BCG Summer Intern Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: There is a shoemaking company in France. Involved in making casual shoes and safety shoes for industries. It wants to expand its market in terms of geography. The durability, costs, profits, demand of both the product segments is different. Estimate the market demand for its products in the new geography and avise in which segment it should enter.
Tips: Seek as much clarifications during the initial phase of the interview. Keep a time check.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Case1: A manufacturing co. produces 3 products: A, B and C. Cost of production of each is Rs.20. The SP of A-Rs60 B=Rs80 and C- Rs 100. The company produces same amount of all the three products. In order to earn more profits, the CEO of the company feels that the company should concentrate on producing c while CA says that they should go for A. Can you help the CEO?
Tips: Write whatever data is given properly and examine whether it is required for the case or not.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: A car service company is planning to open a huge service station which will service cars from all the brands?
Discuss the aspects that he should consider before opening such a station.

I explored all issues like classification of cars into sedan, hatchback and heavy vehicles. Considered aspects of frequency of servicing based on usage, service requirement, maintenance, price per serving, location etc.

Skills:
Duration: 3
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Estimate the sales of old television sets after 5 years. Nothing else was given. However relevant data was being provided when I asked for it.

A company wants to enter into the business of buying and selling old cars. Estimate the market potential in terms of the total sales of old cars in India.

A company produces 3 products. The cost and the profits per unit were given for individual products. The accountant offers a proposal to produce only the product that gives the highest profile per unit. Evaluate the proposal.

Skills:
Duration: 3
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: There is a tractor manufacturer. He is leader in market share across the country but in one state he is not able to capture the market? He is finding it difficult to even find good dealers for selling his tractors. What seems to be the problem?
The approach which i took was revenue and profit margin. But forgot to consider the volume part in revenue and that was where I got stuck. The problem was related to the volume not getting generated in the state because of the requirement of high power tractors which the company was not capable of producing.
Tips: Cases are normally simple and based on common sense only. I tried to make it a big thing during my first case and messed up in the beginning itself. Try to be cool-headed and think logically and structurally. Start from the very basics if yo can.

Skills:
Duration: 3
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Case analysis:
This was a very complex case with multiple problems and solutions with each having a different set of pros and cons. He wanted me to see the case from a simple demand and supply point of view.
Structure:
The supply was overshooting demand in the market as a result of the actions of competitors. So the issue was also to do with the distributors in the middle and how brand consciousness would come into the scene. The structure could be simplified to a 2*2 matrix with price elasticity of demand and brand consciousness on the axes. The issue could be then simplified on the basis of the quadrant in focus.
Summary:
Overall, the issue was embedded in being able to use game theory with the distributor and play prices up and down at regular intervals. Another strategy was to enter into forward contracts.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: The case was a test of structure to see if you could create one with all the levers enlisted.
Structure:
The market share could be seen as a function of number of policies sold and the revenue per policy. The discussion would then carry on the aspect of number of policies. The number of policies itself would be a function of a number of factors, out of which one of them was creating an issue.
Summary:
The toxic area was something to do with the insurance policy salesman and the entire structure had to be panned out so as to get to that
Tips: Be calm, logical and energetic. That is all you need to impress the interviewer.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Case analysis:
This was a case that really tested your ability to think far and wide because the math was simple but the underlying logic could have been missed very easily.
Structure:
Used a simple revenue-cost structure for the pre and post radio taxi phase. Then tried to see if any of the key variables could be modified to come up with a different result.
Summary:
The case had two parts-one was the initial decision and the decision after changing a key variable.

Skills:
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: I first tried to understand the product properly.
Q. Does the company make any other products?Ans: No
Q. What is this particular product used for majorly? To teach what?
Ans: English language
I was trying to build a structure at this point when he interrupted me by asking me if I had understood the question. I felt he was trying to put a bit of stress. He then asked me to explore what all are the options that an educational tech company in Indiacould explore. Q. Are we looking at only classroom services or onlineas well?Ans: Upto you what you want to look atI built a structure which split into Classroom learning and online learning. Then further split classroom learning into providing education material and products (like the one the client makes). In online I split it into videos and material. He was happy with this basic structure. He then asked me that the client was focusing on language needs of people. So he asked me to estimate the demand of the English language learners. He then asked me to estimate how many such are those who already have a source to learn and how many are wanting to but do not have a source and what should I target?I started with the metro population in India. Roughly 14mX4 = 56m. Then divided it by the age group. I dint plug in any figures. I just made the initial tree. I told him that I would plug in the figures later. Age group of 16 and less who are going to schools. He then asked me why I have not considered adults who want to learn English. Then I considered that as well. He then asked me why I have not taken into consideration those who do not know that they want to learn English. I didn't understand what he meant, so I asked him to explain. He told me that a domestic maid is latent demand because she doesn't know that she want to learn English (got kind of philosophical at this point)So he asked me to factor that in as well. He asked me how we can make them use an on-line medium when they do not have basic education in the first place.
Tips: Please make sure of what you say in the initial HR questions. I had mentioned that I liked teaching. That was the reason why picked out this case for me. So please make sure you can show the passion for a particular interest that you have mentioned. Be calm during the case. He will help you out for sure. It is important to be persistent and keep going at the problem.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Q. I asked him the relative position of the business viz-a-viz its peers.
Ans: It is not very high. Somewhere around 6th.
Q. What are the different businesses?Ans: Mutual funds –debt and equity, Asset management, etc.Equity fund is not performing as well as its competitors. Debt is on par
Q. What is its target market?
Ans: HNIs with income of INR 5Cr +I had made a brief structure earlier in which I had said that I would like to explore 3 things. The historical performance of the fund, Its competition, and the third thing was future growth in India.He gave me some details on the historic performance and all. He also told me about the competition. I was then asked to make a decision of whether to continue in India.I told him based on the future growth story they should remain in India. He wanted me to ask the growth rate of HNIs in India. He then gave me those figures.
Q: Hethen asked me what all problems they could face.
Ans: Very volatile equity markets, major source of HNI money is black so we can’t capture the entire growth in HNI. Competition could outdo us. If interest rates fall, investors would want to invest abroad. I gave a few more options that I can’t recall right now.
Tips: Prepare HR answers really well. My case was something which anybody would have cracked but the differentiating part was the HR answers.

Skills: Case Solving Ability, Case Analysis
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Case analysis:
Market leader, no.2 and no. 3 growing in dominance, Market growing, they didn't release a particular policy, don’t give enough incentives to their agents which other firms are capitalizing on,
Structure:
Broke it down into their business structure, understood how they operate, tried to find loopholes in each step
Summary:
Was asked to stop after explaining the approach and asking two or three questions, BCG vs McKinsey took over, spirited discussion regarding pros, cons and discussion I had with Gautam Kumra at McK, after debates and stressing the people point, we called it a day.
Tips: Take hints, explain approach.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Case analysis:
Spoke about the business, market, the competition and how everyone else was coping. Talked about how the business worked; distribution and sales network, retailers and incentives and breakup in terms of branded, unbranded cement. Twist in the case, BCG says increase prices; profits fall by 12% more and take a hit. Now what?
Structure:
Value chain + market scenario, focused on issues like rising costs, raw material sourcing, manufacturing difficulties, expansion possibilities but were discounted. Went on to retailers and distribution and his eyes lit up, literally. Focused on region wise distribution, why there were discrepancies in individual dealers selling different quantities given same consumption patterns, focused on price prediction patterns and inventory holding practices by different retailers
Summary:
Was stopped after this, talked about BCG, consulting as a career and how the partner found his calling, how BCG contributes in making realchange in the world.

Skills: Ability To Cope Up With Stress, Case Analysis
College Name: IIM Lucknow