MBB Interview – Differences & Structure Timing Advice?

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.

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

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 :)

This is a common question but I think too many candidates over-index on the 'differences', focus on the wrong things and fail to realize what is really needed to pass the interview.

I dont think any of the firms are looking for something that is different in candidates from each other. That being said, given the same duration of interview timing, the structuring and presentation time would not differ.

Really whats more important is if you have good core skills especially on problem solving and less on communication. You can be a great communicator and build a great rapport but if you can't solve the problem you won't be hired. But if you are really smart and show strong critical thinking but maybe aren't the most efficient communicator, I would argue most interviewers would still pass you (that was my experience as an interviewer and sitting through interview reviews for MBA superdays).

Hi there, 

Happy to provide a perspective. Let me take your questions one by one. 

• Structuring time – how long is considered ideal for building your structure before speaking? - Typically, around a minute. But feel free to take more or less time based on what the structure requires. Your focus should be on the quality, not on the time.
• Presentation time – how long should you spend presenting your framework out loud? - For MBBs, around 4-5 minutes. But have this as an anchor, you might need more or less depending on the structure.
• Any key stylistic or strategic differences in how McKinsey, BCG, and Bain prefer candidates to approach the case? - From my perspective, there are no differences. 

Now, to the more important point, I'd recommned you approach both candidate led and interview led cases in the same way, which is rather as if they are all candidate led. Meaning, even in McKinsey interviews, lead the case, signal where you want to go next and be proactive (don't just 'wait for the next question'). 

Best,
Cristian

Hi,

Adding to what was stated:

“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.”

You should approach interviews always as if they were candidate led. That means you’ll always say what the next step should be and why. Hint: the next step should always refer back to the objective of the case and in line with your overall structure.

“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!”

Communication should be top down for the general structure and you should bring some color when explaining it to showcase business sense. E.g.: “To evaluate if this investment is a good decision or not, I would evaluate 3 areas. First, I would like to understand if …, Second (…), Third (…). [main structure]
Within the first bucket, I would like to assess 3 issues. The first one would be if (…) BECAUSE (…). [sub-structure]
Also, never say you would like to see “market, product and client”, you should say what are you actually trying to discover by analysis it. E.g.: instead of saying you would like to see market, you may say (random example) “I would like to see if the market is big enough and if it has a positive trend” instead of competitors, you may say “I would like to evaluate how the competition landscape is in this market and if they can pose a threat to our client’s goal of X”.

If you would like to learn more about how to tackle each part of the case in a detailed coaching session, glad to help you with that!

Best,

Mari

Hi there,

As a former McKinsey interviewer, let me break a myth: no one is counting how long you take to build your structure. Literally. In interviewer training, we’re explicitly told not to rush candidates here — as long as the full interview ends on time (usually within an hour), you’re good.

So here’s the real advice: take as little time as possible, but as much as needed to build a solid structure. For most people, that’s about 4–5 minutes.

There are only two moments when you should start talking:

1. When the interviewer says, “Let’s hear your structure.” They’re managing the time, not you.
2. When you finish your structure and you’ve double-checked it for logic, completeness, and clarity — especially at level 1 and level 2.

Anything sooner, and you’re just rushing under pressure, not impressing anyone.

Best,

Alberto

There's honestly not a material difference in what these firms value from candidates. 

Yes, McK is interviewer led, but aside from that, the core skills you need to demonstrate are the same (problem-solving, top-down comms, number comfort, structured approach to ambiguity, etc.)

1-2 mins thinking time, and something similar for presentation would be good at any MBB firm.