His business acumen helped him ace Accenture Strategy Connect 2021

My primary motivation to take part in this competition was to learn more about consulting and case studies.

I have been a business quizzer for some years now, and also possessed some experience in consulting. But honestly, Accenture Strategy Connect was a hard fought win. Despite me having some amount of experience in both domains, the uniqueness of each round compelled me to sit down, read, and learn more.

A break from sole quizzing events was what I was searching for when I came across the Accenture Strategy Connect opportunity. With the zeal of trying something new, I found this as the apt opportunity to give it a shot as it satisfied both domains of mine: consulting and quizzing. The event provided me with chances to solve guesstimates and case studies successfully to make it to the final round.

How did I prepare?

Accenture Strategy Connect comprised of four stages:

1. A 20 minute Business Quiz
2. The Guesstimates Challenge
3. The Case Study round
4. The Live Quiz

To prepare for these four rounds, I followed a three-pronged approach. For the business quiz, I got back to the basics and started skimming through my regular material. Guesstimates was a part where I lacked experience. Thus, this portion required some basic research to figure out the kind of questions that can be expected to help me prepare well. For the case study, I headed on to a friend who was pursuing post-graduation to learn even the minutest aspect of it. A bunch of sample case studies from the internet also proved to be a boon at this moment.

The GRAND Finale

The finale had to be a Live Quiz, with none other than Gautam Bose as the quizmaster. I’ve met Gautam earlier during several other quizzes that he hosted, and having him here was fun. But, I was also slightly nervous on the other side thinking of the questions that will be coming my way in the next few minutes. The other 9 finalists that stood in the finale did not alter my focus.

The high standard of quizzing that Gautam and his team brought to the table with each and every quiz was exceptional. Some of the questions were absolutely exquisite. I wish I would have attended the event in offline mode.

The special moment of the entire finale was the second last round where clouds of doubt of being in the game loomed over me. I had to positively answer the next few questions to remain in the contest. And doing so, boosted my confidence.

With the end approaching, my nervousness grew as I did have an estimate of the scores in my head, but wasn’t sure if I’ll be able to make it up or not. As my name was announced, the mixed feelings of relief and excitement are unexplainable.

Key takeaways…

Though I did have a base built for Accenture Strategy Connect, I would not suggest that it should in any way obstruct you from working hard. The individual event required different kinds of skill sets, which requires a specific set of preparation. Thus, a well thought out preparation plan is a must. This is an opportunity that will provide you with immense chances to learn about consulting and case studies throughout the challenge, therefore, in my suggestion, missing out on this opportunity can prove to be of a great loss.

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