Best job-readiness course for consulting? (Think MBB new joiner training)

Question

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to find a high-quality, job readiness course that teaches the fundamentals of consulting — the kind of structured, practical training that MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) might give to new joiners.

To give you a sense of what I mean:
Think of the finance world equivalents like Wall Street Prep, BIWS, or Training the Street for investment banking — or FMI / Project Finance Institute for financial modeling and project finance. I'm looking for something similar, but for consulting.

So far, the only course I’ve found is from Highbridge Academy. But it’s unclear whether it fully covers the structured problem-solving, toolkit development, and real-case simulation I’m hoping to get.

I’m not looking for generic advice like “just do an Excel course and learn PowerPoint.” I’m looking for a focused, hands-on program that sharpens my consulting skills and prepares me to solve real case problems effectively from day one.

If anyone knows of reputable courses (paid or free) that are used by firms or are truly high-impact, I’d really appreciate your input.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hi there,

This doesn't really exist, but I agree it would be useful.

There are a couple of books that you could read: The Trusted Advisor, The Pyramid Principles, etc.

And you can try to work on the hard skills (the Powerpoint and Excel courses you were mentioning).

But the core of the job you learn through feedback and mentoring. What you can do, and I already work with past candidates on this, is get a coach and simulate case work in a concentrated way (e.g., having to prepare an actual storyline for a steering committee deck and the coach could give you feedback on it).

Best,
Cristian

Answer 2

Hi,

as others mentioned before, this does not really exist.

What firms do have is a mix of on the job learning and structured training curriculum (typically around inflection points, think joining the company, getting promoted).

In the structured training for junior consultants it is typically a mix of hard skills (how to use PPT and firm specific macros, how to build an integrated business case in Excel, accounting, etc.) to more soft skills (how to build stories, how to present well, how to deal with difficult clients). The mediums are a mix of coaching, presentations and small case studies.

So while I don't know of any structured program that MBB uses, you could build your own based on the areas mentioned above especially for hard skills and work with a coach on the softer areas (e.g., simulating client discussions, structuring problems).

Happy to help!

Answer 3

Honestly I think you should just enjoy your time before consulting. Trying to prepare some of these things isn't really an effective use of your time because the complexities of the job really can only be re-created by actually doing the job.

I conduct training for BCG new joiners and I can tell you that while training is structured and helpful, if you really want to excel in consulting - what matters more is what happens after the trainings...

Answer 4

just chill man/woman

Answer 5

Hi there,

I also only have heard about the High Bridge Academy. Maybe worth talking to past students and see if it is a good usage of your time and money. Probably there are other courses such as theirs, have you tried chatGPT for it?

Best,

Mari

Answer 6

Hi there,

McKinsey offers a free online program called McKinsey Forward, which teaches the core consulting toolkit — things like problem solving, structured thinking, and communication.

You’ll need to meet certain eligibility criteria (typically early-career professionals or students), but if you qualify, it’s a great way to boost your skills and credibility.

Here’s the link to check it out: https://www.mckinsey.com/forward/overview

Best

Alberto

Answer 7

Assuming you already have a job lined up, my advice would be to enjoy some time off. You'll learn everything you need to on the job.

Other coaches have pointed to some good resources, though.