Case prep generic books take you to mediocrity. A good prompt forces you to MECE, time-box, and surface the answer with a clear next-question instead of guessing.
Who this is for
MBB candidates, product strategy interviews, BizOps roles, ex-consultants reactivating skills.
When not to use these prompts
Don’t use these in lieu of running real cases with a partner. AI can simulate cases but can’t replace human pressure-test.
Prompt anatomy / structure formula
Every case-prep prompt should carry six elements:
- Role: candidate, hiring manager, recruiter — name the persona AI plays.
- Context: target role, company, level, your background.
- Goal: one deliverable — analysis, script, answer, plan.
- Constraints: word count, banned phrases, must-include facts.
- Tone: confident / curious / measured — 2-3 anchors.
- Examples: paste 1-2 of your past answers or sample tone.
Best for
- Live case simulation
- MECE framework drill
- Market sizing variations
- Final-round case prep
- Case debrief & gap fill
12 copy-ready prompt templates
1. Live case simulation
You are a McKinsey case interviewer. Run a profitability case for me: pose the prompt, expect me to clarify, push back when I jump to conclusions, surface a curveball mid-case. Don't solve for me. Mark the case at the end.2. Market sizing in 5 minutes
Market sizing prompt: `{prompt}`. Walk me through a clean estimate: (1) clarify, (2) framework, (3) numbers with explicit assumptions, (4) sanity check (cross-method), (5) final answer with confidence range.Variables to swap: prompt
3. MECE framework drill
Topic: `{topic}`. Build 3 MECE frameworks: (a) revenue / cost, (b) customer / product / channel, (c) internal / external. For each: when to use, when not.Variables to swap: topic
4. Profitability case structure
Profitability case for `{industry}` declining margin. Structure: (1) revenue side: volume × price × mix, (2) cost side: variable / fixed / one-time, (3) competitive / market side. For each branch: 1 hypothesis to test first.Variables to swap: industry
5. M&A case
M&A case: should `{acquirer}` buy `{target}`? Structure: (1) strategic fit, (2) financial fit (synergies, valuation), (3) integration risk, (4) alternatives. Walk through with explicit assumptions.Variables to swap: acquirer, target
6. Product launch decision
Should `{company}` launch `{product}`? Build: (1) market sizing, (2) competitive landscape, (3) financial case (build-vs-buy, margin), (4) execution risk, (5) recommendation with deadline.Variables to swap: company, product
7. Curveball drill
You are an interviewer. I'm mid-case. Throw a curveball — a fact I didn't expect (e.g., regulatory change, new competitor, currency move). Watch how I integrate without panicking. Then critique my response.8. Synthesis under time pressure
I have 60 seconds to synthesise my case answer. Give me a structure: (1) recommendation, (2) 2-3 reasons, (3) one risk + mitigation, (4) next step. Time me. Cut anything past 60s.9. Numerical chart reading
Here is a chart: {chartDescription}. Walk through: (1) what the chart shows, (2) one calculation I'd do, (3) 1 insight, (4) what data would deepen my conclusion. Keep math clean and visible.Variables to swap: chartDescription
10. Case debrief
After this case, debrief: (1) Where did my framework break? (2) Did I clarify enough up front? (3) Did I drive vs follow? (4) Math accuracy. (5) Synthesis clarity. Score each 1-5.11. PM product case (Stripe / Meta style)
PM product case: "Design `{product}`". Structure: (1) Clarify goal, audience, success metric, (2) User segments, (3) 3 jobs-to-be-done, (4) 3 product concepts, (5) Pick one + how to measure success.Variables to swap: product
12. Pacing & filler audit
Watch my case answer (transcript): {transcript}. Flag: (a) sentences > 25 words, (b) restarts, (c) hedge words, (d) math hesitations. Output a coaching summary.Variables to swap: transcript
Common mistakes
- No specific context (company / role / level) — output is generic.
- Asking AI to “be honest” without your actual record — it confabulates.
- Same answer for every company — interviewers compare notes.
- No tone anchor — answers land flat.
- Skipping fact-checks — AI invents dates / numbers / titles.
- Treating first draft as final — first drafts read AI-flavoured.
- No peer / mentor review — feedback loop missing.
How to push results further
- Paste real examples to anchor AI to YOUR voice.
- Ask AI to play interviewer first; weak answers reveal themselves.
- Write 3 drafts; ship the third.
- Always read aloud.
- Save successful phrasings in a personal bank.
- Have a peer in the role review.
- Time-box practice — fatigue makes you worse.
Practical depth notes
Use these prompts as starting points, not final answers. For Case Interview Prep Prompts for Consulting and PM Loops, the useful extra work is to replace every generic placeholder with a real constraint: audience, channel, length, brand voice, examples to imitate, and examples to avoid. Run at least two versions with different constraints, then compare the outputs side by side instead of accepting the first polished response.
A good result should pass three checks: it is specific enough that another person could reuse it, it avoids vague praise or filler, and it gives you an editable artifact rather than a broad suggestion. If the output feels generic, add one concrete reference, one forbidden pattern, and one measurable success criterion before rerunning the prompt. Before saving a prompt as reusable, test it on one realistic input and one edge case. The realistic input proves the template can produce the normal deliverable; the edge case shows whether it handles messy constraints, missing context, or an unusual audience. Keep the better output, but also keep the failed version with a note on what was missing. That small failure log is what turns a prompt collection from a list of nice sentences into a practical working library.
FAQ
- Can recruiters tell AI-written answers?: Yes when generic. Specifics are the antidote.
- How much research is enough?: 60-90 minutes for an important interview. Beyond, returns diminish.
- When to start salary research?: Before applying. Negotiation that begins after the offer is weak.
- Should I use levels.fyi / Glassdoor numbers?: Yes as a baseline, with caveats. Validate against 2-3 sources.
- How to keep prep notes organised?: One doc per company: research, questions to ask, story bank fits.
- How often to refresh research before final?: Quick re-scan day of interview — news / launches in the past week.