Simon-Kucher Case Interview Practice: Free Case and Prep Resources
Simon-Kucher's own case interview prep is a workshop deck that works one pricing case, a smartphone launch, from the questions to ask to a profit-optimal price. Where McKinsey's interviewing page offers sample cases with suggested answers, Simon-Kucher publishes one worked case, so you build the rest of your pricing practice yourself.Simon-Kucher (opens in a new tab), read ; McKinsey (opens in a new tab), read
Try a free Simon-Kucher-style case now: MedSuite Pricing. No card, no signup.
Free, no signup: 1 worked case with model answers. Free, no card: your first full practice case with an AI interviewer. Paid: Pro $49/month for every case.
Updated ·By Esteban Ronsin·Founder · former Deloitte and Accenture Strategy consultant
Built and reviewed with former McKinsey, BCG and Bain consultants and interviewers.
Free Simon-Kucher interview prep resources
Simon-Kucher interview prep resources: what you get, whether it is free or paid, and the link
Resource
What you get
Free or paid
Link
Simon-Kucher case interview workshop
Simon-Kucher's own workshop deck: what a case is, what interviewers look for, tips, do's and don'ts, and one pricing case worked in five parts (April 2015)
Free. Published by Simon-Kucher, checked Nov 11, 2026
6 library cases matched to Simon-Kucher's case types, run out loud with an AI interviewer or step by step and scored on 7 skills; start with MedSuite Technologies Hospital Software Pricing
Free + paid. The case list and a worked excerpt are public; a free account includes 1 full AI-graded case in voice or guided mode; Pro ($49/month) adds every case
Corbelworks: pricing case with answers Industry: B2B software. Difficulty: hard.1 math question.
Should a construction software company price its new scheduling app per seat, per project or in tiers, and at what price? 6 questions, 3 exhibits, a model answer for each
Free. The whole case and every model answer, no account; the practice button opens a live case like it
Simon-Kucher fit and behavioral questions answered out loud, with follow-up probes and structured feedback (choose Simon-Kucher on the page)
Free + paid. 1 behavioral or Learning Mode session with a free account; Behavioral Unlimited ($39/month, behavioral and PEI only) or any Pro plan adds more
Firm-style cases are practice cases written for Road to Offer or adapted from university consulting club casebooks, not the firm's own cases. Road to Offer is independent and not affiliated with Simon-Kucher.
Try a free Simon-Kucher-style case now: no card, no signup
An original practice case written by Road to Offer in a Simon-Kucher-style format, not Simon-Kucher's own case. Everything stays in your browser.
MedSuite Pricing: Pricing a new hospital software subscription
A pricing case with a profit check, as in Simon-Kucher's own smartphone example, where a price is chosen from a split in willingness to pay and cost decides the answer. The full version is MedSuite Technologies, a Road to Offer library case. Simon-Kucher (opens in a new tab), read
1Step 1: Read the case
MedSuite Technologies is a healthcare IT start-up with a new cloud platform that brings patient records, billing and scheduling into one system for hospitals. The product is ready and the CEO wants a price for the annual subscription before launch. How should MedSuite price it?
2Step 2: Ask clarifying questions
Open a question to hear the interviewer's answer.
What is the objective?
Interviewer: Set the annual subscription price that maximizes first-year revenue. The CEO also wants to know what each hospital leaves after the cost of serving it.
How big is the market and what would hospitals pay?
Interviewer: About 5,800 US hospitals: roughly 800 large, 2,300 medium and 2,700 small. Willingness to pay rises with size: up to about 350 to 450 thousand dollars a year for large, 200 to 275 thousand for medium and 150 to 200 thousand for small.
How does the product compare with competitors?
Interviewer: A comparable feature set to the established hospital systems, at a fraction of their price, with a cloud-based setup and lower upfront cost.
What does it cost MedSuite?
Interviewer: Serving each hospital costs about 30 thousand dollars a year (hosting and support). Fixed costs are about 15 million dollars a year.
Can the price differ by hospital size?
Interviewer: The CEO is open to tiers by size but prefers one price in year one for simplicity.
3Step 3: Structure your answer
Take two minutes. Lay out how you would find the right price, then say what you would want to see first.
2:00
Show what a strong structure covers
Plays the goal back: an annual subscription price, first-year revenue, US hospitals only, with the profit per hospital as a second check.
Starts from customer value: willingness to pay by hospital size, and what the alternatives cost the hospital today.
Builds the price-to-volume trade-off: at each price, how many hospitals would sign, then revenue and contribution after the cost of serving each one.
Compares one flat price with tiers by size, and says why: tiers capture more of each segment's willingness to pay but add complexity the CEO wants to avoid in year one.
Turns addressable demand into launch-year sales: hospital buying cycles are long and the first year reaches only a share of hospitals.
Names the risks to test: competitor response, discounting in negotiations and hospitals that renew late.
4Step 4: The interviewer's next question
A price survey shows 4,400 hospitals would sign at 150 thousand dollars a year, but only 3,000 at 200 thousand, because the small hospitals drop out. Which flat price is better, on revenue and then on profit after the 30 thousand dollar cost per hospital?
Show what a strong answer does
Revenue first: 4,400 × 150 thousand is 660 million, and 3,000 × 200 thousand is 600 million. Then profit: 4,400 × 120 thousand is 528 million against 3,000 × 170 thousand, 510 million. The lower price wins on both, but a strong answer says this is addressable demand, not launch-year sales, and asks whether tiers by size would beat either flat price.
Flour costs rose 18% on a $4M flour bill, and prices went up 3% on $20M of sales. How much margin did Harbor lose?
Your answer
Flour went up by about $720K and the price rise brings in $600K, so the net hit is roughly $100K.
What worked
Split the change into a cost side and a price side before adding them up.
Could improve
$720K minus $600K is $120K, not $100K: state the exact net before rounding.
Model answer
Flour: 18% of $4M is $720K more cost. Price: 3% of $20M is $600K more revenue. Net margin loss: $120K.
Next time, say this
Cost is up $720K and price brings back $600K, so Harbor loses $120K of margin.
3
1
Choose a case
Cases matched to Simon-Kucher's case types.
2
Solve it out loud
An AI interviewer asks, listens and follows up.
3
Get answer feedback
Feedback on every answer: what worked, what to fix.
What makes Simon-Kucher interviews different
Pricing is the focus area.
Simon-Kucher's sample case sets the launch price of a smartphone, and its deck lists "knowledge of our focus area (pricing)" among the things the first part tests. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Profit, not revenue.
The deck names two traps in its pricing case: not realizing that a lower price also captures the customers who would pay more, and calculating revenue instead of profit without asking for the cost. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Structure over the right answer.
Simon-Kucher says a good approach can be more valuable than having the right answer, and that clear communication of your approach is one of the most important parts of a case. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Do not name the framework.
The deck says existing frameworks such as the 5Ps and 3Cs are useful, but you should not refer to them explicitly, so you do not look as if you are fitting cases into molds. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Simon-Kucher's recruiters say business cases test how you structure problems, form hypotheses, analyze information and communicate, and that the reasoning matters as much as the final recommendation. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Each arrow opens the source: Simon-Kucher, read Nov 11, 2026.
Key facts from Simon-Kucher's own pages
One worked case.
A smartphone launch price, in five parts: the questions to ask, willingness to pay, the profit math, a recommendation and a bonus price cut. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Each arrow opens the source: Simon-Kucher, read Nov 11, 2026.
Simon-Kucher's case interview pages, item by item
Everything Simon-Kucher publishes to prepare for its interviews, each opened on 11 November 2026. Simon-Kucher has no case library: the first five items are parts of one workshop deck, and each line is our summary of the item's own page. Read on Simon-Kucher's site .
Simon-Kucher's case interview pages, item by item: level, area and what each one is, linked to Simon-Kucher's page
Scenario-based interviews that test problem solving, often a toned-down past project, about 20 to 30 minutes, with new information given as the case progresses.
Four areas: problem-solving, business sense, analytical capabilities and communication, with the questions an interviewer asks about each, plus poise and fit.
Understand the problem, structure and solve it, make a recommendation; clarify the objective, think out loud, write out your math, do not force-fit frameworks.
The launch price of a new smartphone. Part one: what information you would want. Part two: set the price from a willingness-to-pay split and a variable cost. Part three: recommend. Bonus: a price cut. Worked below.
A short German guide: what a case study tests, four steps from task to recommendation, chart reading as analyse, contextualise, interpret, and a close with recommendation, rationale, risks and next steps.
Show all 12
Simon-Kucher's case interview pages, item by item, continued
Three stages (application, online assessment, interviews), one position per country, documents, internship rules, what interviewers assess and feedback within about three days.
Behavioral and business case interviews, cognitive tests for some roles, what is assessed (communication, structure, analytical confidence, teamwork) and four preparation tips.
Recruiters in four offices on curiosity, structure in ambiguity, a complete application and answering behavioral questions with the task, your actions and the result.
Invitation-only case cracking evenings for students (Stellenbosch, August 2025; Copenhagen, April 2023) with case foundations, two case examples and the recruitment process. The cases are not published.
How Simon-Kucher describes pricing from the value a customer perceives instead of from cost or past prices; useful language for a pricing case.
Worked: Smart Phone (launch price), in Simon-Kucher's three-part flow
In 2010 a consumer electronics maker is about to launch an innovative smartphone with a lot of hype. Its VP of Pricing wants a 15-minute answer: how would you set the price of the hardware, and what information would you want? Later you learn how willingness to pay splits across buyers, and the interviewer gives the cost. Read the official case (opens in a new tab)(read )
How you might work it is ours, not Simon-Kucher's answer key.
1
Understand the problem and the goal
Play the case back and clarify the objective before any math: profit, revenue or share. For a price decision, say that you want a profit-optimal price, then ask what the price covers (the hardware only, not the contract).
2
Ask for the information you would want
The deck's first part is a question list, not a calculation: the goal of the pricing strategy, the product's life cycle, how it compares with competing products, the price structure (upfront, rebates, recurring), costs, other revenue streams, cannibalization and differences in what customers will pay.
3
Offer a creative idea, then take the constraint
Suggest ways to capture each customer's maximum willingness to pay, such as segmentation or product versions. Then accept the interviewer's rule for the exercise: one price for the product.
4
Set up the profit math
Profit is volume times price minus cost. The market splits 20% who would pay up to 800, 40% up to 600 and 40% up to 400, and the interviewer gives a variable cost of 300 and no fixed cost. Any market size works, so use 1 or 100 and write the table neatly.
5
Compare the three prices on profit
At 800 only the top 20% buy, and the profit is 100 per unit of market. At 600 the top 60% buy, and it is 180. At 400 everyone buys, and it is 100. Calling the highest price best, or the one with the most buyers, are the two traps.
6
Recommend, then handle the bonus
Recommend 600 as the profit-optimal single price, and add that if the price can change over time you could launch at 800 and cut later. For the bonus, a cut to 450 must roughly double the volume to hold profit; test that against the share of the market that is left.
A Simon-Kucher recruiting manager in New York says it looks for people who “bring structure to ambiguity” and adapt when things change, more than for any specific background. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
A complete, well-structured application (Frankfurt)
Its Frankfurt junior recruiting lead says “a complete and well-structured application is essential”, covering education, internships, activities and skills. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Motivation and energy (London)
A recruiting coordinator in London says it values candidates who understand the firm, link their experience to the role and show “genuine motivation and energy throughout the conversation”. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Pricing and economics (Frankfurt)
Simon-Kucher's German recruiting lead says a solid grasp of economic principles helps, especially in pricing, marketing, digitalization and sales. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Each arrow opens the source: Simon-Kucher, read Nov 11, 2026.
The Simon-Kucher interview process, and what trains each step
1
Apply to one position in one country
Simon-Kucher says its application process differs by country. Its German student page adds that you apply for one position per country and can be considered in only one process worldwide; a cover letter is not required there, and it suggests applying about six months before your start.
Simon-Kucher's German student page lists an online test of analytical skills as the second stage, and its recruiters write that methods vary by role and level and may include cognitive tests, numerical and reasoning. Candidates report a timed numerical test in most offices; follow your invitation for the format.
A Simon-Kucher recruiter calls the first conversation a key moment to explain your motivation and relevant experience, and says it is open: you are also assessing the firm, so ask questions.
Consultants interview you, in rounds or on interview days that Simon-Kucher says vary by position (internship or full-time) and by division. Its student page adds that interviewers prepare an individual case study for each candidate. It says feedback usually comes within three days. It publishes no round count or interview length; ask your recruiter.
Simon-Kucher's workshop says cases take about 20 to 30 minutes, are often a toned-down version of a past project and give new information as they progress. Its sample case sets a launch price, so train pricing first: profit per unit, break-even and willingness to pay.
Simon-Kucher's recruiters say behavioral questions explore how you handled past situations: collaboration, ownership, learning and impact. Give the task, your actions and the result, with specific, factual examples.
Missing from Simon-Kucher's pages: how many rounds each office runs, how long each interview lasts, who leads the case, how answers are scored, which offices use the online test and what it covers, what the cases beyond pricing look like, and when offers are made.
13 Simon-Kucher-style interview questions
In our words, not Simon-Kucher's, grouped by the steps of Simon-Kucher's own workshop (understand, structure, solve, recommend), plus the online test some roles use and the behavioral interview, with what a strong answer does.
Understand the problem (workshop step one)
Simon-Kucher: listen, take notes, repeat the premise back and always clarify the objective.
1A software company asks what to charge for a new analytics tool for retailers. What do you ask before you structure anything?
What a strong answer does: Plays back the decision, asks what the goal is (profit, revenue or share), then the cost to serve, who the customers are and what they pay today, and what the competing options cost, before proposing a structure.
2A client asks whether it should raise prices by five percent. What is the first thing you clarify?
What a strong answer does: Asks what the client is trying to achieve and over what time horizon, since a profit goal and a share goal lead to opposite answers, and says so before asking for data.
Simon-Kucher: start at a high level, take a moment to think, explain your plan out loud and adapt frameworks.
3A luxury scooter brand is entering a market with no luxury benchmark and must set a launch price. How do you structure it?
What a strong answer does: Builds from customer value and the nearest substitutes rather than from a competitor price, adds landed cost and a margin floor, and names the demand test it would run at two or three price points.
4List ways a subscription business could grow revenue without adding a single customer, then say which you would test first.
What a strong answer does: Groups ideas into price (list price, discounts, tiers), mix (upgrades, bundles) and usage or fees, adds retention, and picks one to test first with a reason such as speed to learn or size of effect.
Simon-Kucher: write the numbers out neatly, label them, double check, then draw the implication.
530% of buyers would pay up to 90, and the other 70% up to 60. A unit costs 40 to make. At one price for everyone, which price earns more profit?
What a strong answer does: Works per 100 potential buyers: at 90, 30 buyers earn 50 each, so 1,500; at 60, all 100 earn 20 each, so 2,000. It picks 60 and says that revenue alone would have misled it.
6A product sells for 20 and costs 10 to make. The client wants to cut the price to 18. How much more volume does it need to keep the same profit?
What a strong answer does: Unit profit falls from 10 to 8, a fifth less, so volume must rise by a quarter. It then asks whether the market can supply that much, as the deck does in its bonus question.
7A price test raised the price by 10% and volume fell 6%. Was it a good test?
What a strong answer does: Revenue rose about 3%, volume loss was smaller than the price gain, so demand is not very sensitive; profit likely rose more because fewer units cost money. It asks which segments left and for how long the result held.
8The average discount rose from 8% to 12% while volume rose 5%. Is that good news?
What a strong answer does: Net price fell about 4%, so revenue rose only about 0.4%, and with a unit cost that is unchanged profit probably fell. It asks for the cost and checks who got the extra discount.
Simon-Kucher: check the recommendation answers the original objective, pitch it with evidence, then mention other considerations briefly.
9You have 30 seconds: should the city sell its bike share concession, and at what bid?
What a strong answer does: Opens with the recommendation, gives the one reason that drives it, names the main risk and says the next step, the order Simon-Kucher's German guide asks for.
10You finish your math and the interviewer asks, "Are you sure?" What do you do?
What a strong answer does: Re-checks out loud once, then either corrects a real slip or confirms with confidence; the deck says the question is not always a sign of a mistake.
Simon-Kucher: give the task, your actions and the result, with specific, factual examples.
12Tell me about a time you used data to change a decision.
What a strong answer does: Sets the task in a sentence, spends most of the time on what it did and why, and ends with a measured result and what it would do differently.
What a strong answer does: Names something specific the firm says about itself, such as growth, pricing and commercialization work in small teams, and ties it to something the candidate has done, in under a minute.
Simon-Kucher says not to refer to frameworks explicitly or force-fit a case into a mold. Use a structure, but say it in the case's own words. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Skipping the sanity check
In the bonus question the answer is not the number but whether the volume is possible given the share of the market left. Test every result against the market. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Treating a price as the first move
The deck's first part is a list of questions about goals, costs, competitors and customers. Jumping to a price before asking skips what that part tests. Source: Simon-Kucher, read (opens in a new tab)
Write your question list, then the profit table and your recommendation on paper before you compare with the deck. Then read a worked pricing case with a model answer for every question.
How do I prepare for the Simon-Kucher case interview?
Start with Simon-Kucher's own case interview workshop deck: it says a case takes about 20 to 30 minutes and works one pricing case, a smartphone launch, from questions to a profit-optimal price. Work that case cold, then train pricing: value to the customer, willingness to pay, profit per unit and break-even. On Road to Offer a free account includes 1 full AI-graded case, such as MedSuite Technologies (hospital software pricing); Corbelworks is a worked pricing case with a model answer for every question and needs no account; math and chart drills cover the numbers. Simon-Kucher's recruiters also say to practise out loud with the clock running. Firm-style cases are practice cases written for Road to Offer or adapted from university consulting club casebooks, not the firm's own cases.
Where can I practice Simon-Kucher-style case interviews for free?
On Road to Offer, MedSuite Technologies is a pricing case you run out loud with an AI interviewer or step by step; your first full case is free with a free account, no card, and the sample case on this page runs in your browser with no account at all. Corbelworks is free to read with a model answer for every question. Simon-Kucher's own free practice is its workshop deck, which works one pricing case, and our Simon-Kucher practice cases page works that case and eight more with the numbers.
What is Simon-Kucher's case interview workshop, and how should I use it?
It is a deck Simon-Kucher's Frankfurt office published on its site (the footer reads April 2015) that explains what a case interview is, what interviewers look for, a three-part approach, do's and don'ts, and one worked case. The case: a consumer electronics maker is launching a smartphone and asks what to charge, given that 20% of buyers would pay up to 800, 40% up to 600 and 40% up to 400, with a variable cost of 300. Use it as a drill: write your own questions and price first, then compare with the deck's five parts, including the bonus question about cutting the price. It is the only worked case we found on Simon-Kucher's site.
What is the answer to Simon-Kucher's smartphone pricing case?
Profit, not revenue, decides it. With a variable cost of 300 dollars and a single price, the deck shows profit per unit of market of 100 dollars at 800, 180 dollars at 600 and 100 dollars at 400, so 600 is profit-optimal; it adds that if the price can change over time you could launch at 800 and cut to 600 later. In the bonus question, cutting to 450 would need volume to roughly double to hold profit, which you then test against the share of the market left. Work it yourself before you read the numbers.
Are Simon-Kucher cases always about pricing?
Not stated as a rule, but pricing is the firm's focus. Simon-Kucher's deck lists "knowledge of our focus area (pricing)" among the things its sample case tests, and says cases often fall into standard categories such as rolling out new products or uncovering problems in a process. Its recruiters add that a solid grasp of economic principles helps, especially in pricing, marketing, digitalization and sales. Prepare pricing cases first, then growth and market entry.
How long is a Simon-Kucher case interview?
Simon-Kucher's workshop deck says cases take about 20 to 30 minutes, with new information given as the case progresses. It publishes no length for the whole interview, which also includes fit questions, and its German student page does not state one either. Plan one case and a few behavioral questions per interview, and ask your recruiter for the schedule.
Is the Simon-Kucher case interview candidate-led or interviewer-led?
Simon-Kucher does not say. Its deck tells you to explain your plan early so interviewers can guide you if you are off track, to check whether the interviewer has the information you need before you assume, and to expect new information as the case progresses. Practise opening with your own structure, and also answering one directed question at a time with a number.
Does Simon-Kucher have an online test?
For some roles. Simon-Kucher's German student page lists an online test of analytical skills as the second stage, and its recruiters write that methods vary and may include numerical and reasoning tests for some positions. Candidates report a timed numerical test in most offices, with charts, tables and percentages. Road to Offer has no Simon-Kucher test simulator; the closest practice is our case math and chart drills, and your invitation is the source for the format.
How many interview rounds does Simon-Kucher have?
Simon-Kucher publishes no number. Its German student page says there are interview rounds or interview days that vary by position, internship or full-time, and by division, and its careers page says the process differs by country. Ask your recruiter, and prepare for a case plus fit questions in each interview.
What does Simon-Kucher look for in a case?
The deck names four things: problem-solving (key issues, a structured approach, relevant questions), business sense (supply and demand, the difference between profit, revenue and market share goals), analytical capabilities (arithmetic, reading charts, implications) and communication (a compelling story, sometimes a slide sketch), plus poise and fit. Simon-Kucher's recruiters add that they weigh the reasoning as much as the final recommendation.
Does Simon-Kucher give feedback after the interview?
Usually quickly. Simon-Kucher's German student page says feedback generally comes within three days of the interview, and that you may reapply later if you are rejected. Timing differs by office, so ask your recruiter when to expect a decision.
Can I apply to more than one Simon-Kucher office?
Not in parallel. Simon-Kucher's German student page says you apply for one position per country, because each location runs its own process, and that you can be considered in only one process worldwide. Pick the office and role whose sectors and language you can talk about before you apply.
