The Bain ADvantage Program is an incredible one-week program for graduate students, post docs, and medical residents to get introduced to consulting and life at Bain. Participants will receive training and be staffed on an actual case team working with clients.

 

If you’re planning to apply to the Bain ADvantage Program and want to know how to give yourself the best chance of getting in, then this article is for you.

 

I’m a former Bain Manager and interviewer and in this article, we’ll cover what is the Bain ADvantage Program, program requirements and deadlines, and tips for the application and interview.

 

What is the Bain ADvantage Program?

 

The Bain ADvantage Program is a one-week internship for graduate students, post docs, and medical residents that includes business training and being staffed on an actual case team working on solving real business problems.

 

It is an opportunity for participants to develop business acumen, expand their knowledge beyond academia, and experience first-hand what it is like to be a Bain consultant.

 

The Bain ADvantage Program is designed to bridge academia to industry. It helps participants apply their problem solving, communication, and teamwork skills to real world business problems.

 

Participants in the Bain ADvantage Program can expect to:

 

• Receive one full day of training, including an introduction to strategy consulting and interactive training on business fundamentals

 

• Be staffed on a real case team for four days, managing their own workstream

 

• Be paired with a Bain consultant who will provide coaching and mentorship throughout the program

 

• Participate in a variety of social activities to meet other Bainies and program participants

 

• Experience Bain’s rich and unique culture

 

• Network with Bain leaders and mentors

 

• Present their work to their case team at the end of the program

 

At the end of the Bain ADvantage Program, participants may receive a full-time consultant offer to join the office where they completed the program.

 

Bain ADvantage Program Requirements

 

To be eligible for the Bain ADvantage Program, applicants must be currently enrolled in their second-to-last year of their graduate degree or have graduated within the last three years.

 

Eligible degrees include:

 

• PhDs

 

• Post-doctorates

 

• JDs

 

• MDs

 

• Medical residents and fellows

 

• PharmDs

 

• Other doctorate-level degrees

 

• Current non-MBA master’s candidates who have had more than three years of relevant business experience after completing their bachelor’s degree

 

International students are eligible and welcome to apply. Those that are studying in the US with a student visa may need to apply for the CPT or OPT in order to participate in the Bain ADvantage Program.

 

In addition, Bain looks for candidates who have:

 

• Outstanding academic performance

 

• Strong leadership and team skills

 

• A passion for solving tough problems and driving real impact

 

• Interest in business and consulting

 

Bain ADvantage Program Deadline

 

The Bain ADvantage Program is typically due February 28. Applications open in January. However, you should check the official Bain ADvantage Program website to see the official deadlines for the upcoming year.

 

Applications for the Bain ADvantage program are not rolling. Bain does not begin their selection process until all applications have been received and the application deadline has passed.

 

The Bain ADvantage Program is highly competitive and selective. There are significantly more applications to the program than there are available positions.

 

If you are not accepted into the Bain ADvantage Program, know that you are still eligible to apply for a full-time position at Bain. Unsuccessfully applying to the ADvantage Program has no impact on your candidacy for other programs or positions at Bain.

For your convenience, we've put together a list that summarizes all Bain application deadlines to all of Bain's programs, internships, and full-time opportunities.

 

Bain ADvantage Program Application

 

The Bain ADvantage Program application requires a resume, cover letter, recent test scores, and Bain office preferences.

 

Resume

 

The resume that you submit for the Bain ADvantage program is the most important component of the application process. It’s important that you spend sufficient time crafting your consulting resume so that it best highlights your qualities and accomplishments.

 

Your resume should be 1-2 pages and be written in a business resume format.

 

Cover letter

 

It is highly recommended to include a cover letter in your Bain ADvantage program application. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and provide information on your background, experiences, and qualifications that goes beyond what is listed on your resume.

 

A well-written consulting cover letter could push your application over the edge and help you get an interview.

 

Test scores

 

The Bain ADvantage program requires you to also submit your test scores for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, or MCAT depending on which exam you have taken. You will not need to submit an official score report. You will only need to input the numerical scores and the sub-score breakdowns.

 

Bain office preferences

 

In the application, you’ll be able to select up to three Bain offices that you are interested in. You’ll also be asked to give a weight to each of your office preferences such that the sum of all weights equals 100 percentage points.

 

For example, you could give your office preferences as Los Angeles 60%, Seattle 20%, and San Francisco 20%.

 

The offices that host the Bain ADvantage Program are:

 

• Atlanta

 

• Austin

 

• Boston

 

• Chicago

 

• Dallas

 

• Houston

 

• Los Angeles

 

• New York

 

• San Francisco / Silicon Valley

 

• Seattle

 

• Toronto

 

• Washington D.C.

 

You should rank your office preferences based on the office that you’d like to work at full-time. Transfer requests to join a different office for the full-time consultant role will not be accommodated.

 

If you are interested in a different office in Asia, you can check out Bain’s Access to APAC Program. However, you cannot apply to both the ADvantage and Access to APAC Program. You must choose one or the other.

 

Bain ADvantage Program Interview

 

After submitting the application, select applicants will be invited to complete two 40-minute interviews that consist of case interviews and fit interviews. Interview notifications are typically sent in late March and interviews take place virtually in mid-April.

 

Case interviews

 

A case interview is a 20 to 40-minute interview in which you are placed in a hypothetical business situation and asked to develop a recommendation to solve a business problem. Case interviews are a special type of interview that all management consulting firms use in their interview process.

 

Examples of common types of case interview questions you could get asked include:

 

• What is causing profitability to decline and what can we do about it?

 

• How can we increase revenues?

 

• Should we enter a new market?

 

• Should we launch this new product?

 

• Should we acquire this company?

 

• How should we respond to this competitor?

 

The business problem that you will be asked to solve can be from any industry or function. Expect to see case interviews in industries ranging from retail to pharmaceuticals to financial services. However, know that no prior knowledge or experience in the industry is required to successfully solve the case interview.

 

Case interviews are used because they closely simulate what the consulting job will be like. In a case interview, you’ll need to use problem solving, quantitative skills, business judgment, and communication to work through the business problem, uncover insights, and make a firm recommendation.

 

Consulting firms, such as Bain, like to use case interviews in their recruiting process because they can assess a variety of skills and traits that are required to be a successful management consultant.

 

Fit interviews

 

Bain asks fit questions to assess your genuine passion for consulting and to see if you are actually interested in working at the firm.

 

The Bain ADvantage program has an extremely limited number of spots. Therefore, Bain wants to ensure that the applicants that they accept will have a high likelihood of wanting to work at Bain full-time as a consultant after graduation.

 

There are two common questions that you should prepare for:

 

• Why are you interested in consulting?

 

• Why do you want to work at Bain?

 

Tips for Getting Into the Bain ADvantage Program

 

1. Perfect your consulting resume

 

Your resume is the single most important component that will determine whether or not you will receive an interview for the Bain ADvantage Program.

 

Therefore, you’ll want to dedicate at least a few days perfecting your resume while also getting feedback from peers, your school’s career center, or even consultants that you know.

 

Make sure to follow the tips below to perfect your consulting resume.

 

• Keep your resume to one page only. If it is longer, you’ll need to make your resume more concise and less wordy

 

• Every bullet on your resume should start with a verb in the past tense to show that you have completed or achieved something

 

• Every bullet should have some kind of number or metric in them so that you can quantify your accomplishments and make them sound more impressive

 

• Your resume’s bullets should show a mix of quantitative skill accomplishments (e.g., analyzing data) and qualitative skill accomplishments (e.g., managing or working with others)

 

• Avoid using technical jargon, unfamiliar abbreviations or acronyms, and buzzwords with unclear meanings

 

• Your resume should prioritize showcasing your work experiences, particularly if you have worked at a brand name company

 

• Include personal interests at the end of the resume to give resume reviewers something interesting to read about

 

If you need professional help crafting the perfect resume that will land you consulting interviews, check out our resume review and editing service.

 

2. Prepare for case interviews

 

Case interviews are difficult and require a lot of time and practice to do well in them. It is extremely unlikely you will nail your Bain case interview unless you have practiced at least 5 to 20+ cases.

 

Below, we’ve put together a 30-minute video giving you a solid introduction to case interviews.

 

If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to learn case interviews quickly and save yourself hundreds of hours, make sure to check out our comprehensive case interview course. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, learn the most effective case interview strategies and become a top 1% caser.

 

The course also includes plenty of practice cases that you can do without a case partner. This will significantly speed up how quickly you can master case interviews.

 

3. Prepare your answer to “Why Bain?”

 

There is a high likelihood of getting asked “Why Bain?” during your Bain ADvantage interviews.

 

There are a variety of different reasons you could give for why you’re interested in Bain:

 

• Bain works with an impressive roster of prestigious clients, working on solving their most important and difficult problems

 

• Bain has a fun, collegial culture that fosters learning, professional development, and friendship

 

• Bain has an extremely supportive culture, highlighted by their mantra of “A Bainie Never Lets Another Bainie Fail”

 

• Bain offers a range of involvement opportunities outside of case work, known as “Extra 10s,” which includes various hobby and interest groups

 

• Bain’s local staffing model cultivates close-knit connections with colleagues at your local office

 

• Bain is the leader in private equity consulting work

 

• A friend or mentor worked at Bain and highly recommended working there

 

4. Prepare your answer to “Why Consulting?”

 

There is also a high likelihood of getting asked “Why consulting?” during your Bain ADvantage interview.

 

There are a variety of different reasons you could give for why you’re interested in consulting:

 

• You want to make a significant impact by working on the biggest, most challenging business problems that companies face

 

• You enjoy the diversity of solving business problems across multiple different industries and functions

 

• You see consulting as the quickest way to build a strong toolkit of both hard skills and soft skills that are needed to be successful in business

 

• You want to get an insider view on how companies are run and operated

 

• You want to develop knowledge and expertise in a particular industry or function

 

• You value the significant mentorship and professional development that consulting provides

 

• You find fulfillment in working with and servicing clients, helping deliver significant value to them

 

Resources to Get into the Bain ADvantage Program

 

To give yourself the best chance of getting into the highly competitive Bain ADvantage Program, look into the resources listed below.

 

You don’t have to prepare your application and prepare for interviews by yourself. Getting professional help from a former Bain Manager and interviewer can significantly increase your chances of getting into the program and giving yourself a head start on your consulting career.

 

For help landing consulting interviews

 

• Resume Review & Editing: Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

 

For help passing case interviews

 

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.

 

• Case Interview Coaching: Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.

 

• Hacking the Case Interview Book (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.

 

• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

 

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

 

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course: Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.