Kearney Case Interview Examples: Worked Practice Case (2026)

Format

What makes Kearney cases different

Kearney built its name in operations: supply chain, procurement, cost reduction, and performance improvement. Candidate reports suggest its cases follow that client work. Where a BCG case might ask whether a client should enter a new market, a Kearney case is more likely to ask how to take cost out of a distribution network, which supplier contracts to renegotiate, or how fast a plant can close a capacity gap.

The core skills are the same as any consulting case. What changes is where interviewers push.

The answer has to be doable

Interviewers push past "cut costs" to which lever, how much it is worth, and how fast it can land. A recommendation without timing and risks reads as unfinished.

Benchmarks do the heavy lifting

Expect to compare the client with peers, size each gap in dollars, and decide which gaps are worth closing first. Clean percentage math matters more than clever frameworks.

You mostly drive

Most candidates describe candidate-led cases where you set the structure and ask for data, with the interviewer stepping in to share exhibits and ask targeted math questions. Formats vary by office, so confirm with your recruiter.

Reported prompts still range widely. Recent Glassdoor reviewers mention a taxi driver revenue case, whether a power plant should install heat capture equipment, and whether a private equity firm should invest in an agricultural seed startup. Prepare for operations first, but do not skip market sizing and investment cases.

Case types

Case types Kearney candidates report

These five themes cover most of what candidates describe. Each example prompt below is an original Kearney-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 regional hospital network's operating margin has fallen for three straight years. Where should it find $40 million in savings?
How to structure it: Split cost by function (clinical staff, supplies, facilities, administration), then into fixed and variable. Benchmark each line against peers and rank the gaps by size, speed, and risk to patient care.
Math to expect: Cost per unit (per bed day, per procedure), benchmark gaps converted to dollars, and payback on any one-time investment.

Practice case

Worked practice case: Northfield Foods

This is an original case written in the style Kearney candidates describe: an operations problem, a benchmark exhibit, two rounds of math, and a recommendation that has to hold up in the real world. In a live interview you would drive the structure yourself. Here, 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.

Cost reductionGrocery retailAbout 25 minutes

Northfield Foods: finding $30M in distribution savings

Your client is Northfield Foods, a US grocery chain with 180 stores and $6 billion in annual revenue. Its operating margin has fallen from 4.0% to 2.5% over two years, mainly because distribution costs grew faster than sales. The CEO wants to find $30 million in annual distribution savings that can be captured within 18 months. How would you approach this?

If you ask clarifying questions, the interviewer shares:

Distribution covers everything from the supplier to the store's back door: inbound freight, three distribution centers (DCs), and outbound trucks to stores.
Northfield runs its own truck fleet and DC workforce.
Store count is stable, and closing stores or DCs is off the table.

0 of 6 steps revealed

Structure the problem

Take about 2 minutes

Interviewer: How would you structure this?
Objective: $30M in annual distribution savings within 18 months, without hurting store in-stock rates.

Follow the goods from supplier to store:
- Inbound: freight rates, order sizes, and whether trucks returning from stores can carry supplier loads.
- Inside the DC: labor productivity, overtime, and facility cost.
- Outbound to stores: how full trucks are, routing, and delivery frequency.
Then filter every idea by size of savings, speed to capture, and risk to service.

Why it works: the buckets follow the physical flow, so nothing overlaps or gets missed. The filter shows you are already thinking about implementation, which is exactly where Kearney interviewers push.

Read the benchmark exhibit

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: Here is Northfield's distribution cost next to the peer median. What does it tell you, and where would you focus?

Exhibit 1: Annual distribution cost, Northfield vs. peer median

Cost line	Northfield ($M)	Northfield (% of revenue)	Peer median (% of revenue)
Inbound freight	110	1.83%	1.60%
DC labor	140	2.33%	1.60%
DC facilities	60	1.00%	0.90%
Outbound transport	110	1.83%	1.40%
Total	420	7.00%	5.50%

Revenue: $6B. Illustrative data for practice.

Total gap to peers ($M)

Size the DC labor opportunity

Take about 4 minutes

Interviewer: Northfield's DCs move 300 million cases a year. Workers average 75 cases per labor hour, while peers average 100. Labor costs $35 per hour fully loaded. If Northfield reaches 90 cases per hour, how much does it save each year?

Annual savings ($M)
Size the outbound opportunity

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: Trucks leave the DCs 70% full on average. Northfield thinks it can reach 85% by combining store orders and adjusting delivery days. Outbound cost is $110M and scales with the number of trips. What is the saving?

Annual savings ($M)
Pressure-test the plan

Take about 2 minutes

Interviewer: What could stop Northfield from capturing these savings?
- People: union agreements may limit new labor standards, and turnover can spike during change.
- Service: fewer, fuller deliveries can hurt in-stock rates on fresh products, and stores may not have room to receive larger drops.
- Cost to achieve: warehouse and routing software, training, and possibly new equipment. Savings should be reported net of these.
- Timing: a labor program usually takes a year or more to fully ramp, so it needs to start early.
Grouping risks into a few clear categories reads as structured thinking, not a brainstorm dump.
Make the recommendation

Take about 1 minute

Interviewer: The CEO just walked in. What do you recommend?

Math

Kearney case math quick check

Operations cases reuse a small set of calculations: productivity, savings on addressable spend, capacity, and payback. Try these four without a calculator. Aim for under a minute each.

A DC spends $12M a year on labor at $30 per hour and moves 20 million cases. How many cases does it move per labor hour?

Cases per hour

A client spends $250M with suppliers. Consolidating suppliers saves 6% on the 40% of spend it applies to. What is the saving?

Savings ($M)

A bottling line runs two 8-hour shifts, 250 days a year, at 600 units per hour, with 80% uptime. How many units does it make a year?

Units (millions)

New routing software costs $8M and saves $3.2M a year. What is the payback period?

Payback (years)

Other formats

Written case and Excel tests

Some Kearney offices add a written case, particularly for MBA and experienced hires. You get a packet of data, build a short set of slides, and present your recommendation to interviewers. Some offices also run an Excel test using lookup and conditional sum functions. One London candidate described a written case of about 90 minutes at the office that required both Excel and PowerPoint, followed by a partner interview.

Undergraduates in some regions are invited to an assessment center for the final round, which can include a group case presentation. Ask your recruiter which format you will get, since it changes by office and by year.

To prepare: give each slide one clear takeaway as its title, lead with the recommendation, and practice pulling insights out of dense tables. The exhibit drills are the closest match for the data side.

Prep plan

A two-week prep plan for a Kearney case

Days 1 to 3
Learn to structure cost, procurement, and capacity problems. Start with the frameworks guide, then practice building buckets for new prompts until the structure comes quickly.
Days 4 to 6
Drill math daily: percentages of large numbers, per-unit costs, and payback. Speed matters because Kearney cases stack several calculations in a row.
Days 7 to 9
Work through benchmark exhibits. For every chart, say the gap in dollars and the "so what" out loud before moving on.
Days 10 to 12
Run full cases with a partner, including at least two operations cases. Redo Northfield from memory and time yourself.
Days 13 to 14
Prepare your fit stories and a specific answer to "Why Kearney?" Candidates also report being asked which other firms they applied to and why, so have a consistent answer ready.

Keep preparing

Kearney interview guideRounds, format, and what interviewers look for. Case libraryFirm-style practice cases with step-by-step questions. Frameworks guideNine frameworks with visual trees and a practice exercise. Market sizing drillsBuild estimates fast for growth and investment cases.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What kind of cases does Kearney give?

Mostly operations and cost cases: cost reduction, procurement, supply chain, and capacity. Candidates also report market sizing, market entry, and private equity investment cases, so prepare for those too.

Are Kearney case interviews candidate-led?

Most candidates describe them as candidate-led, with the interviewer sharing exhibits and asking specific math questions along the way. The style varies by office and interviewer.

How are Kearney cases different from McKinsey, BCG, or Bain cases?

The skills are the same, but Kearney cases tend to be more operational and practical. Expect benchmark comparisons, savings sizing, and questions about how and when a recommendation would be implemented.

Does Kearney have a written case or Excel test?

Some offices do, especially for MBA and experienced hires. A written case usually means analyzing a data packet, building a few slides, and presenting. Confirm the format with your recruiter.

How many case interviews does Kearney run?

A typical process is two rounds: a first round with one or two cases and a fit interview, then a final round with more senior interviewers and at least two more cases. Some offices add a written case or assessment center.

Is the Northfield Foods case a real Kearney case?

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

Sources

IGotAnOffer, Kearney Case Interview Guide. igotanoffer.com. Accessed September 2026.
MyConsultingOffer, The Kearney Interview: Our Complete Guide. myconsultingoffer.org. Accessed September 2026.
Glassdoor, Kearney interview reviews for Business Analyst and Summer Associate roles, 2022 to 2026. Accessed September 2026.

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

Kearney Case Interview Examples: A Worked Practice Case