Island Ferry Service Investment: McKinsey-Style M&A Case Interview
Island Ferry Service Investment is a hard-difficulty McKinsey-style M&A case interview with 10 interviewer questions and 2 exhibits; candidates finish it in a median 40 minutes. Your first full case is free with an account: run it step by step with AI grading.
| Case type | M&A |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation / Maritime |
| Firm style | McKinsey |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Interviewer questions | 10: context, clarifying, structure, 2 analysis, 4 math, synthesis |
| Math questions | 4 |
| Exhibits | 2 |
| Modes | Guided |
| Completed runs | 31 |
| Median time | 40 minutes |
| Source | Written by Road to Offer |
Runs, times and ratings are from Road to Offer practice data as of 6 November 2026.
The case
Our client is a maritime transportation company that has been approached by a Japanese regional government to operate ferry services connecting several islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Specifically, our client has been asked to build and operate the ferry infrastructure. Should our client agree to take on the project?
The interviewer's first question
What is this case asking us to evaluate?
Exhibits you will read
- Exhibit 1: Costs of Ferry Infrastructure and Operations
- Exhibit 2: Projected Annual Passenger Distribution and Pricing
What this case tests
Four math steps, two exhibits and two analysis questions: this case is mostly about fast, accurate case math.