Case Interview Secrets: Summary Review & Takeaway Points

This is a summary review of Case Interview Secrets containing key details about the book.

What is Case Interview Secrets About?

In Case Interview Secrets, you'll discover step-by-step instructions on how to dominate what many consider to be the most complex, most difficult, and most intimidating corporate job interview in the world--the infamous case interview.

Here's what one of the book reviewers had to say about Case Interview Secrets: "After following Victor’s guidance, I had a complete breakthrough in my case interview performance and got an offer from Monitor." —Marine Serres, Monitor & Company 👍

Who is the author of Case Interview Secrets?

Victor Cheng is a former McKinsey & Company management consultant, strategic planning consultant, public speaker, and author of several books on business. He is a graduate of Stanford University with a BA in Economics and MA in Sociology.

Favorite Quote:

Book Details

• Print length: 292 pages
• Genre: Business, Nonfiction, Management

What are some of the main takeaways and summary points of Case Interview Secrets?

• Takeaway 1: Most interviews at major consultancies break down into two types of questions: case and quantitative questions. By knowing a few simple tactics, you’ll be ready to tackle both of them and land your dream job.

• Takeaway 2: Use precise estimates for quantitative questions. Arriving at an exact number isn’t always necessary. The main purpose of such questions is to see how you approach them. If you struggle to make big-picture estimates, find a proxy for what you’re estimating.
• Takeaway 3: If there isn’t any obvious segmentation pattern, avoid stating the segmentation pattern you want to see. Instead, phrase your question such that the interviewer tells you which segmentation pattern is the right one to use.

• Takeaway 4: When analyzing costs, it’s often useful to segment them into fixed versus variable costs. You can do this in two ways. One way is to disaggregate your cost per unit into fixed costs per unit and variable costs per unit.

Case Interview Secrets Chapters

Chapter 1: The Seven Types of Evaluation Tools
Chapter 2: McKinsey Problem Solving Test
Chapter 3: Estimation Questions
Chapter 4: Why Case Interviews Exist
Chapter 5: What Interviewers Look for and Why
Chapter 6: The Core Problem-Solving Tools
Chapter 7: The Hypothesis
Chapter 8: The Issue Tree
Chapter 9: Drill-Down Analysis
Chapter 10: Synthesis
Chapter 11: Core Frameworks
Chapter 12: Profitability Framework
Chapter 13: Mergers and Acquisitions Framework
Chapter 14: Frameworks in Action
Chapter 15: How to Open a Candidate-Led Case
Chapter 16: How to Analyze a Candidate-Led Case
Chapter 17: How to Close a Candidate-Led Case
Chapter 18: The Interviewer-Led Case
Chapter 19: The Written Case Interview
Chapter 20: The Group Case Interview
Chapter 21: The Presentation-Only Case Interview
Chapter 22: How to Get Multiple Job Offers
Chapter 23: How to Project Confidence
Chapter 24: The Ten Most Common Mistakes to Avoid
Chapter 25: Advanced Case Interview Resources

* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in furthering your personal development, I invite you to check out my list of favorite personal development books page. On this page, you'll find a curated list of books that have personally impacted my life, each with a summary and key lessons.

Chief Editor

Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.