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Case Study Exercise At Assessment Centres

A case study exercise is a practical assessment commonly used in the latter stages of recruitment for graduate jobs. One of several activities undertaken at an assessment centre , this particular type of exercise allows employers to see your skills in action in a work-based context.

What is a case study exercise?

A case study exercise consists of a hypothetical scenario, similar to something you’d expect to encounter in daily working life. You’ll be tasked with examining information, drawing conclusions, and proposing business-based solutions for the situation at hand.

Information is typically presented in the form of fictional documentation: for example, market research findings, company reports, or details on a potential new venture. In some cases, it will be verbally communicated by the assessor.

You may also have additional or updated information drip-fed to you throughout the exercise.

You could be asked to work as an individual, but it’s more common to tackle a case study exercise as part of a group, since this shows a wider array of skills like teamwork and joint decision-making.

In both cases you’ll have a set amount of time to analyse the scenario and supporting information before presenting your findings, either through a written report or a presentation to an assessment panel. Here, you’ll need to explain your process and justify all decisions made.

Historically, assessment centres have been attended in person, but as more companies look to adopt virtual techniques, you may take part in a remote case study exercise. Depending on the employer and their platform of choice, this could be via pre-recorded content or a video conferencing tool that allows you to work alongside other candidates.

What competencies does a case study exercise assess?

There are multiple skills under assessment throughout a case study exercise. The most common are:

Problem solving

In itself, this involves various skills, like analytical thinking , creativity and innovation. How you approach your case study exercise will show employers how you’re likely to implement problem-solving skills in the work environment.

Show these at every stage of the process. If working in a group, be sure to make a contribution and be active in discussions, since assessors will be watching how you interact.

If working solo, explain your process to show problem solving in action.

Communication

How you present findings and communicate ideas is a major part of a case study exercise, as are other communication skills like effective listening.

Regardless of whether you present as an individual or a group, make sure you explain how you came to your conclusions, the evidence they’re based on and why you see them as effective.

Commercial awareness and business acumen

Assessors will be looking for a broader understanding of the industry in which the company operates and knowledge of best practice for growth.

Standout candidates will approach their case study with a business-first perspective, able to demonstrate how every decision made is rooted in organisational goals.

Decision making

At the heart of every case study exercise, there are key decisions to be made. Typically, there’s no right or wrong answer here, provided you can justify your decisions and back them up evidentially.

Along with problem solving, this is one of the top skills assessors are looking for, so don’t be hesitant. Make your decisions and stick to them.

Group exercises show assessors how well you work as part of a team, so make sure you’re actively involved, attentive and fair. Never dominate a discussion or press for your own agenda.

Approach all ideas equally and assess their pros and cons to arrive at the best solution.

What are the different types of case study exercise?

Depending on the role for which you’ve applied, you’ll either be presented with a general case study exercise or one related to a specific subject.

Subject-related case studies are used for roles where industry-specific knowledge is a prerequisite, and will be very much akin to the type of responsibilities you’ll be given if hired by the organisation.

For example, if applying for a role in mergers and acquisitions, you may be asked to assess the feasibility of a buy-out based on financial performance and market conditions.

General case studies are used to assess a wider pool of applicants for different positions. They do not require specific expertise, but rather rely on common sense and key competencies. All the information needed to complete the exercise will be made available to you.

Common topics covered in case study exercises include:

• The creation of new marketing campaigns
• Expansion through company or product acquisition
• Organisational change in terms of business structure
• Product or service diversification and entering new markets
• Strategic decision-making based on hypothetical influencing factors

Tips for performing well in case study exercises

1. process all the information.

Take time to fully understand the scenario and the objectives of the exercise, identify relevant information and highlight key points for analysis, or discussion if working as part of a team. This will help structure your approach in a logical manner.

2. Work collaboratively

In a group exercise , teamwork is vital. Assign roles based on individual skill sets. For example, if you’re a confident leader you may head up the exercise.

If you’re more of a listener, you may volunteer to keep notes. Avoid conflict by ensuring all points of view are heard and decisions made together.

3. Manage your time

Organisational skills and your ability to prioritise are both being evaluated, and since you have a set duration in which to complete the exercise, good time management is key.

Remember you also need to prepare a strong presentation, so allow plenty of scope for this.

Make an assertive decision

There’s no right answer to a case study exercise, but any conclusions you do draw should be evidenced-based and justifiable. Put forward solutions that you firmly believe in and can back up with solid reasoning.

5. Present your findings clearly

A case study exercise isn’t just about the decisions you make, but also how you articulate them. State your recommendations and then provide the background to your findings with clear, concise language and a confident presentation style.

If presenting as a group, assign specific sections to each person to avoid confusion.

How to prepare for a case study exercise

It’s unlikely you’ll know the nature of your case study exercise before your assessment day, but there are ways to prepare in advance. For a guide on the type of scenario you may face, review the job description or recruitment pack and look for key responsibilities.

You should also research the hiring organisation in full. Look into its company culture, read any recent press releases and refer to its social media to get a feel for both its day-to-day activities and wider achievements. Reading business news will also give you a good understanding of current issues relevant to the industry.

To improve your skills, carry out some practice case study exercises and present your findings to family or friends. This will get you used to the process and give you greater confidence on assessment centre day.

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Chapter 6: Case Study Exercises

A resource guide to help you master case study exercises

Page contents:

What is a case study exercise, how to answer a case study exercise, what skills does a case-study exercise assess, what questions will be asked in a case study exercise, case study exercise tips to succeed, key takeaways.

Case-study exercises are a very popular part of an assessment centre. But don't worry, with a bit of preparation and understanding, you can ace this part of the assessment.

Case study exercises are a popular tool used by employers to evaluate candidates' problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and decision-making abilities. These exercises can be in the form of a written report, a presentation, or a group discussion, and typically involve a hypothetical business problem that requires a solution.

The case study presents the candidate with a series of fictional documents such as company reports, a consultant’s report, results from new product research etc. (i.e. similar to the in-tray exercise except these documents will be longer). You will then be asked to make business decisions based on the information. This can be done as an individual exercise, or more likely done in a group discussion so that assessors can also score your teamworking ability.

Before you start the exercise, it's important to carefully read and understand the instructions. Make sure you know what you're being asked to do, what resources you have available to you, and how your performance will be assessed. If you're unsure about anything, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

Once you've read the case study, it's time to start analysing the problem. This involves breaking down the problem into its component parts, identifying the key issues, and considering different options for addressing them. It's important to approach the problem from different angles and to consider the implications of each possible solution.

During the exercise, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to work well under pressure, to think on your feet, and to communicate your ideas effectively. Make sure to use clear and concise language, and to back up your arguments with evidence and examples.

If you're working on a group case study exercise, it's important to listen to the ideas of others and to contribute your own ideas in a constructive and respectful way. Remember that the assessors are not only evaluating your individual performance but also how well you work as part of a team.

When it comes to presenting your solution, make sure to structure your presentation in a clear and logical way. Start with an introduction that sets out the problem and your approach, then move onto your analysis and recommendations, and finish with a conclusion that summarizes your key points. Make sure to keep to time and to engage your audience with your presentation.

A case study exercise is designed to assess several core competencies that are critical for success in the role you are applying for. There will be many common competencies that will be valuable across most roles in the professional world, these competencies typically include:

• Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to identify and analyse problems, and to develop and implement effective solutions.
• Analytical Thinking: The capacity to break down complex information into smaller parts, evaluate it systematically, and draw meaningful conclusions.
• Decision-Making Abilities: The ability to make well-informed and timely decisions, considering all relevant information and potential outcomes.
• Communication Skills: The capacity to convey ideas clearly and concisely, and to listen actively to others.
• Teamwork Skills: The ability to collaborate effectively with others, and to work towards a shared goal.
• Time Management: The capacity to prioritise tasks and to manage time effectively, while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines.

By assessing these competencies, employers can gain valuable insights into how candidates approach problems, how they think critically, and how they work with others to achieve goals. Ultimately, the aim is to identify candidates who can add value to the organisation, and who have the potential to become successful and productive members of the team.

Different companies will prioritise certain competencies; the original job description is a great place to look for finding out what competencies the employer desires and so will likely be scoring you against during the assessment centre activities.

The type of questions that may be asked can vary, but here are some examples of the most common types:

• Analytical Questions: These questions require the candidate to analyse a set of data or information and draw conclusions based on their findings. For example: "You have been given a dataset on customer behaviour. What insights can you draw from the data to improve sales performance?"
• Decision-Making Questions: These questions ask the candidate to make a decision based on a given scenario. For example: "You are the CEO of a company that is considering a merger. What factors would you consider when making the decision to proceed with the merger?"
• Group Discussion Questions: In a group case study exercise, candidates may be asked to work together to analyse a problem and present their findings to the assessors. For example: "As a team, analyse the strengths and weaknesses of our company's current marketing strategy and recommend improvements."

The questions are designed to test the candidate's problem-solving, analytical thinking, decision-making, and communication skills. It's important to carefully read and understand the questions, and to provide well-reasoned and evidence-based responses.

It has been known for employers to use real live projects for the case study exercise with sensitive information swapped for fictional examples.

Information from the case study exercise lends itself to be used as scene-setting for other exercises at the assessment centre. It is common to have the same fictional setting running through the assessment centre, to save time on having to describe a new scenario for each task. You will be told in each exercise if you are expected to remember the information from a previous exercise, but this is rarely the case. Usually the only information common to multiple exercises is the fictional scenario; all data to be used in each exercise will be part of that exercise.

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Here are some key tips to help you prepare for and successfully pass a case study exercise at an assessment centre:

• Understand the Brief: Carefully read and analyse the case study brief, making sure you understand the problem or scenario being presented, and the information and data provided. Take notes and identify key issues and opportunities.
• Plan Your Approach: Take some time to plan your approach to the case study exercise. Consider the key challenges and opportunities, and identify potential solutions and recommendations. This will help you structure your thoughts and prioritise your ideas.
• Use Evidence: Use evidence from the case study, as well as your own research and knowledge, to support your ideas and recommendations. This will demonstrate your analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Stay Focused: During the exercise, stay focused on the task at hand and avoid getting sidetracked by irrelevant information or details. Keep the objective of the exercise in mind, and stay on track with your analysis and recommendations.
• Collaborate Effectively: If the case study exercise involves group work, make sure to communicate clearly and effectively with your team members. Listen actively to their ideas, and contribute constructively to the discussion.
• Be Confident: Have confidence in your ideas and recommendations, and be prepared to defend your positions if challenged. Speak clearly and confidently, and use evidence and data to support your arguments.

Here is the summary of what case-study exercises are and how to pass them:

• A case study exercise is a type of assessment where candidates are presented with a hypothetical business scenario and asked to provide solutions or recommendations.
• These exercises assess a range of competencies such as problem-solving, analytical thinking, decision-making, communication, teamwork, and time management.
• To pass a case study exercise, it's important to carefully read and understand the brief, plan your approach, use evidence to support your ideas, stay focused, collaborate effectively, be confident, and manage your time effectively.

Fully understanding the format of the exercise, taking practice case-study exercises and following our tips outlined above will drastically improve the chances of you standing out as a star candidate at the assessment centre.

• Aptitude Tests Preparation
• Assessment Centre Exercises
• Case Study Assessment

Case Study Assessment - Learn How to Pass

A case study assessment is a popular tool used in assessment centres for evaluating candidates by presenting them with complex and previously unknown scenarios . After analyzing the information and identifying the most relevant parts, candidates answer questions that provide the employer with insights regarding important aspects of the candidate's knowledge, cognitive abilities, and personal attributes. 

Like other tests, preparing for the case study assessment can make a huge difference to your score. On this page we will review useful information that can help you arrive at your case study assessment better prepared and maximize your chances to pass and land the job you're after. 

JobTestPrep is a leading test prep company that offers accurate practice simulations for hundreds of pre-employment tests. Since 1992, it has helped 1M+ candidates. If you have any additional questions about the Assessment Centre Test, feel free to send us an email , we usually reply within 24 hours.

What is a Case Study Assessment

A case study assessment is a test in which candidates are presented with a scenario related to the position or the company's wider operations, followed by several questions that are designed to measure specific abilities. Through the candidate's answers, employers gain insight into their ability to handle tasks similar to those they might be responsible for in the future, thus indicating their problem solving abilities and compatibility with the job description. 

Typically, a case study assessment introduces a series documents such as reports and data from recent market research, which may relate to hypothetical or real-life situations. You are asked to analyze the case at hand, make business decisions, and/or give a brief verbal or written report of your recommendations. You may be asked to complete the case study as an individual exercise or as part of a group, which allows assessors to evaluate your teamwork.

The Two Main Types of Case Study Assessment

An assessment center case study will typically belong to one of two main categories:

Subject-related Case Study Assessment

In this type of case study assessment, specific and professional knowledge of the subject is required. In cases of candidates applying for a position in which industry knowledge is essential, the content of the case study will be directly relevant to that role . In these cases, candidates are required to use their existing knowledge and experience to identify key information from the brief.

For instance, project managers may be asked to plan for the release of a new product, which incorporates scheduling, budgeting and resourcing.

General Case Study Assessment

These case studies are designed for a broad audience of candidates who are tested for various positions. Answering the case study questions does not require any specific prior knowledge , and most questions can be answered with common sense. Any information that is required for answering the case study questions is provided by the assessor, whether orally or through additional documentation.

These case studies are much more popular as they can be completed by a large number of candidates applying for a wide array of positions.

What the Case Study Assessment Measures

The advantage of the assessment center case study is that it measures a number of elements simultaneously, giving the employer a picture which combines soft skills with cognitive abilities and even personality attributes. Through your answers, the employer can learn about your:

• Judgement and understanding of the situation at hand
• Thoroughness of analysis
• Logical presentation of ideas
• Practicality of the proposed solutions
• Creativity and innovation in problem solving
• Presentation abilities & communication skills
• Ability to answer off the cuff comments
• Commercial awareness
• Organizational skills
• Decisiveness

Which Types of Companies Use Assessment Centre Case Studies

• The first type of assessment centre case study exercise is those for various positions in finance, banking , audit, marketing, IT, and others. These case studies are based on a large file of documents such as company reports you must quickly read and analyze. They may be completed as part of an assessment day or given at the employer's office as part of the interview. 
• Another type of case study assessment you can find in assessment centres is for consultancy and business management companies. The scenario is usually described by the interviewer or is limited to a few pages. Generally, the task revolves around mathematical problems, estimation questions and strategic thinking. The candidate is expected to ask the assessor for more details in order to understand the problems at hand.  Learn more about these tests here .

Leading companies that Use Assessment Centre Case Studies:

• EY (Ernst & Young)

Popular Assessment Center Case Study Topics

Case studies can be about virtually anything - however there are some topics or that appear more frequently than others. Below is a list of ideas you may encounter in your case study assessment:

• Strategic decisions in global or local business contexts.
• Expansion of departments, acquisition of new companies or products.
• Entrance into new fields of development and product lines.
• Exploring new markets.
• Reconstructing organizational trees.
• Creating advertising campaigns.
• Competition analysis

Tips for Approaching Your Case Study Assessment

• Immerse yourself in the case study -  try to imagine you really are in the scenario, and put yourself in the shoes of the decision maker and those he needs to report to. 
• Time management -  as you will have a lot of data and documents to make sense of in a short period of time, your time management skills are being put to the test here. The key to success is learning how to identify key points and prioritize relevant information while ignoring the irrelevant, giving you the ability to work efficiently on the actual assessment day.
• There is more than one ‘correct’ answer - a case study assessment usually has more than one right answer, and as long as you can logically justify your recommendations and they stand up to questioning by the assessor, your analysis can be regarded in a positive light.
• Don't get lost in the nuances of a particular industry you are presented with in the case studies. Focus instead on tackling common challenges faced by most businesses. 
• Client focus - all companies want to keep their clientele happy. If there is a client in the case study, put plenty of emphasis on them and their needs.
• Be confident but not arrogant. When presenting, try to convey an air of knowledge and authority - without appearing overconfident or arrogant.
• Practice your presentation skills with friends or family to reduce the pressure at the actual assessment centre. 

Common Questions in the Assessment Center Case Study

There are two main types of questions that can be asked by the assessors in an assessment center case study.

Quantitative questions involve basic mathematical operations, using of the four basic operations, percentages and ratios. Qualitative questions will relate to strategic decisions, future projections, and market analysis. Popular questions would be:

• What penetration strategy do you find suitable for the market in question?
• What are the changes that company Y must go through if it seeks the preservation of existing markets?
• What are the approximate annual developmental costs of company X?

Why Do Employers Use Case Studies at Assessment Centers?

What to expect from a case study exercise, how to prepare for the case study exercise in 2024, how to approach a group exercise, how to approach a presentation, case study exercises at assessment centers (2024 guide).

Updated November 21, 2023

Should you be invited to be tested at an assessment center as part of an employer's recruitment process, one of the exercises you may face is a case study .

A case study exercise presents you with a scenario similar to what you would experience in the job you have applied for.

It will generally be accompanied by documents, emails or other forms of information.

You are asked to make business decisions based on the data you have been provided with, either alone or as part of a group of candidates.

A case study enables employers to assess your skill-base and likely performance in the job, providing them with a more rounded view of the type of employee you would be and the value you would bring to the company.

Commonly used in the finance, banking, legal and business management industries, the main advantage to employers of using case study exercises is to see candidates in action, demonstrating the skills they would be expected to use at work.

The skills assessed when participating in a case study exercise will vary depending on the employer, the industry and the job applied for, but may include:

• Analytical skills
• Strategic thinking
• Decision making
• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Stress tolerance
• The ability to assimilate information quickly and effectively
• Organisational skills
• Situational judgment
• Commercial awareness
• Time management
• Team working
• Knowledge pertinent to the industry or job, for example, marketing skills

Despite the skills that the employer is actively assessing, such as those mentioned above, success in a case study exercise relies on your ability to:

• Interpret and analyze the information provided
• Reach a decision
• Use commercial awareness
• Manage your time
• Communicate well

Practice Case Study Exercises with JobTestPrep

There are generally two types of case study exercise that you may face as part of a selection process:

• Subject-related case studies pertinent to the job you are applying for and the related industry
• General case studies that assess your overall aptitude and skills

The actual scenario of the case study exercise you face will vary, but examples of typical case studies include:

• Expanding a team or department
• Deciding whether an acquisition or merger is advisable
• Investigating whether to begin a new product line
• Re-organisation of management structure
• The creation of an advertising campaign
• Responding to negative publicity
• Choosing from three business proposals
• Developing a social media presence

Prepare for Case Study Exercises with JobTestPrep

For example: You are presented with the scenario of an IT company that went through an expensive re-brand one year ago. At that time, the company moved to bigger premises in a better area, and two new teams of developers were recruited to work with two new clients. The IT company has recently lost one of those clients and is facing increasing costs as the rent is raised for their premises. The company's directors have concluded that they must make one of the following changes: Make staff redundancies and offer the chance to several employees to change to part-time hours Move to less expensive premises in a less desirable area Combine a move to a flexible working business model where employees work part of the week from home and desk-share in the office along with a physical move to smaller premises in the same area where the IT company is currently based

You are asked to advise the directors on which change would provide the greatest benefit.

Here is another example:

A multi-national environmental testing organization buys out an oil-testing laboratory. A gap test is carried out on whether: The oil-testing lab should be brought in line with the rest of the organization concerning its processes, customer interface, and testing procedures The oil-testing lab should be closed down and its clients absorbed into the rest of the organization The oil-testing lab should be allowed to continue as it is, but new processes put in place between it and the larger organization

You are asked to consider the findings of the gap test and suggest the best course of action.

Just as you would prepare before a job interview, it is always in your best interests to prepare before facing a case study exercise at an assessment center.

Step 1 . Do the Research

There is a whole range of research you can look into to prepare yourself for the case study exercise:

• The job description and any other literature or documents forwarded to you
• The employer's website and social media
• Industry related news stories and developments

Any of the above should provide you with a better understanding of the job you have applied for, the industry you will work within, and the culture and values of the employer.

Step 2 . Use Practice Case Studies

Practicing case study exercises in the run-up to the assessment day is one of the best ways you can prepare for the real thing.

Unless the employer provides sample case studies on their website or as part of their recruitment pack, you will not know the exact format that the exercise will take; however, you can build familiarity with the overall process of a case study through practice.

You can find plenty of practice case study exercises online. Most of these come at a cost, but you may also be able to find free sample case studies too.

For case study resources at a cost, have a look at JobTestPrep .

For two free sample case study exercises, you might like to visit Bain & Company's website .

Scroll down to the Associate Consultant Case Library. Europa also offers an extensive and detailed sample case study .

Step 3 . Timed Practice

Once you have sourced one or more practice case studies, take the opportunity to practice to a time limit.

The case study may come with a time limit, or the employer may have already told you how long you will have to complete the real case study exercise on the day.

Alternatively, set your reasonable time limit.

Timed practice will improve your response time and explain exactly how much time you should allocate to each stage of the case study process.

Step 4 . Improve Your Reading Comprehension

One skill that is key to handle a case study exercise successfully is your reading comprehension, that is, your ability to understand written information, interpret it and describe it in your own words.

In the context of a case study, this skill will help you to assimilate the information provided to you quickly, analyze it and ultimately reach a decision.

In the run-up to your assessment day, put aside time to improve your reading comprehension by reading a wide variety of material and picking out the key points of each passage.

You might find it especially helpful to read professional journals and news articles related to the job you have applied for and the related industry.

Try to improve the speed at which you can read but still retain information too. This will prove helpful during the real case study exercise.

Step 5 . Practice Mental Math

The case study exercise may include prices, area measurements, staff numbers, salaries and other numeric values.

It is important that you can complete basic mental math calculations, such as multiplication and percentages.

Practice your mental math using puzzle books, online math resources and math problems that you create yourself.

You can find plenty of online business math resources, for example:

• The University of Alabama at Birmingham Math and Business Guide
• Money Instructor
• Open Textbook Library

If you need to prepare for a number of different employment tests and want to outsmart the competition, choose a Premium Membership from JobTestPrep . You will get access to three PrepPacks of your choice, from a database that covers all the major test providers and employers and tailored profession packs.

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Top Tips for Approaching Case Study Exercises

Now that you have prepared yourself, you can further improve your chances of a successful outcome by following our top tips on approaching case study exercises on the day.

Read the Information Carefully

Read all of the information provided as part of your case study exercise to understand what is being asked of you fully.

Quickly identify the key points in the task and the overall decision you have been asked to make, for example:

• Has the exercise provided you with a choice of outcomes you must decide between, or must you create the outcome yourself?
• What information do you need to make your decision?
• Are there calculations involved in the task?
• What character are you playing in the task (for example, HR manager or business consultant) and what are that character's motivations?
• Who is your character presenting their response to? Company directors, client or HR department?

Prioritize the Information

Prioritize the information by importance.

Which pieces of information are most pertinent to the task, and what key data do they provide?

Can any of the information be dismissed? Does any of the information contradict or sit in conflict with others?

Divide Up the Tasks and Allocate Time

You will generally be asked to come to a conclusion or advise a course of action regarding your case study exercise; however, you may have to carry out several tasks to arrive at this result.

Once you have read through the information, plan out what tasks the exercise will entail and allocate time for each one.

Do Not Be Distracted by Finding the Only 'Right' Answer

Where you are provided with several outcomes, and you must decide on one, do not assume that anyone's outcome is the only right answer to give.

It may be that any of the outcomes could be correct if you can sufficiently support your decision from the information provided.

Keep the Objective in Focus

• What does the task ask you to do?
• Must you choose between three business acquisitions?
• Are you providing advice on whether or not to invest?
• Are you putting together a plan for a staff redundancy situation?

Keep the objective of the case study exercise in mind at all times.

Support Your Decision With Evidence

The conclusion you come to may seem obvious to you, but you must be able to support your decision with evidence.

Why would it be better for the company to invest in property overstock? What is the benefit to the company of entering a new market?

It is not sufficient to know which outcome would be the best. As in the real-life business world, you must be able to support your claims.

If you are assessed as part of a group, you must arrive at a conclusion as a team and bear in mind your strengths.

For example, do you have a good eye for detail and would therefore be suited to the analytical part of the task?

Arrive at a list of tasks together and then assign the tasks to different members of the group.

Please make sure you contribute to the group discussions but do not dominate them.

Group assessments are generally used by employers who place value on leadership, teamwork and communication skills.

If you are asked to present your findings or conclusion as part of a case study exercise, bear in mind to whom the task has asked you to make that presentation.

For example, a business client or a marketing manager.

Make sure that you can fully support the reasons that you came to your conclusion.

If you are presenting as a group, make sure that each group member has their role to play in the presentation and that everyone knows why the group came to that conclusion.

Act professionally to suit the job you have applied for. Be polite, confident and well-spoken.

Case study exercises are just one of the many methods that employers use to assess job applicants, and as with any other aspect of the selection process, they require a degree of consideration and preparation.

The best way to improve your chances of a successful outcome and reduce exam tension is to research the job and the industry, practice case study exercises and improve your skills.

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Assessment Centre Preparation: Tips & Practice Resources

Many companies are using assessment centres to assess applicants now. They use an assessment centre as the final stage in the pre-employment process before a final decision is made. Since they are the final event and are relatively expensive, those job-seekers and graduates who receive invites to an assessment centre are the ones that the employer believes have the highest potential for fitting the job position they are seeking to fill.

The assessment centres usually take place either in an employer’s office or in specific private assessment centres, though sometimes hotel conference rooms may also be utilized. This assessment combination helps employers to understand the applicant’s competencies and performance at work in a more rounded way than a traditional interview would allow them to do. This makes them a popular option with both the employer and the candidates since it gives a more fair evaluation of each candidate and looks more at what the individual can do instead of what they know.

What Is an Assessment Centre?

Assessment centres are a combination of tasks and activities intended to test suitability for various job positions. They are highly customizable, so they are often used with many types of positions and are not restricted to only certain kinds of jobs. The candidate is evaluated with a series of individual and group tasks during this final stage in the assessment process. In the assessment centre, applicants are given a chance to demonstrate their skills and capabilities in a way that goes beyond what traditional interview questions and answers would allow.

Assessment centres usually include the following types of activities:

• Welcome and intro from the employer
• Competency-based interview
• Analysis presentation exercise (also called case studies)
• Roleplay exercise
• In-Tray exercise
• Online tests (shorter versions of the psychometric tests taken earlier in the recruitment process)
• Presentations
• Group exercises

What to Expect at an Assessment Centre?

The set of activities typically takes around four to eight hours, which are spread out over a period of one to two days, though mass recruitment processes can take up to three. The centre is often run by the company’s HR department and is intended to simulate situations on the job. To this end, assessment centre organizers may bring in actors to play the role of upset or confused customers in the role-playing exercises common to assessment centres.

This gives a more realistic environment for assessing a job-seeker or graduate applying for the position. When combined with the heavy workload in assessment centres, the way candidates respond to the stress and challenge of an assessment centre allows employers to better understand how they may perform on the job.

Scoring and Competencies

Scoring is done by trained assessors who are, in an ideal situation, unbiased and fair. The candidates’ scores are based on the opinions of all the assessors instead of just one to help make the assessment centre fair and useful. One assessor will be assigned to each candidate for the exercise, and the assessors will rotate through the candidates throughout the day.

The assessors are typically a mix of HR consultants and line managers. They will score each candidate’s actions against specific competency frameworks for the job position and will discuss all aspects of performance amongst themselves before making hiring decisions.

In addition, there are some key competencies and abilities the assessors look for when reviewing answers and actions from a particular candidate. They are as follows:

• Adaptability and creativity
• Analytical thinking and commercial awareness
• Communication skills and negotiation
• Leadership and decision-making
• Organization and planning
• Teamwork and persuasion
• Time Management

Individual companies may be looking for some or all of these in addition to other specific qualities. Assessment centres give an opportunity for assessors to look for these traits in a candidate, so individuals invited to an assessment centre should anticipate that they will be scored numerically against a competency framework that includes all of the competencies their position requires.

How to Prepare for Assessment Centres?

Assessment centres cannot be prepared for in the same way that a traditional test or interview can be. As mentioned earlier, the assessment centres focus on what you can do, not what you know. So, unlike psychometric tests, you cannot memorize some set of information and expect to fill in all the right bubbles to do well. Instead, experience is more important than knowing all the correct responses.

With that said, there are some things you can do to prepare for an assessment centre to increase your comfortability with the various exercises, questions you may be asked, and ways to respond to exercises in order to show that you are the best fit for the job.

When it comes to preparing, start with your own health. This area is often overlooked, but it is important for anyone who wishes to look and feel their best on assessment day. Looking and feeling well will boost confidence and performance.

Some of the things you should do include exercising and getting proper rest. To start with, try to exercise at least three times a week for a month before the assessment centre date to lessen built-up stress and anxiety while promoting a greater sense of well-being come assessment day. Make sure you also get enough sleep on a regular schedule for a few weeks before the tests and exercises.

Along that same grain, eating right leading up to the assessment centre and eating a healthy, balanced breakfast on the morning of the assessment centre will help to keep those taking the tests to be alert and energized during their exercises and assessments. Make sure to remain well-hydrated as well.

Practising and Studying

Indirect preparation for the assessment centre, job-seekers and graduates should take time to practice potential exercises with friends and family. This will give a greater sense of confidence in dealing with the real exercises on assessment day.

While preparing and practising, reflect on the rest of the process up to this point and find places that caused difficulty. Try to work on those areas from the perspective of the assessment centre to ensure none of them will jeopardize a good performance on the assessment centre. Also take the time to review the competencies the employer is looking for to make sure you display them in your responses and actions on assessment day.

Assessment Day Tips

Beyond the basics of preparation, using the list below to help you prepare may prove beneficial.

• Be assertive during all exercises.
• Focus more on good performance than on mistakes made, and do not focus on other candidates.
• Let assessors see your overall working methodology.
• Make sure you draw others in with group discussions, listen, and cooperate.
• Prioritize time—many candidates fail to give the best impression of themselves because they didn’t utilize time in the best ways possible.
• Dress business professionally, be on time, and have everything you need with you.
• Be diplomatic when you need to stick up for your views and do not be drawn into arguing, interrupting, or criticizing when dealing with others.
• Talk to the other candidates during breaks or exercises (when allowed) to establish connections before group exercises are started. Be warm, polite, and approachable with everyone.
• Relax and let your personality shine through. No matter what, stay positive.
• Focus on good delivery of a few key points instead of the details or always having the ‘right’ answer.

In the end, while it is not possible to practice or prepare for every part of the assessment centre you may be invited to, it is possible to be prepared for the majority of the assessment centre and its general requirements. Take the anxiety and as much stress as possible out of the assessment centre by practising and preparing properly. Give enough time to complete and prepare any material you have been given ahead of time and read the organization’s website, social media, and key documents so that you can share a more informed opinion.

Most importantly, keep in mind the goals of the assessors: getting to know each candidate. They are looking for the best fit, so if you are able to use key competencies they are looking for to stand out in your response to each assessment centre activity, you will be able to stand out in your final score on the assessment centre.

Assessment Centre

• Written Exercises
• Job Interviews
• Competency-Based Interview Q&A
• In-Tray Exercise
• Group Exercises

Related Links:

• Aptitude Tests
• Situational Judgement Tests (SJT)
• Job Personality Tests
• Civil Service Exams
• NHS Assessments
• Police Forces Tests
• Firefighter Tests
• British Army Tests
• Assessment Companies
• Assessment Centres Guide – 2024
• Hiring Companies – Find an Employer

Assessment centre activities and examples

Are you an assessor looking for assessment centre activities to run? If so, we can help . 

Our experiential learning materials are used in assessment centres all over the world , by heavyweight names like KPMG, Gatwick Airport, and EasyJet.

As an assessor, this post will guide you through the whole process and prepare you to lead a selection of effective activities.

Or if you’ll be attending an assessment centre, this post will give you an idea of the logic underpinning the activities you’re about to encounter.

Here’s what we’ll cover. Click the links to skip ahead to any section:

Key assessment centre concepts

Benefits of an assessment centre, the role of the assessor, activities for recruitment assessment centres , group assessment centre activities with examples, role-play assessment centre activities with examples, virtual assessment centre activities with examples, in-tray assessment centre activities with examples.

We’ll start by introducing some key concepts in case you’re not familiar. To skip this and go straight to the activities, click here.

Assessment centre

A methodology used to identify the candidate(s) best suited to a role or position. 

Despite the name, an assessment centre isn’t a specific physical place. It’s a set of exercises to assist with personnel selection, designed to simulate the job and give participants an opportunity to demonstrate the skills required to succeed.

A person tasked with carrying out assessment centre activities, often with formal training to ensure objectivity.

Candidate / participant

A person being assessed for their suitability for a role via completion of the assessment centre.

A type of assessment centre activity in which candidates are given question-based prompts to determine the suitability of their experience and attitude.

Group exercises

A type of assessment centre activity which multiple candidates work together to complete, possibly while playing assigned roles.

Presentation exercises

A type of assessment centre activity in which individuals give a presentation on areas requested by the assessor.

In-tray exercises

A type of assessment centre activity which simulates a workflow that a successful candidate will encounter on the job, to assess their ability to perform tasks, manage time, and delegate responsibility.

Our kit for assessment centres , containing eight activities designed especially to let candidates showcase their qualities while assessors observe a whole range of skills, attitudes, approaches and behaviours that might be missed in interviews.

Assessment centres are popular for a handful of reasons:

• They save time and allow more effective use of resource by letting you assess multiple applicants at once
• They reveal applicant traits that may not be obvious in a traditional interview context, for example leadership and interpersonal skills
• They offer a more robust demonstration of participants’ soft skills than might be available through other methods
• They are versatile and flexible, giving assessors the opportunity to assess a wide range of competencies
• They leave an audit trail which can be used to demonstrate that fair hiring processes were followed

An assessor’s role is to observe participant behaviour, assess their performance, and carry out objective judgements based on predetermined criteria.

Assessors will understand that objectivity is hard to achieve. We are all prone to bias, and special frameworks or models of evaluation are often employed to ensure that assessment on a good-bad scale is consistent for different participants and by different assessors.

The ORCE Model is a popular assessment framework. By taking care to o bserve and r ecord behaviour during the assessment, assessors have a more solid baseline to work from when c lassifying and e valuating it afterwards. 

There is plenty written about such frameworks – in academic contexts and beyond – so beyond mentioning their relevance, this blog post won’t go into any more detail.

(Note that effective assessment centre activities will be designed in such a way that the opportunity for such bias is reduced , but it is not possible to remove it completely.)

Assessors are also tasked with documenting the assessment process to create a record that can be referred back to at a future date, and which can demonstrate in a legal context that the recruitment process was carried out fairly and in accordance with relevant legislation.

What makes a good assessor?

Broadly speaking, an effective assessor will possess the following traits:

• An ability to make accurate observations both of behaviours and their impact
• An ability to remain objective while observing
• An ability to accurately document your observations
• An ability to assess observations with regard to the relevant criteria

These traits are relevant in all assessment centre contexts. Depending on the type of assessment centre you work in, you may need to develop one or more context-specific skills. 

If you’ve been tasked with designing or running an assessment centre, you may be on the lookout for suitable activities. This section includes a few recommendations to get you started, along with information about their strengths and relevance.

The activities in this section flow nicely into each other and would work well for an assessment centre, if you’re in a hurry. 

Icebreakers are best unobserved and unassessed, as it reduces the pressure on participants and lets them acclimatise to the day. 

One popular example of an icebreaker is to split into pairs or threes, give each participant a few secret things to find out about their teammates, and then invite them to share with the group at the end.

Skills assessed : the ability to listen, communication skills, presentation skills

Marshmallow challenge

To warm people up after the icebreaker, go for something fun and lowkey. One popular example is the marshmallow challenge, in which participants must build a tower as tall as possible using only marshmallows and dried spaghetti.

If you do run this activity, check out our blog post outlining how to do it properly : i.e., in a way that will actually give you something to assess. The marshmallow challenge is one of many activities which, done incorrectly, can yield little to no useful results.

Skills assessed : listening skills, valuing others’ ideas, leadership, influencing others, innovation, trial and error

Role-based scenario

Lots of assessment centres used role-based scenarios. The logic is that giving participants the opportunity to react to a scenario relevant to the role they’re applying for will prompt them to think about how they’d deal with it, and that discussing performance afterwards will allow other participants to input their ideas. 

In practice though, be aware that role-play can be a hindrance to proper assessment. Participants are being asked to imagine how someone else might respond to a situation, rather than showing how they would actually respond: as a result, you may be seeing a performance rather than real behaviour.

Skills assessed : role-specific qualities, communication skills (if discussed), presentation skills 

This simple activity can be useful in assessing how well participants perform under pressure. Prepare a selection of topics, then ask participants to give a 2-minute talk about their topic. Make sure to give all participants the same amount of time to prepare ahead of their talk, to ensure they’re held to similar standards.

To increase the predictive validity of this activity – that is, how well it indicates performance in the role – choose a topic that prompts thought and reflection relevant to the role. 

Skills assessed : ability to perform under pressure, communication skills, presentation skills

A traditional interview where candidates answer questions about their past experience and suitability for the role can be employed as part of an assessment centre. 

Constructing an effective interview is an art in itself, and one we won’t delve into here. We will say this, though: make sure questions are relevant to the role, and that they give participants the opportunity to demonstrate their suitability.

Skills assessed : ability to perform under pressure, communication skills, role-specific skills

MTa Select for recruitment assessment centres

Our MTa Select kit is designed especially for use in assessment centres. 

These assessment activities can be used to evaluate over one hundred defined qualities – including leadership, influencing, customer focus, conflict management and more – making them a popular choice for assessment centres worldwide.

 “MTa Select now forms an integral part of our Recruitment Assessment Centre – and has been well received by our own staff and candidates themselves”.

• Constable John Ritchie, Grampian Police

If you’re looking for an assessment centre activity and would like a personalised recommendation, click here . 

An integral part of an assessment centre is to see how participants interact with others, and group-based activities are a reliable way to assess this. Here are a few ideas for group assessment centre activities.

Group discussion

Split participants out into groups and give each group a topic. Ask them to discuss the topic, possibly with a prompt for different people to advocate for different stances within the discussion, then observe the ongoing discussion and interpersonal dynamics. 

Skills assessed : communication skills, ability to listen, valuing the opinions of others, ability to respond to new information

Group presentation

This group activity expands on the above by requiring a presentation at the end of the discussion, to which each participant must contribute. This addition allows assessors to see more interpersonal dynamics at play. 

Skills assessed : how roles emerge, leadership, how people advocate their ideas, negotiation, presentation skills

Case studies

This type of activity is a good twist on role-based activities, as they address some of the aforementioned shortcomings of role-play.

Assessors give each group a printout with details about a situation, then ask them to decide the most appropriate response from the company’s perspective. At the end, answers can be compared with company policy to determine the accuracy of their response. 

This type of activity can also be done individually.

Skills assessed : knowledge of the role, group decision making, communication skills.

The NASA Challenge

This group activity puts participants in a simulated lunar mission gone awry. Together, group members must decide which items they’ll take when traversing the treacherous lunar surface between their crashed lunar module and the mission control centre.

When running this activity, be careful that you’re doing it right .

We also offer the NASA Challenge as a virtual assessment centre activity over on MTa Immersion .

Skills assessed : listening skills, valuing others’ ideas, influencing others

Perspectives

This experiential learning activity is designed to get participants thinking about the best way to fulfil a deliberately ambiguous brief. Through the simple act of arranging pictures, participants are given an opportunity to advocate their ideas, attempt to build consensus and perform under pressure.

Observing who is able to do these things, and how well, should yield useful insights.

Perspectives is available as a virtual assessment centre activity on MTa Immersion and can be customised based on your requirements.

Skills assessed: advocating ideas, building consensus, working under pressure

By asking participants to play specific roles, you can see how they behave in a wider variety of situations and within different power dynamics. 

However, as we mentioned previously, you may actually be assessing how good people are at acting. Participants are not responding to social stimuli as themselves, they’re responding how they think someone playing the role should respond.

Be aware of this if you decide to include role-play activities in your assessment centre. And remember: MTa Select avoids this issue by giving you the opportunity to see how people really behave: in real situations, and under real pressure.

Here are a few examples of role-play assessment centre activities.

Bad feedback

One participant plays the role of a superior, another plays a subordinate. The latter receives negative feedback and must deal with it gracefully and constructively.

Skills assessed : ability to receive bad feedback, ability to act on feedback, identify areas of improvement

Angry customer

One participant plays the role of a dissatisfied customer, another plays an employee dealing with them. They must follow company procedure as best as possible and potentially decide how to act when the procedure stops being relevant.

Skills assessed : ability to work under pressure, knowledge of procedures, customer interfacing skills

Role-specific situations

If you’re running an assessment centre for the police, it would make sense to simulate an arrest or the search of a suspect. This increases the predictive validity of the task by giving participants the chance to show how they’d approach a situation they are likely to encounter in the role.

Skills assessed: desired role-specific skills

Given the advent of technology and remote working, some assessment centres will have online components (or be completely virtual). Here are some ideas for activities to use in this setting.

Virtual ice breaker

By using breakout rooms, you’re able to split participants into groups and give them a private environment to discuss things. Task the participants in each breakout room with finding facts about each other, then close the breakout rooms and invite all groups back to the main space to share.

Observe which participants are keen to share, how well they communicate, the type of information they share, and so on.

Virtual group discussion

Use breakout rooms to split participants into groups and give them the opportunity to discuss things in a private environment. By moving between breakout rooms, you are also able to observe and assess groups individually.

Consider not letting groups know when they will be observed: this will encourage them to discuss things naturally, rather than waiting until you arrive to begin.

Virtual group presentation

Expanding the group discussion into a group presentation, with the requirement to create digital presentation materials, gives you the opportunity to assess how well participants can use technology, collaborate on online documents, and so on.

Psychometric assessments

Many psychometric assessments are available, each offering insight into a different combination of traits. The most suitable one will depend on the situation and the nature of the role being assessed for.

These assessments can be done in person, but lend themselves particularly well to virtual.

In-tray activities place participants in simulated work environments to give assessors a chance to see how they would behave in the role. There are a couple of ways to run these activities, with examples below.

Participants are given a simulated mailbox with a number of emails of varying urgency and are asked to prioritise these tasks and delegate (where relevant) to create an example workflow.

The expectation here isn’t for the participant to complete the work; rather to show that they are able to manage their time and respond to the pressures of the role, rather than just tackling tasks one at a time as they appear in their inbox (which is rarely the most efficient way off working).

Skills assessed : ability to delegate, time management skills, ability to manage a workload, performance under pressure

A paper-based version of the above

Not all roles and workplaces lend themselves best to digital. If you’re assessing for a role where there’ll be lots of interpersonal or paper-based tasks arriving, make sure this is reflected in the assessment centre.

You could give participants a tray full of documents and memos, then have people come to their desk to add other tasks to their workflow. The objective is the same: to create an indicative workflow and showcase how they would prioritise the incoming tasks.

Just 35 Minutes

This activity from MTa Select is an in-tray exercise that utilises computer, fax and paper to simulate a busy work environment. Participants must identify the big issues and avoid getting caught up in the detail. 

Skills assessed: evaluating and judging, decision making, focusing on critical issues, prioritisation

If you’ve still got questions about running an assessment centre, the following section should have you covered. And if not, drop us a message on the chat box below and we’ll do our best to help.

How should I structure an assessment centre?

Allow a full day to run the assessment centre, with time for introductions, explanations, and reviews. Remember that people’s ability to concentrate is limited, so a few hours in the middle of the day may yield better results than a whole day 9-5.

Aim for a large enough group to give participants the chance to interact with each other. Low double digits is a good size.

Leave time for lunch and other informal breaks, so that participants can interact in a natural setting: this can be just as revealing as the formal activities.

If you need a pre-made recruitment assessment centre, just run the five activities in this section .

What should an assessment centre include?

An assessment centre should include activities designed to test the competencies relevant for the role you are recruiting for.

You should also include time for review, where relevant. This gives you a mechanism to give feedback to participants and let them know next steps.

Factor in time for breaks and food, too! Participants will be at their best when they’re not under pressure for the whole day.

Some informal time at the beginning is a good shout as well, as it gives participants time to get acquainted with each other and the environment they’ll be spending time in.

What makes an effective assessment centre?

The best assessment centres utilise multiple exercises to assess each competency: i.e., a structured interview may assess communication, and a group exercise will give assessors another opportunity to observe participants communicating.

Similarly, intelligence could be assessed by a psychometric test and a work sample exercise.

How many assessors should there be in an assessment centre?

This depends on the role and the organisation: we would recommend at least 2.

How long should an assessment centre last? 

Again, this depends. We’d recommend not making an assessment centre longer than a workday. Ideally, a little shorter so that people can maintain concentration throughout.

Can you recommend any useful resources?

This chapter from a textbook dealing with the role of an assessor includes some useful information about common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

You can read about how MTa materials have helped a variety of organisations to run assessment centres:

• Gatwick Airport
• UK emergency services

Assessment centres are powerful tools for personnel selection, across a range of roles and industries.

Depending on the nature of the role you are recruiting for, the components of your assessment centre will vary. This blog post was written to connect you with some activities that might be suitable for your assessment centre.

For assessors looking for out-of-the-box activities, we have created MTa Select specifically to help you get more value from your assessment centres. 

If you need help finding activities for your assessment centre, get in touch via our contact form or the live chat below and we’ll be happy to help.

Empower your assessment centres with MTa Select

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Interviews and assessment centres

Coping with case studies for graduate jobs.

targetjobs editorial team

25 Jan 2023, 13:39

Our tips on how to prepare for an assessment centre case study exercise will help you show graduate recruiters how well you could perform in the job.

Case studies at graduate assessment centres allow an employer to see you in action. An interview is all about you telling recruiters what you can do; the case study is about showing them, and so it’s arguably one of the fairest and most realistic components of a typical assessment day.

What do graduate assessment centre case studies involve?

The case study exercise can be for individuals or groups. You will usually be given some information about a work-related scenario and invited to examine the evidence before presenting your findings and solutions – either verbally (in a presentation or case study interview) or in written form. You may also be drip-fed additional information to assess and respond to throughout the allocated time.

At virtual a assessment centre, candidates are usually sent to a part of a platform to view the case study briefing pack before joining the rest of their group in a breakout room.

• Discover what virtual assessment centres involve and how best to approach them

Example assessment centre case study exercise 1

The following group exercise is a genuine investment case study. Candidates have to work together to find answers and respond to incoming news and data. They then have to make a presentation to a ‘management board’.

A publisher of scientific journals and books is looking to make a significant acquisition. It has identified a target company and approached a number of investment banks for their views on the merits of a potential deal and a target price. Based on these presentations, the publisher will decide whether to proceed with a bid and, if so, select one bank to act as their adviser.

Your team is one of the investment banks bidding to win the mandate. You need to: analyse the figures provided; to review the marketplace, your potential client (the publisher) and the target company; and to prepare a five-minute presentation giving your recommendations, eg whether to go ahead, go ahead under specific conditions etc.

Example assessment centre case study exercise 2

This is a similar example of a case study used for commercial and marketing graduate programmes. In this case, the groups are given a pack with details of the product range, sales figures, marketing campaigns and news clippings. The basic problem in this type of scenario is that a product range or the company receives some negative publicity on the eve of a new product launch or marketing campaign; assessors are interested in whether and how you would respond to it.

You are a member of marketing team at the global organisation, Choc-O-Lot Ltd. It manufactures and distributes chocolate products throughout the UK and Europe. Its flagship bar is ‘Dairy Dream’, but the business has expanded rapidly over the past eight years, launching new products and diversifying into new areas (such as running chocolate-themed experience days). The company is planning a huge brand relaunch. Just as Choc-O-Lot is about to launch a marketing campaign, an article appears in the national press alleging that Choc-O-Lot treats its workers, and members of its supply chain, poorly. It is widely shared on social media, with calls for a boycott. What would you do?

Tips for preparing for the case study exercise in advance

• Read the organisation’s graduate recruitment literature and check its website for sample case studies and recent press releases. Try to get a feel for the type of work it’s involved in and the kind of business decisions it has to make or advise clients on. Read up on issues affecting the industry the employer works in; it might give you an advantage when evaluating options.
• Practise your mental arithmetic, as you may have to demonstrate your quantitative ability without a calculator.
• Practise mock case study exercises. Go to AssessmentDay , our commercial partner, for free and paid-for example case studies. Check, too, with your careers service, as many run workshops on how to successfully prepare for case study exercises.

Get the insights and skills you need to shape your career journey with Pathways. Informed by years of conversations with recruiters, this course will give you the best tips and resources, allowing you to feel more at ease presenting to others.

Tips for approaching the case study exercise on the day

• Be clear about what you’re being asked to do. Understand what the problem is, what your role is and what your objectives are.
• Start by reading through the information pack and assessing which parts of the information are relevant – you should be able to annotate the pack. Then, you might want to list key points to be considered when coming to your solution or to brainstorm possible solutions, before considering the pros and cons to each one.
• Manage your time to ensure you complete the exercise. If you’re working in a group you could volunteer to be the timekeeper or ensure that someone else takes on this role. Allow time to prepare for the final presentation at the end of the session, if one is required.
• If you’re working in a small group you could divide up the tasks between you. You could nominate someone to assess any new information passed to the group during the course of the exercise. You could also nominate a note-keeper.
• In a group exercise, don’t dominate but do contribute to discussions. Articulate what you’re thinking so the assessors can see how you approach problems. Ask for more information or clarification if you’re unsure.
• Don’t lose sight of your objectives. The final presentation or written report should be relevant, clear and concise, and should include a summary of your conclusions and recommendations.

Tips for great presentations at graduate assessment centres

• Make sure the presentation is delivered in an appropriate style for the target audience. If your briefing scenario states that you are presenting back to a client, address the assessors as if they are clients. Consider what they are likely to know about the industry and what they don't know.
• If you are asked to make a recommendation or give a view, make this the start point of your presentation, and then present your reasoning and analysis.
• Think carefully about who and how many people will present back – switching between presenters needs to be quick and slick. If you don’t present back, nominate yourself as someone who will respond to questions.
• How to structure and deliver a great presentation at an interview or assessment day .

targetjobs editorial advice

This describes editorially independent and impartial content, which has been written and edited by the targetjobs content team. Any external contributors featuring in the article are in line with our non-advertorial policy, by which we mean that we do not promote one organisation over another.

People reading this also searched for roles in these areas:

• Graduate Jobs
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Assessment Centre Group Exercises: Examples and Tips for Success

Group exercises are an important part of assessment centre events for a wide variety of roles and companies.

Many people find it difficult to perform well in a group, but with the right practice and preparation, you can stand out from the rest and make a strong impression on recruiters.

In this free assessment centre group exercises guide we will show you:

• 3 common types of group exercises you could face at an assessment centre
• 2 real-world assessment centre group exercise examples
• 5 expert tips to help you stand out on the day

You can find our recommended assessment centre group practice exercises here .

What is an assessment centre group exercise?

The group exercise is one of several assessment centre exercises you may have to take part in on your assessment day.

You’ll be placed in a random group of 8-10 candidates and must work together to complete an activity in front of assessors.

The exercise measures your ability to work in a team, contribute, delegate and solve problems.

Each candidate is assessed individually on skills required for the role they are applying for, such as leadership, communication, influence, creativity, problem solving and commercial awareness.

Compared to other assessment centre activities like aptitude tests and interviews , the group exercise tends to be one of the most challenging because of its competitive nature.

You’ll be working with a mixture of personality types, and everyone wants to make a great impression.

Luckily, we’ve got plenty of tips, info and advice to help you approach the group exercise with the right attitude. Keep reading to prep yourself for success!

What to expect at assessment centre group exercises

There are three common types of group exercises you could face at an assessment centre:

• Case study or role play

Where you play out an imaginary scenario to try to overcome its particular challenges and get to an outcome that the majority of the group is happy with.

Where you must discuss and come to a conclusion about a work-related issue. You may also have to present your solution back to the assessors as a group.

A more informal exercise where you discuss a general topic, usually related to news or current affairs.

No matter which type of group activity you take part in, the format will be largely the same.

Before you start the exercise, you’ll get a short amount of time to read the brief.

Everyone in the group will be working with the same general information and scenario, but you’ll usually also be assigned a specific position to take or given some unique extra information to guide your interactions.

Then, you’ll join the other candidates to complete the activity in front of your assessors.

The exercise itself will normally go for about 10-20 minutes.

Assessment centre group exercise examples

Now let’s take a look at some examples of real assessment centre group exercises. Try these at home with some friends – it’s a great way to practise!

Here’s a general case study group exercise from JobTestPrep :

Group Exercise 1

And here’s a more in-depth, business-related group exercise from AssessmentDay :

Group Exercise 2

Get even more examples and the best assessment centre group practice exercises here !

Group exercises top tips video

Have a watch of this video from Career & Skills, these are some top tips from their graduate recruitment team…

5 pro tips to stand out at assessment centre group exercises

#1: contribute but don’t dominate.

It’s very important that you speak up and make your voice heard during the group activity.

Recruiters are assessing your contribution to the group, so if you stay in the background and let others lead the discussion, you won’t get the marks.

But at the same time, no employer is looking for someone who’s loud, overbearing and dominates the conversation.

Make sure everyone is included equally and gets a chance to speak, and if you notice someone sitting quietly and not saying anything, encourage them to contribute.

Be aware of your personality and be mindful of others in the group. If you’re naturally quite shy, or tend to be more aggressive, then you need to adjust your communication style to find a balance between the two.

#2: Follow instructions carefully

Read the brief thoroughly before you start and make sure you’re clear on the instructions. Ask for clarification if you’re unsure about anything.

During the exercise, try not to let the discussion get carried away or off topic.

You’ll want to stay totally on track with the brief you were given, so prioritise what topics or discussion points need to be worked through, and stick to them. Keep the time limit in mind!

#3: Do your research beforehand

Get more marks for your commercial awareness by finding out about the employer and role you’re applying for.

Show that you understand the company, what they do and what they value by using that information during the exercise and relating it to the task at hand.

Assessors are looking for people who not only understand the business and industry, but who also act appropriately for the role.

Make sure you offer suggestions and recommendations that make sense for the company and for its specific business environment.

#4: Don’t be afraid to take the lead

While it’s essential to not dominate the group or boss people around, you should still try to show your leadership skills in natural and positive ways.

For example, offer to keep track of the time at the beginning of the exercise, or proactively include other group members in the conversation by asking them what they think.

This shows you have initiative and don’t mind taking on responsibility, which can make you more memorable to assessors and give you a valuable leg-up over the competition.

#5: Practice, practice, practice!

And of course, the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for your assessment centre group exercise and stand out from the crowd is to practice.

Gather some friends together and work through the group exercise examples above, and then find even more practice exercises here .

You’ll get more confident, calm and comfortable with the exercise, which in turn will help you perform better on the day.

Some more guides to help you succeed…

• Numerical Reasoning: Numerical Reasoning Test Guide: 5 Proven Tips to Succeed
• Verbal Reasoning: Verbal Reasoning Test: What You Need to Know to Pass
• UKCAT: UKCAT Test Guide: 4 Secrets to UKCAT Success 2020
• Watson-Glaser:  Watson-Glaser Test: Everything You Need to Know to Pass
• Mechanical Comprehension:  Mechanical Comprehension Test Guide 2020

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Law With Sophie

Law With Sophie is a blog offering advice and support to aspiring solicitors

How to smash your Assessment Centre – Part 1: The tasks

· Interviews · 4

At any one time, one of my most asked queries is around assessment centre tips. You ask, I deliver!

Most law firm assessment centres follow a fairly standard format. From my experience, these are the tasks you can expect at an assessment centre, and some of my tips for acing each task!

The written task

This is likely to be very time pressured, so a good plan of attack is key! 

You will likely be given a transactional case study containing a lot of material, and be asked to produce a memo for a colleague or the client.

My top tips for the written task are:

• Skim the material as quickly as you can, highlighting any pros in one colour and cons in another, so you can quickly draw comparisons.
• Once you’ve read the material, take a step back to understand the scenario: draw a structure chart or map the transaction in a way you find useful.
• Before you begin writing your memo, take 30 seconds to very quickly decide on a structure, with sub-headings addressing the key points. 
• Write quickly but as accurately as you can. Any spelling mistakes or grammar issues could really let you down!
• Be sure to address every point you’ve been asked to, even if very briefly. If time is running out, just get something down.
• Beware of any accounts provided. It’s great if you can interpret these at a basic level, and (if there are accounts for multiple years) draw any comparisons over time; e.g. assessing the income statements to see whether profitability has increased/declined. But keep your analysis high level, unless you’re confident in this area. (On this point – have a calculator to hand!)

Important: If you would normally receive extra time/other adjustments when sitting exams, make sure Graduate Recruitment are aware of this in advance, so that they can accommodate these adjustments and ensure you’re assessed fairly throughout the assessment centre.

The presentation

You may be asked to present your findings on the written task to a partner. Or, you may be given a separate list of topics and asked to present on one of your choice.

In the prep time decide on a basic structure and begin your presentation by explaining this structure. Example: “Today I’m going to present my findings on why I’d recommend [target] for acquisition over [competitor]. I’ve structured my thinking into three categories: X, Y and Z.”

This gets you off on confident footing, and should calm your nerves, as you know how to start then the rest should flow naturally. 

My top presenting tips:

• Don’t: Let your nerves get away with you by speaking too quickly or quietly. Don’t read from a script/your hands. 
• Do: Breathe. Speak slowly and calmly, enunciating clearly.  Make eye contact with the person you’re presenting to (looking straight into the camera if the AC is virtual). If the AC is in person and you need something to do with your hands: if you have use of a whiteboard etc. write down your basic structure, and gesture towards this. If you get flustered at any point you’ll also have this to look at to anchor you back in the room.
• If you drew up a structure chart as part of your written task, and the presentation is a continuation of this, use this. You can talk the partner through it if it’s useful, or if you lose your train of thought.
• If presenting is an area you struggle with, look up free presenting workshops on Eventbrite or Youtube, and get practising! 

The group negotiation

Here the firm is assessing your teamwork skills, so how you position yourself is important.

• Make sure you don’t hog the floor, as this may come across as domineering or aggressive.
• But you do need to contribute, otherwise you can’t be assessed! So speak up when appropriate, expanding on someone else’s point, or (tactfully) offering a countering view.
• Listen to others actively, and show this – by nodding, taking notes, etc.
• Keep an eye on time and ensure you cover all the relevant points in your instructions. Consider the overall goal – do you *have* to reach a deal? In which case consider points you could concede during prep.
• Be sure to include others. Story time: on an AC I attended, my negotiating partner had been great in prep, but I guess nerves got to him and he was totally silent during the negotiation! I was worried for him, so said “X, you had some great points on this…” at an appropriate point to encourage him. This got really good feedback; firms are pleased to see when you’re a team player.
• Each side will probably have been given completely opposing briefs! If it’s clear you’re not going to reach consensus on a point, say “Okay, I think we might need to move on for time purposes, but I’ll make a note of that and let’s be sure to revisit it at the end.” This is your ‘issues list’.
• 10 minutes or so before the end, summarise the agreed points and revisit your ‘issues list’.

If it’s required, don’t forget to agree the deal within time!

The partner interview

I know it’s hard, but my biggest tip here is to try your best to relax! If you don’t let your personality shine through it’ll be really hard to build rapport with the partners. In terms of other specific pointers:

• This is a recurring theme of mine, but emphasise what makes you unique. Whether this is past jobs, volunteering, hobbies, life experiences – draw on a range of things in your answers. There’s so much to you, I’m sure; be confident and let them know how fab you are!
• It’s fine to do a bit of research on the partners you’re assigned (if you’ve been told) but don’t waste too much time, as there may be a substitution on the day. My substitution actually turned out to be a massive bonus. I (obviously) didn’t know who they were beforehand; at some point I happened to mention a significant infrastructure deal in the market. Turns out, it was basically her deal! We then got chatting for ages about that. You never know when your prep will come in handy!
• Which brings me on to my next point – the conversation will probably meander along in random directions, and that’s okay. Be prepared to go off-piste. Imagine if the partners had to conduct basically the same final round interview all the time – how boring would that be?! 
• Some of the questions might throw you. Don’t panic. They’re assessing how you respond to this, more than what you say. Take a second; respond calmly with as good a logical answer as you can.
• Think of a few insightful questions, but don’t go overboard. In the nicest possible way, the partners will probably be keen to crack on with their very busy day once the interview is over!

I hope these specific assessment centre tips, in relation to the tasks, are useful – you can find more general assessment centre tips in part 2 !

@lawwithsophie

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Deloitte Assessment Centre & Study Guide: Everything You Need To Know

This Deloitte assessment centre guide includes practice tests, top tips and insider secrets for success. We’ll walk you through each part of the day and show you how to prepare. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

1 Useful Starting-Point Resource

• You can practice the Deloitte assessment tests  here.

Download our Ultimate Assessment Day & Interview Guide 2022 here . (It's packed with tips, tricks and insider-secrets to help you succeed.)

About Deloitte & the Deloitte assessment centre

Deloitte is a worldwide brand which has thousands of independent firms who collaborate to provide financial services such as audits and risk analyses.

• In short, they’re an enormous and well-respected global company which means, as you might expect, they only want the very best people.
• In fact, they demand high-quality employees, which means their recruitment process is notoriously tough.
• They have an excellent reputation for employee investment and growth and they pay well. As you can imagine, the level of competition between applicants is fierce.

To find out more about career progression at Deloitte, watch this video:

An Overview Of The Deloitte Assessment Centre

The Deloitte assessment centre takes a full day and you can expect to face the following assessment activities:

• A written exercise / Case study
• A partner interview
• A presentation
• A competency interview
• A group exercise

Let’s dive in and look at each exercise in more detail.

Take Deloitte Practice Test Now

Deloitte Assessment Centre Written Exercise

The Deloitte assessment centre written exercise lasts for 1 hour and takes the form of a case study.

They will be looking for the following things:

• Your ability to extract and identify the most important points.
• The clarity of your writing and how you present your ideas.
• Your tone and ability to write appropriately for the given audience.
• Your communication skills.

Practice case study

Nothing will boost your confidence and competence more than repeated practice.

You can practice the Deloitte assessment centre case study here.

The all-conquering importance of practice

If you’re serious about succeeding at your Deloitte assessment centre you must take the time to practice each of the assessment exercises you will face at the event.

We can give you great tips and advice, sure, but it’s down to you to put the preparation hours in.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from long experience it’s that preparation is the difference between success and failure. Successful candidates are consistently better-prepared than unsuccessful ones.

1 Useful Resource

Deloitte Assessment Centre – Partner Interview

The Deloitte assessment centre partner interview is 45 minutes long and focuses on the role you have applied for.

You will need to have a firm understanding of your job description so don’t be afraid to ask the HR team for a detailed job description.

(This will be a practical tool that aids your prep of course, but it also shows you are proactive and someone who uses their initiative.)

It is vital that you research Deloitte as a company. Make sure to research the following things as a minimum:

• The current status of their business and commercial performance.
• What are their key focus areas right now? Hot projects? New major clients?
• What are their plans for their future? Where are they heading? What’s their strategy?
• What is the company ethos? What are their beliefs and values?
• What do they look for in their employees? What are the required company-wide competencies?

You can find a lot of this information on the  Deloitte website  or on their  Facebook page .

Want to learn how to deliver world-class interview performance?

You will find a ton of useful material in the interview section of our site. It will be a treasure trove in your preparation, so be sure to visit.

Deloitte Assessment Centre Presentation

You will be required to carry out a presentation at the Deloitte assessment centre that is based around a case study. (The exact details of your case study will differ depending on your role and seniority.)

You will have to prepare a 10 minute presentation and will have 1 hour to prepare.

You will not be allowed to use more than 6 slides, so make sure you use each slide to its full potential.

Whatever you decide to present, make sure that you understand the detail as you will be expected to answer questions during a closing Q&A.

Want to learn how to deliver a world-class presentation? Read our guide:  How To Deliver A Killer Presentation At Your Assessment Centre

Deloitte Assessment Centre – Competency Interview

This interview will focus on Deloitte’s employee values & core competencies:

• Career motivation
• Communication
• Adaptability
• Goal achievement
• Commercial awareness
• Ability to organise
• Problem solving skills

Your task is to make yourself appear to ‘fit’ with these. How can you align yourself with this list of valued behaviours?

Here’s a quick exercise which will help you prepare for the competency interview: 

• Spend some time considering when you have demonstrated each competency.
• Prepare two examples for each one.
• Memorize your examples.

You will return to this list of memorised examples again and again during your Deloitte assessment centre, so make sure your examples are excellent and detailed.

Quick interview tips

Here’s are some of our most popular interview guides:

• ‘ How To Prepare For An Assessment Centre Interview ‘
• ‘ How To Behave During An Interview ‘
• ‘ How To Cope With Nerves About Your Assessment Centre ‘

Stop worrying! Download a 12-step assessment day cheatsheet & be perfectly prepared.

Click here to download your copy.

Deloitte Assessment Centre Group Exercise

Ok, strap in. This group exercise is known for being fiercely competitive.

You will be required to prepare an idea before coming together with your group. The exact briefing won’t be confirmed until you reach this stage on the day.

You will have 45 minutes from this point to discuss as a group who has the best ideas.

You will need to convince and influence the rest of the group that your idea is the best. The aim of this exercise is to compile a list of 5 of the best ideas.

This type of group exercise can cause real panic because every member of the group wants their idea on the list.

During this exercise, try to:

• Lead the group without dismissing others.
• Listen as well as contribute.
• Influence others.

This sounds terrifying. Help!

As an absolute minimum, during your prep time you should read our guide: How To Succeed In An Assessment Centre Group Exercise

Another useful resource

• You can practice the Deloitte assessment tests here.

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Get your copy of our Ultimate Assessment Day & Interview Guide here. It's packed with tips, tricks and insider-secrets to help you succeed.

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Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.

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Definitive Guide to Law Firm Case Studies! *Monday Article Series*

• Thread starter Jacob Miller
• Start date Jan 18, 2021
• Tags assessment centre assessment centre case study case studies case study case study interview law firm case study written assessment

Jacob Miller

Legendary member.

• Jan 18, 2021
• InvestLDN: 50%
• Jacob M: 40%
• Alice G (Jacob’s grandmother): 6%
• Daniel B (Jacob’s uncle): 4%
• We absolutely want 100% ownership; we won’t settle for anything less.
• We don’t want the hassle of having to set up new supply lines for their existing locations, we’re keen to more or less pick up all their suppliers.
• We haven’t been told how much they want for the business yet, but ideally, we don’t want to pay much more than £850mn
• We want Jacob to stay on with a public-facing role in the company - he’s a major part of the brand and we don’t to lose him.”
• For in-person assessment centres, if you’re wearing a wristwatch, take it off and put it somewhere you can see it at a glance to keep time. If you’re completing your assessment centre virtually, make sure there is an accurate clock somewhere that you can see at a glance for the same purpose.
• Spread all the documents in pack across your workspace with a notepad/ whatever you’ll be using for notes in the middle, where you can easily use it. This mitigates the chances of accidentally missing a document if you have them all in one profile.
• Locate whatever document in the file contains the key issues you are asked to cover and make a note of, or highlight, these so you can easily make reference to them.
• Take a few minutes to make a plan. Skim read the information you’ve been given to get a solid handle on key facts and the broad scenario. Use this time to make notes of any particularly obvious issues that jump off the page.

• The solicitor-client relationship between Lawyer McLawface LLP and KoffeeKulture
• The potential buyer-target relationship between KoffeeKulture and Jacob’s Juices
• The shareholder-company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide and its four shareholders, as well as Jacob’s daily position within the company
• The group company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide Ltd, the target, and JJ UK/ JJ USA/ JJ Canada
• The supplier-client relationship between FruitsRUs and JJ UK
• Colour coding each issue with a different colour of pen or highlighter. Beware, though, that you could quickly run into issues with the number of colours you have relative to the number of issues in the paper; it is also not guaranteed that you’ll be able to access your bag/ pencil case before the exercise starts, so you may be unable to get all your pens/ highlighters
• Give each issue a number. This is the approach I personally used. As you read through each document and identify an issue, number it. If you then come across another piece of information in a subsequent document which relates to an issue you have already numbered, you can give it the same number, so you remember that they are correlated

• Note, for example, that we have raised concerns about tax and employment obligations after the deal. These are considerations which are a part of every commercial transaction; it is important to show that you have a wider understanding of how deals work.
• In this example, points such as KK’s large existing market share are subtle and also mixed in among a lot of unimportant background information, yet any challenge from a competition authority can completely destroy the prospect of a deal. It is important to look for even the smallest hints throughout the case study.
• For example, in this case study, the termination clause of the contract between JJ and FruitsRUs is included, but, although it seems as though it ought to be important, it is actually of very little consequence for any issues we are considering here.
• In case you were wondering, the issue we left out was in regards the fact that JJ were developing a franchise model before discussions started concerning the acquisition. We would need to conduct further due diligence to find out more about this: what stage were preparations at? Are there prospective franchisees who have signed agreements for obligations we would need to carry forward? Missing a point doesn’t make you any weaker a candidate - they don’t expect you to catch everything!
• Key issues here are that Alice is potentially developing of dementia and Daniel is adamant that he does not want to sell his stake
• There are various issues with the JJ/FruitsRUs contract which could pose challenges here
• JJ was recently valued at £1bn so there is a clear mismatch here. We may need to look at leveraging different issues to lower the purchase price and also look at nuanced payment models such as instalments or targets-based payment
• Jacob wants to leave to start a new venture; we would need to try and negotiate him staying for a longer period and also need to ensure his new venture would not compete with JJ/ KK. We would look to have a non-compete clause in the contract to secure this.
• Identify where you have had to make assumptions for lack of information OR identify where you would need to investigate/track down additional information to not make assumptions.
• Think realistically about the time you are given to prepare and to “report” back (whether in an interview, a presentation or written format). These tasks are always given with a very strict time limit so think about what’s reasonable to do within that. Quality over quantity will generally win out. Do you want to be the person who identifies lots of things superficially and with no connection to other points, or do you want to be the person who is able to show depth of analysis in some areas?
• Prioritise - linked to the above aspect of limited time, but also try to prioritise your points. There’s probably lots you could make, but some are likely to be more substantial, more urgent or more important than others. Your analysis or opinion of what’s more influential will probably be assessed.
• Skim read or have a quick glance through all the information given to you first to try and gauge what information you have in front of you before you start to pull your ideas together. If you start to read through it meticulously from the start, you might end up realising something on the last page blows everything out of the water or changes another point considerably, effectively meaning you have to start from scratch.
• Remember who your audience is. For instance, with a written response, sometimes you’ll be writing something for a partner, sometimes you will be writing for a client. They are very different audiences with very different perceptions of what is important, with very different levels of knowledge. Think carefully about who your audience is and what they might (or might not) already know.
• Plan! When you are given the task don’t be tempted to jump in immediately, have a glance over the information then use your brief to create a plan (e.g. what is the issue, what is the evidence for this issue, what is the solution). This way you can avoid aimlessly looking through the information as you will never have enough time to go through everything in detail.
• Perspective! To help you find a range of issues, try to read through the information given to you from the perspectives of the different practice areas (e.g. what issues would the corporate team raise vs the banking team vs the real estate team vs the competition team). Doing this will enable you to cover more ground.
• Be solution focused! More often than not, once you have identified the issues interviewers will be looking to test your problem-solving skills either directly through the task itself or indirectly through follow up questions. Ultimately the role of a solicitor is to advise clients, so it is important that when you spot your problems, you consider proposals for solving them.
• Structure - Always include an executive summary of your conclusions/analysis/solutions at the beginning. Anyone that has little time to be reading through an entire document of details will want to get the information that is most important first and I think this holds true for any potential audience of the document you’re writing (partners, clients, associates etc.)
• Reasoning - This is a tip geared particularly to case studies that have a discussion element. Even if you are unsure of the answers to any follow up questions you might receive, the key thing is to demonstrate how you’ve come to the conclusion you have made. Really talk through every step of your thought process because even if the final answer is wrong, this is something that demonstrates the analytical skills that firms look for.
• Practice - Make full use of any of the sample case studies you can find on the forum or anywhere else to practice your clarity of writing, structure and level of analysis. This can really help candidates snap out of the long-winded style of writing that many of us default to because of writing university essays.
• Diagram: Often you will be asked to give an overview or a summary of the matter at hand. A great way to do this simply and concisely is to use a diagram to show a visual representation of the scenario. If you have an M&A case study for example, you might want to draw who the buyer, the seller and the target are and use arrows to show the relationship between the parties. You could also note the price of the target here and also perhaps how the transaction is being funded by the buyer if this is given – if they are getting a bank loan, you could add the bank to the diagram and also the sum of the loan. The diagram doesn’t need to be a work of art, but it just needs to sum up the scenario well and it is serving as an aid for you to tell the overall story above anything else. It also doubles up as a repository of useful info from the documents (like deal price) so you don’t need to worry too much about retaining everything in your head! ( Note from Jacob: Looks like we’re on the same page here, Alice! ) 2. Organisation strategy for multiple questions: If you are posed with multiple questions to answer in a case study, I tended to like spider diagrams. I used to write each key question in a bubble in the middle of an A4 page (which would become my spider diagram) and I attributed a different coloured highlighter for each question. Say there were three questions I needed to answer, I would have three pages upon which I would do my diagram and three highlighters, one for each question. I would then go through the materials and use the correct highlighter for when a piece of information would help me to answer a particular question. I would then add that information onto the correct spider diagram with a page number beside it for ease of reference. By the time I had gone through all the information pack, I then had all the info I needed which was easy to re-find in my colour coded information pack. At that stage, I could spend my time constructing my written work/presentation with a greater focus on argument, structure and precision. I found this a really good technique which worked well for me, especially in tight time constraints. 3. Practice areas: Before opening information packs, I would write down all the law firm practice areas and have that in front of me. This helped me to think critically about what I was reading and meant I was actively searching for points and information. Law firms tend to add details into case studies which are really subtle and can be easily missed so I found in approaching case studies in this way, I was better able to pick up on these more subtle and nuanced points which would often help me to get credit for innovative and ‘outside the box’ thinking. Final point – leave ten minutes at the end to proof if it is a written task – this is vital.

Star Member

• Jan 25, 2021

My first AC is coming up tomorrow morning - this could not have come at a better time. Thank you for taking the time to write this!  

Founder, TCLA

Polyglot said: My first AC is coming up tomorrow morning - this could not have come at a better time. Thank you for taking the time to write this! Click to expand...

Jaysen said: Best of luck! Click to expand...

• Jan 26, 2021

Distinguished Member

Hi Jacob, first of all, thank you for this really helpful guide! I just wanted to clarify a few points: 1) In a written case study, let's say about 45 mins, how many points should you pick out? Should you stick to the ones specifically related to the client's demands (so in this case the 4 points mentioned in the note from KK Managing Director) or is it better to include everything you can find? 2) Could you please clarify what's a "targets-based payment"? I tried googling this but couldn't really find the answer. 3) Would you say it's better to try and focus equally between legal and commercial issues? Thank you! 😊  

rachelzane said: Hi Jacob, first of all, thank you for this really helpful guide! I just wanted to clarify a few points: 1) In a written case study, let's say about 45 mins, how many points should you pick out? Should you stick to the ones specifically related to the client's demands (so in this case the 4 points mentioned in the note from KK Managing Director) or is it better to include everything you can find? 2) Could you please clarify what's a "targets-based payment"? I tried googling this but couldn't really find the answer. 3) Would you say it's better to try and focus equally between legal and commercial issues? Thank you! 😊 Click to expand...

• Feb 5, 2021

Jacob Miller said: Very very best of luck with your AC! I'm sure you'll smash it and I'm delighted the article was of help to you!! Click to expand...

Daniel Boden

Polyglot said: Jaysen and Thank you so much! Just wanted to say I was offered a place for the CMS Academy this Tuesday and it is still sinking in. Thank you again for the article, it definitely helped! Click to expand...

Daniel Boden said: Huge congrats! Hope you've been able to celebrate 🎉🥂 Click to expand...

Emma Raymond

• Feb 6, 2021

Thanks so much for posting this article. Was really helpful having a break down of how to approach case studies ahead of my assessment centre. Also appreciated the creativity with regards to the name of the stakeholders!  

• Feb 14, 2021

Hi, You wrote DT in the mind map above. I was wondering what it stands for...Does it mean Dispute Team?  

Alya said: Hi, You wrote DT in the mind map above. I was wondering what it stands for...Does it mean Dispute Team? Click to expand...

• Feb 18, 2021

Jacob Miller said: Hi all, please see below the third of my Monday Article Series! This week is my definitive guide to case studies. It's a long one - you might want to go get a coffee and settle in! Introduction This week’s Monday Article will cover how to approach law firm case studies, one of the most intimidating parts of the Assessment Centre (this was certainly the case for me!). We will first go over a mock case study scenario and then consider some points of technique for approaching the task when you’re first handed the document pack. Thereafter, we will break down the example case study and detail the approach I took to organise my thoughts and group together issues and solutions. Afterwards, we will look at how we would structure our answer for either a written assessment or a subsequent case study interview. Finally, we’ll conclude with some top tips from the fantastic TCLA team! Note, we won’t be examining how to excel in the case study interview, or in wider drafting tasks, today. This article will cover up to the point of structuring your response for the interview or drafting the letter/ email to whomever you have been asked to send it. Case studies are designed to test a variety of skills, including your ability to interpret and analyse large amounts of information. Depending on the format of assessment (i.e., written or presented interview), your drafting or presentation skills may be tested. Interview-style assessments also test your ability to think on your feet and respond to stressful situations where you may not always know the answer. Case studies are also an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you understand the work that commercial law firms undertake and how they may advise clients. Mock Scenario Note: as part of this mock cast study, we have drafted certain contract provisions. These have been greatly simplified for the purposes of this exercise, so will probably look a little different to ones you might see in real assessments! Background: You are a third-seat trainee sitting in M&A at Lawyer McLawface LLP, a large, London-based commercial law firm with international offices in most major European cities as well as satellite offices in New York and San Francisco. It is early on a Monday morning; you’ve just finished your second coffee of the day and are getting ready to go about your usual Monday routine when Jaysen, a Partner from your department, knocks on your door: “Hey- hope you had a nice weekend. Listen, we’ve just been instructed by a regular client on a potential acquisition. I’m really busy, so I don’t have time to fully brief you, but I want you on the deal team after you did so well on that big deal last month. Can you take charge of some initial due diligence for me? Just to pick up on any major issues to flag at a meeting with the client later. It’s urgent and needs to be completed in the next hour while I’m in this meeting. I’ve printed everything you’ll need.” No sooner has Jaysen handed you the document pack than he has turned around and hurried along the corridor to a meeting about another on-going deal that’s been challenged by the CMA. Your training principal, who overheard the conversation, has allowed you to delay the work you were doing for them to let you work on this new task. You open the document pack and establish that the client is KoffeeKulture (‘KK’), a large coffee chain known for their high-quality, ethically sourced coffee. In fact, you just finished one of their signature Orange Mocha Frappuccinos. They are an extremely well-established brand with approximately 25,000 stores and a large market share across the UK and Western Europe. Around 7,000 stores are owned and 18,000 are franchises. They have begun to engage in discussions with Jacob’s Juices (‘JJ’), a newer, but rapidly growing, smoothie and juice chain. JJ has around 12,000 stores across the UK and North America. JJ has supplied your client with a document containing mostly background information about the company, as well as an extract from a key contract with its main supplier, FruitsRUs. These documents, as well as a recent news article about JJ, and a short note from KK’s Global Managing Director, John Koffman, comprise the document pack which Jaysen gave you. Document 1: Background information “To whom this may concern, This document has been drafted for and on behalf of Jacob’s Juices Worldwide Ltd (‘us’/‘we’). It is to be viewed only by its intended recipients, namely, KoffeeKulture Senior Management, legal counsel and any external law firm instructed on the matter. We undertake that any information is true to the fullest extent of our knowledge, although no information contained herein shall form the basis or any part of a sale and nothing contained herein shall be considered a guarantee, warranty or indemnity. Jacob M launched our flagship Juice Bar in Farringdon, London in 2012. He used personal savings as well as money given to him by his uncle and his grandmother to launch the first venue. The venue was a great success and, in 2013, he launched two more Juice Bars, in the Spitalfields and Clerkenwell areas of London respectively. In 2015, by this time with ten Juice Bars around London and the South East, we came to the attention of Private Equity firm InvestLDN, and, after negotiations, they purchased 50% of the equity in the company. Our current shareholder stakes are as follows: InvestLDN: 50% Jacob M: 40% Alice G (Jacob’s grandmother): 6% Daniel B (Jacob’s uncle): 4% The business in its current form was valued in Q3 2020 at £1bn. Jacob is currently our global Managing Director and remains very active in the daily running of the business- it’s not uncommon for him to be seen working at our original Farringdon location if he has a quiet day (our HQ is just a few minutes away). Jacob is a major part of our brand’s image and ongoing success, but he is looking to start a new venture and, thus, is interested in selling his shares in the company and standing down as MD. InvestLDN are now looking to sell their stake in the company to realise their investment. Alice has said that she would be happy to also sell her stake in the company, but Daniel is adamant that he wants to hold onto his share for the foreseeable future. There have been rumours within the senior management that Alice is on the foothills of dementia. In terms of our global position, we currently have around 12,000 stores worldwide with around 2,500 in the UK, 6,500 in the USA (almost entirely on the East Coast) and 3,000 in Canada. We do not currently have a market presence in mainland Europe, although some recent market research we undertook would indicate that our products and brand would be well received in France, Italy, Spain and Germany. All of our stores are brand-owned, though we were developing a franchise model before these discussions started. We had hoped to launch this franchise model by late 2021 or 2022. Each country’s branches are technically under separate legal ownership- “JJ UK”, “JJ USA”, and “JJ Canada” respectively- but they’re all 100% owned by us. We have commercial rental agreements in place for all of our Juice Bars and the HQ office in Farringdon, but we have mortgages on our commercial processing plants in Luton, Delaware and Ontario. Our main produce provider for the UK, FruitsRUs, sources much of the produce from Europe and South America. They have recently raised some concerns surrounding importing produce to the UK post-Brexit, but we are confident that there shouldn’t be any issues. On that note, our contract with them is on a two-year rolling basis. The current two-year period ends on 31st March 2021. Please feel free to reach out for any further information.” Document 2: Extracts from contract between Jacob’s Juices and FruitsRUs “2.1: Change of Control FruitsRUs may, in the event of the sale of more than 50% of Jacob’s Juices Worldwide’s shares, terminate with immediate effect, or re-negotiate any terms of, this contract without committing a breach thereof. FruitsRUs must be notified of any sale before it occurs. ​ 3.7: Termination In order to terminate this contract, Jacob’s Juices must provide a minimum of 90 working days’ written notice to FruitsRUs. FruitsRUs must provide a minimum of 60 days’ notice to JJ for the same. ​ 4.3: Force Majeure FruitsRUs may, in the event of a force majeure event, terminate the contract without committing a breach thereof. ​ 5.1: Dispute Resolution In the event of a dispute arising under this contract, both parties submit to the jurisdiction and laws of Luxembourg.” ​ ​ Document 3: Extract from a recent newspaper article (dated 12/1/2020) “…the TCLA Times can report that Jacob’s Juices has allegedly been accused of causing a customer to have a severe allergic reaction after failing to label one of its signature smoothies appropriately at one of its London locations. The customer is alleged to have gone into anaphylactic shock and required an ambulance after nut-based products were not properly identified as an ingredient in one of the brand’s drinks. The wife of the customer, who is said to be in intensive care in hospital, was heard screaming “This isn’t over! I’ll sue this company until it’s bankrupt!” during the incident. It is unclear whether legal action has commenced. That’s not all that the global drinks chain has had to deal with recently, with reports that a small, rival smoothie chain in the UK has alleged that Jacob’s Juices stole its recipes during its early days, using a disgruntled ex-employee to obtain copies. It recently released a statement saying that it would use the “full force of the law” to see that “justice was done to prevent small companies being taken advantage of by global chains”. Jacob’s Juices have been approached for comment on both matters but have thus far refused.” Document 4: Note from KK Managing Director, John Koffman “… about this proposed acquisition of Jacob’s Juices, I just wanted to make a few points clear: We absolutely want 100% ownership; we won’t settle for anything less. We don’t want the hassle of having to set up new supply lines for their existing locations, we’re keen to more or less pick up all their suppliers. We haven’t been told how much they want for the business yet, but ideally, we don’t want to pay much more than £850mn We want Jacob to stay on with a public-facing role in the company - he’s a major part of the brand and we don’t to lose him.” Your Task: Please complete the due diligence (further research into and analysis of the legal and commercial implications of the information contained within the four preceding documents) that Jaysen has asked you to. You will have 60 minutes. Please pay particular attention to the points raised by John Koffman, as well as any other issues which you feel it is important to raise. Please be ready to present your findings to the client at the meeting in an hour [OR] Please draft a letter to the client to present your findings. Points of Technique It can be extremely intimidating when you’re first presented with the document pack. There is often a mass of information and it can be hard to know where to start. When I approached these tasks, I tended to go through a few routine steps before I started my substantive preparations. Here are some of the things you might wish to consider: For in-person assessment centres, if you’re wearing a wristwatch, take it off and put it somewhere you can see it at a glance to keep time. If you’re completing your assessment centre virtually, make sure there is an accurate clock somewhere that you can see at a glance for the same purpose. Spread all the documents in pack across your workspace with a notepad/ whatever you’ll be using for notes in the middle, where you can easily use it. This mitigates the chances of accidentally missing a document if you have them all in one profile. Locate whatever document in the file contains the key issues you are asked to cover and make a note of, or highlight, these so you can easily make reference to them. Take a few minutes to make a plan. Skim read the information you’ve been given to get a solid handle on key facts and the broad scenario. Use this time to make notes of any particularly obvious issues that jump off the page. Organising your thoughts After you’ve made your initial plans and have a broad understanding of the key issues and parties, it is time to start more substantive preparations. One technique I was taught, which I continue to use even outside of case study scenarios, is to draw a diagram. Using a diagram to identify key parties, their relationships to one another, and also to identify which key issues are linked to each party gives an easy-to-reference visual representation of issues which are at the core of the scenario. They can also be expanded to add information as you continue to read through the scenario in more detail and identify new issues. The diagram will become the ‘hub’ from which you can develop the framework of your response depending on the type of assessment. When drawing your diagram, the first step is to map in the key parties (stakeholders) and their relationships to one another. Below, you’ll see the first stage of my diagram for the above scenario – this will continue to grow as we go through the scenario in more depth. View attachment 2550 As you can see, we have identified key stakeholders in the first ‘phase’ of our diagram, as well as the relationships which they have to one another. In this case, these are: The solicitor-client relationship between Lawyer McLawface LLP and KoffeeKulture The potential buyer-target relationship between KoffeeKulture and Jacob’s Juices The shareholder-company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide and its four shareholders, as well as Jacob’s daily position within the company The group company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide Ltd, the target, and JJ UK/ JJ USA/ JJ Canada The supplier-client relationship between FruitsRUs and JJ UK Now we have identified our key stakeholders, we want to move towards analysing the key legal considerations and key commercial considerations. We also need to begin to consider what law firm practice areas would be involved in the deal and in what capacity, as well as whether we can give a definitive answer or solution for a given issue or whether we need more information and, if so, what information is required . By now, you will have a broad understanding of the content of each document. It is still worthwhile, however, to go back in and re-read all the information you’ve been given, this time paying more attention to particular items. It’s important to highlight and annotate information as and when you recognise it is relevant- there are various different ways you could approach this, for example: Colour coding each issue with a different colour of pen or highlighter. Beware, though, that you could quickly run into issues with the number of colours you have relative to the number of issues in the paper; it is also not guaranteed that you’ll be able to access your bag/ pencil case before the exercise starts, so you may be unable to get all your pens/ highlighters Give each issue a number. This is the approach I personally used. As you read through each document and identify an issue, number it. If you then come across another piece of information in a subsequent document which relates to an issue you have already numbered, you can give it the same number, so you remember that they are correlated Breaking down the case study In no particular order (we’ll cover that later), below are a selection of the legal and commercial issues that are present in the above case study example, as well as detail about whether we can provide a solution or if we need more information. Before you read them, though, try going back to see how many you can pick out yourself. Remember that we’ll break down almost every possible issue that could be pulled from this scenario. In a real, timed, case study, it is highly unlikely that you’ll be able to identify every single possible issue. In the next section, we’ll discuss prioritising the different issues you manage to identify, but, for now, these issues are all things which you might expect to pop up in a case study. Note, if a Practice Area block is left blank, this is an issue that would be covered by the Deal Team, i.e., the team in M&A who would lead the transaction from start to finish (in the case study, this is the team that you are a part of, headed up by Jaysen, the partner) . View attachment 2551 View attachment 2552 View attachment 2553 Now that we’ve identified all the relevant issues and potential solutions, let’s see how our diagram has developed with the advent of these new issues being added. New information has all been added in brown ink, with relevant departments noted in black (DT denotes any area that the Deal Team would take charge of): View attachment 2554 Before we go any further, though, I want to highlight a few key considerations based on what we pulled out from the case study in the table above: Not all issues are stated explicitly in the case study Note, for example, that we have raised concerns about tax and employment obligations after the deal. These are considerations which are a part of every commercial transaction; it is important to show that you have a wider understanding of how deals work. Some issues are only stated very subtly In this example, points such as KK’s large existing market share are subtle and also mixed in among a lot of unimportant background information, yet any challenge from a competition authority can completely destroy the prospect of a deal. It is important to look for even the smallest hints throughout the case study. There will almost always be ‘red herring’ information in a case study which is designed to look somehow important but is of little consequence For example, in this case study, the termination clause of the contract between JJ and FruitsRUs is included, but, although it seems as though it ought to be important, it is actually of very little consequence for any issues we are considering here. You will almost never pull out every single issue. We’ve even left one issue out of the table above! This is natural, it would be extremely unusual to be able to identify every single potential challenge in a case study owing to your time restrictions. In case you were wondering, the issue we left out was in regards the fact that JJ were developing a franchise model before discussions started concerning the acquisition. We would need to conduct further due diligence to find out more about this: what stage were preparations at? Are there prospective franchisees who have signed agreements for obligations we would need to carry forward? Missing a point doesn’t make you any weaker a candidate - they don’t expect you to catch everything! Getting ready to present: identifying and prioritising key issues Because case study exercises are timed in such a way as to never quite give you enough time to do all the work you would like to, it is imperative to prioritise key issues so that you’re presenting the most important issues first. The reason for this is that clients, or a Partner heading into a meeting with a client, needs to know the more important issues before they are concerned with smaller, more extraneous matters. It is also very important to present either a solution or next steps in relation to each issue you raise; at the end of the day, it is a commercial solicitor’s job to find solutions to clients’ challenges, so it’s important that you show this in assessment. In my experience, I tended to find that I only ever had time to list the 6 – 8 most important issues when either drafting a letter to a client or preparing for the subsequent interview. When identifying key issues, these don’t have to be all legal or all commercial; in any event, there is often some amount of overlap between them anyway. The key thing to think about when deciding whether an issue is essential or more extraneous is what impact it could have on the deal. If an issue has the potential to stall the deal or is something which is of substantial importance to your client, it would be considered a key issue. If, on the other hand, an issue is unlikely to pose any major challenge and is not of particular importance to your client, it would be considered more extraneous and, so, less important to raise. If your document pack/ task has included particular item of importance, these are things which it is essential to bring up in the letter/ presentation. In this example, we might consider four such points: KK want 100% ownership Key issues here are that Alice is potentially developing of dementia and Daniel is adamant that he does not want to sell his stake KK don’t want to find new supply lines for JJ products and want to maintain their existing suppliers for the time being There are various issues with the JJ/FruitsRUs contract which could pose challenges here KK ideally don’t want to spend any more than £850mn JJ was recently valued at £1bn so there is a clear mismatch here. We may need to look at leveraging different issues to lower the purchase price and also look at nuanced payment models such as instalments or targets-based payment KK want Jacob to stay within the company in a prominent public-facing role Jacob wants to leave to start a new venture; we would need to try and negotiate him staying for a longer period and also need to ensure his new venture would not compete with JJ/ KK. We would look to have a non-compete clause in the contract to secure this. Structuring your response for a subsequent interview There are several factors to consider when structuring a case study response in anticipation of an interview. The first thing to consider is the structure: often, a case study interview will be structured as a presentation and subsequent interview. This presentation may be 10 – 15 minutes and involve you presenting your initial points to the assessor, usually a partner at the firm. Sometimes, the partner will be ‘in character’ as a client, so you must pitch your presentation to the client, and sometimes they won’t, so you’ll pitch it to the partner as such. The firm will almost invariably advise you what the case will be before you go into the room. It is essential that you adjust your presentation according to whether you are meant to be presenting to a lawyer or a client – essentially a layperson with some commercial, but little legal, acumen. If you’re pitching to a client, consider dropping the legal jargon and, instead, explain the issues you raise in plain English. If my interviewer was in character as a client, I would also typically check that they fully understood the point I had made before moving onto the next issue in my presentation. While this might seem patronising, considering that you know the ‘client’ is actually a lawyer who almost certainly knows far more than what you’re presenting them, it is important to show that you have good soft skills and a client-focussed manner. A client wouldn’t like to be rushed through a presentation without knowing what was being said. At the end of the day, they’re paying a lot of money to understand the various issues at hand, so play up to that character as necessary. As an extension of this point, always try and explain the thought process/ logic behind your decisions and conclusions in your presentation. When I had to prepare for an oral presentation, I would typically switch away from my diagram and spend the last ten minutes or so of the preparation time writing a bullet point list with the key issues, and next steps/solutions, I planned to raise during the presentation. I would set this out in the same way that the key issues are identified above. If I had time, I would quickly jot down some of the more extraneous issues in case I had time to discuss them, or for when I was then questioned on them. In my experience, you’re generally allowed to take all your notes into the interview with you, so I would always take my diagram and, if a point came up which I hadn’t subsequently noted on my bullet point list, I could consult this before giving a response. Check on the day whether this is permitted, though, so you know how reliant you will be on whatever materials you are permitted to take in with you. Structuring your response for a written assessment Although preparing a letter for a client, or emailing a partner, might seem starkly different to preparing for an interview, much of the same logic and approach apply. First of all, it is still vital to pitch your writing to the appropriate audience. If anything, it is even more important that, if writing for a client, you write in plain, accessible language and avoid all legal jargon. The reason for this is that, in an interview, a ‘client’ could always stop you to ask for clarification of a point where you have used inaccessible language; this is impossible with a letter. Secondly, and this goes for all legal drafting irrespective of the intended audience, be as concise and straight-to-the-point as possible. Lawyers and high-flying clients are exceptionally busy people and, as such, they don’t have time to read a long-winded introductory paragraph full of niceties and waffle. You almost certainly don’t have time to write it, either. Get straight to the issues you need to mention! I would typically include an Executive Summary at the start of my written exercise with 1 – 2 sentence bullet point summaries of each key issue and solution/next steps before more fully exploring each of the issues thereunder. This shows a good understanding of the needs of those who are likely to read the letter, for example, they might only have time to scan over key points walking between meetings and need a very brief outline of key points. It also shows good drafting skills. Similarl to an oral presentation, try and include some of the thought process/logic that’s gone into each conclusion – make sure to save this for the main paragraphs rather than the Executive Summary though! Another key point to consider here, following on from the issue of pitching to the correct audience in your style of writing, is also to pitch your tone of writing correctly. If, for example, you are drafting an internal email to be sent to a partner, this may be slightly less formal in tone than a letter going to a client. Similarly, if the case study is based on, say, advising a client on a litigious matter, this is likely to be even more formal in tone and approach than advising them on a deal. Use all these different points to show your understanding of client needs and drafting skills. Finally, and possibly the most important part of a written assessment, leave time to proofread! The last thing you want is a great response marred by a couple of silly grammatical or typographical errors. Top Tips from the TCLA team Jessica’s Top Tips: Identify where you have had to make assumptions for lack of information OR identify where you would need to investigate/track down additional information to not make assumptions. Think realistically about the time you are given to prepare and to “report” back (whether in an interview, a presentation or written format). These tasks are always given with a very strict time limit so think about what’s reasonable to do within that. Quality over quantity will generally win out. Do you want to be the person who identifies lots of things superficially and with no connection to other points, or do you want to be the person who is able to show depth of analysis in some areas? Prioritise - linked to the above aspect of limited time, but also try to prioritise your points. There’s probably lots you could make, but some are likely to be more substantial, more urgent or more important than others. Your analysis or opinion of what’s more influential will probably be assessed. Skim read or have a quick glance through all the information given to you first to try and gauge what information you have in front of you before you start to pull your ideas together. If you start to read through it meticulously from the start, you might end up realising something on the last page blows everything out of the water or changes another point considerably, effectively meaning you have to start from scratch. Remember who your audience is. For instance, with a written response, sometimes you’ll be writing something for a partner, sometimes you will be writing for a client. They are very different audiences with very different perceptions of what is important, with very different levels of knowledge. Think carefully about who your audience is and what they might (or might not) already know. Naomi’s Top Tips: Plan! When you are given the task don’t be tempted to jump in immediately, have a glance over the information then use your brief to create a plan (e.g. what is the issue, what is the evidence for this issue, what is the solution). This way you can avoid aimlessly looking through the information as you will never have enough time to go through everything in detail. Perspective! To help you find a range of issues, try to read through the information given to you from the perspectives of the different practice areas (e.g. what issues would the corporate team raise vs the banking team vs the real estate team vs the competition team). Doing this will enable you to cover more ground. Be solution focused! More often than not, once you have identified the issues interviewers will be looking to test your problem-solving skills either directly through the task itself or indirectly through follow up questions. Ultimately the role of a solicitor is to advise clients, so it is important that when you spot your problems, you consider proposals for solving them. Dheepa’s Top Tips: Structure - Always include an executive summary of your conclusions/analysis/solutions at the beginning. Anyone that has little time to be reading through an entire document of details will want to get the information that is most important first and I think this holds true for any potential audience of the document you’re writing (partners, clients, associates etc.) Reasoning - This is a tip geared particularly to case studies that have a discussion element. Even if you are unsure of the answers to any follow up questions you might receive, the key thing is to demonstrate how you’ve come to the conclusion you have made. Really talk through every step of your thought process because even if the final answer is wrong, this is something that demonstrates the analytical skills that firms look for. Practice - Make full use of any of the sample case studies you can find on the forum or anywhere else to practice your clarity of writing, structure and level of analysis. This can really help candidates snap out of the long-winded style of writing that many of us default to because of writing university essays. Alice’s Top Tips: Diagram: Often you will be asked to give an overview or a summary of the matter at hand. A great way to do this simply and concisely is to use a diagram to show a visual representation of the scenario. If you have an M&A case study for example, you might want to draw who the buyer, the seller and the target are and use arrows to show the relationship between the parties. You could also note the price of the target here and also perhaps how the transaction is being funded by the buyer if this is given – if they are getting a bank loan, you could add the bank to the diagram and also the sum of the loan. The diagram doesn’t need to be a work of art, but it just needs to sum up the scenario well and it is serving as an aid for you to tell the overall story above anything else. It also doubles up as a repository of useful info from the documents (like deal price) so you don’t need to worry too much about retaining everything in your head! ( Note from Jacob: Looks like we’re on the same page here, Alice! ) 2. Organisation strategy for multiple questions: If you are posed with multiple questions to answer in a case study, I tended to like spider diagrams. I used to write each key question in a bubble in the middle of an A4 page (which would become my spider diagram) and I attributed a different coloured highlighter for each question. Say there were three questions I needed to answer, I would have three pages upon which I would do my diagram and three highlighters, one for each question. I would then go through the materials and use the correct highlighter for when a piece of information would help me to answer a particular question. I would then add that information onto the correct spider diagram with a page number beside it for ease of reference. By the time I had gone through all the information pack, I then had all the info I needed which was easy to re-find in my colour coded information pack. At that stage, I could spend my time constructing my written work/presentation with a greater focus on argument, structure and precision. I found this a really good technique which worked well for me, especially in tight time constraints. 3. Practice areas: Before opening information packs, I would write down all the law firm practice areas and have that in front of me. This helped me to think critically about what I was reading and meant I was actively searching for points and information. Law firms tend to add details into case studies which are really subtle and can be easily missed so I found in approaching case studies in this way, I was better able to pick up on these more subtle and nuanced points which would often help me to get credit for innovative and ‘outside the box’ thinking. Final point – leave ten minutes at the end to proof if it is a written task – this is vital. That’s all for our biggest yet Monday Article! I hope you've enjoyed reading my Definitive Guide to Case Studies and that you'll find it helpful in coming assessment days! This was the third in a four-part series, please feel free to post or DM me with ideas for the next article and, as always, follow up with any questions in the thread below. Click to expand...

• Feb 21, 2021

hi all, where can I find TCLA’s case studies? I know I have seen them but cannot for the life of me find them right now. (PS: Jacob, thank you so much for this! It is really helpful!)  

Veep9 said: hi all, where can I find TCLA’s case studies? I know I have seen them but cannot for the life of me find them right now. (PS: Jacob, thank you so much for this! It is really helpful!) Click to expand...

• Feb 22, 2021

Jacob Miller said: Pleased you like them! I think @Jaysen or @Alice G might be best-placed to advise on where the case study resources are as I'm unsure of the access level they require. Click to expand...

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Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide

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Welcome to our preparation tips for case interviews!  Whether you are just curious about case interviews or are planning to apply for consulting internships or full-time jobs, these tips and resources will help you feel more prepared and confident.

A case interview is a role playing exercise in which an employer assesses how logically and persuasively you can present a case. Rather than seeing if you get the “correct” answer, the objective is to evaluate your thought process. ( Adapted with permission from Case In Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation by Marc Cosentino). 

Case interviews are very commonly used in the interview process for consulting firms and companies in similar industries. In the case interview, you will typically be given a business problem and then asked to solve it in a structured way. Learning this structure takes preparation and practice. You can learn more and practice using the resources listed below.  

Why are Case Interviews Used?

Case interviews allow employers to test and evaluate the following skills:

• Analytical skills and logical ability to solve problems
• Structure and thought process
• Ability to ask for relevant data/information
• Tolerance for ambiguity and data overload
• Poise and communication skills under pressure and in front of a client

How can I prepare for Case Interviews?

1.) Read Management Consulted’s “Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide (2024)”

Management Consulted is a FREE resource for Tufts students : case and consulting resources such as 500 sample cases, Case Interview Bootcamp,  Market Sizing Drills, Math Drills, case videos, consulting firm directory, and more

2.) Review additional resources:

• Case in Point – This book, by Marc Cosentino, is a comprehensive guide that walks you through the case interview process from beginning to end. This guide has helped many students over the years and can serve as an excellent foundation for how to approach business problems
• Casequestions.com – The companion website to Marc Cosentino’s book listed above offers preparation for case interviews, along with links to top 50 consulting firms
• Management Consulting Case Interviews: Cracking The Case – tips for case interviews from the other side of the table, from Argopoint, a Boston management consulting firm specializing in legal department consulting for Fortune 500 companies
• Preplounge.com – Free case preparation access for to up to 6 practice interviews with peers, selected cases, and video case solutions
• RocketBlocks – Features consulting preparation such as drills and coaching
• Practice sample online cases on consulting firm websites such as McKinsey , BCG , Bain , Deloitte and more!  

3.) Schedule a mock case interview appointment with  Karen Dankers or Kathy Spillane , our advisors for the Finance, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Business Career Community.

4.) PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE cases out loud on your own (yes, that can feel odd) or preferably, with another person. See #2 and #3 above for resources and ideas to find partners to practice live cases

5.) Enjoy and have fun solving business problems!

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Assessment Center Preparation: Tips & Practice Resources

Many companies are using assessment centers to assess applicants now. They use an assessment center as the final stage in the pre-employment process before a final decision is made. Since they are the final event and are relatively expensive, those job-seekers and graduates who receive invites to an assessment center are the ones that the employer believes have the highest potential for fitting the job position they are seeking to fill.

The assessment centers usually take place either in an employer’s office or in specific private assessment centers, though sometimes hotel conference rooms may also be utilized. This assessment combination helps employers to understand the applicant’s competencies and performance at work in a more rounded way than a traditional interview would allow them to do. This makes them a popular option with both the employer and the candidates since it gives a more fair evaluation of each candidate and looks more at what the individual can do instead of what they know.

What Is an Assessment Center?

Assessment centers are a combination of tasks and activities intended to test suitability for various job positions. They are highly customizable, so they are often used with many types of positions and are not restricted to only certain kinds of jobs. The candidate is evaluated with a series of individual and group tasks during this final stage in the assessment process. In the assessment center, applicants are given a chance to demonstrate their skills and capabilities in a way that goes beyond what traditional interview questions and answers would allow.

Assessment centers usually include the following types of activities:

• Welcome and intro from the employer
• Competency-based interview
• Analysis presentation exercise (also called case studies)
• Roleplay exercise
• In-Tray exercise
• Online tests (shorter versions of the psychometric tests taken earlier in the recruitment process)
• Presentations
• Group exercises

What to Expect at an Assessment Center?

The set of activities typically takes around four to eight hours, which are spread out over a period of one to two days, though mass recruitment processes can take up to three. The center is often run by the company’s HR department and is intended to simulate situations on the job. To this end, assessment center organizers may bring in actors to play the role of upset or confused customers in the role-playing exercises common to assessment centers.

This gives a more realistic environment for assessing a job-seeker or graduate applying for the position. When combined with the heavy workload in assessment centers, the way candidates respond to the stress and challenge of an assessment center allows employers to better understand how they may perform on the job.

Scoring and Competencies

Scoring is done by trained assessors who are, in an ideal situation, unbiased and fair. The candidates’ scores are based on the opinions of all the assessors instead of just one to help make the assessment center fair and useful. One assessor will be assigned to each candidate for the exercise, and the assessors will rotate through the candidates throughout the day.

The assessors are typically a mix of HR consultants and line managers. They will score each candidate’s actions against specific competency frameworks for the job position and will discuss all aspects of performance amongst themselves before making hiring decisions.

In addition, there are some key competencies and abilities the assessors look for when reviewing answers and actions from a particular candidate. They are as follows:

• Adaptability and creativity
• Analytical thinking and commercial awareness
• Communication skills and negotiation
• Leadership and decision-making
• Organization and planning
• Teamwork and persuasion
• Time Management

Individual companies may be looking for some or all of these in addition to other specific qualities. Assessment centers give an opportunity for assessors to look for these traits in a candidate, so individuals invited to an assessment center should anticipate that they will be scored numerically against a competency framework that includes all of the competencies their position requires.

How to Prepare for Assessment Centers?

Assessment centers cannot be prepared for in the same way that a traditional test or interview can be. As mentioned earlier, the assessment centers focus on what you can do, not what you know. So, unlike psychometric tests, you cannot memorize some set of information and expect to fill in all the right bubbles to do well. Instead, experience is more important than knowing all the correct responses.

With that said, there are some things you can do to prepare for an assessment center to increase your comfortability with the various exercises, questions you may be asked, and ways to respond to exercises in order to show that you are the best fit for the job.

When it comes to preparing, start with your own health. This area is often overlooked, but it is important for anyone who wishes to look and feel their best on assessment day. Looking and feeling well will boost confidence and performance.

Some of the things you should do include exercising and getting proper rest. To start with, try to exercise at least three times a week for a month before the assessment center date to lessen built-up stress and anxiety while promoting a greater sense of well-being come assessment day. Make sure you also get enough sleep on a regular schedule for a few weeks before the tests and exercises.

Along that same grain, eating right leading up to the assessment center and eating a healthy, balanced breakfast on the morning of the assessment center will help to keep those taking the tests to be alert and energized during their exercises and assessments. Make sure to remain well-hydrated as well.

Practicing and Studying

Indirect preparation for the assessment center, job-seekers and graduates should take time to practice potential exercises with friends and family. This will give a greater sense of confidence in dealing with the real exercises on assessment day.

While preparing and practicing, reflect on the rest of the process up to this point and find places that caused difficulty. Try to work on those areas from the perspective of the assessment center to ensure none of them will jeopardize a good performance on the assessment center. Also take the time to review the competencies the employer is looking for to make sure you display them in your responses and actions on assessment day.

Assessment Day Tips

Beyond the basics of preparation, using the list below to help you prepare may prove beneficial.

• Be assertive during all exercises.
• Focus more on good performance than on mistakes made, and do not focus on other candidates.
• Let assessors see your overall working methodology.
• Make sure you draw others in with group discussions, listen, and cooperate.
• Prioritize time—many candidates fail to give the best impression of themselves because they didn’t utilize time in the best ways possible.
• Dress business professionally, be on time, and have everything you need with you.
• Be diplomatic when you need to stick up for your views and do not be drawn into arguing, interrupting, or criticizing when dealing with others.
• Talk to the other candidates during breaks or exercises (when allowed) to establish connections before group exercises are started. Be warm, polite, and approachable with everyone.
• Relax and let your personality shine through. No matter what, stay positive.
• Focus on good delivery of a few key points instead of the details or always having the ‘right’ answer.

In the end, while it is not possible to practice or prepare for every part of the assessment center you may be invited to, it is possible to be prepared for the majority of the assessment center and its general requirements. Take the anxiety and as much stress as possible out of the assessment center by practicing and preparing properly. Give enough time to complete and prepare any material you have been given ahead of time and read the organization’s website, social media, and key documents so that you can share a more informed opinion.

Most importantly, keep in mind the goals of the assessors: getting to know each candidate. They are looking for the best fit, so if you are able to use key competencies they are looking for to stand out in your response to each assessment center activity, you will be able to stand out in your final score on the assessment center.

Assessment Center

• Written Exercises
• Job Interviews
• Competency-Based Interview Q&A
• In-Tray Exercise
• Case Studies
• Group Exercises

Related Links:

• Situational Judgement Tests (SJT)
• Job Personality Tests
• Aptitude Tests
• Civil Service Exams
• Police Officer Exams
• Firefighters Exams
• Assessment Companies
• Assessment Centers Guide – 2024
• Hiring Companies – Find an Employer

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