PART II: Thinking Skills
PART II: Thinking Skills
Video: Where Do We Even Start: The Steps to Solve a Case
Video: How to Read a Case the Right Way: Stop Wasting Time and Start Seeing What Matters
Video: How to Do Smart Case Research Pre-Competition, During the Case & Using AI Effectively
Video: How to Use AI Responsibly in Case Competitions: Don't Let It Replace Your Thinking
Tool: Where Do We Even Start Worksheet (Available for Purchase)
"Winning teams don't simply know more frameworks. They think differently."
Frameworks are valuable. Financial models are important. Analytical tools matter, but none of them creates winning recommendations on their own. Every framework depends on the quality of the thinking behind it. The strongest case-solving competitors develop habits of mind that allow them to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, recognise patterns, connect ideas, and make decisions under uncertainty. Those habits are skills. Unlike memorising a framework, thinking skills transfer from one competition to the next, from one industry to another, and eventually into your professional career. All forms of thinking can use the MAD Skills Thinking Model but emphasise different stages within each.
Observe → Question → Connect → Decide → Reflect
- Observe: What facts and patterns do you notice?
- Question: What assumptions should be challenged?
- Connect: How do the pieces fit together?
- Decide: What is the best course of action, and why?
- Reflect: What did you learn, and what would you do differently?
This section introduces the thinking skills that underpin every successful case solution. As you work through each chapter, remember one important principle:
Your recommendation can never be stronger than the thinking that produced it