Your friend says they had “Casey.”
A Reddit post describes an “online case.”
Another student insists they are the same thing.
So what exactly are you preparing for?
Start with your invitation, not the nickname.
BCG’s assessment setup can vary by recruiting market and role. For example, BCG’s current Mexico careers page describes an Online Case Experience guided by a chatbot called Casey.
That is precisely why copying another candidate’s preparation blindly can send you in the wrong direction.
“BCG online case” can hide several assumptions
Students often hear one label and build a complete picture around it.
Chatbot.
Multiple choice.
Timed case.
Written responses.
Numerical questions.
Then the actual invitation arrives and one detail is different.
Suddenly the preparation feels useless.
It is not useless.
But you prepared the interface more than the skill.
Formats change faster than fundamentals.
The durable part is the ability to understand a business situation, identify what matters, interpret evidence, do clean quantitative work, and move toward a recommendation.
For a deeper walkthrough of the chatbot-style format, read BCG Online Case (Casey Chatbot): Guide.
The missing interviewer changes your behavior
In a live case, you can see whether an interviewer follows your logic.
You can ask a clarifying question.
You can notice a raised eyebrow when you miss something.
A digital case gives you less social feedback.
That can make students rush.
They click because silence feels like pressure.
They assume because asking is impossible.
They calculate before fully understanding the exhibit.
The screen does not reward nervous speed.
Your first job is still comprehension.
What is the client trying to decide?
What does this exhibit actually measure?
What information changes the hypothesis?
What conclusion is justified, and what conclusion is not?
Those questions survive almost any case format.
Difficulty is not just about harder math
Students often ask, “How hard is the online case?”
They imagine the answer must be about quantitative complexity.
But difficulty can come from somewhere else.
| What feels difficult | Why it catches students | What to practise |
|---|---|---|
| No live interviewer | Less feedback | Self-directed structure |
| Timed questions | Pressure creates careless reading | Deliberate pacing |
| Dense exhibits | Too much data looks equally important | Prioritization |
| Fixed response format | You cannot talk around uncertainty | Clear decisions |
| Unfamiliar interface | Novelty consumes attention | Read instructions first |
Easy math can still be expensive.
One misunderstood denominator can matter more than knowing advanced finance.
For a closer look at where candidates find the assessment difficult, read How Hard is the BCG Online Case?.
Do not build your strategy around somebody else’s exact screen
This is where online assessment prep becomes strange.
Detailed candidate reports feel useful because they are concrete.
“First I saw this.”
“Then there were four options.”
“Then Casey asked that.”
Concrete sounds reliable.
But another office, role, recruiting cycle, or assessment version may not reproduce that exact sequence.
So use firsthand reports for familiarity, not prophecy.
Practise transferable moves.
Read a chart and state the implication.
Estimate quickly without losing units.
Choose between competing explanations.
Write or select an answer that responds to the question actually asked.
Keep track of the client objective.
Those skills remain useful even when the interface surprises you.
Your invitation resolves the argument
Once BCG contacts you, stop debating what “Casey” means in general.
Read what your instructions call the assessment.
Read what equipment is required.
Read the timing information provided.
Read the integrity rules.
Then prepare for that.
Because there is an odd risk in online recruiting:
You can become exceptionally prepared for a test you are not actually taking.
And the closer the assessment gets, the less funny that mistake becomes.