Personal Developement Question

Hi Eddie,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, for reading comprehension, I would strongly advise you to read my expert article on the topic.
• Moreover, for written expression, I would advise regular language practice, assuming it's a foreign language.
• Lastly, for final recommendations, I would advise you to record yourself and repeat until they are perfect.

You can find more on this topic here: Speed reading techniques

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi! What has helped me personally with points 2 and 3 is simply imagining that the other person I'm speaking to has limited time (which is anyway often the case in consulting - everyone's on the clock and is constantly in a rush, whether it be coworkers or clients). Therefore, think about:

- If I were this person, what would be key for me to know? This can almost always be framed in both qualitative and quantitative terms. e.g., this initiative will provide X% revenue uplift. The qualitative part will certainly be linked to a business impact e.g. revenue uplift, cost savings, customer retention rate, etc.

- Similarly, for reading comprehension, look out for business terms and pay attention to those. In my experience, in a virtual case study, almost all information given will be important/relevant, but in a face-to-face case interview (where the candidate is left to read the materials on their own), there can be a lot of red herrings/irrelevant information provided, just to test how well the candidate filters information. Therefore: always go back to the question you are trying to answer and what pieces of information you would require to obtain the answer. This will help you figure out what's relevant and what isn't. 

I'm not sure if you're a native English speaker, but I can imagine all of this is much harder if you're not. So just be patient with yourself, practice more, and, even if you ARE a native English speaker, read more (books, news, etc.). Maybe even watch Netflix with the volume down low so that you're forced to read the subtitles quickly to keep up! All of this will help you increase your reading speed.

These are pretty basic tips, but I hope they help. Good luck!

Hey Eddie :)

Great that you’re being so intentional about improving these skills — they really do make a difference, especially in MBB-style cases. For reading comprehension, I'd suggest timed reading drills with case exhibits (Victor Cheng or CaseCoach materials work well), and summarizing each in 1–2 sentences. For written expression, try daily short writing sprints (e.g. 100-word summaries of news articles) and use tools like Hemingway or Grammarly to tighten your phrasing. For case conclusions, voice-record your closings, listen back, and iterate — it helps a lot with clarity and structure under pressure. Also, reviewing real candidate performance on YouTube (Crafting Cases or Management Consulted) can give good benchmarks.

Let me know if you want specific examples or more targeted tools :)

Best,
Alessa :)

Hi Eddie,

Hi Eddie — great self-awareness and a strong set of skills to focus on. These are critical in consulting and improving them now will definitely pay off. Here are some targeted suggestions and practical tools:

1. Reading Comprehension (Under Time Pressure)
This is about scanning, prioritizing, and synthesizing information quickly.

What helps:

• Read business content under a timer (e.g., The Economist, HBR). Summarize key points in 1–2 minutes.
• GMAT RC practice – Great for building speed and comprehension under pressure. Use GMAT Club or Manhattan Prep.
• Casebook prompts – Skim case introductions from top MBA casebooks and immediately outline key questions or hypotheses.

2. Written Expression
Clarity and conciseness are key for fit answers, emails, and slide writing.

Improve with:

• Grammarly or Hemingway Editor – Real-time feedback on clarity and structure.
• Bullet summary drills – Take any article or case and summarize in 3–5 bullets + a 2-line summary.
• Write out fit answers using the STAR format, and limit them to 150–200 words to practice brevity and structure.

3. Case Conclusions
This is all about executive-style synthesis.

Try this:

• Use the PEP framework: Position (your answer), Evidence (3 key drivers), Proposal (next steps).
• Record yourself summarizing cases — it helps with tone, clarity, and flow.
• Watch top candidate videos (Victor Cheng, IGotAnOffer) to model your approach.

Bonus Tools

• “The Pyramid Principle” (Barbara Minto) – Essential for structured thinking and communication.
• “Thinking Fast and Slow” (Daniel Kahneman) – Builds analytical depth and processing discipline.
• Cornell note-taking or structured outlines – Helps with logical breakdown and retention.

You’re already ahead by identifying these growth areas — now it’s about steady, focused practice. Small daily habits will lead to big improvements.

Feel free to reach out if you need further help! 

Best,

Evelina
 

Hi Eddie,

I like that you know what you want :)

For top down communication and synthesis, the best resource (in my view) still remains Barbara Minto's The Pyramid Principle. You can also check 'The Trusted Advisor' for advice on mindset and how to approach the consulting job. 

However, even though you're mentioning you're not looking for coaching pitches, it's worth knowing that sharpening these sort of skills happens through feedback. Feedback you either get on the job or through an external person that you pay for. So one way or another, you still 'pay' to develop these skills. 

Best,
Cristian