Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Interview Partners to connect and practice with!

Anonymous A

on Mar 29, 2022

Global

Do you need an MBA to become partner ?

Hi ??

Is it mandatory to have an MBA to reach management consulting partner level at big 3 & big 4 ?

3.4k

Be the first to answer!

Nobody has responded to this question yet.

Top answer

Andi

Coach

on Mar 29, 2022

BCG 1st & Final Round interviewer | Personalized prep with >95% success rate | 7yrs coaching | Experienced Hires

Hi there,

simple answer here is NO - MBA is definitely not required to progress to the top in any of these firms.

For context, consulting firms (includes the MBB) are quite meritocratic, whereby your career success will be largely a function of project performance (downward & upward feedback, involvement in citizenship activities, and for partner level of ability to build relationships / network as well as commercial acumen of course. Once you make it into the firm, your academic credentials will become absolutely irrelevant.

Hope this clarifies.

Regards, Andi

Deleted

Coach

edited on Mar 29, 2022

Ex-BCG Interviewer | Stanford MBA | 1st Consultant Hired in BCG Philippines | 100+ students coached

Hi,

Definitely not! In BCG, we have a lot of partners who don't have an MBA. There are a lot of mobility options within MBB firms outside of MBA (e.g. international transfers, secondments, etc.) Think about what kind of partner you want to be and choose experiences which will help you get there!

Cristian

Coach

on Mar 29, 2022

#1 Rated McKinsey Coach | Top MBB Coach | Verifiable success rates

Hi there,

Not at all. In fact, there are many many Partners who don't even have a background in business / finance topic. What really matters to become Partner is to be a decent consultant and willing to stick it out for many many years despite the hard work, long hours and lots of people who might mistreat you.

Maikol

Coach

on Mar 30, 2022

BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780

No. Once you are in, you get promoted just because of your performance, not because of your education.

Moritz

Coach

on Mar 31, 2022

ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | High impact sessions + FREE materials & exercises

No! Once you're in, nobody cares.

At McKinsey, I found that more Partners didn't have an MBA.

Do a little linkedin search to get a feeling for what people were up to before they became successful at MBB, BIG4, or elsewhere. The result may surprise you!

Best of luck!

Ian

Coach

on Mar 30, 2022

Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Not in the slightest!

Once you are in the company there is no difference. The MBA is only about improving your odds to get in. Then, to get to Partner that's all about skill, networking/relationships, and “outlasting” the others!

Deleted user

on Mar 29, 2022

Nope.