Jumping in the MBB interviews with little preparation (~3 weeks) or wait until the Fall of 2023

Hi there,

So, my gut tells me if you have done 90 live cases in the past, 3 weeks is enough time to prepare.

The honest answer though is that we don't know. The reason being, we have no idea how strong you are at casing!

I know it's expensive, but I cannot recommend one coaching session to do a full deep-dive assessment. This will let you know exactly where you stand and if you're ready.

Another option is to see if MBB can give you a case partner or give you a mock. A final option is to ask any of your contacts at MBB if they'd be willing to do a honest, hard assessment of your skills.

Good luck to you!

P.S. If it were me I would do it now, especially considering all of my other interviews are around the same time (therefore all offers come in at similar times and I'm done at the end). But…that's me…not necessarily the right advice for you

Hi there, 

Indeed, difficult to tell what would be the best option. 

The way I see it, with your background, you could go for a sprint now and try to make the interview in 2-3 weeks. You would need a coach to make sure you progress in the most effective and efficient way in this timeframe. A coach could also advise you on the best way to push the interview by 1-2 weeks more. 

If a coach is not an option for you, then indeed I'd rather push it until later in the year so you have more preparation time. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Q: I feel like I am not prepared enough yet and will probably not change the world in two weeks, but September is quite a long way down the road. Which option would you choose?

If you don’t have enough time to prepare, I would recommend to postpone. However, it seems you have already done quite some prep, so you might have enough time in 2 weeks.

I would recommend to:

1. Define a prep plan and estimate the time you still need
2. See if you can allocate those hours within the next two weeks

If it is possible to allocate the hours, then you can do it now, if not you can postpone. Either way, you will have an objective way to look at this based on numbers.

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the difficult situation you are in!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, I would highly advise you to consider reaching out to an experienced coach for a proper case study diagnostic to know about your current level of readiness for sure. Unfortunately, many candidates either over- or underestimate their level of readiness, leading to either rejections or wasted time.
• Moreover, whether or not you would be willing to invest in the case study diagnostic with an experienced coach, when in doubt, I would advise you to opt for September since opportunity costs are very high if you fail the interviews in May due to a lack of preparation, have to wait another 12-18 months for the ban period to end, just to prepare again and reapply.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

As others have said, it's hard to tell you without doing a case with you. That being said, you seem to have done a lot of preparation in the past and likely have retained a lot of these skills. In the current economic environment I would suggest that moving quickly is important - who knows exactly where we'll be in September and if the hiring will be going on or will have been pushed back. I recommend doing a quick coaching session with someone who can give you the confidence that you're ‘ready’ and then moving quickly. 

Good luck! 

You should go when you are prepared.

If you think you may be feeling the impostor syndrome, a coach may help to assess your current performance.

Otherwise, if you think you can adequatly assess your abilities, only go for it if you feel >80% prepared at this point (so you are at 90-95% during your interview).