Case interview frameworks on one page
Eight case types on one page, each with the buckets to say and the question that follows, how to turn a bucket list into a tailored structure, and the mistakes
Updated October 28, 2026
| Case type | The prompt sounds like | Buckets (two to four words each) | First question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profitability | Margins fell; profit is down | Revenue (price, volume) vs cost (variable, fixed); then the industry detail under each | Did the drop come from revenue or cost, and against what baseline? |
| Market entry | Should we enter market X? | Attractive market; our right to win; entry route (build, buy, partner); payback | What is the measure of success and the horizon? |
| Market sizing | How big is X? | Demand chain (people, rate, frequency, price) or supply chain (capacity, utilization); sanity ratio | What exactly counts, and in what year? |
| Growth | How do we grow revenue? | Existing customers (more, more often, higher price) vs new (segments, geographies, channels, products) | Grow what, by how much, by when, and organically or not? |
| Pricing | What should we charge? | Cost floor; customer value ceiling; competitor anchor; then the price structure (tiers, bundles) | Is this a new product or a repricing, and what is the goal: margin, share or volume? |
| M&A | Should we buy X? | Standalone value; synergies (revenue, cost); price and premium; integration risk | What is the strategic reason, and is the price already set? |
| Operations | Throughput or cost is off | Process steps; bottleneck; capacity vs demand; quality and rework | Where in the process does the measure break, and is it capacity or yield? |
| Brainstorm | Walk me through the ways to… | Group first (internal vs external; short vs long term; customer, product, channel), then three items a group | Is the interviewer after breadth or the top two? |
Why one page and not twelve frameworks?
Because the interviewer has heard every framework and is listening for whether you can bend one to the case in front of you. McKinsey’s careers page asks candidates to “share tailored solutions vs standard frameworks”; Bain’s asks you to “use a clear framework and walk your interviewer through your approach” (both quoted with dates in the formats guide). The two sentences are compatible: have a shape, and tailor it out loud. One page of shapes is enough to carry; the tailoring is done in the room.
How do I turn a bucket list into a structure?
- Play back the prompt in one sentence and ask the first question from the table. The answer usually tells you which bucket to open.
- Say the buckets, two to four words each, with one line of this industry under each. “Revenue: for a grocer that is basket size and trips.”
- Name where you would start and why. The biggest bucket, the one the prompt hinted at, or the one the client controls.
- End with a question, never with the last bucket. “Do we know which of these moved?”
What changes by case type?
Profitability
Split the tree only two levels before you ask. The industry detail goes under the leaves, not in the trunk. Full walkthrough: the profitability framework in 60 seconds.
Market entry
The four questions are a sequence; an unattractive market ends the case in bucket one, and the recommendation only comes after the payback arithmetic. Walkthrough: the market entry framework.
Market sizing
Pick the chain whose links you can defend, state every assumption, round at every step, and check the result against a ratio before you say anything about what to do. Walkthrough: EV charging ports in Texas.
Growth
The split that keeps you honest is existing customers vs new, because the levers and the costs differ. Ask for the growth target before you list levers; “double in three years” and “5% next year” are different cases with the same prompt.
Pricing
Three anchors: what it costs, what it is worth to the customer, what competitors charge. The answer sits between the first and the second, pulled by the third. Then the structure of the price (per unit, tiered, bundled) is a second question, not the same one.
M&A
Standalone value first, synergies second, price third. A deal can fail at any of the three; most candidates jump to synergies because they are fun to list. The integration risk bucket is where the interviewer expects judgment, not a list.
Operations
Draw the process as steps and find the step where the measure breaks. Capacity problems and yield problems look alike from the outside and have different fixes.
Brainstorm
“Walk me through” and “what are the ways” ask for content, not a question back. Group first, then three items a group, then stop and ask whether they want depth on one. The grouping is the structure; the items are the brainstorm.
What are the common mistakes with frameworks?
- Naming it. “I will use the 4 Ps.” Say the buckets, not the brand.
- Forcing the wrong one. A profit tree on a market entry prompt. Match the prompt to the row above first.
- Four levels deep before a question. Two levels, then ask.
- No industry under the buckets. “Price and volume” with nothing about the client is a shape without a case.
- Ending on the last bucket. End on the question; it hands the turn back.
Questions
How many case interview frameworks do I need to know?
Eight shapes cover most prompts: profitability, market entry, market sizing, growth, pricing, M&A, operations and brainstorm. The table above has the buckets and the first question for each.
Should I name the framework in the interview?
No. Say the buckets with one line of the client’s industry under each. McKinsey asks for tailored solutions rather than standard frameworks; the shape is the starting point, the tailoring is the answer.
How long should a structure take to say?
About a minute: play back, first question, two to four buckets with a detail each, where you would start, and a question to end.
What does Casepartner show for structures?
When a prompt lands it shows a structure hint: the buckets in two to four words each with one industry detail, then the narrowing question. The words are yours; the shape is the table above.