Issues structuring my thoughts clearly and in a clean way...

hey there :)

this is a very common issue and you are already thinking about it the right way. you are right that part of it comes from exposure to strong structures and mental models, but a big part is also slowing down your thinking and forcing yourself to be explicit. the best solo way to improve is to practice structuring without solving, meaning take random prompts like why profits are down or whether to enter a market and only spend time writing a clean issue tree out loud, then compare it to strong sample structures and rewrite it. also narrate your thinking out loud as if to an interviewer and record yourself, you will quickly notice where things become fuzzy or unstructured. doing this regularly helps articulation a lot and builds the muscle even without live casing. happy to challenge your thinking on this anytime and you can always reach out if you want to go deeper.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

You’re right that clean structuring comes from both pattern recognition and analytical articulation, and both can be trained. You can improve this on your own, but it needs to be very deliberate.

One effective exercise is to practice structuring without solving. Take a business question, spend five minutes building a clear top down structure, then stop and compare it to a sample solution to see what you missed or overcomplicated. This isolates structuring from analysis. Another high ROI habit is synthesis practice, for example summarizing a business article in 60 seconds by stating the problem, key drivers, and takeaway. Recording yourself helps improve clarity and articulation.

That said, structuring is one of the areas where external feedback speeds up progress the most. Even a small number of targeted coaching sessions can help you build the right mental models and avoid bad habits, making solo practice much more effective.

Happy to help you on your journey to secure a role - feel free to reach out

Best,
Evelina

Hello!

Experience from casing does help, but there are also ways to build up how to structure problems. 2-step suggestion from what I found helpful:

1. I find doing market sizing questions a good way to build a foundation to structuring problems - these are like mini-structuring exercises, it helps you think through the key components and the further breakdown needed to answer the problem. I would come up with market sizing questions and time time myself to complete it within 2-3 mins each, then say out loud as if how I'd answer it in a case interview to practice articulation. (you can also do this with a partner, by doing the sizing individually and then share answers with each other, to practice articulation, and also to hear what other approach is possible); This drill helps with structure, articulation, sense checking, and mental math.

2. Once you're comfortable with that, I'd focus on doing drills on just structuring problems i.e., read the case prompt and time yourself to structure the case within 2-3 mins (ideally you want to be able to do it comfortably within 2 - 2.5 mins), no need to solve the case. Once you're done, you can look at the sample answer as a reference only - there can be many ways to structure a case as long as it is MECE and covers the key issues of the problem. 

One last note, understand that you're not keen to do it with others yet, however I do find working with a partner would be more effective, as you can hear how your partner might approach it differently - to speed up the learning.

Hope this helps! All the best!

Hey there!

This is one of the most common misunderstandings I see, even among very strong candidates.

When people say “I struggle with structuring”, what they usually mean is not that they lack structure.
It’s that they start thinking too early.

In an MBB interview, structure does not come from frameworks, exposure, or having seen many cases.
It comes from doing the right thing before you think.

Most candidates skip that step.

Here’s what’s really going on.

What usually breaks structure

1. The question is not fully locked.
People start answering while the objective is still vague in their head. If you are not 100 percent clear what decision you are supporting, any structure will fall apart.

Before you structure, you should be able to say in one simple sentence what success looks like.
If you can’t do that, stop. You’re not ready to structure yet.

2. Structuring and solving get mixed together.
Structuring is about deciding what to look at.
Solving is about deciding what the answer is.

If you mix those, your structure will feel messy, no matter how smart you are.

3. Frameworks are used as a substitute for thinking.
Frameworks don’t create clarity. They only organize clarity that already exists. If the logic is weak, the framework will just hide it for a moment.

How to train this on your own

If you want a high return solo exercise, do this consistently.

Take any business question.

Do not try to solve it.

1. Write down the objective in one sentence.
   “At the end of this, I should be able to recommend X.”
2. Ask yourself one question:
   “What would need to be true for this recommendation to go one way versus the other?”
3. Build a structure that answers only that question.
   No details. No examples. No numbers.
4. Say the structure out loud in 30 seconds.
   If you need more time, the structure is not clean enough.

This forces you to slow down at exactly the moment where most candidates rush.

One overlooked skill that helps a lot

Practice synthesis separately.

Take a business article or a case summary and explain, in under a minute:

• What decision is being made
• What are the two or three drivers
• What would change the outcome

This directly improves articulation because it trains you to lead with logic, not narration.

Realistic expectation

You can improve structuring alone.
But if will be very inefficient. Inevitably! Because this is the area where external feedback has the highest leverage.

Why? Because bad structure feels reasonable to the person creating it!

Many strong candidates practice for months and unknowingly reinforce the same mistake.
Once that blind spot is pointed out, progress is usually very fast.

If there is one takeaway, it’s this:

Clean structure is not about speed or confidence.
It’s about sequencing your thinking correctly.

Get the sequence right, and clarity follows naturally.

Hope this helps!

Sidi

___________________

Dr. Sidi S. Koné

Hey there, 

A few suggestions that tend to work well:

1) Solo practice is a good starting point, just be intentional.
Practicing alone can help you build confidence, but progress is usually faster once you add other people later on. For now, focus on how you structure, not on solving the full case.

2) Practice structuring only.
Take cases and only build the framework, don’t do the full analysis. Then pressure-test your structure:

• Is it MECE (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive)?
• Are the levels consistent in depth?
• Does it actually answer the question asked?

3) Use simple “anchor” structures.
Some problems naturally start from a known first level (e.g., profit = revenue − costs). Having these anchors makes it much easier to expand logically and add depth, rather than starting from a blank page every time.

4) Build the theory first if you’re new to cases.
If you’ve never done cases before, it’s completely fine to start by reading basic theory or watching a few YT videos before practicing on your own. That's how I did it back in the days

5) Accept that it gets more natural with repetition.
Practice, practice, practice :) What feels forced now will become much more intuitive over time.

Hope this helps!

That feeling of having all the pieces in your head but not being able to assemble them cleanly is incredibly common, especially early on. You’re right to pinpoint structure and articulation—that’s the single biggest signal the interviewer looks for in assessing executive presence and readiness for client communication.

Here’s the reality: structure isn't about memorizing fifty different frameworks. It's about being able to synthesize messy, noisy input (the case prompt or client meeting notes) into 3–4 logical, MECE buckets in real-time. Since you prefer to work solo, you need a strategic approach to build that synthesis muscle memory without a partner acting as the client.

To improve structuring on your own, you must aggressively reverse-engineer high-quality material. Take complex prompts from BCG or similar resources. Read the prompt once, then immediately stop. Before looking at the provided solution, force yourself to write down only the highest level of your structure—just the three or four buckets you would investigate. This trains the muscle to filter noise and identify the core drivers. Repeat this process dozens of times, comparing your initial structure to the expert solution.

For articulation, you need to make this practice audible. Stand up and narrate your structure aloud as if you are presenting to a Managing Partner. Always use explicit numerical grouping ("There are three primary avenues we must explore... First, Second, Finally..."). The best drill is to record yourself presenting your structures for one minute, listen back, and ruthlessly cut every 'um,' 'uh,' and every time you use seven words when three would suffice. Articulation is about forced brevity and crystal clarity.

Hope it helps!

Based on your description and without seeing you in a case, it's impossible to diagnose this. So if you're looking to dig deeper into it, I would suggest you schedule a session. 

Structuring is the core of the consulting toolkit. It's not an on/off switch, but an ability with varying degrees of skill. In order to master it, you need to understand the underlying principles and apply them to multiple cases to polish it. Unfortunately, it's also one of the skills that is least easy to develop on your own. Basically, in the absence of targeted feedback, you don't know where and how to improve. 

As a starting point, read through this guide:

• • Expert Guide: Mastering Structuring & Brainstorming

But more than anything, I would recommend you get professional feedback on your structuring. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

It's hard to share guidance on how you can improve without more information on what you struggle with when it comes to structuring. I suggest you chat with a few coaches to see their view and style, and select one to work with to see significant improvements.

There are SO MANY root causes of this. Alas, much like improving in anything, training/tutoring is the most optimal way forward (highest chance of success and least wasted time).

Hire a coach. They'll figure out where you're blocked and help you fix it. This is something I specifically specialize in (mindset shifts), but, of course, pick whichever coach works for you!

Go to "Videos By Ian" here to get some practice on fixing your structuring

Also, I am a bit concerned by you saying you won't do cases with others. You essentially have to in order to progress in casing overall! (Even if you do risk learning bad frameworking habits)