2. Foreword
This casebook documents the interview experiences of students across consulting firms to assist the students of
FMS Delhi in their preparation for case interviews during placements. The aim of sharing these experiences is to
inform students about the case interview experiences of past batches and to help them prepare for their
placements accordingly. The experiences listed below are not necessarily the best way to handle case interviews.
They only serve to give students an idea as to what to expect when they walk into a case interview. Every individual
could have his / her unique way of tackling consulting interviews, each of which could be correct. This document
has contributions from students who appeared for campus interviews conducted by consulting firms during the
summer placement process over the past three years.
Casebook from the Consulting Club, FMS
Issue 2 ā September 2020
Issue 1 ā August 2019
4. It gives me and the entire team of Consulting Club great pleasure to introduce the official FMS consulting casebook
of the academic year 2020-21.
We strongly believe this casebook will be instrumental in not only aiding your preparation for consulting case
interviews but also provide an approach for developing an analytical mindset and the universal applicability of the
casebook will help individuals formulate and implement strategy in their professional functions.
This edition is updated with detailed sector overviews, cases from most recent interview processes and various
other tools that will ensure an all round prep. All you need to do now is follow the book in the prescribed manner to
reap its benefits.
We hope this casebook helps you realize not only your dream job in consulting but rather helps you build a long
and successful career in the domain of management consulting. Good Luck!
Enjoy the process of preparation and letās crack the case!
Tushar Singhal
From the Desk of President
9. Roles/Hierarchy of a Consulting Firm
Partner/Director
Principal/Sr. Manager
Manager/Project Leader
Senior Consultant
Consultant/Associate
Analyst
10. How to Get into Consulting From Here?
Resume & behavioural preparation
Use next 3 months to improve your skills
Guesstimates
HR Answers
Case Interview
Prepare Smart
Prepare Hard
Communication
General Awareness
Business Acumen
Crack the interview
Prepare for the interview process
14. Porterās Five Forces
Industry
Rivalry
Threat of New
Entrants (or
Barriers to Entry)
Threat of
Substitutes
Bargaining Power of
Suppliers
Bargaining Power
of Buyers
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17. Value Chain/Process Mapping
R&D
Raw
Material
Processing
Storage &
Transportation
Distribution Marketing
Customer
Service
Equipment
Human
Capital
Cost of
Finance
Cost of RM
Contracts/Bulk
Deals
Quantity Used
Machinery
Factory Rent
Labour Hours
Technology
Capacity
Utilization
Packaging
Transport for
Warehouse
Storage (Rent,
Labour, Inventory)
Transport to
Customer
Sales Channel
Sales Force
Training
Marketing
Channel
Sales Force
Repairs
Spare Parts
Returns
Service
Contracts
18. Ansoff Matrix
Market Penetration Market Development
Diversification
Product Development
Product
Market
Existing
New
Existing
New
28. Introduction to Guesstimates
What is evaluated through
Guesstimates?
Ability to think on
your feet
Approach &
Structure
Quantitative
Skills
What is necessary to solve a good
Guesstimate?
Logical Thinking Communication &
Presentation
Top Down and Bottom Up
Approach
Supply Side and Demand Side
Approach
29. Guesstimates Doās & Donāts
Ideal Flow
Confirm Objective
Think logically and come up with possible set of
approaches
Explain the best approach & confirm if you should go
ahead with it
State your assumptions first hand
Make logical assumptions and always confirm them with
Interviewer
Keep communicating & asking the interviewer for buy-ins
Calculate your answer. Be ready for a conversation around
error estimate, other approaches etc.
Doās Donāts
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Lay down structure neatly on paper and solve it step by step
If possible, reconfirm & triangulate your answer with a
ballpark estimate from another approach
30. Top Down & Bottom Up Approach
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Top down approach Bottom up approach
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Identify the smallest replicable block
Estimate for a single identified block
Scale up!
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Identify a Starting
Universe
Segment A Segment B
Segment
A1
Segment
A3
Segment
A2
Segment
A3
Segment
A2
31. Case Interview Process
Flow of a Consulting Interview
General
Discussion
Behavioural
Questions
Guesstimate Cases Wrap up
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32. Interviewer Expectations
Its not about being right. Its about being right in an client friendly way.
How you are right matters a lot.
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33. P2P Case Practice
Peer to Peer Case Practice
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For Interviewer For Interviewee
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34. Approaching a Case
Repeat the question and clarify the objectives
Think and understand what more you need to know
Set context to the case by asking questions. Be very careful about what you
are asking and why.
Take time to think and lay down an structure for analysis
Involve interviewer in your analysis. Ask relevant question to process down
your structure.
Make good and relevant suggestions which are specific to the case. Always
have a rationale ready for Why?
Summarize the case properly. Be brief yet effective.
37. Understand the question and clarify the Objectives
Market Entry Framework
Set context
Should they Enter?
New Market Customers
Product Regulations
Capabilities
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Yes/No Why No? Suggestions
If Yes How?
Entry Options Marketing
Operational Decisions Growth Plan Conclusion
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38. Set context
Understand the Question and Clarify the Objectives
Growth Strategies
Existing Market Portfolio Expansion
Geographic Expansion In-Organic Growth
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Business Integration
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Summary
Growth Strategy
39. Pricing Strategy
Set context
Pricing Factors
Product Competitors Customer
Costing Substitutes
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Pricing Options
Cost Based Pricing
Competitive Pricing Price based Costing
Understand the Question and Clarify the Objectives
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40. Go To Market Strategy/New Product Launch
Idea
Be Selective
Product
Development
Segmentation
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Distribution
Strategy
Communication
Strategy
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Understand the Question and Clarify the Objectives
Set Context
41. Merger & Acquisitions
Understand the Question and Clarify the Objectives
Set context
Due Diligence
Implementation
Exit Strategies
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Deal Rationale Business Benefits
Deal Price
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Potential Risks
42. Case Framework Cheat Sheet-When Nothing Works
Set context
Value Chain
Process Flow / Customer Journey
Example: E-Commerce Discovery and Ordering Process Map
Look for Bottlenecks
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70. Cheese Burst Pizzas
Estimate the number of cheese bursts pizzas sold by Dominos daily
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71. Petrol Pumps
Estimate the number of Petrol Pumps in Delhi (Approach 1)
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72. Petrol Pumps
Estimate the number of Petrol Pumps in India (Approach 2)
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15 crore users
10 km/l mileage
4 hours
100%
10 hours
50%
Petrol Supplied per pump = [Avg Usage Ratio = (1*4+0.5*10)/14 =
0.64]*[Capacity = 16,800 l] = 10,800 litre
Demand of Petrol = [Avg distance = 30 km] *
[25cr/70 km/l + 15cr/10 km/l] = 55.7 crore litre
25 crore users
70 km/l mileage
Avg time to fill 15 l petrol =
3 min
Avg booths = 4
Capacity = 15*4*(4*60/3 =
16800 l
73. Petrol Pumps
Estimate the number of Petrol Pumps in India (Approach 3)
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74. TT Balls
Estimate the number of TT balls used in a day in Delhi
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167. The Team
This case book is curated and compiled by the Consulting Club Members (2020-21):
TUSHAR SINGHAL ABHAY K.MISHRA NARESH TETARWAL VIKAS KUMAR
NAMAN GOYAL
President Executive Member
Executive Member
Executive Member Executive Member
NIKITA CHAWLA
Executive Member
Consulting Club Members (2019-20)
Himanshu Makhija ā President Abhay Sharma ā Associate Member
Arunima Goyal ā Associate Member
Sahil Khurana - Associate Member
Ambuj Purwar ā Executive Member
Kriti Bhatia - Executive Member
Manoj Boda - Executive Member
Sashwat Gupta - Executive Member
168. Follow Us On
Follow us on:
conclub@fms.edu
Contact us:
The Consulting Club
Faculty of Management Studies
Professor N.D. Kapoor Marg
Delhi University ā 110007
www.fms.edu