Case Interview Examples: 100+ Free Practice Cases (2026)

Author: Taylor Warfield, Former Bain Manager and interviewer.

Last Updated: June 16, 2026

 

Case interview examples are the single best resource for practicing consulting interviews, and this page collects over 100 free practice cases from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and other top firms, organized by industry, case type, and firm. Keep reading for a full worked case example, the exact order to practice your first 10 cases, and a step-by-step plan for turning practice cases into an offer.

 

Before reading on:

 

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Key Takeaways

 

The best case interview examples are the free practice cases published by McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and other top firms, and this page collects more than 100 of them in one place.

 

  • Firm-published cases are the most realistic free practice you can get, since they reflect real interview difficulty and style

 

  • Practice across 3 to 4 industries and case types, with extra reps on profitability and market entry cases

 

  • Most successful candidates complete 30 to 50 practice cases split across solo, partner, and coached practice

 

  • Start with easier candidate-led cases like Bain’s Coffee Shop Co. before tackling interviewer-led McKinsey cases

 

  • MBA casebooks add 700+ extra cases, but firm-published examples should always come first

 

What Changed in 2026?

 

This June 2026 refresh adds a full worked case example you can read from prompt to recommendation, plus a recommended order for your first 10 practice cases. We also added new official cases, including McKinsey’s Conservation Forever and BCG’s downloadable written case.

 

Every firm link has been re-verified and updated to its current URL, and cases no longer hosted on official firm sites have been removed.

 

What Types of Cases Will You See in a Case Interview?

 

Most case interviews fall into one of eight types: profitability, market entry, M&A, market sizing, pricing, growth strategy, operations, and new product launch. Profitability and market entry cases are the most common, especially in first rounds. Each type tests your ability to break down a business problem, analyze data, and deliver a clear recommendation.

 

Understanding these types before you practice will help you recognize patterns faster and build stronger frameworks. Here is a breakdown of each type.

 

Case type

What it tests

Example prompt

How common

Profitability

Revenue vs. cost diagnosis

A retailer’s profits dropped 20% in two years. Why?

Very common

Market Entry

Should the client enter a new market?

Should a US coffee chain expand into Japan?

Very common

M&A

Should the client acquire a target?

Should a pharma company acquire a biotech startup?

Common

Market Sizing

Estimation and structured math

How many smartphones are sold in India each year?

Common

Pricing

How to price a product or service

How should a SaaS company price its new product?

Moderate

Growth Strategy

How to grow revenue or market share

How can a grocery chain grow revenue by 15%?

Common

Operations

Process improvement and efficiency

A warehouse is missing 30% of delivery targets. Fix it.

Moderate

New Product

Should the client launch a new product?

Should an automaker launch an electric SUV?

Moderate

 

Profitability and market entry cases appear most frequently in first round interviews at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. In my experience as a Bain interviewer, roughly 4 out of every 10 cases I gave were profitability cases. They are popular because they test whether you can break a big problem into smaller parts and use basic business math.

 

Market sizing questions are especially common at McKinsey, where they are often embedded as a sub-question within a larger case. At BCG and Bain, you are more likely to get a standalone market sizing question at the start of a case before moving into the strategic analysis.

 

M&A cases tend to show up more in final rounds and at firms with strong private equity or corporate finance practices. Pricing and operations cases are less frequent but appear regularly enough that you should practice at least 2 to 3 of each type.

 

If you want to learn the exact strategies for each of these case types, my case interview course walks you through proven approaches in as little as 7 days.

 

What Does a Case Interview Example Look Like?

 

A case interview example is a realistic business problem that you solve out loud in 30 to 45 minutes, moving from an open-ended prompt to a clear recommendation. To show you what that looks like in practice, here is a condensed profitability case with illustrative numbers. Every figure below is made up for teaching purposes.

 

The case prompt

 

Interviewer: Your client is FreshBite, a fast casual restaurant chain with 200 locations in the United States. Over the past two years, profits have fallen from $100M to $75M. The CEO wants to know why and what to do about it.

 

Asking clarifying questions

 

Strong candidates ask 2 to 3 targeted questions before structuring the problem. Here, you should confirm the objective and scope: Is the decline driven by revenue, costs, or both? Is the decline concentrated in certain locations or spread evenly? Does the CEO have a specific profit target and timeline?

 

Let’s say the interviewer tells you revenue has been flat at $800M while costs have grown, and the decline is spread across all locations.

 

Structuring a framework

 

Since revenue is flat, your framework should go deep on costs while keeping revenue as a secondary branch. A strong structure here has three buckets: cost drivers (food, labor, rent, overhead), revenue check (traffic and average check by location), and market context (wage inflation, competition, customer trends). Tailoring your case interview framework to the specific problem like this is exactly what interviewers want to see.

 

Solving the quantitative problem

 

The interviewer shares that labor costs rose from $250M to $275M while all other costs stayed flat. That $25M increase fully explains the profit decline. Digging deeper, you learn FreshBite’s employee turnover is 80% per year versus 60% for comparable chains, and each departure costs $5,000 in hiring and training.

 

With 6,000 total employees, 80% turnover means 4,800 replacements per year, costing $24M. Cutting turnover to the 60% industry benchmark would mean 3,600 replacements, costing $18M. That is a $6M annual saving before counting reduced overtime and productivity gains.

 

Delivering the recommendation

 

You: I recommend FreshBite launch a retention program targeting frontline staff. First, turnover-driven labor costs are the single largest driver of the $25M profit decline. Second, closing the gap to the industry benchmark recovers at least $6M per year with upside from lower overtime. Third, the fix is within FreshBite’s control and does not depend on market conditions. As next steps, I would pilot wage and scheduling changes in the 20 highest-turnover locations and measure results over two quarters.

 

That is the full arc of a case: clarify, structure, analyze, and recommend. The free cases below let you practice this exact sequence against real firm-published material.

 

Case Interview Examples Organized by Industry

 

Below, we have linked all of the case interview examples we could find from consulting firm websites and YouTube videos and organized them by industry. This will be helpful if you are interviewing for a specific industry practice or want to build familiarity with sector-specific business problems.

 

We recommend practicing cases across at least 3 to 4 different industries rather than focusing on just one. In my experience, roughly 60% of case interviews feature a different industry than what the candidate expected. Being comfortable with unfamiliar sectors shows the interviewer that you can think on your feet.

 

Aerospace, Defense, and Government Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

Consumer Products and Retail Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthcare and Life Sciences Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

Manufacturing and Production Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

Financial Services Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

Energy and Utilities Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

Social and Non-Profit Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology, Media, and Telecom Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transportation Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel and Entertainment Case Interview Examples

 

 

Case Interview Examples Organized by Function

 

Below, we have taken the same cases and organized them by function instead. This is helpful if you want to build depth in a specific case type, such as profitability or market entry.

 

I recommend starting with profitability cases and market entry cases, since these two types make up the majority of first round interviews. Once you are comfortable with those, move on to M&A, pricing, and operations cases to round out your preparation.

 

Profitability Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market Entry Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merger and Acquisition Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

Growth Strategy Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pricing Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

New Product Launch Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

Market Sizing Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

Operations Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case Interview Examples Organized by Consulting Firm

 

Below, we have organized the same cases by consulting firm. This is most useful when you are interviewing with a specific company and want to get familiar with their style and difficulty level.

 

McKinsey Case Interview Examples

 

McKinsey uses interviewer-led cases, meaning the interviewer controls the pace and directs you to specific questions. Practicing the official cases below is the best way to get used to the McKinsey case interview style before interview day.

 

Most candidates also complete the McKinsey Solve assessment, a gamified problem-solving test, before reaching the interview stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BCG Case Interview Examples

 

The BCG case interview is candidate-led, meaning you are expected to drive the direction of the case. The downloadable written case below also shows you the slide-based format BCG uses in some offices.

 

Depending on your office, you may also face the BCG Online Case, a chatbot-style assessment known as Casey, before your live interviews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bain Case Interview Examples

 

The Bain case interview is candidate-led and places heavy emphasis on collaboration and conversational style. Bain has also used the SOVA aptitude test and TestGorilla assessment in its screening process.

 

 

 

 

 

Deloitte Case Interview Examples

 

The Deloitte case interview format varies by practice, and some offices run group cases in addition to one-on-one cases. Deloitte publishes more free official practice cases than any other firm, making them excellent volume practice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Consulting Firm Case Interview Examples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Do Different Firms Look for in Case Interviews?

 

McKinsey runs interviewer-led cases that test depth of answer, while BCG and Bain run candidate-led cases that test how well you drive the problem. Knowing whether your case will be interviewer-led or candidate-led changes how you should practice. Here is a quick comparison.

 

Firm

Case format

Pre-interview test

Key emphasis

Unique feature

McKinsey

Interviewer-led

Solve (gamified assessment)

Structured problem solving

Depth of answer

BCG

Candidate-led

Casey chatbot, written case

Hypothesis-driven thinking

Creativity

Bain

Candidate-led

SOVA, TestGorilla

Collaboration and conversation

Strong emphasis on cultural fit

Deloitte

Mixed (varies by office)

Varies by practice

Analytical depth

Group case interviews possible

 

The interview is the hardest part of the consulting recruiting process, and most candidates who reach the interview stage still walk away without an offer. Practicing with real case interview examples is the most reliable way to land on the right side of that cut.

 

One practical tip: when you are interviewing with a specific firm, practice their cases last. For example, if your interview is with Bain, work through McKinsey and BCG cases first to build your skills, then switch to Bain cases in the final week. This way, the firm-specific format and style will be freshest in your mind on interview day.

 

Which Case Interview Examples Should You Start With?

 

Start with short, conversational candidate-led cases, then work up to interviewer-led McKinsey cases and written formats. Having coached hundreds of candidates, I have found that the order you practice cases in matters almost as much as which cases you pick. Here is the exact sequence I recommend for your first 10 cases.

 

  1. Coffee Shop Co. (Bain): the shortest and friendliest official case, perfect for learning the basic flow

  2. FashionCo (Bain): a classic profitability diagnosis that mirrors the most common first round case type

  3. Climate Case (BCG): an interactive case with built-in tips that teaches hypothesis-driven thinking

  4. Beautify (McKinsey): your first interviewer-led case, with guided questions and sample answers

  5. Electro-Light (McKinsey): adds chart interpretation and heavier math to the interviewer-led format

  6. Associate Consultant Mock Interview (Bain): watch a full video case to see pacing, tone, and interviewer dynamics

  7. Recreation Unlimited (Deloitte): a growth strategy case that forces you to build a framework outside the profitability mold

  8. GlobaPharm (McKinsey): an M&A case with the toughest math of the official McKinsey set

  9. Poseidon Water Park (Oliver Wyman): a quant-heavy case that stress tests your structured calculation skills

  10. Written Case Example (BCG): a downloadable PDF that exposes you to the written, slide-based format before you ever face one

 

This sequence moves you from easy to hard across both formats and four case types. By case 10, you will have seen profitability, market entry, growth, M&A, and written cases, which covers the large majority of what firms actually test.

 

Where Can You Find More Case Interview Examples?

 

Beyond the free examples listed above, there are three main types of resources for getting more case practice: books, online courses, and coaching. Each serves a different purpose and works best at different stages of your preparation.

 

Most candidates use a combination of all three. A typical path looks like this: start with free examples and a prep book, move to a course for structured learning, and add 2 to 3 coaching sessions if needed to break through plateaus.

 

Case Interview Prep Books

 

Case interview prep books typically cost between $20 and $30 and contain dozens of practice cases with sample answers. Based on our review of the best case interview books, the three we recommend are:

 

  • Hacking the Case Interview: covers exactly what to do and say in every step of the case interview. Best for beginners

 

  • The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook: contains 65+ practice problems and 15 full-length cases. Best for intermediates looking for quality practice

 

  • Case Interview Secrets: teaches core concepts like issue trees and hypothesis-driven approaches through stories and examples

 

Case Interview Courses

 

Online courses cost more than books, typically $200 to $400, but offer faster learning through video instruction and structured practice. If you want a single resource to learn the best case strategies efficiently, my case interview course includes 70+ video lessons and 20 full-length practice cases based on real consulting interviews.

 

Case Interview Coaching

 

Coaching sessions typically cost $100 to $300 for a 40 to 60 minute mock case with a former consultant or interviewer. Coaching is most valuable after you have already learned the basics and want expert-level feedback on specific weaknesses. Consider my case interview coaching if you want 1-on-1 practice with a former Bain interviewer.

 

You do not need coaching to get a consulting offer. Most successful candidates prepare using a combination of free examples, a prep book, and partner practice. Coaching is simply the fastest way to break through a plateau if you have already put in significant preparation time.

 

Case Interview Examples from MBA Casebooks

 

MBA casebooks are documents that consulting clubs put together to help their members prepare, and our list of MBA consulting casebooks links to 700+ additional free practice cases. Here are some of the best casebooks to start with:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind that MBA casebooks vary in quality. Some cases are taken from actual consulting interviews and are excellent practice. Others are written by students and may not be fully representative of what you will see in a real interview.

 

When using MBA casebooks, look for cases that include a detailed case prompt, specific data points or exhibits, and a well-structured sample answer. Avoid cases that are too short, lack quantitative questions, or provide vague solutions.

 

The best MBA casebooks for quality practice include Wharton, Kellogg, and Harvard Business School. These schools have large consulting clubs that invest significant effort in creating realistic practice cases. We recommend starting with the firm-provided examples listed above and only turning to casebooks once you have exhausted those.

 

Case Interview Examples from HackingTheCaseInterview

 

Below are several of our own case interview examples. These are full video walkthroughs where you can watch a candidate solve a real case from start to finish. Each video covers framework creation, quantitative analysis, and the final recommendation.

 

When using these videos for practice, pause at each step and work through the question yourself before watching the candidate’s answer. This turns a passive video into active practice and builds the same skills you will need in your real interview.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Should You Use Case Interview Examples to Practice?

 

Having 100+ case interview examples is useless if you do not practice them the right way. In my experience coaching candidates, the method you use to practice matters just as much as the number of cases you complete. Here is the approach I recommend.

 

Step 1: Learn the Case Interview Structure First

 

Before you start practicing cases, make sure you understand the basic format of a case interview. Candidates who understand the structure before practicing improve far faster than those who jump straight into cases. Spend a few hours studying the format and watching 2 to 3 example case videos before you attempt your first practice case.

 

The seven steps of a case interview are:

 

  • Understanding the case background: take notes while the interviewer reads you the case prompt, then provide a concise synthesis to confirm your understanding

 

  • Asking clarifying questions: ask 2 to 3 questions to make sure you understand the objective and any key constraints

 

  • Structuring a framework: create a 3 to 4 bucket framework that breaks the problem into logical categories

 

  • Kicking off the case: propose which area of your framework to explore first and explain why

 

  • Solving quantitative problems: perform calculations like market sizing, profitability analysis, or breakeven math

 

  • Answering qualitative questions: brainstorm ideas, interpret charts, or give business opinions in a structured way

 

  • Delivering a recommendation: summarize your key findings, state your recommendation, provide 2 to 3 supporting reasons, and suggest next steps

 

Step 2: Practice 3 to 5 Cases by Yourself

 

Start by working through 3 to 5 cases on your own. Read the case prompt, pause the video or cover the answer, and talk through your approach out loud. Learning to practice case interviews by yourself builds foundational skills like framework creation and mental math faster than waiting for partner availability.

 

When practicing solo, follow these guidelines to get the most out of each case:

 

  • Do not have notes or a calculator out: you will not have these in a real interview

 

  • Do not take breaks in the middle of a mock case: simulate the real 30 to 45 minute time pressure

 

  • Talk through everything out loud: this builds the habit of explaining your thinking clearly and reveals gaps in your logic that silent work would hide

 

  • Occasionally record yourself on your phone: watching yourself back reveals habits like speaking too fast, using filler words, or staring at your notes

 

Step 3: Practice 5 to 10 Cases with a Partner

 

Once you feel comfortable with the basics, find a case partner. Practicing with another person simulates the conversational dynamics of a real case interview that solo practice cannot replicate.

 

For each case, spend about 30 to 40 minutes on the case itself and 15 to 20 minutes on feedback. The feedback session is often where the most learning happens. Ask your partner to evaluate you on framework quality, math accuracy, communication clarity, and the strength of your final recommendation.

 

Good case partners include classmates applying to consulting, colleagues with consulting experience, or people you meet through your school’s consulting club. If you are giving the case, read through the entire case twice beforehand so you can answer any clarifying questions your partner asks.

 

You can also practice the fit interview portion with your partner, since most consulting interviews include both a case and a behavioral component.

 

Step 4: Get Expert Feedback

 

If you feel like you have plateaued or want targeted feedback on specific weaknesses, consider working with an experienced coach. In my experience, 2 to 3 coaching sessions can compress weeks of self-study into a few hours. If you are interested, my case interview coaching gives you 1-on-1 sessions with a former Bain interviewer.

 

Step 5: Identify and Work on Your Weaknesses

 

After every practice case, write down what you did well and what you need to improve. Focus on one improvement area at a time, since trying to fix everything at once leads to slower progress than isolating a single skill and drilling it.

 

Here are the most common weaknesses I see, based on coaching hundreds of people for consulting interviews:

 

  • Frameworks that are too generic: candidates use the same framework for every case instead of tailoring it to the specific problem. Interviewers notice immediately

 

  • Frameworks that overlap or miss key areas: buckets should follow the MECE principle so nothing is double counted and nothing important is left out

 

  • Slow or inaccurate math: drilling case interview math daily with round numbers builds the speed to do multiplication and division in under 15 seconds

 

  • Forgetting to connect insights to the objective: after analyzing data, always tie your finding back to the original case question. This is what separates good candidates from great ones

 

  • Weak recommendations: your final recommendation should have a clear stance, 2 to 3 supporting reasons, and suggested next steps. Wishy-washy answers that do not commit to a direction fail

 

  • Not driving the case: in candidate-led formats at BCG and Bain, you are expected to proactively suggest what to explore next. Waiting for the interviewer to guide you is a red flag

 

How Do Solo, Partner, and Coached Practice Compare?

 

Factor

Solo practice

Partner practice

Coached practice

Cost

Free

Free

$100 to $300 per session

Realism

Low to moderate

High

Very high

Feedback quality

Self-assessment only

Moderate (depends on partner)

Expert-level, firm-specific

Best for

Building foundations, math drills

Simulating real interviews

Breaking through plateaus

Recommended cases

First 3 to 5

Next 5 to 15

2 to 4 sessions throughout prep

 

How Many Case Interview Examples Should You Practice?

 

In my experience coaching hundreds of candidates, most people who receive offers from McKinsey, BCG, and Bain complete between 30 and 50 practice cases total. Candidates at the lower end of that range tend to be those with strong analytical backgrounds in finance or engineering who pick up frameworks quickly.

 

Here is a rough breakdown of how to distribute those cases across your preparation timeline:

 

  • First 3 to 5 cases: solo practice to learn the format and build basic framework skills

 

  • Cases 6 to 15: partner practice to develop communication and conversational skills

 

  • Cases 16 to 30: focused drilling on your weakest areas, such as math speed, framework completeness, and recommendation delivery

 

  • Cases 31 to 50: mock interviews with experienced partners or coaches to polish your overall performance

 

There is a point of diminishing returns. After about 40 to 50 cases, additional practice provides minimal improvement, and over-practicing can make your answers sound rehearsed and robotic. Interviewers can easily tell when a candidate has over-practiced.

 

In the final 2 to 3 weeks before your interview, do no more than 2 cases per week. This keeps you sharp without creating burnout, and it leaves time to review your notes and rest before interview day.

 

The case interview examples on this page give you everything you need to go from your first practice case to a polished final round performance. Pick the first case from the recommended starting sequence above and run it out loud today, because consistent practice with real firm-published cases is what turns preparation into an offer.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the best way to practice case interviews by yourself?

 

Read the case prompt, create your framework on paper, and talk through every answer out loud as if an interviewer were in the room. Do not look at the solution until you have fully answered each question. After finishing, compare your approach to the sample answer and write down your improvement areas. Record yourself occasionally to identify habits like speaking too fast or using filler words.

 

How many practice cases do you need to pass a consulting interview?

 

Most successful candidates complete between 30 and 50 practice cases before their interviews. Quality matters more than quantity. It is better to do 30 cases with focused feedback than 80 cases without reflection. Start with solo practice, move to partner practice, and consider 2 to 3 coaching sessions to break through any plateaus.

 

Are case interview examples from MBA casebooks realistic?

 

Some are and some are not. Cases sourced from actual consulting interviews tend to be high quality and realistic, while cases written by MBA students can be hit or miss in difficulty and solution quality. Prioritize cases published directly by consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Deloitte before using casebook cases. Once you have exhausted the firm-provided examples, casebooks are a great supplementary resource.

 

What are the most common types of case interview questions?

 

The most common types are profitability cases, market entry cases, and market sizing questions. In my experience as a Bain interviewer, these three types make up the majority of first round case interviews at top consulting firms. Other common types include M&A, pricing, growth strategy, and operations cases.

 

Do all consulting firms use case interviews?

 

Nearly all strategy consulting firms use some form of case interview, including McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, LEK, Oliver Wyman, Kearney, and Roland Berger. Some firms also use written cases, group case interviews, or chatbot-based cases in addition to the traditional one-on-one format. Case interviews remain the industry standard for management consulting hiring.

 

Should you practice case interviews from the firm you are interviewing with?

 

Yes, but save them for last. Practice cases from other firms first to build your general skills. Then, in the final week before your interview, switch to cases from your target firm so the style and pacing are fresh in your mind. For example, if you are interviewing with McKinsey, practice their interviewer-led format last so you are used to that dynamic on interview day.

 

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