management consulting for quite a while now and belive that consultants can really benefit from some of the chapters in the book. Specially those that explore how the logic of caseinterviews relate to the work consultants do.

For candidates, the target audience of the book, it is a gem. I have recommended this book alone for friends that are trying to break into consulting.

On top of that, Mr Cheng's website (caseinterview.com) has some really good extra material on various aspects of the recruiting process and life for new hires.

More About the Author

Victor Cheng is a strategic advisor to Inc 500 CEOs. He has been featured as an business expert by the Fox Business Television Network, MSNBC, Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Business Review, Fortune Small Business, SmartMoney, Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur magazine.

Victor is a former McKinsey & Company consultant and has been a senior executive in several publicly owned technology companies. He's a graduate of Stanford University and is the author of Extreme Revenue Growth, The Recession-Proof Business, and Case Interview Secrets.