accenture case study interview uk

• Hacking the Case Interview

Accenture interviews are comprised of case interviews and behavioral or fit interview questions. If you are interviewing for Accenture’s Strategy group, you will also be given a special type of interview called the Accenture Potentia Interview.

If you have an upcoming Accenture interview, we have you covered. We’ll cover in detail:  

• The Accenture interview process
• What is an Accenture case interview?
• What does an Accenture case interview assess?
• How to solve Accenture case interviews
• The common types of Accenture case interviews
• Accenture case interview examples
• Accenture case interview tips
• How to prepare for Accenture case interviews
• How to ace the Accenture Potentia Interview
• Accenture behavioral and fit interview questions
• Recommended Accenture case interview resources

The Accenture Interview Process

Accenture is a massive professional services firm that provides management consulting, IT consulting, and back office outsourcing. Within management consulting, Accenture is broken down into three groups: Strategy, Operations, and Digital.

Accenture Strategy is the group that is most similar to McKinsey, BCG, and Bain in the type of work that they do. The Operations and Digital group is focused more on implementation rather than on pure strategy.

Depending on the office and group that you are applying for, there will be two to three rounds of interviews. Each round will have anywhere from one to three 1-hour interviews. Your interviews will be a mix of case interviews and behavioral or fit interview questions.

Below is an example of what your interview process could look like:

• Accenture first round interview : Two 40-minute interviews. The first 10 minutes will be spent on behavioral or fit interview questions and the remaining 30 minutes will be spent on an Accenture case interview.
• Accenture final round interview : Three 1-hour interviews. One interview will be focused on behavioral or fit interview questions. The other two interviews will be focused on Accenture case interviews.

One important thing to note is that if you are applying for a role in Accenture Strategy, one of your interviews will be a special type of interview called the Potentia interview.

You’ll be interviewed by more senior people as you go through the different rounds of interviews. In the first round, you’ll be interviewed by consultants or managers. In the final round, you’ll be interviewed by managing directors and senior managing directors.

We’ll cover all of the different types of interview questions in detail in the next few sections.

What is an Accenture Case Interview

An Accenture 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?

Accenture 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 Accenture 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.

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

What Does an Accenture Case Interview Assess?

Accenture 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 Accenture case interview. This is what makes case interviews so effective in assessing consulting candidates.

How to Solve Accenture Case Interviews

Accenture case interviews, also known as case study interviews, are candidate-led. This means that you will be expected to drive the case. You will be suggesting what areas to explore, what analyses to do, and what next steps should be.

Accenture cases last between 30 to 45 minutes. They tend to be based on real business situations, often drawn from an actual project that your interviewer worked on.

In  Accenture’s case interview workbook , they state that success in their case interviews does not depend on finding the correct answer. Instead, you are assessed on:

• How clearly you define the problem
• How logically you structure the analysis
• How strong your quantitative analysis skills are
• How well you communicate your thoughts to the interviewer

In addition to these hard skills, there are also soft skills that you will be assessed on. These are:

• Poise : your confidence, ability to perform well under pressure, and how you handle making mistakes
• Communication : your listening skills and how articulate you are in presenting your process and conclusions
• Flexibility : how well you can adapt your thinking to changing circumstances
• Other  intangibles : your energy and drive, initiative, time management, decisiveness, and genuine interest in consulting and the firm

Accenture suggests following six different steps to solve an Accenture case interview.

(Source: Accenture Case Interview Workbook)  

1. Listen to the case

In this step, the interviewer will give you a description of the case problem. This description can be as short as a few sentences or as long as a full page of detailed information.

During this step, make sure you are taking notes on the most important pieces of information. You should focus on understanding the context, company, and the objective.

2. Clarify the problem

Understanding the business problem and objective is imperative to successfully solving the case. Answering or addressing the wrong business problem is the quickest way to fail a case interview.

Therefore, ask clarifying questions to better understand the business situation and issue. Afterwards, make sure that you confirm or verify the objective of the case with the interviewer. This ensures that you will start the case on the right track.

3. Decompose the problem

Next, you’ll need to break down the problem in an exhaustive and logical way. You can do this by creating an issue tree or framework.

A framework is a tool that helps you structure and break down complex problems into simpler, smaller components. Think of a framework as brainstorming different ideas and organizing them neatly into different categories.

Accenture provides a few examples of frameworks that you can use to get you started thinking about how to solve different types of cases.

  (Source: Accenture Case Interview Workbook)  

We recommend that you do not just memorize these frameworks and use them in your interviews. Instead, use these frameworks as background knowledge to help you make your own frameworks that are tailored to the specific case that you are solving for.

For a complete guide on how to create tailored and unique frameworks for each case, check out our article on case interview frameworks .

4. State your hypotheses

After decomposing the problem, you should list out potential hypotheses that answer or address the business problem. A hypothesis is an educated guess on the answer based on the data and information that you have so far.

A hypothesis helps guide your analysis and keeps you on track. It ensures that you are spending your time answering the right questions and conducting the right analyses.

5. Test your hypotheses

Once you have a hypothesis, you’ll answer questions or conduct analyses to refine your hypothesis.

Sometimes, your hypothesis will be completely wrong and you’ll need to develop another hypothesis to test. Other times, your hypothesis will be generally right and you’ll need to refine and narrow down your hypothesis further.

This is an iterative process. Your hypothesis should be constantly changing and becoming more refined as you progress through the case. Once you have developed meaningful support for your hypothesis, you will move onto the final step.

6. Summarize your findings

In this step, you’ll present your recommendation and provide the major reasons that support it. It is also good to include potential next steps that you would take if you had more time or data.

Afterwards, the interviewer may tell you what actually happened with the case or project that they worked on. Don’t worry if your methodology or answer does not match what actually happened. Remember, you are not assessed on your answer, but the overall process.

Learn case interviews in 30 minutes

We've compiled all of the different steps of solving an Accenture case interview into a more easily digestible 30-minute video. We highly recommend watching the video below in its entirety.

The Common Types of Accenture Case Interviews

Accenture states that there are three types of cases you may see in your interviews:

• The “Great Unknown”
• The “Parade of Facts”
• The “Back of the Envelope”

The “Great Unknown” and “Back of the Envelope” are the most common types of cases.

The “Great Unknown” Case

For this type of case, very little information will be provided to you on the case background. For “Great Unknown” cases, you’ll be tested on your ability to probe for details, which requires having a structured framework.

Examples of cases:  

• Your client is a leading manufacturer of prefabricated kitchen furnishings. They have been steadily losing market share over the past two years. You have been hired to help them understand why this is happening and what they can do to improve their market standing.
• A major furniture retailer has experienced declining profits for four quarters, but has experienced a 25% growth in sales and has opened many new stores during this time. Why are profits declining?
• A fast food company is thinking about putting a franchise in an airport. Should they do this?
• A bread division of a large food company is facing increasing competition in the market. Should they exit the market?
• A car company is interested in developing a new car. What marketing related issues should it consider before making the investment?
• What factors influence the revenue potential of a new pharmaceutical product?
• Citibank is considering purchasing another credit card company, which would give them access to 100,000 new card holders. What is the estimated value of this acquisition?
• A commercial bank is re-evaluating the number of branches it operates and whether they should increase the number of branches or close some down. How should they make this decision?
• A large conglomerate company is facing declining profits in its railroad company division and is considering shutting it down. Is this the right course of action? What are potential alternatives?
• New York City has hired you to determine what optimal route or what destination taxi drivers should go to when they do not have a customer.

The “Parade of Facts” Case

For this type of case, a significant amount of details on the case background will be provided to you, some of them unnecessary. For “Parade of Facts” cases, you’ll be tested on the ability to synthesize and identify key issues.

Example of a case:

• Your client is a food company that wants to develop a freshly prepared meal business
• There is a trend among customers towards fresher foods with no artificial preservatives or coloring
• Consumers are currently purchasing $5B of frozen meals and there is a trend towards more upscale products
• A fresh meal plate combines a protein, vegetable, and starch and is delicately arranged in a sealed plastic dome package
• Nitrogen gas flushing is used to extend shelf life
• Product is currently in limited consumer testing at $5.50 to $8.50 per meal
• Shelf life of product is 14 days
• Product will spoil in 21 days, potentially causing food poisoning
• Client wants to know if they can make money in this business
• Client wants to know if the market is big and how will they keep competition out
• Client wants a consultant to assist in building a business case for them

The “Back of the Envelope” Case

This type of case asks a market sizing or estimation question. Very little information will be provided, but a clear question will be asked.

“Back of the Envelope” cases primarily test your analytic abilities. It requires a structured, logical thought process and competency in working with numbers and making calculations.

Examples of cases:

• Estimate the total number of dry cleaners in Philadelphia
• How much money could Continental Airlines save by giving customers half a can instead of a whole can of Sprite?
• What is the estimated value of a taxi medallion in New York City?
• Discuss what is wrong with the following statistic: The Volvo is the safest car on the road because a recent study has shown that Volvos have the fewest number of accident deaths per mile driven
• Estimate the change in the price of oil in the year 2000 from today’s price. Will it increase or will it decrease?
• Estimate the number of attendees for a free concert for U2 in Central Park in New York City

Accenture Case Interview Examples

We've compiled additional examples of Accenture case interviews below. These case interviews were actual cases given in previous Accenture interviews.

Example #1 : A consumer electronics company is looking to introduce a new smartwatch to the market. How should they launch this new product?

Example #2 : A global logistics company wants to streamline its supply chain operations. How can they lower their costs?

Example #3 : A pharmaceutical company is considering discontinuing a particular drug from its portfolio. Evaluate the reasons behind the decision and assess the financial implications.

Example #4 : A non-profit organization focusing on wildlife conservation is facing funding challenges. Recommend initiatives to enhance long-term sustainability of fundraising.

Example #5 : A financial services firm is considering adopting blockchain technology for its operations. What are some considerations that they should think through?

Example #6 : A leading e-commerce platform wants to enhance its customer experience. How can they improve customer satisfaction and loyalty?

Example #7 : A software company that currently serves small and medium-sized businesses wants to expand into the enterprise market. Should they enter this new market?

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

Accenture Case Interview Tips

Below are six of the most useful Accenture case interview tips for acing your case interviews.

Tip #1: Take your time and don’t rush into speaking

Structure your ideas and thinking before you start talking. If needed, talk through the problem out loud so that the interviewer can follow your thought process.

Tip #2: Be flexible

There may be times when the case will take a different direction than anticipated. You may also need to completely change your approach or hypothesis. It is important that you are open-minded and adaptable throughout the case.

Tip #3: Use visual aids

To make your communication even more clear and easy to follow, use visual aids to your advantage. When presenting your framework, turn your paper around so that it faces the interviewer. When outlining a process, use a whiteboard if there is one available.

Tip #4: Be 80/20

The 80/20 principle states that 80% of the results comes from 20% of your effort. You will not have the time to answer every single question in a case interview. Therefore, take an inventory of all of the information that you have and focus on diving deeper into the areas that will have the greatest impact.

Tip #5: Pay attention to cues from the interviewer

Remember that case interviewers are meant to be collaborative. You should listen closely to what the interviewer has to say. They may provide you with hints to help you out. They may also give you feedback on your approach or structure to help steer you in the right direction. Don’t dismiss what interviewers have to say.

Tip #6: Showcase your individuality

A case interview is an opportunity to showcase your personality and experiences. If you have unique insights based on your previous work experiences, make sure that you bring it up. This can help separate your answer from other candidates.

How to Prepare for Accenture Case Interviews

There are seven steps to preparing for Accenture case interviews.

1. Understand what a case interview is

The first step in preparing for Accenture 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 Accenture case interview performance looks like.

Knowing what a great Accenture 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 Accenture 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 Accenture 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 Accenture 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 Accenture 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 Accenture 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 Ace the Accenture Potentia Interview

The Accenture Potentia interview is a 1-hour interview given to candidates that are applying for a role in Accenture Strategy. Here is the structure of the Accenture Potentia Interview:

• You’ll be given a short paragraph of text about a business topic with a problem statement. Topics are diverse and may not be work-related. Examples of topics include blood diamonds in Africa or intellectual property on the Internet
• You’ll have 5 minutes to prepare and think through the problem statement
• You’ll have a 45 to 60-minute conversation with the interviewer in which you’ll present your thoughts and the interviewer will ask follow-up questions

The purpose of the Potentia interview is to challenge your strategic thinking. There is no right or wrong answer. There are also no calculations or math involved.

Instead, the interviewer is assessing you on the structure and organization of your answer and your creativity.

Tips for the Accenture Potentia Interview:  

• Use a framework or structure for your answer : Remember that you are being assessed on how you structure and organize your answer. Therefore, instead of listing random ideas that come to mind, develop a framework to structure your ideas.
• Brainstorm as many ideas as you can : Use your framework to help you brainstorm effectively. Your framework should have three to five different areas. Meticulously think through each area and try to generate at least three ideas in each.
• Have a mix of practical and ambitious ideas : You are being assessed on creativity, so make sure you include ideas that are ambitious and impactful. However, you also want to show sound business judgment, so you will need to include ideas that are practical and easier to implement. You should have a mix of these two types of ideas.
• Bring in ideas that you learned from your prior work experience : One way to demonstrate creativity is to take ideas or solutions in one industry and apply them to another. Therefore, if there is an opportunity to leverage learnings from your prior work experience, you should definitely bring it up.
• Make it a conversation : Remember that the Accenture Potentia interview is meant to be a two-way conversation. Make sure you are listening to the feedback or questions that the interviewer has and responding accordingly.

Accenture 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 are you interested in working at Accenture?

How to answer: Have at least three reasons why you’re interested in working at Accenture. You could mention that you loved the people that you have met from Accenture so far. You can talk about Accenture’s massive global presence and expertise in nearly any industry or function. You can speak to how Accenture provides strategy and implementation, so you can see the impact of your work.

2. Why do you want to work in consulting?

How to answer: Again, have three reasons why you’re interested in consulting. You could mention the fast career growth opportunity, the opportunity to develop soft and hard skills, or the level of impact that you can make by working with large companies on their most challenging issues.

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.

4. What is your proudest achievement?

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.

5. What is something that you are proud of 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. Choose something that is impressive and interesting.

6. Tell me about a time when you led 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 questions, make sure that you structure your answer. Structure your answer by providing 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 commonly used to answer behavioral or fit interview questions.

7. Give an example of a time when you faced conflict or a disagreement.

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

8. Tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone.

How to answer: Choose a time when you were able to change someone’s mind. Focus on emphasizing the steps that you took to persuade that person and what impact and results this had. Interviewers want to know that you are a great communicator and a good people person.

9. Describe a time when you failed.

How to answer: Choose a time when you failed to meet a deadline or did not meet expectations. 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 don’t get discouraged from failure and that you treat those experiences as learning opportunities.

10. What questions do you have for me?

How to answer: This is a great opportunity to get to know the interviewer on a more personal level. Ask them questions about their experience in consulting or their career. Express genuine interest in what they have to show and ask follow-up questions. The more you can get the interviewer talking about themself, the more likely they will have a positive impression of you.

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 Accenture Interview Resources

Here are the resources we recommend to land an Accenture consulting offer:

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

Land Multiple Consulting Offers

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

Accenture Case Interview: Formats, Question Types & Tips

Accenture is one of the largest consulting firms in the world, with more than 500,000 employees serving clients in 120 countries. If we could pick a consulting firm to win the aggressive campus recruiting award, it would probably be Accenture.

Accenture case interviews are a bit heavier on market-sizing, with a mix of candidate- and interview-led, and may include a special interview called Potentia.

Table of Contents

What is Accenture case interview?

Accenture case interviews are the final test to become an accenture consultant.

The Accenture case interview is the screening interview of Accenture, where candidates must solve business problems (or cases). The interview evaluates whether candidates possess the capabilities and qualities to become an Accenture consultant.

Accenture case interviews are both interviewer-led and candidate-led. The former has multiple separate questions presented by the interviewer, while the latter is one big case where you lead every step of the process, from structuring the issue, developing frameworks, requesting data, synthesizing findings, and providing solutions.

Before getting to the case interview, you must pass the initial screening rounds, which include resume screening and on-campus behavioral test.

In the resume round, you’ll of course need a consulting resume, just like what you’d need for McKinsey, and a cover letter, then submit it on Accenture’s website.

The behavioral interview will test whether you are fit to work for Accenture and the position you are applying to. This should take around 30-45 minutes.

Accenture also has a special case interview called the Potentia, testing candidate’s judgment and creative thinking ability. We’ll touch on this a bit later.

You don’t need tech background to solve Accenture cases

Accenture is a tech support powerhouse , but you don’t need to know about tech for consulting positions (it’s BUSINESS, but knowing wouldn’t hurt either).

Some may have tech-related topics, like on Uber or Facebook but you can solve the case, content-wise, just like normal case interviews. 

So brighten up if you don’t have any exposure in IT or computer science, you’ll be working in business at core. But tech bros are also welcome! (Well, they indeed can join tech for (arguably) higher pay up front versus consulting, but I’d say consulting is better in the long-run, so get at it!).

And in case you didn’t know, Accenture literally became the biggest consulting firm in the world thanks to tech.

Big corps nowadays are more than willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year to keep their tech humming, and Accenture enjoys quite a fair share of that. It is basically synonymous with tech consulting/advisory.

Also, before the tech giant it is today, Accenture actually hailed from a former Big Five firm (now Big Four)! It was first known as Andersen Consulting, the business & tech consulting department of Arthur Andersen, but later split in the late 1990s due to internal conflict and became Accenture! 

Accenture looks for those with achieving & analytical mindset

Just like all management consulting firms, Accenture looks for those who want to make an impact. The main value Accenture will look for are:

Outstanding academic achievement: Usually, your GPA (obviously) and school prestige. Your best bet? 4.0 at Harvard! But jokes aside, a 3.6 GPA should be good. Below that? Try to make focus points in other parts of your resume. This article might help!

Analytical ability: The ability to create a thorough, data-driven, insightful analysis and define the root cause and solutions to difficult problems

Demonstrated leadership : The ability to inspire and motivate others. Consultants won’t simply look for “leaders” who just tell their subordinates what to do, but a guiding beacon, even for their superiors (very much telling your boss what to do, but, think of it as inspiring ideas to them).

Collaborative approach : The ability to exchange facts and insights and effectively interact with people from various backgrounds and cultures

Intellectual curiosity : The ability to actively and continuously seek and expand knowledge 

Accenture case interview format

Accenture interviews are heavy on market-sizing.

This was based on our research. Also, most cases were divided into very specific and realistic questions, and they had no connections, whatsoever. The case as a whole sounds like a casual business discussion on some pressing issues.

So, you can expect these questions to be typical of consulting interviews. Market-sizing and guesstimate questions are popular and it’s no exception here. But keep this in mind: Market-sizing is not about getting the correct number, but estimating in a structured and logical way . The process is the important part .

Accenture cases are not heavier on math

Accenture cases are just about as math-y as what you’d see in most consulting firms. Yes, math is the foundation of consulting work, but what interviewers will look for is structured problem-solving, which brings us to MECE, root cause, and actionable solutions, the core of all cases. 

Accenture case interview questions

There are three types of questions in Accenture cases, known as the “ Great Unknown ”, the “ Parade of Facts ” and the “ Back of the Envelope ,” each targeting very specific aspects of a candidate’s problem-solving ability. 

The two most common will be the “Great Unknown” and the “Parade of Facts”. Still, no matter the question type you’re dealing with, don’t jump right in cracking the case before understanding the facts and knowing exactly what is being asked of you.

The Great Unknown focuses on ability to probe information

The Great Unknown questions basically give you the barebone, with truly nothing to build a case. They will test your ability to uncover necessary facts - to ask the right questions. 

Here’s an example: 

A leading manufacturer of plant-based meat has experienced a decline in profits despite an increase in market share. The senior executive team would like you to help them understand why and what they can do to reverse this trend.

And here’s how you should approach the case:

Okay, first, “market share” here is a rough percentage of the company on the market, not an absolute number. So, “an increase in market share” can be either by chewing out the competition, or competition dying.

Also, the market might be shrinking, but our sales are falling less than competitors. 

After clarifying what “an increase in market share” means, you can ask something like:

Has the company experienced any significant increase in cost in the last couple of years related to any additional fixed or variable cost?

On the revenue side, has there been an increase in the volume of output?

What about the competition? Has the competitive structure of the industry changed? Mergers and Acquisitions? New Entrants?

Are there any new products or new technologies that are gaining market share?

How is the company currently positioned (low cost, high quality, etc)? What is its competitive advantage?

The Parade of Facts focuses on the ability to distill key issues

The “Parade of Facts” presents you with an abundance of information, so now, it’s your job to navigate through massive loads of facts. It will put your ability to grasp the crux of the problem and find relevant information to the test.

For this type of question, pause for a moment and consider the central problem . It’s key to ask questions about facts that appear relevant.

Here’s an example:

Client is a leading ice-cream company that wants to sell vegan ice-cream. They want to know the market size, the feasibility of the business and how they can set up barriers to entry. Some additional information is given:

Trend among consumers is toward production transparency, e.g. they want to know their products were not made at the cost of animal suffering, labor exploitation, and environmental repercussions.

Trend among consumers is to avoid artificial preservatives or colorings.

Consumers are currently purchasing $45 billion ice-cream cups per year.

There are five flavors – matcha, coconut, vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.

Ice-cream is packaged in 18 oz cups.

Product is currently in limited consumer testing at $4 to $5.50 per cup

Here’s what you can do:

The key problem here is to find out the market size and profitability of the business. So, consider asking something like:

What prices are consumers responding to?

What is the competitive structure of this market currently?

What are the components of the company’s cost structure?

What is the break-even point for the firm?

What is the required market share to break-even?

The Back of the Envelope focuses more on math

This takes us back to the basics of market-sizing and guesstimate, so, things like estimate the number of phones in New York, or how many shots of espresso are consumed each year in Italy.

But let’s try a real case, shall we?

Estimate the total number of taxi drivers in Montreal.

Now, we’ll focus on assumptions.

First, estimate the market size by segmenting the population.

Assume Montreal’s population consists of 30% adult men, 30% adult women and 40% children

Assume children don’t use taxis and only 30% of adults use taxis

Estimate the average number of taxi rides each man and woman takes a week. For this case, assume one takes 10 rides a week, as the average works 5 days a week, and will take one to get to work and another back home

So, the market size (per week) is: 1.2 million people (60% of males & females) x 30% (percentage of adults using taxis) x 10 taxis rides = 3.6 million rides

Next, estimate the number of rides a driver can complete per week

Assume the average taxi driver completes 3-4 rides per hour

If the average driver works 10 hours/day, 6 days/week, he’d typically complete 180-240 rides (3-4 rides x 10 x 6)

Divide the total number of rides per week, we get the answer (about 15000-20000)

These are just some questions you may encounter in Accenture case interviews. If you want to familiarize yourself with the interview format, improve your performance, and develop techniques for each question type. The only proven way is to PRACTICE! 

Having trouble on where to start? Check out our Case Interview End-to-End Secrets Program. We have everything covered for you to get ready for your case.

After practicing mock cases, try out MConsultingPrep’s coaching service. You’ll have the opportunity to receive detailed feedback on your performance from former consultants, and a personalized study plan to ace every case!

Accenture Potentia interview

Accenture Potentia Interview is a special type of case interview designed to test sound judgment and creative thinking of candidates applying for Strategy roles at Accenture. So not all candidates will take the Potentia, only the Strategy guys.

Potentia is also a case interview, just for Strategy candidates

The Potentia is a one-hour case interview. There are no clear guidelines for these cases, so whatever case you get depends on the interviewer. Regarding case type, some 60% chance you’ll get market-sizing, and nearly 40% chance you get profitability. On the format:

First, the interviewer will hand you a topic with a problem. The topics can be anything, even unrelated to work, like blood diamonds in Africa, or treatment of homosexuals in Muslim countries

You’ll have 5 minutes to read through the problem statement and prepare

After that, you’ll present your thoughts and the interviewer will ask follow-up questions. This conversation lasts around 45 to 60 minutes

Potentia is more on creativity rather than structure

Potentia focuses slightly more on creativity than structure. It mostly tests your ability to think outside the box, and come up with something fresh. So do expect it to be more casual than MBB cases (still, it’s a job interview, expect some level of seriousness).

But if you meet someone hailing from the MBB, they may get more demanding (it’s MBB, what do you expect?) and the interview will get serious real quick.

Still, Potentia will be more conversational and not go too much on getting the right answer.

Tips for Potentia

Tip #1: Construct your answers using frameworks:

You are still being evaluated on how structured and organized the answers are ( it’s a case interview at core , remember?). So, use frameworks to capture ideas.

Tip #2: Practice brainstorming ideas:

Coming up with a lot of good ideas in a short period of time takes practice. Try to generate ideas in different areas of your framework for a start.

Tip #3: Welcome ambitious ideas:

Remember, your creativity and innovation is also being assessed. Don’t be afraid to speak up ambitious ideas, because they might turn out to be very good. Still, it’s best to keep both practicality and ambition, for flexibility.

Tip #4: Don’t focus too much on getting the right answer:

Potentia problems are usually complex and don’t have absolute answers. Focus on giving sound judgements, creativity, innovation and you’re good! 

Tip #5: Bring in ideas from prior work experience:

A good way to showcase creativity is to draw relevant ideas from one industry and match them with another. Besides, it’s a good opportunity to leverage your previous work experiences.

Tip #6: Listen carefully to feedbacks:

Listen carefully and respond thoughtfully to your interviewer’s comments. It’s more of a conversation, not a one man show. Besides, listening is respecting, and a good impression goes a long way. Do apply feedback from previous questions to improve your performance in later questions. It shows that you are paying attention.

How to prepare for Accenture case interview

Careful preparation is a must to ace Accenture’s case. You can tackle each aspect of the interview step by step.

Start from getting used to both interviewer-led candidate-led cases, then further out with business intuition, consulting math, fundamentals & frameworks of case interview, then finally conduct mock interviews.

Step 1: Get used to the candidate-led case interview, and written case interview

Examine examples of interviewer-led and candidate-led case interviews to familiarize yourself with the case flow and how to interact with the interviewer.

You can also get familiar with more case interview samples and all instantly-effective tricks for case interviews with our Case Interview E2E Secret Program. Also, here’s our free video of a case interview example with an explanation and expert comments.

Step 2: Develop business intuition

Having business intuition significantly improves your performance in case interviews. Working on intuition is a gradual process that takes practice every day. You can improve your business intuition in two ways:

Written sources: Read business papers daily (Bloomberg is recommended). You can also find articles on McKinsey, Bain, and BCG’s websites. But be careful! The important thing is not your page count, but what you absorbed from them

First-hand experience and observations: Don't just do things like a machine; find out what the seniors are doing, why they did what they did, and how it has affected the organization. Everything is a learning process, and it’s up to you to squeeze out every bit of knowledge and experience

Step 3: Practice consulting math

Consultants work with quantitative data in just about every minute. It simply takes too long to whip out a calculator every time they need to calculate something, and you’re definitely not impressing clients with that. That’s why interviewers place such high emphasis on mental math skills of interviewees. To improve your math, you can:

Train your head : Apply mental calculations on any daily occasion unless an EXACT answer is required

Start small : Use a piece of scratch paper, give yourself some margins of error (5% is a good start); once you get used to it, remove the paper and narrow down the margin of error.

Establish a routine : Spare time for daily practice and get better each day, just like exercise. You’ll never notice the little changes, but they stack up HARD, and when you realize it, you’re probably doing math thrice as fast

Step 4: Learn the fundamentals and frameworks of case interview

Accenture case interviews (or any other case interview) are based on the fundamentals - using hypotheses and issue trees, the MECE principle, and the frameworks. So, knowing them is extremely important and you should practice the fundamentals until you are comfortable.

A common mistake candidates make during their case interviews is to go straight for the frameworks. Frameworks require extensive adaptation to match actual cases. To customize appropriately, you must understand the fundamental knowledge first.

To know more about case interviews, here’s a dedicated article .

Step 5: Conduct mock case interview

Mock interviews are a great way to simulate the actual case interview session. You should examine your cases in great depth during the mock case interview. Record your session, replay, note the comments, and look for ways to improve.

Find a former consultant to help you with your practice - they are the ideal people; they've been there, they’ll know what a candidate must be. Through their feedback, you can improve on what needs to be improved and boost your chance of getting an offer.

We can also help you connect with consulting coaches (all former consultants!) for a more personalized feedback. Book your mock case interview session with us now !

Accenture Tech or Accenture Consulting?

But Kim, you may ask, I have tech background, do I go for Accenture Tech or Accenture Management Consulting?

Good question! Both are great careers but I’d say even if you are amazing at tech, if you can, go for management consulting. Yes I might be biased, but let’s focus on the aspect of each: one leans more on one aspect of business, and other on the entire business.

With tech, you can make six figures fresh out of college

Tech guys can easily make six figures right after graduation, because, well, it’s tech! So you want to make 150, 200 just fresh out of school? Go tech!

With consulting, you have the potential to make millions in the long run

But I’ll ask you this, what does a company, say even a tech company do to make money? BUSINESS . Everything it does serves one purpose, to sell a product or service and make money from that. No matter what type of company, BUSINESS is always the core.

What management consulting will teach you is to look at the big picture, how the entire business works to make a profit, how to improve on what’s already there, how to solve upper-level problems, not just narrowing down to a simple cog of a whole machine.

Let’s say you go with the tech path, you make big bucks right out of school, but that’s probably it. Tech’s all you know, but you’re quite good at it. As time goes by, your development, and your money seem to plateau, because you can’t quite get higher up. You’re limited to just one aspect of the entire business.

But now, you go with the consulting path, you make less than tech guys at first (still good money), but with what you’ve learnt in business and management, you hop to upper-level management levels for another firm (COO, CTO, even CEO isn’t out of the question), or, you build your own tech firm. You become the boss of the tech kids.

I’d say the money from tech vs consulting looks something like this. Tech gives you the boost right from the start, but consulting gives you the momentum later in your career.

You can say some tech guys like Bill Gates or Zuck made billions, but as I said, their core was BUSINESS. You won’t make billions simply by writing some codes or making some phones. There’s a lot more to it, and that’s exactly what consulting will teach you.

And hey, you know that guy from Google? Sundar Pichai? Yeah, he began in engineering, but transitioned to consulting. From McKinsey to Google CEO. That’s a real brag. I’d doubt he’d get anywhere as big just staying in engineering.

So your choice, go big now, or go real big later. 

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

Learn insider tips, proven strategies, and practical advice to ace the Oliver Wyman case interview with MConsultingPrep comprehensive guide!

Case interview is the last round of ZS Associates hiring process with 3 stages: online application, aptitude tests + video interview & 2 parts of case interview

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

Academic Entry Requirements

Core values, application form, immersive online assessment (2024), digital interview, being made an offer, other useful resources, accenture application process & interview questions (2024 guide).

Updated May 13, 2024

All products and services featured are independently selected by WikiJob. When you register or purchase through links on this page, we may earn a commission.

Accenture is a multinational company providing services in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. It offers graduate schemes in a number of areas, including analytics, consulting and software engineering.

The company’s recruitment programme focuses on identifying candidates’ individual strengths through an immersive process that uses augmented reality, virtual reality and strength-based interviews .

The aim is to provide a level playing field for applicants from all backgrounds, as well as reflecting how digital innovation is embedded in all aspects of life at Accenture.

The application process may vary depending on the programme the candidate has applied for, but is likely to follow all or most of the following stages:

• Immersive Online Assessment

Assessment Centre

If you are required to do a phone interview, treat it in the same way you would a digital or face-to-face interview. Make sure to do your company research, be clear and concise in your answers, and try to make a connection with the interviewer if possible (for instance, asking what they enjoy about working at the company).

On average, the application process should take around 28 days from start to finish, although it may take longer during busy recruitment periods.

Following online applications and interviews, Accenture aims to respond with a decision within 10–15 working days. So if you are invited to an assessment centre, you should (in theory) receive feedback within 15 days from its conclusion.

Accenture receives a high volume of applications for roles every year. Consequently it can close applications earlier than expected, so be sure to apply early .

Accenture has removed UCAS points requirements, to open roles up to a broader range of candidates.

Academic requirements, such as a bachelor’s degree, still exist for graduate programmes but vary from scheme to scheme; check before applying.

Where requirements apply, they are usually fixed. However, extenuating circumstances, such as illness, will be reviewed on an individual basis. If you feel this applies to you, contact Accenture to discuss your situation.

You should also contact Accenture directly if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage in the application process.

Throughout the application process, Accenture will be looking for candidates who understand its core values and have the knowledge, skills and capabilities to meet them.

It is important to know what Accenture stands for and to find ways to directly align yourself with those values at each stage of the application.

Accenture’s core values are:

• Client Value Creation – Helping its clients perform at the top of their game, while developing long-term relationships.
• Best People – Accenture aims to attract, develop and retain the very best people for its business. It expects its employees to demonstrate a can-do attitude.
• One Global Network – Using global insight to deliver exceptional service to clients worldwide.
• Integrity – Emphasising a commitment to ethical and honest behaviour, and taking responsibility for its actions.
• Respect for the Individual – Valuing diversity and encouraging an open, trusting and inclusive environment.
• Stewardship – A commitment to building a better company for the future and protecting the company brand, as well as helping to improve communities and the global environment.

Prepare for Accenture Application Process & Interview

The Accenture application form is your first chance to make a strong impression, so take your time and ensure you are fully prepared before you begin.

Remember that you can only apply to one programme at a time – and if you are unsuccessful, you must wait at least six months before reapplying.

So, your first step should be to thoroughly research the programmes you are interested in, making sure you understand what the role would involve and the criteria for applicants.

Information on the different Accenture graduate programmes is available on the company’s Apply Zone , and you can find out more about life at Accenture on its blog .

On the application form, you will be asked to provide details of your background, experience, skills, interests and education.

You may also be required to complete some short competency questions and a psychometric questionnaire, plus you will need to upload your CV.

Make sure you have all the information you require to complete the form and that your CV is up-to-date – look at our complete guide to writing a CV to make yours as effective as possible.

Give as much detail as you can about your extra-curricular activities and anything else that may be relevant to your application.

Your aim is to build a detailed portrait of yourself, demonstrating that you are a skilled and well-rounded person who would be a good match with the corporate culture at Accenture.

Remember, wherever possible, to identify experiences and skills that correspond with Accenture’s six core values, using specific examples.

Assessors are very likely to bring up information you have included in your application form at interview, so make sure you are prepared to discuss it in detail. Make written notes or keep a copy of your completed application form , so you can refresh your memory before the interview.

And, as with any application form, do not be tempted to embroider or falsify any information; interviewers are adept at digging deep and spotting inconsistencies.

If your initial application is successful, you will be sent a link to complete an online assessment through an Accenture portal.

These tests are bespoke to Accenture and are designed to evaluate candidates’ cognitive function and ability , as well as their proficiency with technology and business acumen .

They are also an opportunity to learn more about Accenture and how the company works.

Depending on the programme you have applied for, you will be presented with a mix of assessments and will be scored across a number of key capabilities. These could include:

• Motivated learner
• Online collaborator
• Tech advocate
• Client partner

The assessments are likely to include:

• Situational judgement tests (STJ)
• Numerical reasoning
• Logical reasoning

Situational Judgement Tests

These are designed to assess whether you fit the core values that Accenture is looking for.

You will be given challenging situations that you may face during your role at Accenture, and will be asked to choose an appropriate response.

The answer you choose will help the assessors examine whether you have the skills and characteristics they are looking for.

You may find that all the possible responses to a given situation have their merits and could be an appropriate option, so the difficulty lies in differentiating between those which are practical and those which are desired by Accenture.

You can only choose one response in each situation and there might be a trade-off between drawing on different qualities, such as leadership, determination or creativity.

You will need to use your judgement to ascertain which is most appropriate in each scenario.

A familiarity with Accenture’s core values will help you understand what assessors are looking for, but it is best to answer the questions honestly .

The tests are designed to pick up on signs that you are manipulating your answers, or focusing more on analysing the question than responding with sincerity.

Numerical and Logical Reasoning Tests

These will measure your problem-solving skills and ability to see patterns and consistencies in data, along with your ability to logically work through text to extract meaning, information and implications.

WikiJob has a wealth of informative articles on all forms of aptitude tests as well as free practice questions to help you prepare.

The Accenture tests are not timed, but you will need around 60 to 90 minutes to complete the tests, and it's recommended that you take them all in one sitting.

The assessments are time-recorded but how long you spend on them is not a factor in your final result.

Find somewhere quiet and comfortable to complete the assessment, ideally using a laptop or PC. Although the tests are mobile-friendly, Accenture strongly recommends doing them on a desktop in full-screen mode .

The tests will work best on Chrome, Internet Explorer version 11 or later, Safari or Firefox, and you should disable any pop-up blockers before you begin.

When you begin the online assessment, you will be taken through a detailed tutorial which explains how to complete the tests. Read through all the information provided carefully before proceeding.

Following the online assessment stage, you may be required to submit a video interview , which involves recording your answers to a series of questions. Accenture has partnered with HireVue, a digital hiring platform, to facilitate the digital interview.

The process involves a skills test in multiple-choice format, as well as a video interview where you will record answers using a webcam, either on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Typical HireVue questions can include asking about your strengths and weaknesses, long-term career goals and the reason for leaving your previous/current job.

If you are required to do a digital interview, questions are likely to focus on your motivation for applying to Accenture, what you know about the company and specific programme, and some competency-based questions .

Here are a few examples of questions that might come up:

• “Why Accenture?”
• “Why this programme?”
• “Why did you choose your particular degree programme?”
• “What is your long-term career plan?”
• “Who are Accenture's main competitors?”
• “Tell me about a few cases/projects you know of that Accenture has worked on.”

Before starting the interview, find out exactly what Accenture does and what you will be doing if you are offered a job. You should know who its major clients are and read several of Accenture's cases beforehand.

The assessor will want to see that you have researched your career options and can demonstrate your commitment to a career at Accenture.

Competency -based questions may also be asked to assess your:

• Decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Innovation and ability to work with uncertain parameters
• Persuasive skills
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Teamwork potential

Questions might include:

• “Tell us about a time you had to work with a difficult colleague and how you overcame this challenge.”
• “Tell us about a time when you displayed leadership skills.”
• “Tell us about a time when you used your creativity to solve a problem.”

You should be prepared to discuss specific situations where you have demonstrated the skills being assessed.

Think about experiences in academia, work, voluntary roles and extracurricular activities to select examples. Remember to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when framing your response.

Video interviews can be daunting if you have never done one before. The following tips will help you to feel relaxed and prepared:

• Practise recording some interview answers first to make sure you feel confident using the equipment. This will also give you a chance to study your body language and tone of voice.
• Find a quiet place to record and make sure the background of the shot is neutral and tidy. Check the lighting – natural lighting is best – and make sure your face is clearly visible.
• Look at the camera rather than the screen when giving your answers, and make sure it is positioned at eye level.
• Dress as you would for a face-to-face interview – this means smartly and conservatively. If you are not certain of the appropriate dress code, have a look at images on Accenture’s website for a guide.
• Maintain a confident posture , use your hands to express yourself (but don’t fidget) and project your voice. Consider showing some practice recordings to friends and family for feedback on how you are presenting yourself on camera and any improvements you could make.
• Stay focused . Switch off your phone and any other programmes on your computer.

In preparation, here’s a practice interview course to help you prepare for those difficult questions.

You can also read our informative guides for help with specific interview questions , including:

• “Why do you want to work for us?” and
• “Describe your ideal job” .

The final stage of the Accenture graduate recruitment process is the assessment centre .

This is held at Accenture offices with members of the recruitment team and will last around half a day.

It will consist of:

• Some short challenges with a recruiter
• A short paired exercise with another candidate
• Assessments using Virtual Reality (VR)
• A one-to-one strength-based interview.

Prior to attending the assessment centre, you will be invited to join an online Q&A session with an Accenture recruiter, who will answer any questions you may have.

You will also be asked to research a relevant topic to discuss with an assessor during the session. The topic is likely to have a focus on current tech trends.

This is not a presentation, but you will need to talk about your given topic with the interviewer for at least 10 minutes.

Assessment Task Examples

You may need to perform a range of different tasks or exercises during the assessment centre. Some examples are below.

Example 1 – In-Tray

You have to complete a pen and paper-based project handover in 30 minutes. You will need to read and filter material and emails provided in a pack containing graphs, timelines and text.

The goal is to identify issues that will affect:

a) project delivery b) project financials c) other

Then pick and prioritise the main issue in each case and suggest one mitigating solution. Finally draft an email to the project lead detailing your activities for the week.

Not all the information is relevant so you will need to prioritise and focus on the main points. For example, if you're looking at project delivery issues, a project timeline graph is probably going to be useful whereas a table detailing contractor rates and hours isn't.

Example 2 – Case Study

You are given 20 minutes of preparation time to discuss a case study with a recruiter or senior manager for 20 minutes.

The specific case: TWD wines and spirits have invested in an online presence and are now looking at the customer/ consumer market when traditionally their business is wholesale.

Revenues are up but profits are down and IT is not functioning properly. There's a booklet of material including a company summary, staff interviews, emails from the CEO, their supply chain diagram and two articles on consumer behaviour. You need to identify key issues and suggest solutions.

Try to condense the information down to perhaps three main issues. Be aware of where, how and why you identified them so you can demonstrate that you have assimilated the information and are able to use it constructively.

Have solutions in mind for each of the issues but keep it simple and make logical sense, for example, implement a more suitable higher spec IT system that can store more data, re-organise the structure of the company, put together a communications plan to improve morale by getting everyone involved and so forth.

The exceptional candidate will link these solutions to case study examples found on the Accenture website. Most importantly, don't waffle; keep the discussion structured.

Example 3 – Team Exercise

You have 30 minutes to produce a proposal for building a school in Mozambique for 200 children, with educational themes and a complete list of materials required, delivered in a five-month project plan. Each team member will also deliver a 30-second presentation on a key point about the project.

This task is all about teamwork and communication. Ask how the team would like to approach the brief. As a team, decide on what the task is asking and break it down into elements. Move through each element systematically and keep an eye on the time. For the presentation, say everything you need to in 30 seconds, as you will be cut off otherwise.

Virtual Reality Assessments

As part of the assessment day , you will be asked to complete some assessments in virtual reality (VR). These are provided by CAPP and consist of three different virtual reality scenarios.

In each one, candidates will be judged on their skills and strengths in interpreting data, solving problems, resilience and working agile .

Exercise one – This is set in an Egyptian crypt where you will find a set of hieroglyphs, which you must move into the correct sequence in as few moves as possible. Lights will change to indicate if the hieroglyph is correct but in the wrong place (yellow) or correct and in the right place (green).

Exercise two – Here you will find 10 podiums, each presenting a problem that needs to be solved. These may include moving rocks into correct size order, counting the number of cubes in a box or naming the capital cities of given countries. You will have seven minutes to complete the exercise and two of the tasks are impossible to complete in the time. You will need to decide which tasks to complete, how to get as much done as you can and when to move on, so this task evaluates your project management skills and how you make decisions about prioritising.

Exercise three – The final VR exercise is an office simulation. You will find a virtual iPad containing information on a live project. You will need to analyse the status of the project before dialling into a conference call and recording a summary of your findings.

Interviews at the assessment centre are now strength-based , which means the questions will focus on learning more about what motivates you as well as some situational judgement questions to explore how you would tackle particular work situations.

Some examples of strength-based interview questions include:

• “What are you good at?”
• “What are your weaknesses?”
• “Tell me about your greatest accomplishment”
• “How would a close friend describe you?”
• “How do you stay motivated?”

These types of questions do not have a right or wrong answer; they are designed to avoid candidates arriving with a set of pre-rehearsed answers.

The interviewer wants to gain insight into your personality and natural attributes, and they will be observing your body language throughout. As such it's important that you are honest and genuine in the responses that you give.

However, it is still possible to prepare to a certain extent. Refer back to Accenture’s core values and consider how you might use a strength-based interview question to show that you are the kind of person Accenture is looking for.

You will need to give examples to illustrate your answers, so think about how you can use specific experiences from your studies, employment or other areas of your life to demonstrate your strengths and what you are good at, aligning these with the core values wherever possible.

This article on common interview questions provides more detailed hints and tips on preparing for strength-based interview questions.

And don’t forget to go back through your notes on your original application form, so you are prepared to discuss any information you included in more detail.

You will also have an oppotunity to ask the interviewer some questions, so try to make these insightful and relevant to increase your chances of standing out.

The new assessment centre process is designed to evaluate candidates on their natural talent, ability and potential – rather than favouring those who are able to give a carefully polished performance.

As such, the intention is that candidates cannot rehearse for the day but must respond instinctively to tasks and questions. That said, having an understanding of what to expect on the day will help you to feel prepared.

Candidates at the assessment centre are not assessed against one another, but against a range of skills and attributes that Accenture has identified are necessary for success within the company.

So, if all candidates at the assessment centre are judged to match those criteria, they will all be made an offer. Likewise, if no candidates are deemed to meet the criteria, then no offers will be made.

You should be informed whether you have received an offer within 15 working days .

Candidates can expect Accenture graduate salary rates to start at around £33,500 along with a £10,000 bonus.

Accenture’s dress policy is smart business casual . This means that staff wear tailored trousers or a skirt, a shirt with a collar or a smart top/blouse.

When you meet your interviewer, they may not be wearing a suit. Candidates are not required to wear a suit (although they are not discouraged from doing so) but must be smartly dressed.

There is more information regarding dress codes in the General Interview Advice section.

Try to meet a member of staff from Accenture at a graduate recruitment fair before you make your online application, as they will be able to provide you with useful hints and tips for applying.

The Accenture Careers page also contains lots of helpful information.

Alternatively, why not check out our article on how to write a CV for more hints and tips on applying for jobs or graduate schemes.

You might also be interested in these other Wikijob articles:

Or explore the Interview Advice / Company Interview Questions sections.

The Accenture Case Interview: A Comprehensive Guide for 2024

• Updated May, 2024

Former Accenture

Accenture Consulting’s Recruitment Process

Mco’s 5 tips on how to ace the accenture case interview, the accenture potentia interview.

Fit / Behavioral Interview

Case Interview: A Step-by-Step Guide

Consulting’s Recruitment Process

Does it feel like there’s so much to try to understand about tackling Accenture case interviews? Are you unsure where to even start?

Don’t worry, we’ve been there. No, seriously, we actually have been there . And we made it through to the other side, job offer in hand.

Which makes us perfectly placed to walk you through it, step-by-step, in our comprehensive guide.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• What the Accenture recruitment process looks like,
• The Accenture Potentia interview,
• The Accenture case interview – a step-by-step guide,
• MCO’s 5 tips on acing the Accenture case interview, and
• The Accenture Consulting fit/behavioral interview.

Let’s get started!

The Accenture recruitment process is similar to that of other consulting firms. Since 2021, more and more of the process is being conducted virtually. There are 4 main elements which we’ll cover here:

• The Online Application
• The Digital Assessment
• The Phone Interview
• Assessment Day

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

Accenture’s Online Application

The first stage is to submit an online application form. Make sure this is tailored to the service and location you’re interested in applying to. You can use Accenture’s job descriptions to make sure you cover the main elements recruiters are looking for.

Need more help? Read our comprehensive guide to preparing your consulting resume .

The Accenture Digital Assessment

Depending on the role, the next stage after your application’s been accepted is an online assessment. This is an opportunity for the recruiting team to test your numeracy, logic, and decision-making skills and to identify areas of natural strength.

You can find out all you need to know about the Accenture Digital Assessment in our article.

Phone Interview

The phone interview is your first chance to really connect with the recruiting team. They’ll be looking to understand your motivation for joining Accenture Consulting and how your skills match what they’re looking for.

This is your opportunity to show how enthusiastic you are about Accenture, so referencing something unique to the company that’s sparked your interest — how its values align with yours, how it supports advances in technology, or your interest in the company’s corporate social responsibility work — is a smart move.

Accenture Assessment Day

For graduate hires, the final stage is an assessment day. This may be in-person, though many offices now hold virtual assessment days.

During the assessment day, there will be both group and individual elements including leadership activities, case study discussions, and 1:1 interviews. The 1:1 interviews will include both a behavioral/fit interview and a case interview.

Experienced hires won’t have an assessment day. Instead, they’ll have either a virtual or face-to-face case and fit interview.

Worried about how to tackle a virtual case interview ? We’ve got 7 top tips to help you ace them.

Accenture is a big firm. As well as management consultancy, they also provide IT consultancy and outsourcing services for business support operations.

The management consultancy part of the business is divided into 3 parts: Accenture Strategy, Digital, and Operations. Accenture Strategy is the arm of the company that competes against top consulting firms such as Bain, BCG, and McKinsey.

If you’re applying for a role within Accenture Strategy, you’ll complete a unique interview called the Potentia interview.

How Is the Accenture Potentia Interview Different from a Regular Case Interview?

Don’t be thrown by the name. At its heart, the Potentia interview is a case interview. The main difference is that it focuses more on assessing the creative thinking of Accenture Strategy candidates.

We’ll be taking you through the nuts and bolts of a case interview below so, for now, here are a few tips to approach this unique Accenture interview.

Our Top Tips For the Potentia Interview

The Potentia interview is a 1-hour long interview about a broad business topic. You’ll be given a short piece of text providing some context to the topic and a problem statement.

Topics are diverse, such as the mining of blood diamonds in Africa or who owns the intellectual property of the internet.

You have 5 minutes to read through the information and prepare your thoughts. After that, there’s a 45-60 minute conversation with the interviewer where you present your thoughts and answer their follow-up questions. There’s no math required during the Potentia interview.

Here are our top tips:

• Use a framework to organize your thoughts . While the interviewer is assessing your creativity, how you present your thoughts should be logical and structured. Outline your core ideas and then expand on the key strengths and weaknesses of each.
• Don’t try and ‘solve’ the problem . These are complex real-life topics that don’t have an easy solution. Focus on presenting innovative ideas that could create real benefit. But, don’t forget good business sense. Evaluate your ideas for practicality, risk, and ease of implementation.
• Adapt your experience . If you have previous work experience that gives you insight into how to approach the problem, use it! Adapting something that’s worked in one context for use in another shows flexibility and a creative mindset.

The Accenture Case Interview: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s now look at the Accenture case interview in detail – what types of case you might face, how to approach them, and a real-life work example.

Types of Cases

There are 3 types of cases you might face during your Accenture case interviews. These are called:

• The “Great Unknown”
• The “Parade of Facts”
• The “Back of an Envelope”

Each of the types has different attributes, as shown below. Of the 3 types, the “Great Unknown” and the “Back of the Envelope” are more common than the “Parade of Facts”.

Whichever case you face, make sure you fully understand all the facts and what you are being asked to do before trying to “solve” it.

How to Approach the Case Interview

1) make sure you understand the question.

Fully understanding the question asked is the 1st step in our tried-and-tested method of approaching case interviews.

You don’t want to spend 45 minutes crafting a great answer to the wrong question. Take a moment to consider the problem statement and then repeat it back to the interviewer in your own words to make sure you’ve got it nailed down.

2) Take Time to Think Things Through

Once you understand the problem, it’s helpful to break it down into smaller parts to help you uncover the issues that might be driving it. An issue tree is a helpful tool to identify the root cause of problems.

Once you’re clear on what the problem is, take a moment to figure out what approach you’re going to take to “solve” it and what clarification questions you want to ask the interviewer. 

At this stage, you might want to think about familiar frameworks you’ve studied during your case study preparation and how they can help frame your thoughts. 

For more information on some classic business frameworks, see Case Interview Frameworks .

3) Ask Insightful Questions

At this point, you should be clear on the problem and have figured out your approach to “solving” it. Share this with the interviewer so they can follow your thought process and ask any clarification questions that you need.

Asking pertinent questions and probing for more information should then allow you to form one or more hypotheses of what could solve the problem.

Testing your hypotheses against what you know about the client and by using a relevant business framework will allow you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each, until you finalize your preferred recommendation.

4) Summarize Your Findings

In this final stage, you’ll summarize your findings and present recommendations to the client.

Make sure you provide a clear and direct answer to the problem statement and outline any next steps you recommend the client takes. 

Highlight any risks associated with your recommendations and options for mitigating them.

The Accenture Case Interview: A Worked Example

Let’s go through an example “Great Unknown” case to see how this all fits together.

As is typical in a “Great Unknown” case, there’s not much information given so asking great questions is key to cracking this case.

Issue Tree 

After considering the problem statement, remember to reflect back to the interviewer what you understand to be the problem, in your own words.

Next, create an issue tree to break the problem down and into component parts.

Using an issue tree helps you to quickly identify several things the client needs to consider when evaluating how to distribute the vaccine including the following issues: infrastructure, staffing, procedures and training, communications and technology, funding, and procurement.

This is also the time to ask clarification questions and probe for more information where there are gaps in your current understanding of the problem.

Building A Hypothesis for How to Quickly and Efficiently Vaccinate the Philadelphia Population 

Depending on the information given, now is the time to narrow the focus and create a hypothesis.

Once you have a strong hypothesis of where the vaccine should be distributed, you still need to address the other infrastructure needs for the vaccination center as well as the other components of your framework. Go through them one-by-one.

Presenting Your Recommendation

Now you’ve considered all the facts, built, and tested your hypothesis. At this stage you should summarize your findings, noting any assumptions you’ve made. 

Conclude your presentation by offering clear recommendations to the client directly addressing the problem statement. Note any risks associated with your recommendation.

Here are our top 5 tips to help you feel confident tackling the case interview:

Tip 1: Think before you dive into the case

Depending on the type of case, there can be a lot of information to manage. Make sure you’ve got it all clear in your head before you begin to tackle the case.

Equally, don’t be thrown if there’s not a lot of information. Take a moment to think through how you’ll approach the problem from beginning to end.

Tip 2: Ask questions

Don’t be afraid to probe for more information where you’ve identified there are gaps. And do clarify anything you don’t understand, such as acronyms or terms you’re not familiar with.

Tip 3: Share your thoughts

It’s no good to listen to the problem statement, scribble frantically on some paper for 45 minutes and then present the “answer.” Interviewers want to understand your thought process, how you handle information, and what assumptions you’ve made. Share your framework for approaching the case with your interviewer and walk them through each step as you address it.

Tip 4: Pay attention to cues

Sharing your thoughts gives the interviewer an opportunity to guide the conversation. Make sure you follow any feedback they offer on your approach and listen closely for any hints about where to go next.

Be aware, however, that some partners like to stress-test final round candidates to ensure they can defend their answers. If you think you’re right, stick to your recommendation.

Tip 5: Be yourself

No one else shares your story. The case interview is an opportunity to show creative thinking and offer insights based on your individual experiences. Your unique perspective is important and helps separate you from other candidates.

For even more tips on acing case interviews, check out 7 Tips To Help You Land A Consulting Offer .

Accenture Fit / Behavioral Interview

This Accenture interview concentrates on 2 types of questions: fit questions and personal experience questions.

Top 3 Fit Questions and How To Ace Them

1) why do you want to work for accenture.

Or the fact they have both strategy and implementation functions so you can see the tangible difference your client recommendations make. Or how the great people you’ve met so far have reinforced that this is the company for you.

The best answers are personal stories. Don’t share generic reasons for joining the firm. Instead show why the reasons you present matter to you. For more on this, see our article “ Why Accenture? ”

2) Why Do You Want to Work in Consulting?

3) tell me something about you that’s not on your resume., typical personal experience questions and how to approach them.

• Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone and how you managed that.
• Tell me about a time when you led a team through a challenging situation.
• Tell me about a time when you persuaded someone to change their mind.
• Tell me about a time when you overcome something you personally found difficult.

Using the A STAR(E) Framework

The A STAR(E) framework covers the following points:

• Answer. Give a clear 1-sentence answer to the question.
• Situation. When and where did the story happen? Who was involved?
• Tension. What was the problem, conflict, or challenge you faced?
• Action. What did you do to solve the problem?
• Result. What happened as a result of the action you took?
• Effect. What effect did this have on you? What did you learn?

The (E) is in parentheses because this won’t be relevant to every story.

For a detailed guide to tackling the Fit/Behavioral Interview, see our article on Consulting Behavioral Interviews .

In this article, we’ve covered:

• What makes up the Accenture recruitment process,
• What the Accenture Potentia interview is,
• Our step-by-step approach to tackling an Accenture case interview,
• Our top tips for success in your Accenture case interviews, and
• What’s covered during the Accenture behavioral interview.

Still have questions?

If you have more questions about Accenture case interviews, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s case coaches will answer them.

Other people prepping for the Accenture case interview found the following pages helpful:

• Top IT Consulting Firms
• Our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep
• How to answer the “Why Accenture?” question
• How to answer Market Sizing questions

Help with Consulting Interview Prep

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on consulting interview prep. My Consulting Offer has helped almost 89.6% 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 Ruhani was able to get her offer from Accenture.

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.

Accenture Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Accenture is a Fortune Global 500 professional services company with more than 505,000 employees, serving clients in more than 120 countries around the world. In 2020, it was named the world’s most admired Information Technology Services enterprise by Fortune magazine. People that want to work for this worldwide consulting giant with expertise across more than 40 industries have to pass a strict recruiting process. To help you navigate through Accenture Interview questions , we made this helpful guide that will show you:

• Accenture Interview Process

How to Prepare for Accenture Assessment Over the Phone

• How to Ace Accenture Technical Interview 

What Are HR Accenture Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Why accenture can give you a dream job, how accenture interview process goes.

When applying for a job in Accenture, be prepared for a process that can last from three weeks up to three months . The recruiting is split into three stages:

• The first stage consists of a phone call with HR, where you will be discussing your education, work experience, and salary expectations. 
• The second stage is the technical or Accenture case interview, and it is more of a business case interview where it is established candidates’ knowledge about their area of expertise. The case study can be a part of the process, and you will get questions about technology, past projects, and statistics.  
• The third stage is an onsite interview where the candidate will talk about the knowledge and value they can bring to the organization. 

Start Practicing Questions Now!

When it comes to interviews over the phone, Accenture uses them as a part of a screening process where you will be asked all about your achievements, past experiences, and skills. To master this first step in landing a dream job, you have to focus on preparation and practice. If you want to ace the Accenture phone screening , you should:

• Schedule the interview because when you know the exact time, it will be easy to avoid distractions. You will leave a better first impression when you are calm and put together, instead, when you are in the middle of some other tasks. Even though multitasking is greatly appreciated, recruiters will notice if your attention is not solely on them.
• Do the research of the company. Go on the official website and social media. This will help you answer a typical “What do you know about us?” question.
• Prepare questions because they can make or break the interview. Avoid asking questions for the sake of asking. Ask about all the ways the company can help you with adapting or about the goals they have for you in the first two months. Asking insightful questions will show recruiters that you have been thinking about the position and that you are a serious candidate.
• Listen before you talk, and let the recruiter set the tone of the conversation. Make sure you answer all the questions but avoid dominating the conversation. Try finding common ground by talking about challenges at the workplace and all the ways they can be resolved.
• End the interview on a positive note by thanking the recruiter for the interview and a pleasant conversation. Later that day, send a follow-up email regarding your experience and ability to do the job.

How to Ace Accenture Interview Questions

You passed the phone interview and reached the second part of the Accenture interview process , now it is time to tackle the technical stage. This is where managers have the chance to evaluate your problem-solving skills. They will use the problem and the solution you provide them with to figure out the depth of your knowledge and skills.

The HR stage of interviews is as important as the technical one. While your skills and knowledge are being ranked and questioned in telephone and technical interviews, HR one is about checking your personality, weaknesses, strengths, and capability to do the job. That’s why let’s go over some of the most commonly asked questions during Accenture HR interviews .

Simulate your next interview

Prepare for the questions that are really going to be asked in your next interview.

1. Why Are You Interested in the Position?

This might be one of the most favorite HR questions. If you want to leave a lasting impression, make sure you underline your skills and talk about past experiences that match Accenture’s requirements. Try using keywords from the job description, because that way, you will make a stronger connection with a manager.

2. Tell Us More About Yourself?

Avoid giving a chronological progression of your work experience. Talk about all the ways your past experiences can help in the new company and, at the same time, look for the way to market yourself the best way possible.

3. Tell Us Something About Your Achievements?

Concentrate on the latest work-related achievements and talk about them. Use them to highlight your skills and show all the value you can bring to the company.

4. Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job?

This is a standard question that managers ask so that they can gauge if problems have caused your departure. They will ask if you are leaving on good or bad terms. Tell them if you are leaving your work because you are seeking new opportunities, but make sure your answers stay positive. Avoid being negative, and don’t put an emphasis on salary as your main motivator.

5. Are You Happy With Your Current Career Growth Until Now?

This is where the interviewer will learn about your confidence and aspirations. The answer should be yes, that is what the interviewer wants to hear.

6. Do You Have Any Questions for Me?

Make sure you always have at least one question to ask. Try forming a strategic question that can display your enthusiasm and showcase you as a potentially very valuable team member.

There are many benefits to applying for a job in one of the top-rated global companies like Accenture. You will be working with some highly educated and experienced people. You will also have the opportunity to network and meet many other employees outside of your department.

Furthermore, Accenture is a fast-paced environment, and you will be interacting and working with clients so that you can achieve the best result possible. This way, you will grow professionally and learn to always put your best foot forward. The continuous learning process will give you the opportunity to advance and reach your dream career as soon as possible. That’s why you shouldn’t hesitate to apply for a job at Accenture . Even though the Accenture interview questions and process are long, it is worth the trouble in the grand spectrum of things.

Start Practicing Interview Questions Now!

According to Glassdoor, every corporate job attracts 250 applicants on average. Gain an edge over these other applicants by learning from previous interviewees.

For more blogs like this one feel free to visit this page and browse around. You will find questions for companies like Google , Facebook , Apple , and many others!

Browser does not support script.

• Autumn Term events schedule
• Student Voice
• You've got this
• LSE Volunteer Centre
• Key information
• My Skills and Opportunities
• Digital Skills Lab
• Student Wellbeing Service
• PhD Academy
• LSE Careers
• Student Services Centre
• Timetable publication information
• Students living in halls
• Faith Centre

Case interviews

A case interview or case study interview involves a business or organisational problem the company may have faced, and is a chance to demonstrate your analytical, reasoning and communication skills. They are designed to assess your ability to do the work of a consultant, i.e. work with a client to identify key problems or challenges facing their business or organisation and to develop effective solutions and actions to address these. 

You might be invited for a case study interview if you are applying for consulting positions and will generally be invited in the second round of interviews. It will be a one-to-one interview with a consultant, followed by  competency based questions .

Case interviews usually work best if they develop into a discussion between the interviewer and you. Ask questions and try out ideas with the interviewer.

What is the company looking for?

Case interviews are not intended to test your business or sector knowledge but it is important to be able to demonstrate your commercial awareness. You will find it helpful to have a basic understanding of key business concepts e.g. revenue, fixed and variable costs, profit, market share, customers, competitors and stakeholders.

As well as this, recruiters will be looking for a genuine curiosity about, and enthusiasm for, business issues and problems.

Try to demonstrate how you can:

• Work with a client to identify key problems facing their company
• Develop effective solutions to these
• Listen actively
• Ask relevant and probing questions
• Problem solve, show you can thinking in a structured manner
• Confidently work within a time limit
• Apply your commercial awareness
• Analyse quantitative data
• Think creatively and on your feet
• Translate analysis into actionable recommendations
• Communication conclusions in a concise and persuasive manner
• Interact well with clients
• Show enthusiasm, motivation and maturity

Having a knowledge of some common frameworks that can be used to structure the analysis of a problem or issue, such as SWOT analysis, Boston Matrix, Porter’s 5 Forces, may help, but do not slavishly apply one of these; your knowledge of frameworks is not important, your ability to think in a structured, creative way is.

How should I respond to a case study?

It is important to understand your primary objective is not to find ‘the’ solution to the case but rather to demonstrate your analytical, reasoning and communication skills.

Do not jump to conclusions or rush towards an answer. It is the process by which you get to your conclusions that interests the interviewer.

• Identify the critical issue from the written case study
• Listen carefully to verbal information or responses to your questions or comments
• Break the problem into parts, describe this out loud. Do not be tempted to follow a common framework (such as SWOT analysis or Boston Matrix) although knowledge of these may help you structure your answer
• Ask relevant questions to gain a fuller understanding of the problem
• Make notes of important facts, figures or thoughts and make calculations if you think this would help – avoiding calculations when they are necessary could look as though you are not confident using numbers
• Describe your overall approach out loud so the interviewer understands your thought processes and can point you in the right direction if you are heading the wrong way – always use this advice if it is given
• Similarly, if you get stuck say so and ask for extra input
• Show that you are enjoying the process – do not show frustration or lack of confidence
• Identify a range of options for consideration
• Conclude by recommending one or two ideas for action

How should I prepare for a case study interview?

• Brush up on your maths (formulae, percentages etc.)
• Practise using sample case studies
• Practise with a friend
• Attend a case study careers seminar
• Book a case study  practice interview  at LSE Careers
• Come to the careers service and use the paper resources and books
• Read business news
• Look at firms' websites

Practice case study appointment

LSE Careers offers one-to-one practice case studies designed for students with interviews at management consultancy firms coming up.  We can offer feedback on the structure, content and presentation of a case study. We have a small bank of practice case studies for management consultancy covering areas like profitability and strategy. 

A practice case study can also help if you are preparing for case interview with a Big Four firm but would not be appropriate for an economic consultancy role in a Big Four firm or specialist economic consultancy.

Please see our  practice interview  information for details of how to book.

Resources from LSE Careers

• Vault: Career insider  Free for LSE students and alumni, this popular careers portal has lots of company profiles for consulting firms as well as general application and interview advice.   They produce two e-guides to case interviews contains advice and practice cases - both free to download for LSE students -  Vault guide to the case interview  and  Vault guide to the case interview practice guide 2
• CaseCoach   Free to students and alumni (up to five years post graduation). CaseCoach is a comprehensive online preparation course for consulting interviews, developed by former McKinsey consultants. The course covers both the case and the fit interviews. It includes a library of 25+ cases with solutions, practice exercises, 12 bite-sized video lectures covering the skills assessed by the top firms and 14 interview videos featuring successful candidates.

More case interview tests and tips

This list below contains links to sample case study interviews and advice articles.

Case interviews question and answers

Useful information about case interviews and three examples to practice

Case interview tutorials and advice on what consultancy firms are looking for in an applicant. Free registration is required.

Gives sample case questions, including 'back of the envelope' questions and business problems

Dartmouth's resources on careers in management services and consulting.  Includes powerpoint presentations on case study interviews from Accenture, Bain, BCG, Parthenon and Investor Group. Resources on careers in management services and consulting. Includes presentations on case study interviews from Accenture, Bain, BCG, Parthenon and Investor Group.

This guidebook is designed to help aspiring consultants understand, prepare for and succeed in consulting interviews

Excellent UK-based graduate careers website containing lots of advice articles, information about graduate entry to consulting careers and up to date listings for graduate and internship recruitment schemes and insight events.

Contains case study information and resources including the updated sections of their 'Crack the Case' publication

Learn about the types of interviews at McKinsey.

An online bootcamp to help you prepare for case study interviews.

Advice and resources for succeeding in psychometric tests, assessment centres, e-tray exercises and case studies

Site that offers articles on case study interviews

Further reading

Applications and interviews for students with disabilities, legal case studies and written exercises, please ensure all the details have been entered correctly in the twitter control..

47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

One of the best ways to prepare for   case interviews  at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. 

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

• McKinsey examples
• BCG examples
• Bain examples
• Deloitte examples
• Other firms' examples
• Case books from consulting clubs
• Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

• Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
• Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
• Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
• GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
• National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
• Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
• Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
• Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
• McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

• Foods Inc and GenCo case samples  (BCG website)
• Chateau Boomerang written case interview  (BCG website)
• BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG live case interview with notes (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview with ex-BCG associate director - Public sector case (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview: Revenue problem case (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

• CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
• FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
• Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Written case interview tips (Bain website)
• Bain case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)
• Digital transformation case with ex-Bain consultant
• Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

• Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
• Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
• Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
• Retail Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Finance Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Footloose written case  (by Deloitte)
• Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

• Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
• Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

• Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
• Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

• Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

• Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
• Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
• AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

• Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
• Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough   (L.E.K. website)
• Market sizing case example video walkthrough  (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

• Transit oriented development case webinar part 1  (Roland Berger website)
• Transit oriented development case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• Roland Berger case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough  (Capital One website)
• Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

12. EY Parthenon case interview examples

• Candidate-led case example with feedback (by IGotAnOffer)

14. Consulting clubs case interview examples

• Berkeley case book (2006)
• Columbia case book (2006)
• Darden case book (2012)
• Darden case book (2018)
• Duke case book (2010)
• Duke case book (2014)
• ESADE case book (2011)
• Goizueta case book (2006)
• Illinois case book (2015)
• LBS case book (2006)
• MIT case book (2001)
• Notre Dame case book (2017)
• Ross case book (2010)
• Wharton case book (2010)

Practice with experts

Using case interview examples is a key part of your interview preparation, but it isn’t enough.

At some point you’ll want to practise with friends or family who can give some useful feedback. However, if you really want the best possible preparation for your case interview, you'll also want to work with ex-consultants who have experience running interviews at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.

If you know anyone who fits that description, fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

Here's the good news. We've already made the connections for you. We’ve created a coaching service where you can do mock case interviews 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from MBB firms . Start scheduling sessions today!

Related articles:

Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 468,000 Peers!

Accenture Strategy Final Round Case Interview

I have my Accenture final round case interview day next week and have been preparing a broad range of cases and setting up frameworks (MBB Style Case interviews). Since I am applying at Accenture strategy I heard there will be a potentia Interview but I can‘t find any resources to really prepare for it. Is anybody familiar with the process and could share some insights?

Much appreciated,

I helped someone interview and ultimately join the Accenture Strategy team. Last I recall it also involved a combination of case and fit questions, very similar to MBB.  I would prepare as you would for any other consultancy.  I wish you the best of luck!

I am myself in the recruiting process for two positions at Accenture Strategy (DACH Region). I was told by HR that each team is very flexible in the way that they organize their interviews. For one position, I was told that there are 3-4 interviews with 2-3 case studies in total. For the other position, there are only 2 interviews with no full case study, but rather a few technical questions during the interview. So my best advice to you is to reach out the the HR person in charge and ask them directly.

Thanks a lot for the helpful insights, I was informed that there will be two case interviews, and they informed me that I will get further details one day before the interview. Are you maybe interested in exchanging a bit more on case preparations?

By the sound of it, you've focused mostly on the case part of the interview for now. I'd reach out to the recruiter if I were you to understand whether the next round will also contain a personal fit part. Then I suggest you test out your answers to potential personal fit questions with other candidates and then do a session with an expert to polish your answers. 

First of all, I am very concerned . If you have not heard of a case before (and don't even know what to ask) then you are nowhere close to being ready! You need to get a coach . You also should try to delay this final round. It's very hard to go from 0 to ready in casing in just 1 week!

Now, in terms of general advice for 2nd round:

#1 Fix your weaknesses

#2 Be prepared for anything (build your fleibility/adaptability)

Some reading for the case: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Some reading for fit: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

Fit/Behavioral

You should be more prepared for a pretty in-depth fit interview. I highly recommend you expect "loose" or "random" questions and practice this scenario with a coach. They are less likely to just ask you 20 "tell me about a time" questions. They may have a bit more of a chat, ask you to brainstorm, ask things like "How would you setup x type of project", etc. etc. You need to prepare to be flexible here!

Broader topics/case variability

In terms of being MECE, try out a wide range of "unique" questions to test your MECE structure!

For example, if you were a farmer and had to pick between buying a cow, chicken, or pig, how would you think about which to buy?

Or, if you were a thief, which store between a, b, c would you rob?

Practice breaking these down into MECE structures so that the concept really hits home.

I don't actually understand the question. Are you asking whether you should expect a difference between 1st and 2nd round? In general, the answer is no - in theory... 

Because it's with more senior people (APs, Partners, or even Senior Partners), they often take liberty to divert from the script. To the average candidate, this may feel a bit erratic.

Bottom line, expect same as 1st round but be prepared for anything!

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Hi Moritz, Thanks for the answer, Accenture strategy has a type of case interview called Potentia Interview, which is somewhat different from the traditional case interview. Unfortunately, I am unable to find Potentia practise cases. Best, Jacob

• Select category
• General Feedback
• Case Interview Preparation
• Technical Problems

How to Prepare for Accenture Management Consulting Case Interviews?

Learn how to ace your Accenture management consulting case interviews with our comprehensive guide.

Posted August 17, 2023

Featuring 2 top coaches

Inside McKinsey: Before, During & After with 2 McKinsey Alumni

Starting monday, august 19.

11:00 PM UTC · 60 minutes

Table of Contents

If you’re looking to land a job as a management consultant at Accenture, one of the most important parts of the interview process is the case interview. These are designed to test your analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills and will give your interviewer an idea of how you approach complex problems. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to prepare for an Accenture management consulting case interview.

Overview of Accenture Management Consulting Case Interviews

The Accenture management consulting case interview will consist of a hypothetical problem or scenario that you’ll need to solve in a limited amount of time. The interviewer will present you with a specific business challenge and ask you to explain the steps you would take to address the issue. Your goal is to demonstrate your ability to think critically and apply your knowledge of business principles to real-world situations.

It is important to note that the Accenture management consulting case interview is not just about finding the right answer, but also about showcasing your problem-solving process and communication skills. The interviewer will be evaluating your ability to structure your thoughts, ask relevant questions, and present your ideas in a clear and concise manner. Therefore, it is recommended to practice with sample case studies and to prepare for potential follow-up questions that may arise during the interview.

Understanding the Interview Process

Before you start, it’s important to understand the timeline of the interview process and what to expect on the day of the interview. You’ll typically meet with multiple interviewers, each of whom will assess a different aspect of your skills and knowledge. There may be several rounds of interviews, including phone screenings, in-person interviews, and panel interviews.

It’s also important to research the company and the position you’re interviewing for. This will help you understand the company culture, values, and goals, and allow you to tailor your responses to the interviewer’s questions. Additionally, you should prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the company and the position, as this shows your interest and engagement in the opportunity.

During the interview, it’s important to make a good first impression by dressing professionally, arriving on time, and being polite and respectful to everyone you meet. You should also be prepared to discuss your qualifications and experience in detail, and provide specific examples of how you’ve demonstrated your skills in previous roles. Finally, don’t forget to follow up with a thank-you note or email after the interview to express your appreciation for the opportunity and reiterate your interest in the position.

Get the Reddit app

Discussion for current, future, past employees of Accenture. No client discussion. Are you in Accenture Philippines? Check out /r/Accenture_PH for native language or location specific posts.

Final interview with MD

Hey everyone! I have a final interview for a software development role lined up with Accenture, looking to go in at level 9.

The final interview is with a managing director, and it is a 90 minute case study where I am given a clients technical problem to solve and display my solution.

I don't have a consultancy background at all, but just wanted to see if anyone had any advice/ can give any indication of what I should expect?

Edit: should mention this is for a UK, London role

Thank you in advance :)

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

Client case studies & business success stories

See how we help our clients become the next and best versions of themselves—including behind-the-scenes stories from our people—around the world, each and every day.

• Supply Chain & Operations
• Customer Experience
• Sustainability Services

AXA’s claims in the cloud

Building cutting-edge AWS insurance capabilities

Future-forward learning and media company

Sanoma uses a multi-cloud strategy to accelerate innovation in learning solutions

Delivering a powerful climate message to the world

Preserving Tuvalu — the world’s first completely digitized nation — in the metaverse

Petrofac’s digital workforce transformation

Developing one of the energy industry’s first connected worker solutions

Supply chain & operations

Tomorrow’s demands, forecasted today

A forward-looking supply chain using demand forecasting

Routing to resilient, sustainable supply chain

The power of proactive risk management

Customer experience

Stunning visual effects

Helping Netflix bring dramatic on-screen worlds to life

Human experience that delivers a competitive edge

Creating consistent, world-class customer service across all countries

Sustainability services

Duke Energy powers platform for methane reduction

First-of-its-kind, end-to-end methane emissions monitoring and remediation solution

Powering an actionable climate roadmap

Helping a petrochemical giant meet its net-zero commitment

Accenture Success Stories

Our stories and case studies reveal the human ingenuity behind everything from emerging technologies to global marketplaces. Discover how Accenture’s people are making a world of difference for clients and communities.