Kearney 2028 interview guide

For
2028 summer analysts
Sources
16 cited

Invited to interview at Kearney? Here is how the US Summer Business Analyst Intern interviews work, the behavioral and case questions asked, how Kearney wants you to approach a case and when you hear back.

A student on a virtual case interview at a desk in a quiet campus recording studio control room, a laptop beside a page of handwritten arithmetic, soft evening light, seen from behind at an angle.
For summer 2027, Kearney ran both US intern interview rounds virtually: first rounds Sep 9 to 15, finals Sep 25 or Oct 2, 2026.

Key facts

  • Dates: For summer 2027, virtual first rounds ran Sep 9 to 15, 2026 and virtual final rounds on Sep 25 or Oct 2, 2026. A recruiter emails first-round invitations.1
  • Interviews: Kearney's consulting process is typically four to five behavioral and case interviews, run by consultants.2
  • First round: Two interviews, usually one behavioral and one case, of about 45 minutes each.11,12,14,15
  • Final round: Three interviews: two cases and a behavioral, with a partner among the interviewers.11,12,13,14
  • What they look for: Kearney gauges your curiosity, generosity, boldness, solidarity and passions. It is not looking for the loudest candidate or the most consulting buzzwords.3
  • The case: Kearney wants the solution you truly believe is best, not the one you think it wants. Recent cases have been industry-focused, worked through slides as questions and answers.2,9
  • The math: How you approach the problem counts for more than perfect calculations. Do the math carefully, but do not overthink it.3,9

Some Kearney offices add a written case in the final round: an hour with a data packet, then slides and a presentation. A 2012 Chicago summer process had one, plus an email-writing exercise; recent US reviews describe live interviews only, so ask your recruiter.16,7

What the Kearney interview looks like

  1. Before the interviews

    Kearney prints its interview dates in the posting. For summer 2027, a recruiter emailed first-round invitations for Sep 9 to 15, 2026. Some offices send an online test first; San Francisco (2025) and Dallas (2021) processes included a skills test.1,7,10,12

  2. The first round

    Two interviews, usually one behavioral and one case, of about 45 minutes each, with associates and managers. Some first rounds have put two case interviews back to back, and one 2026 Chicago sitting had an associate and then a partner, each asking behavioral questions and a case.11,12,14,7,10,9

  3. The behavioral interview

    Kearney calls it a get-to-know-you conversation about your experiences, purpose, passions and personality. Recent questions have asked about hobbies, life outside work and classroom experiences, so do not limit your stories to internships.2,8,9,10

  4. The case

    Review the case and pinpoint the key issues, form a hypothesis, test and refine it, synthesize what you found, and recommend. It is fine to ask questions and check assumptions. Kearney wants the solution you truly believe is best.4,5,2,3

  5. The final round

    Three interviews, two cases and a behavioral, with a partner among the interviewers. For summer 2027, it was virtual on Sep 25 or Oct 2, 2026. Some final rounds have been shorter, such as 30 minutes of behavioral questions and 30 of case.1,11,12,10

  6. Your questions

    Kearney treats the interview as a two-way conversation: you learn about the work, how it can support your career and your future role. Ask senior interviewers about their most interesting projects.3

One Kearney case, step by step

Review and pinpoint 3 to 5 min
Read the context and data, ask clarifying questions and name the key issues.
Hypothesis 2 to 3 min
One hypothesis per issue, broad enough to cover the cases, specific enough to test.
Validate and refine 10 to 15 min
Ask the questions that confirm or kill each hypothesis; pivot when the data says so.
Synthesize 2 to 3 min
What the evidence shows, in two or three points.
Recommend 2 min
An actionable fix, with feasibility, risks and benefits.

The five steps are Kearney's own case flowchart. Interviews have run about 45 minutes; the minutes per step are Intervyo's plan.5,14,15

Before your Kearney interviews

  • Four or five stories, including ones from outside work: a passion, a class project, a team you held together.
  • A reason for Kearney and for the practice you ranked first, in your own words.
  • Kearney's promotional planning case, worked through with its five-step flowchart.
  • Operations and cost cases: supply chains, procurement, inventory and pricing.
  • Market sizing drills with round numbers, out loud.
  • A one-line hypothesis ready at the start of every case, and a recommendation at the end.
  • For a virtual round: video link tested, camera at eye level, a quiet room, pen and paper.
  • Two questions for each interviewer about their projects.

The questions

Kearney blends behavioral and case interviews: one to see who you are and one to assess your analytical skills and how you approach a problem. Expect industry-focused cases, often on operations, cost and pricing.2,7,9,12

  • Behavioral: Your experiences, purpose and passions, including life outside work and class.
  • Motivation: Why consulting, why Kearney and why the practice you ranked first.
  • Case: A business problem, often in operations, procurement or pricing, sometimes worked from slides.
  • Market sizing: An estimate tied to an industry, worked out loud.
  • Industry view: Advice for a company in a sector you know.

Which division question you get

Chicago, Analyst, Energy & Process Industries (Aug 2026)
An associate, then a partner an hour later, each with behavioral questions and a case. Industry-focused cases worked from slides: sizing the electrical poles in the US grid, then procurement questions. Two behavioral questions were on hobbies and passions.9,8
San Francisco, Analyst (Sep 2025)
A skills test, two back-to-back case interviews with a director and a senior associate, then a final round of 30 minutes of behavioral questions and 30 of case. The behavioral part leaned on life outside work and the classroom.10,8
Chicago, Business Analyst (Sep 2022)
A behavioral and a case in the first round, then two cases and a behavioral with a partner. Behavioral weighed about half; cases a little more analytical than at peers. One question: come up with your own interview question.11,8
Dallas, Business Analyst (Oct 2021)
A behavioral and a case on optimal pricing in the first round; the final was a behavioral with a partner and two cases with associates, one on a rental car company's strategy.12,8
Chicago, Analyst, M&A (Nov 2021)
Two interviews, one case and one behavioral, then two cases and a behavioral with a partner. Each interviewer wrote their own case.13,8
Summer Associate Intern, virtual (Aug 2021)
Two 45-minute interviews, one behavioral and one case, then three 45-minute interviews: one behavioral and two cases.14,8
New York, Summer Business Analyst (Oct 2018)
A first round on campus of a 45-minute behavioral and a 45-minute case, then two behaviorals and a case at the office.15

Most US rows since 2021 show a behavioral and a case in the first round, then two cases and a behavioral in the final. The 2025 and 2026 rows are full-time Analyst processes; for summer 2027 the intern and full-time roles shared the same interview dates.

Example questions and how to answer them

Case: operations"A grocery and drug chain's promotions lift sales less than its competitors' do, at the same prices and discounts. How would you increase the lift?"5,4
  1. 1Pinpoint the issue: same prices and discounts, smaller lift, so look past pricing.
  2. 2Hypothesis: the stores cannot sell promoted items because they are out of stock.
  3. 3Test it: stock levels on promoted items, how stores plan promotion volumes, ordering cutoffs.
  4. 4Synthesize: shortages from planning by gut feel and past orders, not past sales.
  5. 5Recommend: plan volumes from past sales, and give stores real-time visibility of promoted stock.

Tip: This is Kearney's own practice case. Its great answer goes past using sales data to faster stock updates before the daily order deadline, so finish with a fix the stores could start next week.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Intervyo example with round numbers.

Prices and discounts match competitors, so the gap is probably on the shelf, not in the price. Say a promoted item sells 1,000 units a week at a competitor and our store orders 600 because it copies last year's order. Once the 600 sell out, the lift stops.

So I would plan promotion volumes from what sold in past promotions, not what was ordered, and add stock checks before the daily order cutoff so stores can reorder when an item is selling faster than planned.

First step: pilot it on the top 20 promoted items in one region and compare the lift.

Case: market sizing"How many electrical poles does the US power grid need?"8,9
  1. 1Say your approach first: miles of line times poles per mile.
  2. 2Split the line by type: local distribution along roads, longer rural and transmission lines.
  3. 3Pick round, defensible numbers and say them out loud.
  4. 4Multiply step by step and sanity-check.
  5. 5Be ready for the follow-up, such as what that means for a pole supplier.

Tip: Asked in a Chicago Energy & Process Industries interview in 2026, followed by procurement questions. Do not overthink the math; keep it simple and talk through it.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Intervyo example with round numbers.

Most poles carry local distribution lines along roads. Say the US has about 4 million miles of road and about half have overhead lines: 2 million miles.

With a pole about every 150 feet, that is about 35 poles a mile, or 70 million poles.

Add rural lines across open land and older dense grids in cities, and I would say 100 to 150 million. The biggest swing is the share of roads with overhead lines rather than buried cable.

Behavioral"Tell me about one of your hobbies or passions."8,9,2
  1. 1Pick something you genuinely do, not what sounds impressive.
  2. 2Say how you got into it and how much time it takes.
  3. 3Give one specific moment or result.
  4. 4Link it lightly to how you work: practice, teamwork, curiosity.

Tip: Two behavioral questions in a 2026 Chicago interview were on hobbies and passions, and Kearney says it wants to hear what makes you uniquely you. Be specific and keep it to about a minute.

Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)

Written by Intervyo as an example. I restore old bicycles. I started in high school when I could not afford a new one, and now I spend most Saturday mornings in our campus bike co-op. Last year I rebuilt 14 donated bikes with two friends and we gave them to students who commute from off campus. What I like is the diagnosis: a bike that will not shift can have five causes, and you have to test them one at a time. It has made me more patient with problems that do not have an obvious answer.

Case: pricing"A rental car company wants a better pricing strategy. How would you approach it?"8,12
  1. 1Clarify the goal: profit, utilization or market share, and over what period.
  2. 2Look at demand: customer segments, seasons, locations and how price-sensitive each is.
  3. 3Look at supply: fleet size, utilization and the cost of an idle car.
  4. 4Check competitors' prices by location and channel.
  5. 5Recommend a pricing approach and the data to test it.

Tip: A Dallas Business Analyst process included an optimal pricing case and a rental car strategy case. Expect the interviewer to hand you data partway through.

Motivation"Why Kearney?"3,7
  1. 1One sentence on what draws you to consulting.
  2. 2One reason specific to Kearney, such as a practice or its operations work.
  3. 3Tie it to your own story: a class, a job or a project.
  4. 4Close on the practice you ranked first.

Tip: Kearney says it is not looking for the candidate who uses the most consulting buzzwords. Give a plain, specific answer.

More Kearney interview questions

Behavioral

  • “Come up with your own interview question and answer it.”8,11

    Chicago, 2022

  • “Tell me about an experience from outside work or from class.”10

    San Francisco, 2025; a description

  • “Why consulting? Why Kearney?”7

Case

  • “Procurement questions after a market sizing, worked from slides.”9

    Chicago, 2026; a description

  • “What is the optimal price for this product?”8,12

    Dallas, 2021; a topic, not exact wording

  • “What advice would you give a mature oil-and-gas company in your home country?”8,14

    Virtual, 2021

  • “An hour to read a written case and draw slides on large paper, then a presentation and an email-writing exercise.”16

    Chicago, 2012; a description

  • “How would you cut this manufacturer's purchasing costs by 10%?”

    Best guess

    Our expectation from Kearney's procurement questions, not a reported question

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How long to hear back after the interview

Kearney's interview calendar is fixed in the posting, so each round lands on known dates and decisions come fast. Recent US processes took less than a month in all.1,9,10

  1. Sep 2026 (summer 2027)

    Summer Business Analyst Intern, posting

    First rounds Sep 9 to 15, 2026, then final rounds Sep 25 or Oct 2, 2026, both virtual.1

  2. Aug 2026

    Analyst, Chicago

    Both interviews in one sitting, an hour apart; less than a month in all.9

  3. Sep 2025

    Analyst, San Francisco

    Skills test, a first round and a final round in less than a month.10

  4. Aug 2021

    Summer Associate Intern, virtual

    Selected from a recruiting event; two rounds and an accepted offer in less than a month.14

  5. Oct 2018

    Summer Business Analyst, New York

    An offer call about four hours after the second-round interviews.15

Decisions typically come within a few business days of the final round.6

Best guessExpect a call or email within a few days of the final round. If a week passes, a short note to your recruiter is reasonable.

What happens after the interview

  1. Online application

    Done. An office, a practice ranking, a resume, a cover letter and a transcript.1,6

  2. Online test (some offices)

    Done, if your office sends one: a timed test before interviews.7,10,12

  3. First-round interviewsYou are here

    This page. Two interviews, usually one behavioral and one case. Virtual Sep 9 to 15, 2026 for summer 2027.1,11,12

  4. Final-round interviews

    Also on this page. Two cases and a behavioral, with a partner. Virtual on Sep 25 or Oct 2, 2026 for summer 2027.1,11,12

  5. Offer

    Decisions have come within hours to a few days of the final round. The internship is 10 weeks with a dedicated mentor.15,6,1

First round vs final round

Both rounds blend behavioral and case interviews. The final round adds a second case and a partner.

Interviews

First round

Two, about 45 minutes each.14,15

Final round

Three, about 45 minutes each.14

Mix

First round

One behavioral, one case.11,12,13

Final round

Two cases, one behavioral.11,12,13

Who

First round

Associates and managers; a director in San Francisco, 2025.7,10

Final round

A partner among the interviewers.11,12

Summer 2027 dates

First round

Virtual, Sep 9 to 15, 2026.1

Final round

Virtual, Sep 25 or Oct 2, 2026.1

Extras

First round

An online test first in some offices.7,10,12

Final round

A written case in some offices (Chicago, 2012).16,7

2028 summer analyst status

For summer 2027, Kearney's US intern deadline was Aug 23, 2026, first rounds ran Sep 9 to 15 and finals on Sep 25 or Oct 2. Expect summer 2028 interviews in September and early October 2027.1,6

FAQ

How many interviews does Kearney have?

Usually five over two rounds: a behavioral and a case in the first round, then two cases and a behavioral in the final. Kearney describes its consulting process as four to five interviews.2,11,12,14

Are Kearney interviews virtual?

For summer 2027 they were: virtual first rounds Sep 9 to 15, 2026 and virtual finals on Sep 25 or Oct 2, 2026. Earlier cycles held first rounds on campus and finals in the office.1,15

What does Kearney look for in interviews?

Curiosity, generosity, boldness, solidarity and passion, and how you approach a problem. Kearney says it is not looking for the loudest candidate or the most buzzwords, and it wants the solution you truly believe is best.3,2

How hard is the math in a Kearney case?

Moderate. Kearney says your approach matters more than perfect calculations, and a 2026 Chicago review warns against overthinking the math. Be careful, but keep it simple.3,9

Does Kearney have a written case?

Some offices have. A 2012 Chicago summer final round had an hour-long written case with slides and a presentation, and some offices still add one. Recent US reviews describe live interviews only, so ask your recruiter.16,7

When do you hear back after Kearney interviews?

Fast. The interview dates are set in the posting, decisions typically come within a few business days of the final round, and offers have come the same day as the final round.1,6,15

Interview at other firms

Sources

Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 5, 2026.

  1. 1Kearney, via Jobrapido: Kearney Summer Business Analyst Intern 2027
  2. 2Kearney: Our recruiting process
  3. 3Kearney: Ace the interview
  4. 4Kearney: Crack the case
  5. 5Kearney: Case example: promotional planning
  6. 6Hacking the Case Interview: Kearney Application Deadline: Key Dates and How to Apply · prep site
  7. 7Extern: Kearney Internship 2027-2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply · prep site
  8. 8Candidate reports on a public forum: A.T. Kearney interview questions (Nov 2026 listing)
  9. 9Candidate report on a public forum: Analyst interview, Energy & Process Industries, Chicago (Aug 2026)
  10. 10Candidate report on a public forum: Analyst interview, San Francisco (Sep 2025)
  11. 11Candidate report on a public forum: Business Analyst interview, Chicago (Sep 2022)
  12. 12Candidate report on a public forum: Business Analyst interview, Dallas (Oct 2021)
  13. 13Candidate report on a public forum: Analyst interview, M&A, Chicago (Nov 2021)
  14. 14Candidate report on a public forum: Summer Associate Intern interview, virtual (Aug 2021)
  15. 15Candidate report on a public forum: Summer Business Analyst interview, New York (Oct 2018)
  16. 16Candidate report on a public forum: Summer Associate Intern interview, Chicago (Jan 2012)

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