Critical Thinking Interviews

If you are interviewing with a consulting company you have a high probability of running into a Critical Thinking or Case Interview Question. These might sound ridiculous but they are gaining clout with big business. This type of interview requires much more of a two way communication between the candidate and the interviewer.

They are not necessarily looking for the “right” answer but rather they want to see common sense, creativity and problem solving skills.

Question:
How many jellybeans will fit in a 747?

Possible answer:
Does the plane have seats in it? As that would affect how many I could fit in. Also when do I need this information and what will we use it for? What size jellybean? Can I grind them up or melt them to get more in? Do we want to get more in? Does it have to take off and land? Can I fill up the fuel tanks? Etc…

Question:
Why is a man-hole cover round?

Possible Answer:
Because it is covering a round hole and that is the most effective use of materials. Also because a round cover cannot fall into the round hole it is covering.

Or they might ask you about a current case they are working on. You want to use the same problem solving skills as you would in a Hypothetical Interview: Steps to problem solving:

1. Gather relative information
2. Evaluate your information
3. Prioritize the information
4. Propose and weigh possible solutions
5. Choose and propose your solution
6. Discuss how you would evaluate the effectiveness of your solution