The Written Case & Presentation Round
Two candidates read the same 12-page case packet. One produces five neat slides that describe the market; the other produces three slides that say what to do, why, what it will cost, and what could go wrong.
That is the whole difference in the written case and presentation round: it rewards judgment, not decoration.
- A written case is a timed decision memo: read data, diagnose the issue, recommend an action, and defend it.
- Start with the question, not the exhibits: define the business decision before touching the numbers.
- Use a one-page answer spine: recommendation, 2-3 reasons, evidence, risks, next steps.
- Your slides should be skimmable: every slide title must state an insight, not a topic.
- Good presentations are decision-first: say the answer early, then prove it.
- Q&A is part of the test: defend logic calmly, concede uncertainty, and name what data you would check next.
- The biggest trap: summarising the case instead of taking a stand.
Big Picture: The Round Tests Your Ability to Convert Information Into a Decision
A live case tests how you think aloud. A written case tests how you think when the interviewer is not guiding you. The real task is to move from messy inputs to a defensible recommendation with a clean communication package.
Core Explanation: What Happens in a Written Case and Presentation Round
In a typical written case, you receive a business situation, a set of exhibits, and limited time to submit a written answer, slide deck, or short presentation. The topic may be market entry, profitability decline, growth strategy, pricing, operations improvement, product launch, or investment prioritisation.
The assessor is looking for three things at once:
- Structured thinking - can you break an ambiguous problem into a few logical drivers?
- Analytical judgment - can you identify which numbers matter and what they imply?
- Executive communication - can you make a busy decision-maker understand your recommendation quickly?
The Six-Step Method That Works Under Time Pressure
Do not start by reading every page linearly. Start by finding the decision, then read selectively. This is the operating rhythm that prevents panic.
If exhibit reading is your weak spot, revise reading and interpreting an exhibit under pressure before attempting timed written cases.
The Presentation Spine: How to Make Your Answer Sound Senior
The best candidates do not present a journey of discovery. They present a decision. Your opening should sound like this: “I recommend Option B because it gives the highest profit upside with manageable execution risk. The three reasons are...”
Notice the difference between weak and strong slide titles:
What Assessors Actually Score
Written case evaluation is not about having the prettiest deck. It is a balanced scorecard of thinking, numbers, communication and presence.
Definitions You Should Be Able to Say in One Breath
- Written case: A timed business problem where the candidate analyses provided information and submits a structured recommendation.
- Presentation round: A short defence of the written recommendation, usually followed by interviewer Q&A.
- Executive summary: A one-page or one-slide answer that states the recommendation, reasons, risks and next steps.
- Insight: A data-backed statement that changes how the decision should be made.
- Recommendation: A clear action choice supported by logic, evidence, tradeoffs and implementation priorities.
Case Study: Ather Energy and the Decision-First Written Case
Ather Energy is a useful Indian case because the strategic answer is not just “sell more scooters”; it requires linking adoption, trust, charging access, product experience and economics.
Imagine a written case prompt: “Should an electric two-wheeler company expand aggressively into more Indian cities next year?” A weak answer would jump straight to market growth and say yes. A strong answer would ask: what must be true for expansion to create value?
Situation: Electric two-wheeler adoption in India is shaped by price sensitivity, range comfort, charging access, after-sales service, financing, government policy, and consumer trust. A premium EV scooter brand cannot win only by opening more stores.
The move: Ather’s business logic has involved more than selling hardware. It has built around the vehicle experience: connected scooter features, physical retail experience, service support, and charging visibility. The primary driver is customer trust in a new category; the supporting drivers are product quality, charging reassurance, local service, financing access, and disciplined city selection.
The lesson for a written case: Your recommendation should not be “expand” or “do not expand” in isolation. It should be conditional and staged: expand first where customer willingness, charging coverage, service readiness and unit economics are strongest; delay cities where demand exists but operating support is weak.
The strategic “so what”: in written cases, mature answers combine the commercial upside with the operating system required to deliver it.
How AI Changes The Written Case & Presentation Round
AI does not remove the need for judgment. It raises the bar because candidates can now practise faster, review mistakes more objectively, and pressure-test their story before the real round.
- Faster case drilling: Tools like ChatGPT or Claude can generate timed written case prompts across market entry, profitability, pricing and growth strategy. The value is not the answer; it is repeated practice under constraints.
- Sharper synthesis practice: You can paste your draft recommendation into an AI tool and ask: “Which claims are unsupported? Which slide titles are descriptive rather than insight-led?” This trains executive communication.
- Better Q&A preparation: AI can play a skeptical panelist and ask follow-up questions on assumptions, risks, calculations and implementation feasibility.
Use NotebookLM or Claude like a mock evaluator: upload your case packet and your final slides, then ask it to generate five likely pushback questions and score your recommendation on clarity, evidence, math, risks and next steps.
Interview Relevance
“You have 45 minutes to read this case and prepare a 5-minute recommendation. After that, we will ask questions on your logic and assumptions.”
When the panel asks you to present, use this structure. It keeps you crisp and prevents rambling.
If your final minute tends to become vague, revise closing with a recommendation, risks and next steps.
Before making slides, write your answer in one sentence. If that sentence is unclear, your deck will also be unclear.
Common Mistake
The mistake: candidates summarise every exhibit and call it a presentation. Why it hurts: the panel still has to figure out the decision for itself. One-line fix: start with the recommendation, then use exhibits only as proof.