Deloitte Case Interview: 6 Tips to Help You Ace Your Case

Last Updated January, 2022

Have an interview with Deloitte Consulting coming up? If so, you’ll want to know what to expect and how to prepare.

We’ve got you covered, including our 6 tips on how to ace your Deloitte case interview!

In this article, we’ll discuss:

What the Deloitte Consulting case interview process looks like,
The Deloitte case interview: what to expect,
Sample Deloitte case interviews,
Our 6 tips on acing the Deloitte case interview,
The Deloitte group case interview, and
The Deloitte behavioral interview question.

Let’s get started!

What the Deloitte Consulting Interview Process Looks Like

Initial Application

The Deloitte Consulting interview process has 4 steps:

Application
Online assessment
First round interviews
Final round interviews

If you’re a student, make sure you know if you need to apply directly to Deloitte Consulting or through your career center.

As part of your application, you’ll need to submit your resume and, for campus hires, your academic transcript. Research which office you want to apply for as you’ll need to state that at this stage.

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Deloitte Online Assessment

The second stage of the Deloitte Consulting recruitment process is an online assessment. This assessment tests numerical reasoning and your situational judgment.

Information from recent candidates suggests there are 35 questions split over 5 distinct sections. We’ve got all you need to know about this part of the process in our article, Deloitte Online Assessment: What It Is & How To Pass.

Deloitte Consulting First Round Interviews

If you’re selected for a Deloitte interview you’ll be contacted via your campus career center or direct by the Deloitte recruiting team.

For campus hires, first-round interviews often take place on campus and include one or 2 interviews. These interviews include both case and behavioral interview questions. We’ve heard the cases include market-sizing as well as the non-profit sector.

The same types of interviews are used for non-campus hires.

Deloitte Consulting Final Round Interviews

Final round interviews may take place virtually, on campus, or in a Deloitte office. While the exact format depends on the position you’re applying to, expect both behavioral and case interviews at this stage. Candidates may also have a group case interview.

Deloitte will let you know the outcome of your application within a week of the final round interview.

The Deloitte Case Interview: What to Expect

Case interviews can feel daunting for many candidates. In this section, we’ll cover what type of cases Deloitte uses and how to approach them so you can feel confident in tackling them.

What Exactly Is a Case Interview?

A case interview is an interview conducted within a business context.

The interviewer will present information about a company and a business problem it faces. These 2 elements together are known as a case.

Case interviews can either be candidate-led or interviewer-led depending on who is expected to steer the order in which different aspects of the case are analyzed.

Deloitte case interviews are predominantly candidate-led which means they’ll be looking to you to take control of solving the case — breaking down the problem, choosing a suitable business framework, and asking for appropriate data to fill in the gaps.

What Type Of Cases Does Deloitte Consulting Use?

The branch of Deloitte Consulting you are applying for can influence the business context you receive in the case. There are 3 parts to Deloitte Consulting:

Strategy and Operations (S&O) focuses on corporate issues such as organizational strategy, supply-chain improvement, operating model transformation, and business process improvements.
Technology Consulting focuses on technology issues such as digital strategy, IT program delivery, infrastructure and software solutions, and cybersecurity.
Human Capital focuses on people issues such as organizational transformation, cultural change, knowledge management, and talent acquisition and development.

So, if you were applying for a Human Capital role you might get an organizational transformation case or, if you were applying to S&O you might get an organizational strategy case

Whichever branch you’re applying to, there are going to be certain skills Deloitte Consulting is looking to test through the case interview process.

What Skills Is Deloitte Consulting Looking to Assess?

Deloitte uses case interviews as a way to assess skills it values in its consultants.

Structured problem solving
Analytic skills
A balance of creativity and practicality
Resilience

Structured Problem Solving

The ability to carefully think through a problem in a structured and logical way, is a key skillset for consultants. You’ll need to be able to break down a business problem to identify and analyze root causes and potential solutions.

Case interviews test this skill by providing lots of data for you to manage within an unfamiliar business context. Your ability to sort through information to pull out what’s most relevant to the issue will be assessed.

Analytic Skills

Deloitte Consulting will assess your numerical ability during the case interview. Make sure you brush up on your math skills in advance of the interview. Our article on Case Math tells you what to expect.

A Balance of Creativity and Practicality

Case interviews give Deloitte recruiters a chance to see how creative you are when searching for an answer to a thorny problem. Clients hire consultants to solve complex, multi-factor problems, not for mundane issues they can solve themselves.

However, innovative thinking needs to be balanced with good business sense. Suggesting solutions that aren’t viable or attractive to the client shows you lack practical business judgment.

Whatever your recommendation, make sure you highlight the risks associated with it and how those could be managed.

Resilience

Case interviews can feel challenging — very like tackling a real-life client problem! They’re the perfect environment for interviewers to see how comfortable you are with ambiguity and how resilient you are when things get tough.

Whether that’s grappling with a tricky calculation, or struggling to see how the pieces fit together, make sure you don’t give up. Take a breath and give yourself a moment to clear your head. Then jump back in and keep going.

How Do I Tackle a Deloitte Consulting Case Interview?

There are 4 key stages to tackling any case interview:

Opening. Make sure you fully understand the client’s problem. Repeat back to the interviewer your understanding of the issue so they have a chance to guide you if you’ve misunderstood. Ask any clarification questions you need.
Structure. Brainstorm all the issues or factors related to the client’s problem that need to be considered. Be explicit about any underlying assumptions you are making to check their accuracy with your interviewer. Organize your thoughts into a logical sequence to make sure you tackle all of them in your analysis.
Analysis. Gather and review all the data available to you. Data can be communicated directly by your interviewer or come in the form of exhibit. Complete any calculations required. Identify the most important issues and use this to formulate a recommendation.
Conclusion. Present your findings to the interviewer and give your final recommendation. State any risks associated with the recommendation and how you’d mitigate them. Outline the next steps and the expected result of taking them.

For more information on using these 4 steps to tackle case interviews see Our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep.

Once you’ve got the 4 stages nailed, it’s time to practice! Doing the thinking is only half the battle in a case interview, you’ve also got to effectively communicate your thoughts.

Practicing with friends, people in your network who are also going through the process, or with former consultants who can coach you through it, is critical to your confidence and success.

Links to Sample Deloitte Case Interviews

You can find links to several Deloitte case interviews in our Case Interview Examples article, as well as dozens of cases from other major consulting firms. The Footloose example has a lot of data exhibits so it’s a good one for practicing how to effectively manage information.

In addition, Deloitte has a very helpful tool on their site that helps you practice case interviews. Each of these cases is 15–20 minutes long and presents you with a real-life business problem and a number of questions.

You can prepare your answers to these cases then compare your thoughts to the Deloitte model answers provided.

Our 6 Tips on Acing the Deloitte Case Interview

Tip 1: Keep Organized Notes

Deloitte case interviews can last up to an hour and have a lot of information to review. Make sure you take organized notes throughout so you don’t forget anything important or miss something in your analysis.

Neat and logical notes also show you can manage large amounts of data effectively.

Tip 2: Ask Questions to Fill In the Gaps

It’s important to fully understand the problem you’re trying to solve. Don’t be afraid to ask clarification questions or for more data to fill in any gaps in your analysis. Asking questions gives the interviewer insight into how you’re approaching the problem.

Tip 3: Take Time to Organize Your Thoughts

Make sure you take your time during the interview to compose yourself and structure your thoughts. It’s tempting to launch into responding straight away but give yourself space to think through your answer first to make sure you don’t miss something or forget an important point.

Tip 4: Utilize a Framework and Develop a Hypothesis

Using a business framework or an issue tree helps you drill down into the heart of the problem. This means you’re more likely to develop a hypothesis that solves the key issue the client is facing.

Keep referring back to your issue tree and hypothesis during your Deloitte interview to make sure your analysis is logical and hasn’t gone down a rabbit hole!

Tip 5: Structure Your Recommendation

Present your analysis in a clear and structured way. Start with the main takeaway — your recommendation. Then walk your Deloitte interviewer through your analysis in a logical way, highlighting the most important points and explaining how they led you to draw the conclusion you have.

Share any assumptions you’ve made to reach your recommendation and also any associated risks. This shows you’ve thought more broadly about the problem in the context of the business as a whole.

Tip 6: Don’t Forget to Breathe!

While case interviews can feel daunting, try not to panic. Viewing the case as a business conversation that showcases your ability to think through a problem, rather than as something that must be solved, can ease the pressure.

Deloitte Group Case Interviews

As part of the final round assessment, Deloitte Consulting uses group case interviews.

As many of the top consulting firms don’t use group case interviews, candidates can be unsure of what to expect. But, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

What Happens In the Deloitte Group Case Interview

In Deloitte group case interviews you’ll be organized into a group with 3-6 other candidates. The group will be presented with information about a case that they’ll need to work together to solve.

For the first 10 minutes, you’ll work alone, or in a pair, to review the information and prepare your thoughts.
The group will then discuss the problem for 20 minutes, sharing analysis, and preparing a recommendation for the client. During this discussion, interviewers will observe the group to see how you interact with each other.
For the final 20 minutes, interviewers will ask questions of the group.

Our Top Tips for the Deloitte Group Interview

Group case interviews are your opportunity to stand out against other candidates. Interviewers will be observing the group dynamics and looking for great communication skills, strong analysis, and leadership.

Here are our top tips:

- Add value with your contribution. Everyone knows interviewers are looking for participation but it’s not enough just to speak up during the group case interview — what you say matters. Your contribution should add fresh insights to what’s already been said. This shows good listening and analysis skills.
- Showcase your leadership ability. Leadership isn’t just about speaking first or dominating the conversation. Facilitate the conversation and bring other team members into the discussion if they haven’t had a chance to speak.
  This shows you value the contribution of others, which links to one of Deloitte’s core values: foster inclusion. Do be proactive about proposing points for discussion, managing time, and bringing the group back on track if you lose focus.
- Recognize others as teammates. While demonstrating leadership is important, it’s equally important to remember you’re trying to deliver value to the client. Make contributions that bring the group closer to a recommendation — don’t sidetrack the discussion just to stand out. Acknowledge the great ideas of others — which shows confidence — and then add to them.
- Summarize the discussion. At the end of the group discussion, summarize the main points of the conversation and state the group’s recommendation. You can also do this throughout the interview, any time when a lot of points have been discussed and a quick recap would be helpful.

This is important as it shows good communication skills and the ability to synthesize large amounts of data. It also makes sure that everyone’s on the same page and clear about the next steps, which is critical when dealing with real-life clients.

For more information on how to ace the group case interview, check out our article.

Deloitte Consulting Behavioral Interview Question

The Deloitte behavioral interview has 2 types of questions: fit questions and personal experience questions.

Fit questions help interviewers judge whether you’d fit into the Deloitte culture. Personal experience questions help them judge whether your skills and personal qualities match those they’re looking for in a consultant.

Personal Experience Questions And How to Approach Them

A typical personal experience question starts with “Tell me about a time when…”

They help the interviewer see how your experience has helped you build the skills that make you suitable for consulting.

Examples include:

Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone and how you worked through the problem.
Tell me about a time when you led a team to solve a problem.
Give me an example of when you had to deal with adversity. How did you resolve it?
Tell me about a time when you changed someone’s mind on an important topic.
How did you go about deciding on your class project recommendation?

The best approach to tackling a personal experience question is to tell stories. Stories are engaging and stick in the interviewer’s mind even after a long day.

However, like everything else in the case interview, your answer should be well-thought-through and structured. Don’t just launch into your story without thinking.

We recommend using the A STAR(E) framework to make sure your story is impactful and covers all the main points.

Using the A STAR(E) Framework

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

Answer. Start with a clear, short answer to the question.
Situation. Give your story some context. Who were the people involved in the story? When and where did it take place?
Tension. What was the problem you faced? The conflict or challenge?
Action. What action did you take to resolve the issue?
Result. What happened as a result of your action?
Effect. What did you learn?

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

Remember the behavioral interview is also an important opportunity to learn more about Deloitte so you can feel confident you’re making the right choice.

In fact, that’s one of 6 key things Deloitte Consulting encourages candidates to bear in mind when tackling the behavioral interview:

Share personal experiences to illustrate your critical skills and achievements.
Describe experiences and career/life periods reflected in your resume.
Focus on the positives of all your past experiences and remain optimistic.
Use this discussion to learn more about Deloitte Consulting.
Relax, be yourself, and help us get to know you.
Use your time wisely; it’s your time, make sure you get your points across.

Learn more about the A STAR(E) framework or about tackling the Fit/Behavioral Interview in our article on Consulting Behavioral Interviews.

In this article, we’ve covered:

The stages of the Deloitte Consulting interview process,
What to expect from the Deloitte Consulting case interview,
Some examples of Deloitte case interviews,
Our top 6 tips for tackling the Deloitte case interview,
How to ace the Deloitte group case interview, and
How to answer Deloitte behavioral interview questions.

Still have questions?

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

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

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