How to Solve Management Consulting Brain Teasers
Brain teasers are one of the possible types of questions recruiters ask during management consulting case interviews. They ask questions like these to gauge the most important quality employees must have in this industry: analytical thinking.
Recruiters in all types of industries assess applicants in two different ways – through your direct answers and through the underlying messages beyond your words. For this type of question, they are more after of the latter. They look into the process of how you derive answers, of how you divide the issue up, about how logical you are in managing vague matters. Giving the correct answer will definitely add points on the scoreboard but tossing effective approaches is even more impressive.
Below are some tips on how to prepare for this type of interview.
Practice for Confidence
Sufficient preparation does wonders. Your familiarity in resolving brain teasers has got your brain ready for getting through this challenging task effectively. Don’t simply prepare to know what to say but how to express your thoughts on the actual interview. So before the critical day, scout for sample management consulting brain teasers on the internet or in textbooks. Perhaps your contacts have materials you can borrow. Answer as many as you can.
Think Aloud
During this management consulting interview, you are expected to voice out your thoughts while trying to come up with an answer. Though this brings discomfort, exposing your brain is the only way for the interviewer to evaluate you for the position. On the brighter side, thinking aloud gives you a couple of benefits. Unconsciously, it helps you understand the problem better. Further, it keeps you fully aware of your thought processes.
Think Outside the Box
Do you remember the nine-dot puzzle? Those who haven’t encountered it just tend to connect the dots, the reason why they couldn’t find the correct answer. Then they start to get confused, and those who don’t practice blue sky thinking assume an answer doesn’t exist. Those who think unconventionally discover that extending the line beyond the presumed perimeter will sort things out. Do the same thing during the interview. Insight doesn’t knock on your door when you are not open to endless possibilities. Whether or not you get bewildered, don’t get boxed in!
Play Mental Games
During your free time, try puzzles and riddles for fun. Answering crosswords, anagrams, Sudoku and trivia challenges polish your mind, keep your brain healthy and even enhance your memory not only for the management consulting interview but for your own sake, as well. Since puzzles have been a form of mental recreation for decades in various countries, many can be sourced for free from the Internet. Take a look at the following sites for your additional reference.