Mini case
Fit & BehaviouralA short business problem given in an interview, assessed on structure and judgement rather than on reaching a correct answer.
Also written: commercial case, case interview
A mini case gives you a commercial question, should this client acquire that business, is this a good market to enter, and a few minutes to work through it aloud. There is rarely a single right answer.
The shape that works is clarify, structure, analyse, recommend. Spend thirty seconds establishing what is actually being asked, state your structure out loud before using it, then analyse with numbers or mechanisms attached to each claim.
Stating the structure first is what most candidates skip and what buys the most credit. It gives you thinking time and lets the interviewer redirect you early if your approach is wrong, rather than after four minutes of wasted work.
Finish with a recommendation and the one thing that would change it. Naming the decisive uncertainty shows you know which assumption the answer actually rests on, and an unconditional verdict on four minutes of information reads as carelessness rather than confidence.
Worked example
A client is considering acquiring a European parcel delivery business at 9.0x EBITDA.
Clarify first: is this a control deal, what is the hold period, and is the multiple on last year or forecast? Then state the structure aloud: market growth, ability to win, and whether the numbers work at that price.
Land it conditionally: I would bid, but only if route density in the core region checks out, because that is what makes the margin defensible. Naming the decisive uncertainty is the skill being tested.