Treat the offer as a genuine practice opportunity and prepare for it. The alum may simply want to help, but your preparation and coachability can also affect how comfortable they feel advocating for you later.

Know the basic case flow before the session so you are not using their time to learn what a case interview is. Have paper ready, manage the time professionally and take feedback without becoming defensive.

Do not turn the mock into a disguised referral request. Focus on the case and ask for specific feedback at the end, especially on one or two areas you can improve before interviews.

Follow up with a short thank-you and actually apply the feedback. If a referral conversation develops afterward, it will feel much more natural.

Treat the mock like a real practice session. Turning it into a sneaky referral ask would be weird, tbh.

A useful closing question is to ask for the one or two skills that would most improve interview readiness.