This short guide groups the most common prompts candidates face at MBB, Big 4, and strong mid-sized firms in India.
What to expect: firms typically probe four areas—fit, behavioral/PEI, market sizing, and case work. Most loops mix these types, so you must switch gears fast.
Practice matters. Learn a consistent method, rehearse answers aloud, and move from solo drills to peer and expert run-throughs. That routine tightens stories and cuts avoidable errors.
Who this helps: students, early-career hires, and experienced candidates preparing for roles from analyst to manager. Examples stay India-relevant and mirror real, candidate-reported prompts and follow-ups.
By the end, you will know how top consulting firms evaluate responses, what to practice, and how to deliver clear, structured answers under time pressure.
Key Takeaways
- Top firms test fit, behavior, sizing, and case skills in mixed loops.
- Use a repeatable practice plan: learn, solo practice, peer drills, expert mock.
- Tie answers to firm culture and role level for stronger signal.
- Focus on structure, clarity, and calm under pressure.
- Use the Top 25 set as a compact speaking drill to reduce mistakes.
How Consulting Interviews Work at Top Consulting Firms in India
The path from application to offer at leading firms in India is highly structured. Most companies use a screening step, one or more rounds of interviews, and a final-day loop for senior roles. Formality is common, even when formats vary.
Typical hiring funnel:
- Resume screen and short phone call.
- One or more rounds mixing fit and case work.
- Final-day loops with multiple interviewer panels.
How top firms differ
MBB usually pairs fit/PEI with case-focused rounds. Big 4 follow multi-step, standardized processes. Mid-sized firms vary by role and can be more flexible.
What interviewers evaluate
Expect assessment of structured problem solving, clear communication, teamwork behaviors, and culture signals like humility and ownership. Interviewers grade candidate answers on clarity and measurable impact.
Location, practice area, and level
Office location affects staffing mix, travel, and local language needs. Strategy, ops, and digital roles demand different skills—data comfort, stakeholder management, or domain knowledge. Campus hires are judged for potential; experienced hires for leadership and client readiness.
What good sounds like: concise top-down summaries, clear trade-offs, and quantified outcomes. Treat each answer as a mini client conversation: state the objective, show your plan, then confirm alignment.
The Core Types of Questions You’ll Face in Consulting Interviews
Knowing which prompts assess which traits saves study time and sharpens practice.
Four clear types map how interviewers test skills: fit, behavioral/PEI, market sizing, and case work. Each type measures something different, so plan your study by type rather than random drills.
Fit prompts
These probe motivation and cultural alignment. Interviewers want to know if you will thrive with the firm’s people and projects, not just the brand name.
Behavioral and PEI
Evidence-based stories show leadership, drive, and personal impact. Focus on what you did, the result, and one short learning point.
Market sizing
These are timed estimation tasks with no provided data. They test math, assumptions, and fast logic under time pressure.
Case work
A full case interview simulates a real business problem. Use hypothesis-driven structure, read exhibits, and finish with a clear recommendation.
“Strong answers pair structure with clear trade-offs — interviewers value reasoning as much as the final number.”
| Type | Main skill tested | Prep focus |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Motivation & cultural fit | Company research, short narratives |
| Behavioral / PEI | Leadership & impact | STAR stories with metrics |
| Market sizing | Estimation & arithmetic | Timed drills, unit checks |
| Case | Problem solving & recommendations | Frameworks, mock cases, data interpretation |
Consulting Interview Questions You Must Prepare for
Drilling answers out loud builds clear delivery and steady timing. Use the Top 25 set as a focused drill to convert ideas into concise responses. Start alone, then add peers, and finish with senior feedback.
How to use this list to practice answers out loud
Record yourself and time each response. Aim for consistent structure under pressure.
- Prompt → 30–60 seconds to structure.
- 90–120 seconds to answer, then 30 seconds to summarize.
- Iterate until your summary feels natural and sharp.
Build a bank of 6–8 reusable stories for leadership, failure, tight deadlines, influence, and impact. These swap into many prompts without rewriting the core facts.
How to tailor responses to the company, firm, and role
Adapt details for the target office and role level. Use local examples from India when relevant, and highlight client or sector exposure the role needs.
At the close, ask questions that matter: staffing, learning paths, and typical client work. Avoid generic culture prompts.
| Practice step | Purpose | Who helps |
|---|---|---|
| Solo drills | Build fluency and timing | Self-recording |
| Peer runs | Volume and natural follow-ups | Classmates or colleagues |
| Mock with seniors | Realistic pressure and accurate feedback | Experienced interviewers |
Quality standard: every answer should state context, your actions, measurable results, and one brief reflection on what you would change next time. That structure helps any candidate stay concise and persuasive.
Fit Interview Questions to Prove You Belong at the Firm
Fit is about match: your goals, the firm’s practice strengths, and how you work on teams.
Why this firm: Link two to three specific signals — practice areas you admire, training model, or typical client problems — to a concrete skill or past result. For India roles, mention local sectors or office strengths and show how they map to your goals.
Resume walk-through: a tight career story
Use present → past → pivot → why now. Give one quantified impact per role. End each step with a short transition that explains the move.
Top fit prompts to practice
- “Why firm X?”
- “Why consulting?”
- “Walk me through your resume”
- “Tell me something not on your resume”
- “Tell me about your greatest accomplishment”
- “Why choose location X?”
- “What’s your 5‑year plan?”
Common mistakes and a quick checklist
Avoid prestige-only answers, repeating your resume without insight, and vague motivation. For location, cite ecosystem, language, or long-term plan rather than family-only reasons.
- Top-down answer, 2–3 supporting points.
- One concrete example with a metric.
- Crisp close that returns to “why this role.”
Behavioral and PEI Interview Questions That Test Leadership and Impact
Clear, compact stories help a candidate prove leadership and measurable impact fast. PEI (personal experience interview) checks for ownership, drive, and tangible results. Interviewers listen for decisive steps you took, numbers that show impact, and a short reflection that shows growth.
Top prompts to practise
- Change someone’s opinion on a project.
- Disagree with a team member and resolve it.
- Lead a project under a tight time frame.
- Handle a crisis or major obstacle and recover.
- Influence without formal authority.
Structure your stories
Use Situation → Actions → Results. State the situation briefly, list the specific actions you owned, then give a quantified result. Focus most words on Actions so interviewers see what you did and why.
How to handle conflict and influence
Separate underlying interests from positions. Offer options backed by data, then align the team to the objective. When you must influence without authority, map stakeholders, pre-wire key people, and trade value—analysis, clarity, or speed—for buy-in.
Managing tight time frames
Prioritise the minimum viable output, run quick risk checks, and communicate status proactively so the team is not surprised. Quantify gains from small changes (time saved, users reached, error reduction) even for internships or college projects.
Picking the right example
Choose stories with real constraints, visible impact, and a clear personal contribution. Avoid vague team-only claims. A strong example shows the problem, your actions, the measurable result, and one short learning point.
Market Sizing Questions to Demonstrate Structured Thinking Without Data
Market sizing drills reveal how you handle ambiguity and quick math under pressure. These tasks often appear at the start of a case interview because they show whether a candidate can pick sensible assumptions, structure an approach, and produce a clear number without external data.
Why they matter and a simple five-step approach
Why: interviewers use sizing to test structure, mental arithmetic, and unit discipline fast.
- Define the market and scope clearly.
- Top-down or bottom-up: pick the simpler route and state it.
- Break into drivers (population, buyers, frequency, price).
- Calculate cleanly and keep units visible.
- Sanity-check the result against known benchmarks.
Practice prompts and what each tests
Try varied prompts: t-shirts in NYC (consumption), dentists in the UK (profession counts), smartphones in the USA (penetration), televisions in Poland (household adoption), weddings in the UK (event frequency), medical consumables (volume/value), women who play golf (niche segments), and the sandwich market in India (everyday retail). Each prompt highlights different skills: sizing, segmentation, or value vs. volume math.
Driver tree: sandwich market in India (example)
| Driver | Sample assumption | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1.4 billion | people |
| Addressable consumers | 30% urban daily buyers ≈ 420M | people |
| Frequency | 0.2 sandwiches per person per day → 73M/day | units/day |
| Average price | ₹50 per sandwich | INR/unit |
| Annual value | 73M × 50 × 365 ≈ ₹1.33 trillion | INR/year |
Estimation do’s and don’ts
- Do state assumptions and use round numbers.
- Do keep units clear (people vs. households; per day vs. per year).
- Do run a quick sanity check vs. comparable markets.
- Don’t hide assumptions or mix units mid-calculation.
- Don’t over-segment early; refine only when needed.
Scoring note: interviewers grade process over exact figures. Clear logic, transparent assumptions, and a directionally reasonable number win more than a precise but opaque answer.
Case Interview Questions That Simulate Real Consulting Projects
A live case simulates a client’s problem and tests how you steer analysis under pressure.
What the format looks like: a short prompt, a few clarifying questions, then a structured approach using an issue tree. You review exhibits and raw data, update hypotheses, and finish with a recommendation.
Top openings to practice
Use firm-specific starters to cover common case types:
- Diconsa financial services — market entry/financial model (McKinsey).
- SuperSoda launch — product and pricing (McKinsey).
- Foods Inc. distribution — channel strategy (BCG).
- GenCo revenue lift — pricing and segmentation (BCG).
- Coffee shop in Cambridge — local growth (Bain).
- FashionCo revenue decline — demand and cost (Bain).
- Duraflex work boots — go-to-market (Deloitte).
- WumbleWorld profit fall — capacity and pricing (Oliver Wyman).
How to communicate your approach
Confirm the objective, present a concise structure, and prioritise two branches to test first. Ask for the most relevant data next.
Data handling and math checklist
Read exhibit titles and axes first, then state one quick takeaway. Do only the math needed to test your hypothesis.
| Stage | Action | Quick tip |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Clarify scope and objective | Ask one or two targeted clarifiers |
| Structure | Build a MECE issue tree | Prioritise 2–3 branches |
| Analysis | Interpret exhibits, calculate key drivers | Write units, align zeros, sanity-check |
| Close | Recommendation, risks, next steps | Top-line + 2 supporting reasons |
What a strong close sounds like
State a clear recommendation, list two concise reasons, note one key risk, and suggest immediate next steps to test or implement the plan.
A good interviewer grades process as much as the final answer: clarity, prioritization, and the ability to keep the case moving matter most.
Opening Interview Questions and How to Start Strong
A tight opening gives you control: it frames your story and primes interviewers to hear the right signal.
Why openings matter. Early answers set confidence levels and shape how strictly later responses are judged. A clear start reduces follow-ups and buys time for structured case work.
“Tell me about yourself” — a consulting-ready pitch
Use four short parts: current snapshot, two past proof points, the pivot to consulting, and why this firm and role now.
Keep it concrete. Pick 2–3 highlights from your resume that show impact and transferable skills. Aim for 60–90 seconds.
“Why consulting” and “Why this position” without sounding generic
Move beyond brand praise. Tie your answer to work you enjoy: problem variety, client impact, and teamwork. Add one brief example where that work mattered to you.
For the role, cite level, practice fit, and one skill you want to build that matches the job description.
“What do you know about our firm” — show you did the work
Mention a recent offering, a typical client type, or an office strength you learned from an event or case study. Name one concrete project or training model to prove research.
How to explain leaving a role. Stay positive and forward-looking. Focus on growth, new challenges, and skills you want to develop rather than faults with your past company.
Keep rehearsing these openings until they feel natural. Clear starts win time and credibility.
| Opening | Core elements | Target length |
|---|---|---|
| Tell me about yourself | Current → proof points → pivot → why this firm/role | 60–90 sec |
| Why consulting / role | Work preferences → example → role-specific skill | 45–60 sec |
| What do you know about our firm | Specific offering, example project, research source | 30–45 sec |
Challenging and Situational Consulting Questions About Clients and Ethics
Handling a tough client or sketchy data shows whether you can protect trust and move a project forward. These scenarios test judgment, stakeholder management, and ethics under time pressure.
Why situational prompts matter: they reveal how you diagnose a problem, balance evidence, and keep the business relationship intact while making decisions that the client can act on.
Handling pushback when a client disagrees
Restate the objective, diagnose the root cause of disagreement, and present evidence plus two practical options. Close by aligning on clear trade-offs and a next step within 24 hours.
When data is incomplete or unreliable
Triangulate with proxies, run a sensitivity range, and document assumptions so the recommendation is defensible. State confidence levels and flag follow-up data needed if time allows.
Managing a disengaged stakeholder
Clarify incentives, reduce decision friction with a specific ask, and schedule short decision meetings. Use sponsor escalation only after clear, respectful outreach.
Responding to unethical requests
Ask clarifying questions, explain legal and professional limits, propose compliant alternatives, and escalate internally if required. Protect the firm and the client relationship with calm professionalism.
Interviewers look for steady judgment: no blame, clear options, and a focus on outcomes in the first hour and the first day.
| Scenario | First-hour action | Day‑one deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Client disagreement | Clarify objective | Two options with trade-offs |
| Poor data | Run proxies & sensitivity | Documented assumptions & confidence |
| Disengaged stakeholder | Targeted single ask | Short decision meeting scheduled |
| Unethical request | Refuse & offer alternatives | Escalation note + compliant plan |
Client Communication Interview Questions That Reveal Consultant Readiness
Clear client communication turns good analysis into real outcomes. Your work matters only if people understand it and act on it, especially under tight timelines in India and global projects.
Delivering bad news under time pressure
Align on the objective, state the issue plainly, and quantify the impact. Then propose two options with trade-offs and name an owner for next steps.
Explaining complex analysis to non-experts
Lead with the “so what,” use plain language, define one technical term, and show a single clean chart or analogy to anchor the point.
Keeping meetings productive and outcome-driven
Send an agenda, time‑box topics, confirm decisions needed, and close with a recap that assigns owners and deadlines.
“Practice one real example and a repeatable method—interviewers prefer evidence of consistent behaviour.”
- Handle non‑responsive clients by escalating politely, offering default decisions, and sharing clear risk notes.
- When expectations are unrealistic, reset scope, negotiate trade-offs, and define what “good” looks like within limits.
- In an interview, answer with one concrete past example plus a brief, general approach and then ask questions about team cadence and stakeholder norms.
How to Prepare for Consulting Interviews: A Step-by-Step Plan
A clear, repeatable prep plan turns scattershot study into steady progress. Start by mapping the four core types — fit, PEI, market sizing, and case — to focused practice steps. That keeps every session purposeful.
Learn a consistent method for each question type
Adopt one framework per type. Use a single story structure for fit and PEI, a simple driver tree for sizing, and a standard case approach for profitability, growth, or strategy.
Practice on your own: repetition, timing, and speaking clearly
Do daily timed drills. Speak aloud and record 90–120 second answers. Track filler words and refine your top-down synthesis.
Practice with peers: get useful feedback and avoid wasted time
Set clear roles, rotate, and use a short rubric. Limit sessions to 60 minutes with one goal: either cases, size drills, or story polish.
Practice with experienced interviewers: simulate pressure and get firm-specific coaching
Coaches recreate realistic follow-ups and grading. That exposes pacing problems and subtle structure issues faster than peer-only runs.
Building a weekly prep schedule that fits college and working candidates in India
- Mon: 1 case interview drill (mock or solo).
- Wed: PEI stories + one fit answer.
- Fri: sizing drills and quick math logs.
- Weekend: peer mock or coach session; review error logs and update your story bank.
Refine method first, then increase difficulty, then stress-test under timed, realistic conditions.
Conclusion
,Finish strong: lock a simple method, practise aloud, then pressure-test one weak area until delivery is steady.
Master the four types—fit, behavioral/PEI, market sizing, and case—so you can switch cleanly between them during real rounds. Structure first; speak answers out loud; then run timed mocks with peers or senior coaches to simulate firm-level pressure.
Final checklist: a 60–90 second “tell me” pitch, 6–8 PEI stories, 20+ sizing drills, and 15+ full cases. Track every math error and unclear assumption, fix those deliberately, and localise examples to the India industry or office you target.
Interviewers reward clear communication, measurable impact, structured thinking, and calm professionalism. Use this guide to make those traits repeatable under time limits.
