case study internship interview

Career in Consulting

280 Free Case Interview Examples

Do you want to get access to over 280 free case interview examples (with answers)?

If you have interviews planned at McKinsey ,  The Boston Consulting Group , or any other consulting firm, you are probably looking for case interview examples.

So, to help you prepare, I have compiled a list of 280 free case interview examples:

• Over 30 free case interview examples (+ interview prep tips) from the websites of top consulting firms
• More than 250 free case interview examples from top business school case books

Moreover, you’ll get  my take on which case studies you will likely have in interviews.

In short, the resources listed hereafter will be very helpful if you are starting out or have already made good progress in preparing for your case interviews.

One last word : check out this free case-cracking course to learn how to crack the most recent types of case questions consulting firms use in actual interviews.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Get the latest data about salaries in consulting, mckinsey: tips and case interview examples.

McKinsey & Company’s website is definitely one of my favorites.

Because this gives so much insightful information about the role of a consultant and what the hiring process looks like.

Therefore, I highly recommend spending time on their website, even if you are not targeting McKinsey.

In the meantime, here are 8 McKinsey case interview examples

• Electro-light
• GlobaPharma
• National Education
• Talbot trucks
• Shops corporation
• Conservation forever

Check out the McKinsey Hub : A library of 20+ free resources that cover everything you need to secure a job offer at McKinsey.

Besides, here is another McKinsey case interview example.

This case interview question has been recently asked in a real interview:

𝘦𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘊𝘰, 𝘢 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉2𝘉 𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉2𝘊 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘊𝘰’𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘌𝘖 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

How would you approach this business problem?

When ready, check this video below where I present how to approach this problem.

BCG: Tips And Case Interview Examples

The Boston Consulting Group website  states something very important: the goal of the hiring process is to get to know you better, which means, in the context of Consulting interviews, understanding how you solve problems .

Remember this: in case interviews,  to show how you think is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than to find an answer to the case .

As a result, you will have case study questions to showcase your problem-solving skills. Likewise, fit interviews have the same purpose: to show what problems you faced and how you resolved them.

• BCG interview prep tips
• BCG’s interactive case tool
• BCG case interview example: climate change challenge
• BCG case interview example: GenCo
• BCG case interview example: FoodCo

Check out the BCG Hub : A library of 20+ free resources that cover everything you need to secure a job offer at BCG.

Bain: Tips And Case Interview Examples

Bain & Company’s website highlights something very important: successful applicants manage to turn a case interview into a conversation between two consultants .

In other words, you don’t want to appear as a candidate but as a consultant !

To do this, you need to master the main problem-solving techniques that consulting firms want to see.

• Bain interview prep tips here and here
• Bain case interview examples: coffee , fashioco
• Bain case interview sample videos: a first video , a second video

Check out the Bain Hub : A library of 20+ free resources that cover everything you need to secure a job offer at Bain & Company.

Deloitte: Tips And Case Interview Examples

As for the BCG’s section above, the Deloitte website clearly states that in case interviews , it is much more important to show how you think and interact with your interviewer than to find the right answer to the case.

• Deloitte interview prep tips
• Deloitte case interview examples: here (more than 15 case interview examples)
• Deloitte case interview example: Federal Agency
• Deloitte case interview example: Recreation Unlimited
• Deloitte case interview example: Federal benefits Provider
• Deloitte case interview example: Federal Civil Cargo protection Bureau

Get 4 Complete Case Interview Courses For Free

You need 4 skills to be successful in all case interviews: Case Structuring, Case Leadership, Case Analytics, and Communication. Join this free training and learn how to ace ANY case questions.

Oliver Wyman: Tips And Case Interview Examples

Like the Deloitte website, Oliver Wyman’s website points out that, above all,  you must demonstrate your ability to think in a structured, analytical, and creative way.

In other words, there are no right or wrong answers, but only showing how you solve problems matters.

• Oliver Wyman interview prep tips
• Oliver Wyman case interview examples: here (Aqualine) and here (Wumbleworld)

Kearney: Tips And Case Interview Examples

Now it’s time to tell you something you could have heard a hundred times.

Yet too many candidates do it.

Do NOT force your solution to adapt to a standard framework . As a result, this will only take you to a place you don’t want to go: the pool of rejected candidates .

To learn more about this, check the “What Not To Do” section on the AT Kearney website .

• Kearney interview prep tips
• Kearney case interview examples: here and here
• Kearney case book: here

Strategy&: Interview Prep Tips

Strategy& doesn’t provide case study examples on its website, but it shares insights on career progression, which I recommend reading when you prepare for your fit interviews.

• Strategy& interview prep tips

Roland Berger: Tips And Case Interview Examples

I like the examples of case studies presented on the Roland Berger website .

Because the two examples of case studies are very detailed and illustrate the kind of solutions your interviewers expect during case discussions.

• Roland Berger interview prep tips
• A first Roland Berger case interview example: part 1 and part 2
• A second Roland Berger case interview example: part 1 and part 2

Alix Partners: Interview Prep Tips

Like Strategy&, Alix Partners doesn’t provide case study examples on its website.

However, they give an overview of what they are looking for: they want entrepreneurial, self-starter, and analytical candidates, which are skills that all consulting firms highly appreciate .

• Alix Partners interview prep tips

OC&C: Interview Prep Tips

Here are two case study examples from OC&C:

• Imported spirit
• Leisure clubs

253 Case Studies From Business School Case Books

Most of these 253 case study examples are based on case interviews used by consulting firms in real job interviews .

As a result, you can have a good idea of the case study questions you can have when interviewing at these firms .

The Full List Of 253 Free Case Study Examples

• Chicago business school
• Australian Graduate School of Management
• Columbia business school
• Harvard business school
• Wharton business school (2009)
• Wharton busines school (2017)
• Darden business school

Do you want to practice a specific type of case study? Now you can…

I have sorted this list of 253 case studies by type:  profitability, market expansion, industry analysis, pricing, investment or acquisition,  and guesstimates (also known as market sizing questions).

Bonus #1: Know The Types Of Cases You Are Likely To have During Your Interviews

• Profitability cases (29% of cases from that list)
• Investment cases (19% of cases from that list)
• Market sizing questions (15% of cases from that list)

As a result, assuming you’ll have 6 interviews (and therefore 6 case interviews) during the recruitment process:

• “Profitability cases are 29%”  means that chances to have 2 profitability case studies during your recruitment process are very high
• “Investment cases are 19%”  means that chances to have 1 investment case study during your recruitment process are very high.
• “ Guesstimates are 15%”  means that chances of having  1 market sizing question during your recruitment process are high.

Bonus #2: The 10 Cases I Recommend You Doing Now

Over 250 examples of case interviews are a great list, and you may not know where to start.

So, I’ve compiled a list of my 10 favorite case studies.

The 5 case studies I recommend doing if you are a BEGINNER

1. stern case book: drinks gone flat (starting at page 24).

This is a good introduction to a common type of case (declining sales here). I liked the solution presented for this case, particularly how it started by isolating declining sales (what range of products? Volumes or prices, or both?).

2. Stern case book: Sport bar (starting at page 46)

This is an investment case (should you invest in a new bar). Even if the solution presented in this case book is not MECE , it covers the most common quantitative questions you might have in such a case. I recommend doing this case.

3. Stern case book: MJ Wineries (starting at page 85)

This is a profitability case. I liked the solution presented in this case because it illustrates how specific good candidates should be. The case concerns wine, so a good candidate should mention the quality of lands and grapes as important factors.

4. AGSM case book: Piano tuners (starting at page 57)

This is a typical market sizing question. How to answer this type of question is a must-know before going to your interviews.

5. Darden case book: National Logistics (starting at page 49)

Again, this is a very common case (how to reduce costs). I liked the broad range of questions asked in this case, covering key skills assessed by consulting firms during case interviews: brainstorming skills (or creativity), quantitative skills, and business sense.

The 5 case studies I recommend if you are more ADVANCED in your preparation

1. stern: the pricing games (starting at page 55).

This case study asks you to help your client assess different business models. I liked this case because the range of issues to tackle is quite broad.

2. Wharton 2017: Engineer attrition at SLS Oil & Gas Services (starting at page 55)

I liked this case study because the case prompt is uncommon: your client has been facing a very high attrition rate among its population of Engineers. As a result, it’s very unlikely that your solution fits a well-known framework, and you’ll have to demonstrate your problem-solving skills by developing a specific solution.

3. Wharton 2017: Pharma Company Goes International, Outsources Benefits, Integrates New Technology (starting at page 95)

This case is about a client considering outsourcing a part of their activity. Even though I don’t know if this type of case study is very common, I had many case studies like this when I passed my interviews a few years ago. And I always found them difficult!

4. Insead: Gas retail case (starting at page 73)

The question in the problem statement is very broad, making this case difficult. So, only good candidates can have a structured case discussion here.

5. Darden: Fire Proof (starting at page 84)

This is a market entry case. Try to solve it by developing a structure as MECE as possible.

CareerInConsulting.com's Free Resources

Access my exclusive free training to help you prepare for your case interviews .

Besides, you can learn my step-by-step guide to answering market sizing questions .

You’ll get my formula to solve all market sizing questions.

Moreover, if you are a beginner, you can read my article on how to solve business cases (+ a 4-week prep plan to get case interview ready).

Also, check these 11 must-know frameworks to ace your case interviews.

Finally, you can read the articles in the blog section of my website.

That’s quite a list.

To complete this list, check this free case interview course , where you’ll find case questions recently asked in actual interviews.

Now, I’d like to hear from you.

Which key insights were new to you?

Or maybe I have missed something.

Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below.

SHARE THIS POST

3 thoughts on “280 Free Case Interview Examples”

Pingback: Market sizing questions: the definite guide (2020) - Career in Consulting

Pingback: Case interview prep: a guide for beginners - Career in Consulting

Pingback: What Does A Management Consultant Do? - Career in Consulting

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You need 4 skills to be successful in all case interviews: Case Structuring, Case Leadership, Case Analytics, and Communication. Enroll in our 4 free courses and discover the proven systems +300 candidates used to learn these 4 skills and land offers in consulting.

Access all the online resources you need for success in your case and fit interviews.

Build a successful application with our step-by-step resume advice videos, examples, and templates.

• Resources home
• Applications
• Interview tips
• Management consulting industry guide
• Top routes for joining McKinsey, BCG and Bain in 2023
• The top-10 management consulting firms
• How to practice case interviews alone
• Tips for last-minute case interview prep

Thank you for your review!

Free interview prep material in your inbox

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

You're subscribed!

What’s included?

28 emails packed with tips. 8 full cases with solutions (incl. FlashFash). Plus sample case and fit interview videos.

Case Interview: The Free Preparation Guide (2024)

The case interview is a challenging interview format that simulates the job of a management consultant , testing candidates across a wide range of problem-solving dimensions.

McKinsey, BCG and Bain – along with other top consulting firms – use the case interview because it’s a statistically proven predictor of how well a candidate will perform in the role. The format is not only used by management consulting firms. Other types of organizations – like tech companies, financial services institutions, and non-profits – often use case interviews to assess candidates who are interviewing for roles focused on shaping strategic initiatives.

If you’re preparing to face a case interview, you may be feeling a little apprehensive. The format is notoriously demanding and unlike any other type of recruitment assessment you may have experienced before. However, with the right preparation and investment of time and effort, it is possible to master.

In this guide, we break down everything you need to know about the case interview, outlining exactly what you need to do to prepare effectively and ace the case.

Key takeaways

• The classic case interview format follows the same steps that a management consultant would encounter on a client project. The interview is a little like a role-play where the interviewer plays the role of a client and the candidate plays the part of the consultant hired to solve the problem.
• Some firms occasionally deviate from the classic case interview format. Popular alternatives include written case studies – which require candidates to review paper documents and then prepare and deliver a presentation – and market sizing case interviews, which require candidates to estimate a number.
• Case interviews test candidates against a set of six problem-solving dimensions: structuring, math, judgment and insights, creativity, synthesis, and case leadership. The interviewer uses a scorecard to assess the candidate’s performance in each of these areas.
• Case interview questions can be about almost any type of challenge or opportunity. However, our research indicates that there are 10 types of questions that are asked most frequently at top consulting firms. These include questions on profit improvement, revenue growth, and market entry.
• To do well in a case interview, it’s vital to create custom interview structures that meet the conditions of the ‘AIM’ test. It helps to have a good working knowledge of key case interview frameworks, but this alone is not sufficient.
• A strong grasp of case math is also crucial when it comes to case interview performance. While only high-school level math skills are required, it’s an aspect of the case interview that many candidates find challenging.
• Successful candidates are able to summarize their findings effectively. They also demonstrate strong case leadership by progressing through the case proactively and remaining focused on its overarching objectives.
• To prepare for a case interview, it’s essential to learn every problem-solving skill that will be assessed. We teach all of these skills in our Interview Prep Course , which contains all the video lectures, sample interviews, case material, and practice tools you’ll need to ace any case interview.
• Most candidates who go on to receive an offer from a top consulting firm like McKinsey, BCG or Bain complete at least 25 live practice sessions with a partner before their interview. You’ll find over 100 high-quality cases in our Case Library and a diverse community of candidates available for practice in our Practice Room .
• Some candidates choose to supplement their preparation by working with a coach who has been an interviewer at a top consulting firm. Here at CaseCoach, our coaches have all been handpicked from the alumni of top firms such as McKinsey, BCG and Bain.
• Although the world’s top consulting firms all test candidates using similar methods, none of them approach the interview process in exactly the same way. If you’re preparing to interview at a top consulting firm, it’s important to do your research and find out what you can expect.

An introduction to the case interview

The case interview format, the classic case interview.

The vast majority of case interviews follow the same steps that management consultants encounter on real client projects.

• Brief: The interviewer gives the candidate a brief for the case. They explain the context in which the client is operating, and outline the challenge they’re facing.
• Clarification: The candidate then has the chance to ask clarifying questions. They might do this to ensure they’ve understood the context of the problem correctly or to confirm the client’s goals.
• Reflection: The candidate takes 60 to 90 seconds or so to reflect and lay out a structured approach to solving the case.
• Analysis: The candidate and interviewer then work through the case together, carrying out analyses and moving toward a recommendation. This is the part of the case where you’ll be handling numerical questions, reviewing exhibits, coming up with creative ideas, and so on. It comprises the vast majority of the time you’ll spend on the case.
• Synthesis: The case concludes with the candidate synthesizing their findings and making an overall recommendation to the client.

So what does this unique interview format look and feel like? In reality, a consulting case interview is a little like a role-play. The interviewer plays the role of a manager or client, and the candidate plays the part of the consultant hired to solve the problem. However, a case interview shouldn’t feel like a performance. The most successful candidates treat it as a natural conversation between two professional people.

In the video below you can see an example of exceptional case interview performance in action. The candidate and interviewer in the video are both former McKinsey interviewers.

Interviewer-led vs candidate-led cases

Although the classic case interview has an established format and assesses a specific set of skills, cases can be delivered in different ways. Some are more candidate-led, while others are more interviewer-led

In a candidate-led case, the candidate is in the driver’s seat and is free to explore different aspects of the problem. Interviewers don’t tell candidates what to focus on next. Instead, they provide additional information – like an exhibit or a new fact – when asked. The candidate then analyzes the information and suggests next steps to get to the answer.

In an interviewer-led case, the interviewer may interrupt the candidate and ask them to either perform a specific investigation or focus on a different aspect of the problem. This doesn’t mean the interview is going badly; the interviewer is simply following a script. As a result, in an interviewer-led case, candidates are less likely to take the wrong path.

It’s difficult to predict which style of case you’ll receive. Some firms are known for using one style of interview more frequently than another. However, in practice, most interviews fall somewhere between the two extremes, depending on the style of the interviewer and the case material they’re using. You should therefore always be ready to suggest next steps and have a view about how to get to the answer.

Other case interview formats

While the classic case interview is most common, there are a couple of other interview formats that top consulting firms use from time to time:

The written case study

Some management consulting firms use written case studies to simulate the experience of carrying out consulting work even more accurately than the classic, verbal case interview. In some locations, BCG and Bain have been known to adopt this approach for a small minority of candidates.

In written cases, candidates review a series of paper documents and then structure the problem, run some numbers, generate ideas and, finally, deliver a short presentation. You can learn more in our article on how to crack written case studies .

Market sizing case interviews

Management consulting firms and other employers sometimes use market sizing questions – also known as estimation questions – as a standalone interview format to assess candidates on a wide range of problem-solving dimensions.

In a market sizing interview, you’ll be asked to estimate a number. This might be something like the revenue of a sandwich store or how many ATMs there are in a certain city. The ability to size a market is also a skill required for solving many case interview questions. You can learn more in our article on how to nail market sizing case interviews .

Some key differences to expect

While case interviews are highly codified, it’s important to remember that every interview is unique.

In the final round of interviews, for example, cases may feel less scripted than they did in the first stage. Partners – who are part of the interviewing group in the final round – often use the same case for years at a time. This means they can deliver it without a script and, as a result, tend to give candidates more room to take the lead. You can learn more in our article on the differences between a first and final-round interview at McKinsey, BCG and Bain .

In addition, each firm or office might bring their own nuance or style to the classic case interview format. It’s important to do your research and find out what you can expect from the interview experience at your target firm or office. You can learn more in our article on how the interviews at McKinsey, BCG and Bain differ .

The skills assessed in case interviews

Case interviews are primarily about testing a set of problem-solving skills. The interviewer uses a scorecard to assess a candidate’s performance in the following dimensions:

• Structuring: This is the ability to break problems down into logical drivers. It’s most obviously required at the beginning of a case, where you can pause and take a moment to come up with an approach. But it’s also tested each time you have to consider a new aspect of the problem.
• Math: Most cases contain a quantitative component, such as estimation questions, break-even questions, or other calculations. To do well in this dimension, you need to lay out a clear and efficient approach, run calculations quickly and accurately, and then state their implications for the case.
• Judgment and insights: This dimension is about extracting insights from data, usually by interpreting information in a chart. Performing well in this area involves processing new information quickly, prioritizing what’s important, and connecting your findings to develop sound recommendations.
• Creativity: Cases often have a creative thinking component. Sharing numerous, varied and sound ideas – ideally in a structured way – can help you succeed here.
• Synthesis: This is all about wrapping up the case with a clear and practical recommendation, and delivering it convincingly.
• Case leadership: This dimension is about progressing through the case efficiently and staying focused on its objectives. Case leadership involves gathering facts effectively and building on new findings to develop a recommendation. It’s a particularly important dimension in candidate-led cases.

Questions to expect

If you’re preparing to interview at a top management consulting firm like McKinsey, BCG or Bain, you’re probably curious about the kind of case interview questions you can expect to receive.

To identify the most common case interview questions , we surveyed CaseCoach users who interviewed at either McKinsey, BCG or Bain for a generalist role in 2023. We found that of the 260+ case interviews reported by respondents:

• 20% focused on profit improvement
• 15% focused on revenue growth
• 12% focused on market entry
• 10% focused on cost cutting
• 9% focused on process optimization

These topics align with the typical challenges and opportunities faced by CEOs. Because the job of a management consultant is to help CEOs find solutions to these problems, it’s vital for candidates to demonstrate that they understand the issues behind these questions.

However, while there are some recurring topics, the context and nuances of each individual case mean that no two case questions are the same. Increasingly, firms are testing candidates on questions that fall outside of these recurring topics. One way they’re doing this is by focusing on non-traditional areas, like the public sector. If you’re interviewing for a generalist management consulting role, it’s therefore important to be ready for almost any type of case question.

If you’re interviewing for a role that’s focused on a specific industry or function, like financial services , you’ll likely be given a case focused on that particular area.

How to ace the case

Case interviews require you to think on your feet to solve a complex problem that you’ve never seen before, while being assessed against a number of problem-solving dimensions. Here’s what you need to do to rise to the challenge and ace the case:

1. Create case interview structures that meet the AIM test

Of all the case interview assessment dimensions, structuring is perhaps the most challenging, particularly for those who are just starting out. It requires candidates to propose a prioritized and insightful approach to the case that’s composed of a comprehensive set of independent drivers. Structuring plays a foundational role in the interview, setting the course for the entire conversation.

So, what does good case structuring look like? An effective structure should meet the conditions of the ‘AIM’ test. ‘AIM’ stands for:

• Answer-focused: The structure should identify the client’s goal and the question to solve. It should also provide an approach to answering that question.
• Insightful: The structure should be tailored to the specifics of the client or to the problem in question. You shouldn’t be able to apply it to another case of the same type.
• MECE: This is a well-known acronym among consultants. It stands for ‘mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive’. In plain English, if a structure is ‘MECE’ it has been broken down into an exhaustive set of independent drivers.

2. Know key case interview frameworks

In a case interview, you’ll be asked to structure a variety of problems. There are a number of frameworks that can help you do this, whether the problem you’re structuring corresponds to a common case question or a different topic entirely:

Business frameworks

You can use established business frameworks to craft custom structures for the most common types of case questions. These include frameworks for mastering profitability questions , answering revenue growth questions and nailing market sizing questions .

Academic frameworks

For unusual case questions that don’t relate to an obvious business framework, it can be helpful to draw on an academic framework like supply and demand, ‘the three Cs’, or Porter’s Five Forces. You can learn more about all of these in our ultimate guide to case interview frameworks . The article includes other business and academic frameworks that you can use to craft custom structures for case questions.

Logical frameworks

Finally, logical frameworks can help you look at the big picture in order to structure your approach. These options can be particularly useful when you’re faced with an unusual case question that doesn’t lend itself to a business or academic framework. Some examples of logical frameworks include:

• Structuring with equations: This approach is most helpful for quantitative case questions. Listen out for introductions that focus on a number. These cases can often be broken down into an equation and then structured along its variables.
• Structuring based on hypotheses: This approach is most helpful for structuring qualitative cases. It involves laying out what you most need to believe in order to validate a specific recommendation. These beliefs form your set of key hypotheses, which you then test as you progress through the case.
• Structuring with root causes: This approach works well for structuring cases that require identifying the reasons for a problem. It involves laying out its potential causes in a way that is mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (i.e. MECE).

How to apply these frameworks

While business, academic, and logical frameworks can be helpful when it comes to structuring a problem, learning how to use them correctly is a skill in itself. Simply applying a framework to a case interview question in a ‘cookie-cutter’ fashion is not enough. To impress your interviewer and pass the AIM test, your structure will need to be heavily tailored to the situation at hand. In fact, many case questions can be best answered by combining different frameworks.

Ultimately, interviewers want to understand how your mind works and see you think on your feet. You’ll therefore need to demonstrate that you can propose a custom case interview structure to any question.

3. Be comfortable with simple math

Management consulting firms expect you to navigate mathematical problems confidently and reliably in case interviews. Regardless of your academic background or past experience, you’ll need to be able to set an approach to solve the problem, perform calculations quickly and accurately, and state the implications of your solution.

The good news is that you’ll only be required to demonstrate a high-school level of math skills in case interviews. However, with no calculators allowed and an interviewer looking over your shoulder, it’s natural to find this aspect of the experience a little intimidating.

So, what can you expect from case math? The problems you’ll be asked to solve may take the form of straight calculations, exhibits that require calculations, word problems, and estimation questions.

To do well in this part of the case interview, you’ll need to have a strong understanding of:

• The four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
• Key math concepts such as fractions, percentages, and weighted averages
• Business math concepts such as income statements, investments, and valuations

To stand out to your interviewer, you’ll also need to work through math problems confidently and efficiently. Here are our top tips for doing this:

• Keep track of zeros: Case questions often involve large numbers, sometimes in the millions or even billions. Keeping close track of your zeros is therefore crucial. We recommend either counting the zeros in your calculation, using scientific notation, or assigning letter units to zeros.
• Simplify your calculations: This will help you work through problems quickly and efficiently while reducing the potential for mistakes. One way of simplifying calculations is by rounding numbers up or down to make them more ‘friendly’.
• Memorize frequently-used fractions: Some fraction values are used so frequently in case math that knowing them – along with their percentage value and decimal conversions – can save you significant time. We recommend memorizing the fraction and corresponding percentage and decimal values of 1/2, 1/3, all the way through to 1/10.

You can learn more in our guide to mastering case interview math .

4. Summarize your findings

Synthesis is a key skill assessed by interviewers, predominantly at the end of a case interview. You need to provide a clear and sound recommendation that answers the overall question convincingly. You must also describe the key supporting points that informed your recommendation and then outline any further steps you would advise the client to take.

When it comes to concluding cases effectively, this four-step framework can be extremely helpful:

• Quickly play the case question back to your interviewer.
• Answer the question directly and briefly by distilling your response into a single sentence, if possible.
• List the points that support your conclusion.
• Outline the next steps that you recommend to the client.

You can learn more in our article on how to conclude a case study interview .

5. Bring it all together with strong case leadership

Case leadership, more than any other dimension, will give your interviewer an indication of how independently you could handle your workstream as a consultant. It’s a particularly important skill in candidate-led cases, where you’ll set the course of the discussion without the interviewer steering you in a particular direction.

Demonstrating strong case leadership means progressing the case efficiently and staying focused on its overarching objectives. Using a ‘tracker page’ to capture your structure and organize your notes throughout the case will help you in this regard.

Another aspect of case leadership is gathering facts effectively. This includes making reasonable assumptions, requesting missing information, and asking probing questions.

Finally, you’ll be expected to build on new findings to develop your recommendation, adapt your approach, and suggest next steps.

Effective case leadership is all about showing your interviewer that you have a strong command of the problem-solving process. After investigating each key driver in your structure, you need to be able to articulate where you are in your overall approach to solving the problem, and what the next steps should be.

To do this, we recommend using a five-step process to handle every kind of analysis you conduct during the case, whether you’re responding to a numerical question, the data in an exhibit, or something else.

Here’s what that five-step process looks like:

• Set your approach. Define what you’re going to do upfront. It’s particularly important to be explicit here, especially if the analysis is in any way complex or ambiguous.
• Conduct your analysis. Your approach here will vary according to the kind of question you’re working through.
• State your findings. You may also want to make a note of your findings on your tracker page.
• State the implications of your findings. Explain how they impact both your answer to the question and the client’s broader goal.
• Suggest next steps. Your findings will sometimes change how you want to approach the rest of the case. This may mean altering your initial structure and editing it on your tracker page.

6. Be your best on the day

When the day of your interview comes around, you’ll want to be at your very best. But what exactly does this mean?

First, you should present yourself in a professional manner. It goes without saying that you should arrive on time but, ideally, you should plan to arrive early. You should also come equipped with the right material: a pen, squared A4 or letter-size paper pad, and copies of your resume. It’s also vital to dress appropriately for the occasion. Usually, this means wearing formal business dress, but this means different attires in different locations. We recommend doing some research to find out what consultants wear at your target firm and office.

To be at your best on the day of your interview, you must be well rested. Sadly, tiredness is one of the most common reasons for underperformance in consulting interviews. The day before is not the time to cram in further preparation. Instead, aim to have a quiet day and to get plenty of sleep at night.

Ultimately, consulting firms want to hire people who can represent the firm and interact with clients at every level, from the shop floor to the C-suite. Successful candidates treat the case interview as an opportunity to play the role of a management consultant advising a client (i.e. the interviewer). This means exhibiting a great deal of confidence and credibility, together with effective communication and an engaging attitude. It’s vital to stay focused on the overall problem and to drive the resolution of the case while being receptive to the interviewer’s input.

There are a lot of balls to juggle in a case interview, with the added pressure of a potentially life-changing outcome, but successful candidates don’t let their nerves get the better of them. We’ve provided some helpful hints and tips in our article on handling the stress of consulting interviews .

Being your best on the day of your interview requires extensive preparation. It means mastering each dimension of the case interview scorecard to the extent that the skills become second nature to you. It also means completing sufficient case practice to be able to focus on the big picture of the case you’re solving, rather than on simply demonstrating a set of skills.

How to prepare for case interview success

Delivering a standard of performance worthy of an offer from a top firm requires extensive case interview prep. In our experience, most successful candidates invest around 60 hours – or 10 hours each week over a six-week period – in their preparation. Failing to put this effort in is among the most common reasons why many candidates are unsuccessful.

Here’s what effective case interview preparation involves:

Learning the skills

In a case interview, your performance is assessed against a set of common problem-solving dimensions. To recap, these are structuring, math, judgment and insights, creativity, synthesis, and case leadership. It’s important to:

• gain a precise understanding of the expectations on each of these skills
• learn the techniques that will allow you to meet these expectations
• practice until your performance meets the required standard

We teach all these skills in our Interview Prep Course . In our bite-sized video lectures, we map out each of the key skills assessed in a case, and explain what you need to know to demonstrate each skill. We also share our tips on how to improve in each dimension, going above and beyond the advice we’ve included in this article.

In addition, our Interview Prep Course includes many more sample interviews that show real candidates – who went on to join top consulting firms – solving cases. Former consulting interviewers explain what the candidates did well on each dimension and where they could have improved.

Math is a critical prerequisite to handling cases and is something you should be comfortable with before you begin practicing. Our Case Math Course – provided as part of the Interview Prep Course – will help you brush up your skills. It contains 21 video lectures that cover everything you need to know, including the four operations, key math concepts, our pro tips, and business math.

After watching all our Interview Prep and Case Math video lectures, we recommend heading to the ‘Drills’ area of CaseCoach, where you can start practicing specific skills. Drills are interactive exercises that pose rapid-fire questions and provide instant feedback. They help you build your skills and confidence in specific case dimensions quickly, allowing you to make the most of your live case practice with partners. Our Interview Prep Course includes a comprehensive set of drills in four key areas: structuring, calculation, case math and chart interpretation.

When it comes to succeeding in a case interview, nothing beats live practice with a partner. Most candidates who go on to receive an offer from a top consulting firm like McKinsey, BCG or Bain complete at least 25 live practice sessions before their interview.

To practice live cases with a partner, you’ll need access to both case material and practice partners. In our Case Library , you’ll find over 100 cases – complete with solutions – developed by former management consultants. You can download eight of these cases right away by creating a free CaseCoach account. You’ll find a diverse community of fellow candidates who are all available for case interview practice in our Practice Room , where we facilitate over 3,000 practice sessions a week.

You can learn more in our article on how to practice case interviews .

Working with a coach

Some candidates choose to supplement their preparations by working with a consulting interview coach who has been an interviewer at a top firm.

These coaches have the skills and experience to gauge your level of performance and help you identify your areas of strength and weakness. They can also provide you with accurate and helpful feedback on your case-solving skills. This insight can help you accelerate your preparation and improve your performance. Getting used to interviewing with a professional should also help to reduce the stress of the consulting interview experience.

Here at CaseCoach, our coaches are all former consultants and interviewers who have been handpicked from the alumni of top firms such as McKinsey, BCG and Bain.

Do your research

Although employers who use case interviews all test candidates using similar methods, none of them approach the interview process in exactly the same way.

For instance, if you expect to interview with McKinsey, Bain or BCG, it’s helpful to know that these firms all give cases of similar complexity. However, there are some key differences. For example:

• Bain has been known to use estimation questions, such as market sizing, in interviews for its most junior (i.e. Associate Consultant level) roles.
• BCG and Bain occasionally use written cases.
• When it comes to the ‘fit’ interview, McKinsey uses its Personal Experience Interview format, while most Bain offices now use a ‘behavioral interview’ . Only BCG consistently uses the classic fit interview format .

Other differences include the number of rounds of interviews each firm conducts, and their preference for using interviewer-led or candidate-led cases. Wherever you interview, it’s vital to do your research and find out what you might be able to expect.

When it comes to getting ready for the case interview, knowing what you will be assessed on, learning how to succeed, and having access to the best practice resources can all go a long way. Now, you need to put in the hard work and prepare! Good luck.

Continue to learn

Explore other resources

Search resources, we value your privacy.

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. By clicking "Accept all", you consent to our use of cookies. You can read our Privacy Information to learn more about how we use cookies.

• Hacking the Case Interview

Deloitte case interviews are the most difficult part of the interview process. Deloitte interviews are comprised of case interviews, a group case interview, and behavioral or fit interview questions. You will need to pass every single Deloitte case interview in order to land a job offer.

In this comprehensive article, we’ll cover exactly what to expect in your upcoming Deloitte interview and how to best answer all of the different types of questions, including Deloitte case interviews. We’ll cover in detail:

• Deloitte interview process
• What is a Deloitte case interview?
• What does a Deloitte case interview assess?
• How to solve Deloitte case interviews
• The different types of Deloitte case interviews
• Examples of Deloitte case interviews
• Deloitte case interview tips
• How to prepare for Deloitte case interviews
• How to solve the Deloitte group case interview
• Deloitte behavioral and fit interview questions
• Recommended Deloitte case interview resources

If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course . These insider strategies from a former Bain interviewer helped 30,000+ land consulting offers while saving hundreds of hours of prep time.

Deloitte Interview Process

The Deloitte interview process typically consists of two rounds of interview that include case interviews, a group case interview, and behavioral or fit interview questions. The entire interview process can take anywhere from one week to a few months.

Given its size, Deloitte may have a different interview process depending on the country or the office that you are interviewing for. However, the most common interview process consists of two rounds of interviews following the submission of your Deloitte resume .

• First round interviews : you will have one 30 to 45-minute behavioral interview and one or two 30 to 45-minute case interviews.
• Final round interviews : you will have a 30 to 45-minute behavioral interview, a 30 to 45-minute case interview, and a one hour group case interview

There are three important distinctions between your first round Deloitte interview and your final round Deloitte interview.

One, your interviewers will likely be more senior people at Deloitte. This means that the case interviews you receive may be a bit less structured and more qualitative in nature. The case interview may feel more like a discussion where you and the interviewer are discussing your opinions and ideas on a business problem.

Two, there will be more of an emphasis on assessing your fit with the firm. The first round interview is primarily used as a screener to determine whether or not you can solve case interviews effectively and whether or not you have the potential to be a great consultant.

Final round interviews will also continue to assess this, but interviewers will also be determining whether or not you would be a great fit with the office. Are you coachable and easy to work with? Are you collaborative? These are a few of the qualities that interviewers want to see.

Three, your interviewers may read the notes that your interviewers wrote during your Deloitte first round interview. If there was a particular area of the case interview that you struggled with, interviewers may want to test you again on it to make sure that it is not a significant weakness.

What is a Deloitte Case Interview?

A Deloitte case interview, also known as a “case” for short, is a 30 to 60-minute exercise in which you and the interviewer work together to develop a recommendation or answer to a business problem.

These business problems can be anything that real companies face:

• How can Amazon increase its profitability?
• What can Apple do to increase customer retention?
• How should Tesla price its new electric vehicle?
• Where should Disney open another Disneyland theme park?

Deloitte case interviews simulate what the consulting job will be like by placing you in a hypothetical business situation. Cases simulate real business problems that consulting firms solve for their clients. Many Deloitte case interviews are based on actual projects that interviewers have worked on.

While consulting projects typically last between 3 to 9 months, case interviews condense solving the business problem into just 30 to 45 minutes.

Deloitte case interviews can cover any industry, including retail, consumer packaged goods, financial services, energy, education, healthcare, government, and technology.

They can also cover a wide range of business situations, including entering a new market, launching a new product, acquiring a company, improving profitability, and growing revenues.

Although Deloitte case interviews cover a wide range of industries and business situations, no technical or specialized knowledge is needed. Unless you are interviewing for a consulting firm that specializes in a particular industry or function, cases are designed to be solved by someone that has general business knowledge.

Nailing your Deloitte case interviews is critical to get a job at Deloitte. There is no way to get a Deloitte job offer without passing your case interviews.

What Does a Deloitte Case Interview Assess?

Deloitte case interviews assess five different qualities or characteristics: logical and structured thinking, analytical problem solving, business acumen, communication skills, and personality and cultural fit.

1. Logical and structured thinking : Consultants need to be organized and methodical in order to work efficiently.

• Can you structure complex problems in a clear, simple way?
• Can you take tremendous amounts of information and data and identify the most important points?
• Can you use logic and reason to make appropriate conclusions?

2. Analytical problem solving : Consultants work with a tremendous amount of data and information in order to develop recommendations to complex problems.

• Can you read and interpret data well?
• Can you perform math computations smoothly and accurately?
• Can you conduct the right analyses to draw the right conclusions?

3. Business acumen : A strong business instinct helps consultants make the right decisions and develop the right recommendations.

• Do you have a basic understanding of fundamental business concepts?
• Do your conclusions and recommendations make sense from a business perspective?

4. Communication skills : Consultants need strong communication skills to collaborate with teammates and clients effectively.

• Can you communicate in a clear, concise way?
• Are you articulate in what you are saying?

5. Personality and cultural fit : Consultants spend a lot of time working closely in small teams. Having a personality and attitude that fits with the team makes the whole team work better together.

• Are you coachable and easy to work with?
• Are you pleasant to be around?

All of these five qualities can be assessed in just a 30 to 60-minute Deloitte case interview. This is what makes case interviews so effective in assessing consulting candidates.

How to Solve Deloitte Case Interviews

Deloitte case interviews are candidate-led. You will be in the driver’s seat of the case interview and will be expected to ask the right questions, probe for data, and propose each next step to solve the case.

In a Deloitte case interview, you are not assessed on whether or not you have the correct answer. Instead, Deloitte uses case interviews to assess six different qualities:

• Problem solving : Can you decompose a problem into smaller, more manageable questions?
• Analytical ability : Can you draw the right insights from data and information?
• Strategic thinking : Do you have a sharp business acumen and practical business judgment?
• Logical thinking : Are you structured, organized, and rational in the way that you think?
• Creativity : Can you generate interesting or unique ideas and solutions?
• Professional demeanor : Are you calm, confident, and articulate?

Our step-by-step guide to case interviews is presented in the video below. We highly recommend watching that video in its entirety. 

On Deloitte's case interview website , they recommend taking five   steps to solve a case interview:

1. Understand the issue and ask clarifying questions

The most important part of the case interview is to make sure you understand the business issue and the objective of the case. The quickest way to fail a case interview is to answer or address the wrong business problem. 

Therefore, if either the business issue or objective of the case is unclear, make sure to ask clarifying questions.

2. Identify the underlying assumptions

Next, you’ll need to decompose the overall business problem into smaller, more manageable issues. Identify what would need to be true in order for you to recommend a particular course of action.

To do this, it will be helpful to put together a framework, which is a tool that helps you organize your ideas and thoughts into different categories. For a complete guide on how to create tailored and unique frameworks for each case, check out our article on case interview frameworks .

3. Summarize specific issues and findings

Afterwards, you’ll begin investigating different issues or areas of your framework. After investigating each one, it is important that you summarize the key takeaways or insights that you uncovered.

Connect these findings back to the overall business problem and explain how your findings impact your potential recommendation.

4. State your recommendations

Once you have gathered enough evidence and support for your recommendation, you will need to present your recommendation in a clear and concise way.

Start by giving a firm recommendation. Then, provide the three major reasons that support your recommendation. This should summarize most of the important findings from the case.

5. Outline next steps and the expected results or impact

After delivering a recommendation, you should propose potential next steps that you would take if you had more time or data. What would you need to know to further strengthen your recommendation or make you more confident in your answer?

You can also talk about the expected results or impact of your recommendation. This may also have implications on potential next steps, such as analyzing the risks or quantifying the financial benefits. 

The Different Types of Deloitte Case Interviews

There are three different types of Deloitte case interviews, one type for each of Deloitte's consulting groups:  

• Strategy & Operations : primarily focused on corporate strategy, supply-chain improvement, business model transformation, and process improvements. The work that this group does is most similar to the work that McKinsey, BCG, and Bain do
• Business Technology : primarily focused on digital strategy, delivery of information technology programs, and building tech-based solutions for clients
• Human Capital : primarily focused on organization transformation, change management, corporate learning and development, and diversity and inclusion

The type of case that you get depends on what group you are interviewing with. 

For example, If you are interviewing with the Strategy & Operations group, you’ll get a strategy or operations case . You may be asked to determine whether to enter a new market, launch a new product, or make an acquisition.

If you are interviewing with the Technology group, you’ll get a technology or IT case. You may be asked to determine whether to roll out a new IT system, how to assess different technologies, or how to best coordinate an IT transformation.

If you are interviewing with the Human Capital group, you may be asked to determine the optimal organization structure, how to better incentivize employees to perform better, or how to save payroll costs.

Examples of Deloitte Case Interviews

Below are practice cases created by Deloitte. We recommend working through these so that you know exactly what to expect in your Deloitte case interview.

For undergraduates:

• Engagement Strategy: Federal Agency V (strategy case)
• Recreation Unlimited (strategy case)
• Strategic Vision: Federal Benefits Provider (strategy case)
• MedX: The Smart Pill Bottle (business technology case)
• Architecture Strategy: Federal Finance Agency (business technology case)

For advanced degree students:

• Finance strategy: Federal Health Agency (strategy case)
• Talent Management: Federal Civil Cargo Protection Bureau (strategy case)

For more practice, check out our article on 23 MBA consulting casebooks with 700+ free practice cases .

  Deloitte Case Interview Tips

Below are eight of Deloitte's case interview tips to help you improve your case interview performance.

Tip #1: Take notes

While the interviewer is providing you with the case background information, take notes on the most important pieces of information. Pay particularly close attention to the context, company, and case objective.

Tip #2: Make sure you understand the case question

Answering or addressing the wrong business problem is the quickest way to fail a case interview. The most important thing is understanding what the business issue is and what overall question you’ll be expected to answer at the end of the case. 

Tip #3: Ask questions

Do not be afraid to ask questions. You will not be penalized for asking questions that are important and relevant to the case. 

Great questions to ask include asking for the definition of an unfamiliar term, asking questions that clarify the objective of the issue, and asking questions to strengthen your understanding of the context or company.

Tip #4: After you develop a framework, develop an initial hypothesis

A hypothesis is an educated guess on the answer based on the data and information that you have so far. It helps guide your analysis and keeps you on the right track.

After developing a framework, try to develop a hypothesis to help you decide what area of your framework you should explore first.

Tip #5: Take time to structure your thoughts

When asked a question in a case interview, don’t always start answering immediately. Instead, take the time to process the question and develop an organized and structured way to answer it. It is acceptable to ask the interview for a brief moment to collect your thoughts.

Your answer will likely be much stronger if you give yourself time to think. 

Tip #6: Present a clear, logical story for your recommendation

Remember that consultants need to convince clients to follow their proposed recommendations. Being articulate and persuasive are necessary skills for management consultants .

When you deliver your recommendation, try to make it a coherent story. This will make your recommendation easier to follow and more compelling.

Tip #7: Walk the interviewer through your thinking and explain assumptions

You do not get any points for the ideas and thinking that you do not communicate. Therefore, you should make every effort to talk through your thoughts out loud.

Walk the interviewer through what you are thinking. Explain why you have made particular decisions. State your assumptions. This makes it easier for the interviewer to provide feedback or hints to help you out.

Tip #8: Engage the interviewer in a business conversation

Remember that a case interview is a collaborative exercise. You should not be dismissing the feedback and suggestions that the interviewer provides you. They may be trying to help steer the case in the right direction or provide you with hints when you get stuck.

Treat the interviewer as your teammate and turn the case interview into a business conversation.

How to Prepare for Deloitte Case Interviews

There are seven steps to preparing for Deloitte case interviews.

1. Understand what a case interview is

The first step in preparing for Deloitte case interviews is to understand exactly what case interviews are.

When you are familiar with what case interviews are, it is important to know what a great Deloitte case interview performance looks like.

Knowing what a great Deloitte case interview performance looks like will facilitate how quickly you learn case interview strategies in the next step.

Before continuing onto the next step, you should be familiar with:

• The overall objective of a case interview
• The structure and flow of a case interview
• The types of questions you could get asked
• What a great case interview performance looks like

2. Learn the right strategies

Now that you have sufficient background knowledge, the next step in preparing for Deloitte case interviews is to learn the right strategies to build good case interview habits.

It is much more effective to learn the right case strategies the first time than to learn poor strategies and try to correct them later.

The quickest, most efficient way to learn these strategies is to go through our Comprehensive Case Interview Course .

If you prefer reading case interview prep books instead, the three I recommend are:

• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook
• Case Interview Secrets

Hacking the Case Interview provides strategies on exactly what to do and what to say in every step of the case interview. It is a concise and straight to the point guide. I recommend this book as the first book to read for beginners.

Case Interview Secrets teaches core concepts such as the issue tree , drill-down analysis, and a hypothesis driven approach. It illustrates these concepts through stories and anecdotes. If you have read Hacking the Case Interview, I recommend also reading this book to get perspectives from a second author. Check out our full review of Case Interview Secrets .

Case in Point provides a ton of specific and complex frameworks. However, you likely won’t be using many of these in an actual case interview because many of them are overly complex and specific. If you have time, it may be useful to skim through this book. Check out our full review of Case in Point .

At the bare minimum, read either the first or second book. If you have the time, read the first two books so that you can get strategies from two different authors.

Make sure to spend sufficient time learning the right strategies before starting to practice cases. It is ineffective to practice cases if you have no idea what strategies to practice and refine.

Before moving onto the next step, you should at least have strategies for the following parts of a case interview:

• Developing unique and tailored frameworks
• Solving quantitative problems
• Answering qualitative questions
• Delivering a recommendation

3. Practice 3-5 cases by yourself

Once you have learned the right strategies, the next step in Deloitte case interview prep is to practice.

When practicing case interviews, it is usually better to practice with a case interview partner than to practice by yourself . Casing with a partner better simulates the real case interview experience.

However, when you are just starting to practice, I recommend doing the first 3 – 5 cases by yourself.

There are three reasons for this:

• You can get the hang of the case interview structure and format much more quickly working by yourself rather than having to wait to schedule a time with a partner
• There are many aspects of case interviews that you can practice without a partner, such as structuring a framework and solving quantitative problems. You can get much more practice working through these parts by yourself
• You may have difficulty finding a case interview partner if you are a complete beginner. Without having done any cases, you likely won’t know how to properly give a case or provide good feedback

4. Practice 5-10 cases with a partner

The next step in preparing for Deloitte case interviews is to case with a partner.

Casing with a partner is the best way to simulate a real case interview. There are many aspects of case interviews that you won’t be able to improve on unless you practice live with a partner.

When practicing cases with a partner, ensure you are spending enough time after cases to deliver feedback.

For a case that takes around 30 – 40 minutes, spend at least 15 – 20 minutes for feedback. Much of your learning and improvement will come from these feedback sessions.

Do not move onto the next step until you have done at least 5 – 10 cases and are beginning to feel comfortable with case interviews.

5. Practice with a former or current consultant

At this point, I highly recommend asking former or current consultants to give you a practice case. This will significantly help you prepare for case interviews.

Doing a mock case with a former or current consultant is highly advantageous because they know exactly how to run cases and give feedback. You’ll receive incredibly helpful feedback that your previous case partners likely missed.

If you feel that you are plateauing with your case partner, that is a sign you should do a mock case interview with a former or current consultant.

You can find former or current consultants among:

• People you met during the consulting recruiting process
• Your broader LinkedIn network

I would not ask a consultant that is involved with the consulting recruiting process for a case too prematurely. Although these practice cases are not evaluative, some firms will actually make note of how well you perform during the practice case.

At this point, you will have accumulated a long list of improvement areas from all of the different people you have cased with.

6. Work on your improvement areas

In this step of preparing for Deloitte case interviews, you will work on strengthening and fine-tuning your improvement areas. Examples of common improvement areas include:

• Creating a more complete and mutually exclusive framework
• Performing math calculations quicker or more smoothly
• Providing more structure to your qualitative answers
• Leading the case more proactively
• Delivering a more succinct recommendation

Try to focus on improving one thing at a time. This is much more effective than trying to improve everything at once.

For some areas, such as math, it will be better to work independently. For other areas, such as learning to proactively lead the case, it will be better to work with a case partner.

If you are looking for more cases, look at the resources listed in step four. If you are looking for specific drills or practice problems for a particular part of a case interview, check out The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook .

Do not move onto the next step until you have finished working on all of your improvement areas.

7. Stay sharp

If you have progressed this far, congratulations! You have almost finished preparing for Deloitte case interviews.

Once you feel that you have no more improvement areas to work on, the key is to not burn yourself out by doing too many unnecessary cases.

While each case that you do makes you slightly better, there is a point when doing too many cases can create case fatigue right before your interview. Case fatigue can negatively impact your interview performance.

On the other hand, you also don’t want to go weeks without having done a case. You may end up forgetting strategies or become rusty and slow.

Once you have achieved case mastery, I recommend doing no more than 2 cases per week in the weeks leading up to your interview. This ensures that you remain sharp for case interviews, but don’t have case fatigue.

How to Solve the Deloitte Group Case Interview

Deloitte is one of the few consulting firms that uses group case interviews in their final round of interviews. They conduct group case interviews because Deloitte’s work culture has a huge emphasis on teamwork and culture fit.

Here’s what to expect:

• You’ll be put into a group with 3 to 5 other candidates
• The interviewer will hand out case materials
• You’ll be given 10 minutes to review the case materials and prepare
• The group will have a discussion for 20 minutes
• During this discussion, interviewers will be observing candidates and will not interfere
• Afterwards, the interviewer will ask the group specific questions for another 20 minutes

Group case interviews can be challenging to prepare for because it is difficult to replicate the exact conditions to practice them. However, if you prepare for case interviews well, you will be in a great position to succeed in group case interviews.

Your goal in a group case interview is to add value to the group. There are six different ways that you can add value:

• Lead or facilitate the discussion : You can propose what topics to discuss, the order they should be discussed in, and how much time should be allocated towards each topic. If the group gets off track, you can bring the group’s focus back together.
• Expand upon other people’s ideas : If a group member suggests a great idea or raises a good point, build upon it and make it even better.
• Synthesize information : You can summarize information that other people have said and reconcile different viewpoints and ideas together.
• Keep track of time : You can volunteer to keep track of time and make sure that the group is on track.
• Play devil’s advocate : You can help your group develop strong ideas by testing the team’s thinking by considering potential risks or downsides of their ideas.
• Take notes:  You can keep track of what other people are saying so that you can recall what has been discussed if any group members have questions.

Follow these five tips to shine during your Deloitte group case interview.

Tip #1: Treat your group members as teammates, not competition

The group case interview is not an exercise in which you are competing with others. Interviewers are trying to assess whether you would be a great teammate. Multiple people or even all people in your group can receive job offers.

Therefore, focus on adding value to the group rather than making yourself look better than your teammates.

Tip #2: Don’t speak too much, but don’t speak too little

If you speak too much, this may be seen as being too aggressive or controlling. If you speak too little, you may come off as shy or timid.

If you were to rank all of the members in your group by how much each person spoke, you would want to be roughly in the middle. This would be the perfect balance of speaking and listening.

Tip #3: Don’t interrupt or talk over your group members

Interrupting others when they are speaking is rude and disrespectful. You do not want to be inconsiderate or a jerk. Be nice and respectful to your group members.

Tip #4: Involve other people

If you observe that someone has not spoken much, ask them for their thoughts or opinions. If you notice that someone has been cut off when they were speaking, ask them to finish their thoughts after the person interrupting them has finished what they have to say.

These are easy ways to show interviewers that you are a considerate and helpful teammate.

Tip #5: Speak only if you are adding value to the group

Just because you are speaking a lot during the group case interview does not mean that you are doing well. Interviewers are not assessing you purely on the quantity of what you say. They care more about the quality.

Great teammates know when to speak and when to listen. Therefore, you should speak only if you are adding some kind of value to the group. Interviewers can tell when people are speaking for the sake of getting air time.

For a full guide on group case interviews, check out our consulting group case interview step-by-step guide .

Deloitte Behavioral and Fit Interview Questions

In addition to case interviews, you will likely be asked a few behavioral or fit interview questions. There are ten questions that are most commonly asked.

1.  Why Deloitte?

How to answer: Provide your three biggest reasons why you’re interested in working at Deloitte. You could mention that you loved the people that you have met from Deloitte so far. You can talk about Deloitte’s massive global presence, their expertise in nearly any industry or function, or their professional development opportunities.

2. Why consulting?

How to answer: Again, provide three reasons for why you’re interested in consulting. You could mention the fast career progression opportunities, the learning opportunities to develop soft and hard skills, or the level of impact that you can make right away in consulting.

3. Walk me through your resume.

How to answer: Provide a concise summary of your work experience, starting with the most recent. Focus on emphasizing your most impressive and unique accomplishments. At the end, tie your experiences to why you are interested in consulting and why you would be a great fit for Deloitte.

4. What accomplishment are you most proud of? 

How to answer: Choose your most impressive, unique, or memorable accomplishment. Structure your answer by providing information on the situation, the task, the actions you took, and the results of your work. Explain why the accomplishment is so meaningful to you and what qualities that reveals about you as a person.

5. Tell me about something that is not on your resume.

How to answer: This is a great opportunity to highlight an accomplishment that is not related to your professional work experience. Perhaps there is a non-profit that you volunteer at, a side project or business that you work on, or a hobby that you have won awards or recognition for. Select an accomplishment that is impressive and interesting.

6. Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team.

How to answer: If possible, choose a time when you directly managed a person or a team. For this question and the following similar questions, make sure that you structure your answer. Provide information on the situation, the task, the actions you took, and the results of your work. This is known as the STAR method and is the most common way of answering behavioral or fit interview questions. 

7. Describe a time when you faced conflict or disagreement.

How to answer: When answering this question, focus on emphasizing the steps you took to resolve the conflict or disagreement. Speak about the interpersonal skills you had to use in order to mediate the situation. Interviewers want to know that you can handle conflict in a constructive way.

8. Give an example of a time when you successfully persuaded someone.

How to answer: Choose a time when you were able to change someone’s mind who originally disagreed with you. Focus on emphasizing the steps that you took to persuade that person and what impact this had on the organization. Interviewers want to know that you are a great communicator and have strong people skills.

9. Tell me about a time when you failed.

How to answer: Choose a time when you failed to meet a deadline or did not meet expectations. You do not want to pick a failure that is too big or embarrassing. Focus on emphasizing what you learned from the experience and how you used that experience to deliver even better results in the next opportunity that you got. Interviewers want to see that you strive to learn from your past failures and are always working to get better.

10. Are there any questions that you have for me?

How to answer: This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know the interviewer on a more personal level. Ask them questions about their experience in consulting. Ask what their favorite case was or what they are looking to do next in their career. The more you can get the interviewer talking about themself, the more likely they will be to have a positive impression of you. People love talking about themselves, so make sure to listen attentively and ask follow-up questions.

For a step-by-step guide on how to best answer all of these questions and more, check out our complete guide on consulting behavioral interview questions .

Recommended Deloitte Case Interview Resources

To prepare for Deloitte case interviews, you can use a variety of different case interview prep books, online courses, and coaching. We'll cover each of these different categories of resources in more detail.

Deloitte Case Interview Prep Books

Case interview prep books are great resources to use because they are fairly inexpensive, only costing $20 to $30. They contain a tremendous amount of information that you can read, digest, and re-read at your own pace.

Based on our comprehensive review of the 12 popular case interview prep books , we ranked nearly all of the case prep books in the market.

The three case interview prep books we recommend using are:  

• Hacking the Case Interview : In this book, learn exactly what to do and what to say in every step of the case interview. This is the perfect book for beginners that are looking to learn the basics of case interviews quickly.
• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook : In this book, hone your case interview skills through 65+ problems tailored towards each type of question asked in case interviews and 15 full-length practice cases. This book is great for intermediates looking to get quality practice.
• Case Interview Secrets : This book provides great explanations of essential case interview concepts and fundamentals. The stories and anecdotes that the author provides are entertaining and help paint a clear picture of what to expect in a case interview, what interviewers are looking for, and how to solve a case interview.

Deloitte Case Interview Courses

Case interview courses are more expensive to use than case interview prep books, but offer more efficient and effective learning. You’ll learn much more quickly from watching someone teach you the material, provide examples, and then walk through practice problems than from reading a book by yourself.

Courses typically cost anywhere between $200 to $400.

If you are looking for a single resource to learn the best Deloitte case interview strategies in the most efficient way possible, enroll in our comprehensive case interview course .

Through 70+ concise video lessons and 20 full-length practice cases based on real interviews from top-tier consulting firms, you’ll learn step-by-step how to crush your Deloitte case interview.

We’ve had students pass their Deloitte first round interview with just a week of preparation, but know that your success depends on the amount of effort you put in and your starting capabilities.

Deloitte Case Interview Coaching

With case interview coaching, you’ll pay anywhere between $100 to $300 for a 40- to 60-minute mock case interview session with a case coach. Typically, case coaches are former consultants or interviewers that have worked at top-tier consulting firms.

Although very expensive, case interview coaching can provide you with high quality feedback that can significantly improve your case interview performance. By working with a case coach, you will be practicing high quality cases with an expert. You’ll get detailed feedback that ordinary case interview partners are not able to provide.

Know that you do not need to purchase case interview coaching to receive a consulting job offer. The vast majority of candidates that receive offers from top firms did not purchase case interview coaching. By purchasing case interview coaching, you are essentially purchasing convenience and learning efficiency.

Case interview coaching is best for those that have already learned as much as they can about case interviews on their own and feel that they have reached a plateau in their learning. For case interview beginners and intermediates, it may be a better use of their money to first purchase a case interview course or case interview prep book before purchasing expensive coaching sessions.

If you do decide to eventually use a case interview coach, consider using our case coaching service .

There is a wide range of quality among coaches, so ensure that you are working with someone that is invested in your development and success. If possible, ask for reviews from previous candidates that your coach has worked with.

Summary of the Best Deloitte Interview Resources

To prepare for Deloitte interviews as well as interviews from other consulting firms, we recommend the following resources:

For help landing consulting interviews

• Resume Review & Editing : Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

For help passing case interviews

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.
• Case Interview Coaching : Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.
• Hacking the Case Interview Book   (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.
• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course : Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.

Land Multiple Consulting Offers

Complete, step-by-step case interview course. 30,000+ happy customers.

35 Case Interviews Examples from MBB / Big Four Firms

Studying case interview examples is one of the first steps in preparing for the  management consulting  recruitment process. If you don’t want to spend hours searching the web, this article presents a comprehensive and convenient list for you – with 35 example cases, 16 case books, along with a case video accompanied by detailed feedback on tips and techniques.

A clear understanding of “what is a case interview” is essential for effective use of these examples. I suggest reading our  Case Interview 101  guide, if you haven’t done so.

McKinsey case interview examples

Mckinsey practice cases.

• Diconsa Case
• Electro-Light Case
• GlobaPharm Case
• National Education Case

What should I know about McKinsey Case interviews?

At McKinsey, case interviews often follow the interviewer-led format , where the interviewer asks you multiple questions for you to answer with short pitches.

How do you nail these cases? Since the questions can be grouped into predictable types, an efficient approach is to master each question type. However, do that after you’ve mastered the case interview fundamentals!

For a detailed guide on interviewer-led cases, check out our article on McKinsey Case Interview .

BCG & Bain case interview examples

Bcg practice cases.

• BCG – Written Case – Chateau Boomerang

Bain practice cases

• Bain – Coffee Shop Co.
• Bain – Fashion Co.
• Bain – Mock Interview – Associate Consultant
• Bain – Mock Interview – Consultant

What should I know about BCG & Bain case interviews?

Unlike McKinsey, BCG and Bain case interviews typically follow the candidate-led format – which is the opposite of interviewer-led, with the candidate driving the case progress by actively breaking down problems in their own way.

The key to acing candidate-led cases is to master the case interview fundamental concepts as well as the frameworks.

Some BCG and Bain offices also utilize written case interviews – you have to go through a pile of data slides, select the most relevant ones to answer a set of interviewer questions, then deliver those answers in a presentation.

For a detailed guide on candidate-led cases, check out our article on BCG & Bain Case Interview .

Deloitte case interview examples

Deloitte practice cases.

Undergrad Cases

• Human Capital – Technology Institute
• Human Capital – Agency V
• Strategy – Federal Benefits Provider
• Strategy – Extreme Athletes
• Technology – Green Apron
• Technology – Big Bucks Bank
• Technology – Top Engine
• Technology – Finance Agency

Advanced Cases

• Human Capital – Civil Cargo Bureau
• Human Capital – Capital Airlines
• Strategy – Club Co
• Strategy – Health Agency
• Technology – Waste Management
• Technology – Bank of Zurich
• Technology – Galaxy Fitness

What should I know about Deloitte case interviews?

Case interviews at Deloitte also lean towards the candidate-led format like BCG and Bain.

The Deloitte consultant recruitment process also features group case interviews , which not only test analytical skills but also place a great deal on interpersonal handling.

Accenture case interview examples

Accenture divides its cases into three types with very cool-sounding names.

Sorted in descending order of popularity, they are:

These are similar to candidate-led cases at Bain and BCG. albeit shorter – the key is to develop a suitable framework and ask the right questions to extract data from the interviewer.

These are similar to the market-sizing and guesstimate questions asked in interviewer-led cases – demonstrate your calculations in structured, clear-cut, logical steps and you’ll nail the case.

These cases have you sort through a deluge of data to draw solutions; however, this type of case is rare.

Capital One case interview examples

Capital One is the odd one on this list – it is a bank-holding company. Nonetheless, this being one of the biggest banks in America, it’s interesting to see how its cases differ from the consulting ones.

Having gone through Capital One’s guide to its cases, I can’t help but notice the less-MECE structure of the sample answers. Additionally, there seems to be a greater focus on the numbers.

Nonetheless, having a solid knowledge of the basics of case interviews will not hurt you – if anything, your presentation will be much more in-depth, comprehensive, and understandable!

See Capital One Business Analyst Case Interview for an example case and answers.

Other firms case interview examples

Besides the leading ones, we have some examples from other major consulting firms as well.

• Oliver Wyman – Wumbleworld
• Oliver Wyman – Aqualine
• LEK – Cinema
• LEK – Market Sizing
• Kearney – Promotional Planning
• OC&C – Imported Spirits
• OC&C – Leisure Clubs

Consulting clubs case books

In addition to official cases, here are a few case books you can use as learning materials.

Do keep in mind: don’t base your study on frameworks and individual case types, but master the fundamentals so you can tackle any kind of case.

• Wharton Consulting Club Case Book
• Tuck Consulting Club Case Book
• MIT Sloan Consulting Club Case Book
• LBS Consulting Club Case Book
• Kellogg Consulting Club Case Book
• INSEAD Consulting Club Case Book
• Harvard Consulting Club Case Book
• ESADE Consulting Club Case Book
• Darden Consulting Club Case Book
• Berkeley Consulting Club Case Book
• Notre-Dame Consulting Club Case Book
• Illinois Consulting Club Case Book
• Columbia Consulting Club Case Book
• Duke Consulting Club Case Book
• Ross Consulting Club Case Book
• Kearney Case Book

Case interview example – Case video

The limitation of most official case interview examples is that they are either too short and vague, or in text format, or both.

To solve that problem for you, we’ve extracted a 30-minute-long, feedback-rich case sample from our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program .

This is a candidate-led, profitability case on an internet music broadcasting company called Pandora.

In 30 minutes, this candidate demonstrates the exact kind of shortcoming that most candidates suffer during real case interviews – they come in with sharp business senses, then hurt their own chances with inadequate techniques.

Here are seven notable areas where the candidate (and you) can improve:

Thanking Throughout the case, as especially in the opening, he should have shown more appreciation for the time the interviewer spent with him.

Structured opening The candidate’s opening of the case feels unstructured. He could have improved it by not mixing the playback and clarification parts. You can learn to nail the case in a 3-minute start through this video on How to Open Any Case Perfectly .

Explicitness A lot of the candidate’s thought process remains in his head; in a case interview, it’s better to be as explicit as possible – draw your issue tree out and point to it as you speak; state your hypothesis when you move into a branch; when you receive data, acknowledge it out loud.

Avoiding silence The silence in his case performance is too long, including his timeout and various gaps in his speech; either ask for timeout (and keep it as short as possible) or think out loud to fill those gaps.

Proactivity The candidate relies too much on the interviewer (e.g: asking for data when it can easily be calculated); you don’t want to appear lazy before your interviewer, so avoid this.

Avoiding repeating mistakes Making one mistake twice is a big no-no in consulting interviews; one key part of the consulting skill set is the ability to learn, and repeating your mistakes (especially if the interviewer has pointed it out) makes you look like someone who doesn’t learn.

Note-taking Given the mistakes this candidate makes, he’s probably not taking his notes well. I can show you how to get it right if you watch this video on Case Interview Note-Taking .

Nonetheless, there are three good points you can learn from the candidate:

The candidate sums up what he’s covered and announces his upcoming approach at the start and at key points in the case – this is a very good habit that gives you a sense of direction and shows that you’re an organized person.

The candidate performs a “reality check” on whether his actions match the issue tree; in a case interview it’s easy to lose track of what you’re doing, so remember to do this every once in a while.

The candidate prompts the interviewer to give out more data than he asked for; if anything, this actually matches a habit of real consultants, and if you’re lucky, your interviewer may actually give out important pieces you haven’t thought of.

These are only part of the “ninja tips” taught In our Case Interview E2E Secrets Program – besides the math and business intuition for long-term development, a key feature is the instant-result tips and techniques for case interviews.

Once you’ve mastered them, you can nail any case they throw at you!

For more “quality” practice, let’s have a mock case interview with former consultants from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Oliver Wyman, Strategy& and many other consulting firms. They will help you identify your problem areas and give you actionable feedback, making your preparation much easier and faster.

Hi! This is Kim and welcome to another performance in the Tips & Techniques part of our amazing End-to-end program. You are about to hear a really interesting performance.

There is a common Myth that Profitability cases are easier. Well, for beginners, that’s may make sense, but I would argue that Profitability cases can be really tricky and candidates without good foundation will make about the same level of mistakes regardless of type of cases given.

The profitability case we are about to watch will show that. It’s a very unconventional

Profitability. It started out like a typical one but getting more and more tricky toward the end.

The candidate is fairly good in term of business intuition, but the Tips & Techniques aspect needs a lot of fine tune! Now let’s go ahead and get started! 

It’s actually a little better to playback the case information and ask clarifications. The candidate does not distinguish between the two and do both at a same time. Also, the candidate was asking these clarifications in an unorganized and unstructured fashion. This is not something terrible, but could have been better, especially when this is the very first part of the case, where the crucial first impression is being formed.

My pitch would sound like this:

“That’s a very interesting problem and I am happy to get the chance to solve it. First of all let me tell you my understanding of the case context and key objectives. Then I would like to ask a few clarifying questions regarding a few terminology and concepts. Both of these are to make sure that I will be solving the right problem.

So here is my understanding of the case: The client is ABC. Here are some DEF facts about the situation we just talked about. And the key case question is XYZ.

Does that correctly and adequately summarize the case?”

Once the interviewer confirms, I would move to the clarification part as follows: “Now I would like to ask a few clarification questions. There are three of them: No 1, … No 2, … and No 3, …”

You may see above pitch as obvious but that’s a perfect example of how you should open any cases. Every details matters. We will point out those details in just a second. But before we do that, it’s actually very helpful if you can go back, listen carefully to the above pitch, and try to point out the great components yourselves. Only after that, go back to this point and learn it all together.

Alright, let’s break down the perfect opening.

First of all, you hear me say: “That’s a very interesting problem and I am happy to get a chance to solve it”. This seems trivial but very beneficial in multiple ways:

1. I bought myself a couple of seconds to calm down and get focused. 2. By nature, we as human unconsciously like those who give us compliments. Nothing better than opening the case with a modest compliment to the interviewer.

And (c) I showed my great attitude towards the case, which the interviewer would assume is the same for real future consulting business problems.

You should do that in your interviews too. Say it and accompany it with the best smile you can give. It shows that you are not afraid of any problems. In fact, you love them and you are always ready for them.

Secondly, I did what I refer to as the “map habit”, which is to always say what you are about to do and then do it. Just like somebody in the car showing the drivers the route before cruising on the road. The driver would love it. This is where I said: “Let me tell you my understanding of the case context and key objectives. Then ABC…”.

Third, right at the beginning of the case, I try to be crystal clear and easy to follow. I don’t let the interviewer confused between playing the case vs. asking clarification questions. I distinguish between the two really carefully. This habit probably doesn’t change the outcome of how the case goes that much, but it certainly significantly changes the impression the interviewer has of me.

Fourth, in playing back the case, each person would have a different way to re-phrase. But there are three buckets to always include:

1. Who is the client 2. The facts regarding the client and the situation and (c) The key question and the objective of the case.

Fifth, after playing the case context and objectives, I pause for a second and ALIGN with the interviewer: “Does it correctly and adequately summarize the case?”. This is a habit that every consulting manager loves for young consultants to do. Nobody wants first-year folks to spend weeks of passion and hard-work building an excel model that the team can’t use. This habit is extensively taught at McKinsey, Bain and BCG, so therefore interviewers would love somebody that exhibits this habit often in case interview.

Lastly, when asking clarification questions, you hear me number them very carefully to create the strong impression that I am very organized and structured. I said I have three clarifying questions. Then I number them as I go through each. No.1, No.2, and No.3.

Sometimes, during interviews it’s hard to know exactly how many items you are going to get. One way is to take timeout often to carefully plan your pitch. If this is not possible in certain situations, you may skip telling how many items you have; but you should definitely still number your question: No.1, No.2; and so on. 

Just a moment ago, the candidate actually exhibited a good habit. After going through his clarification questions, the candidate ended by asking the “is there anything else” question. In this case, I actually give out an important piece of data.

Though this is not very common as not every interviewer is that generous in giving out data. But this is a habit management consultants have to have every day when talking to experts, clients, or key stakeholders. The key is to get the most data and insights out of every interview and this is the type of open-ended question every consultant asks several times a day.

To show of this habit in a case interview is very good!

There are three things I would like you to pay attention to:

First, it took the candidate up to 72 seconds to “gather his thoughts”. This is a little too long in a case interview. I intentionally leave the 72 seconds of silence in the recording so you get an idea of how long that is in real situations. But it’s worth-noting here is not only that. While in some very complicated and weird cases, it’s ok to take that long to really think and gather ideas. In this case, the approach as proposed by the candidate is very simple. For this very approach, I think no more than 15 to 20 seconds should be used.

No.2, with that said, I have told I really like the fact that this candidate exhibits the “map” habit. Before going straight to the approach he draws the overall approach first.

No.3. You also see here that the candidate tried to align the approach with me by asking my thoughts on it. As I just said on the previous comment, this is a great habit to have. Not only does it help reduce chance of going into the wrong direction in case interviews, but it also creates a good impression. Consulting interviewers love people doing it often!

Here we see a not-really-bad response that for sure could be much better. The candidate was going into the first branch of the analysis which is Revenue. I would fix this in 3 aspects:

First, even though we just talked about the overall approach, it’s still better to briefly set up the issue tree first then clearly note that you are going into one branch.

Second, this is not a must, but I always try to make my hypothesis as explicitly clear as possible. Here the candidate just implicitly made a hypothesis that the problem is on the revenue side. The best way to show our hypothesis-driven mindset is to explicitly say it.

Third, you hear this a ton of times in our End-to-End program but I am going to repeat it again and again. It is better to show the habit of aligning here too. Don’t just go into revenue, before doing that, give the interviewer a chance to agree or to actually guide you to Cost.

So, summarizing the above insights, my pitch would sound something like this:

“So as we just discussed, a profit problem is either caused by revenue or by cost. Unless you would like to go into cost first, let’s hypothesize that the problem is on revenue side. I would like to look deeper into Revenue. Do we have any data on the revenue?”

And while saying this, you should literally draw an issue tree and point to each as you speak.

There is an interesting case interview tip I want to point out here. Notice how the candidate responds after receiving two data points from me. He went straight into the next question without at least acknowledging the data received and also without briefly analyzing it.

I am glad that the candidate makes this mistakes… well, not glad for him but for the greater audience of this program. I would like to introduce to you the perfect habit of what you should react and do every time you have any piece of data during case interviews. So three things you need to do:

Step 1: Say … that’s an interesting piece of data. This helps the interviewer acknowledge that you have received and understand the data. This also buys you a little time. And furthermore, it’s always a good thing to give out modest compliments to the interviewer.

Step 2: Describe the data, how it looks, is there any special noteworthy trend? In this case, we should point out that revenue actually grew by more than 50%.

Also notice here that I immediately quantified the difference in specific quantitative measurement (in this case, percentage). Saying revenue went up is good, but it’s great to be able to say revenue went up by more than 50%.

Step 3: Link the trend identified back to the original case question and the hypothesis you have. Does it prove, disprove, or open up new investigation to really test the hypothesis? In this case, this data piece actually opened up new investigating areas to test the hypothesis that the bottleneck is within revenue.

My sample pitch for this step 3 would sound like this: “It’s interesting that revenue went up quite a bit. However, to be able to fully reject our hypothesis on the revenue, I would like to compare our revenue to that of the competitors as well.”

Then only at this point, after going through 3 steps above, I ask for the competitors’ revenue like the candidate did.

Notice here that I ended up asking the same question the candidate did. This shows that the candidate does have a good intuition and thought process. It’s just that he did all of these implicitly on his head.

In consulting case interview, it’s always good to do everything as explicitly as possible. Not only is it easier to follow but it helps show your great thought process.

… the rest of the transcript is available in our End To End Case Interview

Learn the Secrets to Case Interview!

Join countless other successful candidates around the world with our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program ! 10 example cases with 100+ real-time feedbacks on tips and techniques, 50+ exercises on business intuition and 1300+ questions for math practice!

Scoring in the McKinsey PSG/Digital Assessment

The scoring mechanism in the McKinsey Digital Assessment

Related product

Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program

Elevate your case interview skills with a well-rounded preparation package

Preparing for case interviews is a hard task when you only have 1 week, so the first part you need to learn during this time is fundamentals of case interview

Case interview in consulting is difficult with the passing rate is around 10%. This is because big consulting firms keep an extremely high recruitment standard

A case interview is where candidates is asked to solve a business problem. They are used by consulting firms to evaluate problem-solving skill & soft skills

• Undergraduates
• Ph.Ds & Postdocs
• Faculty/Staff
• Prospective Students & Guests
• Student Athletes
• First Generation and/or Low Income Students
• International Students
• LGBTQ Students
• Students with Disabilities
• Students of Color
• Student Veterans
• Advertising, Marketing & PR
• Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
• General Management & Leadership Development Programs
• Law & Legal Services
• Startups, Entrepreneurship & Freelance Work
• Environment, Sustainability & Energy
• Media & Communications
• Policy & Think Tanks
• Engineering
• Healthcare, Biotech & Global Public Health
• Life & Physical Sciences
• Programming & Data Science
• Graduate School
• Business School
• Health Professions
• Cover Letters & Correspondence
• Interview Preparation
• Professional Conduct & Etiquette
• Job Offers & Salary Negotiations
• Navigating AI in the Job Search Process
• Yale Career Link
• CareerShift
• Gap Year & Short-Term Opportunities
• Planning an International Internship
• Funding Your Experience
• Career Fairs/Networking Events
• On-Campus Recruiting
• Resource Database
• Job Market Insights
• Informational Interviewing
• Peer Networking Lists
• Building Your LinkedIn Profile
• YC First Destinations
• YC Four-Year Out
• GSAS Program Statistics
• Statistics & Reports
• Meet with OCS
• Student Organizations Workshop Request
• Office of Fellowships
• OCS Podcast Series
• Contact OCS
• OCS Mission & Policies
• Additional Yale Career Offices
• Designing Your Career
• Faculty & Staff

Case Interview Study Samples

• Share This: Share Case Interview Study Samples on Facebook Share Case Interview Study Samples on LinkedIn Share Case Interview Study Samples on X

These case studies represent cases across firm styles (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, & more), including interviewer-led and interviewee-led (candidate-led) cases. The video examples demonstrate the nuances of the virtual case interview and include feedback from an MBB coach. The sessions feature consultants or consulting candidates.

Office of Career Strategy

Visiting yale.

JP Morgan interview (41 real questions, process, and prep)

Today we’re going to show you what to expect during JP Morgan interviews, and what you should do to prepare . 

The information in this guide is based on an analysis of over 100 JP Morgan interview reports (from real candidates for analyst roles), which were recorded between 2016-2021.

And here’s one of the first things you’ll want to know:

JP Morgan heavily emphasizes “behavioral” questions (as do Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley ). So, if you want to prioritize your preparation, then you’ll want to pay close attention to the questions section below.

Let’s get started.

• Process and timeline
• Behavioral questions
• Business sense questions
• Technical questions
• How to prepare

1. Interview process and timeline

Want to get more interviews click here for a 1-to-1 resume review with an ex-investment banker from jp morgan, goldman sachs,etc.

Here we’ll cover what you can expect at each stage of JP Morgan's application process. In this article, we’ll focus primarily on investment banking (IBD) roles, but the below process likely has some overlap with the steps for other roles.

The interview process at JP Morgan typically takes around 4 weeks to complete, but it can often take 2 months or even longer, so be prepared for an extensive process. 

Let’s begin with an overview of each step you’ll encounter, then we’ll dig deeper into each one.

1.1 What interviews to expect

Whether applying for a full-time position or an internship program, JP Morgan candidates will typically go through 4 steps:

• Application and resume
• Pymetrics test (~30min)
• HireVue interview (~20min )
• Final-round interviews / Super day

1.1.1 Application and resume

There are three main ways that the JP Morgan interview process will begin:

• You’ll apply on their website
• You’ll apply through an event or career fair
• A recruiter will reach out to you

Regardless of which of these starts your application journey, you’ll want to be ready with a polished resume that is targeted to JP Morgan.

If you'd like expert feedback on your resume, you can get help from our team of ex-investment bankers , who will cover what achievements to focus on (or ignore), how to fine tune your bullet points, and more.

It’s also important to spend some time learning about the specific division within JP Morgan where you intend to apply. If you don’t have a clear perspective on the division where you want to work within the company, then this can be a red flag for recruiters.

You should also understand the teams that exist within your target division. This will demonstrate that you’re highly motivated and familiar with how the firm operates.

If you really want to get your foot in the door, another way to set yourself apart is by attending career fairs or events hosted by JP Morgan. Try to make genuine connections with people from the company. Then, when you go to apply, specifically name drop the people you’ve met in your cover letter. You could even write in a quote you heard from them, or mention what you learned from them about the company.

1.1.2 Pymetrics test

If your application meets JP Morgan’s basic requirements, you’ll receive an email to complete an online " Pymetrics " test (note: if you’re an experienced hire, expect to be invited to some video-call interviews without having to go through Pymetrics or HireVue).

The Pymetrics test aims to measure your “cognitive, social, and behavioral attributes.” It does this by giving you 12 “games” to play, each taking a couple of minutes to complete. You’ll be assessed on 90 different character traits ,  and afterwards you’ll receive a report on what your natural strengths and talents are.

As soon as you’ve completed the Pymetrics test, regardless of your performance,  you’ll receive an email inviting you to the next stage: the HireVue interview.

Be aware that once you take the Pymetrics test, you can’t take it again for another year. If you apply to another company and they also use Pymetrics, they’ll be given your score from the test you’ve already taken. 

1.1.3 HireVue video interview

Soon after you’ve taken the Pymetrics test, you’ll receive an email inviting you to a HireVue video interview. We've actually written a detailed guide on this topic, so feel free to check out our JPM Hirevue interview guide . We'll also provide a summary of Hirevue below:

HireVue is a digital tool that allows you to record your responses to a series of interview questions, without having an interviewer on the other side of the camera. You’ll be asked 3-5 questions during the interview. For each question, you’ll have a few moments to prepare your answer, and then you’ll have a time limit of 2-3 minutes to give your answer on camera.

You’ll only be allowed one opportunity to re-record each answer, so we’d recommend preparing answers to common questions in advance. You can get started with the example questions listed later in this article. You can also take unlimited practice questions within HireVue before starting your actual interview, which we strongly encourage you to do.

Most JP Morgan candidates say they faced the following types of questions in the Hirevue:

• One question about their motivations (e.g “Why JP Morgan?” or “Why investment banking?”)
• One behavioral question (e.g “Provide an example of when you sought out relevant information and used it to develop a plan of action”)
• One question about current economic affairs (e.g "What business deal in the news has interested you recently?”).

We'll go deeper into the questions you'll face in section 2.

1.1.4 Final-round interviews / Super Day

If you do well enough in the Pymetrics test and HireVue interview, you’ll be invited to a final round of interviews.

For entry level positions at the firm (internships and graduate hires) this may take the form of a “Super Day” (or Assessment Centre in the UK). This is where a large number of candidates spend the day interviewing at a JP Morgan office or a conference center, although due to COVID-19 this is now normally done on Zoom. Each interview should last around 30 minutes, and you'll face at least two interviewers in each.

If you’re a more experienced hire, you probably won’t be invited to a Super Day. Instead, your final-round interview will consist of at least 3 back-to-back interviews with JP Morgan team members of varying seniority. Each interview should last around 30 minutes.

Now that you know what to expect from the interview process, let's take a look at the kind of questions you'll need to answer.

2. Question types

During the interview process at JP Morgan, you’ll face the following question types:

• Behavioral 
• Business sense

However, some of these questions are asked more frequently than others. Here’s a summary of the data:

As you can see, behavioral questions are by far the most common, so we’ll cover that category next.

Below, we’ve curated a list of practice questions for each question type. 

Note: The questions below were originally posted on Glassdoor , but we have improved the grammar or phrasing in some places to make them easier to understand. 

2.1 Behavioral questions [69% of questions]

Behavioral questions focus on your motivation for applying to the position, your resume, and scenario based questions (e.g. “Tell me about a time…”).

Below is a list of behavioral interview questions that have been asked in JP Morgan investment banking interviews in the last few years. These are excellent questions to practice with because many of the same questions tend to come up repeatedly. 

You’ll want to pay special attention to the first  three questions (bolded below), because they are extremely common. You should definitely have an answer prepared for each of them before your interview.  For a complete list of practice questions, including sample answers and an answer framework, take a look at our guide to  JP Morgan behavioral interview questions .

Example behavioral questions at JP Morgan

Why do you want to work in investment banking?

Why JP Morgan?

Tell me about yourself

Walk me through your resume

What's your career plan within five years?

Why are you a good fit for this position?

What’s one of your biggest weaknesses?

What is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how has that made you a better person?

Tell me about a recent achievement

Tell me about a time you worked in a team

What would your co-workers say about you?

Provide an example on when you sought out relevant information and used it to develop a plan of action

Tell me about a time when you encountered a difficult client and describe how you handled the situation

Tell me about a time during which you had a positive impact on a project, and how did you measure your success?

Name a time you had to make a quick decision, then describe your thought process and what the final decision was

Make a sales pitch for something you're interested in

2.2 Business sense [19% of questions]

The second type of questions you can expect to encounter during your JP Morgan interviews are business sense questions.

These questions cover a few different areas, but generally, these questions will be focused on assessing your industry knowledge and critical thinking skills. 

To make it easier to organize your practice time, we’ve grouped the below questions into a few subcategories. You should be prepared to answer questions from each subcategory. And you can also learn more about this type of question in our separate business sense questions guide . 

Example business sense questions asked at JP Morgan

• Tell us about a recent news story and why it sparked your attention

What is going on in the current market right now that has interested you and why?

What is the biggest challenge facing the financial market in the next 5 years?

What current issues will affect the sustainability of investments in future

How will the bond market react to the interest rate drop?

• What's your view on the European debt crises?
• What do you know about public finance?
• What deals has our group done that you liked and why?
• Tell me about a recent deal you've been paying attention to

3. Industry

What makes JP Morgan different from other banks and the financial industry as a whole?

What's the biggest threat to J.P. Morgan?

4. Investing

How would you compare X company with Y company (e.g. GE and GM)?

What interests you about IPO's?

• How many coins would fit in this room?
• How many cigarettes are sold in the US each year?

2.3 Technical questions [12% of questions]

Technical questions help your interviewers evaluate whether you have the knowledge and skills to perform on-the-job tasks. 

These technical questions can be split into two main categories:

Valuation questions at JP Morgan focus on your ability to calculate the value of a business and your familiarity with DCFs, whereas accounting questions focus on your knowledge of financial statements and accounting principles. Valuation questions tend to be asked more frequently, but you should prepare for both.

Below is a list of example questions from each category for you to practice with. The questions in bold are extremely common, so you should have a strong answer prepared for them.

You can learn more about common technical questions in our   technical questions guide ,  and you can also find helpful summaries in our  investment banking interview cheat sheet .   

  Example technical questions asked at JP Morgan

1. Valuation

• Walk me through a DCF
• What are the ways to work out a company's value?
• Talk to me about some leverage ratios you may use to value the risk on the company's balance sheet
• Value Airbnb using DCF, LBO, and Comps
• When would you not use a DCF to evaluate a company?
• How would a DCF change for a company in the biotechnology space?
• How do interest rate changes transmit to corporate balance sheets?
• Walk me through a depreciation expense, in year 0 and then in year 1, of a $100,000 purchase of a building
• A shoemaker in New York makes shoes for his clients. Give me your scenario of his balance sheet this season. Now link his balance sheet, income statement, and cash flows together.

3. How to prepare

Before you spend weeks (or months) preparing for JP Morgan interviews, you should pause for a moment to learn about the company’s culture. 

This is important for two reasons. 

First, it will help you to clarify whether JP Morgan is actually the right fit for you. JP Morgan is prestigious, so it can be tempting to apply without thinking more deeply.  But, it's important to remember that the prestige of a job (by itself) won't make you happy in your day-to-day work. It's the type of work and the people you work with that will.

Second, having a clear understanding of JP Morgan’s culture will give you an edge in your interviews, because it will help you frame your skills and experiences to align with what the company values. In addition, you will almost definitely be asked about your specific motivations for applying to JP Morgan.  

If you know any current or former JP Morgan employees, see if you can chat with them about the company’s culture for a few minutes. In addition, we would recommend checking out the following resources:

• Who we are (By JP Morgan)
• JP Morgan weekly brief (By JP Morgan)
• JP Morgan strategy teardown (by CB Insights)

Looking for more tips on how to set yourself apart in an investment banking interview? Take a look at our list of  15 essential IB interview tips .

3.2 Practice by yourself

As we mentioned above, you’ll face 3 main types of questions in your JP Morgan interviews: behavioral, technical, and business sense questions. 

And you’re going to want to do specific preparation for each question type.

3.2.1 For behavioral questions

For behavioral questions, we recommend that you use a repeatable method for delivering your answers. You may have heard of the STAR method before, but we recommend a slightly different approach, which is explained in this guide . 

Once you’ve learned a method for structuring your answers, we recommend that you practice answering all of the example questions we provided above, especially the first four questions in the list. 

It’s best to rehearse the answers to these questions out loud, so that you’ll get comfortable giving good, concise answers. It may feel weird to practice answering questions out loud without an interviewer across from you. But trust us, this will dramatically improve how you communicate your answers.

In addition, it’s helpful to prepare a few “stories” that highlight your past experiences and accomplishments, so that you have examples to use for unexpected interview questions. For example, if you have a good example of a time you handled a team conflict, rehearse this story, and you could potentially use it for a variety of different questions during your interviews.

3.2.2 For business sense questions

For business sense questions, there are a few different areas you’ll need to cover.

First, it’s important for you to be up to speed on current events related to JP Morgan, the investment banking industry, and the broader economy. 

To help you stay current, we recommend developing a habit of reading the Investment Banking section of the Financial Times, which will give you the main news from the industry as well as frequent stories specifically on JP Morgan. For broader economic news, you can use your favorite news publication. If you don’t have one, consider giving The Economist a try.

To take this a step further, it’s a good exercise to “quiz” yourself on these current events by reframing them in the form of a question. For example, if you read a story about an M&A deal, ask yourself something like: “Is this really a good deal? Why?” We’d recommend that you analyze and develop an opinion on at least a couple of recent deals, because it’s likely to be useful during your interviews.

Finally, JP Morgan very occasionally also asks “estimation” questions, which test your math and critical thinking skills. This would be something like “how many golf balls would fit in a one gallon milk jug?” To prepare for this type of question, we recommend learning the approach covered in this market sizing guide . 

And of course, practicing the above example questions (out loud) will go a long way in preparing you for your interviews. 

3.2.3 For technical questions

For technical questions, we recommend that you start by brushing up on the key valuation and accounting concepts used in investment banking. 

For valuation, we recommend reading Street of Wall’s valuation overview guide . 

And for accounting concepts, we recommend using this free guide as a quick refresher.  Then, you can study accounting topics more deeply with this free course . 

Once you’ve refreshed your memory on the fundamental concepts, then go ahead and practice with the technical questions we’ve provided above. Again, we’d recommend that you practice answering questions out loud, because this more closely replicates the conditions of a real interview.

3.3 Practice with peers

Practicing by yourself is a critical step, but it will only take you so far.

One of the main challenges of interviewing at JP Morgan is communicating your answers in a way that is clear and leaves a strong impression. 

As a result, we recommend that you also do some mock interviews. This is much closer to the real interview experience. Plus, the feedback you get from an interview partner could help you avoid mistakes that you wouldn’t notice on your own. 

You can practice with a friend or family member to start. This will help you polish your “stories” and catch communication mistakes. However, if your interview partner isn’t familiar with investment banking interviews, then practicing with an ex-interviewer will give you an extra edge. 

3.4 Practice with ex-interviewers

I f you know someone who runs interviews at JP Morgan or another investment bank, then that’s amazing! They would be a great person to give you interview feedback.

But most of us don’t, and it can be REALLY tough to make a new connection with an investment banker. And even if you do have a good connection already, it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them extremely well.

Here's the good news. We want to help you make these connections. That’s why we've launched a coaching platform where you can find ex-interviewers at JP Morgan to practice with. Learn more and start scheduling sessions today .

Related articles:

• Recently Active
• Top Discussions
• Best Content

By Industry

• Investment Banking
• Private Equity
• Hedge Funds
• Real Estate
• Venture Capital
• Asset Management
• Equity Research
• Investing, Markets Forum
• Business School
• Fashion Advice
• Interview Questions
• Private Equity Interview Questions and Answers

40 common private equity interview questions.  Examples include technical, transactional, behavioral, and logical tests with sample answers

Christy currently works as a senior associate for EdR Trust, a publicly traded multi-family  REIT . Prior to joining EdR Trust, Christy works for CBRE in investment property sales. Before completing her  MBA  and breaking into finance, Christy founded and education startup in which she actively pursued for seven years and works as an internal auditor for the U.S. Department of State and CIA.

Christy has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administrations from the University of London.

Prior to becoming our CEO & Founder at Wall Street Oasis, Patrick spent three years as a Private Equity  Associate for Tailwind Capital  in New York and two years as an Investment Banking Analyst at Rothschild.

Patrick has an  MBA  in Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School and a BA in Economics from Williams College.

​101 PE Interview Questions and Answers

Common first private equity interview questions, 15 common private equity technical questions, 8 firm-specific hard technical questions, private equity case interview analysis, private equity deal experience, 5 most common pe behavioral/fit questions, 5 firm-specific behavioral/fit questions, 5 logical puzzles - interview brain teasers, free lbo modeling test, full wso pe prep guide & additional resources, list of private equity firms.

Private Equity (PE) is often considered by professionals to be one of the most challenging sectors to break into within the finance industry. Vast amounts of talent from a variety of past professional experiences (investment banking, asset management, etc.) apply to private equity firms, seeing them as the golden exit opportunity due to generally better pay and (usually) better hours.

The competitive interview process is therefore designed to rigorously filter out potential candidates, with less than 1% of candidates receiving job offers.

Consequently, answering the technical, transactional, behavioral, and logical questions confidently and consistently is key to converting an interview into an offer.

The following free WSO PE interview guide is a comprehensive tool designed to cover every single aspect of the interview process, guiding you from the beginning to the end, therefore drastically improving your odds of landing your dream job.

This guide features a total of 40 of the most common technical, transactional, behavioral, and logical questions, along with proven sample answers that private equity professionals ask candidates during the hiring process. 

We have also added dedicated sections on discussing previous deal experiences and featured a free LBO modeling test (video solution + modeling file) at the end of the guide to perfect your modeling skills! It is a great place to start your preparation before investing in our more comprehensive Private Equity Interview Course .

This resource includes 13 firm-specific questions from leading private equity firms (Blackstone Group, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), etc.) and also proven sample answers to them .

This interview guide consists of 11 sections , each focused on different phases of the interview process.

There are no excuses for not perfecting what is in your control. Irrespective of the firm, the position, or your region, you can be sure these two questions will be asked as they're a standard in the industry.

Anticipating both of these questions beforehand, crafting a compelling narrative around them, and selling yourself on it will make you stand out from amongst the pool of potential candidates.

Walk me through your background/resume

Dial-in a cohesive 90-second resume walkthrough that focuses on the positive and motivating reasons behind every shift (school to job, job to better job, most recent job to grad school).

There are two facets to answering this question immaculately. First, know your story and tell it like a master bard. When they ask you about yourself, they're judging whether they would want to work long hours with you. These questions hold serious weight; use them to make yourself a desirable coworker.

Second, have a few backup stories in mind. Stories that effectively portray you as a good teammate, a problem-solver, a go-getter. Have these stories ready and use them to answer whatever the interviewer asks you. Make sure your resume aligns with these. Tell them confidently and with clarity and relevance, and you'll be putting yourself in good territory.

Why private equity?

Given the variety of professional backgrounds that candidates come from, WSO has created a dedicated page to answer this question. WSO's "Why Private Equity?" page covers 9 sample answers tailored for students and professionals looking to break into private equity.

Free Interview Training

Sign up to our FREE 5-Day Interview Training to kickstart your interview prep.

The Only Program You Need to Land in High Finance Careers

The most comprehensive curriculum and support network to break into high finance.

Technical questions are a critical component of almost every private equity recruiting process. Therefore, your interviewers will expect detailed and accurate responses to commonly asked technical questions, and your answers must demonstrate in-depth knowledge and expertise of the topic at hand. 

The following section features 15 common PE interview questions, as determined by the WSO Company database and the Harvard Business School Venture Capital & Private Equity club members. A sample answer has been provided for every question.

At the end of these 15 questions, we also have provided you with eight exclusive firm-specific technical questions to kickstart your mock interview training.

WSO Pro Tip:

The 15 technical questions covered below are exclusive to the private equity industry. However, PE interviews often overlap with investment banking interviews as general finance/accounting questions can also be asked. To check out an additional 30 technical questions with sample answers, check out WSO’s free 101 Investment Banking Interview Questions and Answers page .

1. Tell me why each of the financial statements by themselves is inadequate for evaluating a company?

Sample Answer: Income Statement:

The income statement alone won't tell you whether a company generates enough cash to stay afloat or whether it is solvent. You need the balance sheet to tell you whether the company can meet its future liabilities, and you need the cash flow statement to ensure it is generating enough cash to fund its operations and growth.

Balance Sheet:

The balance sheet alone won't tell you whether the company is profitable because it is only a snapshot on a particular date. For example, a company with few liabilities and many valuable assets could actually be losing a lot of money every year.

Cash Flow Statement:

The cash flow statement won't tell you whether a company is solvent because it could have massive long-term liabilities which dwarf its cash-generating capabilities.

The cash flow statement won’t tell you whether the company’s ongoing operations are actually profitable because cash flows in any given period could look strong or weak due to timing rather than the underlying strength of the company’s business.

2. What might cause two companies with identical statements to be valued differently?

Sample Answer: The financial statements do a decent job of painting a picture of a company's historical performance, but they do not essentially tell us all that we need to know about its future performance. Since the value of a company depends primarily on its expected future performance, the financial statements are insufficient.

Examples of important things financial statements don't tell us are:

• The future growth of the industry in which the company operates
• The company's competitive position including market share, relationships, patents, etc.
• The reputation and capabilities of the company’s management team
• The quality of the company’s future strategy

3. Why do private equity firms use leverage?

Sample Answer: PE returns are calculated based on the return on their invested equity. Using leverage to do deals allows you to use less equity which means the ultimate returns are larger in comparison to the amount of equity initially invested. Another way to look at it is that the cost of leverage (debt) is lower than the cost of equity because equity is generally priced to an IRR of 20%+, whereas the annual interest expense on debt is usually below 10%.

Yet another way to look at it is that using a lot of debt makes the return on equity much more volatile and much riskier because the debt must be repaid before the equity gets any return. The high returns on PE equity may be seen as the fair return associated with the extra risk associated with high leverage.

This question can also be asked as “How does leverage increase PE returns?”

4. How would you successfully close a deal if you and the seller disagree on the price of an asset due to different projections of its future operating performance?

Sample Answer: The classic PE solution to this common problem is called an "Earn-out." This solution is often used because sellers are more optimistic about the future performance of a business than PE investors are willing to underwrite. In such cases, either party may propose that the sellers are paid a portion of the total acquisition price up-front, while a portion is held back (frequently in an escrow account) until the business' actual future performance is determined. 

If the business performs as the seller expects, the seller is paid the remainder of the purchase price, which may sometimes run to months or years after the deal's close. Conversely, if the business under-performs compared to the seller's expectations, then the buyer keeps some or all of the earn-out money. This type of structure is a common way of bridging valuation gaps between buyers and sellers.

5. How would you calculate the change in Net Working Capital (NWC)?

Sample Answer: The classic formula for NWC is current assets (excluding cash) less current liabilities. For a lot of businesses, it is sufficient to define NWC as:

NWC = Accounts Receivable + Inventory – Accounts Payable

Change in NWC is simply the difference between NWC in the current period less NWC during the previous period.

6. How would you roughly estimate the available debt capacity for an LBO?

Sample Answer: Debt capacity for an LBO is typically constrained by three primary ratios,

• Total leverage ratio, 
• Interest coverage ratio, and
• Minimum equity ratio.  

Any one of these ratios could be the governing constraint for a particular deal. For example, to estimate debt capacity for an LBO, you could take the lowest of the three under each of those ratios.

Total Leverage Ratio: The most common method for estimating this ratio is (Total Debt / LTM EBITDA). During normal times, Maximum Debt = ~5.0x(LTM EBITDA). During hot debt markets, this ratio can go up to ~6.0x, and during cold debt markets, it can fall to ~4.0x.

This ratio can also be higher or lower based on the nature of the target's business. Highly cyclical or risky businesses with few tangible assets are on the lower end of the range, while stable businesses with a lot of tangible assets (which can be liquidated to repay debt holders in the event of default) are on the higher end of the range.

Interest Coverage Ratio: The most common method for estimating this ratio is (LTM EBIT / Annual Interest Expense). The floor for this ratio is usually around 1.5x. Therefore, the maximum debt this ratio will allow is roughly calculated as:

Maximum debt = LTM*EBIT / 1.5 (Blended Interest Rate)

The blended interest rate depends on prevailing interest rates and how the overall LBO debt package is structured, but roughly 8-9% is a safe assumption.

Minimum Equity Ratio: Long gone are the days when PE firms could routinely buy targets for 5–10% Equity and 90–95% debt as a percentage of the total acquisition price. These days lenders demand that about 20–30% of the total acquisition price be equity. As such, you could estimate:

Maximum Debt = 0.75 * (Total Acquisition price)

7. What constitutes a good LBO target?

Sample Answer: The truth is that there have been many good deals done with targets that failed most of the criteria in the section. The key is price. Almost any target would make a good buyout candidate at a low enough price. Is there any company you wouldn't buy for a dollar? I caveat my answers to questions like these by asserting that "deals which check all the boxes are usually very expensive" and "all problems may be overcome with a price."

8. Which industry would you invest in, and why?

Sample Answer: This is another common way to ask the same question about how attractive an industry is. The trick to this question is that it's not simply about identifying a good industry but rather about identifying an industry that is improving. If an industry is already high-growth and profitable, the valuations of acquisition targets are also likely sky-high.

Investing is about buying undervalued assets rather than simply good assets. For example, if you identify a bad/mediocre industry that is about to improve, you could probably find a lot of undervalued acquisition targets in it. Therefore, look for industries that are experiencing some of the following:

• Acceleration in long-term growth driven by new technology, an inflection point in adoption, changing consumer preferences, etc.
• A shift in competitive rivalry may arise when competitors are beginning to compete on brand, quality, service, technology, etc., instead of price. For example, when a major competitor is exiting the industry.
• A shift in supply chain dynamics due to consolidation in the industry. This could lead to both add-on acquisition opportunities as well as better bargaining power relative to suppliers and customers.
• Barriers to entry are increasing due to patents, proprietary technology, brand, minimum efficient scale, etc., becoming more important.
• Threat from substitutes declining. The industry's products and services are becoming unique and essential to customers.

9. What are some common methods PE firms use to increase portfolio company value?

Sample Answer: How much value PE firms actually add is an open question, but the following methods are frequently mentioned:

• Recruit better management and board members
• Provide more aligned management incentives (usually via stock option pool)
• Identify and finance new organic growth opportunities (new geographies, new product lines, adjacent market verticals, etc.)
• Find, finance, and execute add-on acquisitions
• Foster stronger relationships with key customers, suppliers, and Wall Street
• Support investment in better IT systems, financial reporting, and control, research & development, etc.

10. What company would constitute a good LBO candidate today, and why?

Sample Answer: You always want to have one or two good pitches in your back pocket in case you get asked this question. Before selecting a candidate, refer back to the sections on the common attributes of LBO candidates and how PE firms make money. Try to find candidates that fit at least some of the following criteria:

• Has a lot of stable and predictable free cash flow to pay down debt relative to how much you would have to pay to acquire it. A free cash flow yield (FCF / purchase price) of 10%+ is a solid benchmark.
• Could benefit from a strategic overhaul which would be difficult to execute under current ownership.
• Is having significant operational difficulties which would require a lot of time, patience, and capital to address.
• Has a bad management team or governance structure that a PE firm could improve.
• Has a lot of room to grow either organically or via acquisition if backed with enough patient long-term capital.

11. In addition to TEV / EBITDA, what are some common multiples used in the industry?

Sample Answer: TEV / EBIT

• EBIT is a better metric than EBITDA when comparing companies with different levels of D&A, which EBITDA doesn't capture. Different levels of D&A are commonly found in companies that have different levels of capital intensity (i.e., different levels of capital investment into PP&E).

Price / Earnings (aka P/E Ratio)

• This metric typically equals the market value (market capitalization) of the equity of a publicly-traded company over its LTM Net Income. This is the most common valuation multiple for publicly traded stocks. Keep in mind that this metric applies only to the equity value of the company rather than its TEV. This is because net income belongs to a company's equity holders since debt holders are paid interest before any money flows to equity holders.

TEV / Revenue

• This metric is used for companies that aren’t profitable or have highly cyclical levels of profitability (such as commodity businesses).

There are many other useful multiples, but the above should cover you in the vast majority of interview situations.

Everything You Need To Break into Private Equity

Sign Up to The Insider's Guide on How to Land the Most Prestigious Buyside Roles on Wall Street.

12. What are some pros and cons of multiples?

Sample Answer: Pros:

• Multiples are a quick way to gauge the relative value of companies of different sizes. They scale in a way that makes it possible to glean valuation information about a company from the valuation of other companies, which can be both larger and smaller.
• Multiples are less volatile and less prone to assumption-driven swings than bottoms-up valuation methodologies such as the Discounted Cash Flow.
• If the market's valuation of the comps is wrong, then the valuation of your target will be equally wrong.
• No single comp is a perfect proxy for a different target company. Finding enough solid comps to average out the idiosyncratic differences can be difficult.

13. What are some pros and cons of LBO modeling?

• LBO models are built from the ground up and do not depend as much on trusting the wisdom of the public markets (which can be very wrong).
• LBO models can capture the value of optimizing a company's capital structure (often by using more debt than the public market is comfortable with).
• LBO models can capture the value of operational improvements private owners could enable that would otherwise be difficult for a public company to execute.
• LBO modeling requires making many uncertain assumptions about a company's operating and financial performance at least 3-5 years into the future.
• LBO modeling requires access to more data and entails a lot more work than valuations based on comparable multiples, precedent transactions, or market values.

14. What are some pros and cons of market value?

• Market value is always up-to-date and is instantly available for public companies.
• It is determined by the individual decisions of a large and diversified investor base, so it reflects the collective work and judgment of many people.
• The market can be wrong, sometimes by a lot, and if it weren't, then hedge funds and other public market investors would rarely beat the market.

15. What are some different types of debt covenants, and what are they used for?

Sample Answer: Debt covenants are contractual agreements between lenders and borrowers (such as companies that have been bought via an LBO) that give lenders specific rights to help protect their investment.

Maintenance covenants:

Require the borrower to maintain a specific equity cushion or debt service coverage cushion to maintain their ability to repay its debt. 

Incurrence covenants:

Prevent the borrower from taking specific actions which could be detrimental to existing lenders, such as taking on more debt or paying out cash dividends to equity holders.

Strict covenants can make the investment much riskier to a PE investor because a default on a covenant can result in the loss of the entire equity investment even if the portfolio company remains solvent.

Having a detailed understanding of the answers to the 15 technical questions above is going to give you a competitive edge over the applicant pool. However, to achieve full technical mastery, it is critical that you expect technical questions that are specific to different private equity firms.

The following section features eight exclusive questions asked that actual interviewers asked candidates at some of the world's biggest private equity firms.

Did you know?

The following questions have been taken from WSO’s company database , which is sourced from the detailed experiences of more than 30,000 candidates with PE interviews. The WSO PE Interview Course includes access to over 2,447 questions across 203 private equity funds (no other resource comes close).

The Blackstone Group Technical Questions

Sample Answer: Calculate the enterprise value (EV) by discounting the projected unlevered free cash flows and terminal value to net present value. Calculate the equity value by subtracting net debt from EV.

Sample Answer: An average secondary fund can expect to perform with an IRR of around 13% and a MOIC of approximately 1.5x.

Sample Answer: A SaaS company can be valued with multiples focusing on Sales and looking at User Growth.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) Technicals

Sample Answer: Some metrics which are important to analyze are:

• Cash on cash
• Equity multiple 

Ares Management Interviews

Sample Answer: Factors that may cause different valuations are:

• Tenant credit quality,
• Lease term length
• Strength of leasing
• Cap structure of the building

Sample Answer: NOI / Cap rate = Purchase price

Bain Capital Technical Interviews

Sample Answer: Sample drivers may include:

• Patient number
• Healthcare quality 
• Economy state

Sample Answer: Revenue: Coffee/person, people/day, cost of coffee, any add-on pastries Cost: Variable (cups, straws, water, coffee beans, etc.), fixed (rent, electricity), quasi-fixed (headcount)  

This was originally posted by @TheKing”. This post has been edited and formatted.

In the large majority of your interviews, you will get asked to walk through a case study. So what is a case study?

While it varies from firm to firm, here’s what it generally will look like.

• You get a copy of a CIM (Confidential Information Memorandum), usually from an old sell-side process. 
• In my interview process, I ended up creating a two-page memo that more or less condensed the critical parts of the CIM, analyzed the pros/cons of the business, and included a SWOT analysis.
• So how do you ace this aspect of the interview? Remember, you're trying to determine whether or not the target company is a good candidate for a leveraged buyout.

Factors to Consider in the PE Case Interview

Below, the OP reviews the factors that you should consider when completing your private equity case study in interviews.

Historical and Projected Growth and Profitability:

Ensure that the company will be able to handle the additional debt brought on through an LBO while also providing for a strong return on investment through growth in revenue and profitability.

Diversity of Customers & Products of Target Company:

A company might have strong financials at first glance, but you’ll want to make sure they aren’t overly concentrated in one product area or with one customer. If there is any notable concentration, it had better be able to prove that it’s got sticky customer relationships, so to speak.

Differentiating Factors of The Business:

This ties in with profitability and customers/products. Does the target company have specific technology or processes that will enable them to continue to grow and maintain margins going forward, or are they susceptible to margin erosion as competition increases?

Industry Focus for the Target Business:

Is the company in a growing industry? How will it handle potential economic turmoil? How well is the target positioned in its industry? Is it a leader?

Strength of Management for Target Company:

What's the management team like? Is it a founder-owned business? Has the team been together a long time? How built out is the team? The strength of the management team is fundamental, and it plays a vital role in the middle market. Oftentimes, you'll look at companies with fragile management teams or owners looking to cash out and take a smaller role in the company going forward. These cases allow a PE firm to add value by placing solid professionals into management roles.

Exit Potential and IRR for Target Company:

A company can be an absolute cash cow, but you'll need to be able to exit the investment at some point over a reasonable time frame (generally five years) in order to generate a suitable return on investment for your investors. So you'll want to have some ideas as to where eligible buyers might come from.

Closing Questions:

Now, reading a CIM will get you pretty far. You'll learn a great deal about the target company, its growth prospects, its industries, and its alleged upside potential. But, the CIM is a sales document . So, while you can glean a ton of helpful information from a careful read-through of a CIM, you'll also want to have something of a skeptical eye. Invariably, you'll have questions and concerns that you'd like to raise with management in the next round of the sell-side process.

Here are a few examples of questions you might ask.

• What is the biggest challenge your company faces?
• Who are the most important members of your team, and why?
• What are your company’s pain points, and how can we help to address them?

This is a great time to develop specific questions based upon issues you uncovered in your read-through of the CIM.

This was originally posted by @Candor, a private equity associate. This post has been edited and formatted.

• I will say that the three biggest areas to focus on are, first and foremost, the deals on your resume, secondly understanding everything there is to know about an LBO (on a theoretical and conceptual level), and third, being able to walk through paper LBOs/case studies.
• In some of my interviews, we got REALLY granular into my deal experience, and it was good that I had prepped so thoroughly. So, you have to know everything about them.
• Preparation is crucial since deal experience makes up roughly a third of the interview process. Read about your deal and understand every facet of it  in order to best prepare yourself for when the questions inevitably come.
• Read websites/articles about your deal and take notes. Read initiating coverage reports on the two companies involved in one of your deals. Read comprehensive research reports on the sub-industry that the companies are from.

This video from our PE Interview Course highlights why and how you should be prepared to walk through your prior deal experience.

Fit or "behavioral" questions are used to assess whether you have the right attitude, work ethic, personality, and values to fit in with a PE firm's culture. Most PE firms take fit extremely seriously because most firms usually have only a handful of investment professionals who must collaborate over long hours and under tight deadlines.

This section walks you through 5 of the most common types of fit questions and suggests approaches for answering them. The suggested strategies and sample answers are meant to be illustrative. Always remember, you need to adapt your answers to be true to yourself and your own words.

1. What do you believe makes a good private equity associate?

The interviewer is trying to assess whether you really understand the job you are interviewing for. Your goal should be to answer the question and subtly make your case for why you would be good at it. It would be best to tailor your answer to each particular firm instead of giving one standard response.

For example, suppose a firm like TA or Summit requires a lot of proactive sourcing work from associates. In that case, you need to mention that and describe what makes someone good at sourcing (positive attitude, a lot of energy, curiosity, and gregariousness, ability to handle rejection, creativity, etc.). If a firm requires associates to engage with portfolio companies and help with operations deeply, you need to mention the requisite consulting toolkit.

Sample Answer: The role of an associate can vary a lot from deal to deal, but I understand there are some common elements. For example, associates may be called on to develop investment themes, triage incoming deals, support deal diligence, and execution, and engage with portfolio companies at various points in the deal process. In addition, some common tasks that Associates are expected to perform are reading incoming CIMs, building LBO models, doing trading multiples analysis, competitive position analysis, and industry growth forecasting.

2. What do you do for fun? / What are some of your hobbies? / Tell me a bit about yourself outside of work?

A question like this is a clear sign that the interviewer wants you to go off your resume and reveal a few of your interests and personality. The interviewer is trying to gauge whether they are a well-balanced person who would fit in with the firm on a personal level and be fun to be around for long stretches of time.

Put the CV away and talk about the things that make you fun and interesting. This is your opportunity to connect with your interviewer and demonstrate your likability in addition to your professional competence. So pick something interesting, and don't be afraid to get a little personal (this question practically begs you to get a little personal).

You probably want to avoid highly controversial topics, but you have more leeway here than most candidates realize. Sports, hobbies, talents, funny situations, unusual life stories, exciting achievements, outside passions, etc., are all fair game here. The most important advice is: be interesting. Be a real-life person that your interviewer will remember.

3. Do you consider yourself a risk-taker? / What are some risks you have taken in the past, and what did you learn from them?

Your attitude toward risk is important in a PE context. PE firms look for people who take the responsibility of managing other people's money very seriously but who are willing to take prudent risks to generate returns. Your interviewer is looking for a willingness to take risks tempered by a careful and reasoned approach to balancing risks with rewards.

There are a couple of common ways to approach answering this type of question: You could tell a story where you took a well-calculated risk, and it paid off, or you could tell a story about a bad risk you took and how it taught you to be more careful. In either scenario, you want to affirm your belief that some risk is required for success but that you're the type of person who measures twice before cutting once.

4. What other opportunities are you considering?

This question is tricky because, as always, you want to be honest, but you don't want to necessarily reveal your entire hand or have to answer even more awkward questions like "what is your first choice if you had your pick." It is usually best to try and keep your answer to such questions vague in hopes that the interviewer will drop the subject, and frequently they do.

Suppose you are interviewing with some direct competitors and don't want to go into details. In that case, you can say something like, "I’m involved with some other processes, but I’m not under any time pressure, and I’m most excited about seeing where the process with [interviewing firm] leads first.”

In the rare case that your interviewer presses you to reveal names, try to reveal a couple that you suspect the firm will respect but won’t feel like they’ll definitely lose you if you get a competing offer. You can then try to give one or two credible reasons why you are most interested in the firm you are interviewing.

PE firms hate it when their offers get turned down, so you’re less likely to get an offer if the firm doesn’t think it has a great chance to sign you.

5. “Tell me about a time that….”

There are countless variations of this question, from “Tell me about a time you acted with integrity” to “Tell me about a time that you had difficulty dealing with coworkers.” It is key to have a well-rehearsed response for each of them and a general guideline to follow.

Ideally, you can develop 6-8 stories that cover the 30-40 basic questions, with slight modifications. DO NOT wing it. For every possible question, map out the story using the SOAR framework.

Address the Situation (10-15 seconds), Obstacle (10-15s), Action (60-75s), and Result (15-30s). Stories for these questions should span 1.5 to 2 minutes and focus on what’s important.

Knowing the culture of each private equity firm before walking into an interview is key to clicking with the interviewer and walking out with an offer.

The following section features five exclusive questions that interviewers ask in the world’s biggest private equity firms during interviews. This aims to help you jumpstart your training for the respective private equity firms you are interviewing for.

The following questions have been taken from WSO’s company database, which is sourced from detailed PE interviews experiences of more than 30,000 people.

WSO Company Database

Gain Access to Exclusive Data on Compensation, Interviews, and Employee Reviews.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) Behavioral Question

1. What is your biggest failure/mistake/regret? Why? What did you learn from it?

Honest self-reflection is a hallmark of good PE investors. Everybody makes mistakes. What matters is your ability to admit them and learn from them. Your interviewer wants to see that you’re not afraid to own your mistakes and that you’re able to prevent them from recurring.

Much like the weaknesses question, you need to pick a real mistake, but not one so big that it will disqualify you. If you’ve ever missed a deadline, messed up some analysis, damaged a relationship, been suspended from school, or let a big opportunity pass you by, you’re probably on safe ground to answer this question. Don’t be afraid to own it.  On the other hand, if you’ve been arrested or fired or exhibited serious character flaws, you’re playing with fire. Ditto if you’ve ever actually been accused of lighting a squirrel on fire (you know who you are). Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Choose which mistake to disclose wisely.

Whatever mistake you choose to discuss, do so without equivocation and in a way that makes clear you take total responsibility. Then, spend the second half of your answer discussing what you learned from your mistake and how you made sure it wouldn’t happen again.

The Blackstone Group Behavioral Assessment

2. Why are you interested in Blackstone?

The interviewer wants to make sure that you are truly serious about their firm and that there is likely to be a good fit between you and the firm. Your goal should be to demonstrate your clear interest by showing you’ve spent time researching the firm and have specific reasons to be interested in it.

Before you go into an interview, dig up some of the basic information about it:

• Its origin, age, fund size, office locations, industry focus, investment criteria, etc.
• Bios of some of it investment professionals, especially those likely to interview you
• Existing and past deals/portfolio companies
• How they describe themselves / how they see themselves / what makes their investment process or culture unique

Great resources for learning the above include:

• The firm’s website is first and foremost. It frequently has an “about the firm” section, IP bios, investment criteria, existing portfolio, and past deal examples or case studies
• CapIQ and other similar data providers also frequently have some of the above data
• Google the company’s name for news articles, especially press releases on new investments and exits
• Search for WSO threads about the company and read the WSO database entries on the company
• If you have friends who work there or have worked there - they can, of course, be a great resource

Bain Capital Fit Question

3. What would your friends/roommate/previous manager say about you?

When faced with this question, some candidates find it difficult to praise themselves and fail to highlight their best qualities. Other candidates go overboard and describe themselves in absurdly glowing terms. Remember that a PE firm is looking for confidence mixed with some humility. The sweet spot for this question is to describe yourself in a few reasonable positive terms that you hope are present in you or that others see in you.

You don’t need to feel pressured to balance positives with negatives with this question unless explicitly asked to list weaknesses. Look at this question as an opportunity to sell yourself to the interviewer. In order to drive the point home, feel free to bring up stories or examples about some praise you have received.

Warburg Pincus LLC Behavioral Interview

4. What are your long-term career goals? / Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

The interviewer is trying to make sure that you see PE as a meaningful phase of your career and that you have reasonable expectations for what the role you’re interviewing can offer you.

PE requires a lot of hard work and dedication; it is not a job for someone to try out on a whim. PE firms spend a lot of time interviewing candidates and making their decisions very carefully. They don’t want to hire someone who might not be fully committed.

You do not need to pretend to know with certainty that you will be in PE for the rest of your life, but it helps if you think PE at least factors prominently in your future. On the other hand, it’s also important to have reasonable expectations. If you’re sure that you’re going to go from a new associate to a full partner in five years, you might end up disappointed by a relatively long climb up the ladder. Be honest if you’re not 100% sure you will definitely stay in PE.

That’s not a deal-breaker, especially at firms with pre-MBA associate programs which don’t necessarily give offers to all “graduating” associates for partner-track positions. It helps, however, if your alternate plans include options that will be enhanced by your PE experience because then the PE firm remains comfortable that you will remain committed to your work for the duration of your employment.

For example, a PE firm would be more likely to hire someone whose career alternatives include public markets investing, entrepreneurship, or general management than they are to hire someone whose real dream is to be an engineer, or doctor, or journalist.

Apollo Global Management Fit Questions

5. Tell me about a time you had to convince someone significantly out-ranking you to do something they did not want to do. What was your thought process? What was the outcome? How could you be sure it was the best option at the time?

This question is obviously a personal one, and the answer will vary for different candidates based on their previous experiences. We recommend being open about your thought process with the interviewer rather than making the common mistake of emphasizing more upon the final outcome.

Remember, the interviewer aims to evaluate you as a person here and understand your typical thought process to assess how you will fit into the firm, make sure to therefore be open and focus on what you were thinking at the time of the incident.

Logical puzzles, brainteasers, and riddles are an important part of the interview process as they allow the interviewer to determine your critical thinking abilities. 

For this section of the interview, interviewers aren’t focused on whether you get the correct answers or not. Instead, they are interested in your thought process while solving the riddles you are presented with.

Given this, it is vital to walk your interviewer through your thinking as you progress through the riddle, who may even probe you with questions to assist you. Giving them a rundown of your thoughts and occasionally asking if you’re headed in the right direction demonstrates your capabilities to reflect and approach a problem with composure.

However, it is still extremely useful to anticipate these logical puzzles beforehand to avoid being put on the spot and caught off guard in the interview. The following section has five commonly asked logical puzzles that you can prepare for beforehand to impress your interviewer.

1. What is the sum of the integers between 0 and 100 (inclusive of 0 and 100)?

Answer: The trick to solving questions like this is making pairs that add up to something that is easy to count. In this case, 0 + 100 = 100, 1 + 99 = 100, 2 + 98 = 100, 3 + 97 = 100, etc. There are 50 such pairs because there are 50 numbers between 0 and 49 (including zero). 50 times 100 is 5,000. Don’t forget the final 50 which didn’t get paired up and you get 5,000 + 50 = 5,050.

2. How would you isolate exactly three gallons of water if you are standing in a river with a 5 gallon and a 2-gallon jug?

Answer: Fill the 5-gallon jug to the top and pour water out of it into the 2-gallon jug until the 2-gallon jug is full. You will have exactly 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon jug.

3. You have ten black marbles, ten white marbles, and two buckets.I am going to select one bucket at random and pull out one marble from it at random. How would you fill each bucket with marbles to maximize the odds that I select a white marble?

Answer: Put one white marble in one bucket and put the other 19 marbles in the other bucket. The bucket with the lone white marble will be chosen 50% of the time. When the other bucket is selected, the odds that white marble is pulled are still nearly 50%. By allocating marbles this way, you make the overall odds of a white marble being selected is nearly 75%.

4. A car drives from point A to point B at 60 MPH. It then returns from point B to point A at 30MPH. What is the average speed of the total round trip?

Answer: A lot of people say 45mph, which is wrong. Average speed equals total distance over total time. In this case, let’s assume the distance between A and B is 60 miles. The first leg of the journey takes one hour, and the return trip takes 2 hours. The total distance traveled is 120 miles and the total time the trip takes is 3 hours. Therefore, the average speed of the round trip is 120 miles / 3 hours = 40mph.

5. You drop a 10x10 Rubik’s Cube into a bucket of paint. How many individual cubes have paint on them?

Answer: The key is to gather that cubes on the edge of any one of the six faces have a side on two faces (3 faces for corner cubes), so you can’t simply calculate the number of cubes on one face and multiply that by the number of faces. The most perceptive way to find the solution is to calculate the number of individual cubes in a 10x10x10 Rubik’s cube and then subtract the number of all internal cubes with no facings on the outside.

There are 10*10*10 total individual cubes. On the inside of a 10x10x10 cube, there is an 8x8x8 cube with no outside facings. The 8x8x8 cube contains 512 individual cubes. Therefore, there are 1,000 – 512 = 488 cubes on the Rubik’s cube’s outside with paint on them.

LBO Modeling Test

Download the FREE LBO Modeling Test now to make sure you are ready for buyside interviews and to test your LBO knowledge.

Many of the sample answers in the guide above were taken from WSO’s very own PE Interview Prep Course , which features:

• 9 realistic LBO modeling tests (3 tiers of difficulty)
• 2,447 questions across 203 private equity funds
• 200+ pages of detailed interview and industry insight

Think about it - if this page can set you miles ahead of the competition, imagine what our complete course can do for you.

The WSO PE Interview Prep Course will walk you step-by-step through the interview process and place you in the most advantageous position to land the job.

Additional WSO Resources:

The following additional resources are recommended by WSO for taking a look at:

• Private Equity Resume Template - Official WSO CV Example
• Free WSO Resources
• My Private Equity Recruiting Process
• From Private Equity Associate To VP In Private Equity
• Random Things I Wished I Knew About PE
• WSO Financial Dictionary

The following are some of the biggest of the 1200+ private equity firms WSO has data on in its company database:

• Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) | KKR Overview | KKR Site
• Bain Capital | Bain Capital Overview | Bain Capital Site
• Carlyle Group | Carlyle Group Overview | Carlyle Group Site
• TPG Capital | TPG Capital Overview | TPG Capital Site
• Warburg Pincus | Warburg Pincus Overview | Warburg Pincus Site
• Audax Group | Audax Group Overview | Audax Group Site
• Partners Group | Partners Group Overview  | Partners Group Site
• Summit Partners | Summit Partners Overview | Summit Partners Site
• TA Associates | TA Associates Overview | TA Associates Site
• J. C. Flowers & Co. | J. C. Flowers & Co. Overview | J. C. Flowers & Co. Site
• Providence Equity | Providence Equity Overview | Providence Equity Site
• Silver Lake | Silver Lake Overview | Silver Lake Site

Additional interview resources

To learn more about interviews and the questions asked, please check out the additional interview resources below:

• Investment Banking Interview Questions and Answers
• Equity Research Interview Questions and Answers
• Finance Interview Questions and Answers
• Accounting Interview Questions and Answers

Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.

or Want to Sign up with your social account?

The Deloitte Discovery Internship

• Last Updated January, 2024

Are you in your freshman (first) or sophomore (second) year of undergraduate study and thinking about a career in consulting?

If so, you may be a great candidate for the Deloitte Discovery Internship! Top-tier professional services firm Deloitte offers this program for first and second-year undergraduates who are excited about exploring a career in consulting.

It’s a great way to build your network, leadership, and problem-solving skills – which will serve you well in any career – and to get an inside perspective on what consulting is like, as well as what it’s like to consult for Deloitte specifically.

But what is the Deloitte Discovery Internship — and what does it take to get in?

In this article, we’ll discuss:

What the Deloitte Discovery Internship is like.

• Requirements of the Deloitte Discovery Internship.
• What to expect in the application and selection process.
• 6 top tips on landing a prestigious Deloitte Discovery internship in the Consulting service line.

Let’s get started!

The internship is designed to expose freshman and sophomore undergraduate students to the different Deloitte client service lines (Audit and Assurance, Consulting, Advisory, Tax, Internal services, etc.). Interns will have the opportunity to be hands-on with client work, receive mentorship from senior colleagues, and attend learning programs by Deloitte University.

In this article, we’ll cover some general information about the internship as well as some specific guidance to successfully apply for the Consulting track, since consulting is our focus.

To apply for the Consulting service line, you’ll need to do the following: 

• If you’re a freshman, you want to declare consulting as your first interest. A select group will be offered consulting as an option, whereas the majority will have only the rest of the service lines to choose from.
• If you’re a sophomore, you want to apply to the job posting for the consulting service line (e.g., here ).

The program is offered across multiple locations in the US. Interns will have the option to pick which office they want to work in based on availability.

Successful candidates go through intensive 8-10 weeks of real work experience. A Deloitte Discovery intern in the Consulting service line can expect the following:

• Getting staffed on client engagements for the duration of the program
• Hands-on experience with what consultants do (e.g., writing strategy documents and building analytical models)
• Formal and informal mentorship from experienced consultants
• Attending learning events through Deloitte University
• Participating in social events to learn more about the culture and get to know peers and senior consultants

There are many benefits of the Deloitte Discovery internship program, such as:

• Competitive pay for the duration of the internship
• Corporate benefits (e.g., free lunches, gifts, and corporate cards)
• Sophomore interns are eligible for the NextGen Leaders Program where they will receive a scholarship

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

Requirements of the Deloitte Discovery Internship

The ideal candidate for the program is the following:

• Current freshman and sophomore undergraduate students
• Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, economics, STEM, or a related field
• Strong academic credentials (preferred minimum GPA of 3.2 at the end of the academic year)
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Effective communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership and teamwork skills
• Willingness to travel

The program is open to all eligible candidates. Students from minority groups (Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or two or more races) are encouraged to apply.

What to Expect in the Application and Selection Process.

Students can apply for the program throughout the year for the 2024 internship. There is no deadline for the program. You can apply here .

For successful applicants, the interview process is the following:

• 30-minute behavioral interview (e.g., “Why Deloitte?” “Why consulting?”)
• 30-minute case interview (e.g., conceptual and analytical business questions)

Make sure you check out our article “ Case S tudy Interview Prep ” for more information on passing case interviews.

6 Top Tips on Landing a Prestigious Deloitte Discovery Internship in the Consulting Service Line

1. write a strong resume that is relevant for consulting.

From your professional, college and high school experience you want to highlight experiences that show exceptional academic performance (e.g., GPA and coursework), leadership abilities (e.g., leading a student club), and teamwork skills (e.g., competing nationally in a team sport). These are specifically relevant for consulting recruiters.

Make sure you check out our article on “ Consulting Resumes . ”

2. Tailor a cover letter for the program

Write a short cover letter that shows:

• Your interest in Deloitte and consulting
• Why you are a strong fit for the program
• What you hope to get out of the program

Make sure you check out our article “A Consulting Cover Letter that Lands Interviews” for advice on writing a strong cover letter.

3. Never skip practicing the case interview

The most common mistake that young candidates do is to go straight into the interview process without preparation, assuming that consulting interviews are like other job interviews. Consulting interviews are structured and test your skills as a professional. You will need to prepare to practice the interview skills to improve your chances of getting the offer. Team up with a friend or hire a coach to get you ready for consulting interviews.

4. Have a compelling story

Why do you want to do a consulting internship with Deloitte? What do you hope to get out of the experience? Make sure your story is clear, concise, and memorable to stand out from the crowd.

• A good story: “Through my academic experience studying engineering and economics, I realized that I thrive on solving new and diverse problems. For example, [share an example that illustrates how you enjoy solving challenging problems]. Consulting at Deloitte is the best place to apply my interests and skills.”
• Not so good story: “I want to travel and work on new projects every few months.”

5. Present yourself positively

This is an opportunity to showcase your skills and experiences. Make sure that you focus on the positive things without bragging. Also, avoid any negative language (e.g., I failed, or I was rejected) that is not framed as a lesson that propelled you forward. It’s totally fine to share a time you failed, but be sure to focus the story on what you learned and how you moved forward.

6. Do it with passion

Very few people get the chance to be exposed to Deloitte and consulting at an early stage of their careers. The opportunity can set you up for future career success. Make sure to express your excitement for the opportunity and to bring energy to the conversation.

– – – – –

In this article, we’ve covered:

• Deloitte Discovery Internship Program overview
• Program eligibility
• Program interview process
• Top tips for getting in

Still have questions?

If you have more questions about the Deloitte Discovery Internship, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s recruiters will answer them.

Other people prepping for a Deloitte Discovery Internship found the following pages helpful:

• Consulting Cover Letters
• Consulting Resumes
• Case Study Interview Prep
• Sophomore Consulting Internships: Firms to Apply to

Help with Case Study Interview Prep

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on case study interview prep. My Consulting Offer has helped almost 85% of the people we’ve worked with to get a job in management consulting. We want you to be successful in your consulting interviews too. For example, here is how Mikki was able to get her offer from Deloitte.

6 thoughts on “The Deloitte Discovery Internship”

When are decisions made on the discovery internship?

In general, consulting firms get back to applicants within a month of their application deadlines, either with next steps in the process or a “ding.” Good luck with your application!

Can I apply as an immigrant?

I’m not sure. I’d reach out directly to Deloitte recruiting with that question.

But you might like to check out this article: https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/list-top-management-firms/h1b-visa-sponsorship/

Is it too late to apply for the 2023 internship? Also, does it matter if I have no prior work experience?

I suggest you look on the Deloitte Careers website for deadlines.

You’ll want to show that you have the skills required for consulting: problem-solving, teamwork, quantitative skills, and communication. You can show these through work experience, but you could also show them through your courses at school, extracurricular activities, and even hobbies.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

© My CONSULTING Offer

3 Top Strategies to Master the Case Interview in Under a Week

We are sharing our powerful strategies to pass the case interview even if you have no business background, zero casing experience, or only have a week to prepare.

No thanks, I don't want free strategies to get into consulting.

We are excited to invite you to the online event., where should we send you the calendar invite and login information.

• United States
• Careers Website
• Data & Analytics
• Design & UX
• Enterprise Operations
• Infrastructure & Technology
• Project Management
• Software Engineering
• Women at IBM

IBM Careers Blog

Entry Level Consultant: The Secrets to Becoming a Successful Candidate

By IBM Careers

IBM Consulting is a team of business, strategy and technology consultants who help clients envision and build their future in Hybrid Cloud and A.I. Here, you’ll work with visionaries across multiple industries across the globe in over 170 countries.

To help candidates who are searching for entry level positions at IBM, we’re launching a three-part blog series on the secrets to becoming a successful candidate.

In this blog, we focus on tips for becoming an entry level Consultant. You’ll get real insights from our IBM experts on what it takes to become a successful candidate throughout all phases of the hiring process, including how to prepare for working in consulting, apply to an entry level role, interview for an open position, and continue to progress in your career.

What are the top skills required to work in Consulting?

• Flexibility to adapt to different environments.
• Collaboration and being a team player.

What prior experience or school projects are useful to be successful in Consulting? If a candidate does not have work experience, what should they focus their resumes on instead?

Relevant prior internship experience in business as a consultant, data scientist, developer, or designer are all useful experiences to have on your resume when applying for consulting roles. However, we acknowledge that our roles are entry level, so if you don’t have relevant work experience, you can always list other projects with transferable skills relevant to the role.

School projects, club involvement, summer and part-time jobs, relevant conferences you attended, badges you’ve earned, technology-related passion projects, relevant programming or coding languages, and teamwork and technical skills learned from classroom participation are all transferable skills for this area.

What helps a CV stand out during the screening process?

We receive a large number of applications for consulting jobs every year. The best way to stand out among the crowd is to highlight early in your resume your passion and interest for IBM and for consulting. Showcase your ability to learn, as well as your enthusiasm and research into IBM. These are all important in making your application interesting to the recruiter. Don’t forget to spell check and ensure that all your vital contact information is on your resume!

IBM is a rewarding, yet challenging place to work. Do you have any advice for entry level candidates thinking of applying to Consulting, and what they should expect?

In the consulting world, we don’t necessarily work out of an IBM office every day; we work on a client’s site the majority of the time. You need be prepared mentally and expect to travel as part of the role. We tell our consultants that travel could be as much as 90% of the time, but it really depends on the client’s location and project. One week you could be working from home, and the next week you may be working at a client site. For some candidates, this role could be an exciting opportunity to travel and meet with different clients, but it’s not for everyone.

The Interview: Ace the case interview

How many rounds of interviews are there typically.

This can vary by your region, location, and track that you apply to (Developer, Data Scientist, Technical Specialist, Consultant, or Designer.) Traditionally, your application and interview process involve the following:

• CV screening
• Recorded video interview assessment (only for certain regions) and an online coding assessment (only for Developer or Data Scientist roles)
• Screening interview with the recruiter
• First round interview (case interview)
• Second round interview (behavioral interview)

What is the best way to approach a case interview, and is there any framework or structure you recommend?

Do your research on IBM and ensure you understand the different areas of IBM Consulting. Get comfortable with the framework of going through a case and ensure you ask probing questions. Probing questions allow you to ensure you understand the question properly and retrieve hints of new information you may not have had before.

How should candidates structure their recommendation?

Start by taking a moment to collect your thoughts and ensure you’re thinking about the root question. This is where you can ask probing questions if you’re unsure of which direction to start with. The best advice would be to walk the interviewer through your thought process and how you arrived at your recommended solution. This shows the interviewer you can take a client’s problem and think critically about the recommended course of action.

Do you have any advice to candidates if they get stuck during the case interview?

Don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer for help if you get stuck by asking clarifying questions about the case, client, and environment.

How would you recommend preparing for the ‘question and answer’ portion of the case pitch?

• Be clear and concise: we can only assess what we see and hear; be clear and take your time to ensure everything you’ve learned and concluded is conveyed in your answers.
• Communication is key: our roles and services to clients all rely on clear, consistent communication skills. We must be able to explain the complex, often ‘unexplainable’ solutions to our clients in an easy-to-understand way. If you can demonstrate that in your answers, then you’re already halfway there!

What are some valuable questions that candidates should ask at the end of an interview?

Ask questions that will help you further understand the role. For example, “What kind of projects will I be working on?” and “What technologies will I be exposed to?” These questions will help you determine if the role and IBM are a good fit for you.

Another good question is “What does career progression in this role look like?” This question will show the interviewer that you’re interested in a career at IBM vs. just a job, and it will also give you a chance to understand what paths you can take your career. You want to make sure you’re stepping into a place that you can create as a home for the next 3-5 years.

What do candidates typically struggle with during an interview? Any advice on how candidates can address that?

The biggest struggle we tend to see is that candidates are often not prepared to answer the question, “Why are you interested in IBM Consulting?” It’s very important to make sure you do your research, whether through IBM.com, LinkedIn, Reddit, or wherever you go to get your information from. Definitely be prepared to answer this question.

The other challenge we see candidates face is nerves. The biggest piece of advice I have for candidates is when you’re interviewing, imagine you’re talking to a friend. Pretend you’re out in a restaurant or the cafeteria and you’re talking to a friend over the table. Take a deep breath before you get started. Everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time!

What resources would you recommend candidates check out when preparing for the interview?

We’ve found these two resources to be helpful:

• MIT Sloan Case Studies
• Prep Lounge Case Interview

Your Career Path

Can you give an example of what a career path looks like for an entry level ibmer after joining the consulting team, and what career progression looks like.

IBM is a place where not only can you grow upwards, but also where you can move laterally. You might come in as a project manager and have never done coding in your life, but if you show interest in learning how to do it, we’ll give you the needed education to help you become a coder.

Here’s an example of a career path for an IBM Consultant:

Entry Level Associate Consultant

• Senior Consultant
• Managing Consultant
• Senior Managing Consultant
• Associate Partner

The biggest piece of advice we have for candidates is to find a mentor as soon as you get to IBM who can help support you in taking the next step in your career.

3 Tips for Becoming a Successful Candidate

We hope you found these suggestions and advice helpful as you decide to apply for an Entry Level Consultant Role. Make sure to check out our other blogs on becoming a Developer and a Technology Seller .

We leave you with three tips from our consultants on how to become a successful candidate:

• Ensure your resume reads relevant to consulting and the role you’ve applied for.
• Come to the interview prepared. Understand what IBM Consulting does, as well as the other areas of IBM.
• Network with IBMers, whether through regional campus events or on LinkedIn.

Read more about what a consultant actually does , the skills you need to become one and the career opportunities available for consultants.

Visit our c areers in consulting website to see open consultant roles, learn more about life at IBM, and join our Talent Network to stay updated on relevant jobs that match your skills.

Like 49 Print

Career_Advice

Get the Reddit app

Primarily for accountants and aspiring accountants to learn about and discuss their career choice. Advice and questions welcome.

PwC Deals Intern Case Study

Hey Everyone,

I landed an interview for an internship at PwC in their FDD practice. They mentioned a case study interview and I’m a little lost on how to prepare. Does anyone have any experience with case study interviews and how to prepare specifically for Big 4? I’ve seen a lot of resources regarding management consulting case study interviews, but not as much on Big 4, specifically FDD, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

• Shop to Support Independent Journalism
• We Have Issues
• Investigations
• Ethics Policy
• Ad-Free Login

Republican's exit a 'case study in what’s broken in national politics': columnist

Maya Boddie, Alternet

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) was hired last week by the software company Palantir Technologies, after departing Congress earlier this year.

In an op-ed published by The Washington Post Tuesday, columnist David Ignatius, who recently interviewed the former GOP lawmaker, explains why Gallagher's exit is "a case study in what’s broken in national politics — and maybe how to fix it."

Although "very conservative," Ignatius notes that Gallagher "fears that conservative values aren’t the defining point for Republicans any longer."

He told the columnist: "How conservative you are can’t be measured by loyalty to the party or the president."

Ignatius notes that Gallagher left Congress following "a cruel hoax" claiming that the ex-congressman "had been shot in the face and that his wife and two young daughters" were being held hostage in December of last year.

ALSO READ: Cruelty is all the Republicans have left

That incident "proved to be a breaking point" for the former Wisconsin lawmaker, Ignatius emphasizes.

Gallagher really knew it was time for him to go when he didn't vote for the GOP-led impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

"Gallagher’s exit says that "Congress in the age of Trump is becoming a toxic echo chamber. Members and their families are targets of extremist rage," Ignatius writes.

However, "The arc of Gallagher’s career illustrates several things that matter in this election year," the columnist continues . "First, despite all the bickering, bipartisanship is still possible. Gallagher led a select panel on China that developed nearly 150 bipartisan recommendations for legislation helping the United States to compete more effectively with Beijing."

Gallagher also understands that infighting and insulting gets Congress nowhere.

"We’ve turned Congress into a ‘green room’ for Fox News and MSNBC , instead of being the key institution of government," he told Ignatious. "Being a bomb-thrower on TV or crapping on my colleagues has never interested me."

Ignatius emphasized, "Thinking about Gallagher reminds me that politics is a character test — not just of the candidates but of the system itself. If good people leave Congress or don’t run for office at all, we’ll get legislators who are coarser and more extreme — creatures of this broken process."

Ignatius' full report is available at this link (subscription required).

Stories Chosen For You

Do you think vice president kamala harris should be the next president, 'misconstruing my comments': fox news host faces backlash on 'inappropriate' harris remark.

Fox News anchor Jesse Watters is responding to backlash, after a military policy criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris that critics said was loaded with gratuitously sexualized language, according to The Washington Post.

“There’s been some attention to comments I made on the show yesterday about V.P. Harris,” said Watters on Tuesday, during the latest panel of "The Five." “People are misconstruing my comments to mean something inappropriate. I wasn’t suggesting anything of a sexual nature. I was expressing my opinion that V.P. Harris’s current leadership style could be an issue if elected.”

The comments in question came on Monday, when Watters said on air, “We don’t know who she is. We don’t know what she believes. She’s going to get paralyzed in the Situation Room while the generals have their way with her.” His comments not only triggered widespread outrage from critics of the network, but even was rebuked immediately by his conservative female co-panelists, Dana Perino and Jeanine Pirro. “I don’t like that,” Pirro said, demanding he “take it back.”

ALSO READ: Rudy Giuliani finds a new low: platforming a Nazi

Watters, who also hosts the primetime slot previously held by former Fox personalities Bill O'Reilly and Tucker Carlson, has a long history of blowback for controversial decisions and statements.

In 2020, he faced outrage when he said the COVID pandemic started because the population of China is "a very hungry people" who "have these markets where they are eating raw bats and snakes." And in 2023 he got another smackdown from his co-hosts when he suggested women don't usually get a say in buying cars .

Nor is this the first time he has found himself in hot water for comments about Harris; in July of this year, Watters suggested Harris was only vice president because President Joe Biden cut a "DEI deal" with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — "DEI" meaning diversity, equity, and inclusion, a racial sensitivity policy that has become right-wing shorthand for over-promoting non-white people.

The 'most radical' speech in DNC history — and you probably didn't see it

The Democratic National Convention on Thursday featured a video and speech from More Perfect Union reporter John Russell, who stressed to the Chicago crowd that the party has an opportunity to win over working-class people.

"Thank you to the workers that make this convention happen," Russell began. "Let's never forget how essential all of our labor is."

"I come from Appalachia," he explained. "We kept the lights on in this country for generations. But the wealth made by our broken backs and our black lungs never did trickle down. And Washington listened to rich men demanding that we stick with dirty energy at any cost."

"Across the country, working-class people are looking for a political home, after years of both parties putting profit above people," he said before taking aim at the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump—who has chosen Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), author of Hillbilly Elegy , as his running mate.

"Now Trump , a billionaire, says that he'll take on the elites, but then he promises handouts to Big Oil and he punches down at anyone with the guts to be different," Russell noted. "Populism that insists we are too different to get along is just divide and conquer by a different name."

"There's another sort of populism, with roots in this party, that we—in West Virginia—know well," said Russell, a resident of the state. He pointed to a century ago, when the term "rednecks" was used to deride organized coal miners who "wore red bandanas around their necks as they fought and died for respect and a living wage."

"Their fight yesterday is our fight right now," Russell declared to a roaring crowd. "It is our choice to build on this progress and to create a political home for the mass of working Americans fighting for control over their government, their workplaces, and their planet. And it is our moment to live up to. Let's get after it."

The Nation president and Jacobin founding editor Bhaskar Sunkara said on social media: "I'm pretty sure that John Russell just made the most radical speech in the history of the DNC . A call for class solidarity and a world where working people control their workplaces and their futures."

Antonia Juhasz, a senior researcher on fossil fuels at Human Rights Watch, also responded with praise. Sharing the video, she said, "A great speech on climate action: Climate Action is action for workers, for justice, and for health from John Russell."

In addition to Russell's address, the DNC audience saw a two-minute More Perfect Union video in which he spoke to workers across the United States and highlighted positive impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act, which congressional Democrats passed and President Joe Biden   signed two years ago.

One of multiple " influencers " or content creators to take the stage this week, Russell has a significant social media following and a newsletter called The Holler . Before West Virginia, he lived in Ohio, where he ran for state House in 2016 and Congress two years later.

Russell told Justice Hudson of the Wheeling Free Press that "we need a populism that doesn't divide us, but unites us."

"That's the way forward, especially as we are fighting against right-wing politicians who are offering us a fake version of populism—and we know it's fake because they want us to point fingers at each other rather than at the wealthy," he continued.

Russell also acknowledged that "we have not heard Palestinian voices on the stage, even as this party claims to be working to stop the carnage unfolding in the Middle East," and urged Democrats to stop "silencing or burying their heads in the sand at protestors outside making the very simple ask of five minutes of speaking time so that Palestinians are represented."

Other champions of the working class who have addressed the DNC this week included United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain , U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who also spoke Monday at a Progressive Democrats of America event , where he celebrated people across the country who are organizing "on a class basis" and "prepared to take on big money interests."

Harris campaign focused on Arizona — here's why

Riding high on the recently completed Democratic National Convention and the enthusiasm that has propelled her to a lead in the national polls , Vice President Kamala Harris is launching a campaign to mobilize Generation Z voters on 150 campuses across battleground states.

And Arizona is the tip of the spear in that effort, with the Harris campaign focusing its “Back-to-School” campaign kick-off in the Grand Canyon State, with U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost — the first Gen Z member of Congress — set to join students Wednesday at the University of Arizona in Tucson and then at Arizona State University in Tempe.

“Young voters know the impact that this election will have on their futures, from the freedom to make our own health care decisions to addressing the climate crisis to being safe from gun violence to our ability to find a home and pay the rent,” Frost, a Democrat from Florida, said in a written statement. “The only way we will win is by organizing everywhere and it’s up to us to turn the energy we’re seeing into action to win in November. I am confident that we will see record youth turnout this November.”

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Long a group that rarely voted, and did so in small numbers when it did, young voters in Arizona have become a political force to be reckoned with since 2018, when more than one in every four voters under the age of 30 cast a ballot — more than two-and-a-half times the turnout among young voters in 2014 — setting a record for a midterm election.

In 2020, 51% of under-30 voters headed to the polls, an 18-percentage-point increase over 2016’s youth turnout. And 2022 proved that the 2018 figures weren’t a fluke, with 25% of younger Arizona voters showing up at the polls.

And because younger voters increasingly side with Democrats and back liberal policies — in 1998, young voters were evenly split between the GOP and Democrats, but in 2022 backed Democrats 63%-35% — higher turnout among young voters means more wins for Democrats.

‘Let’s fight for it’: Harris vows to chart a new way forward, defeat Trump

In a swing state increasingly defined by close races, every vote counts. Katie Hobbs won the 2022 gubernatorial race by about 17,000 votes out of nearly 2.6 million ballots cast. The race for attorney general was even narrower, with Kris Mayes winning by just 280 votes.

Not only are younger voters far more sympathetic to Democratic candidates, but Gen Z voters are more politically engaged than Millennials were before them. Earlier this year, ASU’s Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy polled Gen Z Arizonans and found that two-thirds say they plan to vote in November .

About half of the Gen Z voters in that poll said they weren’t registered with a political party, and Jackie Salit, the center’s co-director and a professor in ASU’s School of Public Affairs, said that a potential uptick in Gen Z voter turnout this year would come from independents — driven in part by ballot measures to protect abortion rights and do away with partisan primaries.

“Particularly striking was the finding that independent Gen Z voters who did not vote in 2022 were more likely than their Democrat and Republican counterparts to say that ballot initiatives on abortion rights, open primaries and funding for public education would motivate them to vote,” Salit said in June when a report on the poll was released.

While Joe Biden’s reelection campaign was struggling to generate enthusiasm among many core blocs in the Democratic Party, including younger voters, Harris’ emergence as the party’s nominee has been met with a groundswell of excitement and turned things around for the party seemingly overnight. Among the enthusiastic backers of Harris are 17 leading youth organizing groups .

The Harris campaign told the Arizona Mirror that young voters delivered critical margins to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and maintain Democratic control of the Senate in 2022, and Gen Z will be essential in defeating Trump this year in Arizona and other battleground states.

A recent poll of voters in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, and Wisconsin by Voters of Tomorrow found that Harris has surpassed Trump by 32 points among 18- to 29-years-olds.

The campaign has tapped Frost, who was previously the national organizing director for March for Our Lives, the student-led gun control advocacy group, to be its chief surrogate with college-age voters. Frost will join Keep AZ Blue Fellow Grady Campbell and young and student voters at the University of Arizona and then head north to Tempe, where he’ll join Young Democrats of Arizona President Armonee Jackson, Keep AZ Blue co-founder Francesca Martin, ASU Young Dems President Isabel Hiserodt, and others.

The Harris campaign’s “Back-to-School” push will feature on-campus advertising and social media outreach, including an ad with Harris speaking directly to students about what’s at stake in this election, from gun reform to reproductive rights. There also will be campus organizing and a college barnstorming tour over the next several weeks, as deadlines approach for registering new voters in many states.

SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST.

Arizona Mirror is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arizona Mirror maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jim Small for questions: [email protected] . Follow Arizona Mirror on Facebook and X .

Trump’s RFK Jr. endorsement actually helps Harris

Rudy giuliani finds a new low: platforming a nazi, no candidate age limits: democratic delegates.

Copyright © 2024 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | Manage Preferences | Debug Logs For corrections contact [email protected] , for support contact [email protected] .

In India, an exhausted female doctor took a nap at work. What happened next horrified a nation

Topic: Sexual Offences

Doctors have protested around India after a young medical professional was allegedly raped and killed on the job.  ( Reuters: Adnan Abidi )

A young female doctor was allegedly raped and murdered at her workplace in Kolkata. 

A police volunteer stationed within the hospital has been arrested and charged. 

What's next?

The victim's family alleges it was gang rape and more than one person was involved.

During a marathon 36-hour shift at a government hospital in India's east, a young female trainee doctor ducked off for a quick sleep.

WARNING: The details in this story might be distressing to some readers. 

According to her colleagues, she headed to an empty seminar room used by on-duty doctors to rest.

There, she was brutally raped and murdered.

The 31-year-old's death while at work at the Kolkata R. G. Kar Medical College on August 9 has ignited a furore across India.

Tens of thousands of people have marched through the streets across the country during the past two weeks, calling for justice for the victim and a radical reshaping of attitudes towards women.

More than a million doctors are estimated to have gone on strike, and the country's highest court has ordered a national taskforce be set up to improve workplace safety in hospitals.

But awful crimes like this aren't uncommon in India.

An ABC analysis of government crime data shows in 2022 a woman was raped on average every 17 minutes.

Many cases go unreported in the media. Most don't result in any sort of punishment.

A quick scan of local media shows coverage of dozens of rape incidents in the past month alone.

So, in a country infamous for sexual attacks on women, why has this particular case garnered so much attention?

'Another incident? Again?'

Anti-rape activist Yogita Bhayana says the answer is simple: the victim was a doctor.

"It's beyond disgusting. Where can we call a safe place for women in this country?" says activist Yogita Bhayana.  ( Instagram: Yogita Bhayana )

"That is a trigger point," Ms Bhayana, who runs the organisation People Against Rapes in India, told the ABC.

"The reason there is so much outrage is because [a hospital] is supposed to be the safest place.

"It gives me jitters that in a public facility like a hospital where she was serving others and continuously working for many, many hours, this is her fate.

"It's beyond disgusting. Where can we call a safe place for women in this country?"

Amisha Maroo, a 24-year-old second-year resident at a government training hospital in New Delhi, is one of thousands of doctors who suspended non-emergency work at their hospital and joined the protests.

She said abuse of female doctors is common in India.

"A lawyer should be safe in court. A police officer should be safe in his own police station. Likewise, a doctor should be at least safe in the workplace where he or she is working," Dr Amisha Maroo said.  ( Instagram: Dr Amisha Maroo )

"Honestly, I was like, 'Another incident? Again?'" she said. 

"Women are now empowered [to work] in every workplace, be scientists, doctors, but still common people and citizens are not able to respect that."

She said the Kolkata incident has made her question the government's interest in safe and secure workplaces.

"A lawyer should be safe in court. A police officer should be safe in his own police station. Likewise, a doctor should be at least safe in the workplace where he or she is working," she said. 

"That is the basic right we can expect from a government."

That expectation is also held by the country's highest court.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered a national taskforce be set up to improve safety standards in hospitals, suggesting things like separate resting rooms for female staff and better CCTV coverage.

"If women cannot go to a place of work and be safe, then we are denying the basic conditions of equality," Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said.

Will there be justice?

Government data shows between 2017 and 2022 there were 189,000 reported rape cases in India.

More than 31,000 rapes of women or girls were reported in 2022 alone.

However, the conviction rate remains low , hovering between 27 and 28 per cent from 2018 to 2022.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist Vrinda Grover said the danger against a woman who has been assaulted can often intensify after the crime has been committed.

Doctors walked off the job after a woman was raped and murdered at work in a hospital in Kolkata.  ( Reuters: Sahiba Chawdhary )

"Many women drop out [of pursuing justice] because there is so much threat and intimidation," Ms Grover told the ABC.

"We've had cases where a woman going to court has been kidnapped, she has been burned to death because the people who have committed the rape are so powerful, socially and politically.

"Why should a woman have to pay with her life because she has filed a complaint?"

Rape causing death can be a capital punishment offence in India.

Those convicted may be hanged, or jailed for 20 years to life.

India's last hanging was in 2020 , when four adult men convicted of gang raping and murdering a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in Delhi in 2012 were executed.

Days after the Kolkata incident, the Chief Minister of West Bengal – where the crime occurred – led a rally demanding the person or people responsible for the doctor's death be hanged within the week.

Ms Grover said she has "never heard a more odd thing".

"There is an entire trial to be conducted," she said.

Female doctors say the crime has left them fearful of going to work.  ( AP: Mahesh Kumar A. )

"There is a presumption of innocence enshrined in the Indian constitution for every accused, including a rapist."

In any case, those convicted of rape causing murder are not automatically given the death penalty; that's reserved for cases deemed "rarest of the rare" by a court.

Ms Bhayana from People Against Rapes in India said the attention on the Kolkata case would hopefully lead to a more severe punishment for those responsible, but lamented the huge number of victims who don't ever get justice.

"[Judges] go by the outrage, unfortunately, they don't go by the merits," she said.

"This case might get justice, but unfortunately, not many cases get justice in this country.

"It can't turn into outrage every time because there is no backing, there is no support."

Across India, women in STEM have attended protests and vigils to remember the woman who was killed at work in Kolkata.  ( AP: Anupam Nath )

Ms Grover, who assisted the trial court regarding the sentencing of the Delhi gang rapists to death, said India's sexual assault statistics are a "perfect example" of capital punishment not deterring would-be criminals.

"Four men were hanged in March 2020. Who did it deter?" she asked. 

"The Kolkata horrible, horrific incident reminds us of the same thing."

She accused governments of using inflammatory calls for "the spectacle" of the death sentence to divert attention away from possible failures to provide safe workplaces or contribute to meaningful change in attitudes towards women.

Where's the investigation at?

A police volunteer stationed within the hospital has been arrested and charged with rape and murder.

However, the victim's family alleges it was gang rape and more than one person was involved.

An autopsy has confirmed sexual assault.

Days after the incident, Kolkata's High Court criticised local police for their handling of the investigation and transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's federal crime investigation agency.

On Thursday, the CBI submitted a status report on its investigation to the Supreme Court.

The government of West Bengal also submitted an update on its investigation into a mob attack on the hospital last week.

An angry mob stormed the R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and smashed up facilities in the wake of the murder.  ( Reuters: Sahiba Chawdhary )

The Supreme Court again urged striking doctors to return to work, after making the same request on Tuesday.

But many are still refusing to provide anything other than emergency care.

Resident doctors at the Kolkata hospital issued a statement on Tuesday night asking for Indians' "unwavering support and solidarity" as they strike for "the safety, dignity, and rights of every medical professional in our country".

The incident has deeply impacted 26-year-old Tabinda Farooq, who works at a remote hospital in northern India.

She hoped the inconvenience of the protests would lead to change.

"If the hospitals will be shut for a day, it's going to blow out the whole nation," Dr Farooq said.

"This is the way we can fight for it and get justice.

"After God's will, it's doctors who heal people and send them back home happy and healthy."

The case highlights the danger that all women face in India, and not just those in professional roles, according to women's studies academic Deeplina Banerjee, from Western University in Ontario. 

"Growing up, we have been told that the honour of the family rests with us in our bodies. 

"So if anything is to happen to that honour, if we are violated by perpetrators who are men, who are violent, then the blame is on us.

"What we are seeing really is the tip of the iceberg. The problem is far more entrenched and deep-rooted." 

Additional reporting by Oscar Coleman .

Female students walked out of class to demonstrate against the murder of a young doctor this month.  ( AP: Anupam Nath )

Six common types of interviews and how to ace them

Job interviews allow you to make a good impression on prospective employers. Doing well in an interview can increase your chances of getting the job. Properly preparing for an interview lets you show your interest in the role and confidently demonstrate your skills and personality.

Employers may use different types of interview formats to narrow down their search. These can vary by structure, medium, and the number of interviewers.

Understanding the different types of interviews can help you reduce anxiety , prepare yourself and your responses, and stand out from other applicants.

We look at six common types of interviews and provide tips for acing them. Here's what we'll cover:

What are the different types of interviews?

Here are six interview types that employers commonly use:

1. Traditional one-on-one interview

The most common type of interview is traditional one-on-one meetings, so it's essential to prepare for this format. In a one-on-one interview, a single interviewer asks you questions about your skills and experience. They focus on assessing your background, achievements, and fit for the company culture .

You can get yourself ready for a traditional interview by researching the company and its work culture. Make sure you practise your answers and prepare questions for the interviewer. 

Below are a few examples of commonly asked questions in a one-on-one interview:

Why are you interested in this position?

Sample answer: "I can draw from my previous marketing successes to plan new initiatives that will help expand and engage your product's customer base.

Also, I want to grow in this role by developing my knowledge of Malaysia’s consumer products and becoming more involved in the company's marketing strategy. I believe this position will use my skills and provide enough challenge and growth to be my next career step."

Why should we hire you over other applicants?

Sample answer: "Compared to colleagues in my previous workplaces, I believe I have an above-average work ethic. I'm willing to stay after office hours when necessary to get the job done. I've worked in a law firm, so I know how to manage court schedules and caseloads."

2. Panel interview

You usually answer questions from multiple interviewers from different departments in a panel interview. This format allows interviewers to test your communication skills and ability to handle pressure and diverse perspectives.

To prepare for a panel interview, thoroughly research the company and the interviewers' backgrounds to predict questions from different areas.

Some examples of questions you may face in a panel interview include:

How would a co-worker describe you?

Sample answer: "I make it a point to show my appreciation for my teammates. My colleagues know that I value their abilities and contribute to a positive work environment.

If I see that someone has done an exceptional job, I make sure they know how important their efforts are. This improves workplace morale, and I think my co-workers appreciate it."

Are there any questions you want to ask us?

Sample answer: "Yes, there are a few. What would you say is the most challenging aspect of this position? How do you measure performance in this role? And what skills and experience are you seeking in an ideal applicant?"

3. Phone interview

A phone interview is typically an initial screening. Its purpose is to shortlist applicants for a face-to-face interview. In the case of remote jobs, it may also be a formal interview.

To do well in this type of interview, you must communicate clearly and show a professional phone presence. To prepare, you should find a quiet location for the interview, keep your resume and talking points handy, and dress professionally even though it's a phone call.

Here are sample questions and answers for a phone interview:

Describe yourself

Sample answer: "I'm results-oriented. I always keep a close eye on the goal to gauge my team's progress and decide the steps we need to take. I use this information to motivate myself and my team members. Over the past year, I led my team in reducing our average product time to market by ten days.”

What do you know about this position?

Sample answer: "I understand from the job description that you're seeking a bookkeeper to support the accounting department's financial activities. These activities mainly relate to accounts payable and procurement.

I also know you're looking for someone with HIPAA certification, which I've obtained. The daily tasks for this role include invoice processing, wire transfers, cheque requests, journal entries, and vendor creation.

4. Video interview

A video interview is a virtual meeting that occurs on a videoconferencing platform. Employers may choose this format when hiring for remote roles or when applicants can't attend an interview in person.

Make sure you test your technology before the interview. Dress professionally, and choose a well-lit, quiet location with a professional background.

Below are examples of questions you can expect to face in a video interview:

What is your ideal work environment?

Sample answer: "One thing that attracted me to this position was that you allow employees to work remotely two days a week. I'd appreciate the flexibility of being able to work from home while also having the opportunity to work with my teammates close by.

I can be both extrovert and introvert, and this kind of work arrangement is a perfect fit for me."

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Sample answer: "I aim to be in a management role within the next five years. I'm focusing on contributing as much as possible to the company and working my way up the ladder.

I'm a goal-oriented person who continually strives to reach the next level. Being in this field is a passion of mine, so I want to continue to progress and take on more responsibilities."

5. Behavioural interview

In a behavioural interview, the employer tries to learn more about your past experiences and how you handled specific situations. To perform well in this type of interview, consider using the STAR method .

This is a structured framework for responding to behavioural interview questions. It involves describing the situation, task, action, and result of the experience you're talking about. Before the interview, spend some time reflecting on past events where you demonstrated relevant skills .

Check out these examples of behavioural interview questions and answers:

Have you ever disagreed with a colleague, and how did you handle it?

Sample answer: "I once disagreed with a colleague about how we ran an email marketing campaign. I had a private discussion with them at the end of our team meeting.

I explained why I thought my proposed strategy was strong and asked them to explain their thought process. After discussing our perspectives, we realised that our strategies focused on different issues.

We brainstormed a new strategy that addressed both of our standpoints. Eventually, our disagreement resulted in more trust and a more effective campaign solution.

Tell me about a time when you used your leadership abilities to motivate your team or co-workers.

Sample answer: "My previous employer underwent a merger three years ago, which lowered the morale of some teams. The new management assigned unfamiliar tasks to my team. This led to a decline in our productivity.

So, I conducted a weekly workshop where my team learned new skills to help us become more engaged in our roles and improve our output. As a result of the training, overall engagement went up 35% over the next six months."

6. Case challenge interview

A case challenge interview aims to test your ability to solve problems, think analytically, and communicate effectively under pressure. The interviewer presents a business problem or scenario and asks you to propose solutions.

You can prepare for this kind of interview by practising case studies and brushing up on analytical frameworks. 

Take a look at these case challenge interview sample questions and answers:

We plan to launch a new makeup palette in four months. How would you launch it?

Sample answer: "To launch the new makeup palette, I would develop an extensive social media campaign. According to my previous company's analytics, social media advertising generated up to 70% of sales. This correlates with the behaviours of your target market, which is women aged 23 to 35.

Since there are many competing products on the market, I would emphasise the unique features of the makeup palette. For example, this could be the brand's commitment to making sustainable palette cases."

There's a negative review for one of our products. How would you respond to it?

Sample answer: "When responding to a negative review from a customer, I first acknowledge their concern and apologise on behalf of our brand. Then, I explain our company's values to reinforce our commitment to providing outstanding customer service.

I encourage them to get in touch with our customer service representatives to discuss the situation further and find a way to resolve the issue. By taking these steps, I assure the customer that our company cares about their shopping experience and prioritises their concerns and needs."

Final thoughts

Knowing the different types of job interviews and how to prepare for them can help you tailor your responses accordingly. This will show potential employers your commitment and set you apart from other job seekers.

Preparing specifically for each interview type requires extra time and effort, but it'll be worthwhile when you land your next great opportunity .

• What are the most common types of job interviews I might encounter? ⁠The most common types of job interviews are traditional one-on-one meetings, panel interviews, phone screening, video interviews, behavioural assessments, and case challenge interviews.
• How can I differentiate between one-on-one and panel interviews? ⁠ In a one-on-one interview, only one person will interview you. A panel interview, on the other hand, requires you to answer questions from multiple interviewers.
• Is a phone interview considered a formal part of the interview process? ⁠ A phone interview is usually an informal screening interview. However, it may be a formal interview if the employer is filling a remote, telemarketing, or call centre position.
• What special considerations are there when preparing for a video interview? ⁠ To get ready for a video interview, make sure you have a stable internet connection, check your audio settings, and download the videoconferencing platform the interview will use. You should also dress professionally and choose a quiet, well-lit location.
• What is a behavioural interview, and how should I approach it differently? ⁠ A behavioural interview assesses you based on your work experience and interactions. To ace this kind of interview, use the STAR method to answer questions and reflect on your experience before beginning the interview.
• What is a case interview, and what skills are they seeking? ⁠ In a case interview, the interviewer presents a business problem and asks you to devise a solution. They want to test your analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Are there any other less common interview formats I should be aware of? ⁠ Some other interview formats include an informational interview, technical interview, group interview, task-oriented interview, computer-assisted interview, stress interview, and career fair interview.
• How can I best research a company and its interviewers before an interview? ⁠You can research the hiring company by visiting its website and social media pages and searching Google and Google News. If you know the interviewers' names, look them up on social networking websites.
• Should I prepare different questions for the interviewer depending on the interview format? ⁠ Yes. The types of interview questions you'll encounter depend on the interview format. Crafting tailored responses can help you make a great impression on the interviewer.
• What are some general tips for staying calm and confident during any interview? ⁠ To stay calm and confident in any job interview, you can do breathing exercises, eat a good breakfast, spend some time outdoors, and talk to a family member or friend before the interview. Being well-prepared can also help you reduce your anxiety and build confidence.

Top search terms

Popular on jobstreet, explore related topics, subscribe to career advice.

RFK Jr. as Trump’s health secretary? Here’s what he wants to do

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is setting aside one ambition and making room for another. 

Kennedy ended his independent presidential campaign Friday and endorsed former President Donald Trump. While announcing his decision, Kennedy said Trump had “asked to enlist me in his administration,” though Kennedy did not specify a role.

On Tuesday, Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, told an interviewer the campaign was weighing whether to “join forces” with Trump and suggested that Kennedy would do an “incredible job” as secretary of health and human services. Trump later told CNN that he “probably would” appoint Kennedy to some role. 

“I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it,” Trump said. 

(Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Trump’s vice presidential nominee, said Wednesday that there was no quid pro quo deal to offer Kennedy a Cabinet post in exchange for his endorsement and that any conversations about a future role would be separate.) 

Neither Kennedy nor his campaign responded to requests for comment on just what he would do if he were nominated and approved by the Senate to serve in a position former HHS Secretary Alex Azar described as having “a shocking amount of power by the stroke of a pen,” at the head of a department with a more than $1.5 trillion budget .

By historical comparisons, Kennedy, a famous anti-vaccine advocate and conspiracy theorist, would be an odd pick for HHS secretary. Previous appointees have had varied backgrounds in medicine, government, law and public health. The current secretary, Xavier Becerra, served as attorney general of California.

Kennedy, also an attorney, practiced environmental law and founded Children’s Health Defense, which is now the most well-funded anti-vaccine organization in the country. During the pandemic, he became the purveyor of wild conspiracy theories , often aimed at public health officials in the agencies he now seeks to lead. Kennedy has criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for Covid’s death toll and said Fauci should be prosecuted if he committed a crime. He has also said the attorney general should force editors of medical journals to publish retracted studies. 

HHS oversees 13 agencies , including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. On the campaign trail, in podcasts and in news interviews, Kennedy has described wanting to dismantle those offices and rebuild them with like-minded fringe figures. 

The agencies have become “sock puppets” for the industries they regulate, Kennedy told NBC News in an interview last year, in which he laid out his plans for public health if he were elected president. Faced with another pandemic, Kennedy said, he wouldn’t prioritize the research, manufacture or distribution of vaccines. 

“The priority should be finding treatments that work and building people’s immune systems,” he said, falsely adding that “vaccines have probably caused more deaths than they’ve averted.” He mentioned ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as treatments — which he says worked against Covid, even though numerous studies say they didn’t.

Kennedy’s campaign has been supported and led by the anti-vaccine movement he helped build. In November, he credited activists at Children’s Health Defense, which he chaired until he took leave to run for president, for boosting his campaign. Accepting an award at the group’s annual conference, he said he would stop the National Institutes of Health from studying infectious diseases, like Covid and measles, and pivot it to studying chronic diseases, like diabetes and obesity. Kennedy believes environmental toxins, a category in which he places childhood vaccines, to be the major threat to public health, rather than infectious disease. 

“I’m going to say to NIH scientists, God bless you all,” Kennedy said at the time. “Thank you for public service. We’re going to give infectious disease a break for about eight years.” 

Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a longtime target of the anti-vaccine movement, said a Kennedy reign over HHS — a department tasked with overseeing health policy, providing and regulating care, sponsoring medical research and training, and communicating with the public during emergencies — would be disastrous.

“He no doubt will try to perform studies that prove his views and thus further weaken America’s trust in vaccines and, no doubt, try to eliminate all mandates,” Offit said. “He said he doesn’t want to study infectious diseases. He would eliminate studies around real problems and gear them toward what he thinks the problems are, independent of what good data show.

“It doesn’t matter whether the data show that he’s wrong; he’s still going to be convinced that he’s right,” Offit continued, referring to Kennedy’s focus on proving the harms of vaccines that have repeatedly been proven to be safe. “In no way would this advance human health.”

In Kennedy’s interview with NBC News last year, he sharply criticized the FDA, the NIH and the CDC and said he would “unravel the corrupt corporate capture of these agencies that turned them predatory, against the American public.” He said he would boot the officials in charge and appoint people who would “turn them back into healing and public health agencies.”

He declined to name names, but he has surrounded himself with those on the fringe of public health. He has praised “brave dissidents,” including discredited vaccine scientist Robert Malone , and Dr. Pierre Kory, who was stripped of his certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine this month for promoting and peddling false cures for Covid. Kennedy posted that doctors like Kory “help clear away the smoke of corporate profiteering so that we can see clearly the causes and solutions to the chronic disease epidemic.”

Last year, candidate Kennedy told a group of anti-vaccine doctors and influencers assembled for a health policy roundtable that he would surround himself with “dissidents.” 

“Have faith and watch what we do,” he said. “I think you’ll be pleased.” 

Brandy Zadrozny is a senior reporter for NBC News. She covers misinformation, extremism and the internet.

Pardon Our Interruption

As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen:

• You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser.
• You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed.
• You've disabled cookies in your web browser.
• A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Additional information is available in this support article .

To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page.

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Biostatistics
• Environmental Health and Engineering
• Epidemiology
• Health Policy and Management
• Health, Behavior and Society
• International Health
• Mental Health
• Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
• Population, Family and Reproductive Health
• Program Finder
• Admissions Services
• Course Directory
• Academic Calendar
• Hybrid Campus
• Lecture Series
• Convocation
• Strategy and Development
• Implementation and Impact
• Integrity and Oversight
• In the School
• In the Field
• In Baltimore
• Resources for Practitioners
• Articles & News Releases
• In The News
• Statements & Announcements
• At a Glance
• Student Life
• Strategic Priorities
• Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity (IDARE)
• What is Public Health?

What to Know About the Updated COVID Vaccine for Fall, Winter 2024–25

The updated COVID vaccine provides safe, effective protection against current variants for everyone 6 months and older.

Aliza Rosen

Amid an unexpectedly large surge of summer COVID infections in the U.S., and with the fall/winter virus season around the corner, updated COVID vaccines have arrived.

COVID vaccines are one of the best and safest ways to protect against severe illness and hospitalization. Updated COVID vaccines are chosen to target the variants currently circulating and are recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older.

In this Q&A, Andy Pekosz , PhD, a professor in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology , discusses who the updated vaccine is recommended for, when to get yours, whether it’s safe to get it alongside other seasonal vaccines.

What’s new about this year’s updated COVID vaccines?

The updated mRNA COVID vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are based on the KP.2 strain, one of the FLiRT variants that have been spreading since early spring. These variants and their sub-variants have caused the majority of infections during this summer’s COVID wave.

Who should be getting an updated COVID vaccine?

Everyone 6 months and older should get vaccinated against COVID, according to the CDC’s recommendations .

For children ages 6 months to 4 years: Vaccination is recommended, but the number of vaccinations is based on which vaccine they receive, their age, and whether they’ve received a previous COVID vaccine. Parents and guardians should refer to CDC guidance and check with their pediatrician to see what’s recommended for their child.

For people ages 5 years and up: One dose of the updated COVID vaccine is recommended, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated previously. If someone has received a COVID vaccine recently, they should wait at least two months before getting the updated one for this season.

According to updated CDC guidelines, individuals who are immunocompromised may receive additional doses with their health care provider’s guidance.

When is the best time to get vaccinated?

This summer’s surge has been larger and lasted longer than many experts anticipated, making it a little trickier than years past to determine the best time to get vaccinated.

People who have not had COVID in the past few months have a couple options:

• Get the updated COVID vaccine as soon as it’s available  (late August, early September) to protect yourself as the wave of summer infections continues.
• Get the updated COVID vaccine around mid-October to build protection in time for the rise of cases that typically occur around November through January.

People at higher risk of severe illness should consider getting an updated COVID vaccine as soon as possible. Everyone who is eligible should get an updated COVID vaccine by mid-October in order to build immunity ahead of holiday travel and gatherings. Remember, it takes about two weeks to build up immunity following a vaccine, so schedule your vaccination accordingly.

How long does protection last after I'm vaccinated?

Broadly speaking, the COVID vaccine provides strong protection against infection for up to three months and protection against severe disease out to six months. That said, there are a lot of variables that can affect duration and strength of protection, including any new variants that may emerge and how different they are from the vaccine formulation.

If I had COVID recently, when should I get the updated vaccine?

If you’ve had COVID this summer, you’ll have strong infection-based immunity and can wait a few months after your infection before getting the vaccine. According to the CDC, you can wait three months since your symptoms began or, for asymptomatic cases, since you first tested positive.

There’s some evidence to support waiting as long as six months after a COVID infection to receive an updated vaccine. Waiting longer than the CDC’s guidance of three months is not recommended for high-risk groups, but it’s something people can discuss with their doctor.

How should I choose which COVID vaccine to get?

Between the two mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, there is no reason to get one over the other. They target the same KP.2 variant, are similarly effective, and elicit similar side effects.

Is the COVID vaccine free?

The COVID vaccine is free under most health insurance plans and Medicare.

If you don’t have insurance to cover the cost of the COVID vaccine, look for vaccination clinics run by your local or state health department. Children under 18 may also be eligible to get a free COVID vaccine through the CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program .

You can find local pharmacies offering COVID vaccines at Vaccines.gov or by contacting your health care provider or local health department.

Are there any side effects to the updated COVID vaccine?

The common side effects are the same as with previous COVID vaccines. Symptoms like soreness at the injection site, achiness or joint pain, fatigue, slight fever, chills, or nausea are normal and not cause for concern. These side effects are a sign that your body is mounting an immune response—exactly what it’s supposed to do following a vaccine. Side effects generally subside within a day or two.

If I haven’t gotten any COVID vaccines yet, can I start with this one?

If you’ve never been vaccinated against COVID, now is a great time to start. People 5 years of age and older are considered up to date on COVID vaccination once they receive one dose of an updated mRNA COVID vaccine.

How well does the vaccine protect against the variants currently circulating?

The vaccine is a close match to variants currently circulating and provides good protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death. While KP.2 is not causing a significant number of infections, the most prevalent variants circulating right now are very closely related to them. The vaccine will never be a perfect match to the circulating variants because it takes 2-4 months to make the vaccine, and during that time the virus continues to change as it infects people.

Is vaccine-induced immunity better than immunity from infection?

Vaccine-induced immunity is better because it’s safer. When you get infected with COVID, symptoms from the infection wreak havoc on your body. Whether or not you’ve been infected or vaccinated previously, the updated COVID vaccine is going to strengthen your immune responses to high levels and do so in a safe way.

Can I still get COVID if I’m vaccinated?

People who are vaccinated can still get COVID, but it is much more likely they will experience mild symptoms. Vaccinated people are much less likely to experience severe illness or get so sick that they need to be hospitalized. Data continue to show that those who are hospitalized with COVID are largely people who have not received a COVID vaccine within the past 12 months.

Particularly for people at higher risk of severe COVID, vaccination is an essential tool for reducing COVID complications, hospitalization, and death.

Can you get the flu shot and the COVID vaccine at the same time?

Yes! In fact, studies have shown that people who decide to spread out their vaccines into separate appointments often don’t follow through with getting both. We’ve also seen that the immune response generated by each vaccine does not change based on whether they are administered at the same time or separately.

It’s important to remember that many of the same populations at high risk of experiencing severe illness from COVID are also at high risk of severe influenza. Especially for these vulnerable populations, it’s a good idea to time your vaccines together.

When might we see a combined COVID and flu vaccine?

Some vaccine manufacturers have been working on developing a combined vaccine for COVID and flu, but we’re not there yet. We certainly won’t see a combined vaccine this year. It’s possible one will be ready in time for fall 2025, but we won’t know for sure until more clinical trial results are available.  

Aliza Rosen is a digital content strategist in the Office of External Affairs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Related Articles:

• Understanding the CDC’s Updated COVID Isolation Guidance
• What to Know About COVID FLiRT Variants
• The Long History of mRNA Vaccines

Related Content

A ‘Critical Pathogen’: The Rise of Drug-Resistant Fungal Diseases

Why We’re Still Waiting for a Pandemic Treaty

Why COVID Surges in the Summer

The Visible and Unseen Dangers Lurking in Floodwater

Public Health Prep for the 2024 Paris Olympics

• Open access
• Published: 26 August 2024

Health worker perspectives on barriers and facilitators of tuberculosis investigation coverage among index case contacts in rural Southwestern Uganda: a qualitative study

• Paddy Mutungi Tukamuhebwa 1 ,
• Pascalia Munyewende 1 ,
• Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye 2 ,
• Juliet Nabirye 3 &
• Ntombizodwa Ndlovu 1  

BMC Infectious Diseases volume  24 , Article number:  867 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

In 2012, the World Health Organization recommended screening and investigation of contacts of index tuberculosis patients as a strategy to accelerate detection of tuberculosis (TB) cases. Nine years after the adoption of this recommendation, coverage of TB contact investigations in Uganda remains low. The objective of this study was to examine health care providers’ perceptions of factors influencing coverage of TB contact investigations in three selected rural health facilities in Mbarara district, southwestern Uganda.

This study identified provider opinions on the barriers and facilitators to implementation of TB contact investigation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Using an exploratory qualitative study design, semi-structured interviews with 19 health workers involved in the TB program at district, health facility and community levels were conducted from April 2020 and July 2020. Analysis was conducted inductively using reflexive thematic analysis in six iterative steps: familiarizing with the data, creating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, developing theme definitions, and writing the report.

Nineteen health care workers participated in this study which translates to a 100% response rate. These included two district TB and leprosy supervisors, five nurses, five clinical officers, six village health team members and one laboratory technician. The three themes that emerged from the analysis were intervention-related, health system and contextual factors. Health system-related barriers included inadequate or delayed government funding for the TB program, shortage of human resources, insufficient personal protective equipment, and a stock-out of supplies such as Xpert MTB cartridges. Contextual barriers included steep terrain, poverty or low income, and the stigma associated with TB and COVID-19. Facilitators comprised increased knowledge and understanding of the intervention, performance review and on-the-job training of health workers.

Conclusions

This study found that most of the factors affecting TB contact investigations in this rural community were related to health system constraints such as inadequate or delayed funding and human resource shortages. This can be addressed by strengthening the foundational elements of the health system - health financing and human resources - to establish a comprehensive TB control program that will enable the efficient identification of missing TB patients.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

An estimated 10 million people suffer from active tuberculosis (TB) every year [ 1 ]. The disease continues to be the leading infectious cause of death globally, causing about 1.5 million deaths—95% of which occurred in low- and middle-income countries [ 2 , 3 ]. Although the African region has 9% of the world population, the region contributed 25% of all new TB cases in 2019, becoming the continent with the second-highest TB cases after South-East Asia. In Africa TB is mainly driven by the HIV pandemic, with about 50% of TB cases co-infected with HIV, and is the top cause of death among patients with HIV, causing more than 30% of all AIDS-related deaths [ 4 , 5 ].

In 2012, the WHO recommended the screening and evaluation of contacts of persons with infectious TB as an intervention for increasing TB case detection [ 6 ]. The intervention also provides an opportunity to diagnose latent TB and to scale-up TB preventive therapy among the eligible contacts, such as, children below five years, HIV positive patients, and other high-risk groups [ 7 , 8 ]. Five years later, in 2017, the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) adopted these WHO recommendations as high-level policy, and integrated them into the Manual for Management and Control of TB and Leprosy in Uganda [ 9 ]. Furthermore, in 2019, detailed operational guidelines were developed by the Uganda National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program (NTLP) to guide and standardize TB contact investigation processes at health facility and community levels [ 8 ].

Despite the WHO policy guidance, coverage of TB contact investigation in many TB high burden countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Lao Republic, Pakistan and Yemen is still low [ 10 ]. A meta-analysis conducted in 2015 by Block et al., showed low TB contact investigation coverage in five countries (2.8% in the Lao Republic, 4.8% in Kenya, 14.9% in Pakistan and 15.1% in Uganda) and high coverage in one country (91.7% in the Democratic Republic of Congo) [ 10 ]. Armstrong et al. (2017), in a prospective multi-center observational study conducted in Kampala, Uganda, reported significant drop-out rates across the steps in the contact investigation cascade [ 11 ]. Among the 338 clients eligible for TB contact investigation, only 61% were scheduled for home visits, and only 50% of them were visited [ 11 ]. Furthermore, among the 131 people who were screened for TB and required definitive evaluation, only 20% were evaluated [ 11 ].

In rural Uganda, the coverage of TB contact investigation is much lower (15.1%) than that in urban areas such as Kampala (20%), and yet many of the missing TB cases are in such hard to reach and underserved rural areas [ 10 , 11 ]. This low coverage increases undiagnosed and untreated TB patients, thus perpetuating the TB pandemic. Furthermore, without TB contact investigation, many TB patients might infect other people in the household and the community, or die from TB related complications [ 12 ]. The low contact investigation coverage contributes to a high numbers of missed diagnoses in Uganda (400,000 in 2014), and high TB transmission rates, which hamper progress towards achievement of the third United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ending the TB epidemic by 2030 [ 13 ].

Implementation research helps to connect research and practice by speeding-up the development and provision of public health interventions [ 14 ]. Given that urban settings have been the primary focus of the majority of implementation research studies in Africa and that the burden of TB differs between urban and rural areas [ 7 , 15 , 16 ], this study used implementation research tools to investigate the barriers to and enablers of TB contact investigation coverage in rural southwestern Uganda [ 3 ]. Although 82% of the Ugandan population lives in rural areas, there is inadequate information about TB contact investigation coverage, and its barriers and facilitators in rural settings [ 17 ]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the barriers and facilitators of investigation coverage among contacts of TB patients in rural Uganda.

The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) by Damschroder et al. was used to explore barriers and facilitators of implementation in this study [ 18 ]. The framework consists of 39 constructs and five domains: characteristics of the intervention, inner setting, outer setting, individuals involved and implementation process [ 18 ]. The framework has been widely used across the globe to identify the barriers and facilitators of implementation outcomes in various healthcare settings, for example, evaluation of the online frailty tool in primary health care in Canada, integration of hypertension-HIV management in three Ugandan HIV clinics, examining the task shifting strategy for hypertension control at 32 hospitals and community health centers in Ghana and evaluating the implementation context of a quality improvement program for increasing vaccination coverage in Nigeria [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].

Study setting

This study was conducted in the rural district of Mbarara, located in the southwestern region of Uganda, about 270 km southwest of the capital city, Kampala. According to the 2014 population and housing census, the district had a population of 472,629 (Land area 1785.6 km 2 ), of which 59% resided in rural areas [ 23 ]. In total the district had 87 health facilities including 48 government owned, 26 private clinics and 13 nonprofit health facilities [ 24 ]. There were no data on TB contact investigation available at district level. Health Centres (HC) in Uganda are ranked II, III or IV based on the administrative zone served by the health facility with level II serving a parish, level III serving a sub-county and level IV serving a county [ 25 ]. A HC IV is expected to serve a population of at least 100,000 people. The services offered included general outpatient clinic (including TB and HIV care), immunization, antenatal care, maternity services, inpatient, laboratory, emergency surgery and blood transfusion [ 25 ].

The Ugandan health system operates on a referral basis, with the lowest level of health care provided by community health workers called Village Health Teams (VHTs) and the highest level of care offered at highly specialized hospitals called National Referral Hospitals. Levels of health care increase with complexity in terms of the packages of services offered, staffing levels, and the size of the population served. Three health facilities where the study was conducted were purposively selected due to their rural location, level of care (IV), and significant volume of patients compared to lower levels (II and III).

Coordination of TB services in the district was done by the District TB and Leprosy Supervisor (DTLS), who is responsible for 26 TB diagnostic and treatment centers. Regional coordination of TB activities is done by the Zonal TB and Leprosy Supervisor (ZTLS), while national level coordination and policy formulation is done by the National TB and Leprosy Program (NTLP) [ 15 ].

Study design and study population

A qualitative, exploratory study design was conducted to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing TB contact investigations between April and July 2020. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all 19 health workers who were purposively selected based on their direct participation in the implementation of TB interventions since they were likely to have the most knowledge and experience with TB contact investigations. These included TB focal persons at the health facilities, clinical officers, nurses, laboratory staff, VHTs, and District TB and Leprosy Supervisors. Health workers who were not in the health facility during the data collection period were excluded from the study. The Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) were applied to comply with the reporting standards (Table S2 ) [ 26 ].

Data collection

Semi-structured interview guides were developed and included background information about study participants and questions developed according to the five domains of the CFIR. The VHT interview guides were translated into the regional dialect and put through a pilot test to ensure that the questions were understood and to gauge how long the interviews would take. Two health facilities that provided comparable research sites in terms of staffing levels and services were used for the pilot testing.

Physical interviews for the study participants were conducted by the lead researcher (PT) in either English or Runyankore and each interview was tape recorded while a trained research assistant took field notes. Data collection for each category of study participants was continued until saturation was reached [ 27 ]. Since data collection took place during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, precautions were taken to prevent COVID-19 cross-infection on both the researcher and the participants. Interviews were conducted at the selected health facilities in well-ventilated spaces, with both the interviewer and the participant wearing N-95 respirators, and surgical masks, respectively. Each interview lasted between 30 and 45 min and no repeat interviews were conducted.

Data management and analysis

Data were transcribed verbatim by the research team and the lead researcher listened to each audio recording while reading through the transcripts to correct errors in transcription and familiarize himself with the data. Transcripts were not given back to the participants for review or comments because evidence suggests that interviewee transcript review does not add value to the quality and rigor of qualitative research [ 28 ]. PT and JN reviewed the transcripts and made initial notes of interesting features or potential codes and themes in the data. The transcripts were then uploaded into MAXQDA 2020, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis in six iterative and recursive steps as described by Braun and Clarke [ 29 ]. The six steps included (1) familiarization with the data, (2) coding, (3) searching for themes, (4) reviewing the themes, (5) naming and defining the themes, and (6) writing the report [ 29 ]. The first step of the analysis was to look at the participants’ own words and expressions, without preconceived notions or classifications. The researchers then examined the language used by each participant in relation to the five domains of the CFIR. To ensure the reliability and credibility of the research analysis, both researchers PT and JN developed the themes by reading the transcripts independently to establish inter-coder agreement [ 30 ]. After the initial coding, the two-member team met to discuss the independently developed codes and themes and to reach an agreement on the themes. The transcribed texts and quotes were then grouped into themes, and the lead researcher used a reflexive approach to identify similarities or differences among CFIR domains and constructs. This iterative and recursive process provided space for reflexivity and ensured the credibility of the research findings. Themes were then defined and further refined to reflect the challenges and enablers of contact investigation coverage.

The research team and reflexivity

The field research team consisted of the principal investigator (PT), a male master’s student at the University of the Witwatersrand, and a female research assistant (GA), who is trained in population studies and monitoring and evaluation, and she was not employed at the time of this study. The principal investigator is a medical doctor who has training and experience in TB care and is familiar with WHO TB guidelines for contact investigations. He was not affiliated with the District Health Department or the Ministry of Health NTLP and is therefore unlikely to have influenced participant responses. Prior to the study, the principal investigator received training in qualitative research methods at the University of the Witwatersrand, so he was aware of how a researcher’s background, location, and assumptions can influence a qualitative study. The research team did not know the participants beforehand, and they were not directly involved in patient care in a way that would have influenced their responses.

Ethical considerations

This study was cleared by the Human Research Ethics Committees (Medical) at the University of the Witwatersrand (M200101), and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUREC 1/7). The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology granted permission to conduct the study in Uganda (HS569ES). Administrative approval was obtained from the District Health Officer, and the health facility managers of the respective study sites. Information about the study was shared with the participants before the interviews and written informed consent for participation and audio recording was obtained from each participant. To preserve participant privacy, interviews were conducted in a private space within the outpatient units, with only the researchers and the participants present.

Characteristics of study participants

Nineteen participants took part in semi-structured interviews with a response rate of 100% and 21.1% ( n  = 4) of them were male (Table  1 ). The sample comprised five clinical officers (26.3%), five nurses (26.3%), six VHT members (31.6%), one laboratory technician (5.2%), and two DTLs (10.5%). Eight of the participants (42.1%) had over three years’ experience in offering TB care. Clinical officers were paramedics with a diploma in clinical medicine, as opposed to nurses who had a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a diploma, or a nursing certificate. VHTs were lay health workers based in the community to aid with TB interventions in the local population. Laboratory technicians had a diploma in laboratory sciences, whereas DTLSs had one in nursing or clinical medicine.

Barriers and facilitators of TB contact investigation coverage

A reflective thematic analysis of the data gave rise to three themes: health system, contextual and intervention-related factors. The barriers and facilitators identified under each of the three themes (Table S3 ). Based on the WHO’s health system building blocks, the factors affecting the health system emerged under six sub-themes: human resources, commodities, service delivery, leadership and coordination, funding, and health information systems. Contextual factors were further categorized into geographic, social, and cultural, economic, and policy-related factors. Issues affecting TB contact investigations linked to the intervention itself were covered by the final theme (intervention-associated factors).

Barriers and facilitators

Domain 1: characteristics of the intervention.

The intervention related factors reported by the participants fell under three constructs, that is: evidence-base, intervention complexity and implementation cost.

Evidence-base

Out of the 19 healthcare workers involved in this research, 16 were aware of the intervention and its effectiveness in detecting, treating, and stopping the spread of tuberculosis in the community. Some of them had even engaged in relevant programs at the district, health facility, and community levels to improve uptake, such as support supervision, enlisting household contacts, home visits, health education, screening, and sputum sample collection. The DTLSs reported that training and regular orientation on several aspects of TB management, including TB contact investigation, provided easy access to knowledge and information. The district provided training on TB contact investigation to health workers in different platforms, including quarterly performance review meetings. As a result, they had the necessary information, abilities, or confidence to carry out contact investigation tasks.

“Even in meetings , we talk about contact tracing and investigation. Because for us we do meetings quarterly , all those meetings we…include a training in contact tracing and investigation” (Respondent 1—Nurse).

Intervention complexity

Three VHTs reported that TB contact investigations had multiple processes and therefore required a team to go for community visits, which interfered with other ongoing interventions at the health facility, such as TB screening at outpatient clinics, linking positive patients to treatment, providing community-based DOTs for patients on treatment, and following up with clients who defaulted on treatment. They also assisted with other medical services, such as immunizations, prenatal care, and providing ART refills to stable HIV patients. Therefore, during contact investigations, VHTs were mostly involved in community activities, leaving some of the basic facility-based interventions unattended.

“…it interferes with other programs… Now I am here working at the health facility , collecting sputum , screening and… I have many patients attending immunization , antenatal , ART (HIV clinic) , and I am the one who works on them too. And after that , I want to go and do contact tracing… Sometimes I ignore some of the facility activities so that I spare some time to go and do contact tracing in the community” (Respondent 4—VHT) .

Cost of the intervention

During TB contact investigations, it may be required to phone many patients or contacts. It is frequently necessary to call people who have appointments but do not show up at the health facility. Healthcare workers find it challenging to make these calls due to the high airtime requirements of this intervention and the associated cost.

“…some of these contacts need to be contacted on the phone several times because someone tells you he is coming tomorrow; and he doesn’t come. And the person keeps giving appointments without coming. And we do not have all that airtime…” (Respondent 5—Clinical Officer) .

Domain 2: outer setting

Funding from external entities: inadequate funding.

Multiple funding related challenges were reported at national, district and health facility levels. Funding for TB contact investigation was provided, through the Primary Health Care grants released from the Ministry of Health to public health facilities. Additional funds for contact investigation came from USAID through the Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services in Southwestern Uganda; a program for scaling up access to comprehensive HIV, TB and reproductive health services in the region.

Health workers believed that TB was not considered a priority by the Ministry of Health, which led to underfunding of the NTLP, and eventually underfunded TB work at district, health facility and community levels. TB interventions were not integrated into the annual budgeting processes like other interventions. For example, Malaria and sanitation interventions received funds, while TB remained unfunded, since 2014. The DTLS reported that the sanitation program was prioritized and funded better than the TB program, because of the advocacy by the sanitation program.

“…I think if the government says , ‘let us fight this disease’ , they need to put in (funds). Let them consider TB across the board. Let them budget for it like the way they budget for other conditions. Malaria is budgeted for , sanitation…receives money every quarter. But it is like six years (since 2014) when there was money for TB…and it was for only one quarter” (Respondent 1—Nurse).

The DTLSs reported insufficient funds for TB support supervision at the district level, which limited the amount of time the district TB supervisor spends in each health facility for supervision visits. Eventually, the quality of the supervision was compromised because teams did not have sufficient resources to train, mentor and supervise health facility teams.

“Because of the funds being little , we are forced , like in a day , to move to about four facilities. Remember , in TB , there are six indicators that you need to focus on and get to understand what the problem is. So , you find we do not have sufficient time to spend in the facility and support it.” (Respondent 2—Clinical Officer).

Health facility level funding challenges included delayed reimbursement of funds, and inadequate funds for home visits. In some cases, health facilities rely on NGOs for extra funds to conduct contact investigations, because of insufficient funds from the Primary Health Care (PHC) fund.

“…but when you do not have that NGO , things are challenging because you know that PHC money cannot be enough. You find that the PHC money is for only two patients , yet you have like six of them (to follow-up). So , when you do not have that money from NGOs , you cannot do it smoothly.” (Respondent 2—Clinical Officer) .

Some participants reported that they used their own money to trace index TB contacts; however, this money takes a long time to be refunded. Some participants even had a pay gap of about five months, which lowered their morale to continue with community visits.

“Most of the cases , we use our own money… you want to do your job , but transport facilitation (is missing)! Even…when they decide to refund it (money) , it takes so long…for example , since January we have never got that transport (money). We did contact tracing in January , February , March , April and May; we gave them reports , and they see that we are working , but we do not see our transport (refund)” (Respondent 16—VHT).

Critical incidents: COVID-19 pandemic related factors

This study was conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic a lockdown policy was implemented by the government. This was characterized by suspension of public and private transportation, some health workers, TB patients and their contacts were unable to access health facilities. These restrictions affected the mobility of the health workers and patients to the health facility, and undermined TB contact investigation efforts. Besides lockdown measures, the COVID-19 pandemic was also associated with stigma among patients and health workers. Some TB contacts were afraid to report cough, in fear of being suspected of having COVID-19 and having to be quarantined for 14 days as per the MOH recommendations at the time. COVID-19 heightened the stigma associated with TB, because the two conditions have similar symptoms. Health workers could not tell who had COVID-19 or TB and, therefore, avoided anyone presenting with cough, because they feared it might be COVID-19. Some laboratory personnel declined to examine sputum samples because they were concerned that the samples might contain COVID-19 and increase their risk of getting the virus.

“Now with corona (COVID-19) , we would come here and not find any patient or health worker because they did not have transport means during the lockdown. Most of our people stayed at home. Even if you had your own motorcycle , they would not allow you to ride it…” (Respondent 13—Clinical officer).

Partnerships and connections: collaboration with NGOs and community-based organizations

Health workers and VHTs reported that the district and health facilities are networked with NGOs and community-based organizations which support the implementation of TB contact investigation and other health interventions. The primary implementing partner was Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services in Southwestern (RHITES-SW) Uganda, which supports the district with transportation and materials, while doing household visits.

Along with funding TB contact investigation, district-based NGOs also sponsored radio airtime to increase awareness and create demand for TB services.

“…RHITES-SW provides us with materials to use , like carrier bags. They provide us with transport to do contact tracing and the information. They normally update us on each and everything that is current in contact tracing and investigation” (Respondent 5—Clinical officer) . “Other stakeholders are working hand in hand with the government and our implementing partners. I see them working as a team to sponsor airtime on radios to create awareness and give some financial assistance.” (Respondent 12 , Clinical Officer).

Policies and laws: availability of updated operational guidelines

The district established favorable communication networks at district and health facility levels, facilitating efficient communication of guidelines, reference materials, and patients’ results. For example, the district had a WhatsApp group, specifically for the district TB team, to share information and monitor district activities.

“…we have a WhatsApp group of all the in charges and TB focal persons , where we discuss TB management and…share guidelines , so whoever needs guideline in TB management , he just goes there” (Respondent 1—Nurse).

Domain 3: inner setting

Available resources.

The barriers that emerged under available resources included, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), stock-outs of Xpert MTB cartridges and shortage of human resources. Commodities that frequently went out of stock included toolkits for TB contact investigations and Xpert MTB cartridges for conducting Xpert MTB and RIF tests. At times health facilities spend about two months without cartridges, and health workers were notified by the laboratory team not to send sputum samples for analysis, which weighs down contact investigation efforts. Additionally, VHTs reported the lack of essential tools for community visits, especially during extreme weather. Health facilities also frequently ran short of PPE for home-based contact screening, such as masks and gloves, which discouraged them from doing community contact tracing out of fear of acquiring TB.

“…sometimes , there are no GeneXpert (Xpert MTB) cartridges; you find that we are not doing GeneXpert (tests) because cartridges are finished… , at times we take like a month or two without cartridges and…that is not good… , the lab people tell us , ‘do not send samples this month , we do not have (cartridges)’ , which means we are missing people (patients).” (Respondent 12—Clinical Officer). “At times you go to a difficult place…in a rainy season… , you climb a hill while it is raining on you. You do not have an umbrella; you do not have boots or a bag to carry the stuff (materials)…” (Respondent 4—VHT).

Human resource shortage was also reported as barrier. Sometimes, only one health worker was available to go for community visits, yet there are multiple tasks to do, including health education, screening, and sample collection. Therefore, this scarcity of human resources affects the quality of implementation since some of the tasks are left incomplete.

“…sometimes there is a lack of manpower because…the health workers are not enough at the facility , so you find that only one person is going for contact tracing , and the work there is huge , and that person cannot do all the work alone. So , most of the things are not done. They do part of the work and leave out some” (Respondent 15—Nurse).

Two facilitators were discussed under the construct of available resources: presence of a landline telephones to aid communication and a motorcycle to support transportation during community visits. The telephones were loaded with airtime for scheduling household visits and communicating Xpert MTB/RIF results from the hub laboratory while the motorcycle helped to reduce the cost of transportation since community visits only required fuel for the motorcycle.

“We have a health facility motorcycle , which does not force us to put in a lot of money… We just consider the distance we are covering and then put in fuel and move , which is easier than getting a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi).” (Respondent 16—VHT).

Structural characteristics: rugged terrain and poor road network, paper-based reporting systems, and hub and spoke laboratory system

All six VHTs reported that some patients came from hard-to-reach areas, characterized by rugged terrain, where vehicles or motorcycles cannot reach. This makes it hard for health workers to visit such communities for contact investigations. Additionally, some places have poor roads that are impassable during the rainy season, thus affecting service delivery. In such circumstances, health workers use boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis) to a certain point, and then walk the remaining distance. Sometimes the terrain is hilly and exhausting, which discourages teams from doing community visits. Large health facility catchment areas also made it more difficult for field teams to deliver contact investigation services to distant households. As a result, contacts of index TB cases from remote places were instead asked to come to the health facility for further evaluation, however, some of them did not come.

“…for those people who come from hard-to-reach areas , going to those homes is quite challenging. Sometimes we reach a point of walking on foot because we cannot reach there using a car or a motorcycle. So , we must climb a steep hill to look for those patients” (Respondent 4—VHT). “This is a big sub-county; people come from distant areas , even neighboring districts. And of course , as a health worker , you cannot reach every homestead. So , some (contacts) are called to come to the health facility. But because of the long distances , some fail to come.” (Respondent 4—VHT).

Another barrier was the use of the paper-based reporting system. One of the TB focal persons reported that TB contact investigation reports were submitted manually using a paper-based system which affects timeliness of reporting. Submission of reports had to wait for an opportunity when someone was going to the district headquarters, which causes a delay and eventually affects re-imbursement of the payments for activities.

“Sometimes , since we are sending the reports to Mbarara , they reach late because of transport issues. It becomes hard for someone to send the report since you cannot get any transport , so you get someone going to Mbarara , give them the reports , and tell that person where they should be delivering the reports. So , it also takes a bit of time” (Respondent 8—Nurse).

The laboratory system in the district used a “hub and spoke” system, where laboratory samples are collected in peripheral laboratories and transported by motorcycle riders to the central laboratory for analysis. However, participants reported that this system was dysfunctional because of the long results turn-around time, compromised early TB diagnosis and treatment and affected TB contact investigation coverage. In some cases, health workers spent up to two months, waiting for Xpert MTB results.

“And we have a challenge with hub riders… Sometimes , the hub riders take sputum samples to Mbarara , and if they do not go back to pick the results , you will never see them. And you end up spending around two months without results” (Respondent 12—Clinical Officer).

Domain 4: individuals involved

Under characteristics of the individuals involved, participants reported the presence of internal implementation leads called TB focal persons at health facility and DTLS at district level. These were responsible for coordinating the provision of TB services and technical leadership and supervision of the TB program and different levels of care. Additionally, health workers received adequate training on various aspects of TB management including TB contact investigation. Such training sessions supported them with the adequate knowledge and skills to confidently conduct contact investigation activities.

Domain 5: implementation process

The three constructs that emerged under implementation process were planning, engaging and reflection and evaluation.

The DTLSs reported that leaders at the Ministry of Health had transferred the planning, coordination, and funding of TB interventions, including TB contact investigation. Instead, this role was left to implementing partners, usually local and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), which negatively impacted the TB program at district level. Also, participants reported that implementing partners tend to have different priorities. For example, these organizations mainly focus on HIV interventions, and less on TB. Therefore, it is challenging to divert them from their preferences and focus them on district priorities, since their priorities are often guided by donor funding.

“Also , The Ministry of Health has deliberately left this work (TB contact investigation) …to implementing partners , and it has killed everything. And in that line , I think we can eradicate TB , but if the government is putting in (effort) , not leaving this disease for the implementing partners.” (Respondent 1—Nurse). “They tell you their priority is HIV , and you cannot shift them. They have their …operational guidelines that you cannot change.” (Respondent 1 , Nurse).

Reflection and evaluation

data use to inform program decisions by the district health team was identified as a facilitator. The district held quarterly performance and reflection meetings with the participation of the district’s NGOs, community-based organizations, district health management team, and healthcare providers from the various health centers. In these meetings, attendees discussed their performance, challenges across the different technical areas, and strategies for bridging the gaps.

the involvement of all stakeholders within the district, including health facility teams, district teams, NGOs, and community-based organizations involved in the TB program, in regular engagements to review implementation progress, performance, and plan improvement strategies was reported as a facilitator. Non-Governmental Organizations are actively involved in discussions regarding potential funding opportunities for specific activities.

“…we normally have the district stakeholders meeting , where they (external stakeholders) normally come here , and we discuss performance in different areas - MCH (maternal and child health) and HIV; TB is also given a platform. We tell them about our challenges.” (Respondent 1—Nurse) .

The stigma associated with TB was reported as a common challenge by all participants in this study. For this reason, index TB patients preferred not to be visited at home by a health worker, out of fear of being stigmatized if neighbors and other community members found out that they had TB. Some index TB patients even tried to avoid being visited by giving health workers incorrect phone numbers and physical addresses. Patients with TB and HIV co-infection have an increased fear of disclosing their status because of the misconception that every TB patient has HIV. Additionally, poverty among index TB patients was also found to be a challenge because contacts of TB patients lacked funds to transport them to the health facility for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. As a result, it was necessary for health professionals to collect sputum samples from the community and bring them to the health facility for analysis. This, however, was not always feasible, leaving some of the contacts of TB patients unevaluated.

“…some patients give us wrong telephone contacts , we call the number , it is not on , or a different person picks it. So , we fail to trace that person. Some fear health workers going to their homes. Mostly when the index TB patient is also HIV positive , they do not want people in their villages to see any health care worker coming to their home because they may identify them” (Respondent 11—VHT).

This study explored the factors influencing TB contact investigation coverage in three rural, primary health facilities in Southwestern Uganda. The study is unique in its rural focus unlike previous studies in Uganda and Kenya, which were conducted in cities [ 7 , 15 , 31 ]. The barriers and facilitators identified in this study were diverse and covered all the five domains of the CFIR. Although some studies have used other implementation research tools to identify the barriers and facilitators to implementing TB contact investigation, this study used the CFIR to explore the factors influencing TB contact investigation coverage in Africa.

The key challenges that emerged from this study included health system challenges, such as the lack of funding for TB contact investigation, insufficient PPE and inadequate Xpert MTB equipment for diagnostic testing. The rugged terrain and poor road networks in rural communities also made it difficult for health workers to access patients in the community, and vice versa. Poverty, TB- and COVID19-related stigma were also perceived as barriers. On the other hand, the facilitators to TB contact investigation included an increased awareness of TB contact investigation, adequate knowledge of the Ugandan MoH guidelines, confidence in delivering the intervention and on-the-job training of health workers. In addition, the availability of a telephone and transport to schedule and make household visits were reported as facilitators. The support of key district stakeholders involved in TB contact investigations and quarterly performance review meetings also emerged as facilitators.

The health system barriers that emerged from this research were inadequate or irregular funding, human resource shortages, lack of PPE supplies (face masks, gloves, raincoats, and gumboots), out of stock of Xpert MTB cartridges and lack of airtime for communication. In addition, inadequate or inconsistent funding limited the frequency of the DTLS visits to health facilities for supervision and caused a delay in payment of travel and allowances to field teams, causing TB contact investigation operations to be hampered. This finding is in contrast with another study conducted in urban Kenya, which found that the TB program received sustainable funding for infrastructure and health workforce for contact investigation [ 32 ]. Furthermore, this Kenyan study used the WHO health systems framework. It focused on the stakeholder perspectives of the barriers and facilitators to optimizing TB contact investigation in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. This funding disparity between rural and urban areas could be due to a higher TB prevalence in most urban settings thus attracting the attention of policy makers to allocate more resources there [ 33 ].

Consistent with this study, three studies conducted in Botswana, Ethiopia and Uganda reported human resource shortages as a considerable hindrance to TB contact investigation coverage [ 3 , 15 , 16 ]. In urban Uganda, health workers had other competing duties in the TB clinics, thus, they did not have sufficient time for community-level activities, including household contact tracing [ 15 ]. In this study, sometimes only one health worker was available for community visits, and they could not complete multiple tasks, such as health education, screening, sample collection, HIV testing and documentation in the registers. The staff shortage is partly attributed to a small number of staff trained in TB, and assigning them responsibilities in other units outside the TB unit [ 3 ].

Another challenge identified in this study was a lack of PPE materials such as masks, gloves, raincoats and gumboots for health workers to protect themselves against TB and other infectious diseases (such as COVID-19). Health staff were hesitant to conduct household contact investigations without wearing masks and gloves, to avoid contracting TB and COVID-19. Similarly, protective gear, such as raincoats and gumboots, to be used in harsh weather conditions, were not provided to health workers. There is limited literature on the influence of PPE materials on TB contact investigation coverage and this calls for more research in this area. These findings indicate that the supply chain management system for essential infection control materials is weak. These findings emphasize the need to strengthen mechanisms to guarantee sufficient PPE supplies and sustain the supply chain for these products.

The context within which an intervention is implemented, is recognized as a significant determinant of implementation success [ 18 ]. Contextual factors refer to issues about a person or their environment that can positively or negatively affect the delivery of an intervention [ 18 ]. Socio-economic, policy-related, and geographical barriers emerged as contextual barriers in this research. The socio-economic factors included poverty, lack of phones where patients can be contacted to confirm the appointment of household visits, stigma, and fear of reporting cough in fear of being labelled as having COVID-19.

In Botswana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda, the stigma associated with Tuberculosis has been reported as a barrier to TB contact investigation. [ 3 , 7 , 15 , 16 ]. Although these studies did not specifically focus on TB contact investigation coverage, stigma hindered household visits, because index TB patients avoided home visits by health workers, out of fear of their status being disclosed to the community and discrimination from them, which could eventually affect demand and coverage of the intervention. An important observation in our study was that stigma was aggravated by the misconception that every TB patient has HIV, and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuberculosis and COVID-19 have common respiratory symptoms (cough, fever, and breathing difficulties), making it difficult to distinguish the two. This causes diagnostic confusion, and the health workers may also avoid such patients, in fear of contracting COVID-19 [ 34 ]. Furthermore, because of the new COVID-19 stigma, patients with a chronic cough might fear coming to the health facilities for diagnosis, thus complicating the two pandemics [ 34 ].

The COVID-19 lockdown policy implemented in 2020 by the Government of Uganda posed significant challenges to TB contact investigation efforts. Both health staff and patients could not access health facilities, due to stringent lockdown measures, including travel restrictions and public and private transportation prohibitions. Additionally, health providers could not conduct home visits to screen the contacts. Similar findings were found in another study on the impact of COVID-19 on TB programs in Western Pacific nations [ 35 ]. Other COVID-19 related problems encountered in the Western Pacific study included a change in priorities towards the COVID-19 response, as demonstrated by the relocation of TB program staff to the COVID-19 response, and a reduced willingness of patients and contacts to visit health facilities [ 35 ]. Therefore, innovative strategies are required to streamline TB contact investigation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As reported by Cattamanchi et al., geographical challenges contribute to the failure of TB patients and contacts to present at health facilities for TB care [ 36 ]. In their study, health workers reported that the physical remoteness of patients’ homes from the health facility and the rugged terrain encountered during travel, was a challenge [ 36 ]. Likewise, in this study, health workers reported that some index TB patients and contacts came from distant and challenging areas, with steep hills and poor road networks, preventing access to health facilities. This challenge was aggravated by poverty, because patients and contacts from the periphery of the county could not travel to health facilities because of high transport costs.

Facilitators

All health workers interviewed in this study reported awareness of the intervention. They had even engaged in relevant programs to improve its uptake, including enlisting household contacts, home visits, screening, and sputum sample collection. In addition, the clarification of the various steps demonstrated health workers’ adherence to the organizational protocols for TB contact investigations. The increased awareness and fidelity to the guidelines may be attributed to the development and dissemination of local contact investigation guidelines through training and the use of electronic media, such as WhatsApp. Conversely, a similar study conducted in rural Ethiopia found that awareness and adherence to the guidelines were poor because of a lack of refresher training. [ 3 ].

The health system facilitators that emerged from this study include good provider knowledge and access to information, performance review meetings at the district level, and engagement of district stakeholders to obtain their support. In contrast to other studies in Uganda, Ethiopia, and the USA, provider knowledge and confidence (self-efficacy) worked as a facilitator in this study because staff involved in TB contact investigation had received on-the-job training on various aspects of TB management, including contact investigation, diagnosis, and management [ 3 , 15 , 37 ]. In this study, health workers reported that they had the knowledge, skills, and confidence to conduct TB contact investigations successfully. These results are partly attributed to the quarterly district performance review meetings, in which an orientation on TB contact investigation was done and guidelines were shared with health workers.

Reflection and evaluation in TB contact investigation performance were demonstrated by Karamagi et al., in a Quality Improvement study to improve case finding in Northern Uganda [ 38 ]. A review meeting was held to discuss progress on active case finding and develop scale-up plans for the intervention [ 38 ]. Similarly, this study found that quarterly district review meetings were held, to discuss district and health facility performance, challenges, and improvement strategies in various program components, including TB contact investigation. These reflection meetings involved district-based stakeholders such as NGOs, health workers, TB focal persons, and health facility managers, and this promoted ownership of the interventions, and helped in resource mobilization. These meetings were also used to review quarterly TB performance, and develop action plans to improve multiple TB indicators, including TB contact investigation.

Strengths and limitations of the study

This study had the following strengths. First, we included various health provider categories at different levels of the district healthcare system, including community, health facility and district levels, to obtain different perspectives from the participants. Second, this study used implementation science methods such as the CFIR to investigate the rural perceptions of the challenges and enablers of TB contact investigation coverage. The CFIR provided a framework for developing the semi-structured interview guides and interpretation of study findings and this promotes transferability of these results to other settings.

Some weaknesses were also observed. First, index TB patients and their contacts were not interviewed; therefore, some information on the challenges and enablers of contact investigation coverage from the patients’ and caregivers’ perspective may have been missed. Second, data collection was conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown, and some health workers were inaccessible, especially laboratory personnel involved in pandemic control activities at the time. Consequently, the laboratory may have challenges that were not identified in this study. Third, the COVID-19 pandemic may have aggravated some challenges, which were not so pronounced before the pandemic. Finally, the generalizability of our results to other geographical locations may be limited, because this study was conducted in one district in Uganda, which gives it a smaller scope. However, we included three health facilities in different counties, which may improve transferability to other settings.

This study explored health providers perceptions of the barriers and facilitators of TB contact investigation in rural Mbarara district, Southwestern Uganda. This study found that most of the challenges limiting TB contact investigations in rural communities are related to health system; for-example inadequate or delayed funding and human resource shortages. The Ministry of Health in Uganda therefore must strengthen the health system building blocks, particularly health financing and human resources to establish a robust TB control program that will enable the efficient identification of missing TB patients. It also demonstrated the unique challenges affecting the rural settings regarding tuberculosis contact investigation including lack of personal protective equipment, stock-out of Xpert MTB cartridges, shortage of airtime for communication, TB-related stigma, and inconsistent funding for TB contact investigation. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of potential implementation strategies for eliminating these barriers in rural communities. Also, having identified the disruptive nature of the COVID-19 pandemic to the achievement of optimal TB contact investigation coverage, there is a need to develop measures for integrating both COVID-19 and TB contact investigation interventions.

Data availability

The dataset used in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

World Health Organization. Global Tuberculosis Report 2023. 2023. https://www.who.int/teams/global-tuberculosis-programme/tb-reports/global-tuberculosis-report-2023

World Health Organization. Global Tuberculosis Report. 2019. https://www.who.int/tb/global-report-2019

Tesfaye L, Lemu YK, Tareke KG, Chaka M, Feyissa GT. Exploration of barriers and facilitators to household contact tracing of index tuberculosis cases in Anlemo District, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia: qualitative study. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(5):e0233358.

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   CAS   Google Scholar  

Zumla A, Petersen E, Nyirenda T, Chakaya J. Tackling the tuberculosis epidemic in sub-saharan Africa–unique opportunities arising from the second European developing countries clinical trials Partnership (EDCTP) programme 2015–2024. Int J Infect Dis. 2015;32:46–9.

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

United Nations Program on HIV and, Tuberculosis AIDS. and HIV. 2020. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/tb-and-hiv_en.pdf

World Health Organization. Recommendations for investigating contacts of persons with infectious tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries. 2012. https://www.who.int/tb/publications/2012/contact_investigation2012/en/

Marangu DM. Optimizing tuberculosis contact investigation and linkage to care in Nairobi. Kenya: TB KWISHA. University of Nairobi; 2018.

Google Scholar  

Uganda Ministry of Health. Tuberculosis contact investigation in Uganda, operational guide 2019. In. Kampala, Uganda: Ministry of Health; 2019.

Uganda Ministry of Health. Manual for management and control of tuberculosis and leprosy in Uganda. 2017. https://health.go.ug/sites/default/files/NTLP%20Manual%203rd%20edition_17th%20Aug_final.pdf

Blok L, Sahu S, Creswell J, Alba S, Stevens R, Bakker MI. Comparative meta-analysis of tuberculosis contact investigation interventions in eleven high burden countries. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(3):e0119822.

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Armstrong-Hough M, Turimumahoro P, Meyer AJ, Ochom E, Babirye D, Ayakaka I, Mark D, Ggita J, Cattamanchi A, Dowdy D, et al. Drop-out from the tuberculosis contact investigation cascade in a routine public health setting in urban Uganda: a prospective, multi-center study. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(11):e0187145.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Finding the missing cases: The role of enhanced diagnostics and case-finding in reaching all people with TB (fact sheet). 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/globalhivtb/who-we-are/resources/keyareafactsheets/finding-the-missing-4-million.pdf

United Nations. Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 2015. https://www.unfpa.org/resources/transforming-our-world-2030-agenda-sustainable-development

Theobald S, Brandes N, Gyampong M, El-Saharty M, Proctor E, Diaz T, Wanji S, Elloker S, Raven J, Elsey H, et al. Implementation research: new imperatives and opportunities in global health. Lancet. 2018;392(10160):2214–28.

Ayakaka I, Ackerman S, Ggita JM, Kajubi P, Dowdy D, Haberer JE, Fair E, Hopewell P, Handley MA, Cattamanchi A, et al. Identifying barriers to and facilitators of tuberculosis contact investigation in Kampala, Uganda: a behavioral approach. Implement Sci. 2017;12(1):33.

Tlale L, Frasso R, Kgosiesele O, Selemogo M, Mothei Q, Habte D, Steenhoff A. Factors influencing health care workers’ implementation of tuberculosis contact tracing in Kweneng, Botswana. Pan Afr Med J. 2016;24:229.

Uganda Ministry of Health. The Uganda National Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey, 2014–2015 Survey Report. 2016. https://health.go.ug/sites/default/files/Uganda%20National%20TB%20Prevalence%20Survey%202014-2015_final%2023rd%20Aug17.pdf

Damschroder LJ, Aron DC, Keith RE, Kirsh SR, Alexander JA, Lowery JC. Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: a consolidated framework for advancing implementation science. Implement Sci. 2009;4:50.

Adamu AA, Uthman AO, Gadanya MA, Wiysonge CS. Using the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) to assess the implementation context of a quality improvement program to reduce missed opportunities for vaccination in Kano, Nigeria: a mixed methods study. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2019;16(2):465–75.

Gyamfi J, Allegrante JP, Iwelunmor J, Williams O, Plange-Rhule J, Blackstone S, Ntim M, Apusiga K, Peprah E, Ogedegbe G. Application of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to examine nurses’ perception of the task shifting strategy for hypertension control trial in Ghana. BMC Health Serv Res. 2020;20(1):65.

Warner G, Lawson B, Sampalli T, Burge F, Gibson R, Wood S. Applying the consolidated framework for implementation research to identify barriers affecting implementation of an online frailty tool into primary health care: a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):395.

Muddu M, Tusubira AK, Nakirya B, Nalwoga R, Semitala FC, Akiteng AR, Schwartz JI, Ssinabulya I. Exploring barriers and facilitators to integrated hypertension-HIV management in Ugandan HIV clinics using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Implement Sci Commun. 2020;1:45.

Uganda Bureau of Statistics. Mbarara District Local Government statistical abstract 2016/17. 2017. https://www.mbarara.go.ug/sites/default/files/downloads/Statistical%20Abstract%202017%20Final.pdf

Uganda Ministry of Health. National Health Facility Master List; a complete list of all health facilities in Uganda. 2018.

Turyamureba M, Bruno LY, Oryema JB. Health Care Delivery System in Uganda: a review. Tanzan J Health Res 2023, 24(2).

Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care. 2007;19(6):349–57.

Saunders B, Sim J, Kingstone T, Baker S, Waterfield J, Bartlam B, Burroughs H, Jinks C. Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Qual Quant. 2018;52(4):1893–907.

Rowlands J. Interviewee Transcript Review as a Tool to Improve Data Quality and participant confidence in Sensitive Research. Int J Qual Methods. 2021;20:16094069211066170.

Article   Google Scholar  

Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3(2):77–101.

O’Connor C, Joffe H. Intercoder Reliability in Qualitative Research: debates and practical guidelines. Int J Qual Methods. 2020;19:1–13.

Davis JL, Turimumahoro P, Meyer AJ, Ayakaka I, Ochom E, Ggita J, Mark D, Babirye D, Okello DA, Mugabe F et al. Home-based Tuberculosis contact investigation in Uganda: a household randomised trial. ERJ Open Res 2019, 5(3).

Marangu D, Mwaniki H, Nduku S, Maleche-Obimbo E, Jaoko W, Babigumira J, John-Stewart G, Rao D. Stakeholder perspectives for optimization of tuberculosis contact investigation in a high-burden setting. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(9):e0183749.

Mutembo S, Mutanga JN, Musokotwane K, Kanene C, Dobbin K, Yao X, Li C, Marconi VC, Whalen CC. Urban-rural disparities in treatment outcomes among recurrent TB cases in Southern Province, Zambia. BMC Infect Dis. 2019;19(1087):1–8.

Togun T, Kampmann B, Stoker NG, Lipman M. Anticipating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB patients and TB control programmes. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2020;19(1):21.

Chiang CY, Islam T, Xu C. The impact of COVID-19 and the restoration of tuberculosis services in the Western Pacific Region. Eur Respir J. 2020;56:2003054.

Cattamanchi A, Miller CR, Tapley A, Haguma P, Ochom E, Ackerman S, Davis JL, Katamba A, Handley MA. Health worker perspectives on barriers to delivery of routine tuberculosis diagnostic evaluation services in Uganda: a qualitative study to guide clinic-based interventions. BMC Health Serv Res. 2015;15:10.

Wilce M, Shrestha-Kuwahara R, Taylor Z, Qualls N, Marks S. Tuberculosis Contact Investigation policies, practices, and challenges in 11 U.S. communites. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2017;8(6):69–78.

Karamagi E, Sensalire S, Muhire M, Kisamba H, Byabagambi J, Rahimzai M, Mugabe F, George U, Calnan J, Seyoum D, et al. Improving TB case notification in northern Uganda: evidence of a quality improvement-guided active case finding intervention. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):954.

Download references

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge the contribution of Grace Ayebazibwe (GA), who supported me during the data collection and analysis by taking field notes, transcription, and translation of audio recordings.

This research work was supported by TDR, the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, which is hosted at the World Health Organization, and co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO. TDR grant number: B40299, first author ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9722-1202. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funder.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Paddy Mutungi Tukamuhebwa, Pascalia Munyewende & Ntombizodwa Ndlovu

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye

Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management, School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Juliet Nabirye

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

PT, NN and PM participated in the conceptualization and design of the study, developing interview guides, writing the initial version of the manuscript, and reviewing subsequent versions, with substantial input from NMT. With assistance from NN and PM, PT and JN conducted the data analysis. Each author contributed to the writing of the manuscript, and they all reviewed and gave their approval for publishing of the final draft.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paddy Mutungi Tukamuhebwa .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

This study was cleared by the Human Research Ethics Committees at the University of the Witwatersrand Medical (M200101), and the Research Ethics Committee at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUREC 1/7). Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (HS569ES). All participants provided written informed consent.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Material 1

Supplementary material 2, supplementary material 3, rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Tukamuhebwa, P.M., Munyewende, P., Tumwesigye, N.M. et al. Health worker perspectives on barriers and facilitators of tuberculosis investigation coverage among index case contacts in rural Southwestern Uganda: a qualitative study. BMC Infect Dis 24 , 867 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09798-9

Download citation

Received : 04 May 2024

Accepted : 22 August 2024

Published : 26 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09798-9

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• TB contact investigation
• Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research

BMC Infectious Diseases

ISSN: 1471-2334

• General enquiries: [email protected]