MBB Interview – Differences & Structure Timing Advice?

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm currently preparing for MBB (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) interviews and wanted to ask for some advice regarding the differences in how each firm evaluates the case portion, particularly when it comes to:

Structuring time – how long is considered ideal for building your structure before speaking?
Presentation time – how long should you spend presenting your framework out loud?
Any key stylistic or strategic differences in how McKinsey, BCG, and Bain prefer candidates to approach the case?

I understand McKinsey is more interviewer-led, while BCG and Bain lean candidate-led, but I’d love to hear more nuanced takes from those with first-hand experience or recent offers.

Also, if you have any tips on how to clearly communicate a structure (especially under time pressure), or on avoiding common pitfalls across firms, that would be super helpful!

Thanks so much in advance – looking forward to your insights!

Answer 1

Sharing some thoughts as someone who's been through McK & BCG interview processes:

1) Structuring time should be about 2-3 mins; simply because anything more than that starts feeling long + you eat into time solving the case

2) Presentation time should be about 5 mins as the full case is 30-40 mins and typically consists of 4 main sections (framework, math, graph, brainstorming). Your total time spent on framework should be max 10 mins.

3) From my personal experience the main difference is in the way the interviewer moves you along the case. McK will move you to the next section once you give your answer + some Q&A. BCG will be more issue tree focused and simply tell you "that's not the issue. What else?" until you find the right issue.

Answer 2

Hey there :)

You’re right, McKinsey is interviewer-led, so you’ll spend less time structuring out loud and more time answering targeted questions. A crisp 30–45 seconds to think, then a clear and concise structure in under a minute works well. BCG and Bain prefer candidate-led, so your structure is more central and guides the whole case — here 60–90 seconds to build and 1–2 minutes to present is totally fine.

In terms of style, McKinsey values precision and logic, BCG often looks for creativity and depth in reasoning, and Bain really likes actionable, practical thinking and strong hypothesis-driven problem-solving.

To communicate structure well, write it clearly with a logical flow, then walk through top-down and pause briefly after each bucket. Common pitfall: rambling or overloading your framework. Stay simple, MECE, and focused on the core problem.

Happy to walk through case openings with you if you'd like!

Best,
Alessa :)

Answer 3

Hello,

Great questions — here’s a quick breakdown based on the MBB case formats:

Structuring time:
Aim for 60–90 seconds max to build your structure. Practice writing quickly and clearly under pressure so you can stay within that window.

Presentation time:
Keep your framework explanation to about 1–2 minutes. Be clear, top-down, and prioritize clarity over detail.

Firm differences:

McKinsey: Interviewer-led. Expect a structured problem-solving flow — they guide you through questions. Be sharp on mental math, exhibit logical thinking, and communicate step-by-step.
BCG: Candidate-led with room for creativity. Strong, MECE structures and hypothesis-driven thinking are key. They appreciate nuance in business judgment.
Bain: Also candidate-led, but a bit more pragmatic and number-heavy. They value real-world thinking and data-driven insights — don’t overcomplicate.

Tips for structure clarity:

Speak in buckets (e.g. “I’d look at this in 3 areas…”).
Use signposting and be brief: title each bucket and explain just one line per.
Always link your structure back to the objective of the case.

Common pitfalls to avoid:

Talking while still thinking (take your pause).
Going too deep too fast — stay high-level initially.
Forgetting to ask clarifying questions upfront.

Hope this helps — let me know if you’d like to run a mock or get feedback on your structures.

Best,
Evelina