Practice room
Sample behavioral questions
Read a question, answer it out loud, then reveal a structure to check your answer.
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Question 1
Tell me about yourself.
A structure that works
- Present: who you are now, your major and what you are working on.
- Past: one or two experiences that explain how you got here.
- Future: why SCG, and what you want to learn next.
- Keep it to about a minute and a half.
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Question 2
Can you tell me about a time when you were on a team and faced conflict or disagreement on a project? How did you approach resolving the issue, and what was the outcome?
A structure that works
- Use STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
- Spend most of your time on your own actions, and say “I”, not only “we”.
- Show that you listened and understood the other view.
- End with the outcome and what you would do the same or differently.
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Question 3
Which client that SCG has worked with in the past interests you the most? Is there anything you are curious to learn about that project?
A structure that works
- Pick one project and name the client's challenge in a sentence.
- Explain why it interests you: a skill you have, or one you want to build.
- Ask a real question about it, such as how the team approached one deliverable.
A simple framework
The STAR method
For “tell me about a time when…” questions, walk through four parts in order.
Situation
Set the scene in one or two sentences: where you were and what was going on.
Task
Your goal or responsibility in that situation.
Action
What you did, step by step. This should be the longest part.
Result
What happened, with a number if you have one, and what you learned.
Case interview prep
Guides and practice cases
SCG's own guides and practice cases. Free to download.
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Guide
Introduction to Case Frameworks
What frameworks are, how to build one, and worked examples for market entry, product launch and profitability cases.
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Guided practice case
Fear the E-Turtle: Terps Transition to Digital
A case you can work through alone, with interview tips and example answers after each question.
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Interviewer-led practice case
CVH Blood Bank: Launching a Campus Partnership for Blood Drives
For two people: one reads the prompts and exhibits, the other solves the case.
Resume
Resume guide
SCG's guide to building a strong resume.