Complete Guide: FTI Consulting Case Interview
Last Updated:  Febuary 12th, 2026
Free Resources
📄 MBB Practice Cases – Practice using real cases that mimic the real interview.
📝 Resume + cover letter guides – Stand out on paper so you can land an interview.
💬 Fit/behavioral question bank – Get ready for the “Why consulting?” moment.
📊 Offer and salary data – Know your worth.
🗓️ Recruiting timeline tracker – Stay one step ahead of the rest.
📚 Casing drills – Math, exhibit analysis, frameworks.
View free resources
Other Interview Guides

Firm Overview: FTI Consulting

FTI Consulting is a global business advisory firm known for its expertise in corporate finance and restructuring, economic consulting, forensic and litigation consulting, technology, and strategic communications. Founded in 1982, the firm operates in major financial centers across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. FTI is frequently engaged in complex, high-stakes situations involving financial distress, regulatory scrutiny, litigation, or major corporate transactions.

Unlike traditional strategy firms, FTI Consulting positions itself as a multidisciplinary advisory platform that blends financial, economic, investigative, and operational expertise. Its work often sits at the intersection of corporate decision-making, legal proceedings, and regulatory frameworks. The firm is particularly well known for its restructuring practice and its role in advising companies, creditors, and stakeholders during distressed or transformational situations.

Focus and specialties

  • Corporate finance and restructuring advisory for distressed companies and creditors
  • Economic consulting in antitrust, competition, and damages analysis
  • Forensic accounting, investigations, and regulatory compliance support
  • Strategic communications and crisis management advisory

FTI Consulting works across a broad set of industries. The main areas include financial services and real estate, healthcare and life sciences, and energy and infrastructure. Across these industries, common clients include corporations facing financial or legal challenges, law firms, private equity investors, and regulatory bodies, and typical engagements involve financial restructuring, litigation support, valuation analysis, crisis management, and complex transaction advisory.

Why candidates choose FTI Consulting

  • Exposure to high-profile litigation, restructuring, and regulatory matters
  • Strong technical development in finance, economics, and forensic analysis
  • Opportunity to work alongside legal teams and senior executives
  • Clear specialization pathways within finance, economics, or investigations

Because of its focus and culture, FTI Consulting values candidates who are analytically rigorous, detail-oriented, comfortable with ambiguity, intellectually curious, and capable of operating professionally in legally sensitive and high-stakes environments.

Interview Process Overview

FTI Consulting recruits across undergraduate, MBA, and experienced hire pipelines, with processes varying significantly by practice area. Economic Consulting, Corporate Finance and Restructuring, and Forensic and Litigation Consulting may each have slightly different interview formats. Compared to generalist consulting firms, the process often places greater emphasis on technical depth, financial literacy, or economics knowledge depending on the role. Networking and targeted outreach can be particularly helpful, especially for specialized practices.

Step 1: Screening:

Candidates submit an online application including resume and transcripts. For certain practices, especially Economic Consulting, candidates may be required to complete technical assessments focused on quantitative reasoning, regression interpretation, or finance fundamentals (practice math drills here). Initial recruiter screens typically assess academic background, interest in the specific practice, and alignment with the firm’s advisory model. Performance in quantitative or technical screening components can be eliminative.

Step 2: First round:

First-round interviews generally consist of one to two interviews lasting 30 to 60 minutes each. These interviews often combine behavioral questions with either a technical case or a structured analytical exercise. In Corporate Finance and Restructuring, cases may involve liquidity analysis, capital structure evaluation, or profitability improvement. In Economic Consulting, candidates may be asked to interpret data, discuss supply and demand shifts, or analyze competitive effects. Interviewers are typically senior consultants or managers. Both analytical accuracy and communication clarity are critical to advancing.

Step 3: Final round:

Final rounds typically include two to four interviews with senior managers, directors, or managing directors. Cases may become more technical or open-ended, requiring deeper financial modeling logic, economic reasoning, or structured problem-solving (practice exhibit analysis drills here). Behavioral discussions often focus on client-facing readiness, ability to explain complex quantitative findings clearly, and comfort working in litigation or restructuring environments. Interviewers may probe more aggressively on assumptions and test the candidate’s ability to defend conclusions under scrutiny. Final hiring decisions are made collectively following interviewer calibration.

Details vary by country, business unit and whether you are applying as undergrad, MBA or experienced hire, so your recruiter’s description should be your final source of truth.

Reported by candidates
Sample Interview Questions
Interview Questions
Communication
Tell me about a time you had to explain a complex analysis to a non-technical audience.
Interview Questions
Resilience
Describe a time when you worked on a high-pressure project with tight deadlines.
Interview Questions
Analytical Thinking
How would you estimate damages in a breach of contract case?
Interview Questions
Technical Rigor
Explain how you would assess whether a company is facing a liquidity crisis.

FTI Consulting Behavioral Interview

FTI Consulting values precision, intellectual rigor, professionalism, resilience, and strong written and verbal communication. The firm looks for candidates who can operate in analytically demanding environments where attention to detail and accuracy are critical.

Behavioral interviews assess maturity, professionalism, and ability to work on sensitive engagements involving litigation or financial distress. Interviewers evaluate how candidates handle ambiguity, manage deadlines, collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, and communicate clearly under pressure.

How to answer for FTI Consulting:

Use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or CAR (Context, Action, Result) to structure your answers. CAR is often effective because it emphasizes the action you personally took and the measurable outcome. Highlight analytical ownership, technical contributions, and clarity of communication.

Example outline 1: Navigating Hardship

Prompt: Tell me about a time you influenced a team during a difficult situation.

  • Context: "I was leading a five-person project team working with a small manufacturing client experiencing declining margins. The team disagreed on whether pricing or cost inefficiency was the main issue."
  • Action: "I gathered performance data, segmented margins by product line, and facilitated a structured discussion with the team. I reframed the debate around data rather than opinion and proposed piloting both pricing adjustments and targeted cost reductions in parallel. I communicated clearly with the client’s COO about the rationale and secured alignment."
  • Result: "The pilot identified a specific product line driving margin erosion, leading to targeted cost reductions that improved operating margins by three percentage points within one quarter."

Example outline 2: Setback

Prompt: Tell me about a time you failed or faced a major setback.

  • Context: "During a financial modeling project, I underestimated the complexity of reconciling operational data from multiple systems."
  • Action: "After missing an interim deadline, I acknowledged the issue directly to the project lead, restructured the workplan into smaller milestones, and brought in an additional analyst to validate assumptions. I also built a reconciliation checklist to prevent further errors."
  • Result: "The model was delivered within the revised timeline, and the final output was used in a board presentation supporting a capital restructuring decision. I learned to proactively surface risks earlier and build buffers into timelines."

How to prepare your stories

Prepare seven to ten stories covering analytical depth, teamwork, leadership, resilience, communication, and attention to detail. Ensure each story includes a clear personal contribution and measurable impact. Practice delivering each response in two to three minutes with concise structure.

View full cases
FTI Consulting Case Interview
View case library

FTI Consulting Case Interview

FTI Consulting case interviews vary significantly by practice. Corporate Finance and Restructuring cases tend to resemble finance-heavy consulting cases focused on liquidity, profitability, and capital structure. Economic Consulting cases are more data-driven and may involve interpreting regression outputs, discussing antitrust economics, or analyzing damages. Forensic and Litigation cases may emphasize investigative logic and financial statement analysis.

Common industries: Expect a mix of financial services, healthcare, energy, industrials, telecommunications, and regulated industries.

Length: Single interviews are commonly around 30 to 60 minutes, with the case portion lasting approximately 20 to 35 minutes.

Style: Many FTI cases are interviewer-led or structured, especially in Economic Consulting. Interviewers may guide you through sequential questions, providing data incrementally. You are expected to answer precisely and logically. In Corporate Finance cases, there may be more room for candidate-led structuring, but interviewers often test specific financial concepts directly.

Quants and Exhibits: Quantitative rigor is central. Expect financial statement interpretation, break-even analysis, valuation concepts, regression interpretation, elasticity discussion, or damages calculations depending on the practice. Exhibits may include balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, or statistical tables. Common mistakes include arithmetic errors, misinterpreting regression coefficients, failing to connect quantitative results to economic intuition, or overlooking legal context. Accuracy and clarity are critical because FTI’s work often supports court testimony or regulatory decisions. You can practice exhibit drills here and market sizing drills here.

Synthesis and Recommendation: Synthesis must be precise and defensible. After each analytical step, clearly articulate what the numbers imply and how they affect the broader question. Final recommendations should be concise, supported by quantitative findings, and framed in a way that would withstand scrutiny from opposing counsel, regulators, or creditors. Strong candidates demonstrate both technical correctness and executive-level clarity.

Tips to Prepare

Landing an offer at FTI Consulting is tough. But with the right preparation, you can dramatically increase your odds.

  1. Case Library – Real cases aligned to FTI's standards with guided answers and data exhibits.
  2. Case Math Drills – Targeted quantitative practice modeled after FTI's difficulty.
  3. Exhibit Analysis Drills – Learn to extract insights quickly from charts and data tables.
  4. Brainstorming & Market Sizing Drills – Build structured creativity and estimation speed.
  5. Networking Hub – Find partners to practice cases and behavioral questions with, globally.

Firm Overview: FTI Consulting

FTI Consulting is a global business advisory firm known for its expertise in corporate finance and restructuring, economic consulting, forensic and litigation consulting, technology, and strategic communications. Founded in 1982, the firm operates in major financial centers across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. FTI is frequently engaged in complex, high-stakes situations involving financial distress, regulatory scrutiny, litigation, or major corporate transactions.

Unlike traditional strategy firms, FTI Consulting positions itself as a multidisciplinary advisory platform that blends financial, economic, investigative, and operational expertise. Its work often sits at the intersection of corporate decision-making, legal proceedings, and regulatory frameworks. The firm is particularly well known for its restructuring practice and its role in advising companies, creditors, and stakeholders during distressed or transformational situations.

Focus and specialties

  • Corporate finance and restructuring advisory for distressed companies and creditors
  • Economic consulting in antitrust, competition, and damages analysis
  • Forensic accounting, investigations, and regulatory compliance support
  • Strategic communications and crisis management advisory

FTI Consulting works across a broad set of industries. The main areas include financial services and real estate, healthcare and life sciences, and energy and infrastructure. Across these industries, common clients include corporations facing financial or legal challenges, law firms, private equity investors, and regulatory bodies, and typical engagements involve financial restructuring, litigation support, valuation analysis, crisis management, and complex transaction advisory.

Why candidates choose FTI Consulting

  • Exposure to high-profile litigation, restructuring, and regulatory matters
  • Strong technical development in finance, economics, and forensic analysis
  • Opportunity to work alongside legal teams and senior executives
  • Clear specialization pathways within finance, economics, or investigations

Because of its focus and culture, FTI Consulting values candidates who are analytically rigorous, detail-oriented, comfortable with ambiguity, intellectually curious, and capable of operating professionally in legally sensitive and high-stakes environments.

Interview Process Overview

FTI Consulting recruits across undergraduate, MBA, and experienced hire pipelines, with processes varying significantly by practice area. Economic Consulting, Corporate Finance and Restructuring, and Forensic and Litigation Consulting may each have slightly different interview formats. Compared to generalist consulting firms, the process often places greater emphasis on technical depth, financial literacy, or economics knowledge depending on the role. Networking and targeted outreach can be particularly helpful, especially for specialized practices.

Step 1: Screening:

Candidates submit an online application including resume and transcripts. For certain practices, especially Economic Consulting, candidates may be required to complete technical assessments focused on quantitative reasoning, regression interpretation, or finance fundamentals (practice math drills here). Initial recruiter screens typically assess academic background, interest in the specific practice, and alignment with the firm’s advisory model. Performance in quantitative or technical screening components can be eliminative.

Step 2: First round:

First-round interviews generally consist of one to two interviews lasting 30 to 60 minutes each. These interviews often combine behavioral questions with either a technical case or a structured analytical exercise. In Corporate Finance and Restructuring, cases may involve liquidity analysis, capital structure evaluation, or profitability improvement. In Economic Consulting, candidates may be asked to interpret data, discuss supply and demand shifts, or analyze competitive effects. Interviewers are typically senior consultants or managers. Both analytical accuracy and communication clarity are critical to advancing.

Step 3: Final round:

Final rounds typically include two to four interviews with senior managers, directors, or managing directors. Cases may become more technical or open-ended, requiring deeper financial modeling logic, economic reasoning, or structured problem-solving (practice exhibit analysis drills here). Behavioral discussions often focus on client-facing readiness, ability to explain complex quantitative findings clearly, and comfort working in litigation or restructuring environments. Interviewers may probe more aggressively on assumptions and test the candidate’s ability to defend conclusions under scrutiny. Final hiring decisions are made collectively following interviewer calibration.

Details vary by country, business unit and whether you are applying as undergrad, MBA or experienced hire, so your recruiter’s description should be your final source of truth.

Reported by candidates
Sample Interview Questions
Interview Questions
Communication
Tell me about a time you had to explain a complex analysis to a non-technical audience.
Interview Questions
Resilience
Describe a time when you worked on a high-pressure project with tight deadlines.
Interview Questions
Analytical Thinking
How would you estimate damages in a breach of contract case?
Interview Questions
Technical Rigor
Explain how you would assess whether a company is facing a liquidity crisis.

FTI Consulting Behavioral Interview

FTI Consulting values precision, intellectual rigor, professionalism, resilience, and strong written and verbal communication. The firm looks for candidates who can operate in analytically demanding environments where attention to detail and accuracy are critical.

Behavioral interviews assess maturity, professionalism, and ability to work on sensitive engagements involving litigation or financial distress. Interviewers evaluate how candidates handle ambiguity, manage deadlines, collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, and communicate clearly under pressure.

How to answer for FTI Consulting:

Use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or CAR (Context, Action, Result) to structure your answers. CAR is often effective because it emphasizes the action you personally took and the measurable outcome. Highlight analytical ownership, technical contributions, and clarity of communication.

Example outline 1: Navigating Hardship

Prompt: Tell me about a time you influenced a team during a difficult situation.

  • Context: "I was leading a five-person project team working with a small manufacturing client experiencing declining margins. The team disagreed on whether pricing or cost inefficiency was the main issue."
  • Action: "I gathered performance data, segmented margins by product line, and facilitated a structured discussion with the team. I reframed the debate around data rather than opinion and proposed piloting both pricing adjustments and targeted cost reductions in parallel. I communicated clearly with the client’s COO about the rationale and secured alignment."
  • Result: "The pilot identified a specific product line driving margin erosion, leading to targeted cost reductions that improved operating margins by three percentage points within one quarter."

Example outline 2: Setback

Prompt: Tell me about a time you failed or faced a major setback.

  • Context: "During a financial modeling project, I underestimated the complexity of reconciling operational data from multiple systems."
  • Action: "After missing an interim deadline, I acknowledged the issue directly to the project lead, restructured the workplan into smaller milestones, and brought in an additional analyst to validate assumptions. I also built a reconciliation checklist to prevent further errors."
  • Result: "The model was delivered within the revised timeline, and the final output was used in a board presentation supporting a capital restructuring decision. I learned to proactively surface risks earlier and build buffers into timelines."

How to prepare your stories

Prepare seven to ten stories covering analytical depth, teamwork, leadership, resilience, communication, and attention to detail. Ensure each story includes a clear personal contribution and measurable impact. Practice delivering each response in two to three minutes with concise structure.

View full cases
FTI Consulting Case Interview
View case library

FTI Consulting Case Interview

FTI Consulting case interviews vary significantly by practice. Corporate Finance and Restructuring cases tend to resemble finance-heavy consulting cases focused on liquidity, profitability, and capital structure. Economic Consulting cases are more data-driven and may involve interpreting regression outputs, discussing antitrust economics, or analyzing damages. Forensic and Litigation cases may emphasize investigative logic and financial statement analysis.

Common industries: Expect a mix of financial services, healthcare, energy, industrials, telecommunications, and regulated industries.

Length: Single interviews are commonly around 30 to 60 minutes, with the case portion lasting approximately 20 to 35 minutes.

Style: Many FTI cases are interviewer-led or structured, especially in Economic Consulting. Interviewers may guide you through sequential questions, providing data incrementally. You are expected to answer precisely and logically. In Corporate Finance cases, there may be more room for candidate-led structuring, but interviewers often test specific financial concepts directly.

Quants and Exhibits: Quantitative rigor is central. Expect financial statement interpretation, break-even analysis, valuation concepts, regression interpretation, elasticity discussion, or damages calculations depending on the practice. Exhibits may include balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, or statistical tables. Common mistakes include arithmetic errors, misinterpreting regression coefficients, failing to connect quantitative results to economic intuition, or overlooking legal context. Accuracy and clarity are critical because FTI’s work often supports court testimony or regulatory decisions. You can practice exhibit drills here and market sizing drills here.

Synthesis and Recommendation: Synthesis must be precise and defensible. After each analytical step, clearly articulate what the numbers imply and how they affect the broader question. Final recommendations should be concise, supported by quantitative findings, and framed in a way that would withstand scrutiny from opposing counsel, regulators, or creditors. Strong candidates demonstrate both technical correctness and executive-level clarity.

Tips to Prepare

Landing an offer at FTI Consulting is tough. But with the right preparation, you can dramatically increase your odds.

  1. Case Library – Real cases aligned to FTI's standards with guided answers and data exhibits.
  2. Case Math Drills – Targeted quantitative practice modeled after FTI's difficulty.
  3. Exhibit Analysis Drills – Learn to extract insights quickly from charts and data tables.
  4. Brainstorming & Market Sizing Drills – Build structured creativity and estimation speed.
  5. Networking Hub – Find partners to practice cases and behavioral questions with, globally.
Free Resources
📄 MBB Practice Cases – Practice using real cases that mimic the real interview.
📝 Resume + cover letter guides – Stand out on paper so you can land an interview.
💬 Fit/behavioral question bank – Get ready for the “Why consulting?” moment.
📊 Offer and salary data – Know your worth.
🗓️ Recruiting timeline tracker – Stay one step ahead of the rest.
📚 Casing drills – Math, exhibit analysis, frameworks.
View free resources
Other Interview Guides