Preparing second time for my interviews. Which casebooks have the deepest answers to the clarity requested by McKinsey?
I do have most of the ones circulating freely, so any insights as to which ones you found most helpful, would be dearly appreciated, thank you.
Hi there,
For McKinsey prep, it’s less about more cases and more about depth of explanation and clarity of thinking. Among the free casebooks you already have, the ones that tend to be most helpful for McKinsey style clarity are:
Most helpful for McKinsey depth and clarity
• Victor Cheng’s Case Interview Secrets framework explanations — strong on logic and synthesis, not just frameworks
• LOMS Look Over My Shoulder — very strong on how to think and communicate
• IGotAnOffer McKinsey specific notes — focused on MECE thinking and top down problem solving
Also useful but more general
• Case in Point — good for fundamentals but less McKinsey specific
• Booz or ACME style case sets — helpful for breadth but lighter on clear synthesis
The key isn’t accumulating more cases but internalizing how to structure hypotheses, prioritize problems, and synthesize clean takeaways in a McKinsey style. Focusing on articulating your logic out loud and doing forced synthesis drills often delivers the biggest improvement.
Happy to help you refine a focused prep plan if useful.
Best,
Evelina
Hey!
LOMS / Victor Cheng do not make any sense! This is just theory! ...
Check here on Prep / check Case books from Ivy League Consulting Clubs! Those are the best!
BR Alessa
That is a fantastic question, especially since you are taking a second run at it. The focus on clarity, specifically, is exactly right—that's the key distinction for McKinsey.
Here’s the reality check on most circulating casebooks: they are fundamentally designed to train you for the Bain/BCG framework-heavy style. They reward comprehensive structure-dumping. McKinsey, however, doesn't want to hear the standard 4Cs or 3-P's. They are testing the Problem Solving Conversation and your ability to synthesize. The clarity you seek isn't in the answers themselves, but in how quickly you distill the problem and communicate the "so what."
If you rely too heavily on generic casebooks, you will sound practiced and mechanical, which is exactly what McKinsey screens out. Instead, pivot your preparation almost entirely to official McKinsey materials (the videos and their dedicated case practice guides). The structure you build must be entirely bespoke to the problem at hand, driven by the facts you receive, not by memorized buckets.
For your second attempt, focus 80% of your practice time on the communication phase. Practice delivering a clear answer or recommendation before you dive into the numbers. When you do practice with a partner, ask them to grade you solely on whether they could follow your logic and synthesis, rather than just the math. The interviewer must never have to ask, "So what does this mean?" That proactive clarity is what moves a candidate from strong to offer-ready.
All the best with the preparation.
It's a mix of logic and communication/delivery. You need both a crisp and a logical answer that matches the reasonable approaches
Congrats on being invited to the interviews!
Most casebooks are written by MBA students who are trying to get into these firms, so the sample answers are rarely distinctive.
I would recommend you try some of the cases on the PrepLounge library, especially the ones posted by coaches.
Sharing below some of the links to my own cases which are based on actual MBB interviews:
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.
Best,
Cristian
