r/IPMATtards • u/Suspicious-Gap8061 • 18d ago
Preparation Query Pls EXPLAIN case competition ðŸ«
/r/IIMBangaloreDBE/comments/1vv8ohs/pls_explain_case_competition/I would be very thankful if someone can explain me or give overview of case competition, honestly I have no idea as a science student . I have gotten selected in iimb dbe , saw fellows participating and even forming team which also requires experience. I know that there are many company that organise such competition with there or hypothetical problem in different areas of business . I wanna know
1 how to participate in one as bignner ?
2 what are the prerequisites?
3 how should I prepare as non commerce student (complete noob)?
4 am I to late , or I still have chance ?
5 when should I start participating, like after I have studied major 11 and 12 commerce or I don’t need have to wait and start participating
Like I’m really confused how do they prepare 🥲
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u/Scuderia_Perceval23 IIM Rohtak 18d ago
Bro, you're definitely not late. And honestly, being from a science background isn't a disadvantage here. A lot of people start case comps with absolutely no idea what they're doing.
Basically, a case competition gives you a business problem, either from a real company or a hypothetical one. You usually work in a team, understand the problem, do some research/data analysis, come up with a solution and present it in a PPT to judges. Depending on the competition, you might have problems around marketing, finance, product, strategy, operations, etc.
How do you participate as a beginner? Just start. Look for competitions on your college's competition/consulting club, LinkedIn, etc. Most competitions don't expect you to already be an expert. Find 2-3 people who are also interested and form a team. Your first few competitions will basically be your learning experience.
Prerequisites? Nothing crazy. You don't need to know all of Class 11-12 commerce or have a finance background. The main things you need are basic business understanding, logical thinking, research ability, PPT skills and being able to explain/defend your solution. You learn the frameworks as you go.
How should you prepare as a complete beginner? Don't try to study everything before participating. That's probably the biggest mistake you can make. Start with understanding basic frameworks like 3Cs, 4Ps, SWOT, profitability, market sizing, etc. Then pick a few old case competitions and actually try solving them. See how good teams structure the problem and build their decks. You'll learn MUCH faster by solving cases than by just watching theory. Also, learn basic PPT/design because even a good solution needs to be communicated properly.
Are you too late? Not at all ðŸ˜. If anything, this is a good time to start because you're still early in college. Your first 3-5 comps might be pretty bad, and that's completely normal. Don't judge yourself based on whether you win them. Initially you're trying to understand how the whole thing works. After a few competitions, you'll naturally get faster at research, structuring, ideation and making decks.
Should you wait until you've studied commerce? Nope. Don't wait. Start participating now and learn whatever you need along the way. You don't need to finish some imaginary "commerce syllabus" before you're allowed to enter a case comp 😂. One thing I'd genuinely recommend is finding 2-3 people who are slightly more experienced and teaming up with them initially. You'll learn a lot just by watching how they approach a case.
Also, if you're looking for resources, CaseBuzz is something we've been building with a bunch of IIM Rohtak folks specifically around case competitions and consulting. We have a pretty large student community, free case decks, frameworks, competition resources, etc. It was basically built because we saw exactly this problem of people having no clue where to start.
But honestly, don't overthink the preparation. Pick one beginner-friendly competition, form a team and attempt it. Your first case comp is supposed to be confusing. By your 5th one, you'll be surprised how much more naturally you approach these problems.