Oct 08, 2026 by Offer

Market sizing: how many coffees (How To Answer): Interview Answer Guide 2027

How many cups of coffee does a city drink per day? Take population × share of coffee drinkers × cups per day — e.g., 8 million × 60% × 1.5 ≈ 7.2 million cups. This market sizing interview question tests structured estimation: segment the population, state assumptions, multiply through, and sanity-check, rather than producing a 'correct' number.

What the Market Sizing Interview Question Tests

Whether you segment before multiplying: population → coffee drinkers → cups per day.
Whether assumptions are explicit and reasonable, not hidden inside the arithmetic.
Whether you sanity-check the result and can flex it if the interviewer changes an input.

How to Answer the Market Sizing Interview Question

Execute this five-step sequence out loud:

Clarify. "Cups consumed per day in the city, including home, office, and cafés?"
Anchor the population. "8 million people; roughly 70% adults ≈ 5.6 million."
Apply penetration. "60% drink coffee regularly ≈ 3.4 million drinkers."
Multiply frequency. "1.5 cups a day ≈ 5 million cups daily."
Sanity-check. "5 million cups for 8 million people — about 0.6 per person per day, plausible."

Sample close: "I would present it as 4–6 million cups a day — the range matters more than the point estimate, and every assumption is adjustable."

Common Mistakes With the Market Sizing Interview Question

One giant leap: 'I think it's 10 million.' No segmentation, no assumptions, no credit.
Mixing units — per day vs. per year — halfway through the calculation.
Defending a shaky assumption instead of adjusting: interviewers change inputs to test flexibility, not to argue.

Market sizing is the highest-ROI skill to drill for consulting interviews: the structure is identical every time, so five practice questions make you look experienced. Candidates who segment cleanly pass; candidates who guess fail.

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FAQ

What is the standard market sizing structure?

Population × penetration × frequency (top-down), or build up from segments like households or stores (bottom-up). State assumptions, multiply, sanity-check.

Top-down or bottom-up — which is better?

Both are valid; top-down is faster for 'how many coffees' style questions. Use whichever gives cleaner segments, and mention the other as a cross-check.

How precise should the final number be?

One or two significant figures with a range. 'About 7 million cups a day' beats '7,234,118' — false precision signals you missed the point.

What if the interviewer changes an assumption?

Recompute quickly and cheerfully. That is the real test: they want to see structured flexibility, not attachment to your first number.

Preparing for Accenture's interview? Our 2027 Accenture Online Assessment and Video Interview Exact Questions and Answers has practice questions and answers — $79 one-time, instant download.