The Bain BASE program stands for Building and Supporting Excellence and was established to provide incoming MBA students from underrepresented backgrounds with initial exposure to consulting and Bain.

 

The Bain BASE program is an extraordinary opportunity for incoming MBA students to get a head start in consulting recruiting, potentially leading to a Bain Summer Associate internship offer.

 

If you’re planning to apply to the Bain BASE 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 BASE program, program requirements and deadlines, and tips for the application and interview.

 

What is the Bain BASE Program?

 

The Bain BASE program is a one-week, in-person experience that provides incoming Black, Hispanic/Latin American, and Indigenous MBA students with a full day of consulting training before being staffed onto a real case team for a few days.

 

Participants in the Bain BASE program can expect to:

 

• Spend a week in the life of a Bain consultant at a Bain office

 

• Sharpen their business acumen

 

• Receive direct coaching and mentorship from a Bain consultant

 

• Network and build relationships with Bainies

 

• Learn more about a career at Bain

 

• Have the opportunity to learn more about joining as a Summer Associate

 

• Receive support both before and after the program

 

The Bain BASE program typically takes place near the end of July. There are typically two different weeks that the program is offered. Participants only need to be available for one of the two weeks.

 

The Bain BASE program is different from Experience Bain in that it specifically targets incoming MBA students from underrepresented backgrounds. Experience Bain is a much larger program that is open to all incoming MBA students.

 

Bain BASE Program Requirements

 

To be eligible for the Bain BASE program, applicants must have accepted an offer to start a full-time, two-year MBA program in the fall. The program does not accept part-time or Executive MBA students.

 

Additionally, this program is for individuals who are Black, Hispanic/Latin American, or Indigenous, which includes Native American, Alaska Native, Inuit, Metis, and First Nations.

 

International students are eligible and welcome to apply.

 

The Bain BASE program is only available in Bain’s North American offices. The offices that currently participate in this program are:

 

• Atlanta

 

• Austin

 

• Boston

 

• Chicago

 

• Dallas

 

• Denver

 

• Houston

 

• Los Angeles

 

• New York

 

• San Francisco / Silicon Valley

 

• Seattle

 

• Toronto

 

• Washington D.C.

 

Candidates may apply to both the Bain BASE program and Experience Bain.

 

Bain BASE Program Deadline

 

The deadline to apply for the Bain BASE program is typically May 5. However, you should check the official Bain BASE program website to see the official deadlines for the upcoming year.

 

The Bain BASE program is extremely selective. There are significantly more applicants than there are spots in the program. If you are not selected for the Bain BASE program, you are still eligible to apply to other Bain programs and positions.

 

The results of your Bain BASE program application have no impact on your candidacy for other Bain programs and positions. In fact, Bain states that they have hired several BASE applicants as summer interns and full-time consultants even though they were not selected for the BASE program.

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 BASE Program Application

 

The Bain BASE program application requires a resume, test scores, and Bain office preferences.

 

Resume

 

The resume that you submit for the Bain BASE 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.

 

Test scores

 

The Bain BASE program requires you to submit your test scores for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, or GRE, 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 should select the offices that you’d be interested in working in full-time in the future.

 

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 New York 60%, Boston 20%, and Chicago 20%.

 

Bain BASE Program Interview

 

After submitting the Bain BASE program application, select applicants will be invited for two 40-minute interviews. The Bain BASE program interviews consist primarily of case interviews and a few fit interview questions.

 

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 interview questions

 

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 BASE 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 BASE 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 BASE 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 BASE program 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 BASE program interviews.

 

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 BASE Program

 

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

 

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.