If you’re interviewing for a business or product strategy role at Meta (Facebook), there is a good chance that you’ll receive at least one case study interview, which is also known as a case interview. Meta roles that include case study interviews as part of the interview process include:

• Business Development

 

• Product Manager

 

• Product Marketing

 

• Product Strategy

 

• Strategy and Operations

 

To land a job offer for these roles at Meta, you’ll need to ace every single one of your case interviews. While Meta case study interviews may seem ambiguous and challenging at first, know that they can be mastered with proper preparation.

 

If you are preparing for an upcoming Meta case study interview, we have you covered. In this comprehensive Meta case interview guide, we’ll cover:

• What is a Meta case study interview

 

• Why Meta uses case study interviews

 

• The 6 steps to ace any Meta case study interview

 

• Meta case study interview examples and answers

 

• Meta case study interview tips

 

• Recommended Meta case interview resources

If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course. These insider strategies from a former Bain interviewer helped 30,000+ land tech and consulting offers while saving hundreds of hours of prep time.

 

What is a Meta Case Study Interview?

 

Meta case study interviews, also known as Meta case interviews, are 20- to 30-minute exercises in which you are placed in a hypothetical business situation and are asked to find a solution or make a recommendation.

 

First, you’ll create a framework that shows the approach you would take to solve the case. Then, you’ll collaborate with the interviewer, answering a mix of quantitative and qualitative questions that will give you the information and data needed to develop an answer. Finally, you’ll deliver your recommendation at the end of the case.

 

Case study interviews have traditionally been used by consulting firms to assess a candidate’s potential to become a successful consultant. However, now a days, many companies with ex-consultants use case studies to assess a candidate’s capabilities. Since Meta has so many former consultants in its business roles, you’ll likely encounter at least one case study interview.

 

The business problems that you’ll be given in a Meta case study interview will likely be real challenges that Meta faces today:

• Usage of Facebook has dropped by nearly 15% over the past year. What is causing this and what can Meta do to address this?

 

• How can Meta increase ad revenues from its B2B customers?

 

• How should Meta deal with “fake news” in users’ newsfeeds?

 

• How can Meta increase user engagement despite the rise in new social media platforms such as Tik Tok?

 

Depending on what team at Meta you are interviewing for, you may be given a business problem that is relevant to that specific team.

 

Although there is a wide range of business problems you could possibly be given in your Meta case interview, the fundamental case interview strategies to solve each problem is the same. If you learn the right strategies and get enough practice, you’ll be able to solve any Meta case study interview.

 

Why does Meta Use Case Study Interviews?

 

Meta uses case study interviews because your performance in a case study interview is a measure of how well you would do on the job. Meta case interviews assess a variety of different capabilities and qualities needed to successfully complete job duties and responsibilities.

 

Meta's case study interviews primarily assess five things:

• Logical, structured thinking: Can you structure complex problems in a clear, simple way?

 

• Analytical problem solving: Can you read, interpret, and analyze data well?

 

• Business acumen: Do you have sound business judgment and intuition?

 

• Communication skills: Can you communicate clearly, concisely, and articulately?

 

• Personality and cultural fit: Are you coachable and easy to work with?

 

Since all of these qualities can be assessed in just a 20- to 30-minute case, Meta case study interviews are an effective way to assess a candidate’s capabilities.

 

The 6 Steps to Solve Any Meta Case Study Interview

 

In general, there are six steps to solve any Meta case study interview.

 

1. Understand the case

 

Your Meta case interview will begin with the interviewer giving you the case background information. While the interviewer is speaking, make sure that you are taking meticulous notes on the most important pieces of information. Focus on understanding the context of the situation and the objective of the case.

 

Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions if you do not understand something. You may want to summarize the case background information back to the interviewer to confirm your understanding of the case.

 

The most important part of this step is to verify the objective of the case. Not answering the right business question is the quickest way to fail a case interview.

 

2. Structure the problem

 

The next step is to develop a framework to help you solve the case. A framework is a tool that helps you structure and break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable components. Another way to think about frameworks is brainstorming different ideas and organizing them into different categories.

For a complete guide on how to create tailored and unique frameworks for each case, check out our article on case interview frameworks.

 

Before you start developing your framework, it is completely acceptable to ask the interviewer for a few minutes so that you can collect your thoughts and think about the problem.

 

Once you have identified the major issues or areas that you need to explore, walk the interviewer through your framework. They may ask a few questions or provide some feedback.

 

3. Kick off the case

 

Once you have finished presenting your framework, you’ll start diving into different areas of your framework to begin solving the case. How this process will start depends on whether the case interview is candidate-led or interviewer-led.

 

If the case interview is a candidate-led case, you’ll be expected to propose what area of your framework to start investigating. So, propose an area and provide a reason for why you want to start with that area. There is generally no right or wrong area of your framework to pick first.

 

If the case interview is interviewer-led, the interviewer will tell you what area of the framework to start in or directly give you a question to answer.

 

4. Solve quantitative problems

 

Meta case study interviews may have some quantitative aspect to them. For example, you may be asked to calculate a certain profitability or financial metric. You could also be asked to estimate the size of a particular market or to estimate a particular figure.

 

The key to solving quantitative problems is to lay out a structure or approach upfront with the interviewer before doing any math calculations. If you lay out and present your structure to solve the quantitative problem and the interviewer approves of it, the rest of the problem is just simple execution of math.

 

5. Answer qualitative questions

 

Meta case study interviews may also have qualitative aspects to them. You may be asked to brainstorm a list of potential ideas. You could also be asked to provide your opinion on a business issue or situation.

 

The key to answering qualitative questions is to structure your answer. When brainstorming a list of ideas, develop a structure to help you neatly categorize all of your ideas. When giving your opinion on a business issue or situation, provide a summary of your stance or position and then enumerate the reasons that support it.

 

6. Deliver a recommendation

 

In the last step of the Meta case interview, you’ll present your recommendation and provide the major reasons that support it. You do not need to recap everything that you have done in the case, so focus on only summarizing the facts that are most important.

 

It is also good practice to include potential next steps that you would take if you had more time or data. These can be areas of your framework that you did not have time to explore or lingering questions that you do not have great answers for.

 

Meta Case Study Interview Examples and Answers

 

Example #1: What are some areas that Meta should invest in?

 

Sample solution: To answer this question, it may be helpful to clarify what Meta's primary objective is. Are they looking to increase profits, revenues, number of users, or user engagement? The ideas that you brainstorm may vary depending on their actual goals.

 

Next, develop a framework to organize your ideas. You may want to think about areas of investments as short-term investments and long-term investments. You could brainstorm short-term investments and long-term investments for each of Meta's growth objectives.

 

Example #2: Should Meta enter the job search platform market?

 

Sample solution: This is a market entry case. Potential areas you should consider looking into in your framework include: the attractiveness of the job search platform market, the competitive landscape, Meta's capabilities, and the expected profitability from entering the market.

 

Example #3: Facebook Groups has seen a 15% drop in usage over the past year. How would you determine what is causing this drop?

 

Sample solution: You can break down usage by the number of users and the average level of engagement per user. This can be the first major area of your framework, determining the exact quantitative driver behind the drop in usage. Once you understand whether the issue is due to a decline in the number of users or a decline in engagement, you can try to understand qualitatively why this happening.

 

You could look into potential areas such as whether customer needs or preferences have changed, whether competitors have made any strategic moves, whether Meta has made any recent changes to its platform, or whether there are new market trends affecting Facebook Groups.

 

Example #4: How would you estimate how many birthday posts occur on Facebook in a given day?

 

Sample solution: This is an estimation question. Before you do any math calculations, make sure to lay out a structure or approach on how you would calculate this figure.

 

You may want to start by estimating the number of people that use Facebook and divide that by 365 to determine the number of people that have a birthday on any given day. Then, estimate the average number of friends a person has on Facebook and the percentage of friends that would make a birthday post. Multiplying these figures together will give you an estimate of the number of birthday posts on Facebook in a given day.

 

Example #5: How would you sell Meta advertising to a potential client?

 

Sample solution: To develop an effective marketing strategy, you may want to look into the client’s needs, competitor offerings, and Meta advertising’s features or benefits. Exploring these three areas will help you identify the features or benefits of Facebook advertising that are superior to competitor products that the client also values.

 

Example #6: How can Meta better compete in the ads market?

 

Sample solution: When thinking of ways for Meta to better compete in the ads market, we can consider all of the stakeholders involved in Meta's business to come up with a comprehensive list of ideas. The major stakeholders are Meta's users and advertisers.

 

Therefore, Meta can make its platform a better user experience for its users and advertisers. For users, they want ads that are relevant, safe, and trustworthy. For advertisers, they want to run ads with high targeting specificity, low cost, and easy setup and maintenance.

 

Example #7: How would you identify potential partners for Meta to work with?

 

Sample solution: The first step in solving this case is to identify what Meta's objective or goal is with a potential partnership. Are they trying to acquire new users? Or are they trying to increase user engagement?

 

Next, you can come up with a framework to assess the attractiveness of a partnership with a particular company. You may want to look into areas such as the partner’s capabilities, expected synergies, and expected profitability.

 

Example #8: What are Meta's challenges in their international markets?

 

Sample solution: When answering this question, consider what are the major types of differences between the United States and other countries. Create a framework that shows the most important characteristics or qualities of international markets. One potential framework may look into customer needs and preferences, the competitive landscape, market trends, and Meta's capabilities to execute in international markets.

 

Example #9: How would you balance content from the different number of platforms on Facebook?

 

Sample solution: To balance content, it is helpful to first create a framework that assesses the ideal qualities or characteristics that good content has. You may want to assess the content’s level of engagement, the content’s trust and safety, and the likelihood that the content will not drive users away from Facebook and onto other platforms.

 

You can use this framework to assess each piece of content across all of the platforms on Facebook to determine which content is best to show. It may be beneficial to also diversify the platforms that content is pulled from so that users do not grow too attached to a particular platform outside of Facebook.

 

Example #10: Let’s say that Meta is considering getting into the ride share business. What should they consider when making the decision on whether or not to enter?

 

Sample solution: This is a market entry case and the approach is similar to Example #2. Potential areas you should consider looking into in your framework include: the attractiveness of the ride share market, the competitive landscape, the company’s capabilities, and the expected profitability.

 

Meta Case Study Interview Tips

 

Below are eight of our best tips to help you perform your best during your Meta case study interview.

 

1. Familiarize yourself with Meta's business model

 

If you don’t understand Meta's business model, it will be challenging for you to do well in their case interviews. Therefore, you should know that Meta makes the majority of its revenue by selling advertising. You should also be familiar with the products and services that Meta offers for the specific team you are interviewing for.

 

2. Read recent news articles on Meta

 

A lot of the times, the cases you’ll see in a Meta case study interview are real business issues that the company faces. Reading up on the latest Meta news will give you a sense of what Meta's biggest challenges are and what major business decisions they face today. There is a good chance that your case study interview will be similar to something that you have read in the news.

 

3. Verify the objective of the case 

 

Answering the wrong business problem will waste a lot of time during your Meta case study interview. Therefore, the most critical step of the case interview is to verify the objective of the case with the interviewer. Make sure that you understand what the primary business issue is and what overall question you are expected to answer at the end of the case.

 

4. Ask clarifying questions

 

Do not be afraid to ask questions. You will not be penalized for asking questions that are important and relevant to the case. 

 

Great questions to ask include asking for the definition of an unfamiliar term, asking questions that clarify the objective of the issue, and asking questions to strengthen your understanding of the business situation.

 

5. Do not use memorized frameworks

 

Interviewers can tell when you are using memorized frameworks from popular case interview prep books. Meta values creativity and intellect. Therefore, make every effort to create a custom, tailored framework for each case that you get.

 

6. Always connect your answers to the case objective

 

Throughout the case, make sure you are connecting each of your answers back to the overall business problem or question. What implications does your answer have on the overall business problem?

 

Many candidates make the mistake of answering case questions correctly, but they don’t take the initiative to tie their answer back to the case objective.

 

7. Communicate clearly and concisely

 

In a Meta case study interview, it can be tempting to answer the interviewer’s question and then continue talking about related topics or ideas. However, you have a limited amount of time to solve a Meta case, so it is best to keep your answers concise and to the point.

 

Answer the interviewer’s question, summarize how it impacts the case objective, and then move onto the next important issue or question.

 

8. Be enthusiastic

 

Meta wants to hire candidates that love their job and will work hard. Displaying enthusiasm shows that you are passionate about working at Meta. Having a high level of enthusiasm and energy also makes the interview more enjoyable for the interviewer. They will be more likely to have a positive impression of you.

 

Recommended Meta Interview Resources

 

Here are the resources we recommend to land a Meta job offer:

 

For help landing interviews

 

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