Case Competitions 101

Problem Solving/Case Solving Competitions form an important part of the Consulting experience in college. They provide a window into the world of consulting as a career, and also provide an opportunity for budding consulting enthusiasts to prove their skills to their colleagues and future employers.

Participating in these competitions can seem daunting to newcomers, hence we have compiled a FAQ for all things related to these events, so that you can have a great foundation to start your journey.

An alumnus of Manipal Institute Of Technology, Karanveer Aneja now works as a Business Operations Associate at ZS. Throughout his college years, Karanveer shared a passion for Consulting, which finally motivated him to be a part of creating The Consulting Club at Manipal.

1. What are the most relevant rules to adopt while engaging in problem-solving competitions?
   The three go to rules while engaging in Problem Solving Competitions would be — Choose a hard working team, View the problem from the lens of a stakeholder, QC (Quality Check) your solution after completion.
2. What are some of the general prerequisites to keep in mind before entering a case-solving competition?
   Have a compatible and approachable team
   Be ready to put in long hours
   Your solution could be right but that’s not enough — it should be the most efficient
3. Is there any pre-competition strategy?
   Read about the competition, learn about the GCPs and talk to previous winners if possible. All these things will give you the extra edge in presentation, approach and delivery.
4. What are the best approaches to the problem statement given in the case solving competition?
   Every case is different and has various approaches that could be followed. However, some basic pointers for a general template would be -
   Strategize — The most important (foundational) step which needs the most time
   Formulate — Compile all the data points and start executing. Change approach incase of inaccuracy.
   Present — This step is often underrated. The most important thing is simplicity and professionalism.
5. How to gather and filter facts and information for the presentation of the solution, especially when the problem itself covers topics that are very vast and/or initially unknown to the participant ?
   Imagine you are the CEO of the client company — What all would you want to see and what not? Read the main case statement multiple times and present the final deck according to the most important deliverable(s).
6. How influential are presentation tactics in a case solving competition, and what are the do’s and don’ts while presenting your solution to the problem statement?
   Do’s -
   Keep it concise but detailed at the same point
   Use a uniform colour and text scheme
   The important areas should be highlighted
   Less is more in some cases
   Don’ts -
   Backtracking and referencing previous data
   Not having a uniform flow
   Usage of slangs/ short forms/ informal jargon
7. What are the advantages of competing in a case solving competition in the real world?
   I can’t stress on how beneficial it is to solve real world cases as they help you to view any given problem from a factual lens instead of an emotional one. Once someone is familiar with different scenarios of how a business works, they know the potential failures and can hence work towards preventing or rectifying them.
8. Are there any tools or ideas that can assist people who are just starting out in case solving competitions?
   There are many good books for amateurs wanting to delve deeper into the art. My personal recommendation would be CASE IN POINT by Marc P.Cosentino.
   Resources on caseinterview.com by Victor Cheng also present a detailed perspective.

Interviewee: Karanveer Aneja