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Accenture Case Interview Examples: A Worked Practice Case

Accenture cases blend business strategy with technology, and the best answers show how a change will actually get done. Work through a full Accenture-style AI case step by step, check your math as you go, and compare your answers to a model response.

By the Case Prep Team Updated October 1, 2026 15 min read

2 to 3 roundsTypical for consulting roles

Tech-heavyMost cases have a digital angle

PotentiaExtra interview for Strategy

Fit mattersWeighted as heavily as the case

Start the practice case See Accenture salaries by track

Format

What makes Accenture cases different

Accenture is the largest consulting firm in the world by headcount, and most of its work combines strategy with technology. Its cases reflect that: expect questions about cloud migrations, AI tools, and digital transformations, alongside classic growth and cost problems.

Technology is part of the answer

Many Accenture cases have a digital layer. You do not need to be technical, but you should be able to weigh what a new system costs, what it saves, and what it takes to make people use it.

Cases are often more guided

Candidates often describe Accenture cases as more structured than MBB cases, with the interviewer moving you through phases. Still bring your own structure and drive where you can.

Fit carries real weight

Prep guides consistently say Accenture weighs behavioral questions as heavily as the case. Prepare your stories with the same care.

Applying to Accenture Strategy? Candidates often face the Potentia interview, an hour-long problem-solving session based on a short text about a broad business topic. Accenture also publishes an official case interview workbook, which is worth working through. Note that Accenture allows only one active application per country at a time, so choose your track carefully. See the Accenture deadline guide for timing.

Case types

Case types Accenture candidates report

These five themes cover most Accenture cases. Each example prompt below is an original Accenture-style prompt, not a real interview question. Pick a tab to see how you would structure it and what math to expect.

Example prompt: A grocery chain wants to use AI to forecast demand and cut food waste. Is it worth it?
How to structure it: Size the problem, estimate how much the tool can realistically fix, weigh benefits against cost, and plan adoption by the people who will use the forecasts.
Math to expect: Waste by category, savings rates, and multi-year net benefit.

Practice case

Worked practice case: Freshway Markets

This is an original case written in the style Accenture candidates describe: a technology investment, a data exhibit, a business case over several years, and an adoption plan. Each step shows the question an interviewer would likely ask next so you can check yourself.

Answer each step out loud or on paper before you reveal the model answer. The suggested times match a strong candidate's pace.

AI and analyticsGrocery retailAbout 25 minutes

Freshway Markets: can AI cut food waste?

Your client is Freshway Markets, a US grocery chain with 300 stores and $9 billion in annual revenue. Perishable products like produce, bakery, meat, and dairy make up 40% of sales, and a meaningful share spoils before it is sold. A software vendor is offering an AI demand forecasting tool that tells each store how much to order each day. The COO has asked Accenture whether Freshway should invest, and how to make it work.

If you ask clarifying questions, the interviewer shares:

Today, store department managers decide order quantities by hand.
The tool costs $12 million to implement plus $6 million a year in licensing.
Freshway wants the investment to pay for itself within three years.

0 of 6 steps revealed

Structure the problem

Take about 2 minutes

Interviewer: How would you approach this?
I would answer three questions in order:
- How big is the problem? How much Freshway loses to spoilage, and in which categories.
- How much can the tool fix? Realistic waste reduction by category, and other benefits like fewer empty shelves.
- Is it worth it, and can Freshway make it work? Benefits against cost over three years, plus what it takes for store managers to trust and use the forecasts.
Why it works: it separates the size of the prize from the tool's ability to capture it. That stops you from taking the vendor's claims at face value.
Read the waste exhibit

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: Here is Freshway's perishable waste by category. What share of total waste comes from produce, and what does that tell you?

Exhibit 1: Perishable sales and waste by category

Category Annual sales ($B) Waste rate (% of sales)

Produce 1.2 6.0%

Bakery 0.6 5.0%

Meat and seafood 1.0 3.0%

Dairy 0.8 1.5%

Total 3.6 4.0%

Illustrative data for practice.

Produce share of waste (%)
Estimate the savings

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: Based on pilots at similar grocers, the tool cuts waste by 30% in produce and bakery and by 15% in meat, seafood, and dairy. What are the annual savings?

Annual savings ($M)
Build the business case

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: What is the net benefit over three years, after the $12M implementation cost and $6M a year in licensing?

Three-year net benefit ($M)
Plan the rollout

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: The tool only works if store managers follow its forecasts. How would you make sure they do?
- People: involve experienced department managers in the pilot, show them how forecasts are made, and let them override with a reason so they keep some control.
- Process: make the forecast the default order and track overrides, so it is easy to see where the tool or the managers are better.
- Technology: clean the sales and inventory data first, and connect the tool to the ordering system so there is no double entry.
- Incentives and tracking: add waste and in-stock rates to department scorecards, and roll out region by region once the pilot proves results.
Accenture interviewers want to see that you think about adoption, not just technology. Tying incentives to the outcome is the detail that makes the plan credible.
Make the recommendation

Take about 1 minute

Interviewer: The COO asks for your recommendation. What do you say?

Category	Annual sales ($B)	Waste rate (% of sales)
Produce	1.2	6.0%
Bakery	0.6	5.0%
Meat and seafood	1.0	3.0%
Dairy	0.8	1.5%
Total	3.6	4.0%

Math

Accenture case math quick check

Accenture case math is mostly business case math: costs, savings, and payback over several years. Try these four without a calculator, and aim for under a minute each.

A cloud migration costs $8M up front and cuts IT costs by $2.5M a year. What is the net benefit after four years?

Net benefit ($M)

A call center handles 1.2 million calls a year. A chatbot resolves 25% of them, and each call costs $6. What are the annual savings?

Savings ($M)

A sales team of 40 people each processes 30 orders a day. A new system raises that to 36. How many more orders a day can the team handle?

Extra orders per day

A company spends $50M a year on IT, which is 25% above its peers. How much does a peer of the same size spend?

Peer spend ($M)

Other formats

The Potentia interview and fit

Potentia

Candidates for Accenture Strategy often face the Potentia interview: about an hour on a broad business topic. You get a short text with background and a problem statement, then discuss it with the interviewer. It tests the same skills as a case, but feels more like an open strategic conversation. Read the text for the core question, form a view early, and support it with a clear structure.

Fit questions

Accenture puts real weight on behavioral questions. Prepare four to six stories with clear results, including one about working with technology or data and one about helping others adopt a change. Have a specific answer to "Why Accenture?" that names your track, since you can only hold one active application per country.

Prep plan

A two-week prep plan for a Accenture case

Days 1 to 3
Practice structuring technology and transformation cases as well as classic strategy cases. Start with the frameworks guide.
Days 4 to 6
Drill business case math daily: savings, payback, and net benefit over several years.
Days 7 to 8
Work through exhibits, and give the single most important takeaway first every time.
Days 9 to 11
Run full cases with a partner, including Accenture's official workbook cases. Redo Freshway from memory and time yourself.
Days 12 to 14
Prepare fit stories and a specific "Why Accenture?" If you applied to Strategy, practice a Potentia-style discussion from a short article.

Keep preparing

Accenture salariesPay by level for core Accenture and Accenture Strategy. Accenture application deadlinesDates, tracks, and the one-application rule. EY case examplesAnother worked technology case. Deloitte case examplesA worked human capital case.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What kind of cases does Accenture give?

Many Accenture cases have a technology angle, such as AI tools, cloud migrations, and digital transformations, alongside classic growth and cost cases.

Are Accenture cases candidate-led?

It varies. Many candidates describe Accenture cases as more guided than MBB cases, with the interviewer moving you through phases, but you should still bring your own structure.

What is the Accenture Potentia interview?

It is an hour-long interview, often used for Accenture Strategy, where you discuss a broad business topic based on a short text and problem statement.

How many rounds does Accenture run?

Most processes have two to three rounds mixing case and behavioral interviews, with more senior interviewers in each round.

Can I apply to more than one Accenture track?

Accenture allows only one active application per country at a time, so your track choice matters.

Is the Freshway Markets case a real Accenture case?

No. It is an original practice case written to match the style Accenture candidates describe. All numbers are illustrative.

Sources

Hacking the Case Interview, Accenture Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide. hackingthecaseinterview.com. Accessed October 2026.
MyConsultingOffer, How to Ace the Accenture Case Interview. myconsultingoffer.org. Accessed October 2026.
IGotAnOffer, Accenture Case Interview. igotanoffer.com. Accessed October 2026.
Road to Offer, Accenture Case Interview guide. roadtooffer.com. Accessed October 2026.

Case Prep is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Accenture. The Freshway Markets case, example prompts, and all data on this page are original teaching material.