Before the Meeting: Read and prepare 2 cases. Pretend that you are the interviewer and learn your case well enough to be able to improvise question answers when you act the part of the interviewer. If you have never done a case before, please come to the practice to watch for your first time.

 

If you are looking for more sources of case books, go to Case Books for secured access to case books.

 

Format of Practice Sessions:

 

• One-on-one practice: One person is the ‘interviewer’ who presents the case and the other is the ‘interviewee’ who takes the case

• Group of 3 people: one interviewer, one interviewee, and one silent observer who critiques at the end.

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We encourage everyone to practice with different people so that you can get exposed to diverse styles and accents. Expect each case to take between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Please give an honest criticism of the interview when you finish, only then can you improve. Consultants must give and receive criticism each and every day so being able to do so without feeling defensive, judged, or being hostile is an important skill. Giving cases is a rewarding experience because you get to see how others approach problems, so please learn from the experience.

 

Finally, please do not be shy about being a ‘mean’ or high-pressure interviewer as this will best prepare your partner for the high-stress environment of the actual interview.

 

We also recommend you sign up for the club’s Case Partner listserv. It’s a great resource to find case partners working at your level and with a schedule that suits your availability. After joining the listserv, you will be able to send messages to other listserv members to find practice partners that match your availability and skill level. Case partner members can post to the list by emailing hgcc-casepartner@lists.hcs.harvard.edu.