Case interviews (rounds 1 and 2)
Format. 1-on-1, candidate-led. Round 1 typically with a Project Manager, round 2 with a Principal.
Duration. 45 to 60 minutes each
Panel. A Project Manager (round 1) and a Principal (round 2).
Assessed on. Structural rigour (custom, MECE frameworks), quantitative competence (error-free mental maths), candidate leadership (driving the hypothesis) and commercial pragmatism (feasible, non-obvious recommendations).
Typical scenarios. Industrial, automotive, operations and private-equity-style problems; the interviewer gives a broad statement and goes silent.
Common failure modes. Passive processing (waiting for the next chart) and framework copy-pasting (a rigid 3Cs or Porter's Five Forces that ignores the prompt).
Tactical advice. Take 60 to 90 seconds of silence to build a bespoke issue tree with deep rather than broad sub-components; turn your page toward the interviewer and explicitly request data to validate each hypothesis.
Fit / competency interviews
Format. Integrated into the case rounds or a standalone 30-minute interview with a Senior Principal.
Duration. Around 30 minutes (or integrated)
Panel. A single experienced assessor.
Assessed on. Alignment with the core values, with entrepreneurship heavily weighted in the UK; deep probing of CV moments of conflict, ambiguity and individual initiative.
Typical scenarios. CV deep-dives focused on conflict, ambiguity and self-starting.
Common failure modes. The "we" trap (team achievements with no individual contribution) and corporate genericness (sanitised stories lacking real tension or lessons).
Tactical advice. Use STAR(E): Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection/Evolution. Spend 70% on your Action and Result, quantified in GBP, percentages or hours saved.
Written case study
Format. Individual, unassisted analytical exercise from a 15-to-20-page data packet, producing three hand-drawn or basic slides.
Duration. 75 minutes of preparation
Panel. Self-directed; output presented later to a panel.
Assessed on. Information filtering (signal from noise), synthesising conflicting data under time pressure, and structured written communication.
Typical scenarios. A multi-layered business issue such as an operational turnaround for a UK manufacturer: slide 1 diagnostic (root cause), slide 2 evaluation (financial and strategic options), slide 3 execution (risk-mitigated roadmap).
Common failure modes. Boiling the ocean (reading all 20 pages linearly and running out of time) and lack of synthesis (copying charts with no executive "so what").
Tactical advice. Spend the first 10 minutes on the executive summary and prompts, then read the charts backwards; write your slide headlines first to lock the narrative before filling in data.
Presentation exercise
Format. Individual presentation of your written-case slides to a panel, treated as the client's executive board.
Duration. Around 45 minutes total (10-minute presentation then cross-examination and buffer)
Panel. Typically a Principal and a Partner.
Assessed on. Executive presence under pressure, defensibility of assumptions, and the ability to accept new data and pivot without becoming defensive.
Typical scenarios. Defending strategic recommendations while assessors deliberately challenge calculations or introduce conflicting data, often interrupting around the 5-minute mark.
Common failure modes. Defensive retaliation (fighting feedback) and fumbling the maths (unable to explain the financial logic behind a slide).
Tactical advice. Present without reading notes. If a flaw is raised, acknowledge and incorporate: "That is a valid point on UK supply-chain disruption. If tariffs rise 5%, NPV shifts down about GBP 2m, so we would prioritise the domestic-sourcing lever earlier in Year 1."
Group exercise / business simulation
Format. Collaborative team breakout of 3 to 6 candidates around a table, observed by 2-3 consultants.
Duration. 60 minutes
Panel. 2-3 silent observers.
Assessed on. Collaborative leadership, idea synthesis, management of group dynamics and structured negotiation under time scarcity.
Typical scenarios. A large-scale civic or corporate problem (e.g. decarbonising a UK regional transport network), where each candidate holds unique data and conflicting sub-objectives and the group must align on one unified strategy.
Common failure modes. The steamroller (dominating, interrupting, winning by volume) and the ghost (silent or just note-taking with no strategic value).
Tactical advice. Become the group's structural engine: within two minutes propose a time plan, e.g. 10 minutes sharing constraints, 30 minutes on a trade-off priority matrix, 20 minutes structuring the pitch.
Partner / Senior Principal interview
Format. 1-on-1 conversation with a Senior or Managing Partner of the London office.
Duration. 45 minutes
Panel. A Senior Partner or Managing Partner.
Assessed on. Macro perspective and high-level commercial acumen, authentic alignment with the firm's differentiation, and long-term career potential and stamina.
Typical scenarios. Conversational but rigorous, often a conceptual, numbers-free market dilemma (e.g. how the UK should weigh hydrogen versus battery-electric heavy goods vehicles for grid investment).
Common failure modes. Plastic answers (generic corporate responses on motivation or goals) and lack of a point of view (refusing to take a stance on an ambiguous topic).
Tactical advice. Have a fully formed, evidence-based opinion on a Roland Berger focus industry; converse as a peer, supporting your view with structured logic while staying open to dialogue.