Author: Taylor Warfield, Former Bain Manager and interviewer

Last Updated: April 8, 2026

 

GEP case interviews test your ability to solve procurement and supply chain business problems in a structured, logical way. GEP is one of the world's largest procurement consulting and software firms, and their interview process uses case interviews similar to what you would see at traditional consulting firms, with a heavier emphasis on operations and sourcing topics.

 

In this article, we cover everything you need to know to prepare for and pass your GEP case interview, including the interview process, case types, example questions, procurement concepts to learn, and a step-by-step preparation plan.

 

But first, a quick heads up:

 

McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and other top firms accept less than 1% of applicants every year. If you want to triple your chances of landing interviews and 8x your chances of passing them, watch my free 40-minute training.

 

What Is GEP?

 

GEP (formerly Global eProcure) is a global consulting, technology, and managed services firm focused exclusively on procurement and supply chain management. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Clark, New Jersey, GEP serves over 450 Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies across more than 100 countries.

 

The firm operates three business lines. GEP Strategy provides consulting services in strategic sourcing, category management, and procurement transformation. GEP Software offers its flagship AI-powered platform, GEP SMART, for source-to-pay management. GEP Managed Services handles outsourced procurement operations for clients.

 

According to Glassdoor, GEP has roughly 5,000 employees worldwide with offices across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Industry analysts including Gartner, Forrester, and ALM Intelligence consistently rank GEP as a leader in procurement strategy and supply chain consulting.

 

What Does the GEP Interview Process Look Like?

 

The GEP consulting interview process typically has three stages: an online assessment, a first round interview, and a Super Day. According to Glassdoor data, the average hiring timeline for GEP Associate Consultant roles is about 18 days, and candidates rate the overall difficulty at 3.1 out of 5.

 

About 60% of candidates report a positive interview experience. Interviewers are frequently described as friendly, collegial, and willing to help you work through problems. Here is what to expect at each stage.

 

What Happens in the Online Assessment?

 

The first step is usually an online aptitude test lasting about one hour. The assessment covers data analysis, non-verbal reasoning, and critical thinking. Some candidates also report puzzles and quantitative questions similar to CAT-level math and logic problems.

 

This round is a screening filter. The firm is looking for candidates who can think analytically under time pressure. If you are comfortable with standardized aptitude tests and basic mental math, you should do fine here.

 

What Happens in the First Round Interview?

 

The first round interview is typically 30 to 60 minutes and combines behavioral questions with a short case interview. For on-campus interviews, this is usually a single 30-minute session with two interviewers. For phone or video interviews, expect about 30 minutes of behavioral questions followed by 15 to 30 minutes on a case.

 

The case in this round tends to be straightforward. Candidates frequently report basic profitability cases, simple market sizing questions, or short cost reduction scenarios. The interviewers want to see that you can structure a problem, do basic math, and communicate clearly.

 

What Happens During the GEP Super Day?

 

If you pass the first round, you will be invited to a Super Day, typically held at GEP's Clark, New Jersey headquarters. The Super Day includes three to four interviews over several hours.

 

A typical Super Day agenda includes:

 

• A group case exercise where you work with other candidates to solve a business problem

 

• One to two individual case interviews (45 minutes each) with Consultants or Managers

 

• One to two behavioral interviews, sometimes including a session with a Partner or Director

 

The individual cases during the Super Day are more challenging than the first round. Candidates report profitability cases, market entry cases, and go-to-market strategy cases, often based on real GEP client projects. The group case is generally easier and focuses more on teamwork and communication than on arriving at the perfect answer.

 

What Types of Case Interviews Does GEP Ask?

 

GEP case interviews follow a standard consulting format, but they lean more heavily toward procurement and supply chain topics than you would see at a generalist strategy firm. Having coached hundreds of candidates for consulting interviews, I find that the biggest mistake people make when preparing for GEP is ignoring this procurement angle.

 

The most common case types at GEP include:

 

Case Type	What It Tests	Example Prompt
Profitability	Diagnosing revenue or cost issues using structured analysis	A catering company's profits have declined 15% year over year. What is causing this?
Market Sizing	Estimating a market size or quantity with logical assumptions	How many laptops are sold in the United States each year?
Market Entry	Evaluating whether a company should enter a new market	A pharmaceutical company is considering launching an anti-smoking device. Should they enter this market?
Cost Reduction	Identifying ways to reduce procurement or operational costs	A manufacturing client wants to reduce raw material costs by 20%. How should they approach this?
Go-to-Market	Developing a strategy to bring a product to market	How should a CPG company launch a new product line in Southeast Asia?
Guesstimate	Quick estimation under time pressure, often used as brain teasers	How many Apple stores are there in the United States?

 

If you want to learn more about these different case types and how to approach them, check out our guide on case interview types.

 

What Are Procurement and Supply Chain Cases?

 

Procurement and supply chain cases are what set GEP interviews apart from interviews at generalist firms. These cases ask you to optimize how a company buys goods and services, manages suppliers, or runs its supply chain operations.

 

For example, you might be asked to help a global retailer reduce procurement spend by 15%, or to evaluate whether a company should consolidate its supplier base from 200 suppliers to 50. These cases test your ability to think about cost levers, supplier relationships, risk management, and process efficiency.

 

In my experience coaching candidates, the best approach for procurement cases is to break the problem down by spend category (direct vs. indirect materials) and then analyze each category for savings opportunities such as volume consolidation, supplier renegotiation, specification changes, or process automation. For a deeper dive, read our full guide on supply chain case interviews.

 

What Are Example GEP Case Interview Questions?

 

Based on candidate reports from Glassdoor and other interview databases, here are real case interview questions that have been asked at GEP:

 

• A pharmaceutical company is considering launching an anti-smoking monitoring device. Develop a go-to-market strategy, estimate the market size, and recommend whether they should enter.

 

• Estimate the total revenue generated by an average Manhattan restaurant in one night.

 

• A catering company has seen declining profitability. Diagnose the root cause and recommend solutions.

 

• How many Apple stores are there in the United States?

 

• How many laptops are sold in the United States each year?

 

• A global manufacturer is experiencing supply chain inefficiencies due to poor supplier coordination. What would you recommend?

 

• Evaluate six MBA scholarship candidates and determine which one should receive the scholarship. (Group case exercise)

 

Notice that the questions span both traditional consulting cases (profitability, market sizing) and procurement-specific scenarios (supply chain optimization, go-to-market for a new product). Preparing for both types is critical. For 100+ additional practice cases, see our case interview examples.

 

How Should You Prepare for GEP Case Interviews?

 

Preparing for GEP case interviews requires the same core skills as preparing for any consulting case interview, plus some additional knowledge of procurement and supply chain concepts. Here is the step-by-step approach I recommend.

 

Step 1: Learn core case interview skills. Master the fundamentals of structuring a problem, building a framework, doing case math, and delivering a recommendation. These skills apply to every GEP case, whether it is a profitability case or a procurement case. If you want to learn these skills quickly, my case interview course walks you through proven strategies in as little as 7 days.

 

Step 2: Study procurement and supply chain basics. You do not need to be an expert, but you should be familiar with key concepts like strategic sourcing, category management, spend analysis, and total cost of ownership. We cover these terms in the next section.

 

Step 3: Practice market sizing and profitability cases. These are the most common case types at GEP. Aim to complete at least 10 to 15 practice cases before your interview. For case practice resources, check out our guide on how to practice case interviews.

 

Step 4: Prepare your behavioral answers. GEP dedicates significant interview time to behavioral and fit questions. Prepare 3 to 4 stories using the STAR method that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, problem solving, and your interest in procurement or consulting.

 

Step 5: Research GEP specifically. Know the three business lines (Strategy, Software, Managed Services), understand GEP SMART, and be ready to articulate why you want to work in procurement consulting rather than generalist strategy consulting. Interviewers appreciate candidates who show genuine interest in the firm's focus area.

 

What Procurement Concepts Should You Know?

 

You do not need a procurement background to pass a GEP case interview. However, knowing these key terms will help you sound more informed and build better frameworks. According to GEP's own published thought leadership, these are among the most critical procurement concepts in the industry today.

 

Concept	Definition
Strategic Sourcing	A systematic process for identifying, evaluating, and selecting suppliers to optimize cost, quality, and risk across spend categories
Category Management	Managing groups of similar products or services as distinct business units, each with its own sourcing strategy and supplier base
Spend Analysis	Collecting and classifying all organizational spending data to identify savings opportunities, maverick spend, and consolidation potential
RFP / RFQ / RFI	Request for Proposal, Request for Quote, and Request for Information. Formal documents used to solicit bids from suppliers during sourcing events
Total Cost of Ownership	The full cost of acquiring and using a product, including purchase price, maintenance, training, disposal, and hidden costs beyond the sticker price
Source-to-Pay (S2P)	The end-to-end procurement process from identifying a need and selecting a supplier through purchasing, invoicing, and payment
Supplier Consolidation	Reducing the number of suppliers to increase volume leverage, simplify management, and negotiate better pricing
Direct vs. Indirect Spend	Direct spend covers raw materials and components used in production. Indirect spend covers everything else: office supplies, IT services, travel, marketing, etc.

 

What Case Interview Frameworks Work Best for GEP?

 

The best case interview frameworks for GEP are the same ones used at any consulting firm, adapted for procurement topics. Do not memorize rigid frameworks. Instead, build custom frameworks for each case by asking yourself: what three to four things must be true for my recommendation to be correct?

 

The frameworks you should be most comfortable with include:

 

• Profitability framework: Revenue minus costs. Break revenue into price times quantity. Break costs into fixed and variable. This covers roughly 40% of GEP cases.

 

• Market entry framework: Market attractiveness, competitive landscape, company capabilities, and expected profitability. Useful for go-to-market and new product cases.

 

• Cost reduction framework: Segment spend by category, identify the top spend areas, analyze each for savings levers (volume consolidation, renegotiation, specification changes, process improvements, supplier switching).

 

• Supply chain optimization framework: Break the supply chain into stages (sourcing, production, warehousing, distribution) and identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, or risks at each stage.

 

For a complete guide on building tailored frameworks, read our article on case interview frameworks.

 

What Behavioral and Fit Questions Does GEP Ask?

 

GEP places significant weight on behavioral interviews. About half of your total interview time will be spent on fit questions rather than cases. The interviewers want to assess whether you will thrive in GEP's collaborative, results-driven culture.

 

Common GEP behavioral questions include:

 

• Tell me about yourself and walk me through your resume.

 

• Describe a time you worked on a team to solve a difficult problem.

 

• Give an example of when you had to deal with an unhappy client or stakeholder.

 

• Why consulting? Why GEP specifically?

 

• What is your leadership style?

 

• Tell me about a time you made a mistake and what you learned from it.

 

For the 'Why GEP?' question, focus on three things: your interest in procurement and operations as a specialization, GEP's unique hybrid model of consulting plus technology, and the firm's reputation for rapid career advancement. Avoid generic answers that could apply to any consulting firm.

 

If you want a complete system for answering behavioral and fit interview questions, check out my fit interview course, which covers 98% of the questions you will be asked in just a few hours.

 

What Is the GEP Consulting Career Path and Salary?

 

GEP is known for a meritocratic culture where strong performers can advance faster than at many traditional consulting firms. The typical career path follows a structure similar to other consulting firms, but with titles specific to GEP.

 

Title	Years of Experience	Estimated Base Salary	Key Responsibilities
Associate Consultant	0 to 2 years	$70K to $90K	Research, data analysis, supporting project teams
Senior Associate / Consultant	2 to 5 years	$90K to $130K	Leading workstreams, client interaction, mentoring juniors
Manager	5 to 7 years	$130K to $170K	Managing projects end-to-end, direct client relationship ownership
Director / Senior Manager	8 to 12 years	$170K to $220K	Overseeing client accounts, practice development, business development
Vice President	12+ years	$220K+	Setting strategy, leading major sales, managing regions or industries

 

Salary estimates are based on Glassdoor and Salary.com data for GEP's U.S. consulting roles. Total compensation including bonuses can be 10% to 20% higher than base salary. GEP is a privately held, women co-founded firm, and does not use a traditional bell curve for performance ratings.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Is the GEP Case Interview Hard?

 

GEP case interviews are moderate in difficulty. Glassdoor data shows candidates rate the difficulty at 3.1 out of 5. The first round cases are generally straightforward profitability or market sizing problems. Super Day cases are more challenging and may involve multi-part cases based on real client projects. If you prepare for standard consulting cases and also familiarize yourself with procurement concepts, you will be well positioned.

 

Does GEP Do Group Case Interviews?

 

Yes. The GEP Super Day typically begins with a group case exercise where you work with other candidates to solve a business problem together. Interviewers observe how you collaborate, communicate, and contribute ideas. The group case is usually less analytically complex than individual cases. Focus on being a strong team player rather than trying to dominate the discussion.

 

How Long Does It Take to Hear Back from GEP?

 

Most candidates receive a response within one to two weeks after their interview. According to Glassdoor, the average time from application to offer for Associate Consultant roles is about 18 days. However, some candidates report longer timelines, especially around holidays or busy recruiting seasons.

 

What Industries Does GEP Focus On?

 

GEP works across virtually every major industry because procurement and supply chain functions exist in all large organizations. Their client base spans consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, energy, financial services, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and technology. You do not need industry expertise to interview at GEP, but showing awareness of how procurement differs across industries can impress interviewers.

 

Should You Prepare Differently for GEP Than for MBB?

 

The core case interview skills are the same. You still need structured thinking, case math, and clear communication. The key difference is that GEP cases often have a procurement or supply chain angle that you would not see at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain. Spend some extra time learning procurement concepts like strategic sourcing, category management, and supplier evaluation. Also prepare for guesstimates and brain teasers, which GEP uses more frequently than some other firms.

 

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