2015-2016
Recruiting Case Book
MIT Sloan Class of 2017
October 2015
The materials contained in this casebook are for the exclusive use by members of the MIT Sloan
Management Consulting Club as part of the Club's training in the context of preparing for case interviews,
and represent the cumulative efforts of many prior members. Please respect their work and do not
distribute the material outside of its intended audience and purpose.
,Chapter 1: How to Use the Casebook ......................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2: Etiquette and the Interview Process ........................................................................ 9
Chapter 3: Overview of the Interview Format......................................................................... 12
Chapter 4: Behavioral Interview Overview ............................................................................. 13
Chapter 5: Case Interview Overview ........................................................................................ 19
Chapter 6: Case Frameworks and Tools .................................................................................. 23
Chapter 7: Brainstorming .......................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 8: Specific Brainstorming and Structuring Frameworks ........................................ 28
Chapter 9: Introduction to Select Industries and Comments on Specific Cases .................. 36
Chapter 10: Other Case Tips ..................................................................................................... 51
Chapter 11: Strategy Frameworks ............................................................................................ 52
Chapter 12: Additional Reference Materials ........................................................................... 59
Chapter 13: Mock Case Interviews ........................................................................................... 63
Chapter 14: Brain Teasers and Market Sizing ........................................................................ 70
Chapter 15: Practice Charts ...................................................................................................... 72
Chapter 16: A Note on Second Round Interviews ................................................................... 81
Chapter 17: Cases & Integrity ................................................................................................... 83
1) Telecom Diversification (Altman Vilandrie R1, Telecom, Profitability, Quantitative) ........... 84
2) Tiger (Bain Mock, Private Equity, M&A, Balanced)............................................................... 86
3) Haddon & Son (Bain Mock, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced) .......................................... 90
4) Commercial Real Estate (Bain R1, Fin Services, Profitability, Balanced) .............................. 94
5) B2B Software (Bain R1, TMT, Profitability, Quantitative) ..................................................... 97
6) Nantucket Ice Cream Shop (Bain R1, CPG/Retail, New Product, Balanced) ........................ 100
7) Commercial Airline Amenities (Bain R1, Transportation, New Product, Balanced) ............ 104
8) Fruit Juice (Bain R1, Private Equity, M&A, Balanced) ......................................................... 108
9) Domino’s Pizza (Bain R1, CPG/Retail, Growth Strategy, Balanced) .................................... 111
10) Dairy Farm (Bain R1, Private Equity, M&A, Balanced) ..................................................... 115
11) Industrial Tools Manufacturer (Bain R1, Industrial Goods, Profitability, Quant) ............... 119
2015-2016 Recruiting Case Book 2
,12) Credit Card Company (Bain R1, Fin Services, Profitability, Qualitative) ........................... 122
13) Omnicare (Bain R1, Healthcare, Profitability, Qualitative) ................................................. 124
14) Synthetic Rubber Manufacturer (Bain R1, Private Equity, Profitability, Balanced) ........... 126
15) Tobacco Inc. (Bain R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Qualitative) ........................................... 128
16) HDTV Remote Controls (Bain R2, Private Equity, M&A, Quantitative) ............................ 130
17) Always Fresh. (BCG Mock, CPG/Retail, New Market, Quantitative)................................. 133
18) National Fast Food Chain (BCG Mock, CPG/Retail, New Market, Quantitative) .............. 137
19) National Plastic CPG Company (BCG Mock, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced)........... 140
20) UK Bank (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced) ................................................... 143
21) Cement Company (BCG R1, Industrial Goods, Operations, Quantitative).......................... 146
22) Pharma – Oncology (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Product, Quantitative)............................. 150
23) Antidepressant Pricing (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Product, Quantitative) ........................ 153
24) CPG Conglomerate (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, New Market, Balanced) .................................. 156
25) Store Label Tissue Manufacturer (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, New Market, Balanced) ............ 158
26) Shoe Manufacturer (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Quantitative) .............................. 160
27) Shoe Manufacturer Acquisition (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Quantitative)........... 164
28) Pharma – New Vaccine (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Market, Qualitative).......................... 167
29) Italian Pharma (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Market, Balanced) ........................................... 170
30) Manufacturing Equipment Sales (BCG R1, Industrial Goods, New Market, Qualitative) .. 173
31) Media Operations (BCG R1, TMT, Operations, Balanced) ................................................. 177
32) Financial Regulatory Body (BCG R1, Fin Services, Operations, Qualitative) .................... 180
33) Rental Cars and Frequent Flyer Miles (BCG R1, Transportation, Profitability, Balanced). 183
34) RollingSloan Magazine (BCG R1, TMT, Operations, Balanced) ........................................ 186
35) Ferret Rabies Vaccine (BCG R2, Healthcare, New Product, Quantitative) ......................... 188
36) Italian Snack Company (BCG R2, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced) ............................ 191
37) MVNO Market Entry (BCG R2, TMT, New Market, Balanced)......................................... 194
38) Global Health (BCG R2, Healthcare, New Market, Quantitative) ....................................... 199
39) Explosives Company (BCG R2, Industrial Goods, Competitive Response, Balanced) ....... 203
2015-2016 Recruiting Case Book 3
, 40) Luxury Cruise (Booz R1, Transportation, Profitability, Balanced) ..................................... 205
41) TastySnack (Deloitte R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Quantitative) ...................................... 208
42) AgChem (Deloitte R2, Industrial Goods, Profitability, Quantitative) .................................. 211
43) Blue Chips (Deloitte R2, Industrial Goods, New Product) .................................................. 214
44) UK Airline (LEK R1, Transportation, New Product, Quantitative) ..................................... 216
45) Quentin Tarantino (McKinsey Mock, TMT, New Product, Quantitative) ........................... 220
46) Vitamin Universe (McKinsey Mock, CPG/Retail, M&A, Balanced) .................................. 223
47) Semiconductor (McKinsey R1, TMT, New Market, Quantitative) ...................................... 227
48) Airline Reward Program (McKinsey R1, Fin Services, New Product, Quantitative) .......... 229
49) School District (McKinsey R1, Other, Operations, Balanced)............................................. 233
50) Zippy Snowmobiles (McKinsey R1, Transportation, Profitability, Quantitative) ............... 236
51) Megabank Under-Penetration (McKinsey R1, Fin Services, New Market, Balanced) ........ 240
52) Maldovian Coffins (McKinsey R1, Other, M&A, Balanced) .............................................. 243
53) Simple Insurance (McKinsey R1, Financial Services, Profitability, Quantitative) .............. 247
54) Spanish Trains (McKinsey R1, Transportation, New Market, Balanced) ............................ 249
55) Art Museum (McKinsey R1, Other, Profitability, Balanced)............................................... 251
56) Golf Club Producer (McKinsey R1, Other, New Product, Quantitative) ............................. 253
57) Carpet Manufacturer (McKinsey R1, Industrial Goods, Operations, Quantitative) ............. 257
58) Treasure Island Communications (McKinsey R2, TMT, Comp Response, Quantitative) ... 260
59) Universal Healthcare Revamp (McKinsey R2, Healthcare, Comp Response, Balanced) .... 263
60) Compress Corp (McKinsey R2, Industrial Goods, M&A, Qualitative) ............................... 267
61) Dinosaur (McKinsey R2, Other, M&A, Balanced) .............................................................. 274
62) Scottie’s Drive-Thru (McKinsey R2, CPG/Retail, Growth Strategy, Balanced) ................. 277
63) UK Banking (McKinsey R2, Fin Services, Profitability, Balanced) .................................... 280
64) Publishing Company (Parthenon R1, Other, Growth Strategy, Balanced) .......................... 283
65) Marlin Toys (Parthenon R2, CPG/Retail, M&A, Balanced) ................................................ 285
66) Electrical Utility Co. (Bain Mock, Energy, Profitability, Quantitative)............................... 288
67) Dentist Office (Bain R2, Healthcare, M&A, Balanced) ....................................................... 292
2015-2016 Recruiting Case Book 4
Recruiting Case Book
MIT Sloan Class of 2017
October 2015
The materials contained in this casebook are for the exclusive use by members of the MIT Sloan
Management Consulting Club as part of the Club's training in the context of preparing for case interviews,
and represent the cumulative efforts of many prior members. Please respect their work and do not
distribute the material outside of its intended audience and purpose.
,Chapter 1: How to Use the Casebook ......................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2: Etiquette and the Interview Process ........................................................................ 9
Chapter 3: Overview of the Interview Format......................................................................... 12
Chapter 4: Behavioral Interview Overview ............................................................................. 13
Chapter 5: Case Interview Overview ........................................................................................ 19
Chapter 6: Case Frameworks and Tools .................................................................................. 23
Chapter 7: Brainstorming .......................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 8: Specific Brainstorming and Structuring Frameworks ........................................ 28
Chapter 9: Introduction to Select Industries and Comments on Specific Cases .................. 36
Chapter 10: Other Case Tips ..................................................................................................... 51
Chapter 11: Strategy Frameworks ............................................................................................ 52
Chapter 12: Additional Reference Materials ........................................................................... 59
Chapter 13: Mock Case Interviews ........................................................................................... 63
Chapter 14: Brain Teasers and Market Sizing ........................................................................ 70
Chapter 15: Practice Charts ...................................................................................................... 72
Chapter 16: A Note on Second Round Interviews ................................................................... 81
Chapter 17: Cases & Integrity ................................................................................................... 83
1) Telecom Diversification (Altman Vilandrie R1, Telecom, Profitability, Quantitative) ........... 84
2) Tiger (Bain Mock, Private Equity, M&A, Balanced)............................................................... 86
3) Haddon & Son (Bain Mock, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced) .......................................... 90
4) Commercial Real Estate (Bain R1, Fin Services, Profitability, Balanced) .............................. 94
5) B2B Software (Bain R1, TMT, Profitability, Quantitative) ..................................................... 97
6) Nantucket Ice Cream Shop (Bain R1, CPG/Retail, New Product, Balanced) ........................ 100
7) Commercial Airline Amenities (Bain R1, Transportation, New Product, Balanced) ............ 104
8) Fruit Juice (Bain R1, Private Equity, M&A, Balanced) ......................................................... 108
9) Domino’s Pizza (Bain R1, CPG/Retail, Growth Strategy, Balanced) .................................... 111
10) Dairy Farm (Bain R1, Private Equity, M&A, Balanced) ..................................................... 115
11) Industrial Tools Manufacturer (Bain R1, Industrial Goods, Profitability, Quant) ............... 119
2015-2016 Recruiting Case Book 2
,12) Credit Card Company (Bain R1, Fin Services, Profitability, Qualitative) ........................... 122
13) Omnicare (Bain R1, Healthcare, Profitability, Qualitative) ................................................. 124
14) Synthetic Rubber Manufacturer (Bain R1, Private Equity, Profitability, Balanced) ........... 126
15) Tobacco Inc. (Bain R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Qualitative) ........................................... 128
16) HDTV Remote Controls (Bain R2, Private Equity, M&A, Quantitative) ............................ 130
17) Always Fresh. (BCG Mock, CPG/Retail, New Market, Quantitative)................................. 133
18) National Fast Food Chain (BCG Mock, CPG/Retail, New Market, Quantitative) .............. 137
19) National Plastic CPG Company (BCG Mock, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced)........... 140
20) UK Bank (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced) ................................................... 143
21) Cement Company (BCG R1, Industrial Goods, Operations, Quantitative).......................... 146
22) Pharma – Oncology (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Product, Quantitative)............................. 150
23) Antidepressant Pricing (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Product, Quantitative) ........................ 153
24) CPG Conglomerate (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, New Market, Balanced) .................................. 156
25) Store Label Tissue Manufacturer (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, New Market, Balanced) ............ 158
26) Shoe Manufacturer (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Quantitative) .............................. 160
27) Shoe Manufacturer Acquisition (BCG R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Quantitative)........... 164
28) Pharma – New Vaccine (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Market, Qualitative).......................... 167
29) Italian Pharma (BCG R1, Healthcare, New Market, Balanced) ........................................... 170
30) Manufacturing Equipment Sales (BCG R1, Industrial Goods, New Market, Qualitative) .. 173
31) Media Operations (BCG R1, TMT, Operations, Balanced) ................................................. 177
32) Financial Regulatory Body (BCG R1, Fin Services, Operations, Qualitative) .................... 180
33) Rental Cars and Frequent Flyer Miles (BCG R1, Transportation, Profitability, Balanced). 183
34) RollingSloan Magazine (BCG R1, TMT, Operations, Balanced) ........................................ 186
35) Ferret Rabies Vaccine (BCG R2, Healthcare, New Product, Quantitative) ......................... 188
36) Italian Snack Company (BCG R2, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Balanced) ............................ 191
37) MVNO Market Entry (BCG R2, TMT, New Market, Balanced)......................................... 194
38) Global Health (BCG R2, Healthcare, New Market, Quantitative) ....................................... 199
39) Explosives Company (BCG R2, Industrial Goods, Competitive Response, Balanced) ....... 203
2015-2016 Recruiting Case Book 3
, 40) Luxury Cruise (Booz R1, Transportation, Profitability, Balanced) ..................................... 205
41) TastySnack (Deloitte R1, CPG/Retail, Profitability, Quantitative) ...................................... 208
42) AgChem (Deloitte R2, Industrial Goods, Profitability, Quantitative) .................................. 211
43) Blue Chips (Deloitte R2, Industrial Goods, New Product) .................................................. 214
44) UK Airline (LEK R1, Transportation, New Product, Quantitative) ..................................... 216
45) Quentin Tarantino (McKinsey Mock, TMT, New Product, Quantitative) ........................... 220
46) Vitamin Universe (McKinsey Mock, CPG/Retail, M&A, Balanced) .................................. 223
47) Semiconductor (McKinsey R1, TMT, New Market, Quantitative) ...................................... 227
48) Airline Reward Program (McKinsey R1, Fin Services, New Product, Quantitative) .......... 229
49) School District (McKinsey R1, Other, Operations, Balanced)............................................. 233
50) Zippy Snowmobiles (McKinsey R1, Transportation, Profitability, Quantitative) ............... 236
51) Megabank Under-Penetration (McKinsey R1, Fin Services, New Market, Balanced) ........ 240
52) Maldovian Coffins (McKinsey R1, Other, M&A, Balanced) .............................................. 243
53) Simple Insurance (McKinsey R1, Financial Services, Profitability, Quantitative) .............. 247
54) Spanish Trains (McKinsey R1, Transportation, New Market, Balanced) ............................ 249
55) Art Museum (McKinsey R1, Other, Profitability, Balanced)............................................... 251
56) Golf Club Producer (McKinsey R1, Other, New Product, Quantitative) ............................. 253
57) Carpet Manufacturer (McKinsey R1, Industrial Goods, Operations, Quantitative) ............. 257
58) Treasure Island Communications (McKinsey R2, TMT, Comp Response, Quantitative) ... 260
59) Universal Healthcare Revamp (McKinsey R2, Healthcare, Comp Response, Balanced) .... 263
60) Compress Corp (McKinsey R2, Industrial Goods, M&A, Qualitative) ............................... 267
61) Dinosaur (McKinsey R2, Other, M&A, Balanced) .............................................................. 274
62) Scottie’s Drive-Thru (McKinsey R2, CPG/Retail, Growth Strategy, Balanced) ................. 277
63) UK Banking (McKinsey R2, Fin Services, Profitability, Balanced) .................................... 280
64) Publishing Company (Parthenon R1, Other, Growth Strategy, Balanced) .......................... 283
65) Marlin Toys (Parthenon R2, CPG/Retail, M&A, Balanced) ................................................ 285
66) Electrical Utility Co. (Bain Mock, Energy, Profitability, Quantitative)............................... 288
67) Dentist Office (Bain R2, Healthcare, M&A, Balanced) ....................................................... 292
2015-2016 Recruiting Case Book 4
