Case interviews are a core part of recruitment at South African consultancies, banks, telcos and large corporates. This guide gives practical, step-by-step frameworks, example cases drawn from the South African context, scoring and communication tips, and links to related preparation resources specific to SA assessment centres.
Why SA case interviews are unique
- Many South African cases reference local industries: banking, retail, mining, telco, and energy (load-shedding).
- Employers combine case analysis with assessment-centre exercises and psychometric screening.
- Recruiters expect MECE thinking, clear quantitative work, and recommendations contextualised to SA regulation and socio-economic realities.
See what to expect at assessment centres in South Africa: Interview Preparation South Africa: What to Expect at an Assessment Centre (Banks, Telcos, Big Corporates)
Core frameworks and when to use them
Use these frameworks as flexible thinking tools—not rigid scripts.
- Profitability Framework (Revenue – Costs): Best for margin/decline cases (retail, bank fees).
- 3Cs (Company, Customers, Competitors): Market entry or competitive response (telco, retail).
- 4Ps / Marketing Mix: Pricing, product, place, promotion (consumer goods and retail).
- Porter’s Five Forces: Industry attractiveness (mining suppliers, telecom wholesale).
- SWOT: Strategic planning and acquisition targets.
- Issue tree / MECE structuring: Apply to all cases for logical breakdown.
- Value-chain analysis: Operations-heavy problems (manufacturing, mining).
Quick comparison:
| Framework | Best for | Key questions |
|---|---|---|
| Profitability | Declining profits | Is the issue revenue or cost? Which segments? |
| 3Cs | Market share / competitive response | Who are customers? How do competitors act? |
| 4Ps | Go-to-market | Is price/promotion/product causing issue? |
| Porter’s Five Forces | Industry entry/attractiveness | Threat of new entrants? Supplier power? |
| Issue Tree (MECE) | Any complex problem | Break problem into independent, exhaustive parts |
Typical South African case examples + step-by-step approach
1) Telco: Rising churn in prepaid customers
Approach:
- Clarify objective: reduce churn by X% in 12 months.
- Structure: Customer segments / Product / Price & Promotions / Distribution / Competitors.
- Key analyses:
- Calculate churn rates by segment and region.
- Run simple breakeven on retention offers.
- Analyse competitor bundles and network coverage maps.
- Quick calculations:
- Revenue lost = Average Revenue per User (ARPU) * churned customers.
- ROI on retention = (incremental ARPU * retention %) / cost of incentive.
- Recommendation: targeted bundle for urban youth + localized dealer incentives; pilot in two provinces.
2) Bank: Profit margin decline in unsecured lending
Approach:
- Use Profitability framework: revenue (interest income, fees) vs costs (provisions, operational).
- Check credit loss provisions after macroshock (e.g., unemployment spikes).
- Run scenario: if NPL increases by 2ppt, how much provisions increase?
- Recommend: tightened credit scoring, fee re-pricing, cross-sell to payroll customers.
3) Retail: Store underperformance in a township area
Approach:
- 3Cs + Value-chain: customer purchasing power, product mix, supply chain challenges.
- Consider local logistics (stockouts), pricing parity, safety and opening hours.
- Quick action: re-merchandising high-demand essentials, improve stock forecasting, partner with local stokvels for promotions.
4) Energy: Utility proposing a demand-side management pilot during load-shedding
Approach:
- Stakeholder mapping: Eskom/municipal interface, industrial vs residential consumption.
- Cost-benefit: estimated MW reduction vs programme cost.
- Recommend phased pilot in highest-impact suburbs with smart-meter incentives.
Solving process to score highly in SA assessment centres
- Clarify the problem and objective within 60–90 seconds.
- State your structure (MECE), e.g., “I’ll split into revenue and cost and then drill into customer segments.”
- Prioritise analyses—ask for data you need.
- Do clear, audible calculations; verbalise assumptions.
- Synthesize into 2–3 actionable recommendations with risks and next steps.
For full assessment-centre day tactics (group tasks, role-plays), check: Assessment Centre Day Playbook: Group Tasks, In-Tray Exercises and Role-Plays for South African Candidates
Quant skills and time management
- Many SA recruiters use timed numerical exercises—practice fast arithmetic, percentages, and ratios.
- Use rounding and unit rates to simplify.
- If stuck, state an assumption and move on—partial, reasoned work scores more than silence.
Practise targeted reasoning: Numerical, Verbal and Logical Reasoning Practice for South African Recruiters (Free Test Strategies)
Also read: Time Management Tips for Psychometric Tests Commonly Used in SA Recruitment
Psychometric and technical gatekeepers in SA hiring
- Many consultancies and corporates screen with SHL, Thomas, or local providers. Understand what scores mean, and how they feed into case-day decisions.
- Technical roles often add coding or engineering tests before cases—prepare by practising real problems.
Learn how providers work and interpret results: SHL, Thomas and Local Providers: How South African Psychometric Tests Work and How to Prepare
For tech roles: Technical Tests in SA IT and Engineering Interviews: How to Practise and Pass Coding/Technical Assessments
And understand feedback: Interpreting Psychometric Feedback in South Africa: What Scores Mean to Employers
Communication, behavioural markers and scoring
Recruiters look beyond the “right answer”:
- Structure & logic (MECE thinking)
- Quantitative rigor and clear calculations
- Commercial judgement tuned to the SA environment
- Collaboration & influence in group tasks
- Drive and resilience (especially for roles in volatile industries)
For detail on what top employers expect: What Top Employers Look for in Assessment Centres: Behavioural Markers and Scoring Criteria in South Africa
Also practise mock scoring: Mock Assessment Centre Exercises and Scoring Guide for South African Graduate Programmes
Final checklist before your SA case interview
- Memorise 3–5 core frameworks and when to use them.
- Drill fast arithmetic and scenario modelling.
- Practice local case topics: load-shedding, NCA/regulatory changes, unemployment-driven credit risk, telco bundles.
- Do at least one full mock case and one assessment-centre simulation.
If you want targeted practice, combine case drills with psychometric preparation and technical test practice: start with the linked guides above and then run timed mock sessions.
If you’d like, I can create a tailored practice case (telco, bank or retail) with model answers and scoring rubric for a South African assessment—tell me the industry and seniority level.