# Case interview

A case interview hands a candidate a business problem, such as sizing a new market or diagnosing a company's declining profits, and asks them to work through it out loud, structuring their reasoning as they go.

The interviewer is grading the approach as much as, or more than, the final number.

**Case interview** — A case interview hands a candidate a business problem and asks them to work through it out loud, structuring their reasoning as they go. Unlike a technical interview built around a specific coding language, a case interview tests general analytical thinking: how a candidate breaks an ambiguous problem into parts and builds toward a defensible recommendation.

The format is most associated with consulting firms, but strategy, product management, and some finance roles use it too, since these jobs require structuring ambiguous problems under time pressure. A case can be quantitative, like estimating a market size, or qualitative, like recommending whether a company should enter a new market. Interviewers care less about a specific correct number and more about whether the candidate's process was logical and clearly communicated.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a single right answer in a case interview?

Usually not. Interviewers are evaluating the structure and logic of the approach, not just the final number. Two candidates can reach different conclusions and both score well if their reasoning was sound and clearly explained.

### How long does a typical case interview last?

Most run 30 to 45 minutes, sometimes longer for more complex or multi-part cases. Consulting firms often run several case interviews across multiple rounds rather than a single one.

### What frameworks help in a case interview?

General business frameworks around profitability, market entry, or competitive positioning can give a candidate a starting structure, but relying on a memorized framework without adapting it to the specific case usually reads as rigid rather than sharp.

## Related pages

- [Browse open roles](/jobs)

## Practice structuring an answer under pressure

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