Neutralize the Bomb

Looking for a fun BCG case study to get your ready for that first round interview? Try out this Brainteaser!

Case Study Prompt

You come across a bomb that is about to go off if you do not stop it! 

To neutralize the bomb, you must get EXACTLY four gallons of water in the empty tub to which it is attached. 

The only equipment you have is one empty 3-gallon jug, one empty 5-gallon jug and an unlimited supply of water. 

There are no markings on the jugs or the tub. The only thing you know is that one jug is 3-gallon and the other jug is 5-gallon.

The jugs have to be completely filled. You cannot make eyeball assumptions about a half-filled jug. You have to make sure you get EXACTLY 4 gallons in the tub.

What do you do?

BCG Case Study Overview

In this non-traditional BCG case study, you are in a life and death situation and must defuse a bomb using your street smarts and problem solving skills. You have come across a bomb that needs to be defused with no tools at your disposal except for two empty water jugs. These Brainteasers give you a chance to show your quant skills in a first round BCG interview.

The qualitative difficulty is 1 out of 4 and there are no math exhibits.

BCG Interview Tips

What is BCG looking for? Candidates with high level structure and communication skills. Make sure you can relay how you solved the problem clearly and verbalize your process.

At the end of the case, identify one takeaway or area you can improve.

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