BCG Data Analyst Interview Guide (2025) – Questions, Process & SQL Tips

In the 2024 financial year, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) notched its 21st straight year of growth, pulling in $13.5 billion in global revenue. While already a titan in management consulting, BCG’s forward-looking arm, BCG X, is redefining what it means to solve problems at the intersection of strategy and technology. Known for its “consulting + tech” culture, BCG X empowers clients to tackle complexity with analytics, innovation, and machine learning.

The BCG data analyst interview questions and the BCG data analyst interview process reflect the company’s shift toward data-driven consulting. Data analysts now play a critical role in merging business insight with technical rigor. At BCG X, their impact goes beyond analysis—analysts drive innovation across industries, from healthcare to finance. With competitive compensation, rapid career growth, and global client exposure, the BCG data analyst role is one of the most dynamic in the industry today.

Let’s now dive into what you can expect from the 2025 interview process.

Getting through the BCG data analyst interview means going through a few key steps that test both your technical skills and how you work with others. The process progresses like this:

• Online Application & Resume Screen
• Technical Assessment & SQL Quiz
• Case + Analytics Interviews
• Final Culture & Partner Fit

Online Application & Resume Screen

When you apply for a data analyst role at BCG, the first step is a detailed online application. You’ll upload your resume, cover letter, transcripts, and maybe test scores, while also picking your preferred office locations.

On your resume, BCG wants to see analytical horsepower, clear impact, and technical skills like SQL or Python. Your cover letter should also show why you’re excited about BCG and how your goals align with the role.

After applying, expect a quick HR or recruiter call. It’s a short phone or video screen to check your communication style and technical basics. Around the same time, you’ll likely take the Pymetrics test, which is a gamified online assessment that gives BCG a read on your cognitive and behavioral traits.

A newer step is the one-way video interview, often done through platforms like Spark Hire. You record answers to standard questions, helping BCG assess your soft skills and cultural fit beyond what’s on paper.

All of this happens before you reach live interviews. The process is structured to filter efficiently and highlight not just what you know but how you think and communicate.

Technical Assessment & SQL Quiz

For BCG data analyst roles, the technical assessment usually kicks off with an online coding test, often through platforms like HackerRank or CodeSignal.

You’ll face SQL and Python questions that mimic real business scenarios, testing how well you manipulate, aggregate, and analyze data. Expect this part to last about 1 to 2 hours, and it’s your first big technical filter.

SQL takes center stage here. You’ll need to be comfortable with joins, aggregations, filtering, subqueries, CTEs, and especially window functions and date logic.

After the coding test, technical interviews go deeper. You might do live coding, walk through your past projects, or analyze a business case with data.

It’s not just about syntax, though. You’ll often be asked to interpret outputs and link them to business recommendations. Some candidates describe solving problems like flattening a binary tree or explaining the rationale behind machine learning models they’ve built.

Case + Analytics Interviews

After the initial technical screen, the BCG Data Analyst interview moves into the case and analytics phase, which can span several rounds with different interviewers—sometimes senior analysts, sometimes partners.

Each round tends to follow a predictable rhythm: five minutes of behavioral questions, a deep 25 to 30-minute case discussion, and a quick Q&A to wrap things up.

Some candidates also face an online assessment that includes one business scenario, sliced into 8 or 9 sequential questions, with 30 to 35 minutes to tackle it. That typically ends with a one-minute video summarizing your recommendation.

In these interviews, you’ll need to juggle data skills with business intuition. Cases often focus on profitability, market sizing, M&A, or operations. You’ll analyze data, spot patterns, and translate those into actionable insights, all while communicating clearly, especially to non-technical audiences.

Candidates often say the interview is fast-paced and unforgiving. One person noted the single-case format with a mix of quant, stats and business judgment, plus that one-minute video summary. Another stressed how even a simple math slip-up can be a dealbreaker.

Final Culture & Partner Fit

The final BCG Data Analyst interview is partner-led and centers on cultural fit, leadership potential, and alignment with BCG’s values. Expect open-ended behavioral questions about motivation, collaboration, and decision-making under pressure.

You’ll deliver a sharp elevator pitch, discuss impactful projects, and show how you add business value. Communication matters—partners assess how clearly you explain insights to non-technical stakeholders.

Strong storytelling, self-awareness, and a consulting mindset are key. Even technically solid candidates can falter if they miss the cultural mark.

Here are the recurring questions that are asked in the BCG Data Analyst Interviews:

Analytics/SQL/Modeling Questions

These questions test your ability to write efficient queries that manipulate and analyze data across multiple tables, focusing on tasks like joining datasets, filtering records, and calculating aggregated results relevant to business scenarios:

1. Given two tables: accounts, and downloads, find the average number of downloads for free vs paying accounts, broken down by day.

To solve this, join the accounts and downloads tables on account_id, filter for accounts with at least one download, and group by download_date and paying_customer. Calculate the average downloads for each group and round the result to two decimal places.

2. Write a query to get the current salary for each employee after an ETL error.

To solve this, you need to identify the most recent salary entry for each employee, which can be done by selecting the maximum ID for each unique combination of first and last names. This ensures that you retrieve the latest salary record for each employee.

3. Given a table of transactions and products, write a query to return the product id, product price, and average transaction total value of each product such that it has a price higher than the average transaction price.

To solve this, calculate the average transaction total for each product by multiplying the price by the quantity for each transaction. Then, filter the results to include only those products where the product price is greater than this average transaction total, rounding the values to two decimal places.

4. Calculate the first touch attribution for each user_id that converted

To determine the first touch attribution, join the attribution and user_sessions tables on session_id. Filter for sessions where conversion is true, and then find the earliest session for each user_id to identify the channel through which they first discovered the website.

5. Given the transactions table, write a query that finds the third purchase of every user.

To find the third purchase of every user, you can use a window function like ROW_NUMBER() to assign a sequential number to each purchase per user, ordered by the purchase time and id. Then, filter the results to only include rows where the row number is 3, indicating the third purchase.

6. Given a table of transactions and products, write a function to get the month_over_month change in revenue for the year 2019.

To calculate the month-over-month change in revenue, first, join the transactions and products tables to compute the total revenue for each month in 2019. Then, calculate the percentage change in revenue from one month to the next, rounding the result to two decimal places.

7. Create a new dataset with summary level information on customer purchases

To create a summary dataset, group the sales data by customer_id and gender, then calculate the most_recent_sale by finding the maximum date of sale for each customer. Additionally, count the number of sales per customer to determine the order_count.

8. What kind of analysis would you conduct to recommend changes to the UI?

To recommend changes to the UI, conduct a user journey analysis by examining user event data to identify patterns and bottlenecks in user interactions. This involves analyzing user paths, drop-off points, and engagement metrics to understand user behavior and areas for improvement.

Business Case & Visualization Questions

These Business Case & Visualization questions assess your ability to analyze data to provide insights, often combining quantitative reasoning with clear communication of results:

9. Given ad engagement data segmented by source (feed vs. mentions), how would you analyze and present which placement drives better conversion and why?

To compare feed vs. mentions, calculate conversion rates per placement and visualize them with bar or funnel charts. Analyze user segments, test for significance, and evaluate cost-efficiency. Then, recommend the better-performing placement based on conversion impact and business goals, possibly validating insights through A/B testing or deeper behavioral segmentation.

10. What’s the expected churn rate in March for all customers that bought the product since January 1st?

Calculate the expected churn rate by considering the initial churn rate and its monthly reduction. Use the formula to determine the customer base and churn rate for March, factoring in new subscriptions and reduced churn from previous months.

11. Evaluate whether a 50% rider discount promotion is a good or bad idea

To evaluate the effectiveness of a 50% rider discount, you should implement an A/B test to compare the behavior of users who receive the discount against those who do not. Key metrics to track include changes in ride frequency, customer acquisition, retention rates, and overall revenue impact. Additionally, consider the long-term effects on customer loyalty and whether the discount leads to sustainable growth.

Behavioral & Consulting Scenarios Questions

Behavioral & Consulting Scenarios questions evaluate your interpersonal skills, teamwork, and alignment with BCG’s culture by exploring how you handle disagreements, collaborate with others, and express your motivation for joining the firm:

12. Describe a situation where colleagues disagreed with your approach and how you engaged them to address their concerns.

For a BCG data analyst interview, use the STAR method to outline the context, your actions, and the resolution, focusing on collaboration and stakeholder management. Emphasize how you facilitated open discussion, incorporated feedback, and built consensus to move the project forward. This demonstrates your ability to navigate complex team dynamics and drive results in a consulting environment.

13. Why are you interested in working at BCG as a data analyst, and how do you see this role aligning with your career goals?

Tailor your answer to BCG’s mission, values, and the specific opportunities in data analytics consulting. Articulate how your skills and career goals align with BCG’s projects, culture, and impact-driven work. This signals genuine interest and thoughtful preparation, which are highly valued in BCG interviews.

14. Describe a project where you surpassed expectations, detailing your actions and achievements.

Select a project relevant to analytics or consulting, highlighting your initiative and measurable impact on business outcomes. Discuss how you identified an opportunity, went beyond your assigned responsibilities, and delivered value to the client or team. This showcases your drive, ownership, and ability to exceed BCG’s high-performance standards.

15. Explain how to prioritize and stay organized with multiple deadlines.

Describe your approach to managing competing priorities, such as using project management tools, setting clear milestones, and communicating proactively with stakeholders. Give an example where you balanced several deliverables for a client or internal team, ensuring all were completed on time. Highlight your organizational skills and reliability—qualities critical for a BCG data analyst working on fast-paced consulting projects.

The Knowledge Analyst (KA) role at BCG is designed for individuals with deep expertise in a specific industry or functional area.

Unlike generalist Data Analysts who focus on technical execution and data interpretation across varied business problems, Knowledge Analysts act as internal consultants, helping case teams by providing sharp, research-backed insights and strategic guidance rooted in their domain knowledge.

Where Data Analyst interviews lean heavily on SQL, Python, and general business problem-solving, Knowledge Analyst interviews push deeper into strategic thinking and domain-specific insight.

Instead of a generic case study, expect an “expertise” interview with someone from your future team. This is where you demonstrate fluency in industry trends, key players, and strategic frameworks, showing how your knowledge translates into impact for both internal BCG teams and external clients. Later cases often involve applying that expertise in more complex, layered scenarios.

In short, while the Data Analyst path highlights technical execution and generalist analytics, the Knowledge Analyst route tests your ability to serve as a trusted, informed thought partner.

Getting ready for a BCG Data Analyst interview typically revolves around focusing on balancing your technical know-how with business smarts and clear communication.

Start by practicing SQL—get comfortable with joins, aggregations, and window functions using our SQL Learning Path. Don’t forget Python or R for data handling, plus brush up on stats basics like hypothesis testing and dealing with tricky data. Play around with Tableau or Power BI to make your visuals pop.

When it comes to case interviews, don’t just memorize frameworks. Dive into the data, spot patterns, and think about what makes sense for the business.

Keep your math sharp, as you won’t get a calculator. Practice quick mental calculations. You might also get written cases, so get used to pulling key insights from lots of info quickly.

For behavioral questions, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and have a few strong stories ready about teamwork, leadership, and handling challenges as mentioned in the questions.

Moreover, learn about BCG’s values and think about how your style fits. Doing mock interviews with friends or coaching with mentors can really help you get comfortable and nail your delivery.

A few additional insider tips: don’t stress over which programming language you use—focus on how you think through problems. During case interviews, pause before answering, build your hypotheses, and customize your approach to the problem.

And remember, you might need to sum up your recommendation in just one minute, so practice keeping it clear and concise.

What does BCG call a Knowledge Analyst?

BCG refers to this role simply as a Knowledge Analyst. If you’re preparing for a BCG knowledge analyst interview, expect a focus on deep industry expertise and the ability to deliver original insights directly to case teams.

Do analysts rotate across practices?

Rotation policies vary, but generally, analysts may have opportunities to work across different practices depending on business needs and individual interests. It’s best to ask during your interview or check with current employees for specifics.

Where can I find open roles?

You can explore data science analytics jobs at BCG on their official careers website, LinkedIn, or the Interview Query Job Board.

Ready to take the next step? Preparing for a BCG data analyst interview is a rewarding challenge that blends technical skill, business insight, and clear communication. Start honing your abilities now and explore the latest data science analytics jobs at BCG to find opportunities that fit your goals. For a broader view, check out the Success Story of Jeffrey Li, and explore data analyst interview questions to keep your preparation sharp and targeted. Also, feel free to explore the Data Structure and Algorithms Learning Path if you’re not confident enough. Good luck!