Coaching sessions number

Hi there,

There’s no one size fits all answer, but most candidates benefit from three to five paid coaching sessions in total. It’s usually better to work with one main coach for consistency rather than many, and potentially add a second coach for a different perspective if needed. Peer practice is very important and should come before coaching to build a baseline, and between coaching sessions to apply feedback and improve.

Happy to draft a plan together based on your needs to optimise sessions, feel free to reach out.

Best,
Evelina

This question comes up a lot, and it usually comes from a good place. People want to be efficient and not overpay. But there is a flawed assumption behind it.

Interview skills do not add up linearly. You cannot stack isolated sessions from different coaches and expect clean progress. In practice, that approach creates noise, not skill.

Every coach has a different mental model of what “good” looks like. They emphasize different things, correct different behaviors, and use different standards. If you jump between them, you are constantly resetting the rules of the game. You spend more time reconciling feedback than actually improving.

Real progress comes from continuity. A single coach who follows you over time can see patterns. They remember what you struggled with three sessions ago, what you already fixed, and what still breaks under pressure. That is impossible in one off sessions.

The same applies to systems. Case interviews are not a collection of tips. They are a sequence of decisions that build on each other. If the underlying logic keeps changing, your thinking never stabilizes. You may sound “busy” in cases, but you are not reliable. And reliability is what interviewers care about.

Many people I work with realized this the hard way. They did dozens of peer cases and booked random coaching sessions, hoping one of them would unlock everything. In reality, they just delayed committing to a clear path. By the time I worked with theme, the biggest issue was not talent or inherent skill, but unlearning random bad habits they had picked up along the way.

If you want to choose a coach sensibly, keep it simple. Look at outcomes, not claims. Has this person helped people with profiles similar to yours get real offers, consistently, over time. Then ask yourself whether you trust their judgment enough to follow their approach without constantly shopping for second opinions.

Once you decide, stick to it. Give the process enough time to work. Use peers only in a structured way, aligned with the same logic and standards. Random peer practice and isolated coaching sessions usually feel productive, but they stretch the journey and burn resources.

The goal is not to stack up sessions.
The goal is to get good in a controlled, repeatable way.

Hope this helps!

Sidi

_______________________

Dr. Sidi S. Koné

hey there :)

there is no fixed number that fits everyone. usually a few targeted paid sessions are enough if they are well timed, combined with peer practice before and in between. I always start with one session with my coachees and then we honestly assess where they stand and what makes sense next. I am very transparent about this because without that honesty you simply cannot build a good plan. feel free to reach out if you want to discuss your situation.

best,
Alessa :)

It really depends on your personal situation and preferences.

The strategic timeline looks like this: Start by practicing with peers to get comfortable with the basics. Once you feel you have a basic structure down, take a few sessions with a paid coach. This acts as your initial deep-dive diagnosis. The coach will pinpoint your specific blind spots (e.g., poor synthesis, structuring too shallowly) that peers usually can't articulate. You then take those specific critiques and go back to peer practice for a month or two, hyper-focusing on those weaknesses. Finally, bring in the paid coaches again for the last few sessions right before your target interview window for polish and high-pressure simulation.

All the best!

I recommend you find a coach at the start of the process.

Depending on who you work with, they can help you find the quickest, most efficient path to becoming interview-ready. You will know which resources to focus on, which drills to do, and how to approach practice. 

That doesn't mean you need to do more sessions; it just means bringing in the coach from the beginning, rather than assuming they'll only do the polish at the end (that's the big mistake many candidates make). 

How many sessions? 

Actually, that depends more on you than on anything else. Meaning, what is your current level, what firm you're aiming for and how effective you are at implementing the feedback. 

Read a few coaching profiles and then organise an intro call to see if you match vibe-wise. Then, if it becomes clear, go for a multi-session package because typically they are overall cheaper on a per-session basis, or start with one session. 

If you want an even quicker solution, I also offer a 24h diagnostic. You can read more about it here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-and-guides-2/24h_diagnostic

Best,
Cristian 

There is no right answer. It depends on whether you want to ‘do it yourself’ or have someone to help you along the whole way 

Do it yourself approach: I would do the first one with a coach after I did some practice by myself. Then get feedback and work with peers and probably go on again with the coach to see how I evolved and get more feedback to progress 

Help along the way: Get a coach to guide you along and do multiple cases with the perfect approach 

There are pros and cons to have one or multiple coaches. But remember the interviews are not done by one person. So to reflect reality, towards the end it can be argued it’s better to see more than one style 

Hi there,

This really depends on your starting point and how quickly can you apply the learnings and feedback to improve your casing skills. I suggest you one session with a coach to get a sense of where your baseline is, and practice a few cases with peers and then have another session with a coach in 1-2 weeks to see how fast you have improved. This will be more accurate.

It will really depend on where you are right now and where you need to be (i.e. what is the gap). 

I would suggest generally having just 1 core coach, but good to do a few adhoc sessions with other experienced coaches to get different perspectives - especially because in real life, you will have 2-4 different interviewers. 

For peers, I would urge some caution on this... it can be helpful for certain kind of practice but for more complex and nuanced stuff you really need someone who has been in the interviewer's seat to help you navigate those.

All the best!