Case Prep Hub
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Taylor Warfield · Hacking the Case Interview + B-school casebooks
The 9 Common Case Types & Their Frameworks
Buckets, sub-questions, and when to use each — the six core types plus cost reduction, due diligence, and unconventional cases.
1 Profitability 2 Market Entry 3 Growth Strategy 4 Pricing 5 M&A 6 New Product 7 Cost Reduction 8 Due Diligence 9 Unconventional
1
Profitability Cases
Why is our client losing money — and how do they fix it?
Most common case type
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client's profits have been declining for the past three years. They've hired us to figure out why and what to do about it."
Your first instinct
Revenue side or cost side? Split the problem in two before building your framework. Then go one level deeper into each bucket.
Profitability framework — 4 buckets
Drivers of profit
Has there been a decline in revenue?
Has there been an increase in costs?
Customer needs & preferences
Have customer needs changed?
Have customer purchasing habits changed?
Do customers view our company differently?
Competitors
Have new competitors entered the market?
Have existing competitors made any recent strategic moves?
Market trends
Are there new technologies impacting the market?
Are there new regulations impacting the market?
How to open a profitability case
Always split profit = revenue − costs first before presenting your framework. Say: "I'd like to start by understanding whether this is primarily a revenue problem or a cost problem, and then explore what's driving that." The four buckets above are what you explore once you've identified the top-level driver.
4 buckets: Drivers of profit Customer needs & preferences Competitors Market trends
2
Market Entry Cases
Should our client enter this new market — and how?
Very common
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client is a beverage company considering entering the beer market in Europe. Should they enter?"
Your first instinct
Ask your measurable target question — "Do we have a revenue or profitability target for this entry, and over what time horizon?" Then build this 4-bucket framework.
Market entry framework — 4 buckets
Market attractiveness
What is the market size?
What is the market growth rate?
What are average profit margins?
Competitive landscape
How many competitors are there?
How much share do they have?
Do competitors have any competitive advantages?
Company capabilities
Are there significant capability gaps?
Are there significant synergies we can leverage?
Profitability
What are the expected revenues?
What are the expected costs?
How long will it take to break even?
The threshold question
Always lead with Market Attractiveness — it's the gateway question. If the market isn't attractive, the rest of the framework becomes less relevant. Say: "I want to start with market attractiveness, because if the market itself doesn't meet our threshold criteria, entry becomes much harder to justify regardless of our capabilities."
4 buckets: Market attractiveness Competitive landscape Company capabilities Profitability
3
Growth Strategy Cases
How should our client grow revenue — and through which levers?
Common
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client wants to grow revenue by 20% over the next three years. How should they approach this?"
Your first instinct
Split organic vs. inorganic immediately. This is the fundamental MECE split for all growth cases — you can't miss one branch.
Growth strategy framework — decision tree
Growth
Organic growth
Inorganic growth
Existing revenue sources
New revenue sources
Acquisitions — buying another company outright
Joint ventures — partnering with another firm
Strategic alliances and licensing deals
Increase average price
Increase volume
Existing revenue sources
Increase average price
Can we raise prices without losing customers?
Are there premium segments we can target?
Can we improve product mix toward higher-margin SKUs?
Increase volume
Can we sell more to existing customers?
Can we increase purchase frequency?
Can we reduce customer churn?
New revenue sources
New customers
Can we target new customer segments?
Can we enter new geographies?
New products / channels
Can we launch adjacent products or services?
Can we open new distribution channels?
Are there untapped partnership opportunities?
Key principle for growth cases
The Organic / Inorganic split is 100% MECE — it's the backbone of all growth frameworks. Never skip it. Within organic growth, always split Existing revenue sources vs. New revenue sources, and within existing sources, split Price vs. Volume. This tree structure signals structured thinking immediately.
Tree structure: Organic growth → Existing sources (price / volume) → New sources Inorganic growth
4
Pricing Cases
How should our client price this product or service?
Common
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client is launching a new SaaS product. How should they think about pricing it?" or "Our client wants to raise prices — is that a good idea?"
Your first instinct
Three lenses, always. Cost-based sets your floor. Value-based sets your ceiling. Competition anchors your position within the range.
Pricing framework — 3 lenses
Pricing based on costs
How much does it cost to produce this product?
What is the profit margin the company is trying to achieve?
Pricing based on value added
What benefits does this product provide to customers?
How much value does this provide to customers?
Pricing based on competition
How much do competitors price their products for?
How does our product compare to competitors' products?
How the 3 lenses work together
Cost-based
Sets your price floor
Never price below this
→
Competition-based
Anchors your position
Where in the range to sit
→
Value-based
Sets your price ceiling
Max willingness to pay
The synthesis move
Don't just list the three lenses — synthesise them. After evaluating all three, say: "Our cost-based floor is X, competitors are pricing at Y, and our value-added analysis suggests customers would pay up to Z. Given our product's differentiation, I'd recommend pricing at [specific point] because [reason]." The recommendation is what separates a B+ from an A+.
3 lenses: Cost-based (floor) Value-based (ceiling) Competition-based (anchor)
5
Merger & Acquisition Cases
Should our client acquire this company — and at what price?
Common at senior levels
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client, a European FMCG company, is considering acquiring a competitor in the UAE. Should they proceed with the acquisition?"
Your first instinct
Synergies are the key differentiator from a Market Entry case. Always ask: "What strategic reason is driving this acquisition — cost synergies, revenue synergies, or capability acquisition?"
Merger & acquisition framework — 4 buckets
Market attractiveness
What is the market size?
What is the market growth rate?
What are average profit margins?
Company attractiveness
How much market share does the company have?
Is the company profitable?
Does the company have any competitive advantages?
Synergies
Are there potential revenue synergies?
Are there potential cost synergies?
Financial considerations
Is the acquisition price reasonable?
What is the expected return on the acquisition?
Revenue synergies — examples
Cross-selling to each other's customer base
Accessing new geographies via target's distribution
Bundling products for higher wallet share
Cost synergies — examples
Eliminating duplicate corporate overhead
Shared manufacturing or supply chain
Combined procurement leverage with suppliers
M&A vs Market Entry — know the difference
Market Entry asks "should we enter this market?" — M&A asks "should we enter by buying this specific company?" The M&A framework adds two buckets Market Entry doesn't have: Company Attractiveness (is this the right target?) and Synergies (what value does combining create?). If you're given an M&A case and use a plain market entry framework, you'll miss the point entirely.
4 buckets: Market attractiveness Company attractiveness Synergies Financial considerations
6
New Product Cases
Should our client launch this new product — and can they make money doing it?
Common
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client, a European automotive manufacturer, is considering launching an electric vehicle product line. Should they do it?"
Your first instinct
This is part Market Entry, part Operations. Ask: does the market want this product AND can the company actually build and sell it profitably? Both sides matter equally.
New product framework — 4 buckets
Market attractiveness
What is the market size?
What is the market growth rate?
What are average profit margins?
Product
Are customer needs being met?
Is the product superior to competitors' products?
Company capabilities
Does the company have the design and production expertise?
Does the company have the right distribution channels?
Profitability
What are expected revenues?
What are expected costs?
What makes new product cases unique
The Product bucket is the key differentiator from a standard Market Entry case. You're not just asking "is the market attractive?" — you're also asking "is THIS specific product the right one for this market?" Always evaluate product-market fit explicitly. A great market with a mediocre product is still a bad launch.
4 buckets: Market attractiveness Product Company capabilities Profitability
7
Cost Reduction Cases
How does our client take costs out — without breaking the business?
Common · often inside profitability
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client, a European manufacturer, needs to cut operating costs by 15% to stay competitive. Where should they look?"
Your first instinct
Map costs along the value chain and size them first — you can only cut what you can see. Attack the biggest, most addressable buckets before the rounding errors.
Cost reduction framework — 3 buckets
Diagnose & benchmark
Map every cost along the value chain — which are biggest?
Which costs are fixed vs variable?
How do we benchmark vs competitors and our own past performance?
Where are the outliers — costs that look abnormal?
Internal levers
Labour: efficiency, shifts, automation potential?
Are we capturing economies of scale?
Rent vs own; in-house vs outsource?
Process redesign to remove waste?
External levers
Renegotiate with suppliers; cheaper sources?
Volume discounts and consolidation of vendors?
Distribution and logistics optimisation?
What quality or reliability risk does each cut carry?
The risk lens that separates good from great
Every cost cut has a downside — higher attrition among top staff, quality drops, weakened supplier relationships, or lower morale. Strong candidates pair each recommendation with its risk and a mitigation, rather than slashing blindly. Cutting costs that damage revenue is a net loss.
3 buckets: Diagnose & benchmark Internal levers External levers
8
Due Diligence Cases
Should our client invest in this target — is the business case real?
Common at senior levels · PE clients
You'll hear prompts like
"Our client is a private equity fund considering a €500m stake in a GCC logistics company. They've asked us for a commercial due diligence."
Your first instinct
Anchor on the investment thesis first — why does the client want this, and over what horizon? Commercial DD tests whether the target's business will deliver that thesis. It overlaps with M&A but focuses on validating the standalone business, not synergies.
Commercial due diligence framework — 4 buckets
Market
Is the market attractive — size, growth, key drivers?
What's the future outlook (market sizing at the core)?
What regulatory or structural risks loom?
Competition & moat
How does the target benchmark vs competitors?
How is it differentiated?
Is its competitive moat sustainable?
Business quality
Financials: monetisation, margins, cash generation?
Non-financial: operations, team, workforce strength?
Any red flags in the numbers or the story?
Customers
Who are the customers — segments and key metrics?
Are they loyal — retention, concentration risk?
What behaviour would threaten the thesis?
DD vs M&A — don't confuse them
M&A asks "is this deal worth it, including synergies and integration?" Commercial DD is narrower and sharper: "is the target's standalone business as good as claimed, and does it support the client's investment thesis?" End by tying findings back to the thesis, then valuation, growth strategy, and exit options.
4 buckets: Market Competition & moat Business quality Customers
9
Unconventional Cases
No template fits — can you build structure from first principles?
Increasingly common · tests raw structuring
You'll hear prompts like
"How would you help a national olympic body win a gold medal by 2032?" · "Should a European bank adopt generative AI?" · "How should a Gulf city reduce road congestion?" · Even abstract prompts like "how would you value a decision to buy a dog?"
Your first instinct
Do not force a standard framework. These test first-principles thinking and creativity. Nail the objective, then build a bespoke MECE structure around it — and don't be afraid to bring in real-world examples.
How to structure when no framework fits — 4 moves
1 · Pin the objective
What exactly are we optimising, and by when?
What does success look like in numbers?
What are the constraints (budget, time, mandate)?
2 · Decompose
Break the goal into MECE drivers from scratch.
Reach for a clean split: supply/demand, short/long term, internal/external.
Test it: do the buckets overlap? Do they cover everything?
3 · Prioritise
Which levers have the biggest impact for the effort?
Separate quick wins from structural moves.
Anchor with real examples where you can.
4 · Recommend
Take a clear stance — there's rarely one right answer.
State the key risks and how you'd de-risk.
Name what you'd want to test next.
Common flavours you should be ready for
Digital transformation (should the client adopt AI / go digital, and how) · Sustainability / "go green" (decarbonise operations, ESG mandates) · Public policy (congestion, public services — often supply/demand framed) · Operations / process (reduce processing time, cut returns) · Abstract (deliberately non-business — pure structuring under ambiguity).
What the interviewer is really watching
The point isn't a "correct" answer — it's whether you stay calm in ambiguity, build a logical structure without a crutch, and think creatively. Interviewers often say so explicitly: the aim is to see how you break down an unfamiliar problem.
4 moves: Pin the objective Decompose (MECE) Prioritise Recommend with risks
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Quick Comparison — All 9 Frameworks at a Glance
Use this to quickly identify which framework fits the case prompt you're given
Case type Trigger words in prompt Buckets Lead with
1. Profitability "profits declining," "losing money," "margins down" Profit drivers · Customer needs · Competitors · Market trends Revenue vs cost split first
2. Market Entry "enter a new market," "expand into," "should they launch in" Market attractiveness · Competitive landscape · Capabilities · Profitability Market attractiveness (threshold)
3. Growth "grow revenue by X%," "double the business," "growth strategy" Organic (existing/new revenue) · Inorganic (M&A/JV) Organic vs inorganic split
4. Pricing "how to price," "raise prices," "what should they charge" Cost-based · Value-based · Competition-based All 3 lenses, then synthesise
5. M&A "acquire," "merge with," "buy a company," "take over" Market attractiveness · Company attractiveness · Synergies · Financials Synergies (what's the strategic logic?)
6. New Product "launch a new product," "introduce a new line," "develop and sell" Market attractiveness · Product · Capabilities · Profitability Product-market fit
7. Cost Reduction "cut costs," "reduce spend by X%," "improve efficiency," "restructure" Diagnose & benchmark · Internal levers · External levers Map costs on the value chain; biggest bucket first
8. Due Diligence "should we invest," "commercial DD," "evaluate this target," "PE fund" Market · Competition & moat · Business quality · Customers The investment thesis — then validate it
9. Unconventional no template fits — policy, sustainability, digital, abstract prompts Objective · Decompose (MECE) · Prioritise · Recommend Pin the objective; build structure from scratch