Casebooks

What matters most is your caser. Most cases are somewhat unrealistic and no case perfectly matches what will happen in the interview.

Rather, you need to get wide exposure to all types of case (both standard and nonstandard ones) and all types of interviewers.

Now, that said, these are ones that I particularly like

1. Columbia
   1. Cases by Firm
   2. Cases ranked by difficulty of Math, Structure, AND Creativity
2. Stern
   1. Cases by interviewer vs interviewee-led
   2. Ranked by difficulty
3. Haas
   1. Cases by interviewer vs interviewee-led
   2. Ranked by difficulty
4. Darden
   1. Cases by Firm
   2. Cases ranked by difficulty across quantitative, qualitative, and overall

Now, remember, much more important than just reading a "hard" McKinsey case or having a friend case you in it, is actually how you're cased. I can make the easiest case be your worst nightmare (as can any other coach). Make sure that, if you're really trying to get pushed hard and get prepared for the toughest cases, you're looking at hiring a coach...delivery is truly key here!

Hi there,

You will not find a single good case for McKinsey in any public or commercial resource that I am aware of. For this particular firm, I would highly recommend you getting a specialized coach. I have developed a lot of content around this topic.

The case interview in particular follows a completely different philosophy and approach at McKinsey compared to other firms e.g. Bain, BCG. Another difference is the PEI, which is hugely important in any consulting interview and often neglected.

For your case prep, please see two cases below in my signature to get you started for your McKinsey prep. Also, happy to have a free intro chat sometime where we can look at some key differences to guide you.

Best,
Moritz
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Hey,

Don't bother looking for them.
 
Doing cases from case books on your own is a bad preparation strategy. It lacks the essential component: quality feedback.

To progress quickly, I suggest you take this approach (in the following order):

1. Getting coaching when you are a complete beginner to learn the basics;

2. After you've learned the basics, practice cases with peers to polish your case solving process and acquire understanding of a wide range of industries and problem types;

3. Before the interview, ask a few acting consultants to give you cases in a mock-interview format to assess your readiness.

Regards,
Nick

Couldn’t agree more here with Ian. The cases don’t make the difference… it’s the interviewer. Warm regards, Freddy

Hi there,

To add on top of other colleague responses, don't forget to add some peer or coach practice to get tailored feedback on how to improve.

Happy to keep talking about this in private, just send me a message.

Best,

Alberto

—

Check out my latest case based on a real MBB interview: Sierra Springs

Reach out over DMs and I can share a folder with a few.