How to open a case
The first 90 seconds set the tone for everything that follows. Most candidates waste them. This is the fix: a learnable, repeatable 4-step sequence.
Opening a case well is a learnable skill. It's not about having the perfect words. It's about following a reliable sequence that signals to the interviewer: this person is structured, calm, and knows what they're doing.
Do it right and you walk into the analysis with confidence. Do it wrong and you're playing catch-up for the rest of the case.
Confirm the objective
Before you do anything else, make sure you understand what success looks like. Restate the prompt in your own words and confirm the core question.
This does two things: it shows you were listening, and it catches any misunderstanding before you've spent 10 minutes solving the wrong problem.
“So just to make sure I have this right — RetailCo has seen profits decline over the past two years despite growing revenue, and our goal is to diagnose the root cause and recommend a path forward. Is that the right framing?”
Keep it brief. One to two sentences. Don't add analysis yet.
Ask 1–2 clarifying questions
Now ask the questions that will actually change how you structure your analysis. Not every question that comes to mind — just the ones that matter.
- Scope: “Are we focused on a specific geography or the whole company?”
- Definition: “When you say profits, are we looking at gross margin, operating margin, or net income?”
- Timeframe: “How long has this been happening? Recent shift or multi-year?”
- Constraint: “Are there any constraints? For example, is the client open to acquisitions?”
- Questions you'll answer yourself: “Is the problem on the revenue side or cost side?” (that's your job)
- Generic background that doesn't affect structure: “What industry is this?” (you already know)
- More than 2-3 questions in a row, which looks like stalling
Take silence to structure
“Great — could I have a moment to structure my thoughts?”
Then actually think. Write down your framework on paper. Don't speak during this time.
This is one of the most underused moves in case interviews. Interviewers expect it and respect it. A candidate who structures silently for 60 seconds and then presents a clean framework looks far more capable than one who talks their way through a messy structure in real time.
What to write during your silence
Try it — time your structuring
Hit start, then structure the airline case prompt in your head (or on paper). Can you stay under 90 seconds?
Present your structure
Now speak. Walk the interviewer through your framework clearly and confidently. State your hypothesis. Tell them where you want to start.
“Here's how I'd approach this. Profit equals revenue minus costs, so I want to first understand whether this is a revenue problem, a cost problem, or both. Based on what you've told me (that revenue is growing but profits are declining), my initial hypothesis is that costs are growing faster than revenue. I'd like to start by understanding the cost structure: the split between fixed and variable, and which categories have changed most over the past two years. Does that approach make sense?”
Always end with a check-in: “Does that approach make sense?” or “Happy to adjust if you'd like me to look somewhere else first.”
This signals collaborative thinking, not rigidity.
The silent structuring pause: 90 seconds maximum.
Your full opening including questions and framework presentation should be 3–4 minutes. Any longer and you're stalling.
See the difference.
Click each tab to compare a weak opening with a strong one.
“Okay so... profits are declining... I'm thinking maybe it's a cost issue? Or could be revenue... let me think about the profitability framework... so we have revenue minus costs... revenue is price times volume...”
What's wrong
- No restatement of the prompt
- No clarifying questions asked
- Thinking out loud before structuring
- Sounds unprepared and uncertain
“To confirm — RetailCo's profits have declined despite revenue growth, and we want to diagnose why and recommend a fix. A quick question: are we looking at the whole P&L or a specific segment? [Interviewer answers.] Great. Could I take a moment to structure my thoughts? [60 seconds of silence.] Here's my approach: I want to isolate whether this is a cost problem or a revenue-mix problem. Given revenue is up, my hypothesis is cost-side. I'd like to start with fixed vs. variable costs — does that work for you?”
What's right
- Restated the problem in own words
- Asked one focused, structure-changing question
- Took silence to structure thinking
- Presented a crisp, hypothesis-led framework
Practice the 4-step sequence
Read this prompt. Then walk through all 4 steps out loud. Time yourself.
“Your client is a mid-size regional airline. Over the past 18 months, they've seen load factors (% of seats filled) decline from 81% to 71%, even though they haven't changed routes or pricing. The CEO wants to understand what's driving this and what to do about it.”
Restate
"So to confirm — our client is a regional airline that's seeing declining load factors over 18 months, with no changes to routes or pricing. The goal is to understand what's driving the decline and what they should do about it. Is that right?"
Clarify
"A couple of quick questions: Is this decline happening across all routes, or concentrated on specific ones? And has anything changed on the competitive side — new entrants, capacity additions from rivals?"
Silent structure (write this down)
Load factor = seats filled / seats available. Filled seats could decline because: (a) demand fell — fewer passengers choosing this airline; (b) supply increased — more seats available with same passengers. Hypothesis: demand-side, since no route changes. Dig into: customer volume by route, competitive changes, booking patterns.
Present
"Here's my structure. Load factor is seats filled divided by capacity. Since capacity hasn't changed, this is a demand problem — fewer passengers are choosing to fly with our client. I want to understand whether this is happening across all routes or specific ones, and whether it correlates with any competitive changes. My hypothesis is that a competitor has added capacity or reduced prices on key routes. I'd like to start by looking at load factor by route — does that work?"
Score your attempt
After practicing the prompt, check each box honestly.
Ready to open a case for real?
Now that you know the sequence, try it in a full guided case — prompt, pushback, and all.
Try your first case