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Roland Berger Case Interview Examples: A Worked Practice Case

Roland Berger cases are candidate-led, often industrial, and reward candidates who take a clear position. Work through a full Roland Berger-style automotive 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 16 min read

Candidate-ledYou drive the case

Industrial focusAutomotive, energy, and manufacturing

Online testReasoning test before interviews

Group caseUsed in some final rounds

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Format

What makes Roland Berger cases different

Roland Berger is the largest strategy firm of European origin, with especially strong practices in automotive, industrial goods, energy, and transportation. Its cases often sit in those settings, and they reward a decisive point of view.

Take a clear position

Prep guides consistently note that Roland Berger interviewers prefer a candidate who commits to a view, even a debatable one, over a candidate who hedges. Back your position with numbers and be ready to defend it.

Industrial context

Expect cases on manufacturers, suppliers, and energy companies dealing with shifts like electrification. Basic knowledge of how these businesses work helps you move faster.

Creativity is tested

Interviewers often push you beyond your first framework to generate new options. Have a few unconventional ideas ready, and explain why they could work.

Roland Berger processes vary by office. Many candidates take an online reasoning test first, and some final rounds include a group case or written case presentation. Confirm your format with your recruiter.

Case types

Case types Roland Berger candidates report

These five themes cover most Roland Berger cases. Each example prompt below is an original Roland Berger-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 German auto supplier's core product is tied to combustion engines. How should it prepare for electric vehicles?
How to structure it: Size how fast the core business shrinks, assess new product opportunities, and compare ways to enter them: build, partner, or acquire.
Math to expect: Market forecasts, revenue at risk, and payback on new investment.

Practice case

Worked practice case: Kessler Components

This is an original case written in the style Roland Berger candidates describe: an industrial client facing a structural shift, a market forecast, an investment decision, and a push for creative options. In a live interview you would drive the structure yourself. Here, each step shows the question an interviewer would likely ask next.

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

Industrial strategyAutomotiveAbout 25 minutes

Kessler Components: how should it survive the shift to EVs?

Your client is Kessler Components, a German auto parts supplier with $300 million in revenue. About $216 million comes from fuel injection systems, which are used only in cars with combustion engines, including hybrids. As Europe shifts to electric vehicles, that business will shrink. Kessler's CEO is considering investing in thermal management systems, which keep EV batteries at the right temperature. She has asked Roland Berger what Kessler should do.

If you ask clarifying questions, the interviewer shares:

About 15 million new cars are sold in Europe each year, and that is expected to stay flat.
Kessler supplies about 20% of European cars with combustion engines.
Kessler has no experience with EV components today.

0 of 6 steps revealed

Structure the problem

Take about 2 minutes

Interviewer: How would you approach this?
The question has two halves: how fast the core business shrinks, and whether the EV opportunity can replace it. I would look at:
- The core business: how quickly combustion car sales fall, and how much fuel injection revenue Kessler loses.
- The EV opportunity: the size of the thermal management market, the competition, and what share Kessler could realistically win.
- The economics: investment needed, expected profit, and payback.
- How to get there: build, partner, or acquire, and what happens to Kessler's plants and workforce.
Why it works: it frames the case as a race between a shrinking business and a growing one, which is exactly the decision the CEO faces.
Size the revenue at risk

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: Here is the forecast for Europe's car market. If Kessler keeps a 20% share of combustion-engine cars and earns $120 per car, what will its fuel injection revenue be in 2031?

Exhibit 1: European new car sales by powertrain

Year New cars (M) Combustion and hybrid share Fully electric share

2026 15 60% 40%

2031 (forecast) 15 30% 70%

Illustrative data for practice.

2031 fuel injection revenue ($M)
Size the EV opportunity

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: Thermal management systems are worth about $300 per electric vehicle. If Kessler won 5% of the 2031 EV market, how much revenue would that bring?

EV revenue in 2031 ($M)
Check the investment

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: Building the capability from scratch would cost $200M over three years. Thermal management earns about a 12% operating margin. How long would it take to pay back the investment?

Payback (years)
Think creatively

Take about 3 minutes

Interviewer: What other options does Kessler have?
- Buy capability: acquire a small thermal management specialist to gain technology and customer relationships immediately.
- Partner: co-develop with a carmaker in exchange for guaranteed volumes, which cuts both risk and investment.
- Reuse what it has: convert existing plants and retrain workers rather than building new sites, since precision manufacturing skills carry over.
- Win the endgame of the old business: as rivals exit fuel injection, Kessler could become one of the last suppliers standing, raising prices and taking share in a shrinking but profitable market to fund the transition.
The "last one standing" idea turns the shrinking business into a source of cash rather than just a problem. That is the kind of creative angle that stands out.
Make the recommendation

Take about 1 minute

Interviewer: The CEO asks for your recommendation. What is your view?

Year	New cars (M)	Combustion and hybrid share	Fully electric share
2026	15	60%	40%
2031 (forecast)	15	30%	70%

Math

Roland Berger case math quick check

Roland Berger cases often involve market forecasts, capacity, and investment payback. Try these four without a calculator, and aim for under a minute each.

15 million cars are sold a year. The EV share rises from 20% to 50%. How many more EVs are sold each year?

Extra EVs (millions)

A plant can make 500,000 units a year and runs at 60% of capacity. How many units does it make?

Units (thousands)

Revenue falls from $300M to $240M. What is the percentage decline?

Decline (%)

A $50M investment earns $8M a year in profit. What is the payback period?

Payback (years)

Other formats

The group case and online test

The online test

Many Roland Berger candidates take an online reasoning test before interviews, with numerical and verbal sections. Practice reading charts and doing percentages quickly and accurately.

The group case

Some offices use a group case in the final round. You work with several other candidates on a shared problem, then present together while interviewers observe. They are watching how you work with others as much as the answer itself:

Propose a plan early, such as how to split the work or structure the discussion.
Build on others' ideas rather than competing with them.
Keep the group on time and summarize where it has landed.
Still take a position. Roland Berger values a clear view, so make sure yours is heard.

Prep plan

A two-week prep plan for a Roland Berger case

Days 1 to 3
Learn the basics of the industries Roland Berger serves most, especially automotive and energy, then practice structuring industrial cases with the frameworks guide.
Days 4 to 6
Drill math daily: market forecasts, capacity, and payback.
Days 7 to 8
Practice creative questions until you can give several groups of ideas, including one unconventional option, in two minutes.
Days 9 to 11
Run full candidate-led cases with a partner, ending every case with a clear position. Redo Kessler from memory and time yourself.
Days 12 to 14
Practice a group case with peers, take a timed reasoning test, and prepare a specific "Why Roland Berger?"

Keep preparing

Case libraryFull cases with exhibits and model answers. Kearney case examplesA worked operations and cost case. Oliver Wyman case examplesA worked financial services case. BCG case examplesA worked energy market entry case.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Are Roland Berger case interviews candidate-led?

Yes. You are expected to propose the structure, ask for data, and drive to a clear recommendation.

What kind of cases does Roland Berger give?

Many cases are set in automotive, industrial goods, energy, and transportation, covering strategy, restructuring, and operations questions.

Does Roland Berger use a group case?

Some offices include a group case in the final round, where candidates work together on a problem and present while interviewers observe.

Is there an online test?

Many candidates take an online reasoning test with numerical and verbal sections before interviews.

What does Roland Berger look for in a recommendation?

A clear, committed position backed by numbers. Interviewers generally prefer a decisive answer they can challenge over a hedged one.

Is the Kessler Components case a real Roland Berger case?

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

Sources

Hacking the Case Interview, Roland Berger Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide. hackingthecaseinterview.com. Accessed October 2026.
PrepLounge, Roland Berger Case Interview Guide 2026. preplounge.com. Accessed October 2026.
IGotAnOffer, Roland Berger case interview. igotanoffer.com. Accessed October 2026.
Road to Offer, Roland Berger 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 Roland Berger. The Kessler Components case, example prompts, and all data on this page are original teaching material.