Synthesis prompts to add
- What is your answer in one sentence?
- What are the two strongest reasons?
- Which fact carries the most weight?
- What remains uncertain?
- What should the client do next?
- What evidence would make you reverse the recommendation?
Structure prompts to add
- What is the exact decision?
- Which branches must be answered before a recommendation is possible?
- Which branch would you investigate first?
- Where do the branches overlap?
- What important possibility is missing?
Motivation questions
Prepare why consulting, why the firm, why the office, why the practice, and why now. Use specific evidence from the work and candidate’s experience. “Smart people and impact” is too general.
Experience questions
Common themes include leadership, conflict, influence, failure, ambiguity, teamwork, ethics, and implementation. Maintain several examples so one story isn't forced into every category.
Structure questions
Interviewers can ask how the candidate would approach a market entry, cost reduction, growth problem, merger, or public-sector challenge. Define the decision and build a tailored issue tree.
Exhibit questions
Read title, units, axes, definitions, and period. State the main insight, why it matters, and the next question. Avoid narrating every number.
Calculation questions
Set up the equation, keep units visible, calculate, and interpret. Perform a reasonableness check and correct errors openly.
Brainstorming questions
Organize ideas into useful categories, prioritize, and connect them to the client objective. Quantity without relevance isn't strong brainstorming.
Synthesis questions
Practice: What is the answer in one sentence? What are the two strongest reasons? Which fact carries the most weight? What remains uncertain? What should happen next?
Firm and candidate questions
Ask how teams are staffed, what strong new hires do differently, how feedback works, how the practice has changed, and what the interviewer learned from recent projects.
Answer style
Lead with the point, support it, and stop when the question is answered. Listen for follow-up. Structured communication should sound natural rather than like a memorized template.