What to Do Right Before a Business Case Interview: The Last 24 Hours

You’ve done the prep. You’ve practiced frameworks, solved mock cases, and maybe even coached with a friend or mentor. But what about the final hours leading up to your interview? What should you focus on the day before—or even just two hours before—your business case interview?

Here is a simple checklist of what to do in the final stretch to feel sharp, confident, and focused.

1. Skim Your Framework Cheat Sheet

By now, you probably have a set of go-to frameworks that work well for most cases: profitability, market entry, 3C1P (customer, competitor, company, product), and maybe even some custom ones you’ve developed. The night before—or even better, two hours before—skim through a one-pager with your favorite frameworks. This isn’t the time to learn new ones. It’s about jogging your memory and getting your brain into case-solving mode.

If you don’t have a cheat sheet, make one. It can be super simple:

• Headings for each framework

• A few bullet points or example questions under each

• Optional: a few example mini-cases or context notes that show when to use which one

2. Review Your Common Mistakes

This tip is personal—and powerful. Think back to your mock interviews or self-practice sessions. What do you tend to forget or do wrong under pressure?

Some examples might include:

• Forgetting to segment (e.g., breaking down revenue by customer type or geography)

• Giving a long laundry list instead of a clear structure

• Jumping into calculations without clarifying the objective

• Not summarizing the case before moving on

• Speaking in bullet points instead of walking the interviewer through your logic

Write these down. Make a short list (even 3–5 bullet points) and review them before the interview like a reminder note. It’s like writing a short note to your future self: “Hey, remember to slow down, segment, and structure.”

This isn’t about being negative. It’s about reinforcing good habits at the exact moment you’re most likely to forget them.

3. Mentally Rehearse the First 2 Minutes

The first impression in a case interview often sets the tone. Take five minutes to rehearse the first two minutes of a case:

• How you ask clarifying questions

• How you structure your approach out loud

• How you set up your framework

This isn’t about scripting it—it’s about priming your brain. You’ll walk into the interview already in flow, instead of warming up in real time.

You can even go through one or two mock prompts very briefly and just practice your opening aloud. Think of it like stretching before a run.

4. Shift Your Mindset: Trust the Process

Right before the interview, it’s easy to get caught in a loop of second-guessing: Did I practice enough? Should I have done more market sizing cases? What if I get something I’ve never seen before?

This is the moment to shift your mindset.

Remind yourself that you’ve done your best to prepare. That’s all you can control. Case interviews aren’t just about being perfectly prepared—they also involve timing, the specific case you get, and sometimes even the mood or style of the interviewer. There is a bit of luck involved.

If you get a case that throws you off, it doesn’t mean you’re not capable. If you get excited or nervous, that’s human. None of it means you’ve failed. You might even surprise yourself by navigating a tough case well—because you stayed calm and trusted your thinking.

In the final hours, it’s not about cramming more. It’s about calming your mind and putting yourself in a state where you can think clearly. Let go of the pressure to be perfect. Think of the interview as a chance to have a smart conversation—not a test of your worth.

It’s okay if it doesn’t go perfectly. You are more than this one moment.