Hello All,I did my BCG internship interview in jan and I didn't get in. Now I am preparing for full time and I am in target mba in europe. MBB are coming to the school in september. so my question is when should I start preparing? Will 4 months not be overkill?

Hi there,

Honestly, there is no bulletproof plan. It's like asking someone for a bulletproof "get fit" plan. Different people need different diets and workout plans. A 300 lb young person with high motivation will have a completely different journey to a 70lb 40 year old with back pain and a torn ACL.

That said, #1 learn from the mistakes of others:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

Some other main tips:

Take one reading resource (case coach, casebooks, case in point, etc.)....they're only valuable at the beginner stage

Do live cases - reading cases doesn't count

Always evaluate resources - so many are wrong and so many are used wrong

Rocketblocks is awesome for charts/exhibits but terrible for frameworking

Crafting cases is great for frameworking

My course (custom case coach) covers the end to end journey and is fully hollistic - worth considering for "no stone unturned"

Case with lots of different people and a high variety of cases

Here's some more reading to help - good luck!

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Hi there,

I think your instinct is right to question this — but 4 months is not overkill if you use it well.

What usually goes wrong is not “starting too early,” it’s doing too much of the wrong kind of prep (too many random cases, repeating frameworks, no reflection).

Given you’ve already done ~30 cases, you’re past the beginner stage. You don’t need to grind volume anymore — you need to get sharper and more consistent.

If I were in your position, I wouldn’t go all-in from now. I’d keep it light for a while, then ramp up later.

Right now, something like 2–3 cases per week is more than enough. Use this time to actually fix things:
where you get stuck, where you’re unclear, where you lose structure. Also worth doing a bit of targeted practice (math, brainstorming, structuring) instead of only full cases.

Then ~6–8 weeks before interviews, I’d increase intensity. That’s when you want to simulate real conditions more, do tougher / less standard cases, and really pressure-test your fit.

On the “robotic” concern — very valid, and I’ve seen it a lot.

It usually happens when people keep applying the same frameworks without thinking. The way around it is simple (but not easy): after each case, force yourself to reflect. What would you do differently next time? Could you structure it in a simpler or more tailored way?

If you keep doing that, you won’t become robotic — you’ll actually become more flexible.

Also, your point about curveball cases is important. At this stage, firms are not testing whether you know frameworks. They’re testing whether you can stay structured when the case is messy. That’s a different skill, and it comes from thoughtful practice, not just more cases.

If I had to summarize how I’d approach it:
start now, but keep it light → focus on fixing weaknesses → ramp up closer to interviews → prioritize quality over volume.

You’re already in a good position — this is more about sharpening than starting from scratch.

Good luck!

Best,

Soheil

Hi,

I don’t think there’s such a  thing as “too much preparation”; there is,  however, such a thing as the wrong type of preparation. So 4months is not overkill if used properly.

You have plenty of time between now and September,  so I wouldn’t go full steam immediately. Instead think about building your preparation in a structured and consistent way.

If your budget allows, I would strongly recommend starting with one coaching session early on. The goal is to:

• assess where you stand
• identify your main gaps
• define a clear preparation plan

From there, consistency matters much more than intensity.  On your concern about sounding robotic, this is usually not due to too much prep, but to the wrong kind of prep; for example,  over-relying on memorized frameworks instead of learning how to lead the case and communicate in a clear, structured way.

The goal is not to memorize more cases but to think better during the case.

Feel free to DM me if you’d like to go deeper

Best,
Franco

What a great question!

No, 4 months is not an overkill. 

Plus, in this time, you need to do multiple things. 

You need to prepare for the interviews themselves (case + personal fit). And I would aim to have 1-1.5h x 4-5 times a week. 

AND

You need to do whatever is in your power to increase the probability of you passing screening. 

Meaning, you need to identify your target firms and figure out what office you want to apply to, and what role (for instance you might consider applying for a specific practice rather than a generalist role). Then, you need to prepare your CV, ideally have it professionally reviewed, and your cover letter. Then, you should ideally get referrals for the roles that you're applying for. 

Adding here some resources that you might find useful:

• • Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

AND

• • Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn?

Best,
Cristian

4 months is not overkill. But how you use the time matters more than the total hours.

You have 30 cases done so you are past the basics. The real risk is doing the same thing for 4 months and getting stale.

Here is how I would structure it.

Take a proper break now. 3 to 4 weeks. You just finished an intense cycle, let it breathe.

Restart in May or June. Don't just grind more cases. Focus on what went wrong in January. Curveball cases usually catch people because they lean too hard on frameworks instead of actually thinking. That is the real fix.

July onwards, ramp up live practice with strong partners. 3 to 4 quality cases a week with real feedback beats 10 solo cases with no reflection.

August, go full intensity. Back to back mocks, time pressure, the works.

On sounding robotic, the fix is not less prep. It is practicing with people who will call you out when you sound scripted. Get uncomfortable in practice so you sound natural in the real interview.

You probably need another 40 to 50 cases before September, but spread out and deliberate.

What specifically felt off in January? That is where we should start.

Hi, good question — and you’re in a good spot with ~30 cases already done.

4 months is not overkill, but you don’t need to go full intensity from now. 

I’d keep it light for now:

• 1–2 cases per week
• focus on staying sharp
• spend time actually reflecting on what went wrong

Then in the last 4–6 weeks, you ramp up.

On the “robotic” concern: that usually comes from memorizing frameworks. If instead you focus on understanding the logic and adapting it each time, you’ll be fine.

Given your experience with curveballs, I’d actually lean into that:

• practice messy cases
• get comfortable when your structure doesn’t fit perfectly
• train how to reset mid-case

At your level, it’s less about doing 100 cases and more about fixing specific weaknesses.

So overall: start now, but keep it (relatively) relaxed. Then push harder closer to interviews.

hey there :)

starting about 3–4 months before is actually pretty ideal for Boston Consulting Group and other MBB recruiting, so it’s not overkill at all

the key is not to case nonstop, but to space it out, like early phase for structure and fundamentals, mid phase for different case types, and closer to interviews for realistic mocks and fit

your concern about sounding robotic is real, but it usually happens when people only memorize frameworks, not when they vary cases and focus on explaining their thinking naturally, so keep mixing in live mocks and fit stories

since you already did 30 cases, you’re actually in a good spot, now it’s more about quality and flexibility than volume

if you want, happy to suggest a light weekly prep plan so you don’t burn out

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

That number of cases may not be enough for some but overkill for others. My suggestion is to prepare to the point where you believer you are confident you can consistently ace any case, and once you've reached that point and interviews are not around the corner, you may just do 1 case every now and then to maintain your casing muscle, and ramp up a bit right before the interview.