Candidate-led case: Ostra Airlines
Client: Ostra Airlines, a regional carrier.
Question: revenue has been flat for two years, but operating profit has halved. Why, and what should Ostra do?
How this case runs: candidate-led. At each step you choose where to look and ask for the data; the interviewer only answers what you ask.
Done looks like: the cause, sized; a fix, sized; and a recommendation. All figures are fictional.
This full case is candidate-led: the interviewer won't hand you exhibits. At each step, state where you want to look and why, ask for the data that tests it, and conclude before moving on.
Skills from the candidate-led lesson come back: start from the facts in the prompt, ask for data with a purpose, leave dead branches quickly, and summarize as you go. Ask buttons in each step reveal the data you request.
"Revenue is flat, so the fall is in costs. Could I see costs by line?"
"Loyalty doubled. Is that more members, or more points redeemed per member?"
"Redemptions per member doubled. How do we make points cost less?"
Each step: a hypothesis, a data request, a conclusion.