{"id":42433,"date":"2026-06-23T09:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/?p=42433"},"modified":"2026-06-23T09:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:03:48","slug":"understanding-the-case-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/","title":{"rendered":"The mbaMission Podcast: Understanding the Case Method: Inside the HBS Classroom with Prof. Joshua Margolis | Ep 108"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are applying to business school, you have probably heard about the \u201ccase method\u201d more times than you can count\u2014and likely wondered what the experience is like and what it asks of MBA students. In this episode of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mbaMission Podcast<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, host Harold Simansky and mbaMission Executive Director Jessica Shklar sit down with Harvard Business School (HBS) professor Joshua Margolis, a faculty member in the Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning, for a candid look at how the case method works at the school that invented it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Applicants should take note of these four fundamental takeaways.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Understanding the Case Method with HBS Professor Joshua Margolis | Ep 108\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H5WWnReqLk8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/#1_the_cold_call_is_not_what_you_think\" >1. The cold call is not what you think.\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/#2_the_%e2%80%9cwarm_call%e2%80%9d_is_what_actually_trains_you_to_be_a_leader\" >2. The \u201cwarm call\u201d is what actually trains you to be a leader.\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/#3_plan_to_dedicate_two_to_four_hours_individually_per_case_plus_more_with_your_study_group\" >3. Plan to dedicate two to four hours individually per case, plus more with your study group.\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/#4_if_you_sit_in_on_a_case_class_as_an_applicant_watch_for_three_things\" >4. If you sit in on a case class as an applicant, watch for three things.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_the_cold_call_is_not_what_you_think\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. The cold call is not what you think.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most-discussed moment in the HBS classroom is also the most misunderstood: the cold call. Some professors use a random number generator to select which student will begin the discussion. Others pick deliberately based on the case. (Professor Margolis\u2019s late colleague Jack Gabarro used to point out that right-handed professors, after writing on the board, tend to call on students to their right, so they have to compensate by scanning the whole room.) The goal in every case is the same: to establish a foundation for a robust discussion, not to embarrass the student who is chosen. Knowing that should take a weight off for anyone nervous about case classes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-mbamission-podcast\/id1748825410?i=1000773862381\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-41854\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button-300x100.jpg\" alt=\"apple podcasts button\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button-300x100.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/1FfoqEOlVbiZ88tTAsYdOI?si=1d78e064f76745c7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-41852\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/spotify-button-300x100.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/spotify-button-300x100.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/spotify-button.jpg 563w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_the_%e2%80%9cwarm_call%e2%80%9d_is_what_actually_trains_you_to_be_a_leader\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. The \u201cwarm call\u201d is what actually trains you to be a leader.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the final ten minutes of class, Professor Margolis will give a student five minutes\u2019 notice and ask them to identify three core themes from the discussion, take a position on one of the decisions the class has debated, and announce what they have decided. This is, he says, exactly what leaders are asked to do\u2014listen intently, synthesize what they have heard, and commit to a view. This is why, in the HBS admissions interview, the school is seeking to learn \u201cCan this applicant hear a room, decide what matters, and own a position?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_plan_to_dedicate_two_to_four_hours_individually_per_case_plus_more_with_your_study_group\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Plan to dedicate two to four hours individually per case, plus more with your study group.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is Professor Margolis\u2019s honest answer to the most practical question HBS applicants ask. He adds that the first six weeks of any case method program will feel especially slow because you are \u201clearning to learn\u201d in a new way. He cautions that second-year students are not the best source of factual information about the first year of the program because they have romantically glossed over the most intense stretch. If you are considering attending a business school that heavily, or exclusively, uses the case method, the best way to evaluate the approach is to sit in on a class, and to ask first-year students what their experience has been like.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_if_you_sit_in_on_a_case_class_as_an_applicant_watch_for_three_things\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. If you sit in on a case class as an applicant, watch for three things.<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, watch for the moments when the professor sparks disagreement between students seated in different parts of the room. HBS professors are taught early to look for these \u201cpastures of discussion\u201d and to use the physical layout of the room to widen the conversation. Second, listen for the second-order question the professor asks to push the conversation deeper. Third, ask yourself, as the discussion unfolds, how your own thinking is changing in real time\u2014which assumptions are holding up, and which are not.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The full podcast conversation delves even deeper, covering how HBS instructs its faculty to teach using the case method and how study groups are constructed. It is recommended listening for anyone considering attending HBS, UVA Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, Northwestern Kellogg, the Stanford GSB, or any other case method program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New episodes of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mbaMission Podcast<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are released every Tuesday on all major streaming platforms, with full video episodes available on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@mbaMission\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mbaMission\u2019s YouTube channel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If you are curious about how your background, goals, and target schools line up with what top business programs are looking for, sign up for a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/consult\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free 30-minute consultation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with Harold, Jessica, or another member of the mbaMission team.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are applying to business school, you have probably heard about the \u201ccase method\u201d more times than you can count\u2014and likely wondered what the experience is like and what it asks of MBA students. In this episode of The mbaMission Podcast, host Harold Simansky and mbaMission Executive Director Jessica Shklar sit down with Harvard &hellip; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/\">Read&nbsp;More&nbsp;&nbsp;<i class=\"fal fa-sm fa-angle-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":42434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25,643],"tags":[632,233,441],"class_list":["post-42433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-harvard-hbs","category-mbamission-podcast","tag-case-method-mba","tag-harvard-business-school","tag-hbs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Understanding the Case Method | mbaMission Podcast Ep 108<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"HBS Professor Joshua Margolis explains what the case method actually is, how HBS teaches its own faculty to teach it, how the cold call really works, and how many hours per case a first-year student should expect to spend.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Understanding the Case Method | mbaMission Podcast Ep 108\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"HBS Professor Joshua Margolis explains what the case method actually is, how HBS teaches its own faculty to teach it, how the cold call really works, and how many hours per case a first-year student should expect to spend.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/understanding-the-case-method\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"mbaMission - 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